Anyone else about to start IVF?

[gardenpixie]

DH and I have our first IVF consultation in a couple of weeks and I just wondered if there was anyone out there who was in the same position?

We've had loads of tests done already so the Dr says we may well be able to start the treatment cycle sometime next month or early May.

We've been TTC #1 for 3yrs now and I am on cycle 5 of clomid so will continue with that until I start the IVF drugs. There are no obvious medical reasons why we haven't conceived naturally, just a case of unexplained infertility, I guess.

I know the odds of getting pg still aren't great but I am really excited about the fact that IVF even exists (isn't amazing what they can do?) and, although I am a bit apprehensive of everything it will involve, I am thrilled to be given the chance to see if it might work for us.

I would love to hear from anyone with any advice or who is in the same boat,

thanks for reading

Garden sorry you are feeling so blue not sure what to say but I'm sure that you and your DH will be wonderful parents and that your LOs will be cherished and loved and maybe even a bit spoilt because of the long journey you've had to go through to get them. Keep chasing for the counselling but I think it's fine to have a rant at your DH or rant away to us on here. Sending you some to go with your

Kool sending you and your DH lots of hugs. Also feel a bit inspired by you being able to keep sane through IVF and chemo. Not surprised that you read the pg thread for your DD still. I know I would xxx. Hope the bloods go okay today and that schedule arrives very soon.

womanly glad the insemination went well and hope those swimmers are being suitably lothario-like

Bondi great news on the injections . This thread is starting to move really quickly! Also, does anyone know how it's decided whether you sniff or inject?

luck very jealous of your gallery visit. Am a yorkshire lass and a big Hepworth and Moore fan. Also hope the have been popped

Care sending follicle fattening vibes your way - were you due to have another scan yesterday/today? Hope there is good news.

Becca hope the test went okay yesterday. I had AMH done last week too and am not looking forward to menopause news either! Ugh.

Bodeccia hope AF is going well.

And waves to everybody else!

kool 20 sounds really good to me and my wrinkly, poorly-follicled ovaries.

kool I did a google search and it came up with this for a count between 16-30:
Normal (good) antral count, should have an excellent response to ovarian stimulation.
Likely to respond well to low doses of FSH product.
Very low risk for IVF cycle cancellation. Some risk for ovarian overstimulation.
Best pregnancy rates overall as a group.
Read full article here - www.advancedfertility.com/antralfollicles.htm

garden I am going to come at it from a different perspective.

First up, this whole fertility journey is like sitting in the middle of a whirlpool or a sandstorm. It is a conflict.

Secondly, conflicts are actually GOOD. They help us discover our strengths and our capabilities as well as our weaknesses and where we might have over-estimated ourselves. I am POSITIVE that you will be a wonderful parent and I am willing to stake money on it. I am sure that as you come through this conflict with your lo you'll discover this about yourself.

Thirdly, there are three things that we cannot AFFORD to do during conflicts. Though, I find myself always doing this all the time...and weeks go by and I realize all I have chalked up is the scorecard of 'bad days' to validate my 'victim' attitude.
So ask yourself if you're like me and doing these three things too..and what you can do to stop.
#1 Speculation
#2 Assumption
#3 Imagination
The three work wonderfully together. Today I had this realization that my PCOS condition is not just an internal illness. It manifests in how I approach life too. Just like my hormones speculate endlessly, make assumptions without really being sensitive to what's going on in my ovaries, the end result is often an imaginary ovulation that never really happens. So too in my life, I stay away from conflict and confrontration because I am comfortable in speculating needlessly, assuming things about people and things without really listening to the facts and losing myself to endless imaginations of all the things that can possibly go wrong or have gone wrong...etc... etc...
On a good day, however, I am putting stakes in the ground, I am open & probing to understand others better and I am focused on realistic outcomes. Curing my PCOS is not so much a physical condition as it is a change in my behaviors to stop speculating, assuming and imagining and I am sure that this will internally settle my hormones and ease the pressure off my ovaries.

Long story short, the conflict around fertility is in our lives for a very good reason and we're all going to need every bit of this conflict to eject us from our complacencies. This is my lesson. I hope you find in it something that helps you.

Also, love that you're out walking :)

Wow womanly, I think you need to add wise into your name somewhere, what thought provoking, interesting stuff - I can tell it's you doing the writing course, not me!

