9DPO Symptom Spotting

[unCliche]

Hey @ButterscotchBabe! Continuing our chat here 😁

I loooove that your temps did exactly what mine did too. So good that AF hasn't arrived at CD26!! Happy for you! When your temps increased last month, was it is to a gradual high or did it jump up again and then AF started? Because if this pattern is new, it could mean good news!

Ours definitely look like the beginning of a triphasic chart. My temps last month started dropping at 7DPO, so it still being high at 9DPO is such an achievement for me and no sign of AF either although my vulva feels AF'y in a weird way. My pulse and breathing rate have also continued to shoot up!! If temps don't tell you AF is coming, pulse rate defo will because it always starts falling a few days before AF for me.

I do suspect chemical but no BFP so can't confirm and nothing else changed that cycle so I can't explain it. Hormones were defo the reason I never took the pill, it plays such a big part in changing your reproductive cycle that of course it would have an affect on cycles after you come off them! 45 day cycles sound like a nightmare - especially when TTC too.

I do have a FRER! I'm always so scared to use it though. I always use rubbish ICs which probably aren't the best thing but I will use my FRER with you!

I like predicting what my temps will do with DH. What do you think will happen tomorrow? I think both our temps will go up again 😆

Yay great to see your temp shooting up, although it's probably still lower than it normally would be at 4DPO? I'm not sure what matters more, the difference in temp from FP to LP, or how high it goes in the LP regardless of FP temps?

Which vaccine did your DH have? How has he felt since having it? We've got ours booked for Thursday, we'll be given either the Pfizer or Moderna.

I created the cake, I found images of the different tiers that I wanted and then merged them together. I thought that way there can be no misunderstanding in what I'm asking for! The baby cakes look awesome, that's a really good idea! We have a 3 course wedding breakfast included in our package so we can't serve our cake as dessert. If it's as pretty as I want it to be, I won't want to cut it until late 😂 so we'll probably serve it with the evening buffet.

I think it might be better to wait until the end of this cycle before paying the deposit, then if you are pregnant you won't have lost any money and if not then you'll be very happy to pay it!

No fertility signs yet for me, the EWCM will probably start in the next couple of days. The fertility clinic rang me today and confirmed they have changed me over to fully funded NHS treatment but they had to cancel my appointment on 6th July as that was a 'self-funded' appointment. The NHS appointments have a longer wait, so now I'll have to wait for a new date. I still haven't had a date for the MRI so it's not too bad, as I can't have a consultation without the results of that scan.

No idea of the waiting list for IVF after laparoscopy, I'll ask that at my next consultation.

The bunnies got into this really cute position earlier! I love it when they stretch their legs out, sooo cute 😍😍. I've also attached a pic of the cherry tree, it's quite young so I had to get close to try and capture the cherries! Yes fruits dropping on the ground is a pain because they attract wasps 😬😬.

That sounds really cool, it will be nice to treat yourself to something 😊.

Good luck with the appointment tomorrow, hope everything goes well!

Temp is still going up, so it may eventually reach its usual maximum temp before AF arrives. I think it's the temp difference from FP to LP that matters. When comparing the distance from coverline, this cycle is already slightly higher but not sure what that means for my progesterone. My RHR is staying quite low and seems to be dropping as well. Guess this cycle is one to watch, it would be interesting to see what happens over the next few days.

DH got the Pfizer vaccine and he's felt mostly fine. Says he feels more tired and his arm hurts but that's it really. Good luck with your vaccinations on Thursday. Do you think your BBT chart will be a bit weird afterwards? Apparently the vaccine can affect your cycles so if AF ends up being late for you, don't panic!!

Oh wow, check you out you little creative 😁 The cake looks really good, I hope it comes out exactly how you've pictured. Maybe only cut the top tier and keep the remaining bottom tiers for yourself and you can set it in resin to look at for the rest of your life 😂 I'm joking, don't do that. Just take lots of pics of it. What flavours are you thinking?

Yes, I don't think it'll make much difference if I paid the deposit at the end of the cycle as I won't be starting the IVF until my July cycle, which is over a month away, so I have time to get everything sorted between the end of this cycle and the beginning of my July cycle.

Glad to hear you're now NHS funded! Congrats! But shame you'll now be put on the extra slow waiting lists. 6th July was pretty far away, even for a private appointment so how long will they make you wait for an NHS appointment????

Haha awww! Your rabbits are comfortable. That's so lovely to see. They must have settled in already, bless 'em! Haha that's a proper baby tree! The cherries must be tiny because I can't really see them! Is this its first summer? I'm guessing it hasn't produced many cherries as of yet?

Thanks! I'll let you know how my appointment goes!

Just seen you've gone for lemon, carrot and ginger flavours. Very adventurous!

Just had the consultation and feeling a little bit daunted. The consultant went through everything, even showed me the needles I'd be using and now suddenly I really want to get pregnant naturally. She's recommended ICSI because of DH's SA which will cost us £3700, and because my ovaries are polycystic, I might have to do a FET which will be another £1100 and I think an additional £1000 to freeze the embryos so it's looking pretty expensive and now I just want to run away.

