IVFers thread

[TheMNPeacekeepingForce]

Anyone fancy starting an ongoing thread for those who are having IVF/ are planning to try again via IVF soon?

Ds was conceived via IVF - he's now 2.6 and we're stepping back on the scary rollercoaster ride with a FET - I started taking the drugs yesterday!

[coggy]

It's all such a pain in the backside isn't it Sticki?
I've been looking at people with children over the past couple of days and thinking you lucky sods....most of you wouldn't even know what EWCM was!!!!!!

...Not the best thing to be thinking as you wander around Sainsburys I can tell you!!!!!

Soosy...Windsor is lovely. We try to go there a couple of times a year. Used to have an old great-aunt who lived there and went quite often.

Off to watch Casulty!

[TheMNPeacekeepingForce]

Eugh EWCM - I remember all that ....and it was entirely pointless for me as it turned out I absolutely couldn't have got pregnant naturally! Remembering that temp charting each morning too!

Has been nice this weekend as have friends staying whose daughter was also via IVF and who have done an FET since (sadly it didn't work) so have had a sympathetic ear around!

Yeh Soosy - what is going on with your PMT defrosting. I think if I have it I slob around lazily.

Now Soosy who is to say that I don't wear a red rose in my lapel, carry a furled umbrella and talk with an Eastern European accent as a matter of course anyway?!?!

Don't you?
(Actually what is a furled umbrella - might have to google that!)

[soosy]

PK and Sticki I just have this uncontrollable urge to clean and get organised just before af, its almost like my body knows I will be useless for a day or two! My mum was the same. PMSL, thinking of everyone in the waiting room at UCH dressed as Cold War spies! Don't know what's funnier that, or thinking of you two trying to guess who the other one is! Furled umbrella just means done up, I have spent my youth watching too many thrillers!!

EWCM, when we started trying people didn't write books about stuff like that. Infact it was v difficult to get any info at all and then we discovered v quickly, that like you PK it wouldn't have mattered if I had or hadn't!

Oh coggy, so you know Windsor quite well, perhaps I can pick your brains about the best areas, as it looks like we are going to give up London, before it gives up us! I can always come back to London for more IVF if needs be (God I hope not, really am v tired of all this.)

Had scan today D3 and started FSH injections, back on Friday to see how those follicles are growing.

One bit of weirdness though, When we were in Windsor we bumped into the Doctor (and his family) who delivered my DS and sat next to him for our lunch in Wagamama,is this a sign?........

[Sticki]

Just psml at you sitting in wagamamas next to Dr who has helped deliver your DS. Perhaps a slightly better view this time around! Defo a sign.

[Sticki]

How is it all going out there? Looks like you are all slightly ahead of us. Hope all the side effects arent too bad this cycle?
Im in the quiet bit of downregging so no more clinic visits until late Jan/early feb. So, perhaps I'll just miss out on the fancy dress meetings in the waiting room with PK? (Maybe we should have a code like they do in bad spy movies......'the sun is shining in moscow' etc?)

[coggy]

Or how about....."Watching EWCM is useless, temping is the spawn of the devil!"

Far more interesting than...."The cold man shivered at the thought of his bird flying free"!!!



PMSL at the doctor's better view this time!
Classic!

[Sticki]

Oooh noooo! Have just re-read my comment about 'better view this time' and thought about how that comes across. Im really really sorry soosy I hope you are not offended.... oops! my choice of words wasnt good. Really didnt mean to be rude.

I wish I could blame the drugs for my sense of humour!

Sorry sorry sorry!
(Note to self - must preview messages before posting)

[soosy]

No Sticki, I pmsl too, inspired!

I did however meet him before the eventful night that was full labour and then emergency c section, and we got on really well, have seen him since as I was traumatised by the Nurses at my doctor's surgery doing my smear tests, so he does them for me privately, that sounds worse i'd better stop. Another weird thing; his houseman was the doctor that did the EC and ET that resulted in DS. This is all becoming a bit of the twilight zone, or am I showing my age?

How is all the downregging, do you downreg on the day one? When I used to Downreg it used to be D21 or in my case D23, I don't think my cycles were ever as planned as yours seem to be.

Off to watch Holby city, God you'd think I'd have had enough of hospitals.......

[TheMNPeacekeepingForce]

Hi all.
How's everyone doing?
Off to the clinic tomorrow to see how uterus lining is doing and whether I should start the injections.

Had a fab acupuncture appt on Sunday morning - once the needles were in I drifted off and was thinking about a baby which is exactly what happened last time - I'd never visualised it before the acupuncture. I was imagining a little girl. If this treatment works I have a 50% chance of declaring myself psychic and a 59% chance of deciding i am crazy.

