Pom Poms, Placards and Picket Lines. The Berries are putting up the barricades and will not be crossed! A delightful bunch of 30 something Ladybros TTC #1.

[happylass]

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 Ladybros:

Smidge 39, TTC since Jan '13. Unexplained. Some high NK cell immune treatment. IVF#1 Short protocol Jul'14 BFN; IVF#2 Nov'14 and IVF#3 Feb'15 both Long protocol BFNs; Natural FET Jun'15 - Another BFN. Trying to work out what to do next.



Happylass, 37, TTC since Aug 2012. 3 failed ICSI cycles, 1 failed FET and 1 abandoned cycle due to poor response. Awaiting next and final cycle with own eggs hopefully Feb/March time. HATE THIS SHIT!!



Beaky 35, ttc 3 yrs, 2x failed iui 1 long protocol ivf cancelled, 2 short protocol IVF both BFN, very low amh/poor responder etc. 3rd IVF in January.



Tigerdog, 35, ttc since Jan 2013. Unexplained. IVF #1 chemical pregnancy. Currently redoing tests in preparation for IVF #2.



barkingtreefrog 36, ttc since Dec 2011. 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. FET bfn August 2015, remaining frozen embryo perished. Private tests showed high nk cells activity and th1/th2 as well as mthrfr gene. Started downregging for long protocol ivf in Oct 15 plus two intralipid drips, and got pg. Third mc @ 6.4 weeks despite heparin, intralipids, metafolin and prednisolone. Last Ivf attempt starting February 2016 then on to adoption. 



Kuma - 40. TTC 2.9 years. Low AMH high FSH - DH antisperm ABs. Failed IVF June 14 and March 15, cancelled cycle June 15. Last try Jan 16. 



Lucieloos, 36, Low AMH & sperm motility. ICSI#1, April 2015, Czech Republic, BFN. Icsi#2, cancelled before EC. Icsi#3 & 4, Embryo Banking. 3 blasts in freezer. Icsi#5 in Czech in Jan. NHS cycle in Feb / March.




Sesame, 40, ttc 2 years with no dp, multiple failed IVFs, 4 ETs, 1 bfp followed by mc, poor responder with v low AMH, but still looking for the golden egg.

Nolly, 33, TTC 3 years, 1 confirmed MC, 2 more suspected. still in limbo. 



Funkymonk 33. Ttc since October 2012. Mc June 2013, Mmc dec 2013, mc June 2014. Factor v Leiden thrombophilia. Abandoned IVF Jan 2015 due to thin lining. Abandoned FET Aug 2015 due to thin lining. 4 embies on ice. Currently experimenting with different cycles in an attempt to thicken lining.

Clem, 39, ttc since 2013. diagnosed with anovulation by nhs so on a course of clomid. no male factor issues. all other test results have come back okay inc. ovarian test reserves. currently being referred back to nhs for single funded cycle.

Nolly, 33, TTC 3 years, 1 confirmed MC, 2 more suspected. Starting IVF in January.



Antonia79 36, ttc #1 since 2009, adhesions made for sticky insides & one tube removed, confirmed NHS IVF route Sept 15, TTC naturally again as recommended by doctor until IVF cycle starts (early - mid 2016) if not conceived by then.



Grin - 35, TTC 3 years, NFI why I can't get pregnant,, 3 X failed clomid attemots, 2 X ICSI failed fertilisations, 1 x IVF BFN. Doing another cycle in Mar 2016 and thinking of embryo donation.



The Roll of honour:

Pip - Quite simply the Best In Show.
Lumen - The Legend that is....

I'm glad you're feeling a little more like your old self, Clem, and that appointment sounds like you got some useful information out of it. Morning protein shakes sounds a lot easier to get your intake boost.

Tiger all the best for the weather! I'll shout at the sky and shake my fists at it on the day for you to hold off the rain!

Thanks for the dance Beaky, it helped a lot!

The clinic called and confirmed that 3 out of 6 matured eggs have fertilised! They're going to keep me updated on their progress and if all goes to plan and nothing ridiculous happens (like the building suddenly combusting into flames and everything burns to the ground or the embies stop growing because they're lazy), we'll be back Saturday afternoon for the transfer... nervous/excited/terrified all at once

Brilliant news Ant! Everything crossed for some good development with your embies!

thanks for that advice beaky about amazon and the fact that low carb is usually by default high in protein. have ordered myself a few, so am obvs expecting to be a domestic goddess in the kitchen by the weekend

great news ant about your 3 embies...keeping everything crossed that they progress well.

