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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Assisted Conception (and all the bits in between) volume 7

785 replies

Italiangreyhound · 13/04/2011 01:23

Hi ladies Pumplinjoy, Shirley, Lissy, Keziah, Womanly,Val, Late, monkeybumsmum, tametortie and Rowing* - hugs to you all.

woowa of course you can join us.

Choco and Horton and londonlottie do you still look in on us?

Can you all find us?

OP posts:
lucylookout · 14/08/2011 07:56

I logged on early to see if there was any news and congratulations womanly what brilliant news!
I think you need pessaries for 12 weeks until the placenta takes over x

beginnings · 14/08/2011 08:01

womanly you can't know how happy I am for you. The very very best of luck. There's been so much good news on here in the last few weeks, can everyone please keep fingers crossed that it keeps going for me on Wednesday!! The pessaries will be until 12 weeks for me too.

Happy Sunday all.

FlipFantasia · 14/08/2011 08:59

Congratulations womanly - what wonderful news GrinGrin

Your clinic can advise on the pessaries, but as you ovulated (so your corpus luteum is therefore producing progesterone) they may not require you to be on pessaries for as long as an IVF pregnancy (which has no corpus luteum).

womanlytales · 14/08/2011 09:41

Thank you ladies for all the good wishes and the info on pessaries. I am at the clinic and the obtaining doc on call is confused.. he finally gave me a prescription for two weeks assuming we will rethink after the scan. I so wish I had q doctor who was not confused... kinda makes me wonder who really is in charge here.

Keziahhopes · 14/08/2011 13:32

waves hello to Flip - thanks for you kind comments. Hope all continuing well for you.

Congratulations womanly Smile Smile Smile - great news. Sounds good idea to do pessaries until scan. I am on pessaries until week 12 due to immune issues (they are not too cheap so hope you don't need them for too long!!). Do you know when they will scan you? It might be worth going to your gp's too to get your nhs booking appointment for week 8, as I found out there were not too many slots free when I did that at week 5 and a half!! x

fretfree · 14/08/2011 15:41

I've returned from holiday and was really busy at work, so have not had the opportunity to get back on MN. Sorry for not posting.

Womanly - What fantastic news. I am sooooo happy for you and would love you to keep posting on how things are going. I had a dildocam at the beginning of the week and was given the all clear to start IUI. I started my injections yesterday with 75 units of Puregon and will have a blood test on Wednesday morning. Your story is inspirational and I really hope that your good luck rubs off on me.

BTW - I was put on the pill briefly by my doctor because I had a residual cyst after my last ovulation and after coming off, having the all clear and getting ready to start the injections, I had a period (started Saturday - same day I did my first injection in the afternoon). I guess this is normal due to stopping the pill (I was only on for about 10 days and had been off any contraceptives for over 18 months beforehand), but my Dr did not warn me about it. Any ideas anyone?

Lucy - how is it going? Is your DH still uncertain? My DH is very much on board, but every now and again he kicks back - I think that every now and again he feels a bit like he is being 'processed' if you know what I mean. I'm the one who has made all the appointments as well (I tend to be more proactive) so I think every now and again he feels a bit like he has boarded a train that he has no control over. That said, he has now given up alcohol (unless we have a dinner invitation and wine is served!).

How did your blood tests go?

Italian - great news. Keep us posted.

Lissy - wonderful on the doubling in size.

Hi and hugs to everyone else too

Fingers crossed for everyone :)

womanlytales · 14/08/2011 17:04

Thanks keziah - I will call my gp tomorrow however I was wondering if that's ok given I am going to have my first scan at the ivf clinic.. I just wish there was some clear guidance on how to transition from consultant to gp :)
Thanks fret wish you the very best with your IUI cycle.

