Fertility Appointments and Beyond.... the journey continues

@gracie2021 😊 always here as a cheerleader, especially as a fellow low AMH-er, gotta share the love x

@beaverdiego unfortunately yes, although depends on healthboard a bit!

Despite being told that I have an issue that will likely impact (make unlikely) implantation the Doc wouldn't yet refer me for fertility as said we still need to wait a year of TTC before can refer.
Is that correct even though a fertility issue has been identified???

@gracie2021 8 FOLLICLES!!!! omggggg!!!! Go you! X

@Gracie2021 sounds like a good attitude - the proof really is in the follicle number as you say! I'm 6 days past IUI, trying to stay relaxed and positive, no symptoms or anything! Seeing two pregnant friends this weekend separately and will no doubt talk a lot about their pregnancies so just psyching myself up for that really!

Also I have heard that AMH isn't really a biggie but it just helps doctors to know what drugs to use for IVF xx

Yay @Gracie2021 I'm thrilled for you!! Hope you can relax this weekend :)
I got my AMH tested last June and it was 29 and then again last August and it was 40 (always high due to PCOS) so I guess increase is possible? x

@Gracie2021 finally some great news for you! 🥳

I know I have not been active on this thread at all but hope everyone is doing as well as can be expected. I'm hopefully staring letrozole soon (process has been so painfully slow) and fingers crossed it helps.

@dogmam it was a very happy episode to end the season on! Agree sad that there's no more podcast for a couple of months! Glad you have the option to delay and you can prioritise yourself and feeling good for now :)

@EMM01 I have PCOS too. Isn't it a shitter? I've never taken Clomid but I am on my fourth cycle of Letrazole (first with combined IUI). On the first and fourth cycles I have ovulated but the second and third I didn't - no idea why my response has been different month to month. My side effects with Letrazole have been physical only, not emotional. I'm so sorry for the loss of your mum x

@emm01 welcome! I have PCOS and am on Clomid 😊 I'm currently on my 6th and last cycle of Clomid, but haven't had any luck so far. I have been ovulating, but not getting pregnant. I have been lucky enough not to have any symptoms with the Clomid, but then I didn't get any symptoms (well, not many) with Metformin either, so I think I'm just not very reactive.

Sorry you are feeling low, and I'm sorry to hear about your mum xx I lost my step mum a few months ago, and the grief my poor little brother and sister are going through is terrible xx

@dogmam a break sounds good 😊

@thislittlebird I hate having people in my house (doing things, not mates) it puts me weirdly on edge, and its always loud and messy (not like I'm quiet, and I'm definitely nor tidy lol)

@emm01 hey! I'm not on clomid but I cry at everything now 🤣 have accepted it as a trade off for keeping all my other emotions about everything safely in 'the box' lol x

Hi all, can I chime in on the thread as well?

I have just started my nhs fertility treatment after a few years of trying with no joy. My partner has no issues but I have horrendous PCOS and am at the start of a long waiting list in NI for IVF. Our consultant has put me on Clomid to give it a shot while we wait for IVF.... he thinks it's worth a try! I have just finished my first dose of clomid now, am on CD8 and getting a follicle tracking scan on Friday.

I did not enjoy the clomid side effects Had constant migraine style headaches, nausea and felt sad quite a lot. I lost my mum a few months ago, and I cried about it several times a day, everyday I took the tablets, which is so unusual for me! I have a feeling the clomid is not going to work for me, but I'm trying to be positive.

Has anyone else used clomid? How did it go for u?

@thislittlebird I have decided to sort my lifestyle out too. Starting 1st March (when I'm back from my mini break) I'm going to reduce my calories intake (not by a huge amount, just enough to be in deficit), increase my protein and reduce sugar. My SIL is a personal trainer, so she's putting me together a 3 month exercise plan, and im going to join a gym. Im dragging my OH along too 😆

How rubbish about your sloppy decorators! Hopefully they'll shape up for the final touches.

@dogmam I think waiting a few extra weeks is a good idea, it's nice to know these are choices we can make.

And in answer, yes, its standard protocol here to test BMI for OH as well as me, but we are both within range so it shouldn't be an issue.

@dogmam will be interesting to see how you get on with the new algorithm! No mention of a double transfer, probably because I’m under 40 and they don’t like to transfer top quality ones (which will be the first transfer) with any others. I think after the first transfer I’ll be talking to them about double, and initially will go single. Have you discussed doubles?

Did they base your oestrogen quantity on your early lining or just blindly said to take it? Reason I ask is because I have always had a good lining so far, and I’m wondering if they’ll make me take them. I would be in Scotland around cd11/12 most likely, so not around for a scan . Also not sure when I’ll ovulate, it can move around 🤨. I’m going to be so gutted if I miss another cycle.

