TTC 35+ Thread 12

[Misty84]

Hope this works girls, haven’t done this before, we’ve run out of space on the other thread.
@thislittlebird @ElsieG3m @Marvellouslymadmum @KatRee @Anxiouswannabe

Hi all, can I join? I'm 36 and TTC #1 and it's cycle 15. I've had all my bloods done and OH's SA done and everything was normal. I had a scan done last week which showed a fibroid and thin uterline lining (4 mm) the day before ovulation. It probably explains why I've never had a BFP in my life as the egg probably fails to implant on a thin layer. I also have light periods. Anyone had this and knows if there are ways to thicken the lining? I'm not really getting anywhere on the NHS. I've been on their waiting list for 6 months now to even get a call from them. So we started private consultations last week. My follow up appointment is next month.

Good luck to everyone starting/started IVF! I'm yet to properly catch up on all the messages.

Hi @Tinkerbell098 Welcome to the thread and sorry to hear you’re having problems. Just out of interest, did they tell you how many follicles you had? I recently had my scan but they didn’t tell me anything about lining thickness but my periods are definitely lighter than they used to be

@Hoping43 no they didn't tell me about the follicles. Just said ovaries are fine and had a dominant follicle (I had my peak on OPK that day). The report isn't that detailed to be honest, doesn't really say much other than the fibroid and 4mm lining. What else did yours say?

@Tinkerbell098 I haven’t had a report and it’s another 9 weeks until we have a 20 min phone call with the consultant. They just told me everything was normal, no fibroids etc and I had 5 follicles on one ovary with a dominant at 18mm and I got my positive OPK the day after and 8 follicles on the left ovary. Nothing has come back abnormal at all except my FSH is on the high end of the scale at 9.6 but I’ve read none of these ovarian reserve results should impact natural conception and that they’re only really relevant for IVF. I have 2 children already so really frustrating that it’s not working this time around. I’ve just turned 35 in December x

@Hoping43 9 weeks seems like a long wait but glad everything's looking normal on the scan. Regarding FSH, is it day 21? If it's within range.

@Tinkerbell098 it’s day 3 which is when FSH should be measured. It’s 9.6 and normal range is 2-10. Have you had your day 3 bloods done?

@Hoping43 no GP only did Day 21. I'd say that's still within range and if you're not having issues with ovulation, probably nothing to worry about. Hope you can bring it up at your appointment.

Sorry posted this in another thread (TTC after miscarriage) but hoped the wise women of this thread could offer some advice too!

The same month of my miscarriage I was finally at the top of the IVF waiting list, during the call I had to say to them I was pregnant but had just lost it. They said they would give me a few months. I was expecting another call but instead I've been sent all the pre-testing kits for treatment to start next month. Lot of conflicted emotions...I don't know if I'm ready to go down a clinical route so soon after my loss. But I've already turned them down once, is it okay to do the same again? Or am I risking them taking me off their list?

@Tofu35 I don't know what your clinic's policy is but mine was that you could delay for up to three months. It was on my funding letter, have you had a funding letter?

Thanks @thislittlebird the letter was for the initial bloods and tests and an initial date for first clinic appt, it said I would be offered 3 rounds of IVF but no indication of postponement policy. This might need to be something I call up to ask about. One of those things that I'll get into an anxiety worry-spiral about if I don't deal with it soon!

@Tofu35 yeah just ring them and ask, I'm sure they'll tell you and put your mind at ease.

@thislittlebird - you must have had egg collection this morning? Hope it went well! Thinking of you!

@KatRee thank you! It went well, if a little bit odd at the beginning where they strapped me in ready to roll, cannula in etc and then the doctor didn’t come in for like 15 mins or more after for them to start and I was just laying there stressed af. But the sedation was great, out like a light! We got 15 eggs. Will see what happens fertilisation wise tomorrow, it’s one thing after another with this process.