[soosy]

That's fab pk, I am sure it'll happen. Do you get left when the needles are in, we just chat. Good luck at the clinic tomorrow. Hope all goes well.

Just before I got pg with DS, I had this dream that there was a baby in the house, which was crying, but i couldn't find it.

D7, 4 injections in scan tomorrow to see how those follicles are coming along.

Hope you are both well Sticki and Coggy.

Night night.

[coggy]

soosy - I hope that your scan goes well today.
X

I tried accupunture for quite a long time to balance myself after having my DS and ttc again. Thought I could probably do with quitre a lot of emotional balance as well as my poor old body not knowing what was going on!!!

I bruised quite badly once or twice so I didn't always find it as relaxing as it should be cos I was worried for my poor accupunturist who had to keep apologising!!!
I bruise even by looking at the corner of a table!!!!!

I also used to always get a numb tongue.....is that normal....or just plain wierd??!!!! LOL!

[Sticki]

Hi all
Hope clinic appointments go well and lining/follies growing well?

Coggy - what are you up to?

Still downregging here and symptoms hitting me hard and I havent even started sniffing yet. Just taking progesterone pills then sniffing on sunday. Worst bit for me is just not being able to get to sleep even though Im shattered. The switch in my brain seems to go a bit astray during down regging. So makes me even more grumpy! Acne doesnt help the morale levels either! But all things considered (incl v naughty 2.5 DD) am keeping my chin up.

Take care.

[Onlyaphase]

Hi all, how are you all doing?

I had my drugs delivered today by a rather soggy courier guy. All seems rather real now, downregging on the pill isn't nearly as invasive and noticable as injecting buserelin daily. Should have baseline scan next Thurs, start stimming Friday.

PK - how's your uterus lining coming along? Am always staggered that they can tell so much from a grainy monochrome screen.

Coggy - I'm a little behind you I think as I now have confirmed dates of EC on 8 Feb, a little later than I thought before. Can't imagine getting that far, the consultant wasn't that optimistic about my ovaries. They have put me on a massive dose of FSH - drug bill for Puregon alone is about £2500.

Soosy - how did your scan go?

Hope you all have lovely weekends in the rain - hope nobody floods

[SaveScrabulous]

Hi

Great that it's all starting to happen for quite a few of us.

The lining was looking nice and thick so I have another scan on weds and then should start injecting with a view to ET a week on Monday (yikes!)

Does anyone know how you're supposed to take it easy and avoid lifting if you have a 2 year old?!?

[soosy]

Hello everyone it is damp Saturday Morning, and I am thinking of constructing an Ark. Scan fine 8 large and several smaller follicles so far, not starting cetrotide just yet.

pk hope you are well and having a calm and restful wkend.

coggy, I bruise really easily too but acupuncture seems not to have that effect! (i do though doing my injections!) The numb tongue seems a little weird, unless of course that is where they put the needles! Perhaps you should ask.

Onlya phase, my God your drug bill is enormous, do you have a puregon pen or vials as I checked out the price of the pen and it was almost twice the price of the vials. what's your dose. Try and get some acupuncture it does amazing things.

Sticki, i hated downregging soo much so I am sending tea and sympathy...

Save scrabulous, wow not long now.... I am hoping to have my ET around the same time as you, but these things never go as I expect.They told me about not lifting to, but it is impossible with a small child. So they eventually told me that probably the 2 days after ET is was probably better to avoid lifting if poss, but hell how do other mothers of toddlers get pg, without even knowing it! I have a friend who picks up her DS all the time and he is a big boy, she had IVF and got pg, so I would try not to worry about it. I think that its the heavy lifting you are not used to is the real problem.

[Sticki]

Hi there all

I dont think Ive heard the specific advice not to lift but it probably makes sense but quite hard not to. I think it is best to avoid lifting things that weigh more than your dc as you get used to that (anyway thats the advice I had after the caesarian which is also when you want to avoid putting stress on the area).

Onlyaphase - yikes your drug bill! It is almost obscene how much they cost. The menogon/menopur (FSH) is £20 per vial - £100 per day for me. I live in fear of dropping them!

I always squeal and flinch when the acupunture needles go in (and bleed everywhere too!). Such a woos!

Have a good weekend everyone. At least its stopped raining (temporarily?).

[coggy]

Blimy.....no-one's told me anything about lifting/ non-lifting etc.
I've just read Zita West's books and told my DH that I can't hoover for several days - HUURAH!!!!

