Assisted conception (and the bits in between!) - part 4 - all welcome

[mummycat1]

Starting new thread with massive congratulations to Nanoo I reckon the old man can wait till he gets home! But of course - it's up to you really xxx

Thank you Bumpless. I feel better. Thankfully my clinic have agreed to let me have IVF. At first they had my old AMH test which was 10.2 and they seemed to think it indicated I wasn't infertile! Not sure what scale they are using, aren't there supposed to be 2?

Anyway - I am hoping it's all some big horrible mistake and that I respond well to the drugs.

Shit. I think I am one of those ridiculous stories that you hear and think...yeah, right, as if that really happens. I have just done a HPT and it is positive. Am shaking.

This Wednesday is the one year anniversary since we lost our baby. I am about to start ICSI. It must be a joke mustn't it?

And yet I had a temperature crash this morning (down by 0.6 degrees C, which is a lot in one day) and a bit of pinky stuff once or twice during the day. Surely I am about to start my period?? I don't know why I even did a test actually.

Oh I don't know what to think! DH home in half an hour and I am just going to be wittering at him!

Hi Cerubina,WOW! I think its very rare to get a false positive isnt it? Do another test in the morning and get yourself booked in to the docs for a blood test asap - oooh how exciting - i hope it all works out for you hon

Oh Cerubina! What amazing news. I was only just blogging today about how those getting pregnant just before IVF/IUI/ICSI stories!

False positives are indeed so rare. your post made me

Cerubina, that is amazing! Can you pop out and get another test? I would be re-testing and re-testing, but I think false positives are v v rare aren't tehy?

Cerubina, i am a graduate of this thread and i watch it like a hawk, wishing and hoping for everyone, so you have made my day. i call for a RE-TEST! Best of luck.

Cerubina that's so exciting - congratulations

Cerubina Well done, that is amazing.

Go Cerubina Go!!!!

That is incredible, well done you! You've acheived Urban Myth status right here on our own little thread. Get some sleep and get another test, very very best of luck...

Dueling yes, there are 2 AMH scales. Great that they're going ahead with your cycle - there's no way to know how you're going to respond really, till you try.

Islegrin how are you doing girlie? 2 days till ET. I'll be rooting for you and the frosties on Wednesday.

Cerubina - Fantastic news! Congrats!

And before I forget and leave myself off the role call:

Bumpless, age 42, ttc #1, 3 failed IVF in London, DE cycle in Greece Feb/March

DuelingFanjo, age 39 (just!), ttc #1, 6 months Clomid. MC June 2009, IVF to come in March

Italiangreyhound, age 44, ttc #2, MC 2006, several failed IUIs + 1 abandoned IVF, IVF with DE in UK

Islegrin, age 38 (just!), ttc #1, ectopic May '05, 5-IUI 1-IVF and 1-FET, 2nd FET on Feb 10, 2010

Cerubina, age 37, ttc #1, MMC Feb 2009, male and female factors in struggles to conceive, hoping to start ICSI cycle in a week or so.

Penguindreams, age 36 (about to turn 37), ttc #1 since Oct 07, never had a BFP (probable male factor), 2 x blasts transferred 6/2 and on the dreaded 2ww!

babybarrister 40 - DS 3, 1st IVF about to start in March, generally all "suboptimal" apparently ie they have no idea I suspect!

RosieBeagle, age 31 ttc #1 since Aug 06, 4 rounds of clomid, currently in 2ww of first of 2 available cycles also have 1 frostie

Kiwikat, age 44, ds aged 3.7, ttc#2. failed clomid, on microgynon, about to start cetrotide, first scan 17 Feb. No idea what we're doing!
Alfiemac - age 43. twin s's (3.8) - ICSI 3 x further attempts at IVF (fresh and FET)now ttc#3

tattycoram - age 38 - DS 3. Trying to decide where to have ICSI

Riggly - age 29, ttc #1 for 2yrs, male factors identified, waiting to start 1st ICSI cycle.

MercenaryMom - age 38, DD (1.9)(concieved by ICSI) and ttc#2. Just finished FET at the Hammersmith and middle of the dreaded 2ww!

Thanks for the reading suggestions (biscuits to all who made recommendations!) its nice to have something positive to read instead of torturing myself with Google...

Hoping the snow means we can all put our feet up at home and pretend to work tomorrow!

Cerubina!!! Amazing news! Love to hear things like that. You just saved yourself a whole lot of poking, if this all works out! Best of luck to you and I can't wait to hear the re-confirming of multiple tests in the weeks to come.

Bumpless - yep, two more days until the thawing out of three little ones: Larry, Mo and Curly. I prefer to look at it in terms of days before I can POAS! I'm trying to be rather non-chalant about the whole thing this time, because I know that our chances would be better with a fresh ivf cycle. Very tired today, tempted to take a nap right on my keyboard at work!

Dueling anyway you get there, I hope you reach your destination soon!

Ailz good to see you pop your head in from clouds above! I hope you are doing well.

I need to stop obsessively reading other peoples infertility blogs

IslegrinHave a look at the Times on line for a positive story about frozen embryos doing well. There is also a Guardian (newspaper) article about frozen embryo cycles doing better than fresh (from November 2008). I think if you Google around you could probably find out almost anything but please feel positive, you have these little embies, and they have you, all ready to go. You are so close. All the very best.

Thank you all so much for your lovely reactions. I have calmed down (a bit!) and am just sort of shaking my head in wonder now. Also compulsively knicker checking.

Over the course of so many months where nothing at all was happening I thought I had done a really good job at squeezing out all the hope in my heart that this might ever happen, but it turns out it was there all along on a pilot light. All this excitement and joy has just burst out in the last 12 hours, but I am still trying to cram some of it back in again in case it does not turn out well. Such a shame when your only experience of pregnancy is that it can go wrong but I have to take this a day at a time, don't I, and I feel like feeling the joy no matter what, given how long I've lived without it.