At least the frag test and embolisation are still in your arsenal if you need them for a third round, I can only go by our experience which is his frag was good (didn’t need varicocele fixing) and so was fertilisation, but we did it all privately and just made sure he was on impryl and others, in total for about a year by the time the ivf came round. Good that the urologist will see him though, hopefully it won’t be too long to wait.

I should be getting healthier this week but so far decorator thing is getting me down. Sick of him being in my space, and honestly it’s all looking a bit slapdash. I’m kind of annoyed, this was supposed to be a good thing for us to save us doing it ourselves and speed it up, get the house refreshed etc. Nothing is ever without stress! I’m going to definitely rejoin the work gym, they’re doing 4 month memberships which is fine for me.

@Kay00 yeah I get that. Month one of failure on letrozole was super hard, similarly by month three I was over it and knew it wouldn’t work. It confirmed my follicles would grow and that my progesterone can get high so that’s good, I suppose.

I think it’s natural to feel like it might not work for you tbh. I feel the same. I was convinced we’d have a worse outcome from the first ivf cycle but I was proved wrong in a good way, so far anyway. Having high AMH can be a good thing so try to remain positive. Every stage is a shitty hurdle. My next fear is I’ll have implantation issues, or immune issues.

I had to stop looking at the ivf thread I’m on because seeing people who had multiple failures for transfer freaked me out earlier on tbh. We haven’t discussed where the line is for us. In my head that line might be 3 full rounds, but maybe I won’t feel that way when we get to the third. On the plus side we should be able to get two private rounds done fairly quickly once this nhs round is done, although I’m hoping we won’t need them 😬

@magnoliasinbloom I love the BFN podcast! I actually look forward to a new episode coming out so I can listen on my Tuesday dog walk haha gutted this series is finished. Wow motility was amazing, all the boxes are ticked for you so all that's left is a lot of finger crossing!

@Kay00 sounds like things are progressing with your having the BMI checked in. Is it standard at your clinic to do your partners BMI too?

@Gracie2021 omg can't believe the counseller didn't contact you! Sounds like your chat with the doctor was really productive and also exciting that there's a proper plan. How are you feeling about it all? A little better after your talk with the doctor?

@thislittlebird they wouldn't have frozen your 4 if they weren't any good, honestly you are in a fab position! I think your protocol was perfect for you, you've responded ideally, not too many and not too few. My consultant said that Rekovelle have recently released a new algorithm, its still based on AMH and weight so is very personalised but she said it will be better for me to potentially have a slightly lower dose as i had so many eggs collected and some nearly half were not mature, it should prevent losing the bigger follicles.. something along those lines anyway but I'm happy to try. She also mentioned less eggs would open up the possibility to have a fresh transfer if I wanted to. Have the clinic mentioned about a double transfer at all for you? God it makes you sick to think how long infertility have taken over our lives doesn't it.. hard not to dwell on it when anniversarys of first appointments come around though lol
So for my first FET, I started estrogen tablets x3 a day from day 2 of my cycle to build up my lining, then on CD 11 I had my first scan and because the lining was over 7mm the the following day CD 12 i started progesterone pessary then CD17 i had the transfer. So I was only in the clinic for one scan then once for the transfer. Second FET, my first lining scan was CD9 but it was too thin, so upped the estrogen tablet to x4 a day and had repeat scan CD 17 where it was thick enough so transfer was booked for CD24. I also had lubion injections aswell as pessary for additional progesterone, from 5 days before the transfer. So all in all you're only in the clinic 2 or 3 times for a FET, unless you do a natural cycle where you'll be monitored really closely as obviously they will have less control over time expectations.
I also asked the consultant about extra tests for my other half. My clinic are very evidence based so unless its concrete, they won't entertain it. She said she wouldn't recommend me paying for DNA frag test as the main way to reduce it anyway is lifestyle (i didn't argue that actually antibiotics can help). However she has referred my parter to the fertility urologist to talk about possibly getting his varicocelle embolised however this wouldn't be done before this round as the waiting lists are huge and it's not guaranteed the urologist would recommend it.. so we are just going ahead with the cycle with a view that if we need third cycle then we will have it embolised if necessary.

I have definitely decided to delay our second cycle by a month, just gives us an extra 5 or 6 weeks to feel as healthy and as ready as we can. I'm sure ill regret it when I'm willing the weeks away!!

@peaches02 I'm not sure who your doctor will refer you too... its seems to differ from doctor to doctor/area to area. I'm based in Exeter, Devon and we have a fertility clinic at the local hospital which I think is where my doctor would have referred me if I had waited long enough. But I approached them myself and they arranged a consultation for about 6 weeks later.