Keziahhopes · 14/08/2011 19:14

Womanly - contacting your gp is purely to get into the nhs midwife system.If it is anything like my Gp practice the midwife is there once a week with a set number of appointments so booking now is important because if they don't have an appointment free you wait longer!! At about 8 weeks you will see her for the first time (and not again until week 16 then week 24)- a mammoth long session (some now do it in 2, mine rushed through it in 80 mins but a lot of it was rubbish about all the leaflets that anyone who can read didn't need to be told!) and the midwife will book you in for your NHS dating scan (11-13 weeks). The fact you get an early scan at ivf clinic is irrelevant - as the midwife I saw was only interested in what "she did" and after seeing her!!

I found seeing the midwife hard, after being under the care of a private ivf clinic who gives you lots of time and appointments etc. Even though I am on lots of medication, had a stroke recently and need to be consultant led the midwife's attitude was: "this is what I do, you see me every 8 weeks for 20 minutes and bring xyz", no recognition of how I felt or the fact that it had taken us 7 years. I guess that is what they do all the time, but I hope you get a nicer midwife than mine!!

womanlytales · 15/08/2011 07:20

Thanks for the info Keziah I shall get right on with connecting with my gp. Its very early days and am spotting so very nervous. beginning I have everything crossed for u lovely, only two more days to go.

beginnings · 15/08/2011 09:32

womanly thanks so much. It's weird how much having people you don't even know thinking about you helps but it really does. It feels like a huge length of time between a day three transfer and testing but I'm determined to hold out until Wednesday. Best of luck with the doctor.

keziah it's really good to hear from you. How are you doing?

lissy that's wonderful news on the scan. Well done!

Keziahhopes · 15/08/2011 10:48

Beginnings - all the best for your otd, holding out is good. I am doing ok thanks - just very anxious to know everything is all right at 12 week scan as despite my immune issues my consultant doesn't do retesting of levels and said I didn't need any more intralipids as the 2 I had should have worked, so of course I am panicking about that. As signed off from ivf clinic last week it feels a long 3 weeks till nhs scan. Was tempted to pay for another private one at a company that just does private scans, but know it is getting to 12 weeks that matters, so have resisted!

Lissy lovely news about your scan Smile

LissySilver · 15/08/2011 19:06

womanly- YAY!!!! I'm so absolutely thrilled for you! Spotting could be implantation bleeding, so try not to worry. As for pessaries, I've been on them for my entire first trimester (I'm 11 weeks tomorrow), and it seems that I might continue them even into my second trimester.

fret- I had to go on Provera during my IVF cycle because I also had a cyst, and after a five day course I got my period. I think the point of going on birth control is to bring on a period to get rid of the cyst. I started my stimulation drugs the day I got my period...

keziah- I have my midwife appointment on Saturday, but I was also given an obstetrician appointment for my 12 week scan. I'm hoping that the NHS was smart enough to see that I had a cone biopsy last year and would need obstetrician led care, but who knows?

beginnings- Well done you for holding out. I'm keeping absolutely everything crossed for you...

Big hugs to Italian, rowing, lucy, and scrummy. Hope everyone is doing all right.

AFM, 11 weeks tomorrow! Retested immunes today, and progesterone, which was much better. Turns out I don't have to go back to the clinic for any more scans. So midwife episode appointment on Saturday (whatever the hell that is!), and then 12 week scan on August 31. Nausea seems to be lessening, so I'm praying that this is the light at the end of the tunnel.

Looking forward to hearing more good news!!

Scrummybumb · 15/08/2011 19:38

womanly that is just fantastic news! Grin it must feel pretty unreal.

beginnings keeping my fingers crossed for you

lissy glad to hear your hormones are still doing what they should do and little bean (or not so little anymore) is doing good and growing.

fret hope you had a good holiday. Good news about the cyst. How are you getting on with the injections? We watches couple of old episodes of Brothers and Sisters over the weekend (love that series) and it was were Kitty was going through IVF. DH said to me 'you never said anything about injections' to which I reminded that I had, but his selective memory had clearly blocked it out. But, he actually got a bit excited - 'you mean I get to inject you on your bottom?' you should have seen the Grin on his face!

Italian we lived in Stockholm. When is your appointment?

Hi to everyone else

Original poster
Italiangreyhound · 16/08/2011 00:44

Womanly wonderful news! How fantastic.

