Assisted Conception (and the bits in between) Volume 10

[MoJangled]

Our new home, hope you all find me soon...

Morning Believers

Ginger good luck for Wednesday. You are on the home straight now.

Off to my morning bloods and scan - 5:30 am alarm is tough on a Monday!

Xx

How were the bloods and scans Mimi ?

Pocket , you mentioned a saline wash thing on Friday, I've had an aquascan, could it be something like that? If it is, it was fine, they just wash you out with saline while scanning to get a clearer picture if the womb lining to check for any problems. Feels a bit like you're weeing yourself but I think we've all had worse as part if this game! But not sure why they'd do that at the start of a downreg, so maybe that's not it.

I've got my flights booked; flying Friday night and landing in Athens at 4 am; I figure it'll give me longer with DS and ill save the price of a hotel!

Off I go for 2 days in Wales for work; shame its going to rain!

Keep on believing Xx

Ooooh, Mo, I'm flying to Greece on Saturday so I can send you good-being-in-Greece-vibes.

Hey Ginger Hope the bench is trating you well. Try not to think too much about symptoms - I had sore boobs for about 2 days and then nothing pretty much all the way through to now (apart from congestion which seems quite random). It can just mean that you are one of the lucky symptom free ones...

Scarlett Has AF turned up? Mine was later than usual when down-regging.

Pocket That's so lovely that you have contact with your donor lady.

Mini I hope that you're not too exhausted after your early start yesterday! Hope everything went well.

Waves to everyone else!

Pocket, how lovelyto have had a message from your donor, she sounds like a lovely, generous woman. Good luck with the impeding jab.

Mini hope all went well with your bloods and scan. Thanks for the good luck, I will let you all know asap. I'll know by this time tomorrow... eek!

Mo, have a fab time in Wales and all the very best of luck with your ET in Greece.

Badger, you have a fab time too in Greece, and thanks for the pep talk re me and my constant symptom spotting.

I must get back to work now, so will write a better post tonight.

Bye for now.
xxx

Hello, I'm new here, sorry if I seem to be barging in or if this isn't the right place to post this, but I thought that most of you on this thread would probably have gone through this and may have an idea of the answers to my questions! Dh and I have been TTC for a bit now and starting to get a bit worried, and this month I am having the day 1 and 21 bloods taken. I have PCOS (diagnosed on an USS about 12 years ago) but am lucky enough to still have reasonably regular periods averaging 35 days give or take a couple of days each month. Do you know what these are testing for? My worry is that although I feel that I am having the cyclic hormonal changes that are associated with ovulation (I sometimes get what I think is ov pain, and it affects another condition that I have which makes it much worse around the time I would be expecting to ovulate and before my period, and then gets better again, I might not actually be releasing an egg due to the cysts or something else. Do you know if this is likely? And if the blood tests are testing for ovulation, surely they will just pick up the changes in my hormones, which would change whether I actually ovulate or not? Or is there some way they could tell?
Sorry for that spiel, there are just so many things I just don't understand this is all rather scary, would really appreciate if anyone had any suggestions or answers for me!
Thanks

Hi teaandcake (great name, couldn't agree more) , nice to meet you and welcome. I don't know much about PCOS, but the day 3/21 tests are supposed to check for ovulation. Under normal circumstances they'd pick up the switch from oestrogen to progesterone before and after ovulation. Hopefully someone will be along who knows a bit.more about how PCOS might affect that. I think Fertility Friends has a PCOS thread too, so it could be worth checking there. Good luck!

Badger being in Greece vibes much wanted thank you! I'll send you some fabulous holiday vibes in return!

Hi teaandcakes all are welcome round these parts!

Are the tests being carried out by your GP or a fertility clinic? If the former then you need to discuss with him/her further the day 21 test as I believe that it is technically supposed to test your hormone levels 7 day before the start of your next period so day 21 if you are on a 28 day cycle but in your case it sounds like it should be done more like day 28 if you have a 35 day cycle. My GP wasn't aware of this and I initially ended up with being tested on the wrong day. I think there can be a lack of training with some GPs in this area as I've read of lots of similar threads.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about PCOS but I'm sure others will. If you haven't been referred by your GP to a fertility clinic then I would ask for one as they will have experience in PCOS.

It's worth your DH gettting a sperm analysis too if he's not already. I think your GP should offer this.

Good luck and we're here for support!

Ginger how are you doing on the bench my dear? Are you poas or blood test tmw?

Mo sounds like the saline thing will be fun . You sound all set for the weekend. I am and will be sending you positive vibes.

Badger lucky you heading off to Greece. Hope you have a lovely time and soak up some sunshine for us all.

Teaandcake welcome you're in the right place for sure. But I don't know much about pcos or the bloods you mention. But someone will be along soon who will. Wishing you the best of luck on your ttc journey. May it be a short adn successful one.

Hello to everyone else

Dont stop believing

teaandcake I have pco (without the s) but this won't affect your blood tests as such. The day three test will tell them about your egg reserve and whether your have pcos and day 21 test tells you whether you has ovulated. Unlike the ovulation kits for home the blood test is accurate so will detect a 'fauled' ovulation. But this has to be seven days after your ovulate or there about so you really need to use ovulation predicter kit to detect the surge in hormone and them confirm ovulation with the blood test around seven days later. Make sure you don't let the gp or nurse push you to test at the wrong time. As others have said, get your dh's sperm analysis done too. Most of all try not to worry about the results until they are in - easier said than done, i know. All could be fine on the test front as with pcos you may not always ovulate every month so that could slow down conception (which can take a year even with perfect results). Best of luck

Mo and badger hope you have a lovely time in Greece and Mo enjoy rainy Wales

Blood and scan was fine so now having a hysteroscopy tomorrow. That is standard ARGC protocol. It's done under light sedation so have the day off work - seriously couldn't do this without having told work as only got told at 4pm on Monday it would be tomorrow.

