Assisted Conception (and the bits in between) Volume 6

[rowingboat]

Hi all,
I just went to post on the old thread and noticed it had been locked, so here is a new one!
Come on in!

Cerubina congratulations to Meg and Mog Did you know it was two before? When I said whether it be one or two it was because I didn?t realise it was two. I knew several people were having twins but couldn?t remember who they were. So sorry that sounded a bit callous when I said be it one or two. I am so delighted it is two, please do send occasional updates if you wish to, or frequent ones.

oldyjade Somewhere on Mumsnet is a list of abbreviations. DH is dear/darling husband, dp dear/darling partner, dd dear/darling daughter, ds dear/darling son and dc dear/darling child. IUI is intrauterine insemination, usually you get fertility drugs to encourage the woman to produce more follicles (2 ? 4 usually, I think) and then a trigger shot is given to encourage the release of the eggs and then a small tube is used to place the man?s specially washed sperm directly into the uterus. The website below says ?You may know of IUI by the more commonly used term artificial insemination (AI). IUI and AI are one and the same fertility treatment.? We had this to have our daughter. The cost is less than IVF BUT you do not remove any eggs from the body. So the only problem is if you want to do treatment again you have no frozen embryos for another go. At the time I was pleased it was so simple but later felt a bit sad as I did not have any frozen embryos form more treatment and now we are awaiting donor eggs.

Rowing, thanks for your comments about my bloating. I saw two docs but I didn?t know about Candida then so next time I will ask them. When I did see the doctor one said what bloating went on an un-bloated day (must have been mad) he said he looked for the 5 Fs - flatulence, fluid, foetus, fat or faeces or something like that! Later another doc, a lady, said yes it was bloating and referred me to the dietician. She suggested avoid resident starch, whole grains, potato skins etc, which I did.

Anyway, I have now borrowed a book called Japanese Women Don't get old or fat by Naomi Mariyama www.japanesewomendontgetoldorfat.com/

I am going to be soooooo healthy at the end of all this!

Waves to all.

Hi all,

I should have probably popped up here a while ago.

Shortish story compared to most. TTC 8 months. No periods since I came off the pill (after 11 years). Normal hormones, weight, hairy-ness etc but pelvic ultrasound showed PCOS. One cycle of clomid which did nada (apart from highlight how awful the doctor at the clinic was). Changed clinics and had another attempt, this time with Letrozole and still nada. After discussions with a new (fab) consultant on a number of options we have settled on IVF. Maybe a little soon but didn't fancy having my ovaries drilled to no avail - especially as we are self funded.

So, with all the irony in the world, I started taking the pill again today to then induce a bleed and then start the nasal spray (more irony considering my lack of ovulation over the past 12 years!!)

Any who....hi

Welcome vallinnapod.

oldyjade yes, beautiful dogs, I am quite keen now to have a dog but it is not practical. Here are my fav pics....

<a class="break-all" href="http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/media/dogs/anonymous/penne_italiangreyhound43.jpg_w450.jpg&imgrefurl=www.dailypuppy.com/puppies/penne-the-italian-greyhound_2006-12-23&usg=__Ap1xh3s0Tzr3O0bTY39oYH3ZNu8=&h=539&w=450&sz=38&hl=en&start=11&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=GUNkPbqWEF_WtM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=110&prev=/images?q=italian+greyhound&um=1&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&tbs=isch:1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here

and here

Hi all,
just popping in very briefly, back soon to wave and reply to all.
Just wanted to say 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!' about that gorgeous little puppy Italian.
I always think of those little, shivery dogs when I think of Italian greyhounds, but that puppy is converting me.

ginger wine - had to send you a message. What was your AMH level? I got my AMH result today. The clinic said the normal rang is 5 - 15. My reading was 8.2. So i guess that's good? My DH also has low count. between 12 and 18 million. Apparently "normal" starts at about 20 million. Any info you can shaer will be golden.

By the way, all you ladies are such an inspiration and source of knowledge. Love you all.

PS Hi London Lottie. How's it going for you? I'm still TTC. I have found will power i didn't know i had.

italian That puppy is beeeeeeeee-autiful. And that's big compliment from me as i'm the owner of three cats. I hope I'll be mummy to a human one day. goes off into a dream. anyway, sorry i've been off radar. Had to have some time out. Still TTC. About to start with a new clinic. Hoping to get a cycle of ICSI in before the New Year. How you my love?

rowing boat. I went to Prague a couple of years ago in March. Blooming freezing then! Snowed every day. But December's weather should be same as UK. Cold but not tooooooo cold. It's a beautiful place. Gothic and fairy-tale like. Have some goulash and cheap beer. The cathedral lit up at night is a treat. I'm jealous you're going there in December. It will be extra special pre-Christmas. Have a great time.

