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

Dear Italian, Poppy, MercenaryMom just wanted to say thank you SO much for the advice. Feels good having someone to talk (write) to. I don't have time to write much and I'll be absent for a few days due to exams, but will be back for more!!

Poppy75 well done, wishing you all best wishes. I am a Christian so will send up a quick arrow prayer. I do so hope this works for you.

MM I have heard of Michigan, I did an exchange at Purdue University in Indiana. Good luck for stims.

Mountthefairy all the best.

Period arrived today, no wonder I was close to divorce a few days ago! When is all this Agnus Castus and Evening Primrose going to kick in!!

Good luck Poppy, hope the next couple of weeks go quickly!

MM, sounds like you and I should swap uteruses (uteri?!) . I am now heavily dosed up on oestrogen with tablets and patches - fingers crossed things go in opposite directions for the pair of us!

IG, Agnus Castus never worked for me. I used to go to a herbalist (my H called her the witch doctor) and she would tell me that I was the only one it didn't work for, which always made me a bit . Hope you're feeling ok.

MTF, good luck with your appt. IG is right - if you start writing they'll become a lot cagier .

Penguin it tastes vile, like poison so I ate a chocy afterwards today! Waves to all.

MM--That's ok, no one seems to know where Philadelphia is, either. I have to mention that it's about two hours away from New York, and two and half from Washington DC. How long have you been here? Husband English? Good luck with your scans. I hope you get to start stimming soon.

ItalianG--It's weird that I don't take into account the hormones coursing through my body when I'm irritated with my husband. Although, in my defense, it has been hard breaking my husband's "I'd been living alone for seven years until you came here" pattern. He took the week off last week and we basically had a 'staycation', and he did lots of things round the flat. Hope it keeps up. And I find that chasing anything with chocolates is a good idea

Poppy--I'll be thinking of you the next couple of weeks, and I'm sure we all understand if you want to take the two weeks to yourself to concentrate on implantation! The acupuncturist who treated me before my first ET said that you should try to keep a warm center, so no cold foods or raw veggies (harder to digest, apparently).

MTF--We had a different story. My husband is paraplegic, and we had no choice but to have IVF plus ICSI, because he had to have his swimmers extracted directly from his man wobbly bits. They're of good quality, they're just not mature enough to make the IUI journey. My borough put us on a two year waiting list, despite our circumstances, so I used the HFEA website to research clinics in London. We were lucky enough to be accepted in a program where we were offered two cycles for the price of one, all inclusive.

Cone biopsy on Wednesday. Starting to feel anxious about it...

Lissy my SIL lives just outside Philly with her family, and my PIL are from Pittsburgh, so I am v familiar with PA! Best of luck with the cone biopsy.

IG, I quite liked the taste! But only compared to the filthy potion I had to take as well, which smelled like a decomposing corpse .

Hello lovely TTC-ers, if I may show my face around here after unceremoniously buggering off 3 months ago!

Just had an epic catch-up read.

First things first: massive congrats to Dueling, Capricorn, PenfoldsGlasses, LeviStubbs and Amber for your BFPs! Wonderful news and so well-deserved.

And equally important: big hugs to Italian, Gingerwine, GGG, Idream and Horton for crappy BFNs. I so wish things had worked out better for you all this time.

I've been thinking of you all lots and hoping things were going well. I had a bit of a melt-down - it pretty much started from our first scan, and have only just climbed out of it. I think a dose of ante-natal depression is quite common amongst us ladies who've struggled TTC, but I didn't see it coming. Things are much better now so I hope you don't mind if I keep looking in!

Good luck to everyone mid-cycle

Just a quick one this evening to say hello to MoJangles. Sorry to hear you had a bit of a meltdown, but hope you're feeling better now?

Didn't realise this thread was so Americanised! My DH is indeed British and I've been living in the UK for ages (15 years now!). It feels like home now (mostly) and I'm beginning to worry about starting all over again in Oz...

Lissy I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Hope the cone biopsy goes well.