She (ZW) also says bed-rest for three days after ET which seems a little extreme (and impossible for all you with LOs) but I shall make the most of generally resting I think. My clinic said to just be normal and go back to work. Quite different advice there don't you think???!!!

The drugs are SO expensive aren't they?
No wonder the NHS are stingy on who gets treament and who doesn't!!

How much puregon are you on each day onlyaphase?
I'm on 225 units in the am and again in the evening....so just over a vial per day.
When I was doing IUI I only had 50 units per day........now going up to 450 units sounds scary!!!!!

Soosy...scan sounds good to me.

[SaveScrabulous]

The nurse at my clinic said not to lift but only when I asked her. She said not to worry obsessively about it given I have ds but to try not to.

I won't be exercising and if the treatment does work that advice from the clinic lasts til 12 weeks - and no flying if I remember correctly too so no holidays.

Last time I gave up my beloved sport that I play for the entire pregnancy but of course given the circumstances I was just grateful for being pregnant!

Has anyone else put weight on since starting the drugs - I think I've piled on 5lbs. But partly also because I normally take metformin for pcos and had to stop.

Had another acupuncture sesh this morning - some of the points hurt and some don't for me . There was one today that was so horrid - worst ever - but most are ok I guess once they're in aren't they.

[Onlyaphase]

Glad it isn't just me who thinks my drugs bill is dreadful. I will be taking 450iu daily, though dosage will be confirmed after my first scan. I think last time I was taking 200iu daily, which seemed to do the trick, but 2 years further on, my hormone profile has changed a bit.

About the lifting, just to second everyone else, I think doing the lifting you normally do ie lifting toddlers etc should be fine, just don't start lifting wardrobes. I do remember last time being told to carry on as normal just no baths or swimming for the two week wait, which made sense to me...and I remember getting basketfuls of logs in and dogwalking the day after ET. Hmm, not sure I would again TBH, may spend more time resting if possible and less log carrying.

[coggy]

Wow.....that makes me feel incredibly grateful.
I'm having my IVF on the NHS......so if not, my puregon bill would be the same as yours onlyaphase if we're on the same amount.

I knew that the drugs would be expensive but I was told all drugs would cost up to £1,000 privately. That's not even close is it??!!

I guess lifting and normal life is okay up to ER/ET week isn't it SS?
I have read not to do any strenuous excercise whilst taking the drugs because your body should only be concentrating on follicle growing and not worrying about sending blood supplies to parts that excercise would need IYSWIM. Not very well put!!!!

I think I shall turn into a bloater! No exercise for several weeks AND the drugs......plenty of gentle walking I think coming up!!!!

[mowmi]

hello ladies, would you mind if i joined you?

We've been told our best chance of developing a bump is ivf!

I have PCOS and rarely ovulate but the deciding factor is DH who has a very low normality count (despite our best efforts to improve) we've had all the tests done so far on the NHS but we're not prepared to wait 2.5 years!

We've got our first appointment at the private clinic next week (St Georges House - Raynes Park) I'm also going to restart accupuncture.... sorry I'm going on about me, me, me...

I don't know anyone else who's had IVF so you guys are likely to be my only sounding (for which I apologise in advance!!)

I've read this thread from start to finish and wish you all lots of luck and success - let's hope 2008 is a good year for us all.

xxx

[coggy]

Welcome mowmi.

This is the beginning of my first cycle of IVF so I have been asking lots of questions, as you have probably read. It's a great source of info as there are quite a few of us and each clinic seems to do things quite differently.

I have talked to some of my RL friends about my treatment and, although they are VERY sympathetic and supportive, it's not the same as being able to talk to people here who have been through it all before.
I also find it a MASSIVE support to be going through this at the same time as others so that we can compare feelings/ frustrations/ follicles etc. etc.

All the Fs!!!!

I hope that you feel free to ask away/ moan and groan if things get on top of you and, hopefully, yes....here's to 2008.

[swerve]

Good luck to all of you. may there be many beautiful babies as a result.

I'll start another round in a couple of weeks. done 4 harvests and 3 frozen transfers. the outcome was my gorgeous dd, now 8 months old.

even so, i'm dreading the next round. fingers crossed that the recipe the drs finally put me on is going to work again.

[Sticki]

coggy - psml at no hoovering! yipppeeee! the dust bunnies will be happy in our house (not sure DH will be!).

Welcome swerve and mowmi. Good luck to all.

[coggy]

Dust Bunnies Sticki???!!!!!

Could I have just found out that you are a FLYbaby??!!