The Elderberry Pavlovas head into 2014 which will be full of ivf, berry babies and BFPs!!! (thread 17)

[Bunnygirlie]

The smallprint –
Berries have a strict entrance criteria (TTC #1, over 30, TTC for 6+months (preferably 12+) NO instadiffers, must have a special pot and def no mention of baby dust or baby dancing UGH !!! Ooooh aren’t we strict!

The 17th thread, wow! This had better be it ladies, time to get off the Sofa of Pity onto the Pouffe of Positivity and beyond!

Hello ladies/berries, please may I join your thread?

I've been snooping on it on & off for a while now (a depressingly long while) but was sideswiped by an out of the blue BFP in Sep '13 that ended in a MMC in November (11 weeks but embryo only 6) and have been trying to pull myself out of that hole ever since.

My stats: 32, TTC since March 2012, unexplained infertility but then the aforementioned magic BFP after a looong 18 months, not meant to be however and MMC Nov '13

I'm now on first proper cycle post MC and have been trying SMEP method this time round. Recovering OPK addict!

Have had a humongous amount of support from lovely ladies on the Posifrickintivity thread, but am firmly back in the agony of wondering/worrying that we're going to be in for another long wait and/or more medical intervention so desperately want some MN friends who get the psychological torture of long term ttc.

You all seem like a lovely supportive lot and there's lots of amazing stuff going on in this thread for some of you which is great, so I hope you'll let me join in!

PS funky I loved your blog

Hi Parsley, yes, you're in the right place for long term ttc understanding! I had a bfp after 19 months then a mc, so can appreciate what you're going through .
Where are you up to on the FC conveyor belt?

funky yes, the provera is basically progesterone so my body is provoked into a withdrawal bleed, and then I can take the clomid again. Given it's used for women with pcos who don't have AF though, maybe it doesn't matter whether I'm bleeding by myself or not?

Welcome parsley! You'll get lots of support here! Sorry you've had such a rough time of it.

thanks barking and wino

It really does feel a bit like a conveyor belt doesn't it! GP did basic tests after 13 cycles, referred us to fertility consultant last May who re-did my day 21 test and sent me for a dildocam HyCoSy scan.
We are completely normal according to these tests. Additional US scan performed by fertility specialists in Turkey last summer (my BIL is a surgeon there and took us to see them for a talk through of options for treatment there).
My cycles have always been like clockwork, I did worry about PCOS as my skin has always been acne prone, only cleared up with Dianette/Yasmin which I took for nearly 10 years before starting ttc (and I am now back to having skin like a teenager .

Anyway, post MC we're at the back of the fertility queue again as far as NHS are concerned! Our next fertility appt would have been next week if we hadn't had the lovely (if brief) BFP.

Here's some boring numbers for you from our tests, if you like that sort of thing!

DH:
SA after 13 cycles, all normal there (90m/ml, 60% motility, 9% morphology)

Me:
Day 21 - (1st test: 25nmol/l, 2nd test: 33nmol/l)
Day 2 FSH 5.8Iu/l and LH 4.3iu/l repeated after initial appt with fertility specialist last May, again

Same again Parsley, went on dianette for nasty acne, cleared up beautifully, 2 years of ttc and my skin is acne ridden again. Really bad at the moment and I'm getting married in 6 weeks!

Ooh 6 weeks!! Exciting times for you barking! But yes, it's bloody awful being all pizza facey after having perfect skin! Mine is completely at the mercy of my hormones, products just don't help. Are you getting professional makeup done on the day? I am sure no one will even notice the odd zit anyway, brides are always beautiful FACT!

Forgive me for not knowing your history in detail, I can see you had a clomid assisted BFP, do you have PCOS?

I've never raised my skin problems as a concern to my GP, and fertility consultant when we saw her said she didn't care about pcos as my tests suggested I ovulated. Does seem strange to me to be having hormonal acne aged 32 if I am 'normal'!?!

Hi Parsley! Sorry to hear about your mc. You've founf a good place here though - I think between us we've got/experienced every infertility issue going!

Tentative congratulations Win - I hope it continues to progress well for you.

Waiting for ovulation over here. CD 14 today. Would be very happy to have a temp rise tomorrow as manlump is going away for a few days. Game over this month if no ovulation tomorrow. MEH!

boodle I think we missed the boat this month. Between being knackered/ill/one of us being away we've not dtd in the past week. Seemed pointless in ttc terms given lack of AF and Ov for so long so didn't make that extra shag week effort and now my temps suggest it might finally have happened it's too late! Hope you get your temp rise today or tomorrow!

I'm now obsessively looking at the calendar and counting days. If I take the provera next week (assuming the gp will write a prescription this time) and it takes the same time to work as last time, counting on from there tells me I'll be due AF (if it arrives, obviously) on my wedding weekend! That in itself doesn't bother me, but I'd rather not have the obsessive knicker watch and wondering if I could be pg over my wedding day. And, I'd be gutted if I stayed off the booze on my hen do only to get AF the next day!!!

parsley No pcos diagnosed. My bloods showed I was ovulating and the consultant dismissed my concerns about my 8 day LP as irrelevant. Where I live you have to take 6 months of clomid before being referred to the assisted conception unit, regardless of what your results say. No monitoring, just throwing them out as sweeties. I think in my case I was ovulating, but too late in my cycle so everything was unbalanced.

rp. I'd still poas. Have you not heard of the virgin birth?