Haha that what I was hoping clem didn't really work out Im a domestic mess

Do you make smoothies? They are quite good for getting plenty of fruit and veg in and you can add plain protein powder in, or use almond milk in them which helps.

we've recently started using a nutribullet beaky, so that's a good idea to chuck a spoonful of the protein porder in there.

Barking thanks for the good news story on the painted tiles, that cheered me up no end today when I was back at it. I even let MrSmidge loose with a roller for the wall above the tiles (I'd already done the tricky edge work with a brush so figured there was a minimal amount he could cock up what, an onsessive need to be in control, moi?). Still got a fair way to go though, but optimism levels have perked up. Not so impressed with the colour - bit too dusky pinky/purple rather than the grey with the tiniest hint of warmth rather than blue but that seems to be the light rather than the choice of can... When I painted some on a piece of paper and took it outside it looked completely different!

Anyway, before this thread becomes all about DIY, I had better move on.

Well done Ant on the 3 embies. I'll try to wave some of Beaky's pom-poms without getting paint all over them

Tiger don't panic! It all comes together in the end. I found that despite my usual control freakish behaviour, I was incredibly relaxed on the day itself, and kind of just had a realisation that none of the little things would matter in the end, just the getting married bit . though I still obsess over the photos so make sure you've got a good photographer!

Beaky how are things? I'm glad you're enjoying a bit of a break. It's good to park the obsession for a while and notice what else life has to offer.

Clem I think most berries have taken CoQ10 (me included). I've no idea if it helped my egg quality or not but it has no bad side effects afaik so seems the easiest to accept! The only thing I changed in my diet was to cut out caffeine. Oh and in the first few rounds I stopped the booze, but by the fifth attempt I stopped bothering as I figured a relaxed state of mind outweighed everything else. after all, just look at all those babies conceived after a big night out on the lash

Oh - AliG has insisted I retake the laberrored blood tests. (Did I tell you about that??) Finally heard back and the result was: 'Lab error. Regrets. Please retake if clinically required') I sent the report to my Aussie clinic and explained there seemed little point in retesting now obviously, given i'm half way through my next cycle etc, but they wrote back to say boxes must be ticked that AliG wants me to retest.

Anyway, went to a special clinic place this morning which was great! NHS but a lady greeted us at the door, personally walked us to the correct dept, got my ticket number for me and explained exactly what would happen, where I'd be called etc. in and out in 10mins and such a lovely experience! Hopefully the lab doesn't mess it up this time though, my veins need a break

thanks smidge

where do you guys get supplements like CoQ10/vit C on...is a general google search okay, or have you found any good suppliers?

clem I recommend Costco for the CoQ10 if you can get there as it’s the best value I’ve seen – about £10 for 90 150mg capsules, and I take 4 a day! Most other supplements I get from supermarkets or high street as there’s always deals on. However, I hate to say this but my best advice for egg quality issues is to consider whether you would change clinic or protocol? I had a total failed fertilization round in one clinic, moved to a new one and got 2 ‘good looking’ embryos from 3 eggs. If your eggs were collapsing when injected, then I understand that could just be your eggs that aren’t great - and it might explain your infertility – however there’s still a chance that it reflected the stimulation regime. I don’t know so much about the embryology side, but it’s also possible that a different team might get different results for women with your kinds of eggs – it’s worth seeking out some more advice, or even having a further chat with the embryologists at your fc. Also it’s worth asking whether IVF rather than ICSI (or half and half) is worth trying in a future round – although this could also be risky for different reasons as some eggs, especially for older women, can let more than one sperm in (which is what happened to me). Sorry to add to the , but that’s my tuppence anyway... not that you asked

tiger what you say about immunes reminds me of this Q&A on the Robert Winston website. It’s another one of those miracle stories , but is it worth considering if there is anything else you can get tested for at the GP? I’m so excited for you about the berry wedding of the year Saturday, hope you all have a blast! After all the work you’ve put in, I’m sure you’ll all have a lovely time.

smidge go you on the tile painting, I’m sure it’s going to look lovely. I would vaguely mumble something about grout pen, if you needed to draw nice neat squares around your painted tiles… At least I’ve heard it’s a thing, although as a proud owner of a my own falling down neglected period property I’m not actually that DIY minded.

