Bus 9 - Donkey Cart departing soon, all aboard with ivf, pcos, endo, sub/unexplained fertility jump on

[Marvellouslymadmum]

New thread 😊😊

@thislittlebird I'm sorry you feel its going same way, I got this flash of a thought/feeling 3-4 days post transfer of it had gone, no explanation why, same feeling 1st transfer but wasn't sure if it was my mind as I felt that before. Also, with the pred I was only on 15mg but then by the time I'd been o it a week I then got a bad sore throat with low grade temps, just felt better then started with a cold and temps yesterday. Stopped the pred about a week ago. So it's definitely suppressed my immune system 🤧🤕

@kerrym87 i could have sworn it was a chemical but test was negative. Back to square one we go, I guess. I got through work and was quite numb doing the test, I knew it hadn’t worked either way. My bodily reactions at the weekend were bizarre, I was convinced something was going on in there, good or bad. I do think the more of this you do the more in tune you are with your body’s responses.

I’m going to try to advocate for 10 or 15mg of pred if we have anything to transfer. 25mg is what they advise but it’s too high, I’m asthmatic, and I’m already a victim of pred moonface.

@thislittlebird I've recently had a really bad chest infection and had to have antibiotics and prednisolone 40mg a day for 5 days, was quite please I haven't had to have more than one lot but I am actually wondering if it could help with the inflammation elsewhere on my body 🤔

@thislittlebird I’m sorry it was negative. This whole thing is just crap. I really do hope your frozen embryos come back from testing okay.

I’ve had my TSH results back today following a higher dose. It’s gone down slightly, but TSH is 6.10 and still too high even with increased dose.

GP appointment booked for 15th May. I’m in too minds increasing my dose to 75mg from tomorrow myself. I have 16 tablets left 50mg each, I can order 56 more come Monday. I should have enough if I take one and break one in half until my GP appointment on 15th. I’ll ask for increase then anyway. I’m pretty sure they only go up by 25mg anyway. Urgh. Not sure. Not the news I wanted anyway.

How is everyone doing? I got sunburned at the weekend - in April!! Crazy, predicted ov day today but I think it's already happened. I am so out of practice with taking my bbt and opk with all the moving etc. I really need to get back into the habits!

@Marvellouslymadmum hope the move went well I hate moving! We're just starting ti get consultations together for new clinics, our nhs review appt then trying to figure out how much it'll be etc. First cycle after failed ivf is delayed as usual and headaches are frequent.

@kerrym87 I hate moving too and this is only temporary so all our things are in storage until we find our permanent place!
Doesn't sound fun, it's annoying that they just don't make things easy for you.

I think I was right about my Ov happening early as I started af yesterday, last month and this month it's been much lighter though and this cycle only 19 days which is annoying! This it's because last month was longer 🙄 no pain either with in is not usual for me 🤷🏼‍♀️ I'm starting all my vitamins again after af though so hopefully it'll get back to normal, though I don't miss the pain!

@kerrym87 have you finished your nhs cycles now? I think we both have had three? And both our second cycles went badly?

@Marvellouslymadmum the moving sounds stressful!

I have no idea if I’ve ovulated or not after the ivf cycle. A little concerned I’ll get my period when we’re away for my 40th birthday in a couple of weeks. I’m wondering if I can take Cyclogest with my to delay it.

I had a shitty morning. Was already feeling sad about everything and was going to B&Q. Asda is next door and we needed a couple of bits so I said to dh I feel uncomfortable about going here in case I bump into anyone, because I still live near where I grew up. Would have loved to have moved away but ivf has stopped us. Anyway, of course I did see someone. Probably the last school friend I know of who hadn’t had kids yet, and she was heavily pregnant. I just walked straight by, found him and got the car keys and left.

@thislittlebird yeah same as you my second was bad as I had covud but still a shitty outcome. Firstshift back at work (on baby unit)....its so hard when i first go back and I've got the ivf mental and emotional hangover. Seeing sil and her 1st time ivf baby soon too 😔 friends mum saw us in town and was telling us our friend had another chemical pregnancy and just had a miscarriage at 9 weeks, just burst into tears! More than one pregnant colleague....they're bloody everywhere!

@Marvellouslymadmum how strange, I get such bad pains sometimes I need paracetamol brufena and codeine , this period after ivf and shatloads of oestrogen and progesterone i was so sick of tablets I used a tens machine...worked quite well. Other times not much cramping....our bodies are so complex and weird. Does anything particular help regulate your cycle?

