Assisted Conception (and the bits in between) Volume 5

[Bumpless]

Thought I'd set us up a new home! kettle's on and choc tin open.

This is a lucky start to our new thread: 2 BFPs and a fantastic fertilisation rate from Dueling!

Boobs and biscuits to everyone

Hi there
V. quick as exams start tomorrow - aargh! - but WELL DONE Horton, that's brilliant. I only got 6 but still got 2 fairly good embryos (well, we'll see, but the clinic said they were good) - I'm sure that means nothing but certainly things are looking v. positive for you! I didn't have any to freeze, so hopefully you'll be luckier than me in that respect.

I'm struggling a bit - nasty cramping since last night, and trying to revise with absolutely no concentration or memory, and lack of sleep... Everything I read says this is a normal side effect of progesterone gel, so I take it I should just grin and bear it (those in the know)? It wouldn't matter at all if it weren't for the exams. Oh well, I made the decision to go ahead with the IVF knowing this - I have to just try not to fail, and abandon hope of any more than that!

Good luck those who are waiting - I'm testing on 19th May, so not long before Amber.

Wow, sounds like a crazy plan, MM, but in another sense perfectly sensible I guess! Hard not to have your DH around for the whole thing - though I guess he's got a good excuse... V. best of luck with all the events!

Hope you're feeling ok, Italian - must be so hard to stay on an even keel at the moment, but sounds like you're doing well, and these are v. normal and necessary steps towards letting go of one version of the future (to welcome a new one in its place in due course). Easy for me to say, though, I know.

OK, back to the books...

Thanks for the good wishes, people. I will find out tomorrow how many fertilised and will let you know (I have to tell someone and you're it).

My thoughts are with you, Italian. I'm not religious but I expect if there is a god that he or she will hear my heartfelt wishes for you and your husband to find peace and happiness in whatever way is best for you.

Well done on your weight loss, Amber, and good luck with the revision, Levi.

I'm so pleased we got 9. I was really bracing myself for only a few, esp as the protocol I'm on usually produces 2-7 eggs. Really hope some are of good enough quality to give us a good chance.

Interestingly, we may have a possible answer to our difficulties in conceiving. Even though DH has had numerous semen tests over the past five years or so, today was the first time that they flagged up a possible issue with his sperm. Apparently he has only 7% normal morphology where they would consider 15% normal (this is applying the strictest criteria rather than loose criteria where 30%ish is normal). 7% is good enough, apparently, as the point where they consider it a fertility issue would be 4%. So interesting stuff and I am really crossing my fingers for all those eggs and sperm to get it on tonight!

Thanks Levi I am 35 so I'm not sure how many they will suggest, I think I'll do the same and leave it up to the embriologist (that is if everything gets that far, I know I'm jumping the gun a bit ). Hope the exams go ok, must be hard when all your thoughts are all over the place not to mention your hormones!!!

Yey!! Horton good to know that all those injections were worth it- hope there are some fab strong ones in there!!!
Hi MM wow hope those eggs realise the effort they are getting!! It might be easier for you with DH away you'll have more time to spoil yourself and not have to be nice to anyone!!!

Italian I've used agnus castus before to help regulate AF and it has really made me feel sane again, might be worth looking up

I am trying to drink lots of water but am completely fed up with running to the toilet all the time, trying to think of all the good it's doing, here's to clear skin and lots of energy!!smile

So, out of 9 eggs we have six that fertilised normally. Hoorah!

Egg transfer on Thursday morning and we will find out then if we have enough to freeze any as well as transferring two.

FAB news Horton

Do you think that's okay? I'm really crossing my fingers a decent number make it through until Thursday!

Horton that sounds like a really good result, my worse nightmare is go through all this and them not have any eggs or fertilised to work with!! So six that are ready to grow sounds good . I have everything crossed for you, keep positive thoughts, if you can are you planning on two embryo transfer???

Horton, I had 6 and 4 fertilized. I think it's a great number. You may even get to freeze some which is just great

Oh, thanks, it really is good to hear others' experiences and I'm so grateful for all the good wishes. It's funny but I now appear to be even more nervous than I was when my follicles weren't growing. On the bright side, I'm having a good old glass of wine on the basis that I have no eggs in me and am definitely not yet pregnant!

We will definitely transfer two, although I am shit-scared of the prospect of twins, as we really really want this to work. We would actually be allowed three but will not do that as in the unlikely event that all three stuck it would be really really unfair on my three year old. I think twins would be grim but doable. Triplets would be grim and undoable with another child in tow! If I have twins, my mum has promised to come and live in the UK for a while and help out. But I am definitely getting ahead of myself as we don't even know if any of them will make it to Thursday morning. Am crossing everything.

Horton that is great news about your 6 growing embryos! I am keeping everything crossed for you.

Levi I hope your exams are going well.

Cerubina how's it going? Are you feeling better?

Dueling how is pregnancy treating you?

Have decided to try acupuncture with my treatment and have my first session on Friday. Am I completely mad to have even MORE needles stuck in me? Has anyone done it and can give me an idea of what to expect?

