Rumples IVF/ICSI thread continued

[lildottie]

Our thread was originally started by Rumples who now has her bfp, as have a few other ladies along the way. Here's hoping the next thread holds a few more bfps!

I think it's great lil that you're able to just generally eat healthy but enjoy something not great once in a while but not feel guilty. You're not letting this take over your life.

Too late for me - now that I've seen my percentages aren't quite right, I'd be more stressed if I didn't fix it. My next cycle is only two weeks away anyway so I'll keep it up until then and during stims. I actually did find yesterday that keeping track of all my food did feel like something practical I could do to make me feel more positive about my next / last IVF working, rather than just the usual daily worry of wondering if it will actually work.

I agree on the fat thing Persipan. I read that diets high in mono-unsaturated fats such as avocado and olive oil increases IVF success. So I don't feel guilty eating fat if it's from healthy, natural sources rather than the saturated hydrogenated kind found in chips and cakes (as much as I want to eat that stuff!). But as you can see from my previous post, I ate high protein low carb at every meal yesterday and still my carbs were at 43%! Before my last IVF I was chowing down protein bars and shakes which did get the percentages right, but all the numbers and additives in them aren't good so I'm trying to do it with natural foods this time.

Do you track your food in a website too Persipan? Any suggestions on what your meals consist of (on a good non cheating day!) that gets your percentages right?

lil did the soy affect your ovulation or are you not due to ovulate yet? I have read about that and was curious to try that but haven't done so yet. I never make any of that egg white cervical mucous we are supposed to produce right before ovulation that sperm apparently need to mature in before they swim on toward the egg. I wonder if this is part of our fertility issue and I read another woman online say it would help with that so I am interested to hear how it affected you.

hi shell cd16 today and no pos opk yet. ov cd23 last cycle but before mc was cd18-20. I've read evening primrose oil is good for ewcm as is drinking water - water definitely affects mine. I did have a couple of days really good ewcm but dried up yesterday even tho no ov. I've not generally had ewcm issues until last couple of cycles post mc so I'm not sure if this cycles ewcm is the soy or my body getting back to normal. got your pm BTW, thanks for trying.

I've tried everything for the EWCM - EPO, loads of water, chugging grapefruit juice - nothing seems to work.

18-20 is late ovulation. I assume your cycles are generally longer then - just to keep you in suspense longer each cycle! Bizarre to have EWCM dry up without ovulation. Like you say, whatever happens for you this cycle, you won't know if its the soy or your body still out of whack. Sounds like a good idea that you've waited a couple of cycles to let your body recover before trying IVF again.

I haven't received a reply re my meditation link. Hopefully soon.

Hi everyone, good to see you're all hanging in there. I don't know about you but time is dragging at the moment as I'm waiting for AF to arrive on Thursday so I can ring the clinic to get things going. DH thinks I'm pregnant with a natural miracle as he thinks I can't stop tidying and sorting out the house subconsciously. I didn't tell him that this normally happens in the last few months of pregnancy not at conception, bless him.

I've had good news that I am officially exempt from jury service (phew!) so don't have to go next month mid IVF cycle, yay!

yep 32-34 day cycles shell. on the ewcm front don't be too concerned. when I went for one of my ultrasounds I hadn't really seen much ewcm but when I mentioned it to the sonographer (is that the right name) she pointed out on the screen that she could see loads at the neck of my womb. so just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there. I only really see mine after a bowel movement or if I've been holding a wee in for a while so tensing muscles

non hi! when is miracle bfp AF due? fx time starts to go quicker for you.

Lil AF due Thursday, it's so dragging! Amazing they could see EWCM in the neck of your womb, you are a wealth of info, another stat for your website :)

The last couple of days waiting for AF always drag the longest non. Hope you've got a busy couple of days and it goes quickly.

