TTC 10 plus months, part 6

[mrsden]

A friendly, supportive thread for those of us who are taking a bloody long little longer time than average to conceive.

princess thanks for the info about Marilyn Glenville. I might order her book, have been reading up on her and it does sound interesting even if the thought of life without alcohol caffeine and dairy sounds terrifying At least it would mean I felt I was doing something, IYSWIM.

cakes congratulations! Lovely news. Gives me hope! :)

joyce amazing news about your week away - I bloody love planning holidays. Do you want to travel outside the UK? Somewhere in France or Italy would be nice, or Corsica... lovely food. Why no cities? I haven't had a natural period since before I last went on the pill in 2005, but when I did have natural periods, I had roughly a 7 week long cycle. My periods never returned after coming off the pill a year ago, and I haven't had any ovulatory cycles yet - only doses of Clomid then progesterone rounds to induce 'fake' bleeds.

Sleepy late night waves to you all.

Morning all!

I keep forgetting you live far-far-away critter and got scared by the time of your last post...

Welcome to all the newbies. I am struggling massively to catch up and remember all and everyone of you, so maybe we should have a roll-call (including lurking grads, as if we are a real bus ).

Great you've been enjoying hobbling a lot nelly. And at tight hobby-wear. I have a lot of very tight stuff as well, but thankfully we used to spend too much time lounging about in fetching (sponsored ) tracky bottoms (I sometimes think I spent my time at uni either in kit and smelly or asleep, not strange it took me til many years after to find a husband...

at frannie's obsessing about other people's WWs. Although I am keeping everything very firmly crossed for euro and gin. The falling into superdrug made me smile too. When are you going to allow yourself to test?

I am going to read back a little more, because I have no recollection of what people have said, in the meantime, waves and nice healthy breakfasts to all of you!

Lovely idea about the week away somewhere joycep. What do you like to do? Hike hills, sun-bath on the beach, secret hobbling? Warm? Cold? and indeed, why no cities?

I am going to hunt down a not completely out of date list of who is at what stage and post it again...

Found this list near the beginning of the thread, please add/change/etc

joycep - me, 32, DH 30. ttc 23 months (27/28 cycles). M/c @ 7 wks July 2010. Nothing since. Short LP of 10/11days (relevant? Who knows). Progesterone levels low [30]. Estrogen dominant, hypoglycaemia, Left ovary lazy but ovulate every month. HSG all clear. Low AMH for my age. Potassium levels low. Healthy BMI. 9 months of treatment including Clomid (messed me up), 2 x IUI, ovitrelle and gonal f injections. SA good (7%morph). Next step: Chicago tests, Lapascopy (if poss) , sperm fragmentation test and then ivf i guess.

minipie - me 31, DH 32, ttc 11 months but only on 10th cycle due to longish cycles. PCOS diagnosed by scan. Blood tests normal except slight underactive thyroid (now corrected with thyroxine). BMI normal. DH's SA had low morphology (3%) but otherwise good. No other tests or treatments yet (except acu). First appointment with gynae on 21 March... BFP?

Mrsden - me 30, soon to be 31, DH 31. TTC for 21 months. PCOS but ovulating ok most months. DH very low count, poor morphology. Will start ICSI in summer.

ladygee ttc 15 months. Me 29, DH 32. DH SA is below average on all counts (don't remember all the stats). HSG showed blockage at the opening of my right tube. Self-funded cycle of IVF ICSI in Feb, ended with BFN. Awaiting follow-up appointment to talk through next steps. We are also on NHS waiting list for ICSI, probably at the end of 2012.

lemon - both 33, TTC 22 months, unexplained (after bloods, too much dildo camming, HSG and plenty of SAs - although those varied quite a bit), now onto second IUI

Hi again & thanks for the welcome messages.

I'm feeling quite p'd off with my GP after reading everyone else's posts. Your docs appear to be taking much more action than mine who keeps telling me to shag more & go away. Not sure if that's because you go private but there seems to be a mixture of private and NHS. I also don't really have enough time to keep pestering the doc which is probably what i need to do. It takes around 6 weeks to get an apt & they don't operate out of working hours so I have to take time off work. She seems to think that because I was pg but had a termination at 18 ( i was raped) I can get pg again.

