TTC for 10+ months, part 8

[eurochick]

A friendly, supportive thread for those taking a blooming long time to conceive!

Hey euro thanks for setting up the new thread. Here have some to celebrate. I think you deserve it. Out with the old, in with the new. Let's hope that lazy fecking finger bucks it's ideas up. I wanna #8 upduff........

BTW I'm glad you are feeling better all ready. Great news :)

Isn't 8 the Chinese lucky number? Perhaps it will be lucky for us.

Oh how I am looking forward to some .

Thread 8 - thanks Euro - does anyone else feel like they could be here forever? And Boo and hiss , AF is here with a vengeance. Not that I?m surprised of course. But you ladies know what i?ll be up to tomorrow...a little trip to the post office will be worked in to my busy [not] schedule.

care - well done for seeing your GP. It?s annoying she has only prescribed ABs for you but I guess that is something. I think the GP basically summed it up for you though, ?I?m not a fertility specialist?. I think docs seem to lack the understanding that when you start getting in to the years of trying, people feel the need to look in to every possibility as to what is going on. So it?s all very well saying that these bacteria are everywhere and wouldn?t necessarily cause a problem but I do wonder what research she has done to justify her comment. There is a medical journal from Oxford which writes all about the effects of these bacteria on fertility and that it should be treated with ABs. And I?m sure many people have the bacteria and get pregnant but for some it could be the difference between not conceiving and conceiving especially if it is combined with high nkc like you. You have to take every possible lead as a line of hope and it?s good to get rid of these things anyway. We?re all routing for you.

euro - i am glad you are feeling a little saner and you feel like you made the right decision. That is really good. Onwards and upwards and back to normal pronto I hope.

gin - i?m sorry about your hormonal headache. I hope you are feeling better today.

critter - oh i am sorry about the bfn. What was your progesterone level, shouldn?t that indicate ovulation or not? Also were you on the clomid this cycle as that dries out ewcm.

sarlat - a natural fet sounds like a really good idea and giving yourself the ?summer? [what summer] off?.
buzzy - your colleague sounds awful!

pout - hurrah at ovulation. It's funny how these things excite 10plusses - can you imagine the commotion with a bfp?

Did you know that when you go on maternity leave, you still get your full entitlement to holidays and bonuses? I was when I my friend was saying she was taking a month?s holiday on top of her year?s maternity leave. It must be the hormones as I was quite but obviously it is bitterness. I just hope I can have that perk one day.

joycep Sorry AF has raised her ugly head again, she was my boss and a complete cow, she was/is very insecure, I have a list of all the unprofessional/inappropriate things she said to me, I knew you got your annual leave with your mat leave but not bonuses, one day you'll be planning what you will do with your mat leave :)

She belongs in the coven buzzy !

Evening lucky thread number 8 TTC'ers. Hay - the figure eight is a shape of a preggy lady!! It's a sign, its a sign!

Euro - Its lovely to hear you are feeling good about your decision and you have so much to look forward to now.

Put - hooray for pile cream.

Buzzy - good luck with your Dr S appointment.

Gin - really exicted for you about your October IVF - we will both be 'back at it' in the autumn. The number of eggs you had collected last time (12) is literally perfect. My Consultant said they aim for 10-15 so you are pretty bang on. I really hope the next cycle works for you and I'm sure your right about the last 2 embryos just not 'sticking'. I didn't realise until recently that 40-50% have faulty DNA and are not viable, despite looking perfect under the microscope. I understand that your DH's sperm issues are slightly different. For those who were asking what my DH took (really sorry can't remember who since switched thread), he took the usual well man conception vits, omega 3, a chinese med called Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan. He also had accupuncture and most importantly in our view a daily glass of tomato juice - something about lycopene and there is loads of research about it. DH's SA started to improve mostly after this was introduced - at least that's how it appeared to us. I know a lot of chaps aren't interested in the woo stuff but the tomato juice is easy to do as they either drink it or it is smuggled in to the diet in another form e.g. tomato soup, bolognaise sauce etc.

Waves to everyone else.

Well things certainly change quickly in 24 hours. Started to get sore, stingy wee last night. Then realised I have beeen going to the toilet quite a lot recently. Had dull ache in abdomen all day too. Suspected a UTI, so went to Doc's this afternoon and he agreed it was a UTI. I was also a bit worried that I may have a PID - now I know I have had a serious bacterial attack on my tubes once already, I get slightly worried about repeat performances. The UTI is probably due to the IVF drugs and interventions over April / May. I never usually get UTI's. But the best bit......Jocep where are you....I have been prescribed antiobiotics. Just bog standard amoxycillin for 5 days. I now know that blocked tubes are my main problem but I can't help but feel a bit excited to finally get my hands on some antibiotics - the holy grail of fertility treatment.

