Eggcellent Egg Buddies! Come and join us if you're IVFing in August, September or October!

[nobeer]

Share your experiences, worries, recipes, holiday recommendations. Swearing welcome.

Oops! Look into it for sure. Am quite frightened of needles though, but realise I'm going to have to get used to them sharpish (pls excuse the pun). I really want to get started on the IVF now. I feel like everyday that goes by is a day wasted. Am seeing my doctor next week and want to get my referral off to the Fertility Clinic as soon as possible. I'm going to order some of those books you have suggested - thanks everybody - and try to get in tip top shape x

Acupuncture needles are absolutely tiny compared to the little fuckers you'll be stabbing yourself with seriously, you just need to talk to your acupuncturist about your needle issues and they will use the finest needles they have and talk you through the process - I'm sure most of us that have had acupuncture will tell you that they have fallen asleep through a session - that would definitely imply that pain during a session isn't something to worry about! You may have reactions due to a point being particularly sensitive (for me it's always the frustration point!) but they are more like warmth, or little electric shocks, not like pointy needle pain.

Good luck!

Hi everyone
Thoughtful - no she bloomin' hasn't shown up yet. All those months i was wishing she wouldn't show up on time, and now the 1 month i wish she would, she's late! (Should have started on Mon, but Weds PM and still nothing! I'm usually 28 day every month) . Before you say / think it - i daren't take a pregnancy test, i'm soooo sure i'm not, but with every hour that goes past (plus knicker checking!) i'm starting to get those 'omg what if' thoughts in my head - but i just know i'll be dissapointed with a preg test, so just waiting for it to arrive instead. time is dragging tho..... .

Miss i'm so sorry for you, my heart goes out to you after a neg, then a pos, then a neg again i can't imagine how you must be feeling - keep strong .
Badhair - i'm gonna go for acupuncture during my IVF cycle. I've heard positive stuff on here and on the net - although nothing conclusive, like the others, if all it does it relax me, that would be a bonus for me!

I can't remember who asked about embryo glue - but i asked my Consultant about it. He said it's usually used in ladies over 35 with previous miscarriages. He said although it's a good thing as they have evidence it can improve preg rates by up to 11%, you just have to weigh up the fact that any 'fiddling about' with the embryo heightens the risk of damaging it. He says it's obviously very sticky and can be tricky to use with the embryo. I think i'm still going to use it tho (if my poor quality little eggs ever make it that far!

Tame -i think we are at the same place - QM? Just the things you've said sound v similar to the Consultants at my place too

Yes yes I am!!!! And I love them so much better than where I was before. Saw hopkisson last time and he was very 'to the point'.

What is your history with them? Do you love them too? X

Tame_ this is my first cycle with them so don't have much history really. Went to the fertility clinic and saw mr Hopkinson then when I was referred to nurture I saw mr reine-fenning who is really lovely. Has so much time for you and all the nurses there seem really good and friendly too! I'm waiting for af to start so I can start the countdown to the injections .
Which acupuncture clinic are you with?

Just a passing visit!

I'm so dreadfully sorry to hear your news missm. Hello tame, res, nobeer, badhair, pipin, still (i sent you a pm btw still). And everyone else in this eternal limbo . Oh and euro and any diffed lurkers waves

Afm - I have had a post mc period, was shorter but pretty much the same was always. My follow-up is Tuesday and I have a list of questions that I'll share with you ver the weekend. I also need to start taking follic acid again. I stopped in protest and its become a bit of a biggy

I haven't any advice for anyone I'm afraid.

life sorry to hear about ur mc and I hope that u r keeping positive and good luck with the follow-up
Why did u stop the folic acid on protest? (If u don't mind me asking?)

I stopped taking all my tabs in protest - silly I know but I just felt so pissed off and it all seemed so pointless.

Tea tonight: grilled chicken, steamed asparagus, mixed leaves salad and home made baked beans. www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show-recipes/the-fabulous-baker-brothers-recipes/baker-brother-beans-recipe nom nom

At iwant its so stupid... Basically I was so angry at the world after the miscarriage that The follic acid became a kind of cruel joke and I thought fuck you, I'm not taking you anymore. 3 years I've kept the follic acid people in business .

When I say in protest I guess I mean it flippantly. But its become a mental thing - when I start taking it again it will be another nail in the infertility coffin. i'm not making sense, there is a slight logic in my mind, but its totally irrational. Seeing it in black and white, I sound like a loon.

