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Conception

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Original poster

CALLING ALL IVF GIRLS DUE TO START IN AUGUST.................

73 replies

tempi · 29/07/2007 16:23

Just wondering how many of us are out there?? and is it worth starting a thread?

I have a feeling we will all need the support!

OP posts:
LatenightOwl · 29/07/2007 17:25

Hi Tempi, good thought - I will be going for my blood test this week if AF arrives and will start straight away if all is good! I will be on the short protocol - 2nd time IVF (previous to that a failed IUI too) - whats your history?
LNO

Original poster
tempi · 29/07/2007 22:09

Hi latenightowl! I am 43yrs and have been TTC for 3 years with 3 miscarriages..... 1 at 6 weeks, 1 at 5 weeks and 1 at 11 weeks, which was last august.........nothing since.

My dh and I have had every test under the sun and all are normal......they say my eggs are knackered! becuase of my age.....they told us to go away and find DE.......a friend of a friend came up with the incredible offer.......waiting for her 21 cd which will be in 2 weeks and it is all systems go!

Now that its here.......wondering if its the right thing to do?????? I am a great believer in natural fate.......my miscarriages could be a sign to say it was never meant to be. We have a few friend who have chosen not to have children and they have fabulous contented lives!

What is your history??????

OP posts:
Original poster
tempi · 30/07/2007 18:32

just bumping this thread....trying to decide if to do an August IVF thread???? is there enough of us??????

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cedar12 · 30/07/2007 18:43

Hi Tempi I have alredy started ivf 2 weeks into injections at the moment, Egg collection in 2 weeks time. I did start another thread but its gone very quiet. Would love to have someone to talk to about it. So far not been to bad just been very moody and tired with the drugs. My history is i have dd who is 4 no problems concieving. But in the last 2 years I have had 2 ectopic pg and lost one tube along the way.

Original poster
tempi · 30/07/2007 18:57

CEDAR12!!!!!! OMG you have already started!!!! I feel so excited and so positive for you!! OMG!!! I can't breathe!!!!!!

Is this your first attempt??????

ahhhhhh! I am so pleased for you!!!

I am using donor eggs so I guess things will be a bit different for me?? My donor is a friend of a friend..... we are waiting for her day 21 of her cycle which will be on the 15/8/7 so bit of a wait for us yet???

God I am so so excited for you.....so 2 weeks into it. Did they tell you that you need time off work when they have carried out the embyo tranfer????/

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cedar12 · 30/07/2007 19:11

Hi Tempi this is my first go so fingers crossed not sure if we be able to afford any more. I am having the the day of the transfer off work and I am not sure what to do after that I have been told there is no reason not to work as long as you take it easy. I am a nurse and only work 2 shift a week but we are really short staffed at the moment and its really stressful.So think i will play it by ear. My 4 year old dd is hard enough work at the moment not sure how much time I will get off from her! Sound like you have got some lovely friends what a lovely thing to do.

Original poster
tempi · 30/07/2007 19:19

cedar have they given you a date for tranfer????

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LatenightOwl · 30/07/2007 19:39

Hi Tempi and Cedar,

well im 45 and been trying for 8 yrs and have still no BFP. I would strongly recommend taking a couple of days off after ET. I went back to work the day after EC cos we were so busy. Anyway sides were killing me and my mind was with the embeddies so I bet my work was crap anyway and then after the ET I just felt so washed out with all the emotion of it all of the past few weeks on drugs that I wished I had given my embeddie a better chance by keeping my feet up. I certainly intend to this time and if my sides do feel sore - I will stay off till Im better!

Note that all the books (clearly written by a bloke) say mild discomfort but my sides really ached and I didnt want to take any paracetamol for fear of damaging the egg. My clinic put you out completely for the EC - but some only sedate you - do you know what you are having?

Cedar - if I start at the end of this week I will be joining you in the TWW (two week wait) cos Im on the short protocol again.
gb

LatenightOwl · 30/07/2007 19:41

Hi Tempi re donor eggs, I believe the protocol is the same but you may have a few more drugs to stop any transplant rejection. There are a few good sites on I think it is fertility net dot com dot uk - that talks more about this issue cos I was looking at donor eggs from Spain (in England the wait is prohibitive so you are so lucky to get some)!

cedar12 · 30/07/2007 19:48

If all goes well egg transfer will be on the 15th aug. We can wait together hopefully for good news.

latenightowl · 30/07/2007 20:12

Hi Cedar, yes I think mine will be around then too - so lets keep in touch - although I may only be able to post late - hence my name!

Original poster
tempi · 31/07/2007 18:51

Hi latenightowl...when you say your sides were killing you...is this because they used your own eggs and went through full IVF.

I have a donor....so I think this is different??????

Sounds like you will have the ET together roughly at the same time......this is so exciting....I wish you the very very very best of luck........Latenightowl...are they using your own eggs?????????

I start my drugs on the 15th so a bit of a way to go for me. The drugs I and my donor are having... the 'shutting down ones'....what sides effects did you both have?????????

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cedar12 · 31/07/2007 19:38

The side effects I got were tiredness and a few hot flushes, and pmtx50. But not to bad really just tell dh/dp to watch out

latenightowl · 31/07/2007 20:43

Hi Tempi, yes you are right, they used my own eggs - i had 6 follies of which they got 4 eggs and one fertilised to a grade 1 8 cell by day two when they put it back but it still failed. The cruelest thing I think is that they showed us the cell under microscope so like you do...we gave it a nick name and for the first time DP was really excited...it was sad when it went downhill afterwards but a few months rest and we are back on track again.

