Assisted Conception and the bits inbetween

[soosy]

Welcome to the new thread I only hope I can link it to the old one

OK eleveld, there is a book called Natural Solutions to infertility by Marilyn Glanville. She is a doctor who is Chair of a charity which promotes pre-conceptual care. They believe that changing your diet and taking supplements can help you conceive. She has worked with women with far higher fsh levels (40 - 50) and some have been able to conceive without any fertility treatment. The diet is quite brutal and includes no red meat, very little dairy and no white bread, pasta etc, coupled with a huge list of supplements. I did it (not for FSH) and my egg quality improved enormously. It can also reduce FSH dramatically. I think you can find the book online, there is a link on a thread I will try and link you through to the thread, but I'll have to post this first.

I have to ask is this a private clinic you are visiting Eleveld, particularly a rather famous one in Harley Street, I know that Private clinics like to have a lower FSH as they think it leads to more successful IVF. But women with far higher FSH levels have conceived so it seems a cop out to me. I would be tempted to find and NHS clinic. BTW the same happened to a friend and she is now being treated by a NHS clinic (her FSH 14).

Sooty, how is your blood pressure holding up, perhaps you should speak to your clinic? I know Microgynon is one of the older pills perhaps the levels are a bit too high. Thank God you haven't got to be on it long.

S x

The thread I was talking about is here, I hope this works.

Sx

Thanks soosy . . . I have to say I found the downregging the worst last time - partly why I am interested in natural IVF - as they work with your own cycle.

I'll just see how it goes, I normally have very low blood pressure so I am not sure - I think it might be that I am not feeling hungry because of the nausea and therefore getting a little hyperglycemic. I shall try and snack more over the weekend . . . hope your sellers panic over the weekend and accept your offer.

Hi Ladies, Injections are still going ok - doing it myself now (how brave am I?!)
Sooty can't believe your having such a bad time...I think you should try to have little snacks like you say and see if that helps - have you spoken to your clinic / doctor?
Had a work week from hell this week...thank heavens it's Friday - tomorrow I'll be mostly sleeping.
Had my accupunture tonight, I go back mid period next (hope it helps it's costing me a fortune)
Soosy fingers crossed on the house!

Eleveld - I'm sure you've found out from all your reading that FSH levels vary naturally from month to month anyway, so I hope you have a low FSH month next month. Clinics do vary in their attitude to FSH levels, some are fine with 12.

Soosy - firstly, you say this regime improved your egg quality? How did the clinic quantify this? And also, I am sorry you are having a blue week. I sometimes find myself thinking that the chances are I won't have more children but I honestly can't deal with that thought, so out it goes. I suppose only you will know when enough is enough, but I think the key is to not have any regrets later i.e. to know I did everything possible at the time. You still have 2 vials of donor sperm left? Would you want to use those?

Hope your potential sellers have a huge tax bill over the weekend and need to sell NOW for tuppence.

Hope everyone else is well, and downregging just fine.

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site. Been TTC for 20 months now and just had referral from my GP to UCH. Waiting on my test results but my partner's sperm results were 13m and low motility.

Just wondering what to expect from my appointment at UCH. More tests?

Also, reading experiences of IVF sound like it's almost impossible on the NHS?

I'm 31 which I guess is relatively young for IVF, but I'm not sure it's a way to go for me as I have a family history of young onset ovarian cancer and all the drugs to suppress and kickstart those ovaries don't sound like a good idea with that history...

Hi vic, If you look back a few posts you will see a discussion about 'natural IVF' at Create Health with Dr Nargund. As you are young (and concerned about the drugs) you may find that this is a better method - as they can still do ICSI (inject one sperm into the egg) but you don't go through drugs process of normal IVF. Have a look at their website . . . they have a three cycle deal for around £4000. As for the NHS, it all depends on your particular trust, some are good some are bad. . . . I would say I have been very happy with the quality of care from the Dr's at my clinic, but frustrated by the NHS attitude of the support staff and some of the nurses.

I seem to have conquered the nausea and feeling fighting fit . . . my drugs are arriving by courier tomorrow, it is starting to feel like a familiar routine . . . lets hope I don't have to get too familiar with it . . .

Thanks, I'll take a look at that and the ICSI. Is ICSI funded by NHS at all?

Good luck with your cycle!

hi ladies

first post on this board - ttc#3 for 2.5yrs - we are going to discuss fertility treatment tomorrow afternoon, initial consult.

my local gynae consult said it would be iui that would be offered ( self financed) but when we got the guff through from the new place they sent us verything about full IVF and nothing about iui - so who knows what will happen!

DH and I figure that for the price of one IVF we could be doing 3-4 shots at iui so law of averages tells us that is the way to go, but we'll see what they say.

looking forward to making your acquaintnce

thanks Soosy

It's actually an NHS clinic - St Marys in Manchester. They are absolutely adamant that they will not treat unless level is 10 or under.

Am having the same blood test done next month so fingers crossed it will have reduced

Thanks

GOod Luck Eleveld.

OAP, Well they can't really quantify egg quality, but I did have far more grade one and two embryos after doing the foresight diet than before and even now my embryo quality is good, so I think the diet does help. Yes I am feeling better this week, our offer on the house has been accepted and I have found a couple of really cheap rentals to tide us over, so hopefully I don't have to hair up and down the motorway twice a week with DS going mad because he has to look at another house. I do want to use the last 2 vials, I think what I need is a holiday - going to Wales on Saturday, as I am exhausted. Hopefully my Father and brother won't stay long as I end up looking after them as well. I have no idea how my Mother did it with four children!! I will come home from holiday and book my appointments!

