IVF/ICSI/FET - any more for any more... MORE!

[jumpingjackhash]

A thread for anyone going through fertility treatment, about to start or with a success story to share. Welcome one and all!

So our last IVF/ICSI/FET support, wallow, celebratory and whatever else thread got full, so let's pick up where we left off!

Carebear, great news on your EC on Sat!

I've got over my strop now and have re-rearranged my work schedule so all set once they confirm the date tomorrow!

I'm so sorry CareBear

It's absolutely gutting when it fails a second time. I needed time off work (more than two weeks) when my second cycle failed. All I can say is that it doesn't mean you won't make good embryos if you feel you want to try again at some point. I really feel for you. It's soul destroying. Take care and look after yourself. x

Care I am so so sorry about it not working out for you this time.
Your DH sounds amazing - like mine. Thinkng of you both and take some time off to grieve. Very best to you

Oh Care, so sorry it's not worked out this time. Your DH sounds like a gem, lean on him and be good to each other. He may be right with the au naturel, you have to stay positive.

Sending you hugs x

Hi all

Decided to take a break from the thread after our news the other day. Just needed to stop thinking about it all for a while. We've talked about everything over the last couple of days and we've decided not to go ahead with it. We know the odds, we know what the clinic will say but ultimately we both now know that we cannot face any more hurt so, for us, it's better to accept our circumstances and try to move on.

We're very fortunate in that we have a dd (not biologically dh's but she may as well be, he's her father in every other sense) and though it was a hard decision it was made easier because we have her. We've very lucky and we know that.

So sorry to read care and fish that it hasn't worked this time. I wish you both comfort, peace, strenght and success in the future.

Congratulations jumping. That's fantastic news. I really hope it's sticky. Wishing you all the very best for a happy, healthy pregnancy.

knackered hope you and the twins are keeping well. The sickness is awful but hopefully won't last too much longer. Agree you could talk to HR and put your mind at rest regarding work. I was off for so long with my losses, operations and grieving I was dreading telling them I'd need to be off again to have treatment, like you worrying they would think I wasn't pulling my weight but once they knew they were very good about. Best of luck to you.

ZB Hope all is going well for you too. Will be popping by to see how the sweepstake is going! Best of luck for the future.

Thank you all for being so lovely and patient with me with all my questions.

See you around the boards

I hope you don't mind me popping on your thread to send best wishes to Care Bear. This whole process is so unfair (sorry - I know I should be writing something more positive). Your husband sounds lovely. The only thing I've learnt from IVF so far is that my own partner is far more loyal and committed to me than I could ever have imagined. So that in itself can't be a bad thing !

Take good care of yourself.

Love from a fellow Sussex girl xxx

Hi all - it's gone quiet on here....
jumping did you get a scan date sorted with the hospital?
How are you feeling?

Missbright thanks for popping on - hope your IVF journey is being good to you?

care how are you doing? Thinking of you
cookie you are very brave to take a break from it all - it can certainly take over your life can't it - I wish you every good luck with whatever you decide to do in the end - i'm sure you are exploring all avenues - not just IVF.

Hi there, hope you're feeling OK Cookie, you've made a tough decision and kudos to you.

I'm booked in for a scan on 4 Sept, which feels like a lifetime away! I'm so bloated it's not funny. I seriously look 4 months gone, not weeks! It's already proving tricky to hide my 'bump' and I'm convinced people at work are noticing . It's making me feel quite down! I've had some cramps but they're easing and have felt exhausted and nauseous all day today. Hoping it's all good signs! Terrified something will go wrong again.

How about you Zeebee?

hi jumping - good to hear fromyou... your scan is on my 40th birthday! Got to be a good omen for you!
All those symptoms sound good... i've had that cramping off and on - its bad today - in fact I took a day off from work to lie on the sofa & do my emails from there... only felt nauseous twice this week - at work during a meeting each time - so that was a bit wierd, thinking how will I run out of this room and vom if I need to . Re your bloating - that sounds very uncomfortable - are you eating lots of fibre - that might help a bit? AFM - no belly as such but certainly boobs have got bigger and are sore from time to time... wearing a different (bigger & mumsie-type) bra than usual for comfort (doesnt do my figure any favours already!)