My appointment is next week. But we do not start treatment for a few weeks.

Love to all.

OP posts:
beginnings · 17/08/2011 06:06

Not looking good ladies :(

I got an incredibly faint line so will go in to have my HCG done just in case, but I think it's a no.

Feeling fairly gutted right now.

lucylookout · 17/08/2011 08:21

Lots of luck beginnings. don't give up hope yet, a line is a line! Will be thinking if you x

beginnings · 17/08/2011 08:40

Thanks Lucy. when I checked the test again about an hour later there was nothing. I think the most likely scenario is that something did implant but just didn't go any further. I don't know where we go from here. I feel the most despondent I've felt yet. We thought we knew so much this time and were doing all the right things. I don't know what to do next. We can get the basics to work, i.e. Make good embryos. I just can't stay pregnant.

womanlytales · 17/08/2011 08:48

beginnings I echo what lucy says - a line is a line is a line. What does your clinic say? Have they asked you to come in for a blood test? If not, please consider re-testing on Friday - it's not over yet.

beginnings · 17/08/2011 10:42

womanly I didn't wait for a call back from the clinic, I just went. I knew that if they called me backed they'd just offer me a test to be sure anyway. So I've had that and will know the result this afternoon. I'll update then.

Sorry for the me me me posts.

Keziahhopes · 17/08/2011 11:38

All the best beginnings - hope the number good, but we were told we needed 2 HCG's 48hrs apart because it is the rising of numbers that indicate pregnancy not just the first number. A line is good though, encouraging. Am sure you will not need it but have you had immune testing if you do further treatment? Not the cheapest option BUT I made embryos (not many though) but my problem was implantation and with immune treatment I managed a natural bfp (has cost £3000 in immune treatment but that is cheaper than more icsi).

Original poster
Italiangreyhound · 17/08/2011 11:50

Beginings good luck. Thinking of you today.

OP posts:
beginnings · 17/08/2011 12:04

That's the thing keziah. unless the HCG is really really low, I know that this is going to drag into next week as they won't really be able to tell from one test. The pain in the neck thing is that I'm going away for the weekend on Friday morning so I won't be able to have another test until Monday.

I have had the full immunes testing done at the Lister and was told that my cytotoxicity levels were slightly raised but that it was so slight as to be dealt with with steroids which I'm on. I trusted that, and the explanation I was given made sense, but it's the one area where I feel like I don't know enough. Where did you have yours treated.

beginnings · 17/08/2011 12:06

Thanks Italian I really appreciate that.

Keziahhopes · 17/08/2011 12:21

Beginnings - I saw Dr George Nduwke at Care, but lucking for you (if Lister is not too far for you) he is starting a new clinic in central London in September. I really rate him as all other dr's at Care told us to keep trying more cycles etc etc and he immediately said "no, you know you have an autoimmune issue, you failed to implant there must be something wrong" - then he got my gp to do as much testing on NHS as possible before telling us what level tests we had to pay for. It might be worth getting a print out of your levels and booking an appointment with him. He is going into business with Zita West (but you don't have to go down the hard Zita West sell, just ask direct for a consult with him) - I imagine with it being a new clinic the wait for consult will be shorter than it was at Care - we had to wait 12 weeks to see him there!!! (and that was paying private too). He also wrote to my Gp twice, despite leaving Care and my Gp has agreed to fund all my prescriptions past 12 weeks and thryoid level rechecks etc from 8 weeks (apart from the intralipids) which impressed me, a private consultant who wants people to have children rather than focussing just on money!!

But Beginnings really hope you don't need to go there. Maybe take a CB digital with you while away to reassure you? My first line was so faint you could hardly see it, the cheaper the test the fainter the line I found.

beginnings · 17/08/2011 12:51

keziah that's really helpful, thank you. I'm with you on not wanting another cycle before I understand this more. I think I will ask the lister for my results. I did a normal cb test this morning, but I think you're right and will take another away with me. I'll keep doing the steroids, clexane and aspirin too.