Enough of me me me anyway.

How are the 2WWs going, Penguin, Rosie and MM? Hope you are not driving yourselves mad.

Isle I love the names for your frosties - hee hee! How cute. Sending good vibes that they thaw out in tip top condition and get burrowing in when they are transferred. Let us know how it goes when you get the chance.

Waves to everyone else.

Cerubina!! That's fantastic news! . Do a test now now now and tell us the results immediately! Wow, what a lovely outcome that would be.

Islegrin, you're just an unrepentant POAS addict aren't you?! They have the stats on the wall in the waiting room at Guy's and the success rate for FET is actually highest of all in the 38-40 group (even higher than for the less than 35s) so you are perfectly placed for a few Stooges to settle in!

DuellingFanjo, does seem a bit on the high side according to St Zita but I agree with whoever said, you won't know until you try. And yes, stop reading blogs, most of them are probably fiction anyway!

Waves to everyone and goes back to googling to see what a ball of cells 3dp5dt might look like...

Ha ha Penguin been there, done that! I love the Visible Embryo site www.visembryo.com/baby/4.html that's DPO 5-6. And YES, I'm totally UNREPENTANT when it comes to POAS!

"it's my money and I'll pee if I want to, pee if I want to, you would pee too if it happened to youuuuu"

Cerubina You should absolutely enjoy this time, a BFP is a BFP, deal with the future when it gets here, not now. Now is the time to revel in the good that's here! It's a special joy considering all that you've been through! All the best.

Thanks for all of the encouragement re: FET, actually my doctor does have a higher success rate with FET than with IVF on a regular protocol, but the stooges are a little "less than optimal" so we'll see how it goes. Cell number is a factor in sticking, not a factor in health as I understand it. But we've had "optimal" conditions before that have yielded BUPKIS! So I'm staying sane, and not expecting much. It should go pretty smoothly, actually I wondered if I even needed the slight sedative that they plan to have me take. I mean, it's not much more than IUI at this point.

Later taters!

Bump! Does anyone have advIce or experience of ICSI? X

Yes, quite a few of us, NewMember. I'm in the 2ww after my 1st ICSI at Guy's. It's just like IVF except that they inject the sperm directly into the egg to improve prospects of fertilisation - it's normally the suggested route if there are male factor problems.

this caused me to let out a hollow laugh. Oh if only it was that easy to get pregnant past 35 (for me anyway)!

I have just ordered a whole load of Zita West Vitamins and some Wheatgrass. I just want to try and get my eggs in top condition for the stimulation. Am I doing this right?

ARGH! Just lost my post in a computer hiccup!

Dueling if you want more info on eating for tiptop eggies, check out Sarah Dobbyn's The Fertility Diet. Happy to send you mine if you PM me an address.

Yes I heard that interview on older women still needing contraception on Today with gritted teeth... On the subject of which, did anyone see '8 boys and wanting a girl' on TV the other day? Only saw a bit of it, and don't want to diminish anyone's feelings, but it was a bit galling to watch a woman sobbing because the scan had shown that her (perfect, healthy, natural) 5th pregnancy was a DS...

NewMember if you check back, I answered your question on the prev page - but Penguin said it more eloquently! was there anything specific you wanted to know?

thank you Bumpless will check it out.

I saw the '8 boys and wanting a girl' programme and a small bit of me did feel sympathy for their angush (I kind of know where they are coming from in terms of emotional impact) but really thought they were all quite mad to have got themselves in that kind of a state!

Cerubina hope all is well?

Hello Ladies,
Cerubina - wow that is absolutely fantastic news. Enjoy!!
Islegrin - my twin boys were a FET when I was 39 years old - they are now 8.8 months old an an absolute joy!

Can someone tell me where I find the online article re women over 40 years of age conceiving when they had almost given up hope?

Also - can anyone help me/recommend UK (and abroad) although preferably UK that have good success rates with us "oldies" as in over 40 years of age and would consider using "older" eggs if fertility tests are OK.
bIm basically looking for a nice "friendly" clinic that can give me some ~honest~ advice rre my DH and my options. I will be 44 years old later this year coupled with the fact that my DH although not yet 40 years of age has fertility problems.
The NHS clinic with whom we were successful with the twins not particularly helpful or obliging about treating me now that I am 43 and Im a little nervous about approaching other clinics as afraid that might just tell me to stop being unrealistic and go away!!?

Thanx Ladies,

Yea I had just seen that 2. I am just hoping to find out as much as i can. Did you have to wait a long time for treatment?

x

Only two days left until I POAS and no sign of my period, so I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed that the underdog embies are hanging in there... Penguin and Rosie I hope the wait is going well for you too! How much longer have you got?

New Member, I had ICSI to conceive my DD and my two current embies are the frozen result of the same ICSI cycle. We were recommended ICSI as my husband had chemo & radiotherapy and hence no longer has viable sperm - and the healthy stockpiles frozen before his treatment are limited.

We were on the NHS waiting list for about 9+ months before treatment (at the Hammersmith in London). However, as Penguin says, once it all starts, its no different for you than a 'normal' IVF cycle. The only difference is what they do with the eggs and sperm behind the scenes.

Hi everyone - I think this is the thread that I joined last year bt slipped off as I had ages to wait until I started my IVF - may I rejoin? I'm on the Fostimon at the moment and just had a scan today. Feeling rubbish as I only had two follicles. I have a really low AMH of 2.6 so maybe I should be grateful I have any. I don't know - maybe I expected too much. This is my first time although i have a son conceived naturally. I'm 37. Any words of advice, wisdom or consolation?

Cerubina - just joined the thread but fingers crossed for you!