Penguin how are you feeling on high doses of oestrogen? Hopefully it will get everything back on schedule.

As for me - I started my stims last night. I feel dreadful - combination of a persistent sore throat and a migraine headache - but don't think I can blame the drugs... yet. Had an acupuncture session today and felt better for about a half hour afterward before starting to feel rubbish again. Urgh.

Mojangles so pleased to hear from you. Thinking of you all.

*LissySilver Thinking of you this week, all the best.

Poppy75 Hope it went well this week.

MountTheFairy Hope you are getting your questions ready, when is your appointment?

Penguin How long to go now before FET?

Waves to all.

I don't normally write a proper old fashioned diary (just an electronic one) but today I wrote in my old fashioned pressed flower book that I was ready to look into adoption. I have worked out it may take us about 18 months and we might get an 18 month old, (or a two year old but we can't start yet anyway) so as my sis points out that means that the baby might be being born about now! How weird!

IG that is very weird! Kind of reminds me of the episode of Friends when Chandler and Monica make the decision and Chandler says something like 'If you listen very carefully you can hear the sound of the condom breaking' . Hope you can get started on your new journey before too long.

MM, a few heart palpitations, which isn't too pleasant, but otherwise fine. I am lined up for the FET on Monday. Will have to go straight back to work, which is a pain, but very much in keeping with my 'What would Zita not do' mentality this time around . Imagine it's a bit early to be feeling the effects of the stims, maybe you've just got a bug of some kind. Hope you're on the mend soon.

Mo, sounds horrible, glad you've come out of it. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy (and if you don't, eh, you can just start the maternal guilt thing a bit early ).

Hi all, I've just found this thread and I'm very pleased I have! DH and I have been TTC for nearly 18 months now, went to the doc's just before Christmas last year and subsequent tests and exploratory surgery have revealed a whole raft of issues for us. I am riddled with endometriosis - one ovary and womb adhered to my pelvic wall and had a 8cm cyst on the other ovary - and DH's sperm analysis have him down as azoospermic, although recent ultrasound has revealed a possible varicocele that may be the cause.

We're totally in limbo at the moment - I've had a laparoscopy so we know how stuffed I am, and even though my tubes are open, the chances of spontaneous pregnancy are v small. DH has a consultant's appt on 20th July when hopefully we'll get a course of action, but time is moving on - I'm 35, he's 32 and I just want to get on with it! Of course it feels like everyone else we know is popping kids out at a rate of knots, so it's been difficult, but in a strange way, the fact that there's something wrong with both of us has made it a little easier - no blame been put on either of us. Anyway, it's going to IVF of some description, which I'm not really looking forward to, but it will be worth it.

Hi all. Just a quick note to say that I'm home from hospital. Cone biopsy went well, but I was in so much pain afterwards that they kept me overnight. I'm now rocking the codeine, so all is right with the world.

How's everyone doing?

Hi guys - yep I broke the two week brake but couldn't resist popping in.

Vadercat hi welcome, sorry to hear your story, don't worry too much about IVF as I have just gone through my first cycle (waiting 2 weeks to see if it works) but it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. By the time you do it it feels good to finally be doing something positive. Good luck

Lissy take care and have lots of rest - at least the first part is over now . As for a warm core I think this is the perfect time for me to try to get pg as I am always really cold and over the last week it has been toasty and I love it so am trying to keep really warm and welcoming and hopefully one will stick!

IG that is really wierd and quite nice really, good luck, when can you start the process??

I called the clinic on Tuesday, unfortunately our spare embie only got to 10 cells then stopped so it was not worth freezing! I would have liked to have a back up but that's just the way it goes I guess. Felt a little sad in that DH really didn't want to do IVF and so we agreed we would only do one cycle as it was funded and this ttc has been going on for so long we want to get our lives back, so it sort of finalised this cycle really . So glad though that I had two better ones to go in. I just really hope one or two of them beds in and starts growing! Other than that I am still really positive

Hi all, just the human pincushion here, checking in... Must be brief since I'm on my iPhone - too lazy to turn on the computer...

