Toot, Toot. Calling all dirty chicks! Jump aboard the charabanc with Barry & The Berries. Destination BFP" (thread 26)

[happylass]

The smallprint –
Berries have a strict entrance criteria (TTC #1, over 30, TTC for 12+ months, NO instadiffers, must have a special pot and definitely no mention of baby dust or baby dancing).
Those not abiding by the rules may be escorted from the premises.

Current passengers:

Happylass, 37, TTC since Aug 2012. 2 failed ICSIs. Time to defrost the spare.
Beaky 35, ttc coming up 3 yrs, 2x failed iui 1x long protocol ivf cancelled due to poor response. Awaiting follow up with FC and possibly short protocol IVF next.
Minx, 34, both tubes blocked, 1 buried ovary, appointment with consultant early March.
Nolly, 33, TTC 2.5 years, BFP Christmas Eve, MC New Years Eve. Awaiting "spontaneous conception" before IVF starts, August 2015.
Wild 40 - TTC for three years. IVF double-stimms freeze all embryos cycle started in February - due to complete May/June.
HampshireBlues 36 TTC 3.5 years, unexplained. Cycle 1 chemical pregnancy, cycle 2 abandoned due to cyst, cycle 3 failed. Plan thrombotic profile, scratch and short protocol.
Lumen, 35, ttc since Nov 2011, unexplained, two IVF cycles in 2014, both bfns, waiting for lap&dye and results of numerous bloods, aiming for one last IVF cycle in the summer.
Tigerdog, 34 ttc since Jan 2013. Unexplained. Starting ivf in March.
Gillster, 40, TTC since Feb 2012. Had IVF in Feb 14 and had 6 one cell embies frozen due to polyp. Cancelled FET cycles in Sept 14 and Dec 14 due to more polyps. Awaiting hysteroscopy before commencing natural cycle FET. Hoping to be at least PUPO on the 4th attempt!
Smidge, 38, TTC since Jan 2013. Unexplained. IVF#1 Short protocol July 2014 yielded 1 blasto, BFN. IVF#2 in process - Long Protocol Oct/Nov 2014
Kuma - 40. TTC 2 years. Low AMH high FSH - DH antisperm ABs. Failed IVF June 14 and two cancelled IVFs Nov and Dec 14 due to poor blood results. Hoping for another try at natural cycle IVF end of Jan.
Jelliebabe - 40, Threw the pills away 8 years ago. Unexplained but have a very low AMH, 1st IVF with clinic in Prague, 2 embryo's, chemical pregnancy. 2nd IVF in London branch of clinic - 1 embryo, BFN. BFP Feb '15

Woohoo Wild well done! That's a good few eggs there hope everything else went ok too. When will you hear if Barry and the berries have done the trick?

Nolly agreed! you do not have to be happy for them.

Barking I get what you mean although I don't know if it would work like that?! I know there are figures on how many IVF attempts give the best success rate but at the same time your chance of success with each SET will be the same and that is lower than a DET. Anyway I'm sure your consultant will know what's best, he sounds really good. How does your dh feel about things?

I think the pill is making me ill, I've felt sick since I started taking it and today I've been on the verge of vomiting. Yuk! Also since the IVF in February I've had terrible spots and not just on my face, my arms chest and back too, big manky ones as well. I don't know how to stop them as I've never had this before or even if it's linked. Boo. Stupid spots and sickness

Great news wild. Like others said, a great haul...

barking the cynic in me is thinking he has given you a nice lovely consultation but said that the best chance of a successful FET comes from paying his private practice to run a load of other tests that a lot of other clinics would say are unnecessary. But then I'm a cynic

Finally made it home and had a nap.

I had to wait hours for DH to be able to get out of work to come to collect me, so the egg transfer people arrived while I was still there. I was able to overhear their conversations with the embryologist. FYI Beaky : one couple went for a SET after having one good quality embryo defrosted, the other couple plumped for a DET after a fresh cycle. I know you take an interest in these things.

We find out about fertilisation in the morning, I seem to remember that they phoned me at about 10am last time. All fingers crossed.

Ooo interesting wild. Did you overhear their reasoning by any chance?!

Hope you're feeling ok and boo to the long wait! Everything crossed for you, I'll conduct some shimmying and pompoming later for fertilisation luck!

Oo Spare! Cynical!

Bring on the shimmying and pom-poms Beaky!

The SET couple seemed to be going along with what the FC had said. They sounded quite young, and I think FCs push single transfers more the younger you are? The DET people were more gung-ho. They said they were aware of the risks but thought perhaps just one of the two would stick and if it was twins well 'hey-ho'. The embryologist said he was happy for them to go with two embies and that the risks attached to doing one thing rather than the other were 'unquantifiable'.

wild
Age seems to be the main decider for my clinic as well. If you are over 35, they seem to go with DET as standard.
They offered it to me (a mere spring chicken at 34!) but I declined. Although I've had a call to say neither of the other two embies that they defrosted alongside the one that went back was good enough to refreeze and now I'm a bit that I didn't give one of them a chance by putting it back as well.
Can someone wang me. I know how bonkers that is, but I feel a bit sad for my embies

Totally normal spare so I'm not going to wang you. On my reasons to DET list I have a fear of the first one working and then having to decide what to do with the other (oh for such a decision!)

I'm a complete cynic as well. It was me that brought it up so I don't feel like he was initiating it, and that's just the way they do it. When I get the paperwork I'll compare costs of the initial test there and elsewhere. If I am found positive then I'll do further research. No point getting ahead of myself! The scratch is £150 so that seems reasonable.

Sorry for the loss of embies Spare. I had similar feelings for the 2 of ours they disposed of. I have no inkling as to whether they were any good or not as they just said they had picked the best 2 for transfer. I like to think they at least were used in some experiments. My FC also have the policy of not leaving one embie left in the freezer (don't know why, maybe they get lonely on their own).

We chose to have 2 put back on the basis of my age (41, sob) and the fact that it took 14 months to get to the PUPO stage. I know that the risks are higher with a twin pregnancy but I'm pretty fit and heathy so hope that would count towards something if we were lucky enough to get a BFP. I have twin cousins so my Aunty managed to do it 50 years ago without too many issues.

Not sure if anyone is following the copter but Ladybunnikins finally had her little girl this morning.

Pleased I didn't have to pay £150 for someone to drag a "fork" around my insides! If I had to pay though, I would.

spare I just happened across this while definitely not googling anything about anything.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24047842
This is an old article, but it's the Coventry clinic that is still the leading place for recurrent miscarriage research. Given my two mc's perhaps this is why the consultant wants to see what steroids would do to me before using them during ivf?

Aww Spare I'd feel the same, I asked in my initial consultation about this because our FC have a high freeze threshold. I do like Gills comment and would hope any I had would be helpful to the FC.

Thanks wild, that's interesting to hear. I am definitely a more (considered) risk taker type and will opt for 2 where possible although my NHS fc have to stick with one for a first time IVF'er under 37 with a good response. But when I pressed them a bit they were a little flexible. I would also take their advice of course!

Tiger is your scan Thursday? I'm doing some funky body popping moves to encourage good growth on your follies!

Quickly shimmies in for any news from Wild?!

Barking
That is a really interesting article. I stand corrected by my cynicism..!

wild
Any news?

gill Any news? You're halfway through it!

Lucie Any news..?

Why, yes as it happens there is news. Four of the six fertilised normally, which is great. Now pom-poming to get them to day three, which by my calculation is Friday.

Love Spare's news call round up. Come on everybody - what's a-happening?

Wild Amazing news!
Pom poms waving for Friday!

Brilliant news Wild, fx for Friday too. This calls for a special celebratory move....

haha amazing beaky. COngrats wild - feeling like this is progress i Hope?

spare I've not been in that situation but I am sure I'd feel just as sad. All that potentiality. It is sad. A very modern form of grief.

gill mr nol is a much nicer person than me. We both know that and are OK with it. Mainly it's good that he's nice (obvs) but it has it's bloody irritating moments too. You've got a week to go, yes?

I knew I had something funny to tell you all. While we were on holiday we happened to pay a visit to a river which had been created by Vulcan (god of fire) for his lover Venus (lurve) which has subsequently become a fertility site. Following the Berrie's fine example Mr Nol not only brought a bottle of the water home to anoint our house with but also actually freshened up his fertility region while in situ. And this from a man who woudl through away multivitamins, he's so anti-woo. :)

throw

in fact i don't know what's going on with my grammar and spelling today. Apols to all teacher Berries.

Hahahah brilliant Nolly I love his new found woo I wonder if there's anywhere like that in the canaries I can go!

Hi there, have rung up today, I feel a little bit disappointed but don't know if I am silly to. I don't really know enough about this stage but I thought they were meant to be 8 cells now. So they are all still going and we have 1x9 cell, 2x7 cell and 3x6 cell. Transfer is 1130am on Friday. I'm off to google now to find out what's meant to be going on x

Haha, nolly, I love it!

Lucie is this day 3? I was told between 6-8 cells at this stage so all seems well

Yes sorry it's day 3 just everything I've read so far has said 7-9 cells with 8 being ideal so just thinking 6 is dropping behind too much?