Hi all,

Lottie and KC11 thank you for the info on Prague, was expecting it to be sunny and crisp, just not sure 'how' crisp.
Unfortunately, it's only me going, so not much point drinking beer as there's nobody to carry me home. [rolls eyes - typical!]

Newbi how are you getting on with the clinic contacting? I think I will be in CZ in early December, but probably not Prague (drat). Most interested to hear how you progress.
Please ask me anything, I don't have actual first-hand experience, but have been in touch with quite a few clinics by email.

Vallinapod welcome. How are you feeling?

Cerubina, what lovely news! Please do keep popping in, I can't wait to hear about your next scan.

Oldyj you must be logging in about now then!

Not much to add, other than am waiting for my STD blood tests and smear results.
My arms is black and blue because I have pathetic, hidden veins. I now realise the nurse ignored my advice on where the only vein that ever worked lived. She was about a mile wide of where I showed her and stuck the needle into the side of my elbow. I wondered why it felt so uncomfortable. [slightly pale face]

KC11 welcome back.

Thanks for your kind comments re the dogs, they are not mine, sadly, but I am working on my dh to get one!

All the best Rowing.

Waves to all.

Hi Rowing - good thanks. Frustrating to be on the pill again but feeling very 'zen' finally having a constructive course of action, and meeting a doctor I like! Hoping I don't have to do the full 3 weeks plus 1 for the period on it. Have a nurses consultation tomorrow so will ask. Ironically have an incredibly spotty chin and mouth area which I believe is hormone related so god knows what my body is playing at!

Very interested in hearing about the clinics abroad. We are incredibly lucky in having parents to fall back on at this stage if we need to but it does provide some comfort (if that make ANY sense) to know there are other options out there.

I hope all is well with everyone around here

Rowing

How long did you have to wait for the clinics to respond to you by email? I find it quite strange sending my details into cyber space and then not hearing for a few days.

Vallinapod: Welcome. I was delighted to hear about the clinics abroad as well. My counsellor in the UK mentioned it after our recent frozen embryo cycle that went nowhere. Good luck with your current cycle though and let us klnow how you get on.

Hi all,

Italian is your DH not keen on having a dog? I have only had cats and I found THEM hard work.

Vallin have the spots been brought on by the pill do you think? I can get a bit spotty before AF sometimes, have to lay off the moisturiser.

Newbi I will go and look at my email history and see how long they took. I think they all got back within a few days. The longest response times were when I emailed the Ukraine and, I think, Bulgaria. Oh yes, I am that desperate.
Czech Republic seems amongst the most organised and still quite reasonable cost-wise. Otherwise why would we schlep over there rather than go somewhere convenient.

Hello from America!

Having a lovely time with DH, visiting with my gorgeous nephew, and vowing to give him a cousin.

Am determined to lose at least a stone and start exercising when I return. We will pursuing our third cycle hopefully in December, depending on where we go. If current clinic offers us the two for one again, we'll stay with them, but if not, it'll be ARGC or UCH. We still have another years wait for our NHS cycle, and we absolutely don't want to hold out for that.

Thanks so much to all for well wishes and encouragement. Be back soon...

rowing they appeared just before starting the pill. Wondered if my comatosed ovaries may finally be stirring... Oh, well, back under suppression

Lissy where did you get your 2-4-1? I had a bad experience at CRGH but entirely due to the completely inaccessible consultant - everyone else was nice, but compared to where i am now i am having a much better 'experience'. All very individual though.

Hope everyone is having a great w/e

Hi all,
Lissy there you are! I hope you had a good trip and are keeping busy with all the family activities.
I'm doing a bit of peddling on my exercise cycle (in front of TV) but not managing to reduce my food intake very well, due to very weak will.
Should we have a weigh-in or something when you get back and embarrass ourselves into doing something? [cringe at very thought]

Vallina how odd about the spots, could it be diet or change of skincare? I find putting on the central heating makes my skin go a bit strange, have you put yours on yet?

Went for a walk this evening, to get a bit of daylight, before it disappeared. Can't believe the clocks go back next week, gulp!
We had chips on the way home due to inability to think of an evening meal. Oh dear, nice though!

Hi all, hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Lissy good to hear from you.

vallinnapod sorry about the chin and spots, hope it clear up. What hormones are you taking?

Rowing My hubby says no to the dog. No desire to offended you or the masses of cat lovers who live in every corner of the world but if we liked cats that would be an option. A person told me to today about a collar and lead for a hamster! My dd would love that! There is this amazing site with all pics of puppys here

Hi again,

Italian, I used to be fanatical about animals, any animal, but I ended up with cats because they were slightly lower maintenance than dogs.
Nothing against dogs though. I used to be the local dog walker when I was a teenager.
My arm is completely bruised after that blooming nurse stuck the needle into the wrong place. It goes up my arm, what did she do!!! She obviously has a special 'gift'.

