Bus 5-ttc for what feels like an eternity, so well and truly in the donkey club. No judgement here, just well wishes and advice on endo/ivf/MFI etc.

[becarefuloutthere]

Our regular riders on the donkey train 🚂
@Annny27 29, no1 since June 19
@RobinRose 27, no1 since Oct 2019
@Motherofkittens28 39 no 1 since aug19
@Yutes 34 no1 since aug19
@Crazydoglady123 32 pregnant 🥳
@Marvellouslymadmum 42 no3 since April 18
@Tofu35 35 no1 since sep19
@Hayley19835 38 no1 oct18
@Narwhal88 32, no1 since jun19
@Theawkwardblonde pregnant 🥳
@CreativeThinkerTequilaDrinker 15 months ttc ivf in June, ov 8th April
@2020mission pregnant 🥳
@Sjhigs 37 no1 since sep18 ivf consult mid April
@crazycatlady1981 39 no1 since Oct18, ivf in May
@PeanutButterBrownies
@Juno231 33 no1 since jan20
@clolo 31 no1 since jun19
@Aimzie 28 no1 4 years NTNP 22 months ttc
@VenusStarr 37 no 1 since nov17 ivf started in May!
@paintfairy ttc no 1
@polejunkie
@MIW0

@Juno231 thanks for the names of the clinics. Sorry, I just kinda demand the names yesterday and didn't say thank you! AF turned up and I was in a bit of a funk.

@Sunbird24 that's hilarious!

@Tofu35 welcome back. I know what you mean. I've been keeping myself inside this thread to spare myself the torment of the main board with people showing their BFPs after having to try for only 3 months "is this thick pink line an indent? We've been trying for weeks and were starting to think it wouldn't happen!"

I'm excited for hopefully a few more bfp in here though. We've got a few IVF twws and we certainly deserve some more in here!

My OH and I had a chat last night and decided we're ready to move ahead with planning our IVF. We will need to go abroad as we're moving back overseas for work in September. Unfortunately we won't be covered on our insurance there as we're not married (yet... Covid...😑). Denmark, Prague and Poland will all be easily accessible. Access Fertility do a super affordable 2 cycle and unlimited transfer option and in Poland it's only €4000! Obvs meds on top and if anyone knows any other add ons we'll incur please let me know! Prague and Denmark are also €3-4000.

Anyone who's gone down the private/access fertility route, how did you make your decision about packages? My AMH is 4.67ng/ml (somewhere in the high 30s in the UK measurement) so I'm thinking I'd get many eggs. I'm not sure if it's worth just going for a single cycle and then adding on transfers, taking a refund package or something else. It's hard to know without trying. @thislittlebird I think you had/have a similar decision right?

Massive post - sorry!

@CycleGirl20 my amh was just a little higher than yours at 5.3 I had 3 eggs2 fertilised and 1 made blast. My friends amh was 0.13 she had a donor egg which worked them miraculously fell pregnant on her own after aswell with mfi don't let the numbers put you off I don't think they matter too much tbh xx

@Sjhigs Ng/ml? My measurements is on the European scale where 4-5 is high. How is your cycle going? A blast is good!

Ooo I've just seen you're waiting on a test @Sjhigs. Fingers and toes crossed!

@CycleGirl20 yeah yours is like mine isn’t it? 30 something pmol.

I wish it was as cheap as Europe! Unfortunately not that cheap here but access is still pretty good. Our Access package would be a bit pricier than many because I’m 38 and need ICSI. I think I’m going to opt for two cycles because one + transfers adds up fast, would rather lose a couple of grand if it works than be worried by the cost spiralling if I have a number of embryos to try.

@clolo I really wanted an nhs practice run as as such for this reason, but it won’t be happening any time soon.

My reasoning is if it fails multiple times, the cost will keep going up if you have lots of embryos. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get any, but it’s a consideration with high AMH.

@clolo wow 33! How did they progress? Where are you now with that?

@thislittlebird I think the 2 cycle package might be the best for people like us with high amh. I guess if it totally failed then we might be left out of pocket compared to a refund package though. It's hard to weigh that up.