So they are keen to try again with my own eggs - depending on my blood test - last time I had an FSH level of 9.5 (10 was the max) but for the last 3 months been on an "non registered" tablet called DHEA which research in the US think improves egg quality so who knows - will let you know after my first bloods - could be good or bad...

latenightowl · 31/07/2007 20:45

What drugs will you be using this time? I was on gonal F and suspect I will be on these again. For the IUI I was on Pregnal - luckily for me, both gave me little side effects apart from bloating, put on 1/2 a stone and had a thirst to die for. Had no moods so either Im moody all the time and DP just didnt notice any difference or I managed to control it

Original poster
tempi · 31/07/2007 22:14

With the greatest of respect latenightowl.....did you ever consider/considering donor eggs????

OP posts:
latenightowl · 31/07/2007 22:55

Hi yes we did tempi but it is a last resort. We would have to go to Spain to the clinic there (the UK clinic and Spanish Clinic do some sort of deal where the UK does the scans and then you go to Spain for the ET. However DP doesnt want to have donor eggs as I did nt want Donor Sperm when I was younger and single! sometimes I think it is all just a mess, but you cant guarantee when you will meet the right partner and for me I was older when I did finally find mr. right. I think if I had my time again and I were single and 30 I would have gone for donor sperm. Beauty of hindsight.

Anyway when we found out we had probs TTC we swore we would not go down IVF and here we are so who knows - never say never!

Acinonyx · 01/08/2007 09:54

latenight owl - I'm also 45 and just finished an unsuccessful IVF cycle. There don't seem to be any success stories for women my age with their own eggs in the UK - which clinic are you at and have they had success with women our age?? (I was at the Lister.) Jill

cedar12 · 01/08/2007 10:42

I have been on Buserlin for 2 weeks and have just started taking Gonal f and still on a reduced amount of buserlin. Dr told me buserlin has got the most side effects but the gonal f isnt so bad.

latenightowl · 01/08/2007 17:20

Hi Acinonyx - Ive heard of many over 40 a df of mine 42 has just given birth, naturally, overweight, drinks like a fish! so it does happen. Of course Cherie Blair is the other one who conceived naturally at 45 too. There is a site, will dig it out with lots of success stories so I dont give up. Im with Holly House in Essex a really nice friendly clinic with superb staff and good success rates and dont mind if your BMI is a little high .

Hi Cedar, not sure what the Buserlin is for? I only use the Gonal F.

I notice that some ladies I converse with, who are "younger" that their clinics do more tests on the womb lining. Have any of you had any such tests?

latenightowl · 01/08/2007 17:26

Hi
try this site for some stories to encourage us!

pregnancyover44y.blogspot.com/

Acinonyx · 01/08/2007 19:36

Thanks night owl. I did my first IVF at Holly House. I have a 2 yr old from my second at Bourn Hall (I was 43 at birth). I know some women get pg at 45 - but as far as I know - no-one in the Uk has got pg at 45 using their own eggs. Please tell me I'm wrong! The only successes I know of are from Cornell in the US at a rate of 2% live births. There is apparently a huge difference between 42-3 and 44-5.

What is your protocol? I took buserelin too, for supression before starting gonal F (or similar). I know though that there is some thought that women our age should use any supression so perhaps that is why you haven't used it.

I will call Holly House and ask them specifically about our age group. Tanks and good luck - Jill

Acinonyx · 01/08/2007 19:37

that should read 'shouldn't use' duh!

latenightowl · 01/08/2007 22:12

Hi,
Holly house told me 1% chance - but that is from the start, so as you progress through the treatment, some people will not get to ET as the follies will not be the right size or the drugs are just not working. When you get to ET then your chances are higher as you have also done better than some at lower age groups. Its a lottery I know but Im happy with the 1% chance if it means using my own eggs. How does HH compare with BH and Lister in your experience?

Also, no, sniffing for me.....just the gonal and Im on a short protocol of 2 weeks. I seem to stim well with the drugs so I think that is why

Acinonyx · 01/08/2007 22:36

My HH cycle was back in 99 and it didn't go well and I'm still not entirely sure (even after getting the notes this year) what happened. I don't think my problem was typical though. BH, in 04 was very straight forward. The Lister was OK but the protocol was not tailored in any way for my age. I'm I big egg producer (23, 16, 18) and I suspect I was actually overstimulated in this last cycle (I definitely was for my first) - hard to compare as they used a different drug. My fert rate was relatively poor - and that is what makes me think I'm probably flogging a dead horse here - but then I wonder if overstimulation may have been a problem.

So did HH actually say they had actually had live births to women of our age? Because I didn't think any UK clinic had. The Lister didn't give me any odds for that reason - just said they were happy to help me try if I wanted to, since I'm a good responder and had been successful.

Did you look into any other clnics? How many cycles have you done and how many do you think you will try? We're not planning to cycle again - but I would be tempted by a more age-appropriate protocol at a clinic that had actually had success with a 45 yr old. We did consider going to Cornell for that reason but the logistics with a 2 yr old boggle my mind. Jill