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Infertility

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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:
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PotatoesPastaAndBread · 24/02/2016 15:36

bip are you still on meds, albeit same dose? On day eight I had 10 "big enough" follicles and 10 small ones. Took meds for four more days, EC day 14 and had 18 follicles (got 11 eggs). Did they indicate how much longer until EC?

BipBippadotta · 24/02/2016 15:48

Yep, due to stay on the meds until Friday (day 10), trigger Sat, and EC Monday. Plan may yet change on Friday, who knows.

loopylou1984 · 24/02/2016 17:57

Bip - I'll be joining you on the meds sooner than expected as AF has rocked up this evening.

Having a little pity party over here, themes include 'surely there must be something the Drs have missed after 2years ttc and not even a sniff of a bfp' and 'would dh have still married me if he knew he may never get to be a dad' - please snap me out of it someone! X

Biscuitsforbribes · 24/02/2016 20:17

Sammylou can I join you? I'll bring the cake and wine I'm not allowed due to my consultant enforced diet (me? Still bitter about having a healthy BMI and still told to lose 10% of my body weight? Nooo... Hmm )

Totally and completely Fed up today. Another appointment with our consultant on Friday, to discuss my hycospy results and criticise me only losing half the weight ( in half the time mind you! Still, shouldn't be ungrateful for a pushed forward appointment!) and today, honestly, I don't think I care. I just want to burrow under the duvet and sleep through all this stupid fertility madness.

Glad to hear things went smoothly potatoes!

Pebbles that's fantastic news!

Kiwi - so frustrating to have to go through all the rigmarole again, is there a reason they wouldn't accept your previous test results?

loopylou1984 · 24/02/2016 21:19

Sure biscuits, plenty of room! Come join me!
Why on earth do you have to lose weight if your bmi is healthy??

Lauraqc · 24/02/2016 22:55

Hey all,

Been a long week so far and only just had chance to sit and catch up! Great to hear you're on plan Bip, I shall be joining you soon!

You've been so brave Potatoes hope you're relaxing and being waited on.

Waving to everyone else, can't wait to see what next month brings us (holy crap that sounded very optimistic!)

My very light period went away again and clinic thought I should crack on with plan so I'm sucking down 3 Notheriston per day til 2nd March, waiting for bleed and then injections from day 2 and scans days 6-8 and 12-14 I think. I managed to get the drugs really easily in the end off a pharmacy in London which seems to deal with the clinic a lot. They all came to about £830 so not massively more than I'd have got them at Asda, and without having to have the prescription 'backed' by an English Dr. They arrive tomorrow to my mum's house (who is much better thank you all for asking you lovely bunch) and she's fretting about receiving the delivery already!

Anyway, still singing the praises of my co-ordinator at Reprofit who's kept me sane this last week...! I definitely recommend them if any of you are thinking of going abroad.

Right - enough bitching about ppl on the Brits and time for some kip! Night all!

MehMehM3h · 25/02/2016 07:43

Morning all! How are you? I've been trying to keep busy in the 2ww...The pessaries are driving me nuts! Still have a week left to wait and have started cramping. I heard yesterday that my gran is rather poorly and am trying not to dwell and stuff on that!

I'm glad your mum is better Laura

bip how are you getting on? Your poo story made me chuckle!

potatoes I hope you're being looked after!

sammy and biscuits Hope you're both feeling better

I think I have missed a few people but I hope you're all well sprays glittery dog shit everywhere

Now I never thought I'd say that!

loopylou1984 · 25/02/2016 09:47

Meh - sorry to hear your gran is poorly, it's so horrible when loved ones are unwell. Is it something treatable?
Cramping could mean anything, could be a bad or a good sign, so you're right not to dwell as there's no way of knowing.

Laura, glad you're all set with a plan in place. Good luck!

My baseline is booked for tomorrow at 1pm, so it's all systems go here now too. Xx

BipBippadotta · 25/02/2016 10:15

So pleased to hear your mother's doing better, Laura - and wow, your drugs were certainly reasonable! Mine cost £1,440 from Healthcare at Home. Best of luck with it all!

Sammy, really sorry you're feeling down. I know that feeling of 'if only someone with a medical degree would sit down and concentrate on this for more than 30 seconds I'm sure they could find out why this is happening'. The emotional ups and downs are just so hard to take. I hope you and your DH are looking after each other & being gentle with yourselves.

Meh how are you feeling? God that 2ww lasts forever doesn't it. I've got everything crossed for you.

I'm feeling pretty terrible at the moment. I am dreading the next week: the EC, the news the next day of how many eggs haven't fertilised, the drip feed of more bad news over the following days as embryos bite the dust, and then, if any make it to day 5, the decision of whether to go ahead and do the genetic testing now (they only recommend testing when you have 5 or more day 5 embryos, which I'm not going to have, given my age + current crop of follicles), or go through another round of stims and try to get a bigger batch of embryos to test, so that the earliest transfer I could expect would be in August... and that's only if any embryos turn out to be normal. It just terrifies me to see my whole life disappearing into this for months and years. And that's before I even contemplate how DH and I would survive if we had another stillbirth. I am beginning to really wish I hadn't done this.

I miss my daughter. I'm not sure sometimes whether I even want another baby. I just want my girl not to have died. And since that can't happen I wonder whether I should just accept it and try to get my life started again rather than having everything on hold indefinitely, trying and trying and trying.

I can't tell if this is the shitload of injected estrogen speaking or the horror of next week or the approach of Mother's Day (my second since losing dd) or a combination of everything. I just want to be put in a medically induced coma until this has all ended however it's going to end.

Sorry to be so maudlin - it's all really got to me today.

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 25/02/2016 16:01

Hi bip, I'm so sad to read your post.