Rowing hope the arm is better. I know people sometimes call pets ?fur babies?.

Watching Pregnant and 16. A young couple gave up their baby for a semi-open adoption (the mum was 17) and the adoptive mum gave her a bracelet, and one for herself and one for the baby when she is older, and they will all wear their bracelet (it is form the USA). I am in tears!

Love to all.

Hello!

Yes I'm back again - this time to stay!

Have been back reading the thread so that I can get up to speed on where everyone is.

I went for counselling a few weeks ago and found it very helpful - she said that I'd been fighting against my situation and that my lack of acceptance was leading to me feeling to sad, frustrated and angry. I also talked to her about my envious feelings - especially towards, for example, 2 girls I know who have both got married the smae summer as me and have both had 2 babies (all girls as well - which is what I wanted) in the time that I have been trying for one. She explained to me that that was their "path" and that I needed to concentrate on my own path. I'm not quite there on that one yet, but it does help to remind myself of that when I'm feeling jealous.

Although it's come a bit closer to home today and the whole "this is my path" thing isn't working quite so well. It's daft really, because they're not even pregnant yet, but my mum told me that my cousin and his girlfriend have been trying for a baby. They're about 7 years younger than me and my cousin's girlfriend's apparently lost 2 st to try to conceive. I know it's not a race but so far there has been no babies in our family from me, my bother and sisters or any of my cousins and as I'm the oldest by quite a bit everyone (including me) always thought I'd be the first to have a baby. DH didn't help when he commented "that's what people who are serious about having babies do" when I told him that she'd lost 2 stone. That quite upset me really as I am serious - I'm just really messed up when it comes to food and he doesn't help as he's my "eating buddy" (BAD when you both like eating).

Anyway, self-indulgent moan over. We've decided to have our next round of ICSI in March next year to give us time to lose weight, get the kitchen finished and the house more sorted. I've decided to cut one vice out at a time so I've not had any alcohol for over 2 weeks now (not that I was a big drinker - in fact I chose the easiest thing to cut out first!). Next is caffiene - I've already started cutting down, and then it'll be sugar (like crack cocaine to me!).

Italian well done on your weight loss so far - are you quite svelte now? Sorry I've not been around much recently. I've now started at the rocket making factory in Leeds so have left my idiotic head scientist in Manchester well behind!

Hello to all ladies on the thread. I'd normally mark my return with a big box of choccies, but in the interests of baby-making I've brought a bumper pot of houmous and a bag of carrot sticks - yum, tuck in girls!!

Night night xxx

P.S. Do you like my temporary name change? I've entered the MN halloween name change comp!

Isreaminchocolate you will always be a chocobunny to me. Now, about all this pressure and friends and envy! It's all totally utterly normal. I think when it is friends, people younger than us or older than us or whatever, it is so easy to feel frustrated etc. The trouble is that all that frustration does is send us to the bread bin/biscuit tin /fridge or whatever (if you are like me, and I think you may be a bit like me!). Anyway, try really hard not to think of it as a race. Just remember when you finally get your baby they will have lots of slightly older (probably none the wiser) friends to play with and will love it, (because kids love children who are older than them). You are young (I can't remember how young but you are) and you know there is a lot you and hubby can both do to improve your chances for IVF working. If you want to read anything useful, grab Zita West (her book, not her) and get reading. I'd also recommend 'Inconceivable' by Julia Indichova www.amazon.co.uk/Inconceivable-Julia-Indichova/dp/0767910966 and I would also really recommend Rosemary Conley www.rosemaryconley.com/. Although friends have had amazing success with Slimming world I do think Rosemary Conley classes are best as they combine the exercise actually in the class with the whole healthy eating and potion control.

If you want something funny to read, try this diary at www.rosemaryconley.com/design/live/magazine/downloads/diary_107.pdf it?s all about weight loss but it?s lovely!

Sorry, this has been a very bossy post especially for Choco, all the best, whatever happens don't get swayed off what you want, you can make it happen or at least you can do all you can so that whatever the future hold you will know you have given it 100% 9or as those annoying b*&^%)s from The Apprentice say 150%.

Love ya.

Hi iscream. I like the name change very much.

