TTC first baby thread 26

[Annny27]

Hello all, setting up a new thread for us old timers to keep up and stay sane on the ttc journey!

@thislittlebird that’s so frustrating about your MMR. Could you not get access to your medical records in the end to see if you had it as a child? Could you meet up with your husband around ovulation? Or will he be too far away?

I spent over an hour hovering with the needle over my belly. It was mental torture. I attempted different positions. My husband offered to do it but I didn’t trust him not to move around. I felt more in control doing it myself as I didn’t want to pull away.

It was absolutely fine though. Being quite graphic, once it goes through the skin you can feel nothing. The only thing I felt was it breaking through my skin layer. But that didn’t hurt at all I was just aware of it.

I get out the drugs half an hour before. Pinch skin, inject, release drugs, count for 10 seconds, release the pinch then pull out needle. Then pat myself on the back for being amazing 😉

@MIW01 being used to needles is a bonus! The needle bit doesn’t bother me, I’m just very anxious and worry I’ll mess it up.

It takes ages, you have to have two doses a month apart and then can’t do anything for a month after that while rubella is in your system 😭. I have dose 2 on Aug 12. We’re seeing Mr Ramsay today, then the ivf doc on Wednesday (I think, need to check, just got back from holiday). Get the results today, which I’m stressed about, then discuss the plan on Wednesday, I will ask him to confirm when I can start the ivf. My periods are currently the first few days of each month roughly, if I have to wait one month after August 12 I’ll be looking at my early October cycle.

It’s all been so very slow. And I really wanted my husband to be here with me, but his job opportunity is unusual, we’ll be able to move to Cornwall to be nearer his family long term (mine are worse than useless), but it’s potentially a long time to be on my own and going through possible ivf failure alone.

@XjustagirlX no one seems to have my records so I was screened and didn’t have antibodies, so the ivf clinic needs me to have it. Dose 2 isn’t far away now, I just really wanted to have started already.

He’s going to be six hours away, staying with his parents for now, but he will do 4 on 4 off so we’ll be able to meet up, just not to same me having to go down there and be mega stressed with his parents there. Would rather he came here but it will be only for a couple of days realistically, with travel time built in and long hours when he gets back. I’m trying to time it so he can take leave and be with me for the “worst” part of ivf, but I’m not quite sure what that is yet. Egg collection and results, I guess?

I suspect I’ll be similar to you and find the injecting tough at first, not looking forward to it but glad you’ve mastered it. Well done!

@thislittlebird ye he will need to be with you for egg collection because he will need to give his sample. The days might work out on his 4 days off though.

Do you have your Ramsay appointment today?

Awww big hugs @thislittlebird I am so sorry, being on your own always makes things so much tougher. My fiancée is a huge support in my life. My disabilities impact me a lot and he enables me to be able to live a relatively normal life so I really empathise how important the support of others is and how hard it is not to have it! I hope your appointments go well with Ramsay and hope you enjoyed your holiday and it was a welcome break for you? I know it's not the same but I think we're going through it at similar times, very happy for you to PM if you would like someone to talk to. I have to admit it all feels very surreal with regards to starting IVF treatment and after DH DNA fragmentation results I am keeping my expectations realistic. I definitely don't feel excited, more apprehensive and anxious I think!

@XjustagirlX yeah, I’m hoping so. He told the job when they offered it to him that he’ll need time off for it. If he takes 4 days AL he’ll get 12 off so I guess we can try to time it as near to egg collection as possible.

His sister is a midwife who said she’d help with injections but i have to be in London for scans. It’s a lot to get my head round. Especially being alone and needing to do the trigger shots myself.

Yeah, seeing JR at 3.15. Nervous.

Thanks @MIW01, I appreciate it. I’m not coping well right now, just a lot to wrap my head around. That’s before I even get to dealing with my job/whether I’ll get mat leave if it works, maybe I won’t now if we move, whenever that is. Moving is stressful and I hate change. Shitty six months to one year lies ahead.

