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

Hey all, in the words of modern toss: fuck Monday. I am beyond tired today and would rather be anywhere than here in the office!

Rain I'm glad they are supportive. Well done for doing it too - Don't underestimate how hard it is having to tell a work colleague about such an intimate and emotionally charged thing. I would also have cried as it makes me feel so bloody vulnerable and I'm otherwise quite tough. I managed to do IVF in a new job without telling them but I took two weeks off work and could work from home when I needed to. My clinic were also very light touch, so I wasn't in for daily monitoring and could plan for treatment very easily. I'm telling them this time around as they have just introduced a new policy of 5 days paid leave for fertility treatment and I'm not passing that up. I think you'll need a couple of days for EC and one for ET as a minimum. My DP took the time off too, and we took a sort of holiday at home approach by doing lots of lovely things together.

wild that is very well summed up. I feel so cross when people spout that sort of nonsense. I hope you're doing ok.

11 vials of blood smidge, wow! I thought there was bad a couple of weeks ago. Do you have a bruise? The more blood they take, the more blue/green my arm ends up! What have you decided re going with the prof? I liked the sound of him from your excellent summary. It is also so helpful to hear the detail - berries are the best and most knowledgable resource!

How's the stabbing going minx? For me it was nowhere near as bad as I expected.

How are things going with you barking?

beaky is your appt this week? Hope all is going well with the house, we had years of DIY with ours but it was well worth it!

Waves to everyone else. I best do some work, although my motivation is at zero

Beaky, I also spoke to serum about the clomid cycles and I think what they mean is for you to do embryo banking so you do 2 or 3 mini ivfs with clomid which helps prevent you ovulating and then you freeze any embryos because the clomid is no good for your lining and so you can't have a fresh transfer. That's interesting that you are going to try a conversion protocol with estrogen priming. I had been looking at that if this next cycle is not successful.

Rain, well done on telling your boss and don't worry about getting upset at all. I'm fairly strong but I always find it hard when I explain it to new people, it just brings it all back. I've been using holidays for all of my treatment. I don't think there is a policy where I work for IVF and I just don't want to tell people at work at the moment.

I emailed my doctor today to query if I could start a fet straight after my fresh cycle and she said that would be fine so I'm seriously considering having everything up until the transfer stage and then freezing and going back for a fet the following month. I quite like the idea of breaking it all up so there's not so much stress and pressure in one go and for the frozen cycle I can then just concentrate on ensuring the lining is at its optimum for the transfer without having to worry about medication, hormones or anything else interfering with it. I'm going to have a good think about it over the next few days and then decide. It also leaves the option open for me to have the acgh genetic testing so I will know if they are viable embryos before transfer.

I've also decided to give hypnotherapy a try! I was reading an IVF blog last night and the lady was talking about how much it helped her. One thing I'm really lacking at the moment is positivity and confidence that it will work. I contacted a local lady and she got back to me straight away. She is going to put a cd in the post for me today which I have to listen to every night as I'm falling asleep and is then going to see me in a couple of weeks for a 2 hour session!

wild !! Amazing news I knew it was a strong line

lucie I'm going to freeze everything and then have an FET one or two months later for our next round, I think. I was a borderline OHSS case last time, so didn't get any say in the matter, but like you, prefer the idea of a break. DH and I looked at diaries over the weekend and reckon that we could do a cycle in early September, so I'm going to phone the clinic this week and see if we can do it with the doctor who did our 'complicated case review' meeting after the last bfn. We both got a good vibe from him

Mminx when are you in for a scan?

barking How are things?

tiger we are fellow zero-motivation club members. And I had a 3 day weekend, so should be full of go today

That's good news spare! I am nowhere near ohss but it does seem to make sense to give your body a rest. I will also be doing mine early September as well if this is the path we choose

wild excellent considered responses .

beaky what is a clomid ivf cycle? Basically you just stim with clomid instead of injections?

First scan this Wednesday. Although I got a very faint line on an opk this morning and freaked out that perhaps this cycle I might actually ovulate way earlier than expected . I'm on cd13 today but ovulation is usually around cd19-22. I'm going to do another tomorrow morning and if the line is darker I'll just turn up at the clinic and ask for a scan tomorrow instead! Bloody sods law...

minx I had a colleague, also without kids, who used to get when her job share partner would respond at parents' evening as a parent...' Fuck off, they're here because you teach their child, not because you happen to also be a mother.

smidge how long were you fasting for?!

rain glad it went okay, these things are so hard to talk about when you have to have that conversation rather than want to.

tiger/spare it's been very much fuck Monday here too! I did my first triathlon yesterday and to say I'm tired today would be an understatement!