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What are the chances of conception this cycle? Now might be a good time to symptom spot, maybe that'll give me some hope for a natural conception 😭

Oh gosh that's sneaky of them to add those additional charges! I don't think you need ICSI as your DH's sperm count was only slightly low and overall it wasn't low at all. They shouldn't assume you'll need a FET, if they manage your medication carefully then you shouldn't get OHSS. £1000 to freeze the embryos is expensive, the NHS clinic here does it for £495 for self funded patients.

It seems ABC advertise a cheap price to attract customers but then sting them in add ons. What do you want to do? You could do what I've done and self refer to your local NHS clinic, then swap to NHS funding for the treatment. It will be quicker than going the full route through your GP. Also once you've had an IVF cycle, you lose your free NHS one.

Let's hope one of those little eggs has met your DH's sperm and they're on route to the womb!

Your temp has a very verticle line now! I see it's doing quite well when you compare it with previous charts, on how much it's jumped since ovulation 😊.

Oh yeh I forgot the vaccine can affect your cycle! I'll be having it right before ovulation so I wonder if ovulation will get delayed 🤔. That will mean our cycles are pushed even further apart ☹️.

Haha thanks 😊 yeh we wanted to go for some different flavours!

I have no idea how much longer I'll be waiting for the next consultation but it's also dependant on the MRI date. As I can't have the consultation until I've had the MRI. They said yesterday there is a long wait for MRI's but I don't know who's in control of arranging the appointment, the fertility clinic or radiology department 😕.

Its the cherry tree's second summer, yeh it's still pretty small, you can just about see the cherries 😂. It blossomed really pretty a couple of months ago.

I hope you're okay, that's pretty gutting to have the costs increased so much. Do consider giving the NHS a go, it will take longer but you're young and you've got a very good egg reserve 🙂.

So what was said was that whenever there are reduced parameters in the SA, ICSI is recommended. On the day, if his sperm are fine, they will perform normal IVF and refund us the difference. They didn't assume FET, I assumed that because I know how unlucky I am. It's a worst case scenario that we need to prepare for mentally and financially. We'll also definitely be wanting to freeze the embryos we get. It's £995 for two years. Then if the IVF is successful, we'll have to purchase the medication I take up until 12 weeks, so worst case we'll be paying at least £6k 😭😭😭😭😭 best case £2.5k + medication up until 12 weeks. We have the money but it's just so pricey for a baby but I guess a baby is priceless so it's a small price to pay 😭😭😭😭

I think I'm just so nervous that I don't want to go through with it but I'm just being a little chicken! Just the thought of being under anaesthetic and having a needle put through my uterus walls to collect the eggs. Having to inject myself! Needing to make a decision on which clinic to choose for my EC/ET. It's a lot. I've never had any form of surgery before - what if the anaesthetic doesn't work and I feel everything 😭😭😭 Not entirely sure why I thought IVF was a good idea 😭 Not even sure I understood what IVF is 😭😭😭😭 help!

My temps are still rising while RHR is falling - not sure what's going on there. My usual 6DPO sore boobs are slowly creeping in but barely there at the moment. Don't really have symptoms and if I do, it's probably progesterone related.

Your temps seem to be doing their usual thing so that's good. Hopefully you'll start seeing fertility signs soon and fingers crossed for a CD16 ovulation, even with the covid vaccine. Imagine if you ovulate when my cycle is ending. That'll be crazy! Not sure how we'd get back on track!

Are you still taking vitamins? The consultant said I need to be taking my folic acid, vitamin D and a multi vitamin. I'll think about it 😶

Gosh what if it takes months for you to get an MRI. Like 3 months?? What would you do? Sounds like there's a lot of waiting to go through. But I really do hope that that's not the case for you!! Sending magical accelerated processes your way.

I'm fine thanks lovely. Still holding out for a natural conception 😭 I've had my blood test today, so hoping to get my results back soon. I'll also need to book myself in for a TSH blood test at abc. I checked my medical record and when I was a kid (back in 2004 (2.52m/L) & 2008 (0.97m/L)), my TSH results were normal so I'm hoping that's still the case.

How are you feeling about everything? I hope you're ok with all the waiting?

Your temp is looking really good, it might hit 36.8 tomorrow 😀. EWCM has made an appearance so I'm officially fertile 😂.

Hmm I'm not sure if what they've said about the ICSI is true. I remember reading on the infertility boards when someone was deciding whether to go with ICSI, that the decision had to be made prior to egg collection as they need to prep for it, it's not something they can change to at the last minute. So unless you tell them you don't want ICSI, you'll definitely get it as they'll want the extra money. If you can afford it then ICSI would ensure all eggs are fertilised but I guess you just need to decide how much of a financial impact that will have on you both.

It's incredibly unfair that we have to pay to have a baby or put up with ridiculously long waits on the NHS. This government are trying to privatise the NHS so healthcare will only get worse, fertility services have been cut and cut.

The worse bit will be the daily injections, a tip I picked up - put ice on the area before injecting. You're lucky to get a general anaesthetic for the EC, the NHS only give you sedation, they don't put you to sleep! I've had lots of operations and it's kinda nice being put to sleep, you don't have anything to worry about 🙂.

Have your boobs become anymore sore? Whether you're pregnant or not it will be Progesterone causing the symptoms. But your Progesterone should be higher if you've got an embryo or two on board!

