One year+ TTC part 4

[lemons44]

Hi all
Onto thread 4! Hopefully this one is lucky for us 🍀 🤞🏼

Just a supportive thread for those of us who have been TTC for over a year. New faces are welcome. Feel free to vent, cry, laugh, ask silly questions, seek advice and talk about anything.

Tagging our BFP ladies who are rooting for us too.

@Tinkerbell098
@NatW2021
@Koalie
@Netflixnchilli
@JSS15
@BakinABaby
@KatieLooLa
@Indianna2006
@Carla2601
@BritInNZ
@FlyOnTheWall89

Feel free to tag anyone I have forgotten.

@Carla2601 Ok, that does sound promising :) And yeah it takes forever. We had our first appointment in January and are only now at the consent appointment/bloods/baseline scan stage. Fortunately I'll be on the short protocol so whenever it does start, it will be fairly quick!

@TheBirdintheCave oh noooo! Days feel like years in the ttc world. But I second what @Carla2601 says … you really will wonder why you worried once it’s all done. If anything, my mock transfer was more painful for me, as my cervix was pointing down and they had to dig it out 😩 so not looking forward to transfer next week 😖

@Koalie @Carla2601 thanks both. What are the needles on the injections like? Are they like epi pens that are like a button or more like syringes you have to push down?
Also how were your other halves with it all? I think my husband is blocking it out a bit. I think he feels a bit guilty because our infertility issues are obviously because of his blockage. I'm a bit worried that he's not quite accepting and processing that this is going to be happening in under three weeks and so it may be a shock to system for him! Whereas I've watched loads of videos, documentaries and stuff, he is sort of burying his head in the sand I think.

Sorry yours has been delayed @TheBirdintheCave

Thanks @FlyOnTheWall89 ❤️❤️
Xx

@lemons44 my stims were a pen and the needles were so thin I literally couldn’t feel them go in. The trigger was more of a syringe and a bit fatter but my hubby did that one for me. Just remembered I had Fyremadel injections as well to stop me from ovulating before retrieval - they were fatter too and more like a syringe but I got used to doing those myself.
My hubby is the same - he watched all of the clinic presentations etc with me but apart from that he’s been pretty disengaged with the whole process unless I need him to help - I’ve just accepted that it’s his way of dealing with it. It’s a bit frustrating that he doesn’t seem to want to have hope like I do but he’s just protecting his heart. Have your clinic offered free counselling sessions? Me and hubby had one together which I think he felt was a good outlet (ended up being us just talking at the poor woman lol but I think that’s sort of the whole point) might be an idea for you both? X

@lemons44 mine were all syringes but honestly they didn’t hurt at all and I am really squeamish but I managed them totally fine - the mental anguish you’ve been through so far is SO MUCH worse than the process - you can do it.

we didn’t really have time to think….we got the diagnosis late December and I was pregnant by April (technically March I guess because they count from cycle) so we didn’t know for long that it was his ‘problem’ for want of a better way of putting it. Tbh I honestly think denial might be as good a way as any to cope just be as kind to each other and yourselves as you can be and I so hope the worst of this is behind you and it’s better news from here. Cheering you on from afar! X

@lemons44 sorry late January

@TheBirdintheCave honestly it was so so much easier than I imagined. I know it’s not like that for everyone so I don’t want to undermine anyone’s experience at all but for me it was honestly totally fine - so if that helps even a smidge to lessen your fears I think it’s worth sharing

Thanks both. I think mine might be syringes like @Carla2601 as I will be on the same meds as you! I don't mind needles at all actually but it feels different when knowing you need to be doing it to yourself 🤣 I think I'm going to ask DH to give them to me where he can.

Yes we have been offered counselling, which we may use if we start finding it tough! @Koalie thanks, it makes me feel better knowing my DH is not the only one like this.

@Carla2601 I do get what you mean about denial being a coping mechanism too actually. Thank you! I'm feeling excited to start as it just feels like progress in the right direction xx

@lemons44 so exciting you'll be starting soon! I was on Menopur, which came in vials that you had to mix with water with the syringes, but the needles were so thin, I could barely feel it. I was also on Fyremadel, which was a pre-filled syringe. I found this a little fatter than the other needles, but again, was fine. My OH did all the injections as there is no way that I would ever stab myself with a needle. Blood tests used to scare me (not anymore, as I've now had hundreds of them).

@Koalie oh great you'll have the transfer next week. How are you feeling about it? Have you taken some time off work to relax after?

Thanks @Tinkerbell098 menopur sounds complicated 😫 I hope none of mine need mixing i am far too scatty to be trusted mixing my own drugs 😅
That's good you are now fearless of blood tests 💪🏼
Hope you've been feeling ok xx

@Tinkerbell098 … had my scan today and all was well, my lining is 7.9mm so they’ve booked my transfer for Friday to give it time to thicken a bit more :) I’ve taken the day off so we can make a day of it! How are you? X

@Koalie That's so exciting!

