First Timers TTC. Safe space for brain dumps, questions, whinges and celebrations. Part 2!

[TinyDancer91]

Hi All.

This is a continuation from my past thread, but no need to go read that one if you're new here!

Quick TD;LR from the old post (but with up to date info) - I'm 31, OH is 35. We are TTC baby #1. Been TTC since Jan 2022, now on cycle 14. Haven't told anyone to avoid pressure.

Feel free to post any questions, thoughts, whinges, celebrations, basically anything here!

Going to try to be a bit more positive than I was toward the end of the last thread 😂

Love & baby dust to all. Wishing for BFPs for everyone this year 💖

Hello, can I please join? I'm 28 and on cycle 6/7 of TTC. I have endo and had a lap last year. I also found out in 2021 that I have very low AMH especially at my age, which has been so worrying for me. It's bumped out TTC timeline up a bit. We did things in a strange order, we actually created and froze 4 embryos before trying to conceive naturally as we weren't ready in any sense but my AMH was already concerning and I was only 25.

So aside from the actual transfer of an embryo, I've done the rest of IVF so if anyone needs reassurance on the process I can help. The worst thing about it was the anxiety of not getting any eggs etc, the actual scans, medication and procedure were not nearly as bad as I expected.

Anyway onto cycle 6 or 7 for me 🙏 good luck everyone ☺️

Red alert about the NHS not testing for AMH as standard: they didn’t test me (but my gp had told me they would). When I was told my results were normal, I naturally assumed AMH was normal.

I got my private results today and my AMH is low and I’ve probably got a couple of years to ttc. I’ve already tried for 18 months! I’ve wasted loads of time and feel devastated but I suppose at least I know now. Always maintain a healthy level of distrust for test results and get second opinions!

Next step is IVF which should be started in next six months. The consultant said to try NHS first but if it’ll be more than six months to go private. So much to process!

Hope you’re all doing well!

Hi everyone

Sorry I've been away for a few days online, busy few weeks for me work wise coming up!

@CatCaretaker any news? Fingers crossed there was a line (and still is!)

@Nessie2395 welcome! Sounds like you're already a step ahead with having embryos frozen already, hopefully you won't need to use them but it should speed things up for you if you do.

@Feliciacat I had read that NHS may test for AMH but it's payable, not free as not mandatory, so we got ourselves ahead and did it privately while waiting for our referral last year. When did you get your referral? I know it depends on where you live but for us, from referral to start of treatment was 13 months!!

Our first ICSI cycle officially started today! After months of waiting and appointments, AF arrived yesterday so I went in for my scan today and was given the go ahead to start injections this evening. We've been put on short protocol, using 150 IU Menopur, then adding Fyremadel after 5 days. We've got to go in on Tuesday for OH to have his sperm frozen as a backup and an appointment to discuss using the embryoscope, which we have decided we want to use, then again on Weds for my next scan. So thankful that my manager is amazing and is allowing me the time off, no questions asked, without using my holiday/sick allowance (she's fab, so unbelievably supportive).

Outside of treatment, in my other job (I have an AM job and a PM job), we have a show coming up so it's all systems go with dress rehearsals and tech rehearsals the next week and a half, then 3 show days the end the week after next. Hoping things work out so that transfer days will be the following Monday as we both have the week off work 🤞🏻

Looking forward to reading any updates and keeping everything crossed for everyone on this thread! 💕

@TinyDancer91 yes, currently 6+5, I can't believe it, it doesn't feel real yet. Still very long way to go of course.

Very exciting that you're starting your ICSI, and it means so much to have a supportive boss! Very best of luck!

@CatCaretaker that's amazing news!! So happy for you and hoping everything goes smoothly for you. Please keep us updated 💕

@Nessie2395 how did cycle 6/7 turn out for you?

Thank you 😊. I was starting to think it was impossible!

Congratulations @CatCaretaker! That’s amazing.

@TinyDancer91 that is so exciting about ICSI! We have actually been recommended to have ICSI rather than ivf as DHs sperm is very mutated at 2.5% morphology. We don’t have time to wait for his sperm to possibly not fertilise my eggs. With regard to a referral then we have been scheduled a phone call with our gp to just discuss being referred…and it’s in two months! So if that’s how long it takes just to talk to my gp then we’re giving up on the NHS and going private. I’m going to get my tubes flushed in case there’s any issues there in May or June but we will start ICSI in July.

@TinyDancer91 that's great that you've started your ICSI cycle. Good luck with it and taking the medication. It will be tough but got my fingers crossed for you. My manager was also lovely about having time off for appointments and it made such a difference. Being busy at work might be good in some ways as a distraction 😊

@CatCaretaker congratulations that's wonderful!! All the best going forward, but that's great news 😊

AF is due in about 6 days so not sure how this cycle has gone, not getting my hopes up though as I feel very much the same as usually do this time of the month, so expecting AF bang on time!

