The mind numbing boredom of infertility II

[PotatoesPastaAndBread]

This is a thread for peole who really want to get pregnant but can't, who have tried pretty much everything, and are really fucked off about it.

Have you ever nearly punched someone for advising you to "relax", "go on holiday" or "just get drunk - that's what we did"? Well then this is the thread for you.

You won't find much sentimentality here and there's no baby dust, but there is empathy, a lot of swearing and a surpirsing amount of glittery dog shit.

Link to the original thread
original thread

Have been speaking to a friend who's friend is 42 and was treated for IVF in America. She was advised to take acia berries as they believe it helps with infertility.Anyone heard of this study? Or is it another one of those pie in the sky/clutching at straws situations.

www.ccrmivf.com/blog/ccrm-study-finds-that-high-doses-of-acai-berry-can-improve-ivf-outcomes/

Karla that clinic (CCRM) are quite renowned for their devotion to supplements, I've seen people on forums in the US refer to the 'CCRM cocktail'

I don't know specifically about acai berries, but the benefits of antioxidants to egg quality are pretty well researched - I bang on about it all the time, like a broken record, but the book "It Starts with the Egg' is brilliant for advice about supplements

The author is a biochemist and trawled all the research and put them into a digestible format for an idiot layman like me

Most of the egg quality supps they recommend are antioxidants, including CoQ10 which is the biggie that loads of clinics recommend

So not sure about how much of a wonder berry acai is, but there's some pretty good evidence about antioxidants - esp for older women, or younger women with diminished ovarian reserve (like me)

PM me if you want the abridged summary of all the various supps I guzzle down!

banana thanks for info. I have that same book, started taking the DHEA because of it. But apart from that I haven't tried anything else perhaps CoQ10 should be my next step. Although I could do with a little 'pick me up' since the booze and caffeine ban so maybe acai could be the think as it promises to rejuvenate me over night!

Hi everyone, and welcome newbies.

So sorry to hear bfn Sammy and Meh I'm so sorry that you're feeling down. I hope you've got some quality time this break to sit and talk it through.

I'm still in the Czech Rep, but DH has left this morning to go back home as he's got work in the morning. Feeling bereft. However, the embies are going well - we had 4 out of 6 fertilise and one is racing ahead with 6 cells y'day (a day ahead of what they expect apparently), 1 has 5 cells and the other 2 have 4 cells each. ET is booked for Sunday so hoping they keep growing until then...

Morning everyone,

De-lurking after reading both this and the old thread, as I seem to have found my people! I'm 33 (very soon to be 34) and have been shagging daily, every other day, twice a week, peeing on sticks etc etc Zzzzzz with not even a sniff of a BFP for almost two years. Recently had a lap&dye for Endo removal, although nothing blocking my tubes - I'm perfectly healthy in there apparently so why the frigging frig aren't I PREGNANT!!

Two years is nothing compared to what some of you have been through but in the spirit of the thread I AM SO BORED OF THIS!!! My consultant wont see me for three months after my procedure to discuss next steps - I'm assuming IVF?. To be honest I'm worried / suspicious that there might be something else (hormonal?) wrong but I guess that's what we'll figure out.

Trying to find a childless friend IRL that I cant rant to and that gets it, is tough - so here I am! Hello

Laura hello! Good news on the embies. I can understand you feeling bereft. I'm not sure how much I've ever believed all the the "it's the hormones" stuff but you're on such high doses of the damn things that it's bound to affect you. I did genuinely find myself more emotional, feeling lonely, wanting company and reassurance etc. We're here! Best of luck for making it to five day ET.

Welcome Claire yeah it's really boring - well try to entertain you a bit

Thanks Potatoes!

When I posted earlier I hadn't seen all the pre-posts sorry about that, my post seems a bit disjointed!

Thank you Pumping for the info on meds (or not) for a frozen cycle - im really hoping we end up with something to freeze and I hadn't dared let myself think that far ahead as to what I'd have to endure again to get to that. At least it'll be shorter and less jabby than this cycle.