Also trying to work out how we will fund another round and need to work out how much it’ll cost without a package. We can save up again, but we have some stuff to pay for in the house and holidays and then it will take a few months to save enough. Holidays were our choice but I feel bad about them right now, it’s very frustrating, We don’t have time, but we don’t have the money ready and it’ll take time for us to save some more. The last cycle was quite expensive with PGT-A and extra tests.

Sorry @kerrym87 crossposted! Will reply to your message now

@kerrym87 that sounds hard, but I know what you mean. I think I could be ok with all this and then I see a pregnant woman and it hurts to know I’ve failed to do this very basic thing everyone else can do.

Have you seen Race Across the World? Two contestants on the show started talking about their infertility struggles in the episode I was watching tonight. I burst into tears, it was very relatable.

Hi all, just popping back to see how you all are, I don’t have anything new to say hence my absence!
Sorry to hear your transfer didn’t work @thislittlebird, great that it was a more successful response overall though and you have more embryos to try (hope I read that right). I get that it’s hard to have faith after multiple failures.
I also watch Race across the world and I held my partner’s hand and said “It’s not just us.” It was the chat they had with a driver in the final episode that really got to me. 😢
We’re still not there with adoption nor are we doing anything about donor eggs. Adoption I’m worried we will receive some nightmare child and I’ll be in a worse position than I am now. Donor eggs the whole process and expense is very daunting to me and I still don’t have faith it’ll work.
So I am just kinda stationary!☹️

Hope you’re all ok, or at least managing to cope xx

had consultation with Dr Anu at fertility academy....she felt my issue was more egg quality not immune and when Dr gorgy offered me the PRP that was toikorove egg quality. Looking at what we hope to do which is one more cycle with my eggs (physically I can't manage many more) then donor it's so much money. I don't know what investigations we should get, will we regret spending lots of money doing lots of things that may not be of much use, what if we regret not doing things. If we want a quick result with more chance of it working donor could be way forward, its all a melting pot as we have some money but not unlimited. Anyone got any advice how to navigate the sheer amount of what is on offer, what to chose, the amount? If we did all that was suggested with fertility academy investigations, one cycle own eggs, then donor with only 1 FET it would be £26k without drugs.....there are some clinics closer who do packages but hard to know if they will do enough. 6 weeks since last failed ivf and such a melting pot of emotions thoughts and overwhelmed with how to move forward

@Misty84 @kerrym87 we are currently navigating the World of donor eggs. At the moment we are in the process of choosing a clinic and deciding whether we go with Access Fertility donor eggs refund package or a finance plan direct with the clinic. I'm also very fortunate to have some very supportive people nearby to talk things through with. There is a lady who is on Facebook as Rain2Rainbow who blogs about her donor egg experience.

I am very happy for anyone to private message me about it as well. I also join monthly Zoom meetings via Fertility Network UK for my area (Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire) and I've joined donor egg conception groups on social media, too.

I am honestly feeling OK about it. With donor eggs there's a 70% success rate so I know the odds are so much better going in to it. I'm also very fortunate to have relatives helping us out financially. We've looked into other options and decided on donor eggs because it will give us the parenting journey that we want as well as the child being DH's biologically so he is a part of the process in a way that means a lot to him.

I feel that in one respect, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, the pressure is off in some sense. On the other hand, we are just beginning to navigate another aspect of this TTC journey, but woth more hope and our eyes open. We are feeling much better about it all. I'm going to find some active donor egg threads on here as well.

Hi @MIW01 I probably will message you privately at some point if that’s ok! Like you, I feel that donor eggs will give us the closest option to the parenting journey that we want. So that will likely be the path we take. I’m just a bit daunted by it all (cost and where to start). I’m really pleased to hear that you’re feeling so much better about it all and with renewed hope. 🌸

@Misty84 hello, hope you’re ok! We don’t have much to report either really, just the same trying and failing story. It’s hard to believe any transfer will work at this stage, but we tweak it each time and hope for the best until we give up. And yes, we have two embryos. One PGT-A tested normal 4AA and one untested 5CC. Obviously we’re dubious these will work, the 5CC may not even survive being thawed, so we’re going to have to start saving hard again after our holiday/s. Our second cycle being so dire is very frustrating in hindsight, feels like we could have had a fair few tries by now if not for that shitshow, but it’s my fault for being too keen I suppose and wanting to go right into another cycle.