Lucie I'm a big hypnotherapy fan. I think it helped keep me sane through my first round. Don't have the money to go again, but she recorded all of our sessions last time, so I can play some of them again .

Minx yes it is, through the moustachioed baby corridor for me! They said last time that due to my poor response and DOR I might not be able to have another NHS try. But fingers crossed I can. Why do I feel like asking for specific treatment is ok if I pay privately but not on the NHS?!! Glad your stabbing is going well Minx.

Tiger yes, Monday can fuck right off. Any news on your referral yet? Then new fertility leave policy sounds good, it's a reassuring step forward. Follow up is tomorrow. For some reason I feel quite anxious.
House is coming along but I feel like it's taking forever!

Lucie I did wonder but they didn't mention freeze all/embryo banking and were talking about staying for 10-14 days to include et. I would have felt a little happier if they had suggested that. The FET is a good idea, success rates are definitely better with frozen transfers from what I've seen on clinics sites. Also I love hypnotherapy, it does wonders to relax me!

Spare great news that you can start again in September, will you have a similar protocol to previously? I am hoping to be a September ivf'er too!

Was scan bombed on fb tonight, by the loveliest person too but Im still wishing it was my turn.

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

^^ This Rain.

Yes Spare you called it first. Top Berry instincts there.

Glad you got that work meeting out of the way Rain. It must be very tough to discuss something so very personal in a work environment. It doesn't matter how nice everybody is, we all keep our guard up at least a bit at work.

Shame the Serum response is a bit confusing Beaky. Although the principle of collecting fewer eggs to preserve quality seems to make sense in your circs. Good luck with the FC tomorrow. And ask for what you want or you'll regret. Shy girls get nowt. They can only say no.

Wishing you luck for tomorrow beakster, our good lady wild is right, make sure you be demanding and get yourself the NHS try you're entitled to.

My referral is not coming along. Apparently there are no appointments until November. I'm calling daily for a cancellation. This is so annoying. I have had enough of everything today. Grrrr.

I was also hoping to be a Sept/Oct IVFer but that is looking unlikely. Glad you've got a plan spare, and can move off the chaise longue of limbo! I did not find any motivation today at all, just some general rage at the world!

I did therapy lucie for a short while. I needed help with positivity. I would recommend it as it really helped me to take control of my own happiness after a period of helplessness where I just felt miserable. I think I could do with going back for a few sessions now, post the ivf chemical.

Nice work on the tri barking, I'm tired because I over indulged all weekend. I really need to sort myself out. I wonder if you will ovulate early - defo get yourself to the clnic if you think it's happening!

Tomorrow I pledge to be bright and positive - please remind me of this when I'm in a foul mood tomorrow!!

That's really fab news for you Wild! Hope you are feeling well!

Sorry to hear about your fsh levels Beaky. Didn't realise things could change so quickly in 2 years. Have you had amh tested as well?

Sorry for those that have got baby bombed in recent days. It sucks. I got jealous of a wolf spider yesterday. It was crawling along my drive and had thousands of squirming babies on its back. It was pretty gross but also made me jealous. I mean, christ, how many babies do they want?

Minx, hope stabbing is going well? I am on day 13 of down regging. Have been reading horror stories about thin unresponsive endometrium though and am sure I'll never be getting as far as embryo transfer. Good luck with your cycle Barking! The 3 of us shall be cycling together!

DH is back in 2 weeks! Yay! It's been a long couple of months.

My DH disappears on Weds funky! He's suddenly feeling guilty, and also realised that he's really going to miss me. So he met me for lunch today (let's not get too excited though, it was wetherspoons next to the office and he greeted me with 'I'm ordering off the two meals for £7.39 menu, see if there's anything on there you want'^ but you can't have everything...) and tomorrow night he has suggested taking me out for dinner?! I said it would feel like a last meal or something, which was quite depressing .

Did another opk tonight and it was still very faint, so I think I'm safe waiting until Wednesday but will pimp again tomorrow to be sure!!

