Feb Bus Pt 3

[Juno231]

@MimiArm
@paintfairy
@MrsTwentyEight

Figured I'm not ready to let you ladies go ☺️

How’s everyone doing ? CD13 here but haven’t managed to DTD yet this cycle 🙈 I feel so meh this month. The thought of the 2WW is making me anxious already !

@MrsTwentyEight what CD do you usually ovulate? I'm CD 7 today. Temp still 36.48 and I've no idea why it's started doing this. DTD this morning. I'm going to have to do Monday night and then I've got a bloody smear Wednesday. Ideally need to do it again that night but it usually makes me bleed so not sure. Not ideal timing as I'm due to ovulate around then.

I don't think I even get anxious in the 2ww any more. I literally know the answer. 🙄 No one knows we are trying but I'm sick of people keep commenting. Oh don't you want kids? Or people saying they've told others I'm not interested and will never bother. Makes me angry. Feel like saying you fucking try, it ain't that easy!

@paintfairy I find if I check for EWCM in the mornings then it's not mingled with anything - then again that's because we tend to DTD in the afternoons...

That's odd how high your temp is so far this cycle! Wonder if that means your LP temp will be extra high?

Speaking of which, my temp shift started today and as my FP temps were relatively high at 36.30ish - the increase today was to 36.61. So a nice strong one without me doubting if that's what it is like last cycle where it was hovering just above the coverline for the first four days dpo.

@MrsTwentyEight I'm 1DPO today but only managed to DTD O-2 and O-4 so am not too hopeful

@Juno231 I find its still mingled 24 hours later? 🤔 Might be ok after that. But I definitely still had some there this morning from yesterday morning.

Temp is 36.30 this morning. So should stay down now.

@paintfairy I OV around CD20-23 normally so I need the DTD to start today ! Yeah other people commenting is just the worst part I agree

@Juno231 only takes one right ...

Hi everyone

@paintfairy Glad to hear you called doctors. Deffo keep pushing for tests as doctors should be quieter now - they really are here anyways!

@MrsTwentyEight Thanks - Deffo on right track now and just anxiously awaiting consultation this Thursday now to get other results and treatment plan.

Two weird things are happening this "cycle".

1- my resting heart rate is low 60s and hasn't moved much at all. Could be cos I've been losing weight and exercising more (wedding prep!).

2- I've had such a low mood since Saturday. The slightest thing has me having a complete meltdown and tears are flowing. No idea why as I know I haven't ovulated again this month (I'm CD17 today). Had an on/off migraine since Saturday too which isn't helping.

Oh and 3) I didn't bother using OPKs this month as what's the point! Haven't been taking folic acid either for a few weeks :-s

I wish I had a TWW to feel hopeful in. I always figured that after the disappointment it was only another few weeks to feel hopeful again.

Gosh - I'm a really Debbie downer tonight 😂

Well we dtd this morning but now I can't until after my smear tomorrow evening. I'm just hoping I can even do it after. 🙄 Having said that- like it works anyway. 😂

My DHs Dr seems more useful than mine. Working from home apparently? No idea how that works. But he rang up yesterday and managed to get a call that day. She's given the go ahead and arranged for him to collect a sample thing from the surgery. Then he's got to call the hospital to book to do this. Of course no one is answering there. 🙄

@MimiArm I think you will get there. Faster than I will. 😂 But you just need to get through this bit and have them sort it all out. I tend to get mood swings. Oddly mine doesn't seem to happen at pmt time, its the first few days of AF. Was really struggling last week. I'm OK now. I think you still need to take folic acid though? You are meant to start 3 months before conception. So it's already in your system. Won't help you conceive but it's there for when you do. Nothing I've taken bloody works. I've spent a fortune.

@MimiArm My RHR is definitely lower when slimmer! I'm sorry you're feeling so down though. At least things are moving in a positive direction now and you have answers. Once they get those eggies going you'll have your BFP before you know it!

@paintfairy temp was 36.75 today so no mistaking that shift. Need one more day of it to confirm OD now. I've attached it just cause I like charts lol :)

Had my foof scan today - definitely the nicest thing anyone has done to my foof in a medical setting! Pleasant experience overall, I was out of there at 12.20 and that's when my appointment was meant to start so it was super efficient. Nothing was found - no cysts, endo, fibroids. Lining looked good and she could tell something had happened/was happening on my right ovary so presumably that's the one I ovulated from this cycle.