Hi Fadge, good luck with the iui, At first I am sure they will try clomid or another drug to make you produce more than one egg before insemination.

Hello Vic77en

Sooty, not to long to go now, Mowmi I hope you are well too.

Sx

Hi Soosy, thanks for the good luck! My gynae said I didn't need Clomid - then again this is the same fella that hasn't even done an fsh test yet in a year and a half !!!

Now I am quite interested in this embryo quality stuff . . . I know that they put back what they consider to be the best embryo's and they assume these are the 8 cell ones, but my Dr said that that is still no guarantee if there are genetic problems, and that often the frosties that they have deemed 2nd rate are the ones that take. Has anyone heard about this new test that can test the embryo qualities? Here is the link it was in the Guardian - it's a podcast.

www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/02/medicalresearch.health

Hopefully it will work this time - but if not you can see the links - on the science page.

Glad your offer was accepted Soosy.

All my drugs arrived this morning -scary - I think I am kicking off the next round in the waiting room again - or maybe you are Mowmi? I expect to do an egg collection around the 8 - 11 August, when are you?

How are you going swerve? We were on the same schedule last time . . . I am wondering are you considering another round?

hi sooty. I'm still here, lurking around. I'm waiting for my next period (probably in a couple of weeks) to start on the pill and the next round. So I'll be a month behind you.

We were recommended to try pgs (genetic screening) on our 4th harvest - of the 9 or so embryos that developed, only 3 turned out to be any good and those hadn't been the ones awarded "best in dish". That round worked. The first and only time I've been pregnant. I know the pgs is controversial but I believe its been standard practice in the US for a while on all IVF.

Soosy, so pleased to hear your offer's been accepted. Great news! and enjoy wales!

hi swerve - what do you mean by your three weren't awarded 'best in dish'? I am also interested in genetic screening as I am not really able to afford more than possibly two cycles more and I would like to get some indication of my chances - did you listen to the podcast I mentioned? Is this the type of test you are talking about?

oh I get it - you had 9 embryo's and then they were genetically tested, and the 3 they chose weren't the ones they would have chosen without the genetic testing, and then that was the cycle that you became pregnant on?

Is that right? so in that scenario the genetic testing was useful? was it expensive?

you've got it. The embryos that were being classed as top grade were often the ones with genetic faults. So they put back one grade 2 and one grade 3 on that round (when i become pregnant). Now this isn't the only thing they're doing. I remember feeling quite annoyed that I hadn't been offered screening earlier in the process but I understand why they are cautious about offering it. I think clinics have different protocols about offering genetic screening.

Yes, it is very expensive - 2-2500 extra, which is why most clinics only offer it under exceptional circumstances.

Very interesting and very expensive , as I only got two embryo's last time it is a bit of moot point, but I guess it helps to explain lack of success rates with so called 'quality' 8 cell embryo's . .

Hi Ladies

Hope you don't mind me joining you? We found out my DH has zero sperm at the beginning of June, and we've been referred to our infertility clinic (first appointment on the 31st).

To say it's been a shock is an understatement. We've done some research and are now thinking that the epilepsy drugs DH took as a teenager might have caused this (apparently tests have shown that the drug is extremely toxic to the testes and causes a degeneration of the seminiferous tubules and a depletion of germ cells).

I had been hoping that his zero count was caused by a blockage, but when he read about other people who have been affected by epilepsy drugs we were prompted to look into it. Now I'm hoping that maybe they can find some using TESA / MESA / PESA and help us via IVF+ICSI.

I'm not really sure I'm ready to consider the concept of donor sperm, but I'm sure I will if we're told that's our option. DH wants a baby as much as I do and has tried to reassure me that he will love any child, no matter how they are conceived, just as much as if we had conceived without help.

I have a question for the more experienced among us. When your GP referred you, was your first appointment with a gynaecologist? Our GP referred us on the basis of DH's lack of sperm, but the letter was addressed only to me to see the gynaecologist. When I phoned to see if DH should come to the appointment, I was told that he could "if he'd like to", even though I made a point of saying we'd been referred because of him. It just seems odd, that's all.

It is standard procedure in my clinic for everything to be addressed to me - to assist in avoiding mix ups. E.g. my partners sperm is processed/stored etc under my name . . . which I have to admit I find reassuring. But I don't know about whether you would need to see another type of specialist. Sorry to say I can't help you at all as I have no experience in this area . . . except to say that there were some previous posts from Soosy regarding donor sperm that may be of interest to you.

Thanks sooty. That kind of makes sense to have everything under one name. I'll look back through the posts for Soosys messages

HI glasto Sorry to hear about your DH, As you will see my DH is in a similar position. I understand completely about not being ready to think about donor sperm, we did ICSI for 9 cycles before coming to the Donor option. Which was successful. We are trying for Sibling for DS but without success so far only got two cycles left, but by then I shall be 40!

Was interested to hear about sweden Londonlottie, sounds great results, do they have a website I would be interested to read about it. Although having a DB might make travel more difficult.

Glasto I would check also about the appointment, they did similar to my DH and booked him to see a gynae, although he was supposed to see the male version. I think they assume as you are being referred to ACU that its a girl thing. Good Luck with everything.

Hi Sooty, hope all's well with you.

Sx