Euro - usefull advice, thanks, I will push my GP to take more action. How does the assisted conception & iui work?

I've been finding the past few months that I get night sweats a lot. In fact they're becoming a permenant fixture from ovulation to the end of my cycle. I began experiencing hairloss a couple of years ago from going on the mini pill - Cerazette. I came off it straight away but the hairloss continued (I still think I'll be bald soon). My cycle also shortened from 28 days to 21ish days. The GP was equally blasé about these symptoms. But now I'm wondering if they are all related & the reason I cannot conceive.

Sorry for the jolly post but I feel like I need to get this stuff off my chest. At least I know I'm not alone in going through this.

artemis ? hope your grump is lifting. I?m a non-tester too, the spotting can start anywhere from 5dpo for me ? as you say, at least we?re saving money on pee sticks

pout ? your poor doggy, I bet he looks adorable though in those big boy pants! Hope you?ve got enough info to go back to your DH and convince him to have the Friday after your lap at home too.

We?re going up to Scotland for a week. I am looking forward to it but we?re both a bit apprehensive too as we?re going with some family so it might be a bit intense. They also like to drink and we?re off the booze again but hopefully everyone will be sensible enough to do their own thing.

Hello gameover and becks!

gameover ? I?m so sorry to read about what happened to you when you were younger. Your GP?s attitude is pretty disgraceful tbh, you shouldn?t need to pester. Is there any chance you can see someone else? Also, you should be able to get an appointment within 48 hours of asking and all surgeries have to open either early/late or at weekends at least twice a week. You are definitely not alone - we've all had mixed experiences whether it be NHS, private or at the assisted conception units, it's not good enough but it feels like it really is pot luck.

princess ? I?m sorry about the scan showing PCO, though as you say at least everything else looked in good working order. It sounds like you have a good attitude to tackling it naturally with the diet you?ve mentioned, sounds like hard work though!

wine ? it certainly is a minefield, it?s a tough choice whether to just go with the flow for a while or to investigate the things that niggle away at me. We just all seem to have to fight so bloody hard to get even one step closer to a baby.

lisa ? it seems crazy that they won?t do anything else at all, especially after your two mcs. I really don?t understand the logic behind the NHS systems sometimes.

joycep ? I know, I feel I?m teetering on the edge of becoming a crazy lady thinking that anything and everything could be the reason I?m not getting pregnant when we already have two fairly good reasons to start with! I am so much better when I have a plan in place, I think the cost of things will bring any decision to a head. A trip away sounds perfect, we always enjoy Italy as there?s a little bit of everything to do but it depends how much relaxing vs sightseeing and activity you want to do.

lemons - are you gearing up for more outsourcing soon?

Fingers still firmly crossed for euro and gin. Waves to all you other lovely ladies.

Morning all

This is a busy thread! I'll try to catch up but will no doubt a) miss something important and b) cross post with someone else and miss even more...

Pout at the thought of your nappy-wearing dog. DP and I have agreed that if we can't have a baby we'll have a dog instead. It's hardly a substitute but it could be the nearest i get to a family and I need to start thinking about a plan B.

Thanks for the hugs Princess and the tail-feather fluffing Critter. The feathers are looking a bit perkier today, perhaps because it's nearly the weekend :)

Critter I am wondering how you get on with 150mg Clomid? I get really moody on 50mg and am hoping they don't up the dose when i go back. I have had a similar ov pattern to you before now - positive OPK on day 14 but no temp rise until day 19/20. I know it can take several days between the LH surge and the egg popping but that did seem a long stretch. I have also read that clomid makes OPKs less reliable because you may get several LH surges over a period of days. My acu advised continuing to test rather than stopping when I got a surge. Typically this month I didn't get a positive OPK at all!