barking everything I have is willing this to work out for you. Thanks for sharing all your updates, I’m reading everything and here to support wherever I can.

ant, go you on the 3 embies! Sorry I missed jumping in to put on barry and the spice girls for you, but sounds like they did their work in any case! Fingers crossed for some good news for transfer.

happy good luck for your scan tomorrow! Come on lining!!! Hope you had a nice holiday?

beaky nice bit of twerking there for barking… Hope you’re doing ok in limbo with your and ? Any news on when you start that nice new job of yours?

tiger, beaky, clem I’m also interested in all this protein chat. I do try to make sure I eat foods with protein every day, but I’m veggie so it’s not as straight forward as it could be. I eat an egg a day, plenty of dairy, and try to opt for things with pulses in when I can. But I’m still wondering whether I need to add something like a whey supplement? Any of you know if there is a specific recommendation about the number of grams of protein I should consume?

I was spun into a panic this morning by the arrival of af. I’m not sure why, it should have come as no surprise to me when EC was exactly 2 weeks ago today. I still want to do another natural cycle, and was trying to work out whether to start that right now (which would mean calling the fc and booking the first scan on Monday). But in the end I couldn’t face it. I’m now going to do a bit more planning, book my wtf, and hopefully cycle in May.

I order my CoQ10 from Nature's Best clem. I've had the regular and the ubiquinol types. No access to a Costco but that sounds like an excellent deal.

Not sure on protein grams in total sesame but I use MFP and then try to make sure at least 20% of my daily intake is protein. I can only get there by eating lots of fish, adding a daily protein powder scoop, and eating eggs most days. I also love a hot milk with cinnamon and nutmeg before bed! I do think you've made the right choice on timing of your next cycle - time to evaluate is important, and hopefully the wtf appointment will give you some suggestions to modify the next cycle. Whilst I wait for the slow wheels of the NHS to turn, I am going to have a private consult, and go to my GP for immunes. Where to go will be a debate for another post!

Sounds bonkers that they want you to redo the test Smidge. My first NHS FC couldn't care less about my bfn even when it came after a week of bfps! No bloods, no nothing. Hope the tiles are looking good!

Good luck for transfer ant! Fingers crossed for you!

Loving the twerk beaky! You've got all the moves! How are things with you?

Hope you're feeling nice and relaxed after your holiday happy! Good luck for the scan.

Still crossing everything here for you barking. One step at a time in the right direction...paw squeeze.

Wedding tomorrow. So much to do and people start descending on us from 11am. Still got to finish the cakes and bath the dog!! Best get out of bed sharpish!

Thanks Beaky, Clem, Smidge, Sesame!

Hope you get all the final bits and pieces sorted out for your big day tomorrow Tiger! So excited for you!

Waves at everyone else

The clinic called and said that at this stage they expect embies to be 6 cells or more and my three are at 7, 8 and 12 respectively and all seem to be doing fine so far. Transfer of one embie is a GO for tomorrow at 2:30pm

I've been drinking peppermint tea for the last two days because I feel bloated after the EC. No pains or night sweats or anything like that so I know it's not severe OHSS. It is just slightly uncomfortable if I sit forward so I try not to that too much!

You'll be having your transfer when I am saying 'I do' ant!

Hectic times in the tiger house!!

Eek good luck Ant and also Tiger

Those embies sound like they are doing well, Ant.

Sesame there is a thread on the infertility board which discussed high protien diets recommended by clinics, there's a report too.... I'll try and find you it but I think it was 30% of your daily intake should be protien.

Smidge you're now going to have to change the lights in the bathroom to complement the tiles! Glad it's going well though! Are you both fully settled in now?

Clem I get the unbiquAnol from woods online, they do 90 tabs of 100mg for £14.99 and if you buy 3 you get the third free. I take 300mg a day.

Sorry for not catching up fully it's been busy busy today.