I've become quite lax with the folic acid and vit D and I don't take anything else. I've kinda accepted it's not gonna happen naturally so there's not much point me spending money on vitamins. You should take them if you're about to start IVF though, as they take a while to build up in your system.

I can't afford an MRI, Laparoscopy and IVF privately, so I'm at the NHS's mercy. As we've got the wedding in July it kinda suits for things not to move too quickly, else we'd have to put the brakes on.

That was a long time ago so things could have changed but if you don't have any symptoms of hypo or hyper thyroidism then you should be fine 😊.

The waiting is very annoying but I've got to not get stressed about it, as it's out of my control. Seeing my Grandad on Saturday, we're going out for a meal at lunch. It's good to keep myself busy and have things to look forward to, that way TTC isn't always on my mind!

I haven't done any sewing since we got the rabbits, as it was set up in the kitchen and I didn't want to risk dropping needles or bits of thread on the floor. We let the rabbits run around in the kitchen. Have you got out the sewing gear yet?

Yes, temp made it to 36.86 this morning. Maybe from here it'll start to flatline before falling. It could be the soy but differences I've noticed this cycle is very thick creamy CM, a falling RHR and no sore boobs - at all! And I can't even say that's a symptom of high progesterone because when I was on pessaries by sore boobs kicked in right on schedule. Maybe it just means my hormones are more balanced this cycle?

Yay for entering your FW! Maybe you will ovulate on CD16 after all!

I guess as abc do shoebox IVF, the process is a bit different with them and these last minute changes can be made, I dunno 🤷‍♀️ I'll have DH do another SA so we know where we're at, if the results are really bad then maybe ICSI will be best anyway. I made him find vitamins to take and buy it himself because I wanted him to take charge of his own fertility 😂 Hopefully the vitamins will help!

I really hope it doesn't come to the point where IVF services are privatised on the NHS and patients have to pay - that would be so unfair! It would make for a lot of broken hearts and empty wallets 💔

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 I've just read the abc guide and it's sedation too!! I'm not sure what the difference is but you're telling me it means I'll be awake through it all????? Yeah, maybe IVF isn't for me after all 😂

I do think my progesterone is at a good level as per my temps but I'm not sure if it correlates to my breast pain. I don't even think they're related anymore! There must be something else that causes it - maybe estrogen? You don't really get PMS symptoms so maybe your estrogen is quite low in the LP?

I feel the same way. It feels like a waste taking vitamins for no reason. I probably should start the folic acid again but I just feel like pregnancy will never happen so there's no point 😔 I'm actually pretty reluctant now.

Hopefully by the time you guys are married you'll be at the top of the IVF waiting list and ready to start. Then it'll appear to people that you got married and conceived straight away.

That's really lovely. I hope you enjoy your time with your Grandad. Will it just be the two of you? Glad you're seeing your family and keeping yourself busy, I should probably start doing the same.

Loool no, my sewing stuff is still in the garage! Good idea not getting yours out while the rabbits are there, I'm always dropping pins! I am thinking about buying a bike though, I enjoy cycling and it'll help me get out of the house and keep fit.

Just checked my medical report in the NHS 'Patient Access' app and my blood test results are in:

• progesterone: 29.7nmol/L
• FSH (not day 3): 4.2iu/L
• LH: 18.5iu/L

So it looks like my progesterone is still pretty low even with two corpus luteums and my LH is high 😪

Also noticed in the comments that came with my results, that they noted that all my results were normal 😭😭😭 so I'm sure that means they'll think nothing is wrong with me. I'm going to push for a day 3 FSH and LH test because it was kind of silly for my GP to book it in on the same day as my progesterone test.

I also read that your progesterone results don't correlate to a specific temperature value, so for example, regardless of what temperature I ovulate at, my peak LP temp will usually only rise 0.4°C - 0.5°C above my cover line (except the pessary cycle)

I think my estrogen must be lower this cycle because I also read that estrogen has an impact on how high your BBT will go. And since my boobs don't hurt, I'm guessing things must be in balance, hence why my temps are flourishing.

I also took an OPK today and it was very -ve so I'm hoping my LH results were just a random surge 😭 I feel like I'm halfway to being diagnosed with PCOS.

Great to see your temp rising, it's risen loads compared to your pre ovulation temp! I'm surprised your progesterone is low, it doesn't make sense because surely it's the progesterone that causes the temp to rise? It's all very confusing!

You can't read into the FSH and LH results unless they're done between CD2-CD4, they will change throughout your cycle and it will mean different things. That was silly of your GP to book it at the same time as progesterone, it just shows that most GPs don't know much about fertility ☹️. Hopefully you can rebook it for CD3 🤞.

So there's been quite a few changes this cycle - you ovulated from both ovaries, your temp has jumped its highest between FP and LP, your progesterone is low, your boobs aren't hurting and you have extra thick creamy CM. I guess most of those are due to taking the SI, it's concerning the progesterone is low though. They say it needs to be above 30 to confirm ovulation but the scan confirmed you ovulated?!

If your breast pain was caused by estrogen then surely they would be hurting the most this cycle 🤔. I think everyone's different and it's gonna be too difficult to pin point symptoms with hormones.

Ah okay, the level of sedation will depend on how much they give you. Some women report they didn't feel anything and basically dozed off, others have reported being more awake. It is something I'm particularly worried about because I have a high tolerance for many medications, so I'm concerned the sedation won't be enough. I'm sure they would top it up if you could feel pain because they're gonna need you to keep still.

Haha yeh everyone would think we had it easy! If only...

It will be the 3 of us, DP is coming as well. My Grandad lives with my Auntie, so after the meal I'm gonna ask her if she would like to be in charge of flowers for the wedding (she used to be a florist). 💐💐

Had the Pfizer jab earlier, it really hurt! DP had his at the same time and said he felt nothing! I must have just got unlucky. Arm has felt achy since and my body felt achy and shivery earlier but I took some paracetamol and that has helped. DP dramatically fainted about 15 mins after the jab, we were in the observation area and he felt queasy, so stood up, tried to run towards a bed and almost made it, he passed out a few steps away but his top half managed to fall onto the end of the bed! It made a loud crash and everyone came running 😂😂😂. We stayed another 15 mins and then I drove us home. He's felt fine since! Do you think you'll get yours soon?

Have you got any plans for the weekend?

Temp rose slightly today, I'm expecting it to start falling tomorrow. Yeah not sure why my temps have risen so much with so little progesterone. I suppose the body is a lot more complicated than we know. But the important thing is I'm ovulating and I hope it stays that way! How far away do you think you are from ovulating?

I've had some symptoms that I haven't read too much into because it's just the usual uterine and one sided cramping. I've had a bit of a back ache and this morning noticed my forearm was itchy and saw I had a rash. I'm not allergic to anything and I didn't touch any plants in the garden. I'll just have to keep an eye on it to see how it develops. Hopefully the quality of the image isn't too reduced or else I can send it on WhatsApp. Do you get rashes in your TWW?

In the notes of my progesterone results it says a value >20 indicates possible ovulation, so as far as they're concerned, all is well. It's fine anyway, regardless of whether it's the NHS or abc, I will be running as far away from ivf as possible because I'm clearly a bigger scaredy cat than I thought! Spontaneous conception is what I'm holding out for now. I'm sure you'll mentally thrive because it's been made clear many times that you're a stronger person than me 😂😂😭

Who knows what causes my breast pain at this point. For all we know it could be testosterone 😂😂 I'm just happy I'm not suffering with it this cycle.

Have you seen that movie called 'Awake'? Where there's a patient on the surgery table and his anaesthetic doesn't work and he's basically awake through the whole procedure. I think it has Jessica Alba in it. That's like the worst possible nightmare ever. I'd rather have a horse tranquilliser shoved up my arse than fail to fall asleep. And apparently, situations like this it happens in real life too!!!!! 😱

Aw that's amazing! Your Auntie will be honoured for sure! Do you have any other tasks that you're going to outsource to people you know? And do you reckon you'll do some thing yourself too? There were some things that I made myself, like some signs for example.

Congrats on getting vaccinated but is your DP ok??? Sounds like he had a bit of an adverse reaction to it! Hope he's recovered better today. I'm in two minds about getting mine. I got a text two days ago and a letter today to book my appointment but I want to wait a bit.

I have today off because it's Wellness Friday at work so I was hoping to do some garden work but I'm mostly just chilling right now. Over the weekend we'll continue in the garden - it needs so much attention and the more we uncover the more pissed off I feel at the previous owner because they've left a lot for us to do 😠 How about you? Apart from seeing your Grandad, will you do anything else?

Weirdly my temp shot up this morning, I assumed it was due to the vaccine as I felt ill yesterday. However my OPK this morning was positive and I've had ovulation pain on the right side. So I may have ovulated early?!

It's odd that your temperature is still rising but your heart rate is falling 🤔. Oooh that's a large rash, hydrocortisone will help the itchiness if you have any. I've never had a rash in the TWW, have you Googled it? It maybe due to the increase in estrogen or a delayed reaction to the SI? Have you still got the rash?

Don't be silly, you are a strong person. Look how far and successful you've got in your career! You have achieved more than most girls your age.

IVF is tough for everyone, I'm scared about it, I'm scared about having to inject myself everyday, I'm scared the EC will really hurt, I'm scared I'll go through all of that and then have a miscarriage or not even a BFP. But I have no option other than to continue on this journey because it's the only chance I've got of having a biological child.

If you need to or choose to go ahead with IVF you will be okay, you will get through it because what you'll get at the end will be worth it. You haven't yet done all the tests, it would be worthwhile having your tubes checked, then you'll know if you've got a chance of natural conception.

Lol I've heard of the film, it's extremely rare to not be unconscious after being given a general anaesthetic. In that case it would actually be beneficial to be sedated and not put to sleep, because if you can still feel pain, then you can tell them!

I don't think there are any other wedding tasks I will outsource to people I know. I was really gutted that the supplier I was going to use for stationary, has stopped doing weddings because of the pandemic. I loved her designs and they were really unique, I haven't been able to find another like it 😭😭😭. Now I'm going to try and recreate them, sourcing the materials from Etsy. How did you make your signs?

