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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

TTC for 10 months and the rest. Ten plussers welcome. Thread 2.

987 replies

lucieloos · 07/10/2015 11:21

We have been so busy chatting I've started a new thread. Welcome all 10+ ladies. Hope we all have some luck on this thread.

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star1980 · 19/01/2016 12:53

So sorry ec was disappointing Lucie. I have everything crossed too for 100% fertilisation and at least two blasts. It's so tough but as Sammy says you're not out yet. You will definitely get there Flowers

lucieloos · 19/01/2016 12:55

Thanks Sammy, one is normally immature so we will probably have two if we are lucky. We have had 100% fertilisation the on all of our attempts I think but there's always a first. I have 3 blasts frozen at the moment and was hoping for 5 after this round but chances of that seem very slim now. I wouldn't want them to freeze at at day 3. I am of the school of thought that if they don't make it to day 5 they wouldn't have worked anyway.

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bananafish81 · 19/01/2016 16:45

lucie big hugs, know it must feel like such a disappointment - keeping everything crossed for fab fertilisation, and at least one cracking blast. The one that would have been selected as the dominant follie is the strongest one, so there’s every chance that one of those eggs could end up becoming a person. We are all rooting for you every step of the way Flowers

sammy lining was crap - I was still woozy from the sedation but I think the consultant said it had regressed from 7.2mm to less than 6mm. Ugh. I’m desperately hoping the oestrogen tablets help to thicken it up so we can have a fresh transfer. Dr will scan me later this week and we will see where we’re at. If there is any doubt we will freeze all, and transfer in a FET, as he doesn’t want to risk transferring a decent embryo into a suboptimal endometrium. I’m trying not to think too much about the lining tbh, as I don’t want to get too deflated, trying to keep positive and focus on the good news (see below!).

star I’m in Islington - we hadn’t been trying long enough to be eligible for NHS funding, and when we found out my FSH and AMH we didn’t feel we had time to waste, as my bloods suggested I was not far off full premature ovarian failure. At those levels, even if we had been trying for the requisite 2 years, I wouldn’t have met the ovarian reserve criteria for funding, as they have cut offs for FSH, AMH and antral follicle counts - so we went straight to private IVF.

Boris I’ve never gone abroad for IVF but some women on my low AMH group go abroad for natural cycle every month, and they get their DH to freeze a sample in advance so they don’t have to go out together each time. Obv not ideal but it does make the practicalities line up better

Itsme big hugs, hang in there, and hoping the lap and dye removes at least one hurdle.

AFM, I wasn’t sure about posting it here, as didn’t want to barge in shouting my news. But good news from the scariest phone call of my life this morning - we have 16 embryos

Of the 6 frozen eggs, 4 fertilised (via ICSI)

Of the 17 eggs retrieved yesterday, all were mature: 3 didn’t fertilise and 2 fertilised abnormally, so we got 12 embryos from that lot (via IVF).

So 16 in total chilling out. I expect a big drop off between now and day 5, but hoping we will get something to blast out of that lot!

Embryologist even asked if the AMH could have been a lab error. I said I’d had it done three times and each came back at 1.5 exactly.

Dr said there is so much about the human body we just don’t understand - and that he treats patients not numbers. Needless to say, he is very very pleased, as am I!

lucieloos · 19/01/2016 16:58

That's great news banana you must be over the moon! Sounds like you will get a good few frosties out of that lot.

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Trixietwenty16 · 19/01/2016 17:22

Wow banana, that's amazing! Fingers crossed your lining plumps up for a fresh transfer.

Hope you're feeling a bit better Lucie and it is good news in the morning. When are you flying back home?

star1980 · 19/01/2016 17:25

Oh banana, that is wonderful news congratulations!! I'm really happy for you, and even if you have to freeze all because of your lining, you must be feeling optimistic about a FET in a couple of months. And please don't hesitate about posting good news on here - we really need some hope!

What causes an egg not to fertilise via ICSI? I thought it was a sure thing, or is it to do with egg quality? I will be doing ICSI in May/June.

loopylou1984 · 19/01/2016 17:36

Banana!!!! Wow! That's an impressive crop!
Are you feeling ok after growing all that lot?
Fx for the lining, but if you don't get there then remember that my consultant told me that he thinks in a few years time we won't be doing fresh IVF at all as FET seems to actually be better! Xx

lucieloos · 19/01/2016 20:36

Thanks trixie. We've just landed back in Stansted and are driving back home now. It's going to be another nerve wracking few days with the phone calls. We would be happy to get just one blast if we can as at least that would be a step forward. I have my treatment planning appt with the NHS next Tuesday to pick up my meds etc so at least that's something to concentrate on.