It is likely we might need icsi. The access leaflet says IVF/icsi. Maybe it's included. I could get a 3 cycle, 100% refund for €6000 compared with 2 cycles no refund at €4000. That's in Poland though and I'm not sure how I feel about that!

@CycleGirl20 as good as the refund packages are, I don’t want to handover £19k to one clinic. If I don’t like them that’s me stuck with them for three cycles. If it was cheaper I’d be less bothered but with my age + icsi it’s nearly £20k.

That’s very cheap by comparison. My rationale is all based on U.K. pricing.

Also I’m allowed 2 cycles before I void the nhs one, so it makes some sense for me to only have two.

@thislittlebird 20k! That's a lot. It is a lot cheaper abroad, although I've not added in extras. The UK is obviously more local and a known quantity. I'm trying to find out what tests we'd need so I can try to get some on the NHS.

How are the ladies due to test?

My progesterone came back as normal :) so that's good!

@narwhal89 I hope its positive for you! So you are about 13dpo by normal terms right?

@clolo 32 not 33 is still a big haul! I'd love to know of that's normal with our AMH levels. Helps with planning. Does your OH have any issues? Wondering if that might impact us.

@clolo you sound very similar to us! My oh has 51.5million/ml, 36% motility but only 2% morphology. Apparently all their heads are wonky! My follicle count a couple of weeks back was 35.

That's really good news that you got so many. @thislittlebird is similar to me too. High AMH but possible/probable MFI.

Had a chat with the NHS clinic this afternoon, it's an 8mth wait and I've to "just keep doing what you're doing" until then. We'll now need to consider whether to go private!

Also, found out I never had my MMR as a baby?? Just been walking around unvaccinated for 35 years! This will obviously need to get fixed before I get ivf...after my covid vaccine happens of course 🤯

@polejunkie My symptoms changed this morning, the twinges have gone but I’m now getting pre-af cramps that I get every cycle usually around 8dpo so I had a melt down that it’s not worked! 😭 DH looked like he was gona cry when I told him! Mentally preparing myself for the worst just in case 😕 How are you feeling? Any unusual symptom yet?

@Sjhigs ooh thats really exciting about a possible line, perhaps by tomorrow it will be clearer 🤞🏻🤞🏻 Getting away sounds like a great plan to take your mind off things!! 😊

@Tofu35 that’s so lucky that you’ve found out about the MMR and can get it sorted before ivf! I’d get on the waiting list for nhs, it may not be as long as they say, but defo have a look into private in the meantime! Are you in a CCG where you can come back to nhs round after private round or do you lose it if you go private?

@Tofu35 if you’re getting the jab get it quick. I’m too old to have had the mmr as a baby, it only started in 88, but they did a catch up programme in the 90s and I think I was part of it but no one can tell me. So I’ve just had the rubella screening test yesterday and assume I’ll have to be vaccinated if I don’t have antibodies.

Problem with this is that ive spoken to people on here who seem to be saying there’s a wait once you have it because you have to have two doses one month apart and then a month for it to leave your system? I’m so stressed by this. I really, really hope I have the antibodies.

@clolo’s numbers are giving me hope @CycleGirl20. My first scan was 28, then the next was 23. AMH was 36, but I need a new AMH test anyway. I’m desperate to start and I haven’t heard back from my request for Letrozole so far. 😔

@CycleGirl20 yes both mine and my friends ng/ml hers was so low xx

@crazycatlady1981 wish I never done it 😂😂😂

@crazycatlady1981 I don't think we're supposed to go private while we wait for the NHS queue to go down, but the person we spoke to said that there would be no way for them to check what we have done private unless we disclose. They did mention that any privately frozen embryos couldn't be part of our NHS treatment. So would need to think about that, and any cost implications of trying with our private frozen ones before going back to NHS?

Ooft head melting!

@thislittlebird, I contacted my gp surgery who was able to check through my records (I'm also older than the MMR programme!). I read about the months waiting but now I'm on an IVF waiting list, maybe I'm not as worried about skipping some months? Although ask me when it's happening and I'll be telling you how frustrating and miserable it is to miss two potential months!

New symptom or not symptom today weirdest feeling in my legs like achy not sore but annoying who knows mayb I just walked too much 😂