I got my meds list today but still no explanation of what protocol I'm on (I assume short but no one has ever told me) or what everything is for. There are 36 (!) of the Gonal F pens. How many days am I going to have to torture myself with this amount? Does anyone have any idea? 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

Hi @TheBirdintheCave @Koalie how are you both doing? @TheBirdintheCave when do you start your medication?

We had our appointment yesterday with the clinic to go through my medications and how to do the syringes. @TheBirdintheCave they gave me a spreadsheet that shows which meds need to happen on which day - maybe request this from yours? That way you will have a better idea of how long you will need to take the medication for. I am on long protocol and this will take about 6 weeks.

I hope your transfer went ok @Koalie. How are you feeling? Good luck ladies starting with the clinics and on medications. @TheBirdintheCave I can't believe you've got 36 of one of the medications!! I like that your clinic gave you a spreadsheet @lemons44, that is definitely a bit of me haha. I have been reading along here to keep up with you all but didn't have much to say since I saw the gynaecologist... or so I thought.

I got a positive pregnancy test on Monday at 14dpo and couldn't believe it, especially after just finding out I likely have some sort of mild PCOS. It makes 18 months/14 cycles trying. I'm trying to stay positive but worried that the line hasn't got any darker so far.

Looking forward to reading how you all get on with the different protocols.

@JSS15 Congratulations! :D That must have been such an amazing surprise. I remember the disbelief well.

@lemons44 My clinic want me to pay for everything before I have that appointment when they explain it all and that seems very backwards to me. I only want to do the short protocol as I have a high risk of OHSS so if they've accidentally put me on the long one or something I want the opportunity to say no. I keep asking them for more information about why there are 36 of one type but no one will tell me.

Congratulations @JSS15 !! That’s amazing news. I’ve got everything crossed for you! 🤞🏼 I haven’t had my transfer yet, it’s on Friday. ☺️

@TheBirdintheCave surely they can at least tell you whether you’re on long or short protocol. If you Google all of the different types of medication, you should be able to work out what they all do and whether there’s a down regulation drug in there. Although, I was down regulated with Zoladex which is an implant so I wasn’t sent this to my home, I went into the clinic for it.

x

Sorry @Koalie - I misread the dates and thought it would have been last Friday! I hope it all goes ok.

Thanks to you and @TheBirdintheCave, keeping everything crossed here 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

@Koalie You would have thought so but apparently not. It's so frustrating.

The meds list is: Buserelin x1, Ovitrelle x1 (worked out this is the trigger), Fyremadel x9 and Gonal F x36.

@TheBirdintheCave so that’s long protocol, as you have buserelin which is your down reg drug. Fyremadel suppresses ovulation so that you don’t ovulate before you can get to your retrieval . And yes, the other two are your stims and trigger x

@Koalie Ah ok so I do need to object then. What clowns 🙄 Thanks for the info! I'm going to email them a copy of the letter I got from their partner NHS clinic last time we went down this road with the recommendation for short protocol.

Can I join please? I came off the pill Jan 22, fell pregnant in July & had MMC in Sept. Nothing since, I'm 40 so the GP won't do much to help other than send me for a full blood count & scan, so we've decided to go private. We have bloods and semen analysis next week, then a scan a couple of weeks after that. Just to see what's going on really & try to get some answers.

Oh @JSS15 that's such an amazing surprise! I will be keeping everything crossed for you that it all goes smoothly 💗

@TheBirdintheCave yes I agree with @Koalie sounds like long protocol. I have been given burserlin for down reg. that's terrible that they are just leaving you confused like this! Are u paying privately? They should give you a consultation to talk through the whole cycle so I would demand this. How exciting that u will be starting soon though, we can be stim buddies 😊

@Matildahoney welcome to the group. I am so sorry to hear about your MMC. I think you've done the right thing to get private tests, however surely your GP should still be able to help you? It seems incredibly unfair if not! x

@lemons44 thank you. She said we definitely wouldn't get IVF on the NHS, but she wasn't sure what else we're entitled to, and she wouldn't look into it until after testing again. I don't have that sort of time to wait on a what if! Did to the days they react to do bloods it'll be mid-end of April before they even did the tests. We're very fortunate we're in the position to be able to afford to go private! X

@lemons44 Yeah it's private, which makes it even worse in a way. I'll be starting around April 28th so it's all still a long way off. I'm two weeks behind because of Strep A 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Matildahoney sorry you find yourself here and sorry your GP has been unhelpful! Mine wasn’t great either. Would you consider speaking to another one to see if someone could help you more?