Gameover we are no strangers to crap GPs on this thread but yours sounds spectacularly unhelpful. After 20 months they should be ordering blood tests and referring you on to a specialist. I'm no expert but I know hair loss is one of the symptoms of PCOS so that combined with the changes to your cycles needs investigating. Could you see a different GP at the same practice? I saw three before I got a referral and that took a bit of foot-stamping and threat of tears (I'm not proud). Really sorry to hear what happened when you were 18, that must have been just appallingly traumatic. But your doc shouldn't be so insensitive - the fact that you got pg then has no bearing on where you are now.

Princess you have made me a lot lately especially the masterbatorium and your student sartorial decisions. When I was a student good god that was actually in the last millennium grunge was all the rage so I used to wear mens' 501s, plaid shirts and DM boots. My uni was full of posh public school Jemimas with glossy highlights and Armani and I used to stomp around being all alternative and northern. Like Lemons in her smelly sports kit I didn't put two and two together - no wonder i rarely got laid

But blimey Princess well done on surviving the scan and at your bobbly ovaries. However at least now they know what it is they can do something about it - the cysts can be removed, and we've had PCOS BFPs on this thread. Hugs to you and a sneaky kipper slap to your unsympathetic mum. She may well have it but unless she's had the relevant tests she wouldn't know.

Euro yes I am beginning to consider whether I should be looking into private treatment given the limitations of the NHS. I know absolutely nothing about it but need to educate myself. TBH I hadn't thought about going private just for the clomid. I am hoping I could have some private treatment (ie the cheaper stuff) without prejudicing my NHS entitlement but that's probably the first thing to check. It's actually the same consultant in my area at both the NHS clinic and the private ones so no wonder you can never get to see him on the bloody NHS.

Welcome Becks

Lisa I'm glad your DH is being supportive. The MCs were not your fault... we could drive ourselves mental wondering whether it was that cup of coffee/ glass of wine/ overexertion/ million other things that caused it but the likelihood is there was just something not right and nothing you could do would have prevented them. Hugs.

Wine I am off to book my TTC makeover. I quite fancy polished ovaries and a shiny womb considers drawing analogy with car valeting but decides against it When I've done that I shall launch myself into Princess's group hug. I was thinking the same as Princess yesterday, you are all terrific and have helped me enormously which is probably why I spend far more time on MN than i really should. And now I have to go and do some work

Waves and TFI Friday tail-feather shakes to everyone

Welcome becks and gameover. gameover I would change GPs if I were you, 6 weeks wait for an appointment is ridiculous. Have you had any tests done? By this stage you should have had day 3 and day 21 tests, and maybe been referred for a hsg? I think a hsg is particularly important if you've had an abortion or previous pregnancy, or at least that's what my Dr said. And night sweats should always be investigated. Is there another Dr at the same practise?

princess big hugs. Your scan results sound very similar to mine. My uterus looked normal but my right ovary had loads of cysts and my left had a few. They were normal size though. I'm about the pcos diet, I thought we were supposed to cut down on carbs. No carbs and no protein? Yikes!

joycep what sort of thing are you thinking? Beach? Countryside? nice food, weather? Are you thinking in the UK or abroad? I love planning holidays. We had wanted to go away in August but now I'm wondering if we might be in the middle of ivf. We have our appointment for 9th May for the first consultation so I'll know more after that. I'm sorry AF came, but it's good news that your progesterone is high and you must be ovulating fine. When does your DH go away?

at the big dog pants pout, poor thing. How is he today? When is your lap?

wine I know thinking about the op is awful, but just think when it's over and that thing is removed then there will be nothing stopping you getting a BFP. I don't see how it can't be preventing things if it is taking up so much room.

gameover so sorry to hear about what you've been through, that is horrendous. Just wanted to say that I also suffer from hair loss (ridiculous amounts, how I'm not bald I'll never know) and night sweats for 2-4 days around the start of AF. I spoke to my acu lady about the night sweats and she wasn't worried about them as they were purely cyclical. I was terrified about peri menopause but these symptoms can be due to pcos (I have one polycystic ovary) or general hormonal changes.