Feel a bit sorry for my DH - although I'm not very poorly, I do feel a bit under the weather. I thinks he thinks I will never be well / be myself again after all the ups and downs. Plus our next door neighbours had some sand blasting on their house today. Of course the wind blew all the brick dust on to our house so now we have a light sprinkiling of orange all over our house and garden. Poor DH - bought him an egg custard to compensate.

Care - well done for approaching the GP about the antibiotics. Can't wait to see how you get on. Will DH make a seperate appointment? Can he send any bodily fluids to Athens for testing too?

Joycep - sorry for AF. But on the flip side - get thee to the post office!!

Buzzy - grrr to the horribe boss.

Hello to the new thread

Ah Joycep that's so lovely of you to post that, that was exactly what i wanted to hear! and sorry for the arrival of AF. i'll be interested in what results you get back from serum.

Gin wowzers at 12 eggs from a natural ivf cycle. think you made a good choice there. i was pumped full of drugs and got 9.

Sarlat i will have to make a seperate appointment for DH to go (grr). Serum said they don't need to test man fluids - they said they can tell enough just from the AF sample and you both get prescribed anti b's together anyway.

joycep I feel like I have been here forever.

Me too euro marking my place on new thready, will catch up ASAP. I totally have no news!

Thread 8 - shape of preggy lady with massive head

Wishing you all the very best on this one, the finger must have been waiting for us here all along.

Ok, that's enough of the postive thinking. Back to doom. A new comedy of errors shag week is upon the Purple household. My periods have changed too, (to return to a previous topic) short heavy and clotty somewhere in my mid 30's. I remember asking my doctor about it ("it's normal", what a surprise). Anyway, long period this month, for the first that I can remember, which among other things including laziness delayed the start of shag week by a day or two. Festivities began on Monday night then then took a turn for the worse yesterday with a sex fail (yes, why not throw that one in the mix too shakes fist at world ). Now it appears I may have ov'ed yesterday on CD 9. Thus a grand total of one relevant shag. It's just all ridiculous.

Also, I have been avoiding this subject due to fear of being hit over the head with one of Nelly's wellies or wine's bottles. It's much too hot. < ducks >

Morning all... This will be a quick one the only quick one I've had lately to say thanks Euro for the new thread. I'll catch up properly later on. I too feel like I've been here forever, though in good company

Solidarity Purple for the shag week comedy show. Sex fail here too last night, in that we didn't even get started... after an afternoon of frankly quite rude texts from Mr A I thought I was on a promise, only for him to get home from work, flake out on the bed and be asleep 5 minutes later. He woke up like a grumpy 6 year old. So there's a good start. I managed not to beat him round the head but if I ov early this month I shall have to do so.

I shall return later to discuss international periods, mahoosive follies (I have them too), IVF vs Woo and similar delights. Got a meeting this morning. What to wear? Today is sweaty but threatening rain. I reckon the fertility gods and the weather gods are hiding out together and sniggering. Gits.

Morning all - just marking my place, as I haven't caught up with the last fred - hope all is well, I missed out on the opportunity to help the Greek economy and my period is nearly gone now. Just been told by the lap-lady (that sounds a lot more dodgy than she is) that we'll have to use contraception this weekend it has been a while... Well done for starting the fred and feeling better. Sorry for being rubbish about keeping up at the moment. It has something to do with life and work being busy, but good, generally. But I'll be here with a vengeance when recovering from the lap next week!

Hi Ladies, I thought I'd use this new thread as an excuse to jump in and join you. I've been on the TTC#1 thread for a while but it has become painfully obvious that this journey is going to be a longer one for me and I think I can relate better to this group.

We're on cycle 11 now and have had various obstacles to deal with. DH broke his back pretty much at the beginning of our TTC journey which has made the physical act of BD difficult (to say the least) but he was also recently diagnosed with low motility/morphology. I'm hoping that has something to do with all the painkillers and xrays he's had to have for his back and that his numbers will get better with time. I also bring a few issues of my own to the table, the main one being a dermoid cyst on my ovary that was causing hormonal imbalances (high androstendione) which may have been affecting OV. I had the cyst removed in May and everything seems OK with me now.