Poppy glad to hear you're staying positive during your 2ww. Sorry to hear no 3 didn't make it and try not to worry too much about the future. You never know what's going to happen or how you or your DH will feel about it. My DH and I seem to take turns with enthusiasm and frustration with the process - we're rarely in agreement!

vadercat welcome! Sorry to hear about all your difficulties. You've come to the right place though. And as Poppy says, IVF isn't as bad as it initially sounds.

Lissy sorry to hear that the biopsy was painful but at least it's over now. And the world is a better place with codeine! When are you off to Philadelphia for a break? Just booked a trip to Michigan and nearly had a heart attack at the price!

Penguin great that it's going ahead on Monday! Keep defying Zita!

Italian it is a strange thought that somewhere there is your future child about to be born. What's do you do to get the adoption process started?

As for me, I feel like I've got another needle stuck in me every time I turn round: acupuncture, blood tests plus sticking myself twice a day. Still not feeling too badly, just tired. DH is home from Oz this weekend and I'm hoping for a bit of pampering... Not that I'll probably get it but a girl can hope...

Hi lovely ladies I was wondering if you would be able to help me (I have started a thread about this but thought I would see if you could help).

My DH and I have been trying for a year for DC2. DS was conceived easily so assumed all was working. I have had my day 21 tests and they came back ok. My doctor didn't think it was worth getting day 3 tests done apparently.

Anyway my DH had one set of SA tests which came back inconclusive.

The first of the second lot of test came back as so:

Firstly I am lucky enough to have a DS with my DH.

My husbands first sperm tests have come back and here they are:

8% normal forms
27% rapid motility
32% slow
22% non-progressive
19% immobile

He does have 3ml of the stuff and 52 million per ml so there is a lot there I think.

Should I just wait for the second test to be done?

PS I opened his letter accidently and have now put it back in the envelope.

Hello!! Sorry everyone! I just went and abandoned you all. I have been studiously ignoring anything to do with TTC to be honest. Thank you for your hug Mojangles. I was wondering how you were getting on as I drove into work the other day.

To be honest I've just been working and existing and not really dealing with anything.

I've spent most of the day cleaning as we have relatives coming later and bursting into tears today. I'm pretty miserable really and I have no idea where to start to snap out of it. DH and I havn't even talked about IVF/Donor eggs/adoption for ages. I think I am holding out for an unlikely miracle!! We havn't booked a follow up appointment after our failed cycle at Easter!! I just can't face it! I'm so down I can't even work out what I feel about my relationship with DH. I just never imagined the two of us never having a baby. That sounds really shallow I know but two failed cycles seems to have sapped all the spark from our relaionship. I'm worried about my eldest DS who is having a hard time at the moment dealing with his father who left when he was 5. I am so tired at the end of the day I never have time to catch up with my uni friends and I feel like I'm losing touch with them. To be honest I just want to run away from everyrhing!

Sorry that was a long and selfish rant.

Mo glad you are feeling better now. You have been through such a lot to get to this point it is bound to have an impact. Look after yourself.

Congrats to all the recent BFPs.

Massive good luck to those who are cycling at the moment. Hope linings get to the right thickness, follicles grow, and embies implant as they should.

GW

Good evening all!

BabyB great news that you're ready to roll. If there is one time to be grateful for having a flabby tummy, this is it. Those with supermodel figures must suffer...

Gingerwine I'm sorry you've been having such a hard time of things. Don't be too hard on yourself. This isn't any easy process, its hard on relationships (I think we can all testify to that, unfortunately) and it isn't something you can just snap back from when it doesn't work. Things will get better. In the meantime, you sound like a prime candidate for a day of pampering at the spa - or barring that some really good chocolate!

Loujalou welcome! I'm afraid I can't help you as I don't really know what all the percentages mean in terms of likeliness to conceive naturally or assisted. I'm sure there is someone on the thread who knows - there usually is!

