TTC for 18 months or more. Moving onto iui/ivf/icsi.

[lucieloos]

We have relocated from the conception board where we were previously chatting under the thread 'ttc for 10 months or more'. A lot of us are now long term ttc-ers and are going through infertility treatment or looking to take steps in this direction so we feel this might be a more suitable home for us!

Feel free to stop by and say hi and hopefully we can share the journey together and make it a little easier along the way!

I also had brown discharge on both of my bfps!

Thanks guys! Fingers crossed its a good sign then! x

I've done my test and it's a negative for me. Totally gutted, really thought it might of worked x

Oh so sorry hope. Is it OTD today?

So sorry hope, it's so hard. Take care, xx

I'm so sorry to hear this Hope, it is horrible when it doesn't work

Thank u for yr kinds words guys, yes it is OTD today, i thought i had done so well to get to today without testing early, used first morning wee wee as instructed but still the words 'not pregnant' appeared on my CB digi. It obviously just wasnt meant to be this time. Got to have 3 periods before allowed to start next cycle x

So sorry hope it is really hard. Give yourself some time though and start to look ahead to the next go. It will happen for you

Hope I'm so sorry

I'm so sorry to hear that Hope, I feel so sad for you. Please look after yourselves - it must be so gutting. As Lucie says, give yourself some time, you will start to feel better soon and then you can make a plan.

I hope you're doing OK Hope. I think it's good to have a break between cycles and the next three months will go quicker than you think.

Hi ladies, hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Me and DH are still processing our recient news, told family yesterday and have just shut ourselves away today and spent the day together. As much as our family try to help they just dont understand and end up saying things that i feel are insensitive and make me cross!
My AF officially started yesterday and had viscious cramps today but glad its here and i havent had to wait, hopefully my next 2 will show up when they are meant to aswell.
Just feel a bit emotional and exhausted now, its only when its all over that you look back and realise quite how much you have gone through.

Xxx

Hi Hope, how are you feeling this week? Hope you're feeling a little better and starting to pick yourself up. I know how much gearing up for IVF there is, so can understand the disappointment. No-one who hasn't been through (or isn't going through) this can possibly understand so I think gritted teeth with your family - I'm sure they mean well, but it still hurts when people are insensitive. Are you getting treatment on the NHS? I can't remember whether you have any frosties or if the next go will be a full cycle. Either way, enjoy christmas and it won't be long till you're off again.

Trixie, how are you doing? Still reeling from your BFP?! How was your digi at the weekend? Hopefully nice and clear!

As for me, my IVF drugs arrived this morning! Crikey, the box is huge! I thought I'd feel devastated when the drugs arrived as it really signals our failure to do this naturally, but I feel quite excited. Won't start for ages yet as got 3 weeks of pill to take starting in 2 weeks but it's nice that it's all here now. Anyone who's done NHS IVF - am I supposed to pay prescription charges for the drugs? I haven't been sent a bill so far.

How's everyone else doing? Maple? Any news??

Star - I never paid for mine. I think it's like when you get meds while in hospitals, their covered by national insurance. Xx

Hey star, I'm ok thanks not much news! Just waiting for AF in January to do my tests. I could have done them this month but I thought I would give myself December off with Christmas coming up! I also have a patient information session in January and then a follow up appointment in March with the dr. Really hope they can get the waiting to 4 months in the new year, hate waiting!

Wow, I didn't realise they posted the drugs I thought you had to collect them! Glad you don't feel devastated when they arrived - sounds ridiculous but I'm looking forward to getting started - it's the only thing keeping me going, even though there's no guarantee it will work.

Hope you're holding up hope - agree with star, just have to grit your teeth with family. You have gone through a lot - look after yourself and DH. Thinking of you x

Hello everyone, how are we all doing?

I'm doing ok thanks star, feeling a bit better now that it has sunk in, still feel really sad and disappointed about it, putting on a brave face at work and with family and having a cry at home if i need too, but now AF has been and just about gone i am looking ahead and starting to think about preparing for our next go, i think having a plan will help. Going to try and enjoy christmas, lots of food and chilling out (whilst avoiding children/babies/pregnant people) then on to preparation, healthy diet of all things good, reading my info books again, appointment with consultant to review failed cycle and looking after myself so i am ready for round 2 (well as much as u can be anyway)
Trying not to think about other people and what they say i know they mean well but it doesnt help so i'm finding it easier not to talk about it to them, me and DH talk about it together when at home and that helps us both, think we just need to put ourselves first for a bit.
We are going through the NHS, they will fund 3 cycles for us, we had no frosties so it will be our second full cycle in the new year, hopefully a feb/march start providing my next 2 AF's arrive on time.

I don't have to pay anything for my drugs it is all covered by the NHS, they send my prescription to the drugs company who then contacts me for delivery, i had 2 boxes last time, a large refridgerated one then a smaller non fridge one! It is crazy but i felt quite excited when my drugs arrived too like it was a step in the right direction!

star now your drugs are here enjoy christmas and it will be all go in the new year!

maple a very good plan to give yourself a break over christmas so you are all ready for the new year, hopefully your wait wont be too long! I hate waiting too, there is far too much of it when going through fertility treatment!

