Yo yo!! Calling all Ladybros over 30 TTC #1. Join the Berries aboard the Charabanc of lurrrve. Bring real Champagne, from the actual Champagne region. No Colombian builders allowed.

[happylass]

The small print:

The Berries have strict entrance criteria: TTC #1 for 12 months+, over 30, NO instadiffers, must have a special pimping pot and absolutely no mention of baby dust/dancing. Not that we're fussy

Current passengers

WildflowerMarmalade 40 - TTC for three years. FET done in June with immune treatments - waiting for result... Six embryos in the freezer after two freeze all cycles.

Minx 35 in August - TTC 2 years. Stage 4 endometriosis, both tubes blocked, 1 buried ovary, IVF booking in appt in July, hoping to start IVF soon after

Smidge 39, TTC since Jan '13. Unexplained. IVF#1 Short protocol July '14 BFN, IVF#2 Nov'14 and IVF#3 Feb '15 both Long protocol BFNs. High NK cell immune treatment. Natural FET in June '15, awaiting result.

Happylass, 37, TTC since Aug 2012. 2 failed ICSI cycles and 1 failed FET. Hoping to start long awaited NHS cycles in late August provided pesky smear test is sorted by then.

Beaky 35, ttc coming up 3 yrs, 2x failed iui 1x long protocol ivf cancelled 1 BFN following IVF

Tigerdog, 34 (soon to be 35) TTC since Jan 2013. Unexplained. IVF#1 May 2015 resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Now transferring clinics in the hope of a second round of IVF on the NHS and considering an NK cells biopsy in July/August.

barkingtreefrog 36, ttc 3.5 years. clomid bfp summer 2013 then mc @7 weeks, iui bfp summer 2014 then mc @6 weeks. Factor V leiden thrombophilia diagnosed at the repeat mc clinic. IUI bfn Jan 2015, IVF bfn April/May 2015. Currently awaiting nk cells results before a FET possibly in August/September.

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.

Kuma - 40. TTC 2.5 years. Low AMH high FSH - DH antisperm ABs. Failed IVF June 14 and March 15. Looking to change clinic and try another natural cycle in June 2015.

Lucieloos, 35, TTC 18 months, low AMH & sperm motility. 1st ICSI in Czech Republic in April BFN.

Rain, 33 ttc since March 2012. unexplained. mystery bfp oct 13, MMC Nov 13. NHS IVF starting in June

Who said twins? You were right. Two heartbeats, all looking good. We are both in shock.

Wow!!! That is amazing news!!! Congratulations wild !!!!

Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Wild that is amazing news!! Congratulations I am over the moon for you! Eek!

OMG!! congratulations and wow at the twinz! That is so exciting! Incredible!
Well that's made my day anyway, wild!

Back later for a proper catch up.

wild thats so amazing, congratulations congratulations (sorry had to say it twice ) truly wonderful news.

amazing news, sure you will both recover from the shock soon enough. big hugs to both of you. xx

Ha Ha Ha!!! ANOTHER set of twins!!!!! We berries can predict all the signs now, 2/2 twin predictions correct .
Whoop! Bet that was amazing to see on a scan .

Wow twins wild that's amazing news!! So happy for you.

That is amazing Wild. Seeing a heartbeat is amazing. Seeing two, I can't imagine.

Wooohooo Wild. Congrats on the double whammy!

Did anyone see this comment in the paper this week? Well said, I thought. I hate this assumption that until you've been a mother, you don't understand....

I've no idea whether this will paste in okay or come up as squiggly nonsense....

^The power of motherhood

â??In the Labour leadership campaign, Helen Goodman, the shadow work and pensions minister, recently wrote a gushing piece in support of Yvette Cooper on the grounds that â??as a working mum, she understands the pressures on modern family lifeâ??. Yes, motherhood, that quasi-mystical state, somehow gives you a deep, universal connection with humanity. What hope, her encomium implied, for poor, barren Liz Kendall. How can she relate to our struggles without even a boyfriend? Kendallâ??s entire career has been concerned with improving policy on health, social and early years care. But thatâ??s not enough, Liz: you should have squeezed out one of your own.â?
Janice Turner in The Times^

OK, so just every apostrophe has come out as squiggly nonsense....