Yeh DP is okay, he always faints after injections 😂😂. My arm was killing this morning but I'm feeling better now 😊.

Have you had a chilled out day or did you end up doing something? Oh no, that's really annoying, do you think it's gonna cost a lot to fix the garden or just mainly time? I might do some more work as I haven't managed to get done as much as I wanted this week, due to feeling ill and rubbish internet signal.

I wrote a whole response and lot everything!!

Wow! What an unexpected but wonderful surprise! This must be your earliest ovulation yet? Do you think it had anything to do with the vaccine? That is quite a big jump too - you must be really pleased with that! Perhaps you had a fever that maybe contributed? Did you manage to get a few DTD in yesterday and today? I'm guessing your temps continued to rise this morning?

Good news, my temp did go up the tiniest bit. Bad news, I think I'm out. I decided to check my CM this morning to see what's going on and it was creamy and pink and spotting pretty much always precedes AF. What's annoying is if AF starts tomorrow then my LP would only be 9 days. Plus I checked pretty early so the spotting could have started yesterday at 8DPO which means AF could start today!! I must have also irritated my cervix because it caused me to cramp for a long while afterwards 😪 So tomorrow is D-day! AF and falling temps to be expected 😫 although it is doing better than last cycles temps and my LP was 10 days so I hope to get another two days before AF starts. But historically, I only ever spot one day before AF and never on any other day so AF will likely start today or tomorrow.

The rash doesn't itch anymore and it has sort of gone. I did learn there was such a thing as implantation rash 🤨 Trust me to be allergic to my embryo 😂😂 But I think it's mostly nothing - nothing that'll kill me anyway. I'm starting to get some soreness in the sides of my breasts so estrogen has arrived to the party 🎉

Thanks for the lovely words 💕 I think when it comes to things I have no control over I'm not so strong. You're definitely 100% the stronger person. With everything you've gone through with your fertility, you've handled it all so beautifully and you continue to be extremely positive. In your shoes I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle it all. But I guess in a way it is comforting to know you're scared too - only difference is you'll actually push through your fears, while I'm ready to continuously postpone the IVF. I guess I just need to start thinking "what would ButterscotchBabe do" and channel some of your positive energy so I can persevere.

DH and I are thinking maybe trying for another month or two (or ten 😂) as abc's scans are valid for 3 months so I'll have some time to get myself prepared. Or we could just go through the NHS 🤷‍♀️

I sent you some pics on whatsapp of stuff I made for the wedding. I bought a cutting machine which I used to create iron-on and stick on decals. It cost me a bit and now I don't use it so might sell it to my cousin who has started a customised balloon business.

Woooow! Why does he faint? Is it fear? Gosh how would he cope if he was the one who had to have the injections for IVF 😂😂

Yesterday I actually ended up doing nothing. But today we've been to the recycling centre to get rid of some stuff from the garden and we've continued sorting the garden out. It'll cost us mostly time than money but it's still super annoying!! Aww can't believe you'll be working over the weekend. I hope your day with your grandad went well. Let me know your aunts reaction once you've asked her to be your florist!

I was going through our messages last night just to symptom check and we're always hyping each other up in our infertility, like, "Woooo!!! look at those awesome temps that will definitely lead to AF, but look at them!!" or "Yaaaaay!! You're spotting so it must definitely be implantation bleeding, you're 100% pregnant even though you're super infertile" 😂😂😂 I love it! You've been such a huge support over the months 💕💕💕 Don't even know how to thank you for all the insanity!!

I had a very dramatic fall in temp this morning. 0.23°C down. I'm too scared to check my cervix in case AF is starting but there's been no spotting when I wipe as of yet. RHR did go up 🤷‍♀️

Looks like I did ovulate on Thursday, CD14, yes that's my earliest ovulation yet! Hmmm I do wonder if the vaccine caused it, bit of a coincidence! We haven't DTD much, DP and I both felt ill earlier in the week and I think DP isn't that bothered about trying anymore, as it's become clear it's not gonna happen naturally.

Sorry to see your temp coming down ☹️, fingers crossed af stays away today so you at least get a 10 day LP. I remember seeing on pregnancy charts, the temp does go up and down, so you're not out yet!

Glad to hear your rash has gone! That's so weird, you're only just getting boob pain at 9DPO. How is it today? If af doesn't arrive today, will you test tomorrow?

That's interesting, I guess that's where we differ, I'm more relaxed with things I have no control of. That said, I have had to calm my frustrations at the fertility clinic's slowness! Take action with the things you can control and try to stay calm with the things you cannot, you can relax knowing you're still young and you've got a good egg reserve 🙂.

What's the next steps with the NHS? Did you manage to arrange Day 3 bloods? Do you have the information from previous ultrasounds you've had privately? If you can get hold of that it will speed up your treatment when they refer you.

I looked up the cricut machine and it's reduced in price as there's a new model out, so I've bought it 😀. Gonna use it to make all the wedding stationery except invitations 😱😱. At least I've got a year 😂😂.

No idea why DP faints, he doesn't have a fear of needles and he's fine whilst having the injection, it just seems to be an after effect! I've told him he's gonna need to inject me when we have IVF, it will be interesting to see if he faints when injecting someone else! 😂

Your garden must look quite different already, did you take any before pictures?