Now I just need to redo my day 21 bloods next Tuesday and that's the first set of tests over and done with. I expect to come back fine as well so not really sure what the next step is after that... SA for OH?

@MrsTwentyEight Did you manage to DTD?

@Juno231 omg. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 nicest foof scan ever. What on earth? 😆 Glad it went well. They never found anything on mine last year. I suspect they'll do more now. But I went when due to ovulate too and they said it all looked OK so I'm hoping that means I do ovulate. So what the hell is wrong, I don't know. DH is booked in for 15th Sept for his specimen sample. Apparently they don't provide a room for this due to covid (and it needs to be less than an hour old) so he's suggested i drive and he do it on the way there? 😜🤣 Honestly. I do not know if to laugh or cry. Has your other half been checked out?

You can see why people say you have no dignity after doing all this. Literally it becomes normal.

@paintfairy haha well compared to pap smears, the LEEP I had done a few years back (where they essentially burn off cancer cells on the cervix with an electric current on a metal rod...) and a cystoscopy (camera up the urethra) this was pretty darn nice . She barely looked at me once, the room was dimly lit for my comfort and I hardly felt the scanning - maybe I need to work on my kegels lol!

Oh what - how far away from the clinic are you? I do find it ridiculous how everywhere does this differently - I swear other places let you use the rooms already. I read the other day about someone's OH using the room but being told that sadly there were no magazines for him due to corona! Cracked me up.

OH hasn't been checked so I am interested to see what that will show when it comes to it. I suspect that's what the gp will suggest after my day 21 test results come back. He's asked me twice about SA in the past week so I think he's mentally preparing himself for this being the next step.

How is this feeling btw @paintfairy - I remember your OH not being too fussed about TTC and you being convinced he wouldn't want to do these investigations. So this must be nice no? That he's more on board now I mean.

Oh those comments made me proper chuckle.

Nice to see DP is as wacky as others ... his suggestion for the SA was to pull over somewhere nearby so I could "make the withdrawal" for him haha. He "made the withdrawal" at home and we drove it down - I told him to tuck the container down his T-shirt as per the instructions. Imagine we were pulled over by the cops on the way there - "ah sir, can you please step out of the vehicle" and the container drops out. Too funny!

@paintfairy I've been bad not taking the folic acid, I know. I think I was just throwing a strop and refusing to take any of the supplements in a self pity party. Will start taking again from tonight :-)

@Juno231 Glad to hear your scan went ok. It really isn't bad at all is it. Especially cos they dim the lights. I didn't find it uncomfortable either. I think the next step is deffo SA. Over here, the NHS labs are still closed for that test. That was part of the reason we went private as well as they have their own lab on the premises.

I'm sure I've spent hundreds of pounds this year between OPKs, PG tests, various supplements, kindle books that I didn't read. What a waste!

It's funny though - because DP and I met later in life, we decided to forge ahead with baby making even though both of us would have personally preferred to be married first. We held off on booking the wedding because we thought I'd be pregnant and so we could time it better once we knew. I've calculated that, should the consultant prescribe the Clomid/Letrozole this Thursday at our consultation, we won't be able to start it until October's cycle because we are going on holiday in September at the time I would need a scan to check the old follicles. So ... if (and a big if) we get the tablets and start in October, I could be a few weeks pregnant on our wedding day. My research on google tells me a lot of women get pregnant on their second cycle, which would fall a week after our wedding. See how I'm setting myself up for disappointment ready? 😂😂

@Juno231 God, some of that sounds horrific! I've definitely never had the lights dimmed though, none of that around here. 🤣

We are about half an hour from the hospital. So with parking, walking to the right dept (place is massive) and timing doing it a few seconds before leaving, its tight time wise. But possibly doable. No idea what others do though if they live further away? I think DH still isn't that thrilled about it to be honest. He'll go along with it because I want to, but I think if he really had to put himself out he'd not. I think he feels a bit awkward about it all. Which, I get that. But he does say he's not sure why I'm bothered. 🤣 I think he feels too old and can't be arsed with the hassle. So in a way it would have been nicer if we'd met earlier in life too. Probably that's our issue as well @MimiArm

I think you need to switch off worrying and enjoy your wedding. Will it be able to happen ok still? Worry about which cycle it happens after all that! 🤣 And I think we've all wasted a fortune. I've just done an opk though and nothing. So I'm sitting here thinking maybe nothing has happened for the last few months and i haven't even noticed because I'm not doing them. 🤣 Maybe I'm eggless? We all fear the worst I think.