Big waves to everyone. I have had a lot of pain overnight and am staying in bed today, not sure what's going on. Looking forward to hearing about your holiday planning, joyce

Morning ladies, I feel I have caused a hullaballo with my post about Marilyn's 7 step hellish PCOS kicking diet. MrsD she is all up for proteins and carbs just the right ones, so lots of fish, organic meat, beans, veggies, brown rice, brown bread, pulses, nuts and seeds, berries etc but no dairy, no refined carbs (incl fricking fruit juice), no alcohol, no caffeine, nothing with added sugar. So from this basically, anything that tastes nice it out anything that is brown is good. It's about balancing your insulin to help control the male hormones so you need slow release food. It's basically a low GI, no dairy diet. And you need to combine your carbs and your protein to ensure that foods are absorbed properly.
Joycep what a lovely surprise for your husband. Holiday sounds v.good. You could hire a cottage in the countryside somewhere (UK or abroad) to get away from it all? We are thinking that we may go on holiday sooner rather than later. We were planning to go away in Sept but what with all the bad ovary stuff we may go somewhere sunny sooner. My eyes quite ravaged by all the darn crying recently and I have taken to wearing my huge sunglasses a bit too much. And yup, giving up dairy is specifically for PCOS. I'd always been a flag flyer for dairy, proffering it's virtues. This is going to be harder than giving up fags or caffeine but I've beat both of those and am 5 weeks off the booze. But it still makes me feel meh. Especially as I can't bring myself to make a cup of tea with oat milk. Or soya milk. Or hemp milk. Who knew there were so many other types of non real milk?
Critter this diet is it is terrifying. We went to Waitrose last night and there are so many 'nice' aisles. Sob. There was a small whine as we went through the dairy aisle. DH is being v.good about it and has decided to join in to make me feel less alone. He also says it makes him feel like a rock star having to go all non-dairy and that I can pretend to be all hollywood if it makes me feel better. It doesn't. But I like his sentiment.
Gameover your post makes me feel so sad. How dare your GP treat you like that. No wonder your feeling so down. I reckon you need to change your GP. You've been through so much already. One of my close friends was raped a few years back and she went through hell and back. I know, I helped to support her and at the same time I had just been through a miscarriage, which seemed so small in comparison. I have a great GP now, but the old GP was mega crap. I've said earlier on the post, but she basically told me to pull myself together after I had a miscarriage and offered no health advice about what was going on or what I could expect. I changed from her and have never looked back. I'm not private and finding the NHS ok at the moment but if things don't go well I have the option of going private via the bank of Mum and Dad, which I would rather not do because it involves being indebted to them (more Mum than Dad to be fair). I am in the midst of a huge renovation so funds are tight but I do have a small holiday fund, which I'll be using for nutritional advice and poss private consultation, if things don't go well further down the line. My friend once suggested that I register at her address so that I could go to a different GP. My husband is still registered at his parents address to go to a GP who he really likes and respects. I hope you get this sorted. Huge hugs.
Artemis at your student days. My bestie is a northerner who was massively into grunge. I've seen the pictures. They are sooo funny. My OH is the same age as bestie (34) and also a very girlie looking grunge boy with lots of hair and bad denim. I don't even want to dredge up what I looked like in the 90s the 00s were bad enough!! Thanks for your kind words too. It feels weird to know that there is something wrong with me but I can't see it and just imagining what the bobbly ovaries look like.
Lisa glad your DH is being a sweetie. It really helps doesn't it. And you are not to blame for your MCs. I spent a good year torturing myself. I was a party animal when we had our first happy accident (conceived at a particularly wild birthday party -TMI? sorry) and thought that it was all my fault. Too much booze, too many fags, too little sleep. I've seen plenty of people of Jezza Kyle and outside Iceland who clearly don't give a flip about their health and have hoards of children. It's not fair but your MCs aren't anything that you have done. Please don't beat yourself up. Here's a huge hug again :)
Right, I must do some work today. Love to you all. My non dairy bobbly feather tail is now swishing in a glorious swish and I'm feeling much better today. Thanks for all of your loveliness xx

We have so many recruits now and this thread moves so fast this is going to be an epic post just to say a little of what I want to say!!

kitty I hope that you are feeling better. Take it easy today and be good to yourself, lots of relaxing and treating yourself. Hugs X

Mrsd Big dog is a lot better today thanks. We found some antihistamines that little dog was prescribed a while ago (what is it with my doggles and allergies!) and it has really made a difference to his itching....unfortunately little dog is now itching though we suspect that he has clocked the attention big dog is getting and just fancies some of that and is putting it on. He can be a master manipulator!!