I thought that RATW guy’s adoption story was so sweet. I’d be more up for it if I knew I could adopt a baby or toddler, or if I could change their name, or if I could see the future and know they didn’t hate me or something. I don’t know if that sounds stupid since my own kid could hate me or change their own name, but I guess I know what you mean about the nightmare outcome feeling more likely with an older child.

@kerrym87 I know what you mean about not knowing what investigations to do. We had a follow up yesterday and the consultant mentioned the ERA again. Maybe I’ll regret saying know but I’m just not convinced receptivity is my issue. Maybe it is, but I managed to get pregnant (albeit briefly) once and I was taking pred at the time. He thinks I’m talking nonsense when I say it’s my reactive immune system but I’ve convinced him to let me try 10mg of prednisone in the next FET and said if we do another fresh then I’ll consider the medicated transfer, dummy cycle and ERA option then.

hope you’re feeling a bit better, the money stuff is very overwhelming

@MIW01 I’m glad to hear you’re feeling more positive about DE and I’m glad you’re happy with the choice. My friend did it and got twins first time (she didn’t try her own eggs because her reserve was so diminished when they got tested).

Nhs consultant review yesterday, where they were clamping down on checks they should do every clinic and haven't for 2 years for our final appointment 🙄 first the scales were so wobbly I actually tried to fix the feet as one was almost an inch off floor and I wasn't falling off that plus it won't be accurate....also carbon monoxide tests for both as some people claim to not smoke. Didn't explain why we had to until we asked but then it was everyone has to have it. But we're not coming back so why bother????? Honestly . Upshot was consultant not sure why we didn't get more embryos the one transferred was a 4ba. He said looking for another opinion may shed light but looking at allcycles and discussing with senior embryologist he said sperm donor may be best, my eggs are fine 🤯 I thought I had poor quality but apparently not. Bit of a curveball and hubby seemed completely fine with it but I'm sad we may not have a baby with parts of him that I love . Might hit him later....anyones had this situation?

@thislittlebird ope you had a good holiday. you've had pred haven't you? Also asking anyone else too!
I had 10 days worth during my fresh ivf it was only 10 or 15mg in April but I've got the usual post ivf drugs body plus extra weight that's gone on really easily and I don't think I've been that naughty really. I didn't think 10 days would have an effect but here i am 2 months later staying like a beach ball. I don't know if I'm just using it as an excuse or it actually has longer lasting effects! I was fine when taking it and for few weeks following transfer then it all started to kick in

@kerrym87 yeah it’s a funny one. I’ve taken it for 5 days and noticed nothing, I took it for two months (high dose that tapered off) and my face shape has never gone back to what it was before the pred. Not sure if 10 days will do it, but you never know, it’s a funny drug like that.

how are you getting on?

Oh and thanks, yeah had a good trip but worried I’ve given myself type 2 diabetes. Having weird symptoms since then, I’m going to get tested for that and a few other things this week. Feels like my age is catching up with me slightly :/

Jumping back on this bus. Started clomid this cycle and have my day 10 scan in about 90mins! Feeling very nervous as I don't know what to expect and I am really hoping I ovulated/or will ovulate!

Any other ladies have any experience with Clomid? Xxx

hi ladies I’m joining too. I have pcos. I used soy last cycle, it brought my 55 day cycle down to 38. I didn’t conceive because I didn’t BD. This cycle I didn’t use soy, and I’ve been in my 2ww boobs are crazy sore. Had a lot of symptoms thinking I might have caught but it’s about 3 days till my AF and all stark negatives. Very sad 😔

@pm24 I had letrozole but low dose wasn't monitored. Didn't work for me but I am atypical pcos, with endo, and mfi so I wasn't surprised.

@Peachyplumm I sometimes get awful pms, boobs included. I have found best dietary approach for my cycles is reducing dairy but look at kym Campbell and others as that really helps balance hormones and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes. It's made my cycle regular at 32-37 days with reduction on hair, mood swings etc. Just remember there's only a 30% chance each cycle too, it is so disappointing (I sobbed when I convinced myself due to pms and period arrived) so keep persevering for now. I also take infolic alpha and many things but I've added things in as time goes on, impryl has been recommended for both partners too. How long you been at this? X