Ginger hang in there and know we are all thinking of you.

Xx

Sorry for typos - typing on phone is rubbish!!

Hi Pocket, I am hanging on here, trying not to work myself into a frenzy. I am due to poas tomorrow, so will probably do that first thing (I can see me waking up v early to do this). I have had some cramping this morning which worried me, but no bleeding so maybe all will be ok.

Welcome Teaandcake, everyone on here is lovely and supportive, and even if we cannot give you the advice you need, we are pretty good at hand holding. I don't know anything about PCOS myself, but agree with what Badger and Mo said about the bloods. Try to press your GP for more info, and definitely get a referral to a fertility clinic who should have all the recommended info so you can work out the best plan for you and DH. All the very best of luck with it all.

Don't stop believing

I should add teaandcake the cysts you have with pcos are immature eggs, so all it really means is that you have lots more immature eggs that are visible than 'normal'. From what I recall more than 12 suggests pcos. I've always imagined in my head that reason cycle is longer is because so many eggs are trying to ripen at once, rather than just focusing on one egg, but I have no idea if that is medically true - just made sense to me when was trying to work out what pco meant!! Pcos and egg reserve are quite different though so having pcos wont indicate whether your have good or bad egg reserve in itself.

Ginger sending you positive vibes for today. Everything is crossed for you X

Mini food luck to you today.

x

What Pocket said!

(except the food part )

Ginger sending you all the luck and love in the world for your test Xx

Well ladies, it would seem I have got a BFP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the most confusing tense two hours for me this morning. I did the test the clinic supplied and at 3 mins when you are supposed to read the result, DH and I looked at the test on the side and couldn't see a line.. then a min or so later I picked it up and spotted a faint line, so thought that it could still be a positive, but we weren't sure as it was passed the 3 min mark. So, off to Tesco we went to buy another test, this time a digital one so we could see if black and white what the result was. We were both pretty down by this time, convinced it was a BFP, but then when I did the digital test, low and behold it confirmed I am pregnant!! Still can't quite believe it! I have rung the clinic and they have booked me a scan in two weeks time so now just two more weeks of tryint to believe it's true and probably buying loads more tests to make sure!

Good luck Mini with your hysteroscopy today, hope all goes well!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! ginger so thrilled for you. Whoop whoop!

Hurray Ginger, that's such amazing news!! It will probably take a while to sink in!

How fabulous. SO SO SO pleased for you.

Ginger congratulations on your BFP !!! Great news

Ah, thanks everybody! I am thrilled though still really shell shocked. Never really believed this would really happen for me. Can't wait for the scan now!

Hello Hoophopes, nice to meet you. Are you a newbie or returning after a break, only I've not seen your name before. Thanks for the congrats though!

Celebration choc bics all round!

Woo hoo. Wonderful news Ginger and just what I needed after a rather day. I'm so pleased for you both.

Don't stop believing.

Ginger - hi, I used to post regularly on these boards - I have a now 6mth ds after a long 7yr wait, thanks to immune treatments. Not been around recently after death, unexpected, of my dm. Was just reading and catching up today and saw your story and wonderful result!

Morning all

Just a little update from me - had the hysteroscopy yesterday which was lovely and quick and not too painful. I also got the call yesterday afternoon to start the stimming drugs - yay! Am still on the down reg drugs as well so now it's three injections a day - at least i should get really good at them! Am on my way to daily bloods now. Just wish the mornings weren't so cold and dark already.

Xx

Oh pocket, huge hugs, why was your day ? Hope you are ok.

Congrats Hoophopes on your lovely 6 mth DS! I also had a 7 yr wait to get this far, so no how that feels. Condolences on the passing of your DM.

Yey Mini that your hysteroscopy was quick and not too painful and you are now onto the stimming stage! Not long now! Good luck with all the jabs. I know they aren't the most pleasant but at least you feel you are contributing, and helping the process along. I know what you mean about the cold and dark mornings, it is getting decidely brr at the mo. I am definitely a summer girl and don't like winter atall, although DH is the opposite!

Waves to everyone else!

xx

rah I just did a super long post and the stupid puppy managed to tread on my keyboard and close the window I'll try and recreate the moment lol

Firstly sorry for being awol, I have been hugely struggling with down reg and apart from the sickness & headaches I've been grumpy, tired, lethargic, mardy and ridiculously anti-social [oh and I keep wanting to burst into tears ] and feel very very not me so I've not been talking to anyone really who I don't live or work with...

ginger I was surreptisiously checking my BB throughout a company briefing yesterday for your update and was absolutely over the moon to see your news - the power of believing

pocket hope today is a better day than yesterday?

mini good luck with the stims! hopefully I will be joining you after my baseline scan on Monday assuming bloody AF shows up before then

mo - Wales & Greece in one week, get you! International jetsetting

Hiya hoop nice to meet you

big hugs to anyone I've missed!

I have always been a summer girl, but this year [and it's probably the depressing drugs talking lol] I'm oddly looking forward to Winter - actually knowing what clothes I need to wear [because the last few months have been a bloody nightmare clothes-wise with this changeable weather] and wrapping up in snuggly jumpers and having a good excuse not to go out cos it's cold and taking the puppydog running through his first lot of autumn leaves. Maybe I'm actually just looking forward to a season behaving like it's supposed to