Likeyou I am incredibly nervous about everything... jsut want this to work so much - time feels like its standing still at times. I've had to move our scan date from next Tuesday to next Thurs as i've now got to go up and work in Manchester on tues and wed next week... I've also moved meetings etc so that if it's bad news next Thursday afternoon I can take Friday off and cry all day at home if needs be!! Postive thinking or what!
Just ordered some becks blue on line - cant wait to guzzle those!

Hey, the bloating is weird, it's not like I've had before, this actually looks like a proper pregnancy belly! It's firm and sits low, like a proper bump! My brother is getting married next month, when I'll hopefully be 11 weeks, so still before the magic 12 weeks but I don't know how I'm going to hide it! I need to completely rethink my outfit as the gorgeous dress I have for it probably won't fit by then (or I'll look a right state in it!). Oh I hope that's my biggest problem then!

Keep positive! You've had the hormone checks, so that must be reassuring?

Well, my bloating has eased A LOT! Now I just have a bit of a potato belly!

It seems ditching caffeine (drinking hot water with lemon instead), onions, tomatoes, green veg and bread has really eased the indigestion and bloat (and wind ) enormously. Shame these are among my favourite foods though.

Still having slight cramps, but the awful headache and associated nausea I've had for the last couple of days has gone (prob linked to caffeine withdrawal!).

How is everyone? Zeebee how are you staying sane before your scan? This wait is agonising! I just want to know for certain that 'something's in there'!

Morning everyone. So I am in full research mode as I have 6 weeks til my next appointment on the nhs. As we do not qualify for coverage on the NHS the past week has been a lot of talking and sorting finances. I did receive some information on egg share although not at the hospital I was looking to get my IVF. I think our next step will be calling them in a few weeks to arrange an appointment at two places in London to discuss that option. Scary times.

Morning all
photogeapher it always feels so daunting when you begin the research and booking of appointment s - but once you are in the swing it doesn't feel as bad... Wishing you luck with your appointments...
jumping glad the wind has eased off - your nausea might be related to being PG not caffeine! That would be a good sign. I'm feeling fine - had a couple of feeling sick moments this week - boobs have grown - then no symptoms for a day or so and feel worried its not worked!! Anyway we have a scan booked for next Thursday (I'll be 7+1 then hopefully) so we'll be put out of our misery then! I'm Certianly having the most intense dreams every night. My belly looks a bit swollen / might be the progesterone making it do that! Am off to Brighton for the day with my 15 year old niece to walk along the beach and have a nice day. Have good Saturday's all

Hi all!
Quiet on here... hope people are OK?
jumping how you doing?

Anyway i'm having major wobbles over the last couple of days - all symptoms i had are gone - feel totally normal again - tummy feels like it wants to start to AF - very very worried so we've booked a private scan for 5pm this afternoon - 3 days ahead of the official one as i'm just such a mess...

Will let you know what happens - i'm 6+5 today

Zeebee hope all goes well today. It's so hard not to worry about lack of symptoms but I am sure everything is fine. It's ever so hard but try not to read too much in to it. Your beta levels were really good. I have everything crossed for you.

Cookie hope you're doing OK. You've made such a difficult decision but I wanted to wish you the very best.

Jumping how are things for you?

Well I'm 12 weeks on Wednesday and have my 12 week scan then too. In a bit of a state about it. I honestly think pregnancy after IVF is really tough. I keep expecting it to go wrong . Silly I know, but it's so hard to relax and enjoy it when everything about it is so medicalised.

CareBear and Fishfinger how are you both doing?

Thanks knackered - just back from the private scan...
Saw 1 little heart beat! Can't believe it. The relief is EPIC!
The sonographer thought that both embryos were a little bit on the small side but at this stage hopefully they will catch up to where they r supposed to be. No heartbeat detected on 2nd one as yet- but it's definately in the sac - so that was confOrting!
So no pregger signs = possible viable pregnancy still!!
I understand hOw nervous u must be feeling before wednesday - wishing you so much luck - its been FIne up til now hasn't it!
Xx

Zeebee that's fabulous news! Don't worry about the size too much at this point. At my second scan they said they don't know why they bother as it's really too early to be accurate - one of mine looked a bit small too. However when they are so tiny it's difficult to measure them do not worth reading anything into it until the 12 week scan.