For now we're going to continue to TTC naturally. DH sperm count is actually pretty good so I'm hoping that might make up for the other values being less than optimal and that one of these cycles we'll hit the jackpot. DH has been prescribed Tamoxifen which is an estrogen binder (usually prescribed to women with breast cancer or fertility problems) and apparently sometimes helps with male factor fertility issues. I've read up on it and I'm not convinced it's the right way to go at this point but we'll see, perhaps one more cycle without hormones and if it doesn't work, maybe next one.

I know more than I ever wanted to about SA, hormones, CM, temperatures, cycles . . . I'm a virtual fertility expert at this point but what choice does one have. Wow, that was a lot to get off my chest but it feels good to get it all out there, hope you don't mind. Right now I'm on CD9, monitoring temps and will start POAS tomorrow or the next day, eagerly awaiting OV, remaining ever hopeful that this will be our month :)

Lemons at lap lady, sounds like a dodgy dancer with a sparkly thong and perspex heels.... In all seriousness I hope it goes well for you. I couldn't imagine using 'those things' anymore and I think DH would be if I whipped one out. It would be like the old days when we were dating...

MissMedusa sorry you've had a rough time and you find yourself here. However, it sounds like things are going in the right direction. Back repairing, sperm getting better, cyst removed......I hope your stay here is short and sweet. But in the meantime this is a great place to vent and find out lots of information (this forum has been more informative than any of the medical staff I have seen so far!!)

Artemis hope you found something to wear. I am in jeans and t-shirt but I hate this muggy, grey, dank weather. Where is the sun? Where is summer? Those mean, mean, mean gods. Grey clouds and no babies?

Sarlat sorry to hear about your infection Hope the ab's cure the infection and possibly help with a little baby making.....

JoyceP I did know about maternity bens - bonuses and holidays. You may feel bitter now but one day you will be very, very grateful :)

Waves to everyone else. All here is calm. No biscuits have been consumed and I'm not even tempted. My temp was way higher than normal. 36.7 and I'm usually 36.4 at the moment - could this be more progesterone?! I do hope so!

Welcome missM. Sorry you're joining us, but hopeful now some of the issues have been removed your stay will be short.

Unlike the rest of us. So with you all that it feels like forever!

Cannot imagine princess brown diet finishing soon. It seemed like a long time to commit when you started...

Yay for positive O-sticks, pout. Did you seduce your DH. Or do the we need to NOW because it is positive approach? The latter worked really well with mine when I tried those sticks (in the end of 2010, OMG that is SO long ago!)

General mehness about shit here. So I am about if anyone wants to join my moaning!!

X-post with pout. We've been joking for a while that we should give our surplus supplies of Those Things to my sister (who gets pg by looking at her husband across a busy room), so that she does not overtake us twice. But now it will be on his head to check whether they're still in date if he wants any action this month...

Lemons I don't think the brown diet will be finishing. Although will be pleased to get the TTC going again. I have a feeling the diet is with me now until I get a BFP. She mentioned something about adapting my diet if I am pregnant (based on my panic email to her the other day) and I have a sneaking suspicion that this is now a way of life. What will she add / take away when the BFP appears? Still could be worse and I'm pretty well adjusted now. Sorry you are feeling so meh. I can't believe I've been a regular here for 4 months now! That's a third of a year.

Thank youeuro for the new home. I like the number 8 lots so Part 8 surely has to be a good omen for us all. BTW ladies I was musing this morning how we have exchanged 7000 posts (if my maths is right?).

euro It's so good that you are feeling more human again.

lemons I can't say that I seduced MrP as such but since the hospital decreed that when we got a positive we had to shag that night and tonight (FFS!) we did do the deed. It is so nice being told when to shag by a third party Piles and TTC are not the best bed fellows so seduction was probably not the word I would use to describe last night at all..torture would be more apt!

at lap lady. We didn't have sex the whole cycle before my lap. I was so paranoid about not being in any doubt that I was updiffed (yeah 'cos it was sooo likely anyway!). When is your op?

artemis & Purple Commiserations on the sex fails. We have had a couple of those and it is so frustrating. TBH I am actually surprised that we haven't had more and am secretly quite impressed that MrP can perform at all most times!

Sarlat I can't believe your bad luck at having to contend with a UTI now. Are you feeling any better yet?
The tomato juice thing was interesting. You always seem to come up with a lot of interesting stuff.

princess The high temp is promising. Well done on the iron resolve with the biscuits. I scoffed half a packet of Ginger Snaps yesterday but karma got me in the shape of Little Dog eating half a biscuit that I dropped on the floor. Apparently ginger doesn't agree with him because ten minutes later he was vomming orange sick all over the carpets - great. Has rather put me off ginger snaps...

joycep so are you definitely doing the Greece thing this month? excited clapping of hands
Agree that TTC desperation makes you want to check out every avenue and it is not helpful that this is met with such derision from most doctors.