BERRY HEN DOOOOO!!
Have an amazing day tomorrow Tiger, can't wait to see some pics.
Ant glad to hear your cycle is going so well. Completely normal to be in some discomfort after EC. I was in quite a lot of pain after my private ECs though very little after my NHS ones. All the very best for ET. Have everything crossed for you.
Sesame I too am veggie. I'm sure I read somewhere that you should aim for about 70g of protein daily during stimms. I supplement a high dairy intake with some protein milk drinks. You can get them from the milk section in the supermarket. I think one brand is called Upbeat? No idea if they work (and they are probably full of crap) but I've always done ok response wise. The one time I didn't use them my cycle was cancelled
Barking hope everything is ok with you. Willing your embie(s) on every step of the way.
Hope everyone else is doing ok. I've done my best to catch up. Arrived back from a lovely holiday at 3am this morning and was being dildocamed by 9 . All well with the palace. Starting the bum bullets/fanny candles (not quite decided on that one yet) tonight ready for FET next Wednesday.

I know tiger won't be reading this, but just wanted to wish her an amazing wedding day today. [sneaks off to throw lots of wedding related glitter, all over berry hq]

ant hope your et goes okay today, make sure you take it easy.

seasame/tiger/beaky thanks for the supplier info for CoQ10.

seasame thanks for all your thoughts, ref. my egg quality issues. talking with the fc, they would want to put me on a long protocol (rather than short that I was on), so I would hope that would give them more control/make a difference. they would also try mainly ivf next time too (with a couple icsi as backup...but we know that has dangers, that none of them could fertilise) we have decided one more try at the current fc, then change to another, if that doesn't work out. good idea about talking further to the embryologist ref. my egg quality.

happy hope everything is progressing well for you, on the run up to FET.

High protein low carb link.... --hopefully- m.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/News-Releases/2013/High-Protein-Low-Carb-Diets-Greatly-Improve-Fertility?IsMobileSet=true

Ant are you pupo yet?

congratulations Mrs Tiger!! Hope you've had an amazing day cheers!

Happy glad all is looking well! Hope you enjoyed your holiday as well.

Congrats Tiger! Hope the weather held out for you and it was a brilliant day and an even brilliant evening!

I'll find out on Monday if the other two blasts are suitable for freezing but in the mean time, I'm now pupo

thanks for that link beaky interesting reading. as I have now switched (this week) to a high protein/low carb diet...the sensible part of my brain is telling me, we should wait 3 months until we try ivf again...the panicky racing towards my 40th later in the year is just saying get started as soon as we can.

yay for being pupo ant. hope you have lots of distractions planned for your 2ww.

congratulations mrstiger hope your day went amazingly yesterday.

[waves] to everyone else...hope your all having a nice weekend.

Thanks Clem I'm planning to do not much. If I get bored I have over 1800+ loose photos to scan, all from the 70's and 80's, so that they're all digitally stored... That's a chore in itself!

Just had a call from the clinic. The other two blasts didn't make it so nothing in the freeze bank for me. The embryologist was really apologetic, I told him that these things happen. Me comforting him! Haha! Now that I've been through the process once, I know I can do it without too much trouble. Now, where did I put that massive bag of photos...

Congratulations MrsT !!

Well done Ant on being PUPO and for being so caring towards the embryologist

Finally finished the tiles. Looking pretty good actually. Just hope they stay that way!

No excuse not to start on the various jobs needing attention in our own house now though. Hmm.. Ant if you get bored with the pictures, maybe I could offer some alternative activities over here to keep you busy

Hope everything is alright Barking. Will you be able to have another HCG test to see if your numbers are still rising?

Hope everyone else is A-OK.

smidge well done on the tiles!

barking thinking of you.

ant congratulations on being pupo! Sorry you don’t have any spares, not many rounds do unfortunately. Good luck with the photos, great idea for the 2ww!

clem Sounds like your fc do want to try something different with you, I think that’s a good sign. The problem I had with my first fc is that after a relatively poor first round (and my own newby naivety) I was put on the same poorly suited protocol all over again and did even worse. Regarding timing, if you’re going for another ivf round, do it when you feel mentally ready. I think that’s most important. And a month or 2 either way is not going to change the state of your ovaries.

tiger congratulations! Hope you both had a lovely day and have an awesome honeymoon break!

beaky thanks for the link. I think I am trying the low carb thing, as a lifestyle thing more generally. The biggest change to my diet has been cutting out most of my sugar except for office treats, and um, weekend treats.. Cutting down on carbs wider than this is still quite tricky though.

happy thanks for that. Have just found some nutritional guidelines suggesting that normal non pg recommended daily intake of protein is 50g a day. I’ve worked out what that means and I’m pretty sure my normal intake is something close to that figure right now thanks to bad habits like noshing on cheese slices straight out the packet . Aiming for an extra 20g on top, doesn’t seem too bad.