Good luck for Thursday! Hopefully they'll be able to pick up the second heartbeat then. You must be so relieved after today. I think waiting for that first scan after my beta at five weeks was the longest two weeks of my life. x

Good luck with your scan today knackered FX for you
X

Hi Zeebee, I just checked-in to wish you luck for tomorrow but see you've had one! YAY! Where did you have it? Are you still going for tomorrow's too? Good luck then!

Good luck to you too Knackered, or rather I hope all's well (as you'll probably have had it by the time you see this!).

My symptoms seem to have gone - or shifted - still have tender nips, but cramps have gone pretty much. I have had an outbreak of eczema in the last week or so though (not had this for years!) and have started to feel quite nauseous - not always like I'm going to be sick, just that awful 'icky' feeling. Is this normal? Should I be worrying?!

I'm so, so scared of it all going wrong again (had a dream last night I had a massive bleed that turned all of my clothes red ). Already though we're a day or two further on than I managed last time. Any tips on getting through this anxiety?

I want my scan to come around quickly, but at the same time I'm dreading it in case they don't see anything.

Jumping! I'm with you there on the anxiety - Hence our decision to have a private scan on Monday. £150 later we were happy! It was worth it as alllll my preggers sympos had stopped last weekend and I was beside myself that once again there would be an empty sac on the scan - so on tears (I kid u not) we went to the London ultrasound centre in of course - Harley street and were seen.... 2 embryos were there - 1 heart beat seen only so hopefully tomorrow at our guys appt we might see another? Anyway still no sympos - worrying all the time about their size etc.. I Hav no idea how one deals with all the anxiety - booze? Oh no- we can't have that can we!
Sorry youve had eximer - is that something you sometimes get under stress? Can u find any naturelle things to soothe it with?

Hey there Zeebee. Did you have to wait long for an appointment at the London untrasound centre?

Re. the eczema, I posted on the pg boards and it seems it's not too uncommon for pg hormones to trigger it (I used to get it when tired or stressed, but aside from the m/c worries I'm not stressed at all!), someone recommended Aveeno, so I started using that last night and it's helping a lot already. I just want some other sign, like 'proper' morning sickness ( does that make me weird?!) or something to reassure me it's all OK in there and it's a 'normal' pregnancy!

Do you think we'll get to enjoy our pregnancies? Or are in in for 8 months of worry?! I fear it will be the latter!

At the moment I'm determined not to get too excited and start preparing too much (although did google maternity jeans last night ). I just don't want to tempt fate.

PS Did you think that the time between the bfp and the viability scan is worse than the 2WW? You're even more full of hope that it's all going to plan...

Deffo jumping the wait before scan if you've had a bad experience before - like we both have is so much worse than 2ww I think.... We rang the London ultrasound clinic lunchtime on Monday and we got an appointment for 5pm that same day. Sounds like you are having some 'good' symptoms tho - like me I feel they've lessened.... Perhaps they will come back with a vengeance for both of us and we'll be eating our words! Maternity jeans... Bet they're sexy! I've got a wedding to go to in December - cant let myself google any maternity dresses for that yet.... Feels like tempting fate!,

Jumping sorry to hear about the eczema - definitely likely to be linked to pregnancy. DH swears by Aveeno (he has eczema too) and I believe prescribes it for his patients quite regularly (DH is a GP). You can get it on prescription - industrial sized bottles which will save you £££s. And once you have your maternity exemption certificate you can get it for free .

Yes, the wait between the BFP and that first scan is horrendous. I think it was the longest two weeks of my life.

Zeebee really hope all goes well tomorrow!

AFM scan went well today. Nuchal translucency for both twins was within acceptable range so just got to wait for the results to be combined with my age and blood test results to give Down's risk, but so relieved everything looking good so far!

That's great Knackered! I thought you got all results there and then? Naive!

knackered such good news! Congrats you must be so relieved - another hurdle over!