Thanks so much for the info re my follicle count, sounds positive, that was really kind of you.

Hi teds , I'm sure your follicles are just lovely! Thanks for the kind things you said too. Did you get your initial appoiontment yet? I just went up for my day 2-4 blood test so will hopefully be getting the schedule soon. I thought we were at similar points? I always sit in the waiting room now wondering if anyone from this thread is there too .

Care, any news? Thinking of you

I second that - name change to wisewomanlytales required

kool am going to end up the month behind you. DH has had a 'karyotype' test done which could take up to 6 weeks to get back. The doctors are fairly certain there are medical reasons for his very low sperm count but they want to be certain that there isn't a genetic reason. Annoying but just one of those things. AF should arrive by bank holiday Monday so by my calculation we should be okay to get going on the following cycle.

thanks ladies. Hang in there Teds - I hope the test results are positive and time flies by till you're ready to get started.

Oh you lot are just lovely, thank you for your kind thoughts and words.

Ohwisewomanly you make so many good points. I know that one of the things I have to learn is patience and maybe all this will help me be more patient with my twins who will be a boy and a girl any LOs that come along. I also think that on some level it is helpful to analyse my own upbringing as it means I won't ever repeat the mistakes my parents made. Just cos it's a bit to think about doesn't mean it's not productive.

Teds thanks for the biscuits! And I hope all of this will make me a better parent - I certainly think all of LOs will know they are very much wanted and cherished

Kool thank you lovely, I think I might look into private counselling ...

Hello everyone else!

Hope Thursday evening is off to a good start for everyone

xxxx

LOL at the boy/girl twins... Obviously that kind of thinking has not been happening in the Teds household

LOL at the boy / girl twins too! yes am with Teds, not thought about that every night at all

Garden, do you know what struck me about your story, was in your brief explanation how little you seemed to blame them - you sounded so neutral like there was explanations for it and you were understanding even though it makes you . I think that's amazing and even if its not how you feel all the time i think you must have come such a long way in not letting it ruin your life already. I never would have guessed from all your other posts, you sound so lovely! Best of luck with getting counselling too though. Were those girls in the office under 25, single and vaccuous by any chance?!

Womanly great news on the insemination, glad they didn't hurt you so much. What are your distraction techniques for the 2WW, any more pearls of wisdom? Fingers crossed for 10 June!

Kool, same as the others, full points to you for coping with chemo and ivf together, that is amazing. And as for following the mn thread i wouldn't have been able to even look so well done for that too. Have you thought about what you'll do on the actual DD, can you do something nice to take your mind off it?

Luck, beautiful sculpture and i think it must be a sign! wish my curves were as smooth as that. do you know, i think i did hear a pop down here in the south!

Bondi, LOL to the affirmations girl! Wow, her parents really have created a monster haven't they!! that is hilarious, hmm maybe i will try that. Wonder what DH would make of it if i started doing that . He has been very steady throughout this whole thing, not really said too much about it. The only time he did say something which I thought was quite profound was at a point when all i could say was 'this is a nightmare, this is a nightmare' he said to me 'if you keep saying that, then yes it is'. He probably only meant that he couldn't hear the footie but i've often repeated that to myself. We can definately make things better by positive affirmations you are right (plus ranting on here!).

I had another blood and scan yesterday and still only got a few tiddlers . Have been drinking gallons of milk and sending them all your positive vibes. EC will probably not be till about next tuesday so they've got a bank holiday weekend to get nice and fat, fingers crossed. They've upped my dosage to x4 what i started on and i have to say guys have been very efficient so far.

Hi to everyone else,

love and big team hug to you all

x x x

garden i thinks its perfectly normal for all these emotions to rear their head. Take the time to acknowledge how you feel, even if it does seem like a harsh reality check on what you and your family had to deal with. We are happy to hear your rants.

I am on the short protocol. I had a drama today when i called sainsburys to confirm my second pack of Menopur had arrived only to be told they forgot to order it! wtf thankfully after they apparently did a ring around, they found a supplier who can deliver tomorrow. so naughty. i was so crazy busy at work i didnt have time to get stressed about it but if it had been a week ago I think i wouldve had a melt down. not as if this isnt all stressful enough. Scan 2 booked for Saturday.