So 70g of protein does seem achievable to me. But the part of the article in beaky’s link I struggle with is understanding is what 25% daily protein intake means. Does this mean 25% of foods eaten either contain or are high protein, or does that actually translate as 25% of calories? 25% of a 2000 calorie diet would be 500 calories or 125g of protein. I think that’s the equivalent of about 20 eggs… In any case, I can see how a supplement might still generally give things a boost. Does anyone recommend a (veggie) protein supplement/brand I might try?

Ant woohoo pupo! Everything crossed for you, I hope it's a lovely bfp ASAP. When's otd?

Smidge I've been in DIY hell lately too. It's awful glad the tiles worked out.

Clem waiting 3 months after you've changed your diet/added in supplements is often recommended as that's apparently how long it takes your eggs to erm, be ready can't think of the proper term! On my second cycle I'd been doing it for about 2 months by the time I'd started my ivf cycle and that was absolutely my best cycle. If also been taking dhea as well as the coq10, vit d, pregnacare, vit c, etc etc.

Barking how are you doing?

Tiger have you recovered from your wedding weekend yet?

Happy what's next for you?

Sesame how are you? Re the protein thing, it's 25% of what you eat, my fitness pal is really good for this as you can input everything you eat and it gives you a pie chart showing the spread between carbs, protein, fat etc.

Thank you Smidge, Sesame and Beaky!

My otd is 23rd April so 11 more days!

I do have a bit of an odd question, has anyone experienced persistent itching after an et?

It started to feel really itchy on the back of both my knees on Monday morning, similar to how a heat rash would feel. I slathered some moisturiser on it thinking it might be just dry. It helped for about 20 minutes and it started again. Now the itching has travelled to the top of my calf muscles and bottom of my thighs. Last night it was REALLY itchy and when I woke up this morning I've seen that I've broken the skin in a couple of places and what looks like a nettle rash on one bit (gone right down now). Went in the shower and slathered legs with the in shower moisturiser, put on a pair of thick tights and jogging bottoms to stop me from scratching! So far successful, it's been an half an hour and I've not scratched but I can feel it wanting one...

I've not changed anything (washing detergent, shampoo, shower gel, etc) and I'm drinking plenty of water and eating well... I'm guessing it might be my immune system playing up because of the combinations of stims/hormones?

ant I think tiger had a rash a few days after transfer, although I’m not sure she got to the bottom of the reasons why. Do call the fc if you’re worried, in case it’s a reaction to any of the meds you are taking. An antihistamine might help – fc should advise if they are happy for you to take one. I’ve taken piriton/chlorphenamine during my 2ww before, as it’s meant to be safe in pg – take at night though as it’s one of the old fashioned drowsy ones.

beaky thanks, I’ve just logged into mfp today, for the first time in 18 months. The good news is my breakfast today contained 32g of protein. The bad news is I’ve gained a stone since I last logged in…. How are things with you? When do you start your new job?

Thanks Sesame I'm not overly worried. I've managed to not scratch all day. Just checked myself and it has gone down a hell of a lot, just slightly red where it itched the most. I'll just keep moisturising for now and see how I get on. If it gets worse I'll give fc a call and ask about antihistamines.

I daren't log into mfp, it would probably mock me!

Hi everyone. Thanks for all your good wishes. We had an amazing day. Still recovering! Having a very restful few days in a lovely cottage, catching up on sleep - I barely slept for almost the whole week before.

Congratulations on being PUPO ant. I think hormones can cause itchiness without it being immune related (I'm prone to itchy skin towards the end of my normal cycle). My FC also said that piriton was the safe antihistamine to take.

What did you eat that contains 32g protein sesame? I find eating lots of protein hard as I'm not keen on eating lots of meat. Totally ignoring any sort of dietary stuff this week, just eating and drinking whatever I want! all the wine

Good luck for your FET tomorrow happy!

clem it's good that your FC want to try something different. Diet and supplement stuff also helps me feel in control and like I'm doing something. With long protocol, you could start sooner, as the stimming part wouldn't be for a while as you have to wait until CD 21 to downreg then it could be another 2-3 weeks until stimming.

Glad the tiles look good sesame! I need to do a load of DIY jobs at home. Now the wedding is over there is no excuse!

I am trying to think about what I want to do next whilst I have some down time. What do people know/think about Zita west? Getting loads of emails about immune stuff from them at the moment.