Failure stories

[BipBippadotta]

I'm far past the point where I'm interested in fertility success stories. Tales of lucky couples who triumphed over impossible biological odds to have their miracle baby make me want to self-immolate. Help me feel less alone in my utter irreversible barrenness by telling me about all the fertility treatments, supplements, folk remedies, voodoo, etc you've tried, that work for every other fucker on the Internet, but did bugger all for you.

I'll start!

Things that didn't work for us:
Grapefruit juice
Guaifeneisin
COQ10
Acupuncture
Vitamin E
Royal jelly
Wheatgrass
Pycnogenol
Low carbing
Inositol & melatonin
Cutting caffeine and alcohol
L-Arginine
Baby aspirin
Maca
B6
Starflower oil
Soy isoflavones
Clomid for DH (to increase sperm count)
Clomid for me
Clomid & injectables
High doses of antibiotics
Prednisone
IVF with ICSI

Sorry that should read Bip, blasted auto correct!

Hey bip I feel slightly tearful seeing your scan update. That's great. I Know we've said yay to return of nausea but I had nausea then an empty sac. So hey, this is good, all as it should be so far. Who knows what's next, fingers crossed. So so so crossed for you bip.

Yes spartacus lucky me getting to the hairdresser, having no DCs means I can do that any time I want.

banana me too, we were due to go on holiday earlier this year and in the end we swapped abroad for wales and thank god we did because I was still bleeding in the epic two month miscarriage and fortately didn't end up haemorrhaging in a foreign lanagge. The idea is this time to "relax" HAHAHAHAFUNCKINGHAHAHA then cycle. Am thinking of you counting the days.

Sorry potatoes really didn't mean to sound insensitive

Aww Bip great news, tear in my eye too. Keeping everything crossed for you!

Fab news bip, a few steps closer, a few more things you can rule out. Really pleased for you.

Fingers crossed for good news about your eggs loki.

Sorry, am on phone so can't scroll back. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

I have been raging all day. So angry, for no good reason. Did yoga this morning, didn't make me more zen. I blame the northisterone. Poor DH, I have been ready to kill him all day, and it is not entirely his fault although he hasn't helped himself either

Think I need to cut my losses and go to bed.

Tiger how do you feel today?

My usually not-at-all-impressive boobs look like Victoria Beckham's circa her first boob job. I know this is just the HCG trigger, it happened last time. Please yell at me to stop symptom spotting, I'm only 7 days past trigger and probably 5dpo.

tiger I feel your lack of yoga zen. Hope you're feeling a bit less pants today

robber I'm madly symptom spotting and it's only 3dp5dt. Idiot

I may be a tad hormonal as yesterday I cried at:

1. The paralympics
2. The John oliver show on the sky+ box
3. Last night of the proms
4. A Wikipedia entry

Hello all!

Just popping in to say a few things:

• Bip, so hugely thrilled to read of your scan!!! By anyone's measure that is great news and, while I know you have little faith, you have cleared a fantastic hurdle. How many weeks does this make you, and do you have a EDD?

• Banana, you go!! 3dp5dt sounds really really good!!! I would love to get there.

• I have had good news today from the Lister: all four of my fresh embryos are looking good on Day 3, all at 7 cells and grade 1. Apparently that is also good. So we are going to wait until Tuesday and hope for a day 5 transfer.

• We will be transferring two if we can - does anyone think I might still have two by Tuesday? I understand the drop off is very high between day 3 -'5? One would also be fine.

• my one frozen embryo from March is not looking as good at just 4 cells - they don't expect that to make it

• Loki I hope this gives you some reassurance - Banana and the others have always told me that quality is SO much more important than big numbers - I am starting to believe them

• the Cyclogest is killing me - my digestive system is in agony, with hard, round gut. Even with three Movicol sachets in last 24 hours I have only managed one small, totally unsatisfactory poo. If anyone has any ideas to improve this I would be grateful. Used vaginally on Friday and Saturday, but today I used up the bum as expected to be having a 3 day transfer - the pain is much worse today. So no more bum for me. Until Tuesday.

Sunday waves all around!

LH if you scroll up the page I was having a similar issue after the HCG. The experts on this thread recommended: handfuls of prunes, kiwi fruit with skin on, flaxseeds, and a few others things. I also drank a lot of liquid, including hot coffee, and chewed sugar free gum. After a 24 hours of eating nothing but the above, things finally shifted.

Thanks LH fab news about your embies!!

Im home finally and hoping it will enable me to do a poo also!! Travelling makes me constipated.

At what point does the tenderness from EC fade? It's slightly better today but I still feel like I've got a bowling ball in my abdomen

Loki, I have no idea if my problem is from EC or Cyclogest but my stomach is huge and I am totally constipated (upped to 3 Movicol today). I have two client evening events this week requiring cocktail dresses and heels - at this rate people will think I am days from a sudden maternity leave.

Hopefully you've got maternity leave in your signs LH!

No update for us as the clinic don't work on Sunday. So we may or may not have embryos. I felt a little wistful flying off and leaving them behind, however it could also be from the massive cocktail of drugs.