Hello to MissM Welcome aboard the TTC train to nowhere! So sorry to read about your DH's back, that is dreadful. Glad he is one the mend and glad that you have joined!

Waves to wine and carebear and everyone!

Thanks for the welcome, onwards and upwards. Hopefully.

Laughing at purpledragon re the comedy of errors. I can fully relate, my sex life has become somewhat of a joke. Today I am on my best behaviour just to make sure I get some action tonight even though DH is trying my patience in a big way by not doing some things he really needs to get done (booking physio appointments, wearing boxer shorts) but if I so much as mention them he'll go off in a huff and that will be the end of any romance tonight.

I finally know how men feel when we string them along with hints and promises of sex. I would personally like to take this opportunity to apologise to all the men I did that to. You get the last laugh while I sit here biting my tongue watching my DH parade around in tight little sperm killing pants.

Pout I'm talking theoretical biscuits HPT I haven't had a real biscuit for over 2 and a half months..... I love-d- ginger nuts - they are soooo yummy. Glad you managed DTD last night. Poor you with your poorly other bits. Hoping that the finger wakes up and stirs in your direction.

MissM my OH is a fan over the tighter pants... I've managed to loosen them a little. But he still wears tight jeans tho and has done for ages. This has not affected his sperm and according to the NICE guidelines there is no conclusive evidence that tight underwear kills sperm. So maybe he's ok to parade around in his smalls :)

joycep you'll be pleased to know that my period could soon be winging its way to Athens. I have booked an appointment with Dr Gorgy for later this month to get the further immunology tests done. And then I want nothing more to do with drs until the autumn (I bet that is a rash statement and my gynae smear results will result in all kinds of foof fiddling being required).

Princess and MissM (welcome, btw) I am letting Mr euro carry on wearing his Calvins. I spent years trying to get him in them because I prefer them and now I have I don't have the heart to tell him to change them for something looser.

pout how awful of Little Dog to put you off ginger snaps. I hope you have let him know ou are mightily disleased! at 7000 posts!

Sorry for all the sechsfails. I am so looking forward to getting back to sff. It is taking some willpower not to temp or obsess about cycle days though. It has been a way of life for over a year!

In other news I am feeling almost completely back to normal again now. My last shot of the awful drugs was just before bed on Sunday, so they have left my system relatively quickly. I can feel my ovaries doing something. I figure they are having a stretch as they wake up! I was musing to Mr euro last night that as my hormones are starting from scratch, I might go through puberty again. I am planning on staying in bed all day at the weekend, demanding he take me places in the evening and then getting something inappropriate pierced.

Opa!!! The deed is done. I wandered down to the post office muttering to myself that this was the weirdest thing I have ever done. I kind of was grossed out by it especially as I have taken the advice on FF to keep a spare sample in the fridge in case the first batch gets lost in the greek post. Urgh. Anyway, hopefully it will get there and then I can remove it pronto.

sarlat - poor you with the uti , that?s all you need but antibiotics? Whoopee! Get them down you girl.

princess - uuumm and uuuum at extra high temps and weird spotting. I admire your composure. And I?ve been a regular on here for 16months now ? that?s half a lifetime ? well almost!

purple and artemis - sorry about the sex fail, that sucks and we have certainly had our moments there.

lemon - can?t believe how quickly your lap has come around. Good luck.

medusa - welcome and what an awful journey you have had. Your poor DH breaking his back sounds absolutely awful. I hope you won?t have to be here for much longer in a nice way of course! And I hear you on knowing more than we should about fertility. Just over 2 years ago i didn?t even realise women ovulate now i know the size of follicles and their growth pattern...sigh.

pout - yes the Greek Odyssey has begun ? tempted to join the adventure? MrJoy doesn?t know what I?ve been up to as it?s probably best if he doesn?t!

gin - it sounds like you are going through a rotten time at the moment with continuous UTIs and migraines and random bleeding. Poor you. I hope they can get to the bottom of it.

euro - that?s great you are joining the Odyssey. Hurrah. We are booking in to see DrG as well to get all the immune testing done. The place in Greece mentioned I should get an aquascan done and I see he does those so i may request one. Really pleased you are feeling back to normal.

Waves to everyone else.