Would you be my Infertility/Clomid/Follicle tracking friend please?!

[scienceteachergeek]

Hi there ladies

I’m really looking for a ‘clomid friend’ or ‘infertility pal’!

I’m 30, DH is 38. I came off the pill July 2013 to regulate my cycles and ended 15yrs of antidepressants in March 2014 as I’d read that was the best plan if possible.

I’d been having regular 27/30day cycles since I came off the pill but after no positive tests, buying OPKs and the Clearblue Advanced Fertility Monitor, plus charting temps and monitoring my cervix and mucus it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t ovulating. After all the blood tests, sperm analysis, trans-vaginal scans and the HSG it showed that he was fine but I wasn’t ovulating, but there was not obvious reason why.

Fast forward to now, 2yrs since coming off the pill, I have been prescribed clomid and have taken my first 5 tablets. I’m day 12 today and have been having follicle tracking to check if the drugs have worked. My largest follicle was 16.4mm today and have to go back on Wednesday to check it again.

Do any of you know if that’s a good size? Or have any experiences of being further down the clomid path? Or are you in a similar position? I just feel like I’m going out of my mind and could really use a buddy!

Thanks for reading and hugs to you all. Interested in hearing from any of you xxx

Shit, just realised I outed where I live

Super positive days round woohoooooo!!!

Congrats to all this is fantastic news!!!!!

Sorry for the super short reply - I'll send a proper reply when I have 10 minutes to breathe - but AMAZING news Vap and Banana. I'm so pleased for you both x x x

So sorry to be reading and running - on my phone and hard to do personals, will do on laptop tomorrow (apart from to say OMFG Vap check out your little one!!! You my friend are officially UP THE DUFF!!!)

Quick update : had the scariest phone call of my life this morning

We have 16 embryos!!!!!

Of the 6 frozen eggs, 4 fertilised.

Of the 17 eggs retrieved yesterday, ALL were mature.

3 didn't fertilise and 2 fertilised abnormally, so we got 12 embryos from that lot.

They had to do ICSI on the frozen eggs as they have harder shells, but standard IVF on the fresh ones.

OMFG 16 embryos!!!!!

Not bad for someone who the NHS would have written off and many clinics would have said own eggs were a lost cause and to go straight to donor egg...!!

BTW 70-75% fertilisation is textbook average and considered very very very respectable, so clearly my egg quality isn't complete arse if we have managed to get such a terrific fert rate!! More to follow tomorrow. Xxx

Brilliant news guys xxx

It's quiet on here ladies! Nothing to report my end, neg OPKs although positive expected in next 4 days or so.... So just shagging and getting on with it.

Back on dry January track I had 1 small glass of wine on Sunday while visiting family ... Oh welllllll! I didn't even enjoy it coz of feeling guilty for breaking dry Jan! Onwards!

Vap how are u feeling our VIP pregnant pal? And banana any news on ET?

Sorry for the radio silence ladies. Shocking week at work! I'm hoping I'll get time tomorrow morning to do a massive post, if not tonight . I hope you're all well though! Vap and Banana - any updates from you?

Will reply properly later!x

Hi
Sorry, I've been mad busy too! Work has been hell this week! Will update later or tomorrow
Happy Friday ladies! Who is going to have a drink for me tonight?

Not me unfortunately!!

Hi ladies

I’ve been reading all your posts and been wanting to come on and reply to you all properly and do personals, just to say BIG BIG hugs to you all.

(And OMFG baby Vap!!!)

Sorry for me, me, me post, but you’ve been so sweet in asking after me, just wanted to pop on with the latest news

I am booked in for embryo transfer tomorrow!!!!

We don’t get a day 4 update, but yesterday (day 3) our little embryos were doing just fantastically - we had 11 good quality embryos, 2 OK ones, and 3 laggards that were on their way out.

Now, there will be a LOT of drop off between yesterday and tomorrow - they don’t check in one them on day 4, when the weaker ones will have stopped dividing, and hopefully the stronger ones have started compacting into a morula (Latin for mulberry, cos they look like little mulberries!). Tomorrow (day 5) the strongest ones will hopefully have made it to blastocyst stage - when there are so many cells they can’t count them, and you can see two distinct parts to the embryo - the trophectoderm (the outside bit - this is what will hopefully become placenta), and the inner cell mass (the bit that will hopefully become baby!)

