Assisted Conceptions (and all the bits in-between) Volume 11

[vallinnapod]

I really hope I haven't missed someone else starting this!

Congratulations Weller really fantastic news - and so fab before Christmas. I am so happy for you. You must both be over the moon.

We've had our 12 week scan today and everything is fine. Still a long way to go but another one of those hurdles done.

Ladies I just want to say that this journey is hard, unfair, sometimes long and sometimes crappy. And sometimes very crappy. But please don't stop believing.

Thank you all for your kind words and advice - you made all the difference.

Merry Christmas and here's to a 2013 packed with bfps and babies. I'll be snooping regularly for news.

Bugsy and Sunny huge love and luck to you both (and a tonne of baby dust!

xxx

Bugger, yes, DP has erectile dysfuction problems which only manifest themselves around ovulation. It has become monstrously difficult for him to ejaculate when the pressure is on and the months have rolled by without a BFP. I have tried drawing a veil over OPK/charting regimes and fudging the dates I'm ovulating but he knows. He is desperate for this baby and I am beginning to resent the fact he can not fill me with as much sperm as I would like. Only tonight we have had to abandon sex as he just couldn't ejaculate. We tried everything (and I mean everything) and I am sick and fed up.

If I wasn't 41 I wouldn't feel quite so panicked but I don't have time to relax about these issues and I feel like fucking off and getting pregnant elsewhere. I love DP so much - he is a fantastic, selfless man - but I'm struggling to suppress the resentment I feel that he can't just get the job done

I feel like a hateful witch now. It's not DP's fault that TTC has wrecked our sex life and withered his confidence (sigh). I can't believe the trusty Viagra failed us tonight - his poor head must be wrecked. He has promised me he will see the job through tomorrow before he leaves to go and visit his son (seven years old and born to DP's ex when she was 45! )

My hero DP gave it another go at 1 o'clock this morning...success!! Little does he know he has to do it again tonight and probably tomorrow morning (come on, LH surge!)

Goldengirl good to hear you got there in the end! TTC becomes so stressful, and it takes a lot of the fun out of what should be a pleasurable time and I really feel for your DH and for you equally on the different pressures you are under.

My DH did not have a very high sex drive and so we would DTD every other day around ovulation (before we embarked on the IVF journey). I've also read that every other day can help get better quality sperm but I have no experience of Clomid so this might not apply to your situation.

Good luck, and here's hoping that 1am deposit is your BFP-in-waiting. As they say, it only takes one little sperm...

Hello,

I've posted here once before just around the time I found our first IVF had failed. Some lovely ladies gave me some very lovely support but I lost the plot a bit and had to stop MN for a bit. But I've been lurking on and off for ages and thought now I'd join you properly.

Backstory: trying for a couple of years, few minor things on my side but no real reason found why we shouldn't be able to conceive. Got pg with IUI earlier in the year but sadly miscarried around 8 weeks. Aren't entitled to any more on the NHS so decided the go straight to IVF to increase our chances. Private clinic discovered problem with DH so at least we now know. Had ICSI and just assumed it must work because IUI had. We didn't end up with as many embryos as expected but had two perfect beauties put back and were lectured about twin risk. Everything went fine, had a bit of spotting midway through 2ww which I obviously took to be implantation spotting so was genuinely shocked to get BFN. I just knew it had worked. Anyway, we're going again in a couple of months. No big changes planned, just some minor tweaks - higher dose trigger because I don't seem to respond well and they were unae to collect eggs from about half my follicles. Apparently more trigger will help. And I'll have collection a day or two sooner. Am feeling a bit despondent about it to be honest...feel a bit like I had two perfect embryos put back and it didn't work so not sure why having a few more will actually help. Any stories of success after a failure but without changing much to the protocol would be much appreciated!

Anyway, enough of me. I hope you are all excitedly preparing for Christmas. Hope 2013 is the year for every single one of us.

Pocket and Weller - I've been following your progress as I've lurked and huge congrats both. Hope you both have very calm, uneventful pregnancies.

Ps. Sorry about typos. Stupid iPhone.

highlove welcome I am sure the stories of the ladies on the board will give you hope and confidence that it can work for you. I am a poor responder and following a failed IUI and failed IVF my 3rd attempt was done without down regging where I got 6 and then 3 eggs to blast and one perfect one back in. That didn't work then this time followed exactly the same short protocol only got 2 eggs which both fertilised so both went back in on day 2 and has been successful. Long way to go yet but very happy
Good luck to you x

....to add to my last post the only difference this time is that I am on dextramethasone steroid. Consultant put me on them incase of any immune issues as a precaution rather than me spending fortune in tests

Just a quick one from me to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and of course, ladies, onwards and upwards to 2013.
To the lovely badger and scrummy who must be about to pop out our most recent AC babies any moment now, please do let us know when they arrive. We'll all be waiting to hear. Thanks for always looking in on us.

To the recently pregnant AC ladies; pocket, mini, weller, beginning, frosticle and sasha, looking forward to news of of more AC baby arrivals in 2013 and thanks for inspiring us to never stop beleiving.

To our new friends; lucky, hoops golden, buggerlugs, chocoloco, caprihanas and returner vallinapod I hope that 2013 brings you all what you want most and that 2013 is your year.

A special hug to our friend mo, I'm not sure where things are at with you, but we all hope you are doing as well as you can and that we are thinking of you. I know this must be especially a tough time for you so big, big hugs.

and italian we think of you often. If you are ever about let us know how your adoption journey is going.