I really do feel how you feel. My Brother and girlfriend are expecting their first baby in March. It was unexpected. They have been together about 18 months. They live together. I am the older sister, (with no children) and i feel that the order of everything is wrong. I have been tryign to more than five years. I am older. I have been trying for more than five years. I am older. Am i sounding like a broken record? It's on permanent reply in my head. I need to communicate some of this craziness. I know the world doesn't revolve around me but as you said I was the one (out of the two of myself and brother) who was expected to have a child first. I expected it. I assumed. I am wrong. It hurts like hell. I really like his girlfriend and am pleased for her as i know from private chats that in her past there was a miscarriage a long long time back with a previous partner. As a woman I feel pleased for her. It doesn't stop me feeling "Can i please have my turn now?" I don't want my future to be handing back other people's babies. I actually want to be woken at night by my child who needs me to change nappy or feed or just to comfort them. I want to care and nuture and enjoy the first word, first step, first day at school. Nothing can stop me thinking about wanting a child. I can't confide much in my DH as he's not an emotional person. He thinks my tears are attention seeking. they aren't they are real, i feel such sadness when i think of people who harm animals/children/otheradults. Those people seem to conceive without problems. I don't have a medical reason why i'm not conceiving so it must be a mental problem. My DH doesn't think talking about a problem (with him or with a privately funded counsellor) makes any difference because he doesn't like talking about problems he'd rather bury his head in the sand. If he occasionally shed a tear or two I'd feel like he understood how i feel. Because I feel isolated it makes me feel worse like i'm the only woman in the world who can't cope with sub/infertility. The strain on our marriage is immense. The daily bickering goes on and on. It's all trivial but makes you feel like crap. It's a battle of wills. Who can be most stubborn? Unfortunately it's me.

Iscream - glad you found the counselling helpful; totally understand about others around us being pregnant and not us. I am trying to focus on our cycle starting tomorrow and have a PMA, as that is the only thing that can help I realise. I have lost just over a stone (went to slimming world in the end as needed that regular accountability and it is only £5 a week!!) to try to help - but gave myself 4 months to do so. Hope your plan of action works for you.

Start injections tomorrow - not afraid of needles, just of getting it wrong!

Evening all!

Italian, you bossy little greyhound! Not really - I know you understand where I'm coming from alot of the time, esp. when it comes to food! I know you've been getting on well with Ms. Conley, but I was put off a few years ago when she was suggesting tomato ketchup smeared on bread as a filling snack and using yogurt as a topping on shepherd pie instead of mashed potato!!! I know what I need to being be doing to lose weight - I just need to get my arse in gear and actually do it, although I think you may be right in me needing some routine and structure around it - time to get DH on board I think! I've got the new Zita book and have been dipping in and out of it for a few months now. I started it rom the beginning again a few days ago and might just go to bed early tonight and get stuck into it again - I find that it gives me focus.

KC11 - you sound so sad :( Sorry to hear that this horrible experience is affecting your relationship. What type of clinic are you at (NHS or private?) All clinics have to provide a counsellor (according to HEFA regulations), so if you're at a NHS clinic you should be able to see a counsellor for free (whether you are paying for your treatment or not). I went on my own as I needed to get all my feelings out without someone (i.e. DH) trying to "fix" things or tell me I'm wrong for thinking / feeling something. It really helped and also I think it helped our relationship as I felt better in myself so I wasn't carrying so much baggage around with me (baggage = grouchiness and bickering in our case).

Keziahopes - Good luck starting your cycle tomorrow. Is it your first go? Don't worry about getting it wrong because even if you do it'll be okay - one night DH accidentally gave me a double dose of one drug and none of the other one!! I didn't come to any harm

Italian has inspired me - was just thinking about phrases we would use if we were on an IVF Apprentice Programme:

• "I was born to be a mummy - and no-one's going to get in my way"
• "When it comes to injections - I could inject ice into the eskimos"
• "I've got a real fire in my belly - it's the Gonal F"
• "You create your own chances in life - and my consultant creates my baby"

C'mon girls - has anyone got any better ones to cheer us up on a rainy Monday night?

KC11 so sorry it is so hard at the moment. You said ?I don't have a medical reason why I?m not conceiving so it must be a mental problem.? I am not sure that is true, maybe there is a problem they will discover and fix or maybe things will fit into place. It is not a mental problem. What is the plan about further treatment? Please do get some help re counsellor or speaking to someone. Ask your GP if you need help, please.

Keziah my friend has been raving about slimming world tonight, how does it work, why does it work. She says you can eat as much as she likes of most things (rice, pasta etc - but I want to eat chocolate!).

Iscream I have not come across that yummy shepherd?s pie substitute yet. Most of the Rosemary recipes are really yummy now! I think the key thing for me is exercise. And lots of it. I have been out every couple of days for at least an hour long walk. BUT the weight is slow in coming off.
I am feeling fat and bloated, fed up with trying to work out why I am ballooning like this, is there a secret gas canister inside my gut!
The Apprentice:
(Based on episode one where they all introduce themselves)

-I?m supremely fertile, I?m an all round baby-incubator!
-I?m on the top of inter-vaginal-scanner!
-Being injected every night brings out the best in me!
-Babies and getting pregnant motivate me, my first word was MUMMY and my second was TUMMY!

Love and waves to all.