Anyway, hope all you ladies are all doing OK today

jjeez how do i keep posting and then seeing there have been a whole heap of other updates following.. sorry ladies

womanly deep! but very true

Bodeccia - thanks for the good wishes, it was all fine, even after two attempts at get some blood! I did find out the clinic we have been going to won't do NHS so I have to go make friends with another clinic :-( grrrr! Most of the city will have seen my bits soon!!

Womanly - I am glad you don't have much pain. Do you have any of the typical symptoms? THe docs never pointed out what caused the pain but acupuncture seems to be sorting it out.

Thank you for your wisdom on the idea of the fertility bus being a conflict. I agree that it is a fascinating opportunity to examine life. I have made some changes for the better. It has also magnified some of my relationships, which has made them stronger.

Gardenpixie - I thought that too but when I had but when I had my hycosy and when i had my 3D scan - they both said I hadn't ovulated and it was past the half way point in my cycle and my temperature had peaked... weird! DH is back now hurray!!

I completely relate to your dilemma about putting things off - I was tempted to turn dow a project for the same reason - but that was 2 years ago! I think you are right to listen to your body - there will be other opportunities.

Luckbelady - We have been looking closely at my basel temperature - not really the first thing I want to do in the morning but it has become habit now! We have lots of conversations about cervical mucus, texture, amount, date etc. We also talked about family history and even my birth! Relaxation is definitely a big part of it, I find just talking about how the fertility path is going help!

Waves to Koolforkats! And everyone else for that matter! Hugs for watching the due date feed :-/ utterly understandable though.

Hi Teds - Feels funny talking about the menopause - I don't feel like I have had use of the facilities yet!

Mostly listening to 'I can't wait' as I think someone has used it as a sample, rock the 80's thang

Becca, loving that song! I want shoulder pads! X

Hi all - I had another scan today and while the folly's have had a little growth spurt (2 out in front with 5 bringing up the rear) they have found a large patch of fluid in the pelvic cavity. I've never heard of this before and just made the fatal mistake of googling this and found all sorts of nasty negative things about the impact this can have on successful ivf. One page said it dropped success rates from 30% to 5%. Trying not to panic. Sorry, am just posting to offload really. x

Hi all, here I am, not popped but I'm feeling good after acupuncture - I had a little powernap during the treatment and felt amazing afterwards, although may have made one or two unfortunate snorty snore-y noises, so lord knows what people in the waiting room thought!

care don't panic! I realise how easy that is for me to say...What did the clinicians say? And when's your next scan? Our positive vibes must be working if your follies have had a spurt, so here are some more for you [looks hard at screen with vibe-ray eyes]. Seriously, call your consultant and ask about it - don't believe everything Google says, every case is different.

garden, I hope you've recovered from that crap conversation. Silly little girls; they'll remember that conversation when they're trying to conceive a LO. Fools.

Did anyone see Too Old To Be A Mum last night? I thought it would upset me, but it didn't, I just found it v interesting. Although I was INCENSED that they kept banging on about women putting their child-bearing on hold for their career, when the reality is more that it's about finding someone you love, with whom you want to have kids - and you have to kiss a whole lot of frogs until you get there; at least, I did.

Waves at fellow Yorkshire lass Teds which hosp are you under? I'm at BRI but they are linked to Leeds so although my scans etc will happen at Bradford, the rummaging will be at Leeds.

Anyway, happy Friday everyone, have a spiffing bank hol, keep sniffing/injecting/thinking positive and here's a big glass of for you all - cheers!

xx

Ah thanks Luck. I think I can feel the vibes coming through my screen! Just had a call from the nurse and they've now decided to set my EC day for monday. EEK! New reason to panic! Not doing very well at the staying calm thing. I read on another thread about a term they are using: 'mentalling'. That about sums it up, I'm going to be mentalling till monday and beyond. I asked the nurse what the doctor said about the fluid thing and she just said he's happy to go along with EC. I can hear the more sane of you out there saying 'well if you've got to EC stage then at least its not gone completely wrong so far'. Am going straight to the mirror to repeat this as my affirmation for the next 30 minutes, coupled with some crazy dancing like that little girl on you tube.

