thread 2... TTC bubba #1

[xoJellybean]

Thread #2... TTC our first!

@taytay2020 keeping my fingers so tightly crossed for tomorrow. Will they transfer the more developed one even if it hasn't quite reached blast, to give it a chance?

Really hope your transfer goes ahead tomorrow!! Good luck xx

@Lebe14 we're doing a transfer this afternoon! It's not a great embryo but at least it's beaten the odds so far - 5 B/C B/C (borderline but they're going for it anyway given that it's literally our only one)

@taytay2020 that's such great news!!!! So pleased you're able to transfer. Both my frozen blasts are BC too. Most people I mention this to say not to worry - any blast good enough to transfer has a shot.

Hope all goes well this afternoon for you xx

@lebe14 thank you :)

@taytay2020 how are you feeling 7 days post transfer (if I'm right?!?). Have you tested at all or managed to keep yourself busy enough to quieten the urge?? X

@Lebe14 Thanks for checking in! To be honest, I'm doing fine. I hated the stims part soooo much that this tww is rather pleasant! No symptoms to spot, but I'm usually lucky in that regard each month anyway so I don't think that's necessarily a sign either way! I think I got all my stressing and disappointment out of the way last week when we didn't think we'd have anything to transfer, so now I'm just relieved we got this far. I know the odds of a positive on Sunday are low, and it'll be disappointing, but I think I've already accepted it. I'm just getting on with things! And enjoying what will probably be the last of the q10-free days before we have to start prepping for round 2 next year...

@taytay2020 glad you're feeling okay! I'm actually more worried about medication for the FET compared to stims 😂😂 - feel like they're going to mess with emotions where as stims were fine for me.... Eeeek Sunday is test day. You never know, hopefully it will bring a one hit wonder for you - I really hope it is. Good luck for Sunday xx

@Lebe14 Oh no what meds will you be taking?! Do you have a rough start date now? Not long to go, right?! Exciting!!

@taytay2020 hoping to start mid November!! So not long to go. I'm going away for 3 weeks just before so the time will fly by.

I'll be taking progynova (oestrogen) - 4 tablets a day. Then progesterone peasaries 3 times a day and a progesterone injection each day! Are you on progesterone at the moment or did you do a fully natural cycle? X

@Lebe14 Oh no, so many meds!! Enjoy your hols though, that's a great way to pass the time.

Yeah I'm doing the progesterone pessaries 3 times a day. I suspect they're the cause of my tender boobs (this symptom started before transfer) but other than that I just feel normal. But I don't generally get any mood swings etc in my cycle anyway. Today's supposed to be my last day of taking them, but if I test positive tomorrow I don't know if I'm supposed to continue..?! Will cross that bridge if we get to it.

Poor DH asked this morning if I was going off to do a test and I had to gently remind him our OTD is not until tomorrow. The suspennnnse!

@taytay2020 ahhh you're so so good not to test earlier. I reckon I'll definitely cave in. Fingers are tightly crossed for tomorrow for you.

My clinic has said that if I get a positive I'll continue the meds until 12 weeks...! As after that point I believe the placenta takes over - I think it actually takes over a little earlier but they've said 12 weeks just to be on the safe side.

Good luck for tomorrow!!! X

@Lebe14 I tested negative unfortunately (as expected) so I'm back on the q10 from tomorrow, booooooo!

Keeping my fingers crossed for your cycle though! Keep me posted!

So sorry @taytay2020 ☹️ how are you feeling about it?

I don't have high expectations for the first round as my consultant has been very open and honest, but I do still have that tiny bit of hope. So a BFN will still be difficult - it's the 'what ifs'. But I do hear that second cycles statistically have better chances as the first is always a bit of trial and error.

I can't remember if you got 1 other embryo from this cycle? Will you get an appointment with your consultant to discuss next steps this coming week?

Hope you're okay xx

@lebe14 yeah I need to book in a follow-up appointment. We didn't get any other blastocysts unfortunately so can't do the frozen cycle we were eligible for on the nhs. Gotta start from scratch next year. (We're on hols in December and there's just not enough time to fit another full cycle in before we go.)

I definitely felt better when I completely gave up hope lol. I just knew I was setting myself up for a bigger disappointment if I got my hopes up! I'd rather just be surprised if it works 😀 So I guess it's good your consultant has set a realistic expectation, hopefully that will help.

Today is one month since we started stims and I'm already starting to forget how horrible it was, so hopefully we can go into the next cycle without too much dread. I still have a big bruise from where one of my day 5 jabs hit a blood vessel though 😬

That sounds good to take a break - enjoy your holiday and Christmas and then start afresh in the New Year. Hopefully your consultant can change up the protocol based on what they know from the first cycle. And by that time you'll have completely forgotten about stims haha! Can't believe you still have a bruise ☹️ it's funny as some days they can be fine, but others they're not....

We're likely to start our next cycle end of Jan if our FET doesn't work - so we might be cycling at the same time.