My partner is like yours. He’s my rock, and I have a terrible family. My mother hasn’t even offered to help me when I told her I’m doing ivf alone, which is not a shock because I know her, but it never stops hurting that she’s quite this shit.

Holiday was nice for a few days, but then the job interview and offer sort of took over. Was very stressful, wish I’d been home. We did get good weather and plenty of trips to the beach and sea.

I’m also not excited, just anxious for it to work. I’m so scared of it working but then no implantation, or I miscarry and I’m here alone. Need to stop thinking ahead because I’m spiralling into a panic.

@thislittlebird id recommend someone with you following EC, someone will need to drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours at least due to the sedation. In all honesty I was quite sore after EC and couldn't walk much for a few days, keep on top of paracetamol and a hot water bottle, keep up hydration and ensure you're peeing well to prevent infection. Having him there during this time is probably the best option. If you're not sedated for transfer most women go about their day as usual and try to keep themselves occupied and distracted for the dreaded TWW

@XjustagirlX did the clinic not bring you in to teach you how to inject and ensure you're not allowed to leave until you prove you can do it?
To prepare us we went to the pharmacy and got sample needles (the pack they give to drug addicts) and we both practised injecting a plain needle in ourselves and then DP practised injecting it in me so I knew I could trust him. I freaked out a few times during the practise runs but glad I did it

@kiza no we are with care. We just watched cares videos online which showed us what to do. I think it’s a new thing because of COVID.

@Kiza yeah he’s got to be with me for the EC, I don’t have anyone else to get me home and it’s on the other side of London. How long after EC is transfer normally?

@MIW01 @XjustagirlX we just saw Mr Ramsay and it was finally some good news! Despite the very low motility before his DNA frag was 59% normal and 0% very high, which is great. He said it’s unusual to get such good results with age + low motility but the impryl and ubiquinol must be helping I guess, he’s been on them for a few months now. He had no infection, low oxidative damage and a higher motility and morphology result for the first time in a year. 26% motility and 8% normal forms which is much higher than before. 9% mot and slightly low morph last time (can’t recall what).

Honestly needed that good news, I was on the brink of giving up the way I’ve been feeling lately.

I think The Lister get you in to show injections, I’m sure my friend in the over 35 chat got seen in person so I’m hoping I will be able to see them in person too. I was with Care back in Feb and there was a really nice nurse there, if it’s the London one.

@XjustagirlX oh that's a shame but hey at least you got through the first injection!! 🎊 it's such a mental battle injecting yourself then after a while you think 'why was I so bothered about this'?
@thislittlebird for us it was a 2 day transfer - only because we didn't have any other eggs to choose from. Average is 3 or 5 day transfer. I'd honestly recommend joining an IVF thread on Mumsnet. It was a life saver for me hearing and learning about it all from other women

@thislittlebird great news from Ramsay! Is that 59% of no fragmentation at all? We weren’t given a normal %. We just got a high damage and low damage and then the average score. Did he give you any advice? I was told it is usually a 5 day transfer but could be 3.

@XjustagirlX We need a copy to look at still but it was like this example attached that I just found on google.

DH’s was
Average 31%
Low 59%
High 0%

So I’m calling low normal because he basically said those 59% are fine and gives us a 6/10 chance almost. He said no advice needed, carry on taking the impryl and proceed to ICSI, basically. I am pleased there’s no additional delay, I might have cried lol

I just went back to look at yours and it’s not that different, did he say it was terrible? Because he told us that the fertile example is for 25 year old sperm donors at the top of their game, basically, and that for a 40 year old this was good for DH. Your partner may be younger and maybe there’s an age factor he considered that’s different.

Looking at it I guess it’s “fine” in the context of age + knowing there’s a big motility issue. The overall results improved a lot though so I suppose that’s very positive for the ICSI (which we definitely still need lol).

That's great news @thislittlebird my fiancée had 7% high DNA damage which we now know is likely due to Varicocele. His graph looked very much like the "infertile man" example. So that in context with my results and family history very much suggest ours is mostly (I would say at least 80%) a male factor issue now we've had all our tests done. I have a few "mmmm not great but shouldn't be causing infertility" things, such as thin uterine lining, slightly low progesterone, 2 small fibroids, and questionable egg reserve, but bearing in mind females in my family all conceived OK with said issues (discovered later) by accident, I am thinking I am OK.