That was a very informative sonogropher lil! I still really don't think I produce EWCM as I've actually been 'fishing' for it and even at the cervix entrance, it's not there, so I really think the sperm must be getting killed in the acid before they even get a chance. I guess I just need to focus on IVF working next cycle and that will bypass the whole lack of EWCM cervix issue, rather than coming up with a plan B of how to make more of this elusive stuff for trying naturally in future cycles.

your ivf is going to work but when ur trying for no 3 try preseed or conceive plus. sperm friendly lube that mimics ewcm. and don't forget the seminal fluid protects the swimmers too

I've tried the Preseed too but it's expensive stuff so after two tubes of the stuff, I'm banking on IVF since hubby has highly abnormal sperm anyway. I would love to have a camera inside me so I can see exactly where things are going wrong and know if the Preseed does actually help and does actually get more sperm to the egg. If you could invent that after you've organized your website, I'd appreciate it!

Like you say. the seminal fluid protects the sperm so I've tried to have sex a few times in the lead up to ovulation this month so that my acidic non sperm friendly who ha is at least coated in sperm friendly alkaline seminal fluid so that the sperm are in a more friendly environment for when I do ovulate... which is around now.

Hubby is working late. Just spoke to him on the phone and he says he is exhausted. Hope I can woo him into some action without telling him the details. I don't like saying 'I'm ovulating on this date so we are having sex on day A B and C'. I figure it may as well be enjoyable for one of us instead of all about pro-creation.

AF arrived this morning so appointments booked for consent forms, both of us bloods, drug demonstration and start down regging on cd21. Endoscratch booked in cd22. Can't believe it's all happening!

I was offered the choice to sniff the drug three times a day or small injection once a day for down regging. I've chosen the latter as don't want any interference at work. Hope I've made the right choice.

injections are easy non. I'm actually looking forward to doing them again in a weird way! I think because at that point i was so full of hope and optimism and finally felt I was doing something!

shell I'll add it to the list!

I've got my scratch this Friday and I'm starting injecting in about two weeks non so you'll be about 2 weeks behind me.

I can't imagine sniffing or injecting would make a difference - they both shut down your ovaries. I actually take estrogen tablets twice daily from day 21 this cycle so I guess there are many variations on the down regging.

Hope your scratch went well today Shell?

I've gone onto the IVF threads now as things are getting nearer, see you over there!

I just posted on the IVF thread Non and saw you there! Hello again here.

It really makes me feel like my IVF is hopeless when I am on an IVF thread and I produce 4-5 while others produce 12-15. So it's nice that we both don't have lots of follicles and that you will not be far behind me in your IVF.

The scratch went fine. Now I just want to get past my day 2 scan and see that I have enough follicles to proceed.

glad scratch was OK shell. crossing everything for your scan

Thanks lil. That dreaded day 2 scan is the most daunting part of the whole IVF process for me being a poor responder and not knowing if I will have enough to go ahead.

My Dr was understanding when I decided not to go ahead last cycle due to low follicle numbers. She understood that this is the last cycle I can afford and my desire to make it worthwhile. But her nurse is absolutely horrid to deal with and after my last day 2 scan she rudely said to me that it's only going to get worse. I mean, I know she is right that generally our fertility goes down as we age, but just the rude way she said it was not on. I hope my ovaries are as determined as I am to prove her wrong next cycle!

You are sounding very cool, calm and collected lil. If I were you, I'd be on here ranting about ovulating and DTD, or being in the 2ww and really hoping it happens to save having to go through another IVF cycle. I think I'll need to borrow some of your zen for my next IVF cycle.

god that's horrid! how did you not punch her!!

well temp up today so looks like ovulation was yesterday. dh is once again convinced this will be the cycle we get our natural bfp. me not so much. I guess I'm Zen because I don't expect to get pg and timing DTD around opks and ewcm has become a normal part of life and it at least ensures we DTD at some point. otherwise we probably wouldn't from one month to the next. dh has a very low drive. he wasn't happy to see a pos opk and DTD 3 days in a row! I reminded him of the physical and mental impact of the ivf on me and the £4k we could have to spend on it and he put up the goods! as for the tww, I'm actually happy to be in the tww. the uncertainty if my cycle length is gone and I can forget about ttc until AF shows up again. although it looks like my next cycle will be too long for that AF after the next to fall in the right dates for going on bcp before my next ivf. so I need to phone the nurse on Monday. need to decide whether to go on bcp early or postpone ivf and see if the dates work better!