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bananafish81 · 20/01/2016 01:20

Thank you so so much ladies, your support really does mean the world to me Star

lucie welcome home, can you have any time off before you’re back to work just to decompress after EC? Hope you and your partner are able to be kind to each other. There are so many women on my low AMH group on FF who have got to blast out of 3 eggs. And tonnes who had one follicle, one egg, one embryo and one baby. It is a cliche that it only takes one, but it’s true. We are keeping everything crossed for your news tomorrow - you have some cracking blasts in the freezer, an NHS cycle coming up, and there is every chance you already have your baby chilling out waiting to be transferred. It’s only natural to feel utterly deflated, but you are still very much in the game. You can and you will and you are going to be a Mum. And your child (or children - who’s to say that there isn’t more than one future person hanging out in that freezer already?!) will know just how very very deeply wanted they were, and how much their Mum and Dad went through to have them. Rosie the Riveter has become my IVF icon - WE CAN DO IT ladies!!

star the ICSI one is a good question as I thought the same. If the sperm gets into the egg, it’s fertilised, right? Essentially, whether it's IVF or ICSI, it seems fertilisation is primarily determined by egg quality, like you say. To the best of my knowledge, what ICSI does is level the playing field in cases of male factor (or in my case because the shells of frozen eggs are harder and the sperm can’t get in otherwise). Once the sperm is into the egg, whether by IVF or ICSI, it’s mostly down to egg quality as to whether it actually fertilises. That may not be entirely accurate so don’t quote me! But AFAIK I know ICSI and IVF have approx equal fertilisation rates.

With the IVF eggs, we did have a lovely mental image of DH’s sperm chasing my eggs round in the playground playing kiss chase. I saw it like a reverse episode of ‘Take me out’- loads of bachelor sperm vying to be picked by the egg to join them on a date to the isle of Fernando Grin

sammy sammy - any temp rise yet? Thanks honey, I’m feeling absolutely right as rain now. Bit sore yesterday but today I feel fit as a fiddle. Certainly absolutely no sign of hyperstimulation - stims bloat disappeared literally overnight - I have abs again!! Bodies are weird Confused

Obv I would love a fresh transfer, but I’m feeling much more relaxed about it now that I know that a) we have some embryos and hopefully at least a few fighters will make it to blast, and b) we have a solid plan for a FET that we can get going on straight away

So, next update - we will hear tomorrow. My consultant is going to give me a ring once the lab have updated him on progress and we will discuss next steps. If it looks like we will be going to blast (hopefully with 16!!!), he’ll advise when he wants me to come in for a lining scan, and to agree a potential plan of action.

At my last appt we had the hypothetical array CGH testing discussion, which we left as ‘hmm, not sure, let’s see what happens and take it from there.

DH and I never really thought it would even be a remote possibility, but we are both very very minded to consider array CGH PGS if we were to have a decent number of blasts. So once we have a better idea of where we stand, we'l like to have a more informed discussion with the Dr, so we can weigh up our options.

As you say, the tide seems to be turning to FET as the way forward, because of the much more natural uterine environment vs after a stims cycle. So that is a big plus! Obv I’d love to have a fresh transfer as I’m so desperate to just get the first BFN out of the way, but what will be will be, so just have to roll with the punches, and there may indeed be a silver lining to my lining woes (no pun intended)

God I don’t half waffle on! Thanks for your support ladies, and being the most incredible sounding board. Thanks for bearing with my endless ramblings!

lucie thinking of you and hoping you will get a lovely surprise when the phone call comes through

xxx

lucieloos · 20/01/2016 09:44

Thanks Banana I have today off work so have had a nice lie in and am just killing time until we can make the call at 12. We have only had 3 eggs collected on each of our last 2 treatments. We have been very lucky though. Both times only 2 of the 3 were mature and they all fertilised. The first time we had a 4 cell and a 9 cell on day 3. I thought it was game over for the 4 cell but it pulled through and on day 5 it was compacted morula. They gave it an extra day and on day 6 it was an expanded blast. The other one also made it and was a hatching blast on day 5. On the second treatment again 2 mature both fertilised. Another 4 cell and a 7 cell on day 3. The 4 cell didn't make it that time but the 7 cell went on to become another hatching blast on day 5 so we are extremely lucky to have 3 blasts frozen out of 4 embryos. It just feels like our luck can't last surely and we would be so disappointed if we spent all this money and got nothing at all from this cycle.

I am also considering the acgh testing. I had a sample taken and frozen from my last blast and we have asked to do the same this time. I haven't fully decided if we will test yet as with low numbers like mine I think I might just prefer to put them back and take our chances that way but the option is there for us to think about later. If I had your numbers I definitely would as sounds like you are going to get a fair few blasts and would take you ages to work your way through them.

Thanks so much for all your support. You ladies are utterly amazing and really keep me going!