LH that's great news that your embryos are going strong! I'd have thought that all bodes really well. Presumably if there's a drop-off in numbers they could still transfer at day 4, just in case?

Loki any news from your clinic? God it's nail-biting when they're closed for a crucial day. Sorry you're feeling bowling-bally - I had tenderness from EC for a couple of days and then it all more or less returned to normal, so hopefully you'll feel better soon!

Banana how are you feeling? When is OTD?

Great news about the embryos LH! My clinic don't check in on them on day 4, it's a 'rest day' for the embryos - there's no useful information when they're compacting at morula stage (Latin for mulberry, which I always think sounds rather beautiful). Apart from my rubbish first batch, in both cycles 2 and 3 about half my day 3 made it to decent blast.

Hope you're feeling better loki and fingers crossed for a good update from the love lab

Nothing much to report here, apart from pain. In theory OTD is 12dp5dt but already told my consultant as I run out of meds on 9dp5dt, I'll be testing 8dp5dt before we order any more in - if it's BFN will ask if we can just do a blood test to confirm if anything at all is going on so I don't need to order more Lubion just to pee on more sticks (and so I can restart my pain meds). Probably cave on Thu (7dp5dt) realistically....

Thank you Banana - that is what I am hoping for. Two good ones to transfer tomorrow would be incredible, one would be good.

I am assuming that no news is good news today. They didn't suggest I would hear anything again, just to appear at 9.30am tomorrow with a Cyclogest up my bum. Going to do acupuncture before and after transfer just COZ.

Loki, thinking about you...

Ok so the love lab (love that btw) have emailed to say all three eggs fertilized and are currently grade 1-2, 2 cell embryos.

Of course I naturally googled and saw that at day 2 the embryos are usually 2-4 cell (most at 4 cell). I've got myself convinced that they'll drop off. Does the worry ever stop?

Great news, Loki! 100% fert rate is brilliant.

If they're grade 1 and in the normal range for that day I'd try not to stress. You can't really be sure what time of day they were checked vs when they got around to emailing you.

The worry never stops, I'm afraid...!

100% fert rate is a VERY good sign Loki! Well done!

Thanks ladies. I think I need a stiff drink. This is almost, but not quite, as bad as the 2ww.

I've already said I'm never doing this again but we all know that's a big fat lie to myself. I wish it could be easier for all of us.

Loki that's great news!

LH how are you feeling today, are you still suffering? Good luck for tomorrow.

Banana I'm glad it isn't just me symptom spotting. I felt nauseous for about half an hour yesterday, got all excited, then disappointed when it vanished.

Bip how is the move going?

Everyone else, how are you?

I'm so fed up of the 2ww, which according to my clinic is actually a 2.5ww from trigger to OTD. If I'm pregnant, great, bring it on. If not, it will be 29 degrees tomorrow, I want to sit in a beer garden with the paper and a pint of Weissbeer.

I reckon any time from 11dpo is fair game for testing robber. 2.5 weeks is nuts.

Great news on the fertilisation rate loki. Sounds like good progression to me - it's very early to tell. When will they freeze?

Good luck with testing banana! Get some lucky socks on before you do.

Hope transfer goes well LH.

All good here, rage subsided. Just need AF to stay away until Friday ideally.

Thanks, and enjoy your holiday Tiger. Are you abroad?

LH good luck for today!

Loki the wait is excruciating. Have that stiff drink; your eggs are out of harm's way.

We complete on the new house today! Now just need to find someone to sand the fucking floors - have been calling around for weeks and nobody's getting back to me. Move-in date sometime in the next couple of weeks, once floors are sorted.

Also, excitingly, I have a job interview next week! It's something I've really wanted for ages and couldn't believe my luck when the job advert went up. Going to bust a gut preparing for it; it would be so nice to think that if this pregnancy goes the way of the rest of them, I might have something else in my life to feel good about, and to give me a sense of direction. Got to find some interview clothes that will accommodate my revolting bloat, though. I'll need some fairly brutal foundation garments.

Well done on the interview Bip!! If the job involves any communication skills or writing at all, then there is no one better than you for the job.

Loki, is today Day 3 - any news?

Thank you so much for the support Tiger and Robber.

I am happy to report that I have two blasts on board. One is a 'top grade' 3AB, and the other much more medium.

I got the feeling they don't expect the second one to do much. Banana has told me many times not to get hung up on the grading which is not an indication of genetic quality; still would like to feel that taking on the risk of twins was for something and that both blasts were worthwhile. Surely a blast is a blast?

We have one more surviving embryo and they will advise me tomorrow if its worth freezing.

Feeling good. Transfer I quite enjoyed (see my little photo) - although I got the bladder bit all wrong so had to go about 30 minutes before...meaning by transfer time, despite much glugging, my bladder was not really full enough (at all). The doctor and nurse didn't care, they apparently could see everything they needed to (some white dot air bubble?) - I could see nothing but pretended I could. Like an episode from Friends.

Anyway, happy my best two are back with me and I'm not sitting around waiting for any more fucking phone calls.

Fab news LH, sending sticky thoughts your way!