Guys can I ask your advice re my friend who's just had a mmc? We want to take her out somewhere when she's feeling up to it. Just to show her we care and for some good quality girls time. I just don't want her to think we're celebrating in any way (she prob wouldn't, it's prob just me being para). Where would you take her?

Hi parsley and sorry to hear about your mc. The berries are a good place to be.

Kitty I know you're in Brum but have you got some countryside nearby that you could drive to? I'm thinking quiet country pub, nice food, little stroll if weathers nice? Or nearby spa for a pamper, swim, lunch?

Ah, AF here properly now, scuppering this month's hope of an immaculate conception.

Barking, m'dear, if you'd seen me as an undergraduate you would not associate the idea of virgin birth with me. Ahem

Bunny I am thinking of you this morning!

funky think that's what I was thinking actually

I would have said some nice pub grub too, Kitty. If you did do a countryside stroll too, I would be careful about where you choose. Any official park will have loads of bumps and buggies going around, in my experience.

Very good point boodle

Having done posh afternoon tea last week I'd recommend that Kitty, it was a child-free zone.

Hi Parsley, sorry you are here, but welcome

Barking, Parsley* have you tried Brevoxyl? It did wonders for my skin years back and I've had clear skin since - I really recommend trying it!

Kitty hope your friend has a good time as and when, really nice that she has a friend like you!

Have a good weekend Berries!

Happy saturday peeps.

A little embryo update, they called back and 4 have now fertilised so no transfer today. I will get an update tomorrow and transfer will be Sunday or Tuesday. So all upon the air, trying to think positive and keep busy

sid I know what you mean, all the waiting waiting tests and more waiting, once you get on the ivf express you feel like a new journey has started, and it goes quite quickly!

RP I think at my age they recommend just putting 1 back in if it's a good one.

kitty FX I'll have some spare to freeze!

barking so sorry things are still crappy with your cycle, it's so unfair

Welcome parsley sorry to hear about your mc

funky I'm considering writing my own little blog, I think it's quite therapeutic to write things down

Hello everyone else! Happy weekend!

Fab news bunny! It's all very exciting! Get writing things down. It was quite therapeutic.

Boo to rp's lack of immaculate conception.

Agree with ladys suggestion of posh afternoon tea. Likely to be child free and good chance to spoil yourselves.

BlueBirdy never heard of that but going to have a look!

All sounding good so far bunny, I hope you're managing to keep busy/distracted, and huge amounts of good luck for the transfer!

kitty definitely something where bumps/babies will be thin on the ground, and I'd also say the more private the better as she's undoubtedly going to be on a massive emotional seesaw at the moment (I know I was). So lovely that you're even offering, my friends were a bit wary to say the least at first (nearly all have DCs and none have had fertility issues or MCs).

Just popping in to say hi...
Bunny - fingers and absolutely everything else crossed for you x

lady fab idea. Might see if any come up on groupon

blue we've known each other years but have been each others rock throughout ttc. Just hoping she gets pregnant again before this little bambino comes along

bunny how come not Monday? I'm so excited for you!

Btw, can I ask what the 'special pot' is, referred to in the entrance criteria? If it's one to pee in, I have one of them! It's actually a plastic camping mug, but pot like nonetheless!

Evening Berries and welcome Parsley. The special pot is indeed one to wee in (or pimp as we berries like to call it!). Several of us favour the little glass ramekins that the Gü desserts come in and not just because we get to eat lots of delicious puddings
Currently waiting for AF to show up so I can book in for my HSG. Thinking of starting back TTC then as getting fed up of waiting. DP has promised to buy me a new dress if, by some miracle, we did get pg in the next few months and can't get in to the one I have. Went bridesmaid dress shopping today so another wedding job ticked off the list.
Kitty how was your afternoon with your friend? Hope she's doing ok
What's everyone else up to to this weekend?

Oh Bunny how exciting! You and DH must be super to make 4! So pleased for you xx

So I had the most spectacularly pointless day ever. When we got home from Xmas visits we found water coming through the spare bedrm wall as gutter right above it had broken off and created permanent downspout against external wall. We decided to fix the guttering today. Went to B&Q to buy ladder.

I said to DH, shall we measure up first to check it fits in the Skoda? No, he scoffs, of course it will.

So of course it didn't. So he asked for it to be delivered - nothing doing for a week but they could hire us a van for one hour to take it home.

Great, hired van. Accident on road ahead on the way home = dreadful traffic and so we exceeded our hour and lost deposit. Never mind - got home at last - extended ladder against wall of house - it doesn't reach guttering.

So we've spent over 100 quid and guttering still a mess and due to rain tomorrow. I just about restrained myself for saying to DH, I told you we should've measured first.....

Gah!!!

Parsley I think it's during the 2ww that I need distractions!

Hey janey how lovely of you to pop in! How are you and baby?

kitty no idea why not Monday, all I know is Tuesday is best as it will then be a blastocyst.

Ooh happy wedding plans ace! And FX for the hcg.

RP oh no what a day!

Reading the news just makes me grrrrrrrrr the chap with 22 children, Jessica instadiffer and now some 43 year old woman who gave birth when she didn't even know she was pg!!!!!

Spending my weekend waiting and telling and planning white lies! Nobody (except reflex lady and one friend) knows so avoiding family and having time of work means lots of porkie pies, Gawd knows what excuse I will use to take Tuesday and possibly Wednesday off.