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lucieloos · 20/01/2016 10:21

Got my results early we have 2 mature again and both fertilised! Here we go again!

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bananafish81 · 20/01/2016 10:26

YES!! This is brilliant news lucie - thrilled for you

You have clearly shown in your prev cycles that you have spectacular egg quality, so keeping everything crossed you increase stock levels in the freezer with at least one fabulous blast Star

lucieloos · 20/01/2016 10:33

Aww thanks Banana. I heard back from the doctor and he said at EC I had 7 large follicles between 18-22mm and they all should have had eggs. He doesn't understand it either so I don't know where I go from here. Maybe there is something else wrong with me?! Just got to pray for these 2 little ones now. Next update on Friday.

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loopylou1984 · 20/01/2016 11:51

Amazing news Lucie!! Congratulations SmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmileSmile

star1980 · 20/01/2016 12:01

Oh Lucie, great news!!! I'm so pleased. Fingers tightly crossed that they both make it. Crikey, the wait must be agonising - great that you have today off to (try and) relax. Do you use ICSI or just standard IVF? They have recommended ICSI for us, but I prefer the randomness of IVF - do you think I might be able to opt for that? I guess not with nhs resources.

Banana/Lucie, may I ask what ACSG testing is?

lucieloos · 20/01/2016 12:14

Thanks Star and Sammy! Still a long way to go yet but at least we have something.

Star, we used icsi. It all depends what your dhs sperm sample is like. If there are any problems with the sample and lower count, motility etc then they will recommend icsi as the chances of fertilisation are much greater than if they left the sperm to do their own thing. If they have recommended icsi I would go with that.

The acgh testing is where they take a small amount of cells from a blastocyst and test them to check they have the correct number of chromosomes and no abnormalities. A high proportion of embryos which are transferred and do not work are because they are aneuploid and do not have the correct number of chromosomes. Therefore if you do the testing beforehand you theoretically can transfer only the good ones and increase success rates a bit.

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loopylou1984 · 20/01/2016 13:03

Banana - glad you're feeling ok :)

Yes I did get a temp rise in the end. Sadly we hadn't dtd for about 4 days before hand! Lol. I'm about 6dpo now, although no symptoms that I normally have, so not sure what that means. Xx

Trixietwenty16 · 20/01/2016 14:14

Sperm can live up to 6/7 days Sammy so you never know....

Fab news Lucie Smile FX you get the 2 blasts to add to your collection.

Banana, are you going to have one or two put back? Great that you are feeling so well. I had 16 collected and really suffered with pain and bloating afterwards.

Interesting re the ICSI talk. DH and I were told that our fertilisation rate was lower than our clinic like to see (53% where they like to see 70-75%) and that we may want to consider ICSI in another fresh cycle. DHs SA was fine though so not sure what the NHS will say. We're also interested in the acgh testing.

loopylou1984 · 20/01/2016 14:30

Yeah I know Trixie, but given that I haven't fallen pregnant in all the months where we've dtd several times on and around ovulation I'm not holding my breath! Lol.

Is there a downside to the genetic testing? Other than the cost obviously! X

BorisIsBack · 20/01/2016 14:32

lucie that's brilliant. Your freezer is getting full....
Do they test your DHs sperm as you go over for ivf or do they take your SA results from testing before? My DHs SA results have been so variable I don't know what quality he's shooting out...

loopylou1984 · 20/01/2016 16:11

Hi Boris, I can't speak for the Czech clinics but certainly in the UK they check the sample provided on the day. You'll plan based on the last SA so if that was good then standard IVF would be planned, but then if sample was bad on the day they would call you to check ok to do icsi then charge the extra cost. Xx

Pikz · 20/01/2016 20:38

Lucie and banana good to hear the news on eggs/blasts

Hope trixie, Sammy and star and anyone I've missed are doing ok

Keep the 2016 faith

lucieloos · 20/01/2016 20:42

Boris, in Czech they use icsi for everyone regardless of sperm quality so your dhs sample is not really that relevant. They will ask you for previous results though and when your dh does his sample out there they will give you a report with all the usual stats.

Hi Pikz, hope you are well!

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Trixietwenty16 · 21/01/2016 11:01

Massive giant spanner in the works here. DH is sick, flu and not just man flu. He was burning up this morning so took his temp (my bb thermometer came in handy) and it was over 39 (thermometer made a really funny beeping noise) took him to the GP and they said there is no way he'll be well enough tomorrow Sad have left a vm for the hospital and just crossing everything that we don't have to wait too long for a new appointment.

lucieloos · 21/01/2016 11:12

Oh no so sorry to hear that trixie. Hope dh is ok. What a bummer though there's always something isn't there. Hopefully they will be able to sort you out with another appt in a couple of weeks though.

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