So as I was showing my aunt pictures of flowers and wedding breakfast table ideas, she said "oh I can get those", so she kinda offered before I asked 😀😀. She did say it's a lot of work for 1 person though, when she worked as a florist, they normally had 2 or 3 people to set up for a wedding. So I'll need to scale down the amount of flowers I was planning.

I also told her I was thinking of asking my cousin's (her daughters) to be bridesmaids, which she thought was a lovely idea. It's a bit awkward because I don't know them very well, as my Mum fell out with my aunt when we were young (and my Mum still avoids her). But hopefully this will be an opportunity to get to know my cousin's better.

Hahaha it's the glimmer of hope each cycle that keeps us going! I don't think I'd have been so positive if someone had told me a year ago it wouldn't have happened by now. Are we on cycles 9 and 11 now? I've literally lost track 😂. Aww thanks 🥰 and thank you for your support too! It's been so lovely having someone to go through this journey with, who understands what it's like! And the journey is far from over, still a long way to go. When do you think you'll make a decision on the IVF?

That's pretty awesome then! CD14 plus a good length LP would be amazing. Have you done any googling to see if there's a link between the vaccine and the menstrual cycle? Aww that's a shame your DP feels that way but at least he's very supportive of you - I think that's everything you need. You're still getting EWCM? If I remember correctly, in the past you've experienced EWCM after ovulation right?

I spotted some more this morning. It was there when I wiped and then I checked my cervix and it was lots of brown blood. So far AF has stayed away but now I'm fully expecting her tomorrow. It's the only logical conclusion to this cycle. I tested with an IC and BFN. Unsurprising but a bit upsetting. I just feel annoyed that even with a doubled chance of conception it still didn't happen. DH's weight loss has gone absolutely nowhere, so no point expecting anything from that respect. I on the other hand have lost a kilo from working in the garden 💪 Boobs still hurt but not excruciatingly and I'm pleased I only get a couple of days of boob pain instead of a week!

I think I will just work on getting the test results they need. I'll basically need to book in a TSH blood test and SA for DH. Maybe we'll do it at a London clinic and make a day trip out of it. I'll also need to call my GP about my Rubella status as it wasn't on my medical file as well as booking in actual day 3 tests 😅 But day 3 is imminent so it won't be the next cycle but probably the cycle after 🤦‍♀️ Yeah, I have a letter outlining my scan results that I did in January but nothing from abc. I'll see if I can request a summary from them too, that might help too.

Eeeee sooo exciting!! Definitely reach out for tips using the Cricut machine. I make my designs on Adobe Illustrator but I'm sure the machine will come with its own software, You're already very creative so you'll definitely get the hang of it pretty easily. I loved, loved, loved all the creative aspects of my wedding, I literally thrived off the creativity. I'd love to do it again! So I think you'll really enjoy it too. It's such a worthwhile distraction.

Haha omg! Imagine if he faints after every one of your injections 😂😂 You'll probably end up doing them yourself!

Our garden looks a hot mess 😂😂😂 I have loads of before pics but I'm starting to prefer the before to be honest! But I know it'll look worse before it looks better. We've already filled one skip and need to hire another one! I don't know what the previous owner of our house did, but the bottom of the garden fills me with rage. We unearthed an area and there was little bits of plastic, glass and random shit stuffed underneath a layer of a sort of weed barrier fabric. Lots of concrete slabs and bricks stuffed underneath this fabric, and it pretty much covers a good portion of the back of the garden. And then on top of it, they put topsoil to hide all their sins. So now we're basically in the process of removing all this topsoil so we can remove the fabric and all the rubbish they stuffed underneath it 😠😠😠 (To summarise: Topsoil > bricks and slabs > weed barrier > more bricks and slabs and random bits of rubbish, plastic, glass, wood > another weed barrier (!!!!!!) > normal untouched soil, phew!)

Awww amazing! Sounds like she was very keen to get involved!! So glad she's on board - I'm sure it'll all look lovely on the day 💕 I didn't have too many flower pieces at my wedding. The centrepiece was a decanter filled with wine as it was wine themed. The flower arch that we used as a backdrop during our ceremony was reused in the reception as a backdrop for the top table. So you can definitely think about reusing flowers from one room to the next.

Pretty much all my cousins were bridesmaids. How old are your cousins? Mine were all 17+ years old (x2 sisters, x3 cousins, x4 friends (but I ended up losing two of them, one I no longer talk to), x1 DH's sister) How many bridesmaids do you think you'll have? Does your DP have sisters? Having a relationship with cousins is great. I'm really close to mine. I hope this will be the start to a beautiful relationship for you!

Haha!! Nooooo I'm on cycle 10 going onto cycle 11 😂😂😂 So you're definitely on cycle 12 now. How depressing! 😂😂😂 I'll probably make a decision on IVF never! Haha no, probably once I'm all depressed from AF starting, that will spur me to get some things done.

The suspense is killing meeee! Day 3 of spotting but it hasn't gotten heavier 😪 Anxiously waiting for AF to start!! My temp today is already my lowest 11DPO temp ever, so it's coming, but when???

Oops forgot to crop!

It's here!!!