MM I had acupuncture. I found it quite weird to start with but everyone said it seemed to chill me out. I was so sceptical at first and it took a few sessions for me to relax and give myself over to it but the pins never hurt me and I do thik it helped me through my treatment. No way of knowing if it really did help my fertility, so to speak, but I was very calm all the way through the treatment.

I am feeling ok but very, erm, fat. Well it's not fat, I was already fat, but I am feeling bloated. Still on the progesterone pessaries and awfully constipated. I am having to wear horrible baggy clothes to disguise my small bump in work though I think some people have guessed. I am just counting the days until I can tell people and just start wearing more fitting clothes. I have a scan tomorrow and will be 9 weeks so seriously considering just telling people after that. They said at the last scan that there is only one in there but to look at me you'd think I was carrying triplets!

Still... mustn't complain, I know I am so so lucky.

Hope all are well?

9 weeks already! I hated the fat stage. Things improve a lot once you have an actual bump and can tell people, IME. Up to that point you just feel frumpy and tired. And be assured, the dreadful constipation is often there even without the pessaries. Not sure if that is comforting or not, actually.

Horton still keeping everything crossed for you that the embies are powering along and you have some to freeze as well as two to transfer. Good luck for tomorrow. My DH also has morphology hovering around the 6-8% mark (I am very surprised they haven't checked for it before with you, it is one of the basics). Our m/c consultant said he didn't think that was too bad and no one ever gets more than 20%, so although 7% sounds awful, it's not so far away from normal. x

MM Hi, thanks for the namecheck! I'm well thanks. I have been having acupuncture for nearly two years now - you could say it's not been a roaring success in that I still don't have a baby, but I have conceived twice in that time so perhaps it is helping. I enjoy it anyway and have had two lovely therapists who are very understanding and knowledgeable about TTC (both have had issues of their own as well so know where I'm coming from) so I find it almost like TTC counselling with added needles! It's not painful, although some of the points do hurt when the needle goes in, it's quite relaxing and it's a bit of me time each week, so I do recommend it.

Hello to the ladies on the 2WW - Levi and Amber. Hope the wait is going OK, Levi the exams must help a bit to keep your mind occupied but hope you are getting a chance to relax too! Amber well done on the continued weight loss, great stuff.

Dueling good luck for the scan tomorrow and I hope the constipation wears off soon. Not a nice symptom is it, and probably contributing to you feeling a bit bloated and out of shape.

Poppy are you downregging at the moment? I seem to have missed spotting what stage you are at but it sounds as if you are underway at some stage in the process. Hope the drugs are sitting OK with you if so, and sorry to hear about your m/c experience having to sit in the waiting room with all the bumps . It is so not the way to do it. Keep up the positive thinking and all the water consumption anyway!

Hello Italian, hope the mood swings are manageable and I think the various supplements people have recommended might be a good idea to help you back on an even keel hormone-wise. But keep that coat hanger handy if you need to thrash something. x

Not a lot of news from me - day 8 of my cycle, so getting myself steeled for more boring bonking again. One of the good things about ICSI (there have to be some, right?) will be feeling able to get off that merry-go-round of sex every two days whether we feel like it or not. You don't have to tell me that's really not the right attitude when it comes to making a baby, but I reckon it's pretty unlikely anyone gets much of a rush of excitement thinking about sex after 2.5 years of throwing everything at it!

Last week I had my final blood test done for the specialist - day 2 FSH/LH/estradiol. Another £120!! These tests are ridiculously expensive (£120 would be bearable, but on the back of £1100 already spent, it feels pretty pitiless). Hope we get top marks at the end of it all!

But on the upside, we hit the credit cards this week and booked a holiday - we are off to Egypt for 2 weeks in mid-June. It'll be unbelievably hot but we love the sun and we will be right by the historical sites in Luxor so will be able to get some kul-cha in and do some serious lazing around! I think this should stand us in good stead for the twin stresses of ICSI and finishing our home renovations. We're very excited!

Oh and I missed out a namecheck for Idreaminchoccywoccydoodah, hope you are still being nice to yourself and getting lots of hugs off DH. Come back and see us when you are ready. xx

Horton Wow, 9, cool. Thanks for kind words.

Levistubbstears hope all is going well.

To you all, Choco CErabina, MM.

Sending you all my love.

Hi there, everyone.

Hope everyone is well.

Embryo transfer was this morning. Of the six that fertilised normally, we lost three at the two cell stage. That left a grade 1 at seven cells, a grade 2 at five cells and a grade three at four cells but a day behind (not quite sure what this means, presumably it was slow to start growing). So we have had the two strongest transferred and they are going to grow the other for another day or two to see if it might be possible to freeze it. So it is unlikely that we'll have any spares left over but the two that were transferred were both considered to have very decent chances. I test on the 24th May. My fingers are very firmly crossed!

Oh Horton well you have two good ones don't you - excellent news. Let's hope the other one does well and can be frozen. I wish I had any to freeze but I only made one embryo. Good luck!!

Good luck Horton and Amberc! Eh, at least the 2ww doesn't drag at all!