Its just reminded me of during my teens when I made some dodgy logic that knickers were a way of keeping women oppressed (I still don't know how I came to this logic). 6 months I went commando until a bout of thrush bought those knickers back out quick time

fab you as well? Oh maybe I'm not neurotic..

Hey fab, iwant sorry for missing you out earlier.

Life it makes total sense to me lovely. The knickers thing however, not so much ;) lol!!

life that knicker protest is hilarious! Lol. But I think I do understand about the folic acid now u explain it. I've just started with my IVF treatment and I already feel like I've been round the block a few times - things take so long to get anywhere don't they! Crossing fingers for u and everyone on here. Lets hope that our next cycles are good for us all x

fab home made baked beans??? Interesting

Hi res, fab miss still llw tame twinke stars nobeer euro brooker, thanks for all your lovely Messages. And hello to thoughtful IWant and badhair - can't remember if we have met yet? I hope I haven't missed anyone out.
Have now come out of my cave and decided that I am not going to be beaten. Onwards and upwards it is. Have my Review on the 23rd but they have already told me that I will have to miss a cycle before going for the next FET, which is a bit of a bummer because it Looks like it would then coincide with out Holiday in November [frustrated]. But before anything else happens AF has to turn up. No signs yet. Does anyone know how it Long it takes once you come off the hormones?

Well am going to have just because I can. And funnily enough I've stopped taking the folic acid since Monday too. And it feels F*cking good will probably start taking it again tomorrow though

Ooh, cycles - one of my fave topics! My post BFN was 47 bloody (no pun) days and Iwant when waiting to start I was 5 days late for no reason and also started imaging those ante-natal conversations - well, I was just about to start IVF and got P, ha ha ha - but she was just teasing.

I need to pay more info to the food stuff. On July 5, I was 60kgs and now I seem to be 64kgs. How the hell...

Might try a modified 5:2 so I can still have cake!

Seriously IWant - try them - they're so scrumptious! More like chilli beans to be fair but they go brilliantly with a baked sweet potato :)

Welcome back Marypops, get your armchair and snuggle up for the long haul again :/

Res - tell me about it - I'm so fat after 2 rounds of ivf, feeling miserable and no exercise I between them because quite frankly I couldn't be arsed! my own fault I know but still ... the drugs, the high protein diet and the lack of exercise are not a good combination. I feel utterly hideous. Can someone please magic a stone off me???

This is a random question but I think I've read that the drugs can make you bloated and look pregnant? That would be awkward! Is it so much you can't hide it? As I don't want anyone to know we are having Ivf.

I'm quite small framed and only 8 stone, people are going to think I'm pregnant aren't they?

Still I had OHSS and looked about pg, I was really worried that it wouldn't go down before I went back to work and people would think I was pg. My OHSS made my ovaries swell up to 12cm each, the size of a babies head!

As for multivitamins, DH has been doing a lot of reading about them, I'm not sure of the full details but I understand that they have tried to run trials on them but they have had to abandon them all as they became too dangerous, fatal dangerous.

Excellent. How long did they take to go down?! That sounds horrific. Oh god. It all sounds horrific!

life that is soooo something I would do (the refusing to take tablets, not refusing to wear knickers!). Has someone told you off for not taking them? I hate it when doctors tell me off. Know it all bastards. In fact every time I take my folic acid I am shouting inside WHAT'S THE FUCKING POINT?!

MaryP so glad to see you. Enjoy that wine, you deserve it.

Still We told the inlaws we were doing IVF either just before or just after EC and I had (suspected/potential) OHSS. As soon as we told them MIL was all "ooh I thought you were pregnant, you look pregnant" etc etc. And then the next day I had a hormonal meltdown because I felt fat and nothing fitted. I'm back to normal now and now fit in all my clothes. Just tell people you've eaten too much cake. Hopefully it'll be big baggy jumper weather, not height of summer.

hello to Fab, Tame, Wishy, Res, Pip, Euro, Brooker, IWant, Stars and anyone I've forgotten.

still exact same story as pipin except mine were described as the size of grapefruits and were touching. Extremely uncomfortable. It was the height of summer so I wore leggings and a top but patterned sun dresses more often, there was no disguising it but most people I as around knew I was cycling so I told them it was the drugs.

I was big for about 6 weeks in total, after the ec my follicles filled with fluid and I could stand properly for a week. I miscarried at 7 weeks and it wasn't until a week later that my ovaries were reported as normal in size.

I'm usually a size 8/10 but couldn't wear any of my normal clothes bar flating loose stuff. You may not get OHSS though and I'm not sure if that happens to 'normal' folks.