Has DH always had a very low drive, or is all this baby making getting to him too? I always do my OPK's alone and then just woo hubby at the right time rather than making it a chore for him. I figure one of us may as well enjoy it! I've just ovulated too so we'll be in the 2ww together. Hope you can come to some decision that you are happy with after you speak to your nurse.

Yeah, my IVF Dr is absolutely fantastic and that's why I'm with her. But we deal with the nurse through the cycle and the nurse assinged to her by the IVF clinic is horrid. I wondered if it was just me so I googled her name and others were not impressed either. When I first asked to do a day 2 scan the cycle before last, she just cut me off short and said 'no'. So I had to go ahead with IVF without knowing how many follicles I had and when it turned out I had only a few, the Dr cancelled the cycle and I had lost my deposit and injected myself with all those drugs for nothing! So I spoke to my lovely Dr who wrote on my chart that I am to have a day 2 scan so at least now she just has to do as she is told! Okay, rant about her over. Must stay calm and not let her get to me as I don't want stress to affect my IVF cycle. I am calm...

no he's always had a low drive. I have to tell him what the opks are doing to make him give me the goods! generally he is fine once we get going, its just making him start!

so how are you going to keep the crazies at bay in this tww?

I'd have demanded my deposit back if that had been me but I'm overly confrontational! I hope she doesn't cause you any more problems. at least the Dr is nice! I'm really lucky. every member of staff I've encountered at my clinic has been incredible. they are tremendously caring and such genuine people. I think your nurse may be in the wrong job!!

My nurses defense was that if I had of done a day 2 scan and then not gone ahead, the ultrasound department would have sent me an invoice for the day 2 scan instead which would have been about the same cost as my deposit. But I doubt a scan would be over $500 and I did a day 2 scan this cycle and have not seen an ultrasound invoice in the mail yet. Will see if they say I owe them anything when I go in for my next day 2 scan.

Grr. But I have just tried to let my nurses comments slide. I try and tell myself to put my IVF success first, and if I cause a riot and then feel awful and dread every future trip to the clinic and every future confrontation with her, that isn't going to help my stress levels during the IVF cycle. My Dr has sorted out the day 2 scan issue now and I hope my ovaries speak on my behalf by having more follicles next cycle and they can do the talking for me to put her in her place!

The crazies are easily kept at bay in this 2ww by the fact that I have 0.1% confidence it will work. I start estrogen this Thursday as part of my down regging so my mind is just focused on counting down to the IVF cycle, rather than hoping for a miracle BFP. I might start the 2ww crazies again after my next IVF cycle, because this will be the last I can afford and then all I have left is hope for a natural miracle.

Interesting your hubby has always had low drive and must make you wonder if it's part of the problem. My husband used to always initiate things and it used to be me that was not in the mood some of the time, but now it's always me that initiates, which I think is just the pressure of IVF and him feeling a bit demasculated knowing he has dud sperm. I just want this next IVF to work so our lives can get back to normal - and so I can have my dream baby as reason number one!

Can I join in? I know I'm a bit late to the party.
I'm 35 and DH is 42. We have unexplained infertility and I produce few eggs for an unknown reason. We have had two rounds of IVF/ICSI both with total fertilisation failure. The last one EC was done with just gas and air (entonox) which I found has no effect on me. EC with no pain relief is....unpleasant worst pain I've ever experienced
So we are trying another round in August.

hi grin I'm due to start my second round in August

Of course you can join in Grin. I think we chatted a while ago when you were going through your first IVF with total fertilisation failure. Can't believe the second produced the same result. How devastating. Do they/you have any ideas of what to change next cycle to try and rectify this?

Hi Shell I thought I'd better reintroduce myself as I was not MN-ing as often.
Yep, same result as before but I did get Two more eggs then before which is an improvement. Considering the failure rate for ICSI is 1-3% we are pretty unlucky.