Enjoy the last supper Barking! How long is he away for again? I'm sure he will miss you heaps.
Keep pimping away! Will ov'ing early mean you would avoid a transfer falling on a Sunday?

Literally just snorted with laughter at the wolf spider jealousy funky but I totally know what you mean too! bloody super fertile arachnids!!

Morning All. Another apology for the silence but I promise to be a better Berry now that I have SIX WEEKS off work
Rain glad your meeting went well, the thought is always worse than the reality. Time off for fertility treatment is written in to our LoA policy as we obviously don't get 'holidays' to take when we like. But I still have to go and speak to the Head and Deputy Head each time I need time off for a EC/ET so no chance of keeping it quiet. I chickened out this time round though as I was so run down at the end of term and just couldn't face talking about it as I've been trying to put everything TTC related out of my head for a few months. I'll probably need the 2nd week in September off though so I'll just email them in a few days.
Hope everything is going well for all those stabbing. Keeping everything crossed for you. The embryo banking sounds like an excellent idea for those of you considering it. I felt so much better (and looked it apparently - cheers DH) during the FET. In fact I almost forgot I was doing it.
Barking would you consider using the digi OPKs for a more definite result? They are pricey but I used them during the FET as I didn't want any 'is this line as dark as the other line' uncertainty.
Anyone hear from Kuma? Hope you're doing ok if you're reading lovely lady
Beaky are you back from your hols? How was/is the situation in Greece. Which part did you go? We are heading there in 2 weeks and wondering if we should take all cash or if we'll be ok with cards.
Hope everyone else is well and has a good day. I had a lovely long weekend in London with DH but we walked our legs off so I'm just going to chill today and have a potter around the house.

I like the idea that red wine, like its red meat counterpart, is iron-rich and I therefore should be swigging away for medicinal purposes following my blood tests Tiger I didn't bruise too badly actually, but the lady did manage to scratch my arm when she pulled the needle out, which is a new technique to me . Barking - apparently I was only supposed to fast for 8-12 hours, whereas my last meal was around 7pm and I went in for the test at around midday the next day. I think it would have been clearer to me if they'd just said "don't have any breakfast" - I don't normally count sleeping as fasting....!

I'm impressed with those of you who get paid leave for fertility treatments. Actually, I think it's more the having it specifically mentioned bit that I was most surprised at, as I'd still be taking it (but just as sick leave, justified because it's health related..).

Tiger and Minx we haven't really decided whether to go with the Prof or not to be honest. though anything to avoid the annoying secretary We have our follow up meeting with AliG next week and I think we'll make our decision after that. I agree though, if we do follow his IVF regime, I think it makes sense to do it with him. But do you really think I'll be able to hold off emailing him every day during treatment and the 2ww asking if this is a symptom, if this is ok etc etc...?!

Beaky good luck today for your appointment. I'm sure you will be able to get another go on the NHS. Friends of mine had to push for it when their response had been poor, but they still got it. Their advice was to be firm, clear and business like, and pretty much tell them that that is what is going to happen!

Wild I suspect you may be the catalyst for everyone moving towards embryo banking and a FET (In fact I'm in that camp too I think!)

And Tiger ... this is your reminder to be bright and positive!

The great advantage of the embryo banking for me Smidge was that it eased the pressure a bit, by not having everything all at once and also because we knew what we were working with by the time the FET came around. Also there is logic in gathering what you can before the horrid clock ticks on. That and the FET lining advantages.

Hope it was ok at the FC Beaky. Thinking of you.

That's exactly the reasons we are going for frozen over fresh transfer wild although I am only banking one lot this time around but if no success will do 2 or 3 banking cycles next time. I too like the idea of having a short break after egg collection and knowing what we have to work with for a few weeks before going back for the transfer. It seems slightly less stressful in my mind to split the stages up. I also like the idea of concentrating just on building up the lining on the second stage and I think I would be a lot more relaxed and excited!

Lucie I can't imagine the strain of going straight from EC to ET in one cycle. I really admire everyone who has done it.

I wasn't given a choice wild! If this fails and we end up at another clinic I would definitely do EC and then rest before fer. Too much stress on the body both from the drugs and the anxiety. Although our clinic keep stressing that only 80% of embryos survive the defrost. I know they're only managing expectations, but I'm not convinced I wanted to know...

Barking if your clinic use the new vitrification freezing method instead of the old slow method then success rates for thawing are over 95%. It costs extra but is well worth it for peace of mind.