It's so awful to think of you trying to make these decisions while still grieving for your daughter. The one thing you want when grieving is time, and the one thing infertility doesn't give you is.... time, because those ovaries tick away. What a horrible situation to be in, stuck between one and the other.

I don't know what I can say that will help, I can't imagine the pain of losing your baby.

Sometimes I think there's no right and wrong decisions. There are just different choices. And you might go back and forth, and change your mind and reverse things. But you'll get there in the end, wherever there is, you and your dh will work out what's best for you both.

Flowers to you both, what a difficult time.

BipBippadotta · 25/02/2016 17:18

Aw, Potatoes, you're so lovely. You're exactly right, you can only make the best decision you can with the information available at the time. And things will end up the way they end up. This whole process is just so hard.

Feeling much less hysterical now than I was this morning. I do think the gallons of extra hormones aren't helping matters. Plus my heaviest cat wanted to lie on my belly earlier and it was too sore from all the bruises so I didn't even get my cat snugs.

How are you feeling, Potatoes? Amazed by your strength throughout all this.
Fractious, been thinking of you during all this too & hoping you're OK.

MehMehM3h · 25/02/2016 19:49

Oh bip your post made me sad too, I hope you are feeling better now. I agree with potatoes you can only make choices and neither is wrong or right - just different.

I'm ok, the 2ww is dragging but am a little worried as am cramping so much and they are painful! I hope it doesn't mean bad things...I guess I won't know until next week...argh.

I may well lose my gran soon too so I'm just sad.

Pebbles086 · 25/02/2016 19:58

bip I am glad your feeling a little better. Your warmth and strength is incredible. I really hope your EC goes well and you get a great number of smashing embryos to work with. You really don't need the extra worry about whether to test and stim again. My heart really does go out to you and I know that when it comes to it you'll be able to make the decision and know that you've done the right thing. Wish I could hit pause on the ticking clock we all have to race against. If I could offer you some more comfort, especially if your missing out on cat cuddles.
hello to everyone else. So we have battled another week ladies, but no booze to celebrate Envy

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 25/02/2016 21:09

Sorry pebbles but there's deffo booze for me tomorrow! Haven't had a drink since Dec 28th and FINALLY feel like consuming alcohol again.

Now, if only i could decide what to have first....

MORE IMPRTANTLY we have only 35 posts left so, what are we going to call the next thread?

Are we going to be the Mind Numbers (clearly that doesn't work now that I write it down!) or the Militant Barrens, or what? Ideas on a postcard please!

meh so sorry to hear about your gran. You are literally between a rock and a hard place this week. There is nothing for it with the 2ww but to hang in there - we're hanging in there with you.

bip you are so right "best decision you can make with the information in front of you". Two weeks ago I wouldn't have known what to do if I found out I was miscarrying. Now I feel I've Learnt about that, dealt with it. Maybe even come out stronger. Well, maybe. Onwards and upwards.

Lauraqc · 26/02/2016 08:25

Holding back tears on the train Bip after reading your post. I can't even imagine how shit this is for you, and having to make decisions you perhaps don't want to make at this time. I sometimes end up with a decision thrust upon me because I've omitted to just make the decision in the first place but it's worse as you're then out of control.

Meh also a shit time for you in the 2ww and the news on your gran. So sorry to hear that and wishing the time flies for you in this next week.

You ladies really are lovely! Potatoes I love Militant Barrens as a name; I'd also like to get a 'fuck' in the title somewhere but I'm sure MN won't allow that! Will have a think!

karlafox · 26/02/2016 11:16

Hey

Just wanted to say I'm still with you all, just haven't summoned up the energy to post lately.
bip your post made me feel so sad for you. There's just no words to say, apart from that you have all the support you need from your virtual friends!

Thinking off the rest of you too.

icy hope the Maldives is amazing !

My suggestion for the new thread 'barrensatics part 2' or something with glittery shit. Sums us up I think! Smile

BipBippadotta · 26/02/2016 12:22

Aw thanks everyone for your lovely thoughts. And great thread name suggestions!

Lots of love to everyone dealing with ill parents and grandparents on top of everything else. There just seems to be no break from loss & fear of loss. Constantly amazed by how lovely & resilient you all are. Hope Icy's not melting in the Maldives!

Stims prolonged by at least 2 days as my follicles aren't growing big/fast enough. Ugh. Have run out of non-bruised parts of my body to inject in now. Hats off to diabetics & anyone else who has to do all this jabbing on a regular basis.

loopylou1984 · 26/02/2016 12:54

Oh the irony of a discussion in the office about abortion just before you leave for a fertility appointment! X

TammySwanson · 26/02/2016 16:19

Hiya, just passing by to wish everyone well.

AF turned up (as expected) so that's 2 out of the three months of clomid down the pan (literally!). One more to go so fingers crossed.

Please let's not go too twee/ in-jokey with the next thread name! If it's too cliquey other people might not want to join (admittedly it's already a clique that noone really wants to join) and the wonder of this thread is that it has a Ronseal title and has brought all sorts of people out the woodwork.

BipBippadotta · 26/02/2016 18:26

Second that Tammy - I'm always too scared to do anything but lurk on the long-named threads.

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 26/02/2016 19:05

"The mind numbing boredom of infertility (2)" ?

BipBippadotta · 26/02/2016 19:26

Or we could go posh: 'The mind numbing boredom of infertility II'

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 26/02/2016 19:46

Ooooh so when we get to thread eleven it has to be XI ? Daring.

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 26/02/2016 19:47

Only 25 posts to go....
And yes I've had my first drink in ten weeks.
Ha ha ha.

karlafox · 26/02/2016 19:52

potatoes did it taste as good as you remembered🍷?