@paintfairy Sounds like you will have a rush job on your hands (no pun intended) 😂

Our wedding: we've kept the guests to 50 maximum. The church and reception venues can space everyone out as a result. The reception venue said they have discretion to allow it to go ahead if their risk assessment is sufficient. With our low numbers, they say unless there is a local lockdown, it will go ahead.

I would highly doubt you are eggless!

@MimiArm aah isn't that funny how planning TTC just never works? To think I was keen on starting in Jan because any earlier would have been a July/August baby, and I didn't want that from a school year POV. Now I'm looking at a summer baby regardless. I also had so much anxiety about a wedding invite we had for November to India and the zika implication. Obv Corona put a stop to that anyway but I now feel silly worrying about that when my womb is very much still empty!

@paintfairy It's tight but I'm sure it doesn't go bad at the 60 min mark - 10 min more should be fine if needed and that would make the difference between doing it at home vs in a parking lot lol. Unless he'd be keen on something naughty like that?

I see what you mean about OH - I still think it's good he's tagging along for an SA, if he wasn't keen to start with that could very well have been the very first stumbling block!

@MimiArm oh that's good. I'm pretty sure you still can't have weddings that size here. Although the rules change every day! Even without restrictions we had less than 50 at ours. With a few more at night. It was really nice. I think with too many people it just turns into madness and you can't possibly see them or talk to them or know what's going on with anything. Our ceremony was so lovely when I bravely managed to turn around and see all their faces. It kind of made it more special because it wasn't some massive thing? I hate all that stuff anyway and I thought I'd hate a wedding. But it was amazing because I kept it right for me. You'll have a brilliant day!

@Juno231 I did the same thing! Oh I don't want a July/Aug baby or Dec for that matter. Now you realise you'd be thankful for anything turning up. 😂 I also was adamant i didn't want a child or to be pregnant at my wedding and waited. Not sure that was a good idea!

I think he's ok doing it somewhere secluded but maybe not a parking lot. 🤣 Problem is these days there's cctv everywhere! Yeah I guess I'm lucky he's even going along with it. Would be a dead end if not. You can't really address issues on your own. He has to slowly get his head around stuff. Persuading him not to use contraception was a big deal at first. Baby steps! Lol. So we've come far!

@paintfairy Yeah I remember how many people from our Feb bus skipped the March bus just to avoid a xmas baby!

Went for my smear today. Nurse was shocked I bled. I was like- always do. Asked if I had abnormal bleeding between periods- was like yep, all in my notes. All looked normal apparently. So who bloody knows. Hopefully my results will be ok. Can't be dealing with anything else! Kind of wonder whether they should have done it last year really to rule anything out. But because it wasn't due they didn't. I have zero trust in the NHS to be honest. Today she told me there was no erosion. The first nurse also said that. But the gynaecology woman said I did? Who do you believe?

I'll await my phonecall tomorrow. See what they suggest as a way forward.

Omg. And re what you guys were saying about dimmed lights. Not only do they not for this (which I knew) - she had a pissing head torch on?! 😳🤣

@paintfairy hahahaha a head torch?! super infuriating about the conflicting assessments of your cervix though - let's just say I don't trust the NHS either! Funny that you brought up pap smears though as I got my letter through the post yday too - scheduled one in for the 21st. Was trickier than usual scheduling it as I had to consider AF, potentially being preggers in the TWW but also not going during FW cause omg the horror of them looking and findings lots of love gunk lol.

I think this is my sixth smear, fun times.