Any news Kiwi? Piss, piss piss away!

Banana you're so knowledgeable about it all, thank you! I've been taking CoQ10 for about a month and I've had DH on it for about 3 months. Clearly can't compare before and after, but hoping if this round doesn't work it can still make a difference.

I love the fact this thread is persuading lovely ladies to de-lurk and share in the glitter dogshitfest we hold regularly! Welcome one and all!

Welcome claire (love the username)
laura Thinking of you and the embies, we can't be with you in body but we are there in spirit so keep in touch.
banana you have been a great help with the advice, I'm currently on the tinternet buying shit to ripen my ovaries to within an inch of their lives ready for 'all go April'

Laura that sounds really promising! Well done little embryos, hopefully they'll keep on trucking to day 5!

Re supplements for egg quality, I have a sneaking suspicion that my eggs are just crap. IVF will confirm this.

karla have you pissed yet or what?! Tenterhooks over here!

Went to the dinner, had about 6 glasses of champagne. Feel totally rotten today as my tolerance for booze has gone these days.

Welcome Claire judging by your name I assume you've watched the latest series HOW GOOD WAS THE ENDING!! And her comeback to that silly woman "do you regret not having children" was "do you regret having yours" - immense. Although she's a child free by choice character, she's still aspirational for a barren like me! All those sharp outfits impossible if there are grubby little kids around. Everyone knows babies get in the way of world domination 💪

Well done on the embryos, Laura!

Kiwi I am halfway across the world desperate to know if you've pissed. Please put us out of our misery.

Fractious and Meh I was thinking of you as on another thread someone mentioned low fertilisation rates with ICSI sometimes being caused by the sperm missing a certain protein (called plc zeta) necessary for fertilisation, and that this can be rectified by a process called oocyte activation in IVF. Just thought I'd mention it if your consultants don't bring it up when/if you talk to them about future cycles.

Thanks all - just had an update from clinic (day 3) that we have 3 embryos at 8 cells each and 1 with 6 cells so I'm quite cautiously pleased. Roll on Sunday!

Amazing news on the embryos laura - fantastic!

kiwi HAVE YOU POAS OR NOT?

fractious and meh just to add to bips comment, a dear friend had very low fertilisation and they are having her DH’s sperm tested for DNA fragmentation. IMSI may be the answer rather than ICSI if this is the case - have your DH’s had the DNA fragmentation test?

icy there’s no reason your eggs will be duds, you’re young and have good ovarian reserve - my Dr said quality is mostly determined by age, although high FSH can mean poor quality and well as quantity, and with peri menopausal FSH at the age of 33, we had to assume all my eggs were total duds. Which tbh the first batch were, and it was only the second batch that were any good

Hope the hangover has abated!

Waves to everyone else

AFM DH and I are self medicating with copious amounts of - wondering how quickly one can actually give oneself type 2 diabetes?

Consultant appt in 2.5 weeks to discuss next steps. Shitting it about what the results of the tissue testing will show.

If the m/c was due to chromosomal abnormalities then I’m kicking myself even more for letting myself be talked out of doing PGS for a first cycle (but you go with the clinical advice you’re given, oh the benefit of hindsight, etc etc)

If the foetus was perfectly normal, then it’s my body that killed it

I’m off to eat more chocolate, hoping if I eat enough it’ll cue aversion therapy, like those people who work at Cadbury World and say they don’t actually fancy it much any more after having gorged themselves silly when they first started working there…

Happy Easter ladies xx

We had IMSI and alas that didn't do anything for our fertilisation rates . Either my eggs are worthless or even dh's prettiest sperm are irredeemable, it seems. Good luck for the follow up meeting, Banana - have they def got the chromosome results back? It's taken about 6-8 weeks before I got my results in the past. Such a dreadful thing to wait for - but I found it did give some closure in the end. You'll hopefully know something more whatever happens. In the meantime, eat all the chocolate - tis the season.