Ladygee Oooo a holiday to Scotland sounds nice. I would love to see more of it, especially the highlands.

artemis Excited about you maybe getting a dog. We have collies and they are the best thing in my life and have so got me through this TTC crap. Without them I reckon I would have slumped into depression.
at you mentioning your uni wear. I confess that I still have DMs and wear plaid shirts and boot cut jeans Oh the glamour!

Hi Gameover What an awful experience, I can't imagine what you have been through. I do think that your GP is talking out of their arse and did think about secondary infertility.
BTW I am another menopause worrier, mind you I am ancient!

joycep what a nice idea about a trip away. The best holiday I have had with DH was renting a cottage in Cornwall and just spending the week eating lovely food, walking the dogs, doing crosswords and playing Scrabble [old before my time smiley]

princess glad that your scan is over. Sorry about the possible PCOS. Don't despair though. Apparently ovulation probs are the easiest to fix what with Metformin, Low GI diet, Clomid, drilling etc..

wine and euro thanks for your advice RE recovery time. I have dult informed DH that he needs to take Friday too.
wine sorry that you are scared of your op. Though I'm sure the op isn't a nice prospect I really reckon that this could well be the key to your updiffedness

gin Testing on Wed!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would be chewing my arms off with the excitement of being told to test! FX for you!

critter and at your friend's dress revelation. Definitely a case of TMI to impart to ones offspring.

lisa I am sorry that the NHS can do nothing more for you, that is truly crap. Big hugs to you.

nelly tight joggers would give me cold sweats thinks of the tightness of own PJ's and ignores the fact that they were bought in a bigger size anyway. Blames the crap quality of Primark and over washing

frannie at dreaming about other peoples 2ww.

Hello to cakes Gld to hear that all is well with you.

Waves & love to lemons and everyone I've missed!

Well am waiting for roofer to come. On top of the myriad of house issues we have had we now have a massive leak in the kitchen extension roof. Southern water need not worry about the drought, they can just extract all the water that seeps in and out of this house and service the water requirements of this borough easily. Roll on the weekend!

Lemons updating the list now we have some newcomers is a good idea. My addition is below.

Gameover I'm sorry to hear about your experiences both when you were younger and with your GP. Appointments are like golddust at mine too, but at least when I have got to see a GP they have been pretty helpful. Your GP sounds pretty ignorant. Does he really think that health stays static over an 18 year period??? (I think you mentioned you are 36 now.) That's absurd. I expect my health to change over the next 18 years (when I will be 54, eek!) and I am sure it has over the past 18 years. I think hairloss could be related to hormone levels or thyroid? I'm not sure, but certainly some investigations need to be done at this stage.

princess maybe that is why my PCOS is fairly under control? I make an effort to eat a reasonably low GI diet (although I do have fruit and some chocolate!) and I have been dairy intolerant for a decade following a terrible bout of food poisoning on holiday, so I only have very small amounts. I'm glad your husband is being supportive.

Sorry to hear about the roof, pout

to Cakes. I hope al is going well!

Right, got to dash. I'm off to meet with a headhunter. He called me this week and as I am fairly disillusioned with my current place I have agreed to meet him to hear more. It's obviously terrible timing with IVF looming, but I have been waving away opportunities for the past 2 years and I need to stop putting my career on hold for something that isn't happening.

----

joycep - me, 32, DH 30. ttc 23 months (27/28 cycles). M/c @ 7 wks July 2010. Nothing since. Short LP of 10/11days (relevant? Who knows). Progesterone levels low [30]. Estrogen dominant, hypoglycaemia, Left ovary lazy but ovulate every month. HSG all clear. Low AMH for my age. Potassium levels low. Healthy BMI. 9 months of treatment including Clomid (messed me up), 2 x IUI, ovitrelle and gonal f injections. SA good (7%morph). Next step: Chicago tests, Lapascopy (if poss) , sperm fragmentation test and then ivf i guess.

minipie - me 31, DH 32, ttc 11 months but only on 10th cycle due to longish cycles. PCOS diagnosed by scan. Blood tests normal except slight underactive thyroid (now corrected with thyroxine). BMI normal. DH's SA had low morphology (3%) but otherwise good. No other tests or treatments yet (except acu). First appointment with gynae on 21 March... BFP?

Mrsden - me 30, soon to be 31, DH 31. TTC for 21 months. PCOS but ovulating ok most months. DH very low count, poor morphology. Will start ICSI in summer.

ladygee ttc 15 months. Me 29, DH 32. DH SA is below average on all counts (don't remember all the stats). HSG showed blockage at the opening of my right tube. Self-funded cycle of IVF ICSI in Feb, ended with BFN. Awaiting follow-up appointment to talk through next steps. We are also on NHS waiting list for ICSI, probably at the end of 2012.

lemon - both 33, TTC 22 months, unexplained (after bloods, too much dildo camming, HSG and plenty of SAs - although those varied quite a bit), now onto second IUI

euro - me 36, hubby 37, ttc 18 cycles with a couple of years of being casual before that, never seen a BFP but might have had a chem preg back in the casual period. My standard tests all fine. Some indication of PCOS but I'm ovulating regularly so it shouldn't be the problem. Hubby's tests also fine but on the low side of normal. Diagnosed as "unexplained". private immunology tests show high NK cells, but I have been on treatment for those for the past 5 cycles. Tried three cycles of superovulation (Letrozole). Currently on first attempt at IUI.

Eek pout they aren't tight joggers. Nooo, think Jilly Cooper . No camel toe here

It's only 10.30 and I've already missed far too much for phone posting. General hello and waves to everyone .

pout sorry about your roof issues. Gawd I hate it when those kinds of things go wrong.

euro good luck with your headhunter. I would love to be head hunted, unfortunately in my crappy civil service job it will never happen in a million years! My DH was headhunted (or 'headsearched' as I like to call it after Bubble in Ab Fab if anyone remembers that) he didn't go for it though.

I'm loving this talk of outfits from days of yore. When I was at uni I had horrible black nylon trousers I used to wear for every single night out with a selection of gross cheap sparkly tops. It was the era of the super club and me and my pals thought it was really cool to go out with our hair in knots a la bjork and tons of glitter caked all over our faces

It has been hailing like a bastard here.

I've added mine in below:

joycep - me, 32, DH 30. ttc 23 months (27/28 cycles). M/c @ 7 wks July 2010. Nothing since. Short LP of 10/11days (relevant? Who knows). Progesterone levels low [30]. Estrogen dominant, hypoglycaemia, Left ovary lazy but ovulate every month. HSG all clear. Low AMH for my age. Potassium levels low. Healthy BMI. 9 months of treatment including Clomid (messed me up), 2 x IUI, ovitrelle and gonal f injections. SA good (7%morph). Next step: Chicago tests, Lapascopy (if poss) , sperm fragmentation test and then ivf i guess.

minipie - me 31, DH 32, ttc 11 months but only on 10th cycle due to longish cycles. PCOS diagnosed by scan. Blood tests normal except slight underactive thyroid (now corrected with thyroxine). BMI normal. DH's SA had low morphology (3%) but otherwise good. No other tests or treatments yet (except acu). First appointment with gynae on 21 March... BFP?

Mrsden - me 30, soon to be 31, DH 31. TTC for 21 months. PCOS but ovulating ok most months. DH very low count, poor morphology. Will start ICSI in summer.

ladygee ttc 15 months. Me 29, DH 32. DH SA is below average on all counts (don't remember all the stats). HSG showed blockage at the opening of my right tube. Self-funded cycle of IVF ICSI in Feb, ended with BFN. Awaiting follow-up appointment to talk through next steps. We are also on NHS waiting list for ICSI, probably at the end of 2012.

lemon - both 33, TTC 22 months, unexplained (after bloods, too much dildo camming, HSG and plenty of SAs - although those varied quite a bit), now onto second IUI

euro - me 36, hubby 37, ttc 18 cycles with a couple of years of being casual before that, never seen a BFP but might have had a chem preg back in the casual period. My standard tests all fine. Some indication of PCOS but I'm ovulating regularly so it shouldn't be the problem. Hubby's tests also fine but on the low side of normal. Diagnosed as "unexplained". private immunology tests show high NK cells, but I have been on treatment for those for the past 5 cycles. Tried three cycles of superovulation (Letrozole). Currently on first attempt at IUI.

princess - me 30, OH 34. Accidentally updiffed in May 2009, MC at 6wks in June 2009. Decided that we wanted a baby, so continued trying until Oct 2009 when we got engaged and decided to give baby-making a break as I was finding it too draining and needed to take time out to deal with MC (and plan wedding). Started trying again in September 2010. Pg in April 2011 and MC in May 2011 at 7wks. Have been SWI like rabbits since then. Started blood tests in March 2012 following irregular mid-cycle bleeds, which have shown weird hormone levels - too much LH and not enough Prog. Scan yesterday to show lots of cysts on right ovary and a few on left. Follow up with GP next week to discuss scan, blood test results from earlier this week and next steps. Will be off to see a nutritional therapist next week to see if I can combat with diet and supplements. That makes TTC on and off for 25 months.

nelly - oh how i would love to find something where I get wired afterwards. Tennis doesn?t just make the cut even if i win . I must say someone i know who took 6 years to get pregnant and is in to your secret hobbling and has her own hobblers was still doing it at 38 wks pregnant. Not sure I would have risked it after 6yrs but it shows the pull is obviously very strong.

kitty - glad you?re ok. Anxieties are only natural especially after taking so long to conceive in the first place. Are you going to have an early scan?

critter - sorry about your nightmarish cycles. I really hope the 150mg kick start everything. It must be really infuriating for you. I have heard about people who really struggle to kick start their cycles but when they do manage to ovulate they often get pregnant so hopefully something happens for you soon.

game - oh goodness i am sorry about what happened when you were younger. How old are you now? Your GP is being disgraceful and to link a pregnancy at 18 with your current fertility is crazy. As others have said, is there anyway of changing surgery. There is about a 2 week wait at mine surgery and i thought that was bad enough. 6 weeks is taking the P. Also i?m sorry you have been experiencing night sweats and short cycles. I think the short cycles need to be investigated and they need to pull out their finger. My GP finally pulled out her finger last month (i had seen her 3 times in the last 2 years) and finally she has referred me.

lady - i think having a plan in place really helps . When you?re in limbo and not sure what is going on, it just has a huge emotional impact.

artemis - your Uni sounds like mine!

mrsd - that?s great you have got an appointment. Things are now moving for you. I am getting a bit agitated as I haven?t heard back from my clinic and i dropped the paperwork in 10 days ago. I wouldn?t be surprised if they lost everything as it was complete chaos in there. I can?t get hold of them on the phone so I have emailed them. Oh DH goes away on Sunday . Cue me spending the day panicking about him being on a plane. I?m highly neurotic when it comes to aeroplanes.

princess - i feel so sad to read about all the crying you have been doing. I guess i am exactly the same and it is very tiring. Giving up dairy does sound incredibly difficult but if it helps the pcos then i guess it will be worth it. My friend controls her pcos through diet and when she eats badly , her cycles just go haywire.

pout - leeks are a bloody nightmare. Hope the roofer fixes it. Your holiday in Cornwall sounds amazing ? I wonder whether we should do that. I think it?s nice to stay at home really.

I think because we live in London, it is nice to stay away from cities. We?re not huge culture vultures and we like the outdoors so I was thinking Scottish Highlands and going somewhere where we could try some activities like fishing (or is that really dull?) . Not huge hikers per se. On the other hand , the sun would do us wonders so Italy and Corsica are all good suggestions but would want to do this for no more than a grand. Ideally I would want to go to the Caribbean but don?t think we will be getting there on a budget. Anyway, it has given me something exciting to plan and look forward to.

Gearing up to seeing a pregnant friend today ? haven?t seen her since the bump announcement. I am happy for her i am, i am , i?m not.,.i am , i am

Well good morning to everyone. AF is here today but I've already got on and booked my scan and PCT for 1st of May. Feeling positive .

becks it's good that you are feeling positive (but sorry about the arrival of AF).

joycep I now have a mental image of nightmare leeks. It is a bit like a scene from Day of the Triffids.

How about the South of France? You can get cheap flights and away from the bling cities on the coast, it is pretty cheap. We're off to the outlaws' place in Languedoc for the May bank holiday and I cannot wait. It's great for wandering around vineyards/old chateaux or taking a leisurely bike ride along the canal du midi. And of course, there is all the baguette, croissant and stinky cheese you could want (so you can stick two fingers up at the low GI non dairy diet book!). Carcassonne is nice for a wander round too if you are in the area.

A friend just sent me his wife's scan pics. I actually felt happy for them. I must be having a good day! They had a hard road getting there - 3 mcs.

Well done on happiness at other people's scan pictures euro. That point is a Long Way Away in the sour household. Loved your description of the South of France, this time last year we were down there too, and it was a happy time (despite being the beginning of me panicking about TTC).

Good going out outfit, you had kitty. That was the night time special. And it did not work for pulling purposes either . How are you feeling now? I hope better!

Scotland is not dull, joycep and hanging out in a cottage with some leisurely pastimes is good. I've got very happy memories there too. But I do think letting go of TTC-related restrictions on your trip is essential (thinking whisky and lardy food/baguettes with smelly cheese and wine). Good luck with bump-visiting!!

Well done on the positivity, despite AF becks!!!

Welcome to gameover - even if it isn't - and so sorry about your horrible experience when younger and plain at your GP's behaviour. Definitely a contender for worst treatment in the NHS. So sorry. But follow the good advice that has been given, you should be so much better looked after.

Well done on getting a plan in place princess and even though it does leave a lot to be desired. I loved mrsd summary of brown is good, nice is bad. Sorry you have been crying and been so miserable, princess. And the same to you, joycep. You seem to have been much more miserable than I managed to notice, too busy in my own world, I suppose.

Leakage and leeks made me smile pout even if it is bloody annoying. Jealous of doggy holiday in Cornwall too. And of being able to play scrabble with OHs. Mine is rubbish and literally won't play (because I always completely trash the poor man, not good for male egos, even though he did buy me the set a long time ago). When is the L&D again? And wine when will you get a date for broid removal? I so hope this is what it will take for you. Keeping everything crossed it goes very well and you'll be upduffed soon after!!

There is way too many of us here but big waves to all (and please add to the list I've started I am totally lost who is at what stage!)

A second vote for the south of France joycep, it's quite cheap to rent a house. Try cheznous.com I also love the Ile de Re, you can fly to La Rochelle I think. It's such a beautiful Island if you like cycling, good food, lazing on beaches, mooching around. There are some really nice hotels there. Or what about the Italian Lakes? In the UK I like Northumberland, Anglesey, the Lakes, Yorkshire Dales, Cornwall.

joycep here is some info on the Ile de Re www.holidays-iledere.co.uk/

No time to read just now but AF hasn't gone yet? Day 8, I normally only get 4. Put a pad on earlier and 2 hours later had proper blood. Any ideas?? I won't confess I've wondered if this means I'm pregnant. Or possibly dying instead

Do a test just to make sure? Mine varies between 5 and 9 days. It just depends how liquid/clotty it is I think on how quickly it can get out!

I've never gone beyond 5 before. Of course if I was pregnant, this would not be a good sign.

I agree with euro. Eat the hobnobs, Nelly! Just in case. Maybe it's just a super long period? Have you consulted Dr Google? Or called NHS direct? They're my first two calls in this sort of situation. I've only had the recent mid-cylcle bleed, which was like a big squirt of blood on an unexpected day. But my period did go on for ages when I went skiing in February, I'm usually 4-5 days and this was more like 7-8. I put it down to altitude ps I'm sure you're not dieing although I do understand your concern! xxxxxxxx