@thislittlebird ye my DH results are quite similar to yours. My DH is nearly 36. Thé consultant didn’t say it was bad. He did say something similar about the men in the sample being not representative. I really just hope icsi works.

It’s so interesting that sperm can improve through change of lifestyle and supplements. It should be considered much earlier on.

I remember being so happy when my DH Motility results changed
Swimming in the right direction 34% To 56%
Swimming in the wrong direction 5% To 19%
Not swimming 60% To 25%

This was just from reducing alcohol and not having baths and staring to take supplements.

@MIW01 i glad you feel you have your answer. It’s horrible when you have no idea why it’s not happening. I’m similar in that my issues don’t necessarily cause infertility.

I have a sluggish right tube (but shouldn’t affect the left side)
The coeliac gene (May cause miscarriages but shouldn’t prevent getting pregnant)
A thin lining - I’m concerned about this but the doctors don’t seem to be
I don’t process folic acid - shouldn’t prevent fertilisation just development of a baby
Nk cells - could be an issue for me

I really concerned that icsi works but then I also have an implantation issue so i just miscarry again.

@XjustagirlX that's really understandable, I think it is completely expected to feel anxious about it. I am feeling very reserved as to whether our 1st round of IVF will work. I think my fiancée's issue is purely the varicocele as he's 35 and lives a good lifestyle, we both do and have done for some time. I think our issues are sleep and stress. I have put him on all the supplements to support him as much as we can in the meantime. Interestingly his SA was normal. He had 40 mil count, 49% motility and 4% morphology and I'm hoping it's improved since as he's been taking the additional supplements now. It is interesting that the fertility clinoc don't look at the DNA damage results! They're not interested in my thin lining either so I asked my acupuncturist to help sort that out and I ordered a load of Chinese supplements aimed improving the lining, reducing fibroids etc. Let's hope they help with something!

@MIW01 ye the clinics don’t typically take the sperm dna damage seriously enough. I’ve been really lucky with mine. My DH SA was all within the normal limits. It’s only because we paid for a comet test that they are letting us do icsi instead of ivf.

Ah must vary between clinics then @XjustagirlX ours will only try ICSI if IVF fails with my fiancée's results. It's really annoying because we also paid privately for the COMET test. At least it means he will get his Varicocele fixed!

@XjustagirlX is there a reason you think NK cells might an issue? I worry about all this stuff.

Just had our latest clinic consultation with the new doctor. He said the new morphology was great, and 0% high frag damage is ideal because that’s the main issue with dna frag. I’ll be on meriofert at different doses on alternating days, 150 and 225. Shitting it, no idea how ill do the measuring and injections alone.

He also recommended ICSI/IMSI and said I had PCO (no S).

@thislittlebird i went to the implantation clinic in Coventry and I had a biopsy to measure my nk cells.

I decided to do this during Covid because I wasn’t coping with everything being on hold. I still had to wait but at least I was on the list and it felt like I was making progress.

My result cane back high. Anything above 5% for my CD was high and I was 6%. He gave me progesterone prednisolone and aspirin to take next time I’m pregnant. But I’ve not been pregnant since.

@thislittlebird i meant it might be an issue because I haven’t been pregnant since getting the medication to see if it solved my early miscarriage issue.

If I get pregnant with ivf then the clinic only give me progesterone. They won’t give me the prednisolone or the aspirin. I think this is because of Covid and prednisolone lowers your immune system (to fight the nk cells) and also it’s an add on which isn’t allowed with nhs funding. But my consultant said she was happy for me to take it but she couldn’t give it via the clinic.

@thislittlebird that’s great news about the frag results and he doesn’t think it’s an issue.

Im sure you will be fine with the injections. The first one will be difficult but you will be a pro by the end of it.

So is he putting you forward for icsi? I’ve never heard of pco.