I'm a bit worried tonight. Had a blood test this morning since I've been on stims for 5 days now. Got call back from the clinic this afternoon saying that they want me to come in for a scan - first thing tomorrow morning. Can't be good if they want you to come in first thing on a Saturday morning, can it? I asked if there was a problem with the bloods, but the nurse just replied "your estrogen was a little high". Anyone know what this means?

Hi there - me again!

I've not back-read the thread since I left, so please forgive me for not quite knowing where everyone is up to just yet.

But it's nice to see some of the old (as in familiar... ) faces - BabyBarrister - wow, can't beleive you've just done your first injection. Bet it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be?! Here's a big slab of chocolate fudge cake for you - you deserve it xxx

My cycle seems like a lifetime ago. Of course I was sad at first, but I think I was actually a bit numb and concentrated on "keeping busy" rather than dealing with the situation. Obviously it caught up with me in the end and about 3 weeks ago it hit me and I've been pretty down ever since. To be honest I feel like I'm a bit depressed - I just feel so sad. I've had a headache for 3 weeks now and I think it's because I'm so frustrated and angry.

After I got our result I felt like I'd woken up after a year submerged in infertility and IVF - to find I didn't like my life anymore. I was bored with my job, my house is a mess, my relationship could be better and I really need to lose weight (which has got worse - I've put on half a stone since I started treatment). I feel like I've lost a year of my life.

Woah - that's all a bit dark! I'm not quite myself at the mo, but I'm sure you ladies can help me get back to my old chirpier self. I haven't consciously stayed away - I just think that I blanked out the whole IVF experience out as soon as it was over. It feels as if it happened to someone else.

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone and meeting the new girls. I've said it before but I'll say it again - no one wants to be on this thread but seeing as we have to be, it's a damn fine place to be!

Sweet dreams xxxx

This is a really quick post. Sorry, it is late....

poppy75 All the very best, sorry you did not get your spare embie. We lost our spare one, I even named it, it felt very sad when it did not make it. I know how you feel.

Idreaminchocolate welcome back. Thinking of you. I know it is hard. I am going on a new healthy eating regime and exercise to shift weight! We are also having a major clear out this weekend as the house is a mess. I think getting the place tidier will make me feel better and losing weight for me is a must if we are going to adopt. Have you decided if you will try again? Can you afford to try again (did you pay last time)? I do think sorting out your relationship a bit is a must; making time to be together will help. Just get the romance back a bit, the fun, go out, have a nice meal or a picnic or a day out and just feel a bit more normal.

gingerwine welcome back, sorry to hear you are so unhappy. I do understand how you feel. I would guess that if you can, get some sort of control over your relationship with DH would help to make you feel better. It can be so vital to how we feel. I mean friends are important etc but getting on with DH is very key to our well being. I know when DH and I are out of sorts it affects a lot. My DH is TERRIBLE about talking about anything. So I have to be the one to bring it up. And often there is a reason he can't talk - driving, eating, breathing - any old excuse! It sounds like you have lots on your plate. Would talking to someone in real life help, a counsellor, someone to help DS with his issues with his dad? Anyway, I am mostly lurching from being OK to a mess these days so can't really give advice! I have started evening primrose oil tablets and Agnus Castus to help with my moods. They really are related to my hormones! Do you think your hormones are making things worse!

LissySilver glad the cone biopsy went well.
Keep us posted.

BB Oh no, not another sample, all the best, hope it is not needed.

MM hope you survive all these needles.

Thinking of you all.

Prayers that we will all come through these very tough times.

Yes, Penguin weird or what, started telling DD today about maybe having a child and not a baby. She went and got her old toys and started saying how she would help and even showed me how she would use her Walkman quietly so as not to wake the child up, she said she would put it on a quiet setting for them, and showed me how to work the volume - she was so cute. She almost always calls 'it' (the baby/child) 'she' and that is cute as DH and I both have a preference for another girl.

Welcome to vadercat and any other newbies, and Loujalou - I am afraid I can't offer any advice but expect someone else can.