Yes Barking! It's so very annoying when it's inferred that you are less of a person or less able and don't understand.

I fucking hate 'you wouldn't understand, you're not a mother'.
One day I will reply with 'all my babies died so I never had the chance'. That'll shut the fuckers up.

Aww pip but yes, it def would. That kind of comment couldn't be more thoughtless.

Hope everyone is ok, it's very quite here. I'm DIY-ing this weekend, I'm desperate to get into the new house soon!

Bit late to the congratulations party (that'll teach me for not checking mumsnet over the weekend!), but WOW and I'm so excited for you Wild! Twins is amazing! There is a big grin on my face

I'm also going to join in on the anger at "as a mother, I understand..." comments - someone on the news over here made such a comment and I was livid at the implication that I wouldn't be able to understand / empathise etc because I'm not one. Grrr Grrr and triple Grrr. What shocked me was that no one else commented on that unnecessary little addition to the sentence. What's wrong with simply - "I understand" - why the need to justify how you can possibly understand?

Just had 11 vials of blood taken for these tests the Prof ordered. I tried on Friday but apparently I'd fasted for too long! (didn't realise there was a maximum - doh!). Wonder if they'll actually show anything up.

Thank you Berries. We've just about got our heads around it now.

I totally agree about the 'you wouldn't understand...' type comments. I've spent far too long thinking about it all over the years. These are my conclusions:

Those who chunter on about how parenthood has changed their lives because now they know how to change a nappy are so shallow with so little interior life that they should be pushed into the nearest pond.

Those who disrespect and devalue others' lives and experiences by saying that you can't understand life / love before having a child are only proving that they have learnt nothing of worth. Or they would never need to discredit other people. They should be pushed under the nearest speeding fire truck.

Yes, there may be practical things you learn as a parent. So what? If you claim to understand life and love better because you are a parent, yet fail to respect others' experiences, then you are an arrogant fool.

Those are my considered opinions.

Smidge 11 vials is a lot! I think you should go and eat something rich in iron asap to make up for the loss. How long until you get your results back.

As soon as someone says "as a mother" you immediately know they're about to spout a load of old smug face bollocks. Wild has it down perfectly!

That's a lot of blood smidge, fingers crossed they get what they need, don't want to have to do that again!

I have a meeting with big boss this morning to tell him about our treatment. I feel really nervous. He's a good guy and we get on well but there's so much going on at the moment I don't know what he'll say. Did any of you have to use holiday for EC etc?

it was fine, of course. No idea why I got myself so worked up about it. Ended up crying like a total loser but he was really good about it and said some very nice things. Still feeling all emotional. need to pull myself together as I'm leading a divisional meeting in 20 mins!

Glad it went okay rain. I think a lot of us are like that...I know I work myself up some hung stupid sometimes (rehearsing the 50 different ways it could play out). The reality is never as bad as I think it will be. Hope your meeting goes okay xx

Smidge 11 vials! Crazy. That must be a lot of tests. I hear red wine is full of iron

Wild I love your considered opinions, totally agree. Arrogant knobs.

Rain great news that the chat went well and that he responded well too. Not too long to wait now!

Minx hoes the stabbing going?

Barking when's your first scan?

I filled in the serum questionnaire and got a response straight away! Basically they have said it might be worth my while trying a clomid ivf cycle to concentrate on quality. I'm sure I read clomid wasn't good for quality though, --googles again- I'm so nervous for my follow up tomorrow. I don't know why really, I either get an NHS go or not, then if not its private. But I feel so under pressure time wise. I was looking through my test results last night and within 2 years my fertility really has decreased substantially. So much for "it doesn't fall off a cliff"!

So I think I will ask for a conversion protocol cycle with oestrogen priming and I'm going to ask about steroids for quality too. Has anyone had a scratch on the NHS? Also does anyone know if kidney function contributes to infertility? I can't find much on Dr Google about that.