So, we will find out when we get to the clinic tomorrow how many have made it to blast, and of what quality. If we are really really lucky, we will have something for the freezer as well as something to transfer!
The big big question was whether or not my crappy lining would be good enough to transfer this time - or if we would have to put anything that made it to blast straight into the freezer and try and work on my lining in a frozen transfer cycle.

The very very good news is that the oestrogen tablets have worked their magic alongside the progesterone pessaries, and my lining has thickened up 3mm since Monday at EC!!!!!

So the oven is now well and truly warmed up, and hopefully we’re going to get a bun put in tomorrow

If this one doesn’t stick, and we get any frosties, we will go straight into a FET (frozen embryo transfer) cycle as soon as I’ve finished my AF in 2 weeks time. Here’s hoping we get a frostie but don’t need it for a few years though!!!!

Oh, and there’s a whole OTHER story about my ovaries on the scan today appearing absolutely massive and hugely swollen and ’very polycystic in appearance’ and how we think my PCOS never actually went away, and all my eggs didn’t disappear, but my epilepsy medication might have made it seem that way.

!!!!!!!!!

So, yes. News! Update to follow once we’re back from the clinic, hopefully PUPO with a good quality blast on board!!!!!

banana what fantastic news! I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow. I live reading your updates, keep them coming. So, if you are PUPO tomorrow how far along would that mean you actually are? About 3w? Or more? Hope that question makes sense. Did your dr make any comments on your socks?

newleaf congratulations on the dry January success! Especially with that small glass I think you've done amazingly well. In the past when I've done it once I have one drink then it's all over for me and end up bingeing so total respect! Best of luck getting a positive opk soon. Everything crossed

flat how are you getting on with your dr debacle? Any news? Have they given you a date for your next scan to check up on this cyst? I hope it goes away on its own, I don't know much about them but am sure I've hears people say they can just disappear. Fingers crossed. Will this cyst cause issues? Will it block eggs? Or make them lesser quality or is it just there and benign and just there to taunt you? I really hope you don't have to go abroad for IVF and the NHS get you sorted, but if you do end up travelling abroad the stories I have read are so incredible, everyone seems to have positive feedback, perhaps have a look for some of the forums (there are some on mn) and get dh to read them. It may help to make going abroad sound a more positive step.

lily how are you getting on? Any signs of af being on the way? Or anything different to normal?

science how are you getting on? Hope your clomid has made you ovulate and your monitor gave you the green light to dtd. Will you be testing this month or just waiting for af?

Best of luck to everyone! Happy Weekend all

Thanks for all the congratulations everyone. Not much going on here just looking forward to my next scan a week on Monday and hoping for plenty of growth. Sore boobs, overwhelming nausea, constant hunger, headaches, insomnia and exhaustion (although work isn't helping on the tiredness front) have all been playing a big part this last week - I'm over the moon if a little green around the gills as you hear people say all the time that if you're feeling ill it's generally a good sign of a health pregnancy. Fingers crossed this one is THE one. I'm pretty scared about dtd as the last 2 mc were immediately after dtd. DP is not interested at all, he says it's just not worth it after coming this far, he reckons he will wait until baby is here I think after 12 weeks I'll feel 'safer' about it all. I'm sure my fears are totally unfounded but can't shake the fear. Will have to just have some instead. Oh, on the chocolate front, what's the crack with all the Easter stuff EVERYWHERE? Don't get me wrong, the longer mini eggs are around the better, but the rest of it, total madness!

Morning ladies. Happy weekend!

Sorry for the absence over the past week. I won't bore you with my work woes, but let's just say I'm thinking of giving it up and going to live on a beach somewhere !

Banana - That all sounds like amazing news! Obviously I don't want to jinx things by being too positive, but it really does sound like it's been the best outcome so far that you could possibly have hoped for (and some!). 16 embryos is amazing! That's also fab about the lining. So what time do you go in today? Fingers crossed we don't actually hear from you today as you're 'otherwise engaged', ha ha. If you do read this before you go, very best of luck! We're all rooting for you .

Vap - Oh wow! You're like...100% definitely up-duffed! That's amazing . I bet you haven't stopped looking at that scan . You must be over the moon! I wouldn't worry about 'outing' yourself . I highly doubt anyone you know will be reading this thread and will put 2+2 together. Perhaps when we start thread 2 (is it depressing that I assume there will be a thread 2?) we should call it something super dull so that nobody thinks to read it? Ha ha.

So how far along are you? When's the next scan or what's the next appointment?

As for DTD, it 100% doesn't affect things...but if it were me I wouldn't let DH and his penis anywhere near me until the baby had been safely delivered . It's completely irrational as the studies seem to show DTD has no impact...but I know what your OH means.

Lily - How are you getting on? How are you finding Clomid? Are you feeling any less cranky and generally poorly?

Happy birthday for the 29th . Have you got anything fun planned?

NewLeaf - I wouldn't worry about the vino. It was one glass and the important thing is that you've massively cut down on your intake. You're better off breaking dry January and having that one glass then being sensible for the rest of the year, rather than drinking nothing in January and going fucking mental on the booze come 1st Feb .

How are you doing generally? Are you in 2WW hell? I hope things are all ok.

Science - How are you doing lovely? Have you had any joy getting access to any other counselling, or something similar?

AFM, I don't know much about cysts. Apparently most are benign and go away (although this can take months). Sometimes they're really bad news, but that's very rare. I just have to wait and see I guess. That's the one good thing about being so busy at work - I haven't had chance to get stressed about it. I have my next scan on Tuesday so I'll know more then. It just feels like it's one thing after another really!

As for the GP issue, nothing has changed. I contacted my (new) local CCG to see whether, if I move GP now, I could continue with IVF at the place where I've started it and on the current timetable and not be made to wait a year. I said that I wanted to check before I moved GP, as I didn't want to move and then find I had to delay treatment for a year and move to a different IVF centre. They replied saying that I needed to register with the new GP and they'd be able to guide me about IVF process. FFS. Totally missed the point. ANYWAY, we're going on holiday soon and have a GP appointment at my current GP (the one near where I used to work and still sometimes work, where you only get 1 NHS cycle) for when I get back, so I think we'll try and get the authorisation from that CCG to go ahead with IVF in a different geographical area, then (assuming they even say yes) go ahead with the first cycle, then look to move GP once that's over. I think it is a total joke that when we're going through one of the most stressful life experiences, where it's likely to cost many people thousands of pounds because they have such limited number of IVF attempts, we then have to also deal with this administrative nightmare because nobody is prepared to just sort things out!

Anyway, in (maybe) good news, it turns out that my firm has an IVF policy. Basically you're allowed up to 10 days a year off for fertility treatment. The only downside is it needs to be authorised by your manager, so I'd need to speak to my boss (so they'd then know I was hoping to get pregnant. Urggggh). Also, due to the nature of the work I do, it wouldn't actually be '10 days off' it would be 10 days off work during the week, or working flexibly, then making up that time over the weekends and holiday (which I'd put up with if it gave me more flexibility for IVF treatment).

I'm a little bit down tbh. I'm cd 22 in the TWW. I know in my heart I've not caught this month, and my bday will be spent poas, and probably crying cos the Clomid hasn't worked. On the plus side we are having a special meal and some fizz and wine

I've just done my day 21 bloods and I'm going to have to battle the docs to get the results. Fx the figure is high.

Other than that I think the Clomid was amazing ! I felt less loopy since I hit cd 20 ish. I just hope the figure above proves my aches st ovulation were justified

Fingers crossed for a Pupo banana

Will reply properly later hopefully if I get a chance but thinking of you.

and I love the idea flat for a dull or at least different thread name for our next one. Plus I have decided to name change for thread two! Yes, sad there will be a thread two but thats the road we seem to be on.

CD18 here, still negative OPK so haven't even entered TWW yet... Just looking forward to 18 February and my next consultant appt where I am going to ask for fresh blood tests, and something other than bloody clomid!!!

Lots of fresh snow today where I live, everything looks lovely and white

Hi ladies, hope you're all having lovely weekends

Quick update as promised - I am now officially PUPO!

ET today went really well, I have a 4AA blast on board, plus four blasts on ice!!

My gob is well and truly smacked.

Never in a million years did I think that with an AMH of 1.5 I would ever get anything to blast - let alone anything for the freezer.

It was really magical seeing our little blast on screen - DH and I both got a bit teary. He could see the ultrasound screen the Dr was looking at (at the business end!) and watched the flash of light as the embryo got squirted in. It's pretty mind-blowing.

Dr said he was delighted with the embryos, the big unknown is my endometrium - so just have to hope that this little one clings on extra tight!

Fantastic news banana
So, when will you be testing?
Silly question here so apologies in advance.... Do they stick it in with anything? As in, to the lining? Or does it just need to embed itself in there? Have you had to lie down for ages to give it the best chance of sticking?
Very exciting that you have some in the freezer too!
Exciting times.
Look after yourself!

How are you feeling banana?
Will they scan or monitor you at all before you test?

Hi ladies

I’m sorry for radio silence, and also for me, me, me as I’ve been meaning to come on and do a proper reply with personals, which I still owe you all

Hope you’re all doing OK, am thinking of you all

Flat, I’m thinking of you and hope that the bastard NHS pencil pushers come back in their next life as dung beetles. Fuckers.

Lily, big hugs and hoping that your progesterone results came back nice and high confirming ov?

Science how are you doing lovely? How is the Clomid going? Hope you and Mr science are hanging in there

newleaf I would say a glass of wine was indeed medicinal!!

Vap hope you and baby Vap are well, must have been so exciting to see the heartbeat! How are you feeling?

I am 3dp5dt (three days post five day transfer) and I’m doing….OK

Hoping our little blast has hatched and is starting to implant, not that I’ve been obsessively reading the timelines about what is supposed to happen when….

1 day post transfer - Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
2 days post transfer - Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
3 days post transfer - Implantation begins, as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
4 days post transfer - Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
5 days post transfer - Morula is completely implanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
6 days post transfer - Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
7 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
8 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
9 days post transfer - HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on HPT

My Dr told me to wait to 12 days post transfer to test!!!! Which is equivalent to 17 dpo - that’s next Thursday 4th Feb

Now, obv that will hopefully avoid any doubt about a false positive (chemical) or a false negative (late implanter), but obv I will be climbing the walls, and will be working on DH by 9dp5dt to test early. Argh.

They don’t stick it in with anything, it’s just the same process as if it were a blastocyst that had been conceived the old fashioned way, except it’s come in through a catheter instead of floating down the fallopian tube. Now it’s just left to its own devices, and if the embryo is chromosomally normal and the endometrium is receptive, then hopefully it will stick.

They don’t make you lie down, as it won’t fall out Dr told me to chill out for 48h, and they give you instructions about things not to do (no intercourse for 5-6 days post transfer, no hot baths, no swimming, no high impact exercise) - but really these are just precautions because of the procedures you’ve had, they aren’t really going to make any real difference to whether that embryo implants or not. At my age (34) hopefully around half of my eggs are likely to be chromosomally normal, and really it’s that which determines whether or not an embryo sticks. Everyone who does IVF is put on progesterone pessaries immediately after transfer to support the endometrium, and I’m continuing the oestrogen tablets as well - if it’s a BFP then these continue until 12 weeks. If it’s BFN then I will stop the progesterone, wait for AF, and we will get right back on the bike and start a frozen transfer cycle as soon as I’m finished bleeding.

There's no monitoring or anything between transfer and test day - after scans every other day and daily phone calls from the embryology lab, suddenly for the 2ww you are cast adrift!!

The big issue for me is my spinal pain, as I’m off all my pain meds,and I was on a whacking great dose of morphine strength drugs, and now can’t take anything. I’m in agony

Sorry, progesterone pessaries (aka fanjo bullets - or bum bullets if that's your preference!) start the day after collection, which is the equivalent of ovulation. You can't stop them until it's a confirmed BFN

For a frozen cycle I may need to have the progesterone in oil injections which have to be given into the muscle and are apparently really fucking painful. DH will have to stab me in the bum like shooting a deer if so!!!

Thats fab news banana, so great to hear everything went to plan and really interesting for us all to get the D-low on the steps involved.

There is no way in hell I would wait until equivalent CD17 to test, I'd be testing from ... well possibly from ET day hahahah!

CD21 here, still very blank OPKs, trying DTD every second day this month rather than every day, although if it happens daily by chance and non baby making "forced" sex well I won't stop it! I've been really low the past week but finally had a stabbing pain today in my ovary area so i feel perhaps I'm not totally dead inside and something is working.

I have been looking into IVF where I live abroad (I live half and half) in case the NHS appt on 18 Feb doesn't give me much hope that they are doing much about Clomid not working. Just reaching a limit to how much infertility and waiting I can take. The rage and anger with this situation is still bubbling underneath......

I read about Prolactin levels being affected by alcohol, and estrogen levels being suppressed by higher prolactin levels. i've had 1 prolactin test which was off the chart (previous and subsequent all normal) and several low estrogen tests so i am hoping my dry january will have a positive affect on this cycle. but my enthusiasm and hope is running lowwwwwwww!

Off snowboarding this weekend as a sneaky break away with DH, practise for skiing holiday with friends in Feb! We were going to go to Austria where some friends live and ski there but I declined due to it probably being a total booze-fest! How angelic is that!

Vap I'm so glad to hear of your nausea i bet it sucks but the reassurance that it is really actually freaking happening must be great. you're growing a baby - wooooohoo!

science you've been awfully quiet, hope thats coz you're acting on your clomid cycle and busy with DH haha!??

flat whats the latest with your doctor drama and where are you at this month?

lily hope you are feeling a bit better, when will you test

Is anyone testing soon?

I just got my day 21 results! Level 51 - ovulation happened and is normal. Docs are happy :) don't think I made a little baby this month but this is good new

Will try and send a proper message later. So much to catch up on and so much to add. Take home message from the rant I am going to give (brace yourself ladies) is that I'm bloody sick of infertility and I'm bloody sick of admin bods getting in the way of getting anything done.

NewLeaf - Have an amazing time snowboarding! I want to try snowboarding, but I'm really into my skiing so when it comes to it I think "I don't want to try snowboarding in case I hate it and feel I've wasted a day on the slopes". I admire your restraint with turning down the ski trip. Serious kudos! How is Mostly Dry January going? Hope you're not struggling too much.

Science - Are you ok? You've been very quiet lately. Really hope you're ok.

I'll reply to the rest of you rabble later, ha ha!

On logging into Facebook on my phone, it's suggested this app . Oh kindly do fuck off.

Hi

Hope everyone is well.

lily great news about ovulation, good to hear your clomid worked! If you didn't catch it this month then maybe next month. Fingers crossed.

newleaf what are the costs of IVF where you live? May be a good thing you living away if they are more reasonable than the uk. Any news about ovulation? What dose of clomid are you on? They should really up it if it's not working, after all, they will need you to ovulate to do IVF so they need to sort that bit out sooner rather than later unless you are considering donor eggs of course

banana hwyou is the wait going? That's one heck of a long time to wait, do you think you will wait that amount of time or do an early test? Everything crossed for you. I really hope all the back pain you're having isn't in vain and you get your positive this month.

flat & science hope hij are both ok.

Finally I've booked my booking in appointment today for next Wednesday, I've been putting it off as it was pretty horrible having to phone up and cancel it last time. It's going to make next week at work really tough as have a scan on Monday and both appointments are at 2ish which makes me going to work really tough as I generally drive for 2 hours to get to where I need to go and 2 hours home and so making any time in the middle of that to do any work and get back for 2 is going to be pretty difficult. Argh! Although easier than having to make excuses if I had an office job. So it's all feeling a little more real now, I've kind of been and still am in denial about it all and trying to not get too excited "just in case". So we are going away with work in early March to Miami for a sales meeting and now I'm getting worried about this Zika virus, they haven't put a suggested halt on travel to Florida yet but they quite likely will. This is going to be so difficult to deal with as I will only just be 12 weeks when we are due to go and wasn't planning on telling them at work until the day before we fly as I should have had tests back by then from the 12w scan. If travel warnings are put in place I will have to tell them sooner, can't really tell them the day before that I won't be going with them. Argh! Why do they have to make us travel so bloody far away all the sodding time! Will be stocking up on some super strength mozzie replant and a mozzie net to sleep under even if they don't put up a warning as it sounds like it's only a matter of time.