@Juno231 I had the same issue. But because I bleed on and off in my LP I had to do it before. And I don't really have much time between AF and FW. Yesterday was day 10 for me, so definitely not ideal. But we did it tues AM and I'd hoped the gunk would be gone by yesterday PM. What's also not ideal is they use KY jelly or something antisperm? So dtd straight after is also pointless. I figured we needed to do it this morning but just didn't have time. So it'll have to be tonight. I'm hoping I won't ovulate until tomorrow. OPK last night there was a faint line. So I'm hoping it'll be stronger today and indicate ovulation tomorrow. Temp 36.27 today. But then it's not worked any other month anyway so why I'm worrying a smear upset it? 🤣

Good luck with yours. Let's hope she doesn't have a head torch too! 😂

@paintfairy WTF a head torch!! O.m.g. What a mental image!!

We would have kept our wedding numbers at 50 regardless of COVID. Neither of us like to be the centre of attention. Even the thought of up to 50 people staring at us makes me quiver!! I can't wait though.

@Juno231 You're so right. At the beginning we plan it all out but it never goes to plan. Now we wouldn't care when we would have our babies, we just want them so bad!!

We had our consultation today. So much information to digest.

SA:

Volume: 27 million (Normal is anything over 15 million)
Mobility: 60% (normal is anything over 40%, or moving forward as he put it)
Shape: slightly lower than normal at 2% (Normal is anything over 4%)
He said he isn't too worried about shape. On IVF they would just pick out normal shape ones.

AMH:

32, which is high end of normal and means I've got lots of eggs and sensitive ovaries so I would need low dose of IVF as risk or hyper something. Reserve therefore very good.

Scan:

Largest follicle was 10 which is small

8 triple layer (whatever that means) but he said it's good.

He said they have a 3 month wait for IVF and he recommends it. Said he would also freeze some eggs and as I've got hyper sent ice ovaries there would likely be lots of eggs to collect.

In the meantime, because of low progesterone, he's going to prescribe letrozole for three months to see if that works. He said he's not certain I'm not ovulating because of the symptoms I get but there's no harm in trying it for three months first.

He thinks the operation I had when I was 20 may have caused some damage (I had a large bowel obstruction, suspected bowel cancer, burst appendix, and subsequent DVT and Pulmonary embolisms - thanks to NHS turning me away for days when I went in agony and clearly very unwell). As a result of the history of blood clots, I would need to inject something into myself through a pregnancy every day.

So, all in all (and worry to ramble on about myself so much ladies!) I feel positive that we are getting the tablets to start in a few weeks. The IVF will cost £6k (even though I get a free round on NHS, he said I would be waiting 1-2 years). We can manage £6k if nothing happens within the 3 months.

@MimiArm so your follicles are small but otherwise everything sounds fairly OK? Definitely sounds like IVF should be successful. Agree worth trying drugs before in case that works. Another 3 months is nothing. I assume that's 6k for one round? I've no idea how much it is here. But I did read just a SA was £300?! So I'm not sure we are affording private. However it sounds like you'll get everything sorted much faster.

1-2 years on NHS is a worry, as I know they won't do it after 40 and so for me that timing is tight anyway. I spoke to nurse today. She said she will speak to Dr about referral. If he's ok she'll sort it herself and get him to just sign it off. Or if he wants to talk to me then she'll arrange that. Although I've realised I could be sat here weeks wondering if she did or forgot. 🤣 But if I've heard nothing by the time DH has had SA I'll chase.

@paintfairy yes, definitely chase if you don't hear anything in a reasonable timescale. The consultant said they've increased age limit for NHS referrals due to COVID - not sure if that's in mainland GB as well or not, but worth checking.

I'll be 40 next June so I'm deffo gonna be at least 40 when I have a baby!

Yes, all seems normal. He said he sees to reason why we couldn't conceive naturally but still recommended all of this.

I'm hopeful about the tablets - and hope we don't need IVF but if we do, we do. We are by no means rich but we can stretch for it.

Our private couples fertility assessment cost £550 in total for everything to this point. It really was money well spent, even for the relief it's brought today in knowing that I've got plenty of eggs there. The £6k is one round of fresh embryo transfer, egg freezing, all the medications (he said it will take 3/4 weeks of various injections, appointments, the two procedures to extract and implant, etc).

@MimiArm wow that's a lot of info! Super jealous of your AMH, I'm 32 years old already only have 15.8 last I checked in June 2019. I am really hopeful the Letrozole will do the trick for you, but considering your age it's good you're going ahead with IVF in case the Letrozole way doesn't work out anyway. Don't want to waste time for the sake of it!

@paintfairy sorry if I'm being dense - what would the referral be for?