@Feliciacat two months just to even discuss it, that's such a long wait. 😔 When I did speak to my GP about NHS IVF sometime last year, she said it was taking some people 18 months to start which was is mad.

@Nessie2395 thank you for your response. Yes, it would be too long for me to wait given my egg reserve. We actually might start in June as apparently I’ll need to do some forms and get sent medication which will take a while. So starting in June could hopefully mean embryo transfer in July.

How are you doing yourself?

@Nessie2395 thank you 😊, it's still sinking in, doesn't feel real. I can't wait until the important scans are done and we can tell people.

The two week wait is awful, do you think you will be able to hold out until AF due, or will you test before hand?

@Feliciacat of course, that makes sense! Fingers crossed all goes well and you can start in July.

It's ok thanks, I saw my endo consultant who has given me provera. He thinks if I take that for two months and give my body a break from menstrating then it could result in rebound/higher fertility when I stop. I'm going to give it a go if I've had no luck by August. Biggest issue at the moment is my DPs low sex drive - a combo of low sex drive and performance anxiety means we're only managing once per fertile window and sometimes not even on a peak day. It's not helping us obviously. He wasn't open to home insemination a few months ago (he was embarrassed) but I'm going to raise it again as he's said recently he knows it's a barrier. It's so hard because it's not that he isn't putting the effort in - his low sex drive comes from a traumatic incident in his past and he's neurodivergent so it's hard for him. He's come a long way and we're happy with how things are, but it's not be ideal for baby making!

@CatCaretaker aw that's totally understandable, I really hope the scans go well. How exciting (and so nerve wracking I'm sure).

I tested yesterday at 7/8dpo and it was BFN. I know it's too early but I feel exactly the same as I always do six days before AF - pain in all the usual places so I don't think I've got much hope this month. I'm trying not to feel too defeated though!

Hi @Nessie2395. That sounds promising about the medication; fingers crossed!

My consultant was mentioning IUI the other week but he said it was for couples who don’t manage much sex. Sounds like insemination could be a good option for you indeed. That’s if the Provera doesn’t yield higher fertility!

Everything crossed for you, it’s all such an emotional rollercoaster. Hopefully you’ll get to ride some highs soon xx

How is everyone doing?

We had egg collection today 🥳 after 15 days on menopur, doses going up and down, we finally got the go ahead for trigger shot on Saturday at 9:30 ready for EC this morning.

I barely slept last night worrying about how many eggs we would get. I purposely hadn't asked how many follicles throughout the scans so no idea how many we had.

We ended up with 10 eggs 😁 which the clinic were super happy with (and so are we)! Now to wait for a call tomorrow to let us know how many were mature & have fertilised 🤞🏻

None of this still feels real yet, this whole process has felt like a bit of a blur. I've got this week of both of my jobs thankfully. Seems strange to think that I could be going back to work technically being pregnant, although trying to keep myself grounded and remember that it might not work this time around (here's hoping though)

How is everyone else getting on? And more BFPs? Anyone also on the IVF train?

Love to all 💕

Hi,

Please can I join? We were in the mindset of ‘if it happens, it happens’ and this is month 1 properly trying having been careless for almost 2 years. I’ve started with some very light pink bleeding today at 9DPO - could this be implantation bleeding?

@TinyDancer91

After my miscarriage in 2023 we eventually ended up on the ivf train starting in December 2023. We had one egg collection. Our first transfer failed but our second worked. We had our 12 week scan yesterday.

Wishing you all the luck with IVF, I found it physically and emotionally really challenging even though we ended up being quite lucky with it working for us. I really hope you get good news with the fertilisation and blastocyst numbers this week.

Keeping everything crossed for you and your partner

@TinyDancer91 congratulations on your egg collection, ten is a great result! Fingers crossed you get a good fertilisation rate - good luck and let us know how you get on x

Update:

10 eggs retrieved
8 mature
7 fertilised
5 embryos

Transfer booked for Saturday! 🤞🏻 hoping that all 5 keep developing to give us the best chance. We have paid for embryoscope in the hope it will help pick the best ones too

That's amazing @TinyDancer91 such a good result. I really hope all five kept developing and that you're able to have your transfer today. Good luck!

Thanks @Nessie2395

We had our transfer this morning 🥳 we ended up with 2 good quality blasts, 2 still growing (going to give them another day to see if they make it) and 1 that had stopped, so we have had 1 transferred and 1 frozen already.

Test day is 12th so now we wait.... 🤞🏻

@TinyDancer91 aw that's fantastic!! Good luck for the 12th 😊

@TinyDancer91 its so lovely to read your updates!

Will be thinking of you 💕