Cerubina, how fab about Egypt! I was out there in 1997 (just before the temple massacre, lovely) and it was just utterly amazing. We were based mainly in Luxor too but did a trip down to Aswan (a must, in my view) and a couple of days in Cairo (courtesy of the scariest bus ride ever). Luxor made me feel like I was on the set for The Spy who Loved Me, but it was just incredible. If they still offer the chance to go into the tomb of Nefertari, just gulp at the price but do it! You will be struck dumb by how old and fab it is - just astonishing to think our ancestors were basically running around in animal skins when it was painted!!

I finally get to start downregging tomorrow, hooray! Still feeling v zen and what will be, will be-ish about it all - hmm, let's see how long that lasts!

Hello to everyone else!

Horton so glad you had some good quality ones to go back in! Just goes to show that all that BDing and even if they fertilise only a few ever get to the right stage!! Fingers crossed for you

Cerubina OH a hot hoiday sounds so nice especially with this rubbish weather. I am downregging (nearly a week already). I feel a bit deflated (not sure why), tired++++ and am eating really rubbish food which is annoying me. Not sure if its the medication or whether AF is due

Pengiun we are almost at the same stage it seems, he's to lots more sniffing!!

MM lots of people feel Acu has helped, I have a friend who does it but not for fertility. Had it during IUI but just deciding whether to bother for IVF. I might splash out and go to a nice clinic/ treatment place as it might be relaxing. I loved reflexology, how do you find a fertility acu person???

Dueling Yep those first few weeks of PG do make you feel so fat, I completely lost my waist and felt stuffed, but that little bump will be here soon and look so cute

poppy you should look for a Zita West accredited acupuncturist. I think you might find them on her site.

My 2WW is a bit bollox really as I know how low a chnce we have of it working. Horton's is much more exciting!

I'd like to go to egypt but it's just way too hot for me (and not good for bringing a 2 year old!!)

Amber, you have just as much chance as I do, I think. If there's one thing I've realised about this fertility business, it's that you never can tell. And I am trying v v hard not to get too excited so don't encourage me!

Thanks for the good wishes, all. Am already fed up of this 2ww business.

Well I only have 8% chance for IUI so I am hoping your stats are better than that!! With 2 embies on board I think it's 35% isn't it?

Amber, you killed the thread! Bad Amber!

Seriously, it is quiet on here the last few days. How is everyone? Any updates from our ladies on the 2WW - I think some were due to be testing tomorrow and over the next couple of days, no? ...

Levi you are tomorrow - good luck! How is the revision going? Hope you are managing to balance all this stress and use one thing to distract you from the other. Sending good vibes for you.

Amber I think it is Saturday for you isn't it. Good luck!!

Horton how are you finding the first week of the wait? I see you are testing next Monday so still have to keep up the iron will and positive thinking (remember to wear orange and all that). Thinking of you and keeping fingers crossed.

MM is probably in Oz at the moment so I hope you are having a good trip and getting all the arrangements in order for when you head out there. Exciting times!

Penguin, how's the downregging going? Are you still managing to keep your calm and zen-like attitude? In answer to your question, it seems you can't visit Nefertari's tomb any more but there are still dozens of others and as a tomb virgin I'm sure they will be amazing and atmospheric. Thanks for the tips.

Poppy you must be getting towards the end of the downregging now aren't you? What is the latest with you, all going well I hope?

Penfold, Kiwi, Mojangles, Dueling, all our graduates - hello and hope you are continuing to do well in your pregnancies.

Italian, Idream, Isle hello to all if you are reading and lurking.

I don't have much to report here. Just waiting for the results of our tests next week at our next appointment. Have had a couple of days of feeling glum recently about the lack of babies, there's a lot of talk about children at work at the moment and I keep wondering when/whether it will ever be my turn. Meanwhile my DH has a very important presentation at work today so hoping he does well and gets a good rating from it, it would be brilliant for him (he is hoping to go for partnership soon).

Hoping the sunshine keeps it up and we all get a bit of a boost to our mood from it.

Sorry for killing the thread!! I am Saturday but I don't feel very pregnant - quite the opposite in face and what with my crap odds (see above) not getting too excited. Actually a girl on my post natal thread (which we've been doing for 2 years now!) who was in the same boat as me has just got pregnant. I am happy for her but reading it was like being stabbed in the eye. Sometimes you feel better for knowing that someone else can't get pregnant either - I know you shouldn't [wanders off after having probably killed the thread a second time...]

Aw, Amber, you didn't kill the thread. It was just having a rest. Actually, I think our odds are less than 35% given my age, even with two embryos on board.

Hi everyone, hope all is well.

I don't feel pregnant either, Amber. In fact, although the first couple of days of the 2ww really dragged, I am barely thinking about it now. I am pretty sure I'm not pregnant (think I would surely feel something by now?) so am not stressing about it. I think low-stress is the way to go. If it turns out I am wrong, that will be fabulous but I don't want to get my hopes up!

Sorry to hear you're having to deal with lots of talk about children, Cerubina, that is really hard. Best of luck to your DH for his presentation!

Am liking the sunshine a lot. It's very cheering.