@thislittlebird -well done! 15 is a great number. The sedation is lovely, isn't it? I hope you can take a moment to relax and congratulate yourself on how far you've come this evening xx

@KatRee the sedation was so fast once it did get started, felt like an age waiting though lol. yeah, it’s a weird old process and very much day by day at the moment. I’m going to be having a glass of wine tomorrow, a little anxious about the fertilisation rate but fingers crossed it’s ok.

@thislittlebird amazing 15 is brilliant!! Good luck with fertilisation!

@thislittlebird Keeping my fingers crossed for you 🤞🤞🤞

@KatRee thanks. The wait for all these updates is really hard, I barely slept. And this out funded round :/

I’ve posted this in a million threads now like a broken record, but out of our 15, 13 were suitable for fertilisation and 9 of those fertilised. Have been told we won’t find out how many blasts until Wednesday when we go in for a transfer :/

Weird process, but fingers crossed some make it to Wednesday.

@thislittlebird oh, excellent news- fertilisation is a big hurdle for many, so wonderful you got a good rate of success there. I've always found the 5 days the embryos are growing to be the hardest. My clinic does daily updates except for day 4 while they are growing and I don't know if I'd rather not hear anything til day 5 tbh!
Are you still planning for a fresh transfer? I know you were a bit borderline in terms of OHSS risk at one point

You asked about my clinic a bit further down the thread - I have been with the same throughout. Happy with them but if money was no object I would probably think about changing because some people just seem to do better with a switch. I've heard some people's embryos just do better in different environments sometimes. My clinic seems to stick to very standard protocols, just trying slightly different combinations of meds. They just upgraded their lab though, so hoping that will help me this time if we manage to get a decent number of eggs 🤞
Yes, I do follow Amber Izzo, very good account!

Just catching up on earlier posts

@Tofu35 - so sorry you had a miscarriage. I'm sorry I don't know how the NHS waiting lists work, I expect it varies a lot from clinic to clinic. I hope you are able to have a chat with them and ease your worries

Welcome @Tinkerbell098 and @Hoping43. Lots of women noticed lighter periods in their 30s I think.
I went to my GP when periods got very light and short about 4 years ago when I was about 33/34. Neither GP nor gynaecologist that I was referred to a year later over a different issue were concerned, although they ordered me the standard blood tests, which came back normal, and I later had a couple of scans where they said the lining looked fine, so I don't think light periods necessarily equate to thin lining, (although obviously if you've had a scan where the lining was thin there may be a connection) Apparently the lining can partly be reabsorbed by the body between cycles. Having said that, when you do ivf as I have the meds you are on the stimulate follicle growth also cause the lining to thicken and I've had much heavier periods afterwards

I've heard pomegranate juice, beetroot juice and vitamin E can help thicken the lining and actually one cycle before I'd started any treatment I did try beetroot juice and had a heavier bleed, more like my periods used to be when I was younger. Some people also swear by acupuncture!

@KatRee it's so strange, they're just in some lab maybe or maybe not developing. I feel like I'd rather know something before day 5 but I suppose it doesn't make any difference, will just prep for bad news on Wednesday and anything better will be a positive!

Yeah, money dictates most of these decisions. We may well stay with Guys if this round fails because they're not too expensive compared to some private clinics. Good news on the lab upgrade, every little helps and all that.

I was told about the reabsorbed lining thing too. Because my flow became short and light in 2020 for a few months until I started acupuncture, I panicked and saw a fertility clinic for a scan and the nurse said my lining was fine and that period heaviness doesn't dictate lining.

@KatRee missed out the reply about transfer. Yes, transfer planned for Wednesday. I'm now having lots of water, protein (yet more of it!) and electrolyte drinks to try to keep ohhs at bay. Drinking coconut water mixed with pineapple juice right now which is more tasty than lucozade sport.

@thislittlebird @KatRee thanks guys. You’ve made me feel much better. I’m so paranoid I’m in perimenopause. Everything about TTC is so stressful, you just notice everything. I have two days of heavy ish/normal bleeding and then another 3 days of spotting/light bleeding where I’m on/off needing a pad. Hope you get good results on your eggs 💕

Sending 🙏 and positive vibes @thislittlebird ✨