Love to all ..... and chocolate boobs

This is a really quick post. Sorry, it is late....

poppy75 All the very best, sorry you did not get your spare embie. We lost our spare one, I even named it, it felt very sad when it did not make it. I know how you feel.

Idreaminchocolate welcome back. Thinking of you. I know it is hard. I am going on a new healthy eating regime and exercise to shift weight! We are also having a major clear out this weekend as the house is a mess. I think getting the place tidier will make me feel better and losing weight for me is a must if we are going to adopt. Have you decided if you will try again? Can you afford to try again (did you pay last time)? I do think sorting out your relationship a bit is a must; making time to be together will help. Just get the romance back a bit, the fun, go out, have a nice meal or a picnic or a day out and just feel a bit more normal.

gingerwine welcome back, sorry to hear you are so unhappy. I do understand how you feel. I would guess that if you can, get some sort of control over your relationship with DH would help to make you feel better. It can be so vital to how we feel. I mean friends are important etc but getting on with DH is very key to our well being. I know when DH and I are out of sorts it affects a lot. My DH is TERRIBLE about talking about anything. So I have to be the one to bring it up. And often there is a reason he can't talk - driving, eating, breathing - any old excuse! It sounds like you have lots on your plate. Would talking to someone in real life help, a counsellor, someone to help DS with his issues with his dad? Anyway, I am mostly lurching from being OK to a mess these days so can't really give advice! I have started evening primrose oil tablets and Agnus Castus to help with my moods. They really are related to my hormones! Do you think your hormones are making things worse!

LissySilver glad the cone biopsy went well.
Keep us posted.

BB Oh no, not another sample, all the best, hope it is not needed.

MM hope you survive all these needles.

Thinking of you all.

Prayers that we will all come through these very tough times.

Yes, Penguin weird or what, started telling DD today about maybe having a child and not a baby. She went and got her old toys and started saying how she would help and even showed me how she would use her Walkman quietly so as not to wake the child up, she said she would put it on a quiet setting for them, and showed me how to work the volume - she was so cute. She almost always calls 'it' (the baby/child) 'she' and that is cute as DH and I both have a preference for another girl.

Welcome to vadercat and any other newbies, and Loujalou - I am afraid I can't offer any advice but expect someone else can.

Love to all ..... and chocolate boobs

MM-- Flying to Philly on June 30th. I spent hours on the computer looking for good prices. Since I'm flying alone, I opted for a stopover in Chicago, making the flight cheaper. Hope the scan went well..

IG--My husband and I talked about adopting just the other day. I said I would choose adopting over surrogacy as there are so many children that need a loving home. I applaud ANYONE who adopts...

Poppy--Sorry to hear about your other embryo. It's so unbelievable, this whole process. I mean, I started out with 17 eggs, 12 of them mature. 7 fertilized, I had 2 transferred, and I only managed to get one frozen out of all of those. I am really rooting for you!

BabyB--Good luck with your injections! They're really not that bad. Just pinch an inch and take a deep breath. Quick is good!

Ginger--A spa day is in order, pronto!

Waves and blowing kisses to all....

Mountthefair how?s it going?

LissySilver how you feeling now? Thanks for your kind words about adoption but I am not contemplating doing it to be good or kind, although I hope that will happen, I am just keen to have another child. If my DH were willing to continue with fertility treatment I would certainly be considering it. My feelings on what to do change several times a day ? it is a very confusing time!
BB, Idreaminchocolate, Gingerwine and MM hope you are all OK.

Sorry if I have missed anyone.

Had a chat to DH today. I was in the bath so DH sat on the loo (on it not using it!) and I had my back to him (because of the hot tap being near my feet rather than at my back). It was good as I could say what was on my heart and DH got to look at my fabulous body! Lucky that NONE of you know what I look like or you would be laughing right now! Tee hee! I just told DH I needed him to be really behind the adoption thing with me as I did not want to be the driving force as I usually am!

Enough of me, I feel very relaxed now.

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend.