Please or to access all these features

Infertility

Our Infertility Support forum is a space to connect with others in the same position, discuss causes, treatment and IVF, and share infertility stories of hope and success.

The mind numbing boredom of infertility

999 replies

icy121 · 14/09/2015 20:16

Two years. Month in, month out, and no change. I'm finding a huge part of this whole nightmare is trying to cope with the boredom. I bore myself incessantly googling variations of the same question, staying up late at night to the glow of an iPad, reading more and more obscure medical research abstracts. Asking my doctor friend if I can borrow her password so I can see whether the BMJ has any updates from last week. It's fucking monotonous. Nowhere else in my life have I had to strive so hard to get absolutely nowhere.

I don't talk to friends about it, they don't want to hear it and frankly I've cried too many times when it's come up for them to have any sympathy left. They're bored. So we just ignore and and plod on, except I'm not bloody plodding on. I'm wallowing side to side and achieving absolutely fuck all. And secretly dreading the fact they're all getting married and their babies will be on the horizon. I'm going to lose my friends.

I decided not to put my life on hold, got a new job in a small firm, booking holidays but it all feels very empty because what I'm really doing is waiting. And it's so fucking tedious.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
kiwiblue · 16/02/2016 15:14

So sorry to hear that potatoes. Thinking of you.

Fractiousfractions · 16/02/2016 15:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MehMehM3h · 16/02/2016 15:32

Oh potatoes I am very sorry, sending you a hug or two.

fractiousfractions Yeh hubby will be at home. I'm freaking out if we get nothing because that will break him. He's already sad about having to provide 2 samples today. I really hope we get a couple of embryos...

Chocolateandwineplease27 · 16/02/2016 15:39

De-lurking to say so sorry Potatoes how totally and utterly shite

BipBippadotta · 16/02/2016 16:16

Oh Potatoes. I'm so, so sorry. Huge hugs to you and your DH.

TammySwanson · 16/02/2016 16:44

So sorry to hear you news Potatoes. Thinking of you and your DH x.

Biscuitsforbribes · 16/02/2016 16:54

I've been taking a bit of a stress induced break, but potatoes I am absolutely gutted for you. Massive hugs to you and to DH. I have nothing comforting to say that's not a huge cliche but I hope from the bottom of my heart that you're coping today.

Meh - I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Really really hope everything goes well for you!

So sorry everyone I have a lot of catching up to do! Hope you're all hanging in there!

icy121 · 16/02/2016 18:48

Potatoes I'm reall sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself & regroup with DH. So fucking unfair.

OP posts:
Pebbles086 · 16/02/2016 20:00

potatoes I have no words that will make you feel any better, but Just want you to know how sorry I am that things ended this way. Hope you and your DH feel slightly better soon. Lot of love xxx
meh 7 eggs is good! Your DH has done well to get two samples out, that's a lot of pressure for a man! Hope you get a positive phone call tomorrow.

Moomin37 · 16/02/2016 20:06

Thinking of you and your DH Potatoes Thanks

loopylou1984 · 16/02/2016 20:43

Potatoes, I am so sorry to hear your update. Look after yourself. Xx

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 17/02/2016 07:44

Thanks for the commiserations everyone.

meh best of luck for the embryologist's call today. That's a long wait.

pebbles glad it went well and that they gave you some good drugs!

bip how was the scan, did you manage the bleeding situation ok???

I feel in limbo. I'm seeing my gp this morning. I have no idea what happens next - I'm shocked to read so many stories where women have waited weeks for the miscarriage to actually start. As part of ivf I've been taking progesterone which the nurse said would have been sustaining the pregnancy. I've been signed off work for two weeks, but I'm worried it could be weeks until my hormones settle and my body works out what is going on. Anyway, this isn't the thread for that so I'll find a home for it somewhere else.

BipBippadotta · 17/02/2016 08:37

Potatoes it's really good to hear from you this morning. Been thinking about you loads. Glad you've got some time off work to regroup & look after yourself, and I hope your GP is helpful & talks you through your options now.

Feel free to PM me if you want a chat about miscarriage stuff - I found the waiting / not knowing too hard & had ERPCs, which were quick & painless & allowed things to return to normal quickly. All a very personal choice though.

Meh fingers crossed for you today.

Pebbles glad your op went well & v. jealous of your slinky midriff.

Scan's in a couple of hours. This morning DH and I signed the last of the consent forms & rapidly thrashed out all sorts of cheery dilemmas like what to do with any frozen embryos if one of us dies / we divorce / etc. Nothing like a bracing encounter with mortality and the fragility of your marriage before breakfast.

MehMehM3h · 17/02/2016 10:40

Hi ladies, we got the call this morning, only one egg fertilised normally and they want to do ET tomorrow. Poor hubby is rather upset by this...I'm a little disappointed but mostly relieved that at least we got one. I know if it didn't work at all it would have broken him.

Now I just have to hope and pray it's a sticky embryo.

BipBippadotta · 17/02/2016 11:02

Was it ICSI, Meh? That should suggest it was a good sperm that got in there, so fingers crossed for that embryo. How are you feeling about ET? It's so tough trying to deal with all the uncertainty and how it affects you as a couple, feeling different things at different times. Thinking of you both in the coming days / weeks.

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 17/02/2016 11:14

meh best of luck for tomorrow. Your poor dh, two samples is a big ask! Thinking of you both. This is a stressful week for you guys.

MehMehM3h · 17/02/2016 11:29

Yup bip it was ICSI, the clinic said they'd have a look at the others again but so far only one fertilised normally. I'm ok, mostly feeling guilty about missing work as it is so busy (I'm working already!). How was your scan?

Thanks potatoes, Yeh he's feeling very sad and guilty I think...Poor sod. How are you doing?

Pebbles086 · 17/02/2016 11:38

potatoes sorry your now in limbo. Hope the GP appointment is very helpful and you get some advice on what will happen. Please let us know how you get on, when your ready to talk.
meh So pleased you've gotten to ET! I hope it's a sticky one too! I know it's the biggest cliche but, it only takes 1 egg! Really hope this works for you. Hope the ET goes well
bip ICIS is when they insert the sperm into the egg, to insure fertilisation. My friends have done this due to poor sperm issues.
Hope the scan is ok. Those forms sounds very serious, as if it's not stressful enough!

BipBippadotta · 17/02/2016 11:53

Meh your dh has nothing to feel guilty about. 2 samples in a day, under duress? Not many could achieve that. Good on him for rising to the occasion. The rest is absolutely out of his control.

Scan was fine - took literally 4 seconds. Didn't shower anyone with blood. Jabs start tonight. Had thought scan would involve more hurty poking around so popped a diazepam beforehand, which was a mistake. Am now slumped in Pret covered in crumbs, gnawing incompetently on a croissant & trying not to dribble on myself. Think I can probably skip the sedatives from now on.

Fractiousfractions · 17/02/2016 14:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MehMehM3h · 17/02/2016 15:37

Hahah I love the imagery too, you paint a great picture bip if it's any consolation I am pretty sure I was snoring away yesterday! Good luck with the jabbing too!

I've told Mr Meh the same thing, he has nothing to feel guilty about, unfortunately he's not getting that. I think if the embryo sticks etc then he might get excited...at the moment he is just focusing on the negative.

I made the fatal mistake of working and now am regretting that! Should have stayed off work. Have logged off now though and am tucked up on the sofa.

icy121 · 17/02/2016 18:24

Meh fingers crossed for the next fortnight. My consultant said that only 40% of couples get enough embryos good enough to freeze and they'd insert more than 1 if they thought it wasn't strong enough, so you have as good a chance as if they'd got 8, say. Hope it works for you. Sorry any remember is this your first go?

potatoes how you holding up? Thinking of you. It's shit shit shit.

Droid started today, the endo seems to have all grown back. Was moaning to a male colleague about it. Said if men got endo they would have cured it by now but because of course because it's a women's problem it counts for shit. He then asked if it made getting pregnant difficult, I said yeah. Wonder if he thinks that's why I've been at so many docs and blood tests. give a shit.

Felt a bit like crying earlier but when I gave myself permission walking to tube in the dark to I found I can't.

Have already started making sure that 3 weeks around the IVF BFN end of IVF 2WW are clear so that IF it doesn't work I don't have much to do at work.

Incidentally has anyone got experience of getting signed off work after IVF failure, and will the GP lie about reason? I wouldn't want work to know but I doubt I'd be in a fit state to go in.

OP posts:
Fractiousfractions · 17/02/2016 21:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

icy121 · 17/02/2016 21:59

I've had some wine this evening, but I read in the bumpf that 5 units a week is okay. Except I've probably now had most of that! I'm going to hate myself if it doesn't work for not doing the marginal gains thing... Sigh.

Yeah - 'stress' is absolutely what I don't want work to think. It's a very male-heavy, take no prisoners environment. Not sure whether it would be worse to be off for IVF failure or stress... Stress probably - at least IVF failure, whilst deeply personal, is a 'proper' reason, so far as they're all concerned (and given there are like 8 partners - male - statistically at least one of them would've had problems conceiving.. it's one in six, right?)

But I don't really want anyone to know that either. Seriously, it would literally be better to be signed off with ebola at my place of work than a generic 'stress' note!! If it fails I'll just have to get OH to break my foot... I could get him to run it over with the car. If we did it at the A&E car park that'd be helpful oh god I'm actually planning it

OP posts:
TammySwanson · 17/02/2016 22:05

I think it probably depends how sympathetic your GP is. When I had my miscarriage she asked if I wanted to put something else on the note, and I think she would have signed off anything fertility related as something else too. I don't think it would have even occurred to my previous GP (who was an older gentleman and who said to me, when I was worried I might have endo, 'Well, the best cure for that is to get pregnant!' FFS)