Oh no, sorry af arrived, that's rubbish ☹️, at least you were expecting it with the spotting and drop in temp. I wonder if the estrogen boost will make your af any different, I guess it's already started off different by having extra days of spotting.

Has your af arriving made you feel any different about starting IVF?

Well done on losing a kilo! Because you're doing quite manual labour, you've probably lost more than a kilo in fat and gained some muscle 😀.

Our cycles have both been strange this time! Today I've had backache and ovulation pain, even though I apparently ovulated a few days ago. Also had a temp drop so no idea what's going on but looks like I'll probably have an 8 or 9 day LP. It's probably something to do with the vaccine but I haven't had the chance to look it up.

Had a crazy busy day at work and the cricut machine arrived, which I was very excited about. However I'm now quite annoyed, after spending ages trying to get the machine to write in foil (I've bought foil paper and the foil transfer tool), I've discovered in the latest update to their software, they have removed this function. So now I either need to pay for the premium version or buy a debossing tool 😡.

Omg that's awful of the previous owner to hide all that rubbish under the grass 😱. Unless they didn't know and it was the person before them. Well done on digging it all out! You'll be so pleased when it's done and it will definitely be worth it! The bugs and wildlife will love you for getting that crap out the ground 😊.

I'm guessing the wine theme was your DH's idea?? Aww you had a flower arch, that's lovely! I thought about having a flower arch but the gazebo will be dressed up, so we might not need one.

My female cousins are 15, 17 & 21, so they're all a fair bit younger than me. Howcome you lost 2 bridesmaids? I'm planning on having 4 in total, 3 x cousins and 1 x friend. DP only has brothers but none of his family are coming!

AF going on as normal. I was a bit crampy yesterday but mostly fine today. The soy didn't do much to help my cycle if I'm honest nor did it do much to mess it up either so I'm thinking about taking it again this cycle in case I get another double ovulation, just to increase our chances one last time.

When AF started, it definitely gave me a push to sort out the results I need. I've booked a TSH blood test for this Friday. I've emailed my GP for a written copy of my Rubella results (which came back as 'detected', phew! I wouldn't want to have to delay things by waiting for a MMR vaccine), I also have an appointment with my GP on Friday to talk about doing actual day 3 blood tests and next steps. Next AF due 9th July so I suppose the countdown to IVF can start now.

I hope I've gained muscle! Have you been doing any workouts? Do you plan on losing weight for the wedding? I lost about 11kg total. I think around my wedding time, I'd lost about 6kg and then I lost the remaining 5kg after the wedding. And I've put back on 6kg but now trying to lose just 3kg to get to 60kg. I think that's a more sustainable weight for me. Being 57kg was great but unsustainable in the long term. BMI is currently 23 but I want to be smack bang in the middle of the normal range, so about 21-22.

Oh your temps are interesting. But do you think maybe the vaccine artificially increased your post-O temps and now it's falling down to it's normal post-O level? What did it do today?

Yaaay for the Cricut machine, boo for the premium software! The machine is expensive enough without having to pay for extras. With how much it costs, the software and all its features should come as a freebie! The debossing tool might be the way forward. What ideas do you have for the machine?

I'm sure it was the tenants that were renting the house before we bought it. They did so much random nonsense to the house itself that I wouldn't be surprised if it was them! Apparently, there used to be decking in that part of the garden, so not sure why they ripped it out! And not sure why they thought burying plastic was a good idea too!! It really annoys me!!

Haha of course the wine theme was DH's idea 😂 he put his own stamp on the wedding too. Does your DP have any ideas he'd like to add to the wedding?

Oh that's a shame your DP's family aren't coming 😔 But your cousins are good ages to be bridesmaids because you definitely need people who will help you and not slow you down. I have a younger female cousin who I had to leave out of the bridal party because she was just too young and no one would have the time to look after her. I think I might have told you about the bridesmaid that I fell out with because she wasn't being very cooperative? Then another bridesmaid didn't show up. She told me the day before the wedding she thinks she might have covid. Annoying.

You could try taking the SI on different days? I think last time you started on CD5, you could try starting on CD4? Might release 3 eggs!

Good work on getting things moving with the next tests, it's such a long waiting game! If I haven't had my MRI date or consultation date by end of this week, I'll contact the clinic again 🙄.

My temp went up slightly this morning but still low so I dunno what's going on, rubbish body!

I haven't done anything fitness related for a while 😂, my body has gone very soft! Yes definitely plan on losing weight for the wedding, 10lbs is the goal. I've got over a year, so no excuse 😂😂. That's funny you lost more weight after your wedding, I think most women put it on 😂. I suppose you didn't have the honeymoon to indulge ☹️.

I wish I'd researched into Cricut a lot more before buying, most of the patterns/images/text are chargeable, only a small amount is free. It's like buying a printer and then paying everytime you want to print 🤔. It's a cool machine and hopefully I'll be able to make some lovely things but it's definitely an expensive hobby. Other than wedding stuff, I'd like to make some pretty cards and maybe start an Etsy shop. Which cutter do you have, is it a Cricut one?

Surely tenants shouldn't be ripping anything out?! I wonder if the landlord knew what they were up to!