Hi to everyone else, sorry to be very self involved in these posts, sending positive bank holiday vibes to you all. I'm really valuing reading everyone else's posts. x x x

care bear move away from the google....seriously, stop! I've of course given in to the google monster in the past but really try not to anymore. You're not reading about you, you're reading about person x, y or z.

Google doesn't know your medical history etc so those stats are probably way off the mark. I second luck, talk to the people who are dealing with you. And stay with the fact that your follicles are doing their thing

luck I didn't see that but wish I had. I too would have been annoyed about the 'leaving it too late' thing - yes it might be nice to not have to worry time is against you but if I think back to who I was with ten years ago.... all I can say is ribbit, ribbit (that's meant to be a frog noise ) !! Your pictures always make me chuckle, btw!

I just got my schedule appt through for 10th June, to start sniffage on 14th, yay, feel like it's really getting started! Someone else was asking (teds, maybe?) what determines whether one sniffs or injects? Or are down regs generally sniffed and stims injected? I'm such a novice!

Happy Friday all

Sorry care x posts. Monday! That's ace news, wow!
And all I can say is....well if you've got to EC stage then at least its not gone completely wrong so far......tee hee, am I the sane one now?

Go do your affirmations, we're all behind you!

Hi all, just a quick hello as I keep losing the thread (lax poster!) ... Pushed for time right now but will post properly later!

Chin up all, ignore your colleagues gardenpixie, will try to think of some witty retorts, God knows I could do with some, sil gave birth this morning so bound to get the 'haven't you two thought about a family yet?' questions from extended family!

Xxx

jumping its tough when you hear someone elses baby news. if anyone asks you if you have thought about it should just say "yes we have thank you......" and then let the tumble weeds blow across the room. they will hopefuly just feel like idiots and push off to talk nonsense to your Aunty Eileen, Barbara, Sandra, (delete as appropriate) instead. If they carrying on talking just glare at them and pretend your eyes can fire laser beams at them!! :)

Care I'll be thinking of you Monday. All the best. Can you lets us know how it went and how you are feeling.

I went for my day 7 scan today. I have 10 folicals on one ovary and 6 on the other so I have to start to inject the Cetrotide from tomorrow morning. They are all small although there was one at 12. Thankfully no side effects from the memopur. I think I am lucky.

In terms of how they decide if you inject or sniff. I wonder if it makes a difference if you are NHS/private? The method I am using is slightly newer one (inject for 12dys, ovulation blocker for 6 days from day 7). It could be related to known fertility issues maybe.... I am "unexplained" and with regular cycles.

Have a lovely weekend ladys. I'm back for scan 3 on Monday.

Best wishes to all

Hey ladies sorry for lack of posting ... I am now feeling better but have spent most of the yesterday and today in bed with horrid virus thing. I have had sooo much sleep I now feel terrific so I think it must have been virus rather than drugs making me feel wobbly.

Anyway, just wanted to check in and say hurrah for Bondi and Care and their follicle news. Care I am so excited about Monday for you ... I will be sending big fat ripe follicle thoughts your way xxx

Bondi are you going private? Sorry to ask but I was told by our gp that we could. Consider the short protocol if we went private but not nhs. Great news that it all seems to be going to plan though, well done your ovaries!

Koolforcats sorry I can't remember where you are getting your treatment, is it guys? I will be going there for my first scan on the 10th June and womanly will be getting her bfp then too so a big day all round for the thread!

Big waves to everyone else, I am making the most of DH being at the rugby today so am off to watch more old ER episodes. Mmmm, George clooney ...

Xxxxx gp

Ps sorry jumping I meant to send a pre-emptive grrr to any unhelpful comments re whether you have thought of having kids. My cat is sending especially condescending pussycat evil stares for you to bottle and unleash should you need them... Xxx

Ooh garden what a clever cat you have.....see, I said cats are cool! (I know I'm kool - someone else had nabbed cool already tho!). Sorry to hear you've been feeling poorly, that sounds horrid. Glad you've managed to sleep it off and hope you stay well for the rest of the weekend

Yes, I'm at Guy's too, here's to the 10th!

Bondi and Garden have been practising my best withering stares and prepping succinct but direct responses! Sil has sent a pic of her dd who looks so cute it's unfair , she has nabbed one of the names I wanted but first come, first dibbs I guess!

Bondi and Care sending good vibes!

Glad you're feeling a bit better Garden

X