Enjoy your well deserved break! X

@Lebe14 I hope you're having a good holiday! Don't rush to reply to this!

We had our follow-up appointment today and it seemed pretty positive. They'll keep the same protocol and stims etc next time. The part of our cycle that didn't work so well was fertilisation, which was well under what they would expect from ICSI - but they can do a couple of things to try and get more fertilised embryos and blastocysts next time (PICSI and calcium ionophore). Costs more (obviously) but I'm kinda annoyed they didn't offer it last cycle tbh! We would have paid! I just made a very elaborate spreadsheet comparing costs of the various multiple cycle options before we start again in January, and in the meantime I need to eat more vegetables, ugh. 😀

Hey @taytay2020 glad to hear your follow up appointment went well and there are a couple of options to increase the fertilisation next cycle - that's really positive! It's definitely worth giving it a go. Annoying that it wasn't offered first round, but I guess the first is always trial and error and they don't want to offer more than needed at that point. I too have a big spreadsheet with all multi cycle costs haha!! Only way to work everything out and keep track.

I'm hoping my cycle starts quickly this month - think I'm due in around a week. So we can get on with transferring our 2 frozen embies!! If all goes to plan then we'll find out whether they've worked about a week before Xmas I imagine. Just want to get started now, feels like we've waited so long. However, our trip / holiday of a lifetime has made the wait worthwhile!!! I'm hoping that if unsuccessful, we can start another round in January, like you x

@lebe14 Sounds like you had an amazing holiday! What a great way to relax before you start the next round. Please keep me posted as you go along!

We've decided to pay for 2 cycles, but we wanted to use a 0% finance option for a few months to spread the load and I think I've bungled that! They only asked about my income as I'm the primary patient, and honestly there's no way they're going to accept it on my income alone 😂 but when I realised this it wouldn't let me go back and edit it to extend the term! So I'll have to wait for the rejection this week and hope that they'll let us reapply (and also hope that I can do that without completely destroying my credit score!) I'm annoyed at myself for even submitting it tbh, I should have waited to call them this week or something.

That's amazing they offer a 0% finance option! Hopefully they accept your application and all is fine. We're also on a multi cycle - we paid an upfront cost which gives us 3 ECs and unlimited transfers over a year. Do we have until end of June (I think?!?) to complete all. So it's going to be a race against time haha! But it definitely works out more cost effective if we need to have 2 or more ECs (which is highly anticipated).

Will keep you updated on our FET this month. Had random brown spotting yesterday all day.... so not sure if that's just my body messed up from travelling or if my period will be arriving sooner than next week. Either way - just want to get going now. Meds are all ready to go - just waiting for AF to arrive now x

@lebe14 I'm so sorry for the slow reply! How are you getting on with your FET? I assume/hope you're close to transfer now?

Hey @taytay2020 - how are you? Nowhere near transfer as my cycle hasn't even started yet.... 7 days late!! ☹️ think my cycle must be messed up from travelling. No idea what's going on. I have until Monday for my period to arrived otherwise we'll miss the clinics cut off for Xmas. Gutted. Really hoping it turns up over the weekend so I can get the baseline scan in before Tuesday, but not convinced.... x

@lebe14 oh nooo! I'm sorry you're having to wait again, that must be so frustrating, especially when xmas getting in the way would mean an even longer wait! Keeping my fingers crossed for good news today 🤞 (pretty unusual to be glad about AF lol)

@lebe14 In other news I'm still in an endless saga with trying to sort out our 0% loan, it's been a right faff and I've had to reapply twice already 😀 We just need it done in the next couple of weeks or we're giving up and just paying upfront. It's a good thing we weren't planning to start our treatment until January or this would have completely scuppered our plans!

I also discovered a swallowable q10 pill so life has got a lot easier (although I still have a lot of the powder ones to use up whenever I remember to stir them into something). So that's a win! I'm still using smoothie or milkshake to take my omega 3 and iron tablets but at least that's only once a day (and a good excuse for smoothie or milkshake!)

@taytay2020 so sorry to hear you're having a mare with the loan. These things should be so simple but are always so over complicated. I hope you manage to get it sorted soon?

Ahhh I remember you mentioning the coq10 before and using smoothies. That's great you've managed to find one that you can take easily!!! I haven't taken coq10 for ages. Was taking Impryl but now just taking Vit d and folic acid. Might start taking Impryl again.

Cycle still hasn't started ☹️ I have until tomorrow and that's it. And I reckon things won't work timing wise to start when the clinic opens end of December either. So defo looking at starting mid / end Jan. So gutted. I'm on CD 36 today 😂😂 cycles are usually around 25 days. Hate how it's so out of my control and nothing I can do xx

@lebe14 any luck? 🤞 Really hope you won't have to wait another 2 months 😥

I'm inching closer to getting that loan lol. It got provisionally approved and I signed the contract last night so hopefully they'll transfer the funds in the next few days. Then we still have to pay a smaller amount upfront ourselves. And THEN we'll be ready to start in January 😀