Well to start with DP wasn't that interested in the planning and so I had carefully planned everything just how I wanted it. Now we've booked a venue and it's all real, DP is wanting more involvement! Which is difficult because I've already planned it all now 😂😂. I did say we could have the table names as ski resorts, he loves skiing! Did you and your DH disagree on much with the wedding?

DP's family are quite unpleasant, so it's really not a shame 😂😂. I hope those 2 bridesmaids didn't affect your day at all. I'm not sure if you did mention it but I'm sorry if I've forgotten ☹️. I think we've covered so much about our lives on these messages. Other than DP, you know more about me than pretty much anyone, it will be lovely to meet you in person! 😊

I'm gonna have a birthday bash in our garden, it seems venues just aren't interested in taking larger bookings. It's a shame because they're allowed to outside but DP thinks they don't want the bad publicity of a large group.

Haha! 3 eggs 😱😱😱 I could try SI on CD4. Maybe my ovulation date will change as well. My AF seems lighter, not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Especially with all the spotting I had!

Have you done an overlay to see how your current temps compare with your previous cycles? I think it's sensible to expect a weird cycle after the covid vaccine, then you won't feel as worried about your body. I should book mine for this cycle tbh. Maybe a compromised immune system will help me get pregnant 😂

I was able to get a copy of my rubella results so I've sent that over to abc, so all that's left is the blood test on Friday, which I'll be doing with abc, so they'll pretty much have the result for that straight away. By next week Monday, everything they need will be with them so I'm hoping to have the treatment consultation booked in a couple of weeks before my next cycle starts. They'll give me dates of scans during the consultation so I'll be able to know when to take time off work - not sure if I should tell my boss we're having IVF though. He's a good boss and we're pretty close, well as close as managers and staff can get. We've also booked another SA for DH for next week although they were happy for us to submit his previous one despite it being "a year" out of date 😂 I'm also really excited for ICSI. It increases our chances of twins which means never having to TTC again!!! I'll be travelling to London for the blood test so I want to buy a bike so I can cycle to the train station and back.

You can definitely do 10lbs in a year! I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in your dress! When we visited Brighton over the bank holiday, we hired bikes and cycled back and forth between our hotel and the city centre. I really enjoy cycling so I hope to do it regularly. I'm going to look at a used bike today and maybe buy it! And hopefully that can add to my weight loss too. Do you cycle? Have you planned how you're going to lose the weight - exercise, diet or both?

Could you return it? You've had it for less than 14 days so I'm sure you're allowed to. My machine is a Silhouette Cameo 4. The basic software is free, and printing text is free but there are also premium features but I've never needed them. An Etsy shop will be nice, lots of people want creative and handmade things like that. I'd love to make money on the side but not sure what I could do!

She probably wasn't a very good landlord because she allowed them to do whatever they wanted to the house! They even had dogs (x2). Luckily I was able to get the dog smell out with bottles upon bottles of Febreze! It makes sense why it was sold slightly underpriced.

Haha typical men! Ski resorts is a good idea for table names! It's so hard finding something unique but relevant to you so I think that's a really good idea! I hope your DP likes the idea too. DH likes my taste so the planning was easy, we never disagreed on much but compromises were made (like the colour of his suit). He took care of the alcohol of course and we worked on the wedding programme together but I mostly oversaw everything. It's nice your DP wants to get involved though because then it feels like it's both of your wedding.

I probably didn't tell you about my bridesmaid then! We really have talked about so much that it feels like I have but I probably haven't! So basically, she never really got involved. When plans were being made and meet ups being organised she would never be available or respond. She never attended my bachelorette, when all the bridesmaids dresses were being ordered she never submitted her measurements in time so she had to order hers herself and got the measurements all wrong so her dress came out too short. The dress was delivered to my parents place and she lived just 10 minutes away. We told her to collect the dress so she could sort it out with the company. She never bothered to collect it and the window for her to get the dress fixed was getting smaller and smaller. Then she messaged and said she didn't want to be a bridesmaid anymore. I persuaded her to stay but she continued being unreliable. Didn't bother communicating, ignored lots of messages so I got fed up and told her I didn't want her as a bridesmaid anymore because she wasn't being helpful and she was making my job harder. And we haven't spoken since! She deleted me off social media too. So definitely pick your bridesmaids wisely 😂

Sorry you can't get a venue booked! That's really annoying but a garden party is definitely better because you can do whatever you want!! I can't wait to meet you!! You literally know more about me too than anyone else, still trying to decide whether to tell my parents about the IVF!! I also want to be at your party! It will depend on whether I do a freeze all cycle or not, if I do an embryo transfer this cycle then I won't be able to make it, if not then I will!! Let's put a date in our calendars to meet up regardless of your party. It might have to be in August though as we have plans for our June weekends.

How are your rabbits? In the summer definitely check them over more often. They're still young and healthy but it's still good to check their bottoms as if it's poopy, flies can lay their eggs in their fur and the maggots can eat into their skin and it's a pretty painful and fatal predicament (it's called fly strike). Since my grey rabbit has history of a poopy bottom, I have to check him over often, especially since he's outside. Flies are the worst! We got maggots in our food bin 🤢🤢🤢

Told my mum about IVF 😂😂😂 she was like they should put in as many embryos as possible! 😂😂😂