Thanks for the welcome everyone
Banana excellent info around the CoQ10, I'm adding it to my list of sh&t to take..I swear I rattle when I walk! You also gave some really good advice on another infertility thread around all the various tests and checks that can (should) be carried out between stage 1 of no baby- and ivf. I found myself scanning and checking Yes, Yes...Yes

icy Love Love Loved it!! Claire is amazing, the outfits, the withering looks and most of all her ability to outwit the men! If I remain childless forever I'm going to practice my Claire stare and the good old 'did you mean to be so rude' when we get questions.

Motivated by all the info on here I rang the FC today to book my follow up appointment for 'next steps'. Why does every stage have to have so many hoops? Its a phone call then a letter then call back to accept the appointment. Gah! I'm moany today.

Hi everyone, sorry for delay, we are in Wales with friends and went for a big hike today!!! Pissed this morning and it was bfp. DH and I don't know what to think. Just feel too good to be true, i don't feel any different and don't really believe it. So think we'll take a while to get our heads around it and proceed with caution... What's funny is we just booked a big trip back to NZ for October and told all the family, it's quite ironic when I think of all the trips I didn't take and nothing happened and now that we booked that one I may not be able to go!

Sorry I'm not quite up to date with thread today. Hope you're all having a lovely Easter and eating lots. And thanks again for being the best bunch of IVF fiends ever!!!

Hugest congrats kiwi that is bloody fantastic news! Hurrah for ironidiffing!!

There's a joke in there about an Easter embryo, rather than an easter egg, in there somewhere

kiwi you said ironic.. Ironidiff by any chance?! I'm sure that maybe the case.. So enjoy Wales and enjoy having that something spec only you and OH know about.

Congrats kiwi! So pleased for you and your DH! Totally get that you want to proceed with caution, but you're bound to have moments of happiness when you think of it - so enjoy them!

DH just got invited to speak at a conference in October in Asia and we've decided to make a trip of it. So I'm thinking we need to have sex right now in the hope of an ironidiff as it could be the best chance of conception we'll have all year.

Yay congrats Kiwi that's an epic ironidiff! Really hope everything goes smoothly for you and do get to enjoy it!

Thanks guys for your lovely words. Definitely, spend £2k on flights and tell your family you'll see them for an important family event and then it will happen. Our consultant even said to us at the appointment earlier this month "if you don't get pregnant call up for your scan, I know you don't believe me but it does happen..." and I was like yeah yeah...

Laura great news about the embryos!

potatoes sorry if I missed it, do you have to have another scan/procedure soon? Hope all is going OK.

bip how's it going in the US? Hope your head cold is better.

icy hope the hangover is better! You may as well take the opportunities now though!

Hi to everyone I've missed.

kiwi huge congrats. Fingers crossed for you

Hi all. Just depressingly on tube on the way back home from the airport and thought I'd catch up on all the news - omg there's an epic amount!

Kiwi so thrilled to hear about BFP. Amazing thread news to end the absolute shithole that March has been all round. An actual ironidiff! Never come across one before other than in MN lore. So pleased for you!
*
Bip, Meh, potatoes, sammy* hope you're doing ok. No real helpful words but giant squishy Easter dogshits all round.

Laura excellent embie news, think you're def entitled to be pleased with that haul.

Icy good work on the hangover. I had two cocktails yesterday and managed to immediately fall down some steps ( only two of them luckily!) so am also the lightest of weights.

Lots of new nice not troll people here too, how lovely. Sort of. You know what I mean. Sucks that you're here through shitty circumstances but good to have you. Clearly all the childless thirty-something people remaining in London are now on this thread, if all the recent baby bombs and buggy-bingo games are anything to go by!

Kiwi - congratulations!!! An ironidif, brilliant!

I've never heard for imsi, I thought top of the line was isci... You learn something new every day as they say!

Did you hear that even Bridget Jones is pregnant? There's a film I won't be seeing. Xx

Well done ironidiffing kiwi, doesn't happen much on this thread!