Xmas hugs also to Keziah, Lissy, Lucy, Teds, Vics,Beginnings, Scarlett, Josie, Maplecake, Ellie, Mojangled, Lexie, , kitty, BadgerFace, Pumpkinjoy.

Apologies to anyone I've left off.

So bugsy is it's up to us old timers to bring up the rear in 2013. And that my friend is what we are going to do. No ifs, no buts, just steely determination.

I'm finding the festive period a little tough, as I'm sure many of you understand. But I'm going to try and appreciate what I have and keep looking forward. It's all about looking forward. Tomorrow being Xmas Eve I'm going to take a little fertility mini-break over the next few days, but I'll be back in the NY. Thank you to all of you for your support, hugs and laughs in 2012.

DSB in 2013 oxoxox

SunnyG, what a lovely message, thank you. I've had a name change - was feeling Goldengirl was a very ageing moniker

I wish you all a very peaceful Christmas. I hope all our dreams come true in 2013 or we at least all get to our target weight

sunny Happy Christmas to you too and I hope 2013 is your year x

sunny what a lovely message! I have 4 weeks to go but will definitely let you know when mini-badger arrives. I had so much amazing support from this thread during my journey.

Chrimbo wishes to everyone. Don't stop believing and I hope you all hit the top of the rollercoaster very soon.

2013 will be the year of many more graduates, I have no doubt.

Xx

Buggerlugs, I've read that a follicle is healthy up to 30mm. I doubt you'll be scanned again due to the holidays but will you be having the day 21 progesterone test to confirm ovulation? Are you on Clomid?

I had a lovely hike in temp this morning just to confirm I ov'd yesterday. I feel so triumphant knowing I have four days' worth of sperm up there and we managed to DTD as I was ovulating, too! (felt the pain for around four hours) They do say, however, that sperm needs a good ten hours of being in situ before the egg is released. Any opinions? I so want yesterday's semen to count I'm glad the baby-making efforts are over just in time for Christmas. This last week has been hellish getting DP to ejaculate four times in a row with his 'issues'. I feel rather triumphant that we did all we could and more If I'm not pregnant this time I am confident the problem lies with DP and his 3% morphology. At least we have one round of IUI to look forward to

Good luck to all awaiting BFP's and appointments in the New Year and blessings to those carrying precious babies.

Thinking of you, Mo - really wishing you peace x

Thanks Weller for sharing that - I appreciate it.

Bugger...I was somebody who apparently ovulated ok, had progesterone test several times in the early days of tests and it always showed ovulation. Got put on Clomid (50mg) and didn't bloody ovulate...everything developed perfectly then it just never quite happened, even with the addition of a trigger shot to force ovulation. Got put up to 100mg and ovulated fine. Just thought I'd share my experience of Clomid seeming to interfere and make things worse till we got the dose right. But I remember well feeling pretty devastated the first few months when it didn't seem to work - it scared me that there was something more seriously wrong and I got myself in a right old state. I hope you are ok.

Merry merry Christmas to everyone. Hope we all get to graduate in 2013 x

Hello all!

I know I have not posted for ages, but just thought I'd pop back to say Merry Christmas to you all.

I have really been struggling lately since my mc hence why I have not felt able to post. I have had level 1 immunes done (which was a nightmare as I had to have 9 vials of blood taken and my stupid veins shrank away and refused to give any until I had been stuck with the needle 4 or 5 times, and the consultant anaesthetist had to get involved to finally get some off me!!) and we now await the results of that. I am pretty scared as to what they will find, but on the upside, at least we may finally be able to find a solution and get and hold on to the elusive BFP!

Hello to our newbies: viviennewestwould, JustplainoldBuggerlugs, Luckystarfour, Chocoloco and Highlove. It sounds like you have all been on the emotional rollercoaster that is assisted conception, and I truly hope you all manage to graduate in 2013.

Hi to lovely Pocket, such good news to hear of your 12 week scan, and all being fine!

Weller lovely to hear your 6 week scan went well and you heard/saw the flickering heart beat.

Badger I cannot believe mini badger arrives so soon now (though probably not soon enough for you). How exciting!

Sunny sorry to hear you are finding the festive period tough (me too), but good that you are looking to 2013 in a positive light. I'm sure this will be your (our) year!

Mini lovely news re your 12 week scan too, and maybe a boy ey? That's great!

Vallin when is your FET again? Fingers firmly crossed for you sweetie.

Hoops forgive me, but I can't remember where you are up to? Are you still weighing up your options?

Special hugs and kisses for Mo. I hope you are being good to yourself and taking all the time and help you need hun.

Hi to Bugsy and Italian if you are still out there, and anyone else I may have missed.

DSB

Buggerlugs, each time I've been scanned my follicles have measured between 23 and 26mm and the consultant has been thrilled at those sizes. Each time I have gone on to ovulate. I think it's very easy to become panicked during the first couple of Clomid cycles. We expect a lot from this drug - and quickly - and then fret when we think it's not working. You have told me nothing to make me think you won't ovulate this month, however, if you don't, it's not the end of the world...100mg is just around the corner. Good luck for Thursday

Thanks for the welcome, Ginger.

Happy Christmas ladies

Ginger FET likely to be towards end of Jan. We had hopes it would be December but the clinic messed dates up with their lab closing.

Sorry should have also said hiya

I hope you all had a very Happy Christmas ladies.

Sunnyg and gingernutdreams thank you for name checking me, so kind.

I am about to go on my prep course for adoption next month. I feel very happy about it and that all my fertility journey has come to this now, so feel very positive.

God Bless you all.