Wild, we had ec and transfer altogether on my first round and it was very stressful. Ringing up everyday finding out how they are doing, hoping they get to blast and then straight into transfer and the dreaded 2ww. I'm hoping this next round will be slightly more chilled. Can't believe I'm starting it all again next week!

Barking sorry I missed your post last night! Well done on the triathlon! That's amazing. I hope you had a glass of real champagne from the champagne region Yes a clomid IVF cycle is just stimming with clomid instead of gonal f etc. any news on the opks? It would be typical if you ov'ed early when you need not to. Or does it work better for timings?

Tiger November! That's ridiculous frankly. Fx for a cancelation for you but that is well frustrating. How are you feeling today? I've been really struggling with feeling positive lately.

Funky hooray to your dh coming back! I bet it feels like an age since you saw him. How's the down rigging coming along? When will your 1st scan be? Fx for a good lining. My amh is 1.1, appaulingly low! It's such a big change in 2 yrs, I wasn't expecting it. stupid fertile wolf spider!

Happy, happy holidays! We were in Zante, apparently they are big in taking any payments in cash but we didn't really spend too much. The cash points in the resort were useable, but we did take plenty of cash just in case. Generally you wouldn't know anything was going on though. Have you got your smear result yes?

Smidge I hope you enjoyed your red wine I think The Prof sounds good, I would be tempted to go with him but then AliG hasn't been bad, sometimes a change is good too. Thanks for the advice too.

Wild how are you? When's your next scan? Thanks for the tips too, I think re serum, I agree concentrating on quality is def best for my situation but so far as I can see clomid isn't known for helping egg quality. Also she wouldn't say at what point they cancel a cycle, so for me it's not worth it as they aren't massively cheap to start with and travel/accommodation is quite expensive so it's not a risk I want to take.

Had my WTF appointment and I am able to have another NHS round, hooray! I am having a scratch too although the consultant wasn't keen as he said it's not proven to help, but he'd said no to everything else I asked. So I'll be doing short antagonist again with the same meds as before, and I start with the pill this weekend, so will be ivf'ing at the end of August which is good and quick. My scratch is this Friday, I'm really nervous for the pain! total wimp also I don't think there's any change of being pg given our many many previous bfns but should I poas first? It would be early though. Arghhh. He didn't think oestrogen priming could be done as he said it could only be done on long protocol, but also that he wouldn't recommend freezing all as their success rates are just as good either way. I asked about improving egg quality with steroids/hormones and he said no. So there we go, at least we can crack on with our next cycle ASAP, and I am so relieved and grateful for that.

Hope everyone else is ok, hump day tomorrow at least.

Our consultant said that she believes there will be no ETs following a fresh cycle within a few years. There's lots of research going on at the moment and all the indications show that FET is best so she thinks all clinics will freeze after EC in the not too distant future.
Barking I was quoted a few different success rates for the defrost but they were all over 90%. I think the embryologist said 95% so I chose to trust her as she'd probably be the most in the know!

Sorry that took me so long to type I missed some posts! Barking yep they trotted out the 80% to me too. I still agree it's beneficial to do them separately.

Lucie great news you are starting next week, what stims will you be on again?

Hey beaky that's brilliant news that you get another round and can start again soon.

I am going on the short flare protocol the same as happy. I was recommended to use bravelle this time as apparently it's less acidic than gonal and menopur and may help more even follicle growth. I am very nervous about getting started and the scans in particular. The last 2 cycles I have ovulated early. I'm going to be on burselin from day 1 this time instead of doing cetrotide but am convinced it won't kick in soon enough and I will ovulate through it or something. This is also a new protocol for me so have no idea how I will respond to it. My other worry which I've read in a few places is that the initial surge of lh which the burselin causes can affect egg quality. So I'm full of worries really but can only try it and see!

Great news that you get another go Beaky - thrilled for you. Don't worry about the scratch - I really didn't find it that bad. The nurse totally freaked me out beforehand as she said lots of women scream in agony and even jump off the bed (what a way to put someone's mind at rest!!) but it was more like a strong cramp - like the HSG if you've had one of those. If I thought it'd work I'd do it again for sure.
The smear result takes 4-5 weeks so the latest it should be back is Aug 17th. Looking to start our cycle around Aug 24th so should be fine there - just have to pray it's clear now. Looks like a few of us will be cycling around the same time again!