Xxx

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker here needing some help support and words of wisdom. We are just at the start of initial investigations. I very confidently (& stupidly) referred myself thinking I was all in control and everything would be fine - I already knew I had PCOS and I thought that was all the investigations would confirm however my husband received a phone call today from our GP to say that his sperm analysis results are really bad. I don't have the exact figures although he remembers the GP saying 2% for something (guessing morphology). My GP said if we were trying to avoid getting pregnant although not impossible he wouldn't be too concerned if we didn't use contraception... Brilliant eh!

so now I have a very shocked and saddened husband - I get this can be quite a knock to his confidence and I really feel for him. We wanted to keep our fertility treatement etc private but I feel like I need someone to talk too.

I know they can do amazing things like ICSI/IMSI now but just feeling really deflated. My tests show that I do ovulate which is good - so just need to get my uterus checked out I guess to check there's no problems there. I thought we would be going through metformin/clomid but guessing there's not much point of that now is there?

Does anyone recommend any specific vitamins etc for him to help? All help appreciated! Xx

Hi rosie sorry to hear about your struggles, it can be a real shock when it's something your not expecting.

We have male factor infertility and my husband was devastated when we got his results. When we did initial investigations i assumed it would be something to do with me that was making it hard for us to concieve, and naively thought that some hormone treatment or regulating my cycle would be all that was needed.
When we got told it was male factor and the only way forward for us was IVF we were both devastated and couldnt believe it. My husband was really sad about it feeling it was all his fault, it took a long time to come to terms with needing IVF and reassure my husband that it isnt about fault we are in this together as a couple.

We have just finished our first cycle of ICSI after 4 years of trying, and sadly it failed. We will be trying a second cycle next year.
My husband was so upset and said it was his fault it hadnt worked but we had 7 fertilised eggs so his sperm did their job, it just wasnt meant to be.

As soon as we knew my husbands results he did some research and started taking Fertilisan M supplements for men trying to concieve. He read some good reviews on it so thought it was worth a try.
He has been taking that for a few years now and at his most recient analysis his results had improved, sadly not enough to not need ICSI but they were much better than his previous ones.
He also has a reasonably healthy diet too, no smoking, drinking, no hot baths, keeping his man area cool!!!

I don't know much about PCOS but i would of thought with a male factor issue that there wouldnt be much point in clomid or anything, if you ovulate thats good so i would guess ICSI would be what you are looking at needing to give you the best chance.

It is heartbreaking to know that maybe the only chance of having a child is throught IVF/ICSI and even more so when that fails, but it does work for lots of people and you just have to hope that it does for you too.

Xxx

It's such a funny feeling when the meds turn up Star, I remember feeling really excited and then getting emotional. It makes it seem very real! It's good to have a bit of time to go through it so you're prepared when it comes to getting started. You won't have to pay for any meds for any of your funded cycles. I had to get some more meds last week and they were paid for by NHS. I'm doing ok, still not really sunk in despite CB digis telling me that I am pregnant, have my viability scan on Friday so crossing everything that all is ok in there.

Great that you have two more funded cycles Hope (hopefully you only need one though) sounds like you and DH are coping as well as can be expected and have a good plan in place.

I hope the waiting time comes down Maple, there must be cancellations, everyone seems to know someone who fell pregnant right before starting IVF.

Thank you hope - it was really helpful to read your reply! We've managed to talk a bit more about it now - my husband has opened up and keeps apologising - but like you I keep telling him it doesn't matter and we are in it together too! Its just something we've got to do!

We've decided to just enjoy Christmas then 2017 is where we really make an effort into eating the right things (although we generally have a healthy diet anyway) and doing that bit of more exercise etc..

He has his next SA in January then its just waiting for that all important referral - my local assisted conception clinic doesn't have much of a waiting list if any so fingers crossed its still like that in the new year too!

Congratulations Trixie - hope your scan goes well on Friday

Your welcome rosie glad you and your husband have managed to talk more about it, it does help to both be on the same page! Have a lovely christmas, enjoy yourselves and fingers crossed it all works out for you in the new year xxx

Just popping back to say a belated welcome to Rosie. Sorry to see you here and may your stay be short! I'm afraid I can't help with the MFI side as I'm unexplained but infertility is something you go through together as a struggle and it's noones "fault" - you will overcome it together and I hope your DH is feeling a little better now after the initial shock. I try and get my DH to take wellman conception.

Waves to everyone else - hope you all have a nice Christmas and try and enjoy it xx

Just to say good luck to everyone, I am following your updates and lurking in the background, cheering you all on.

Unfortunately no good news from me. I did ovulation induction this month to try and grow my lining to try and get me to have a menstrual bleed (ovulated 6 eggs but couldn't even try naturally - setting aside risk of multiples - because I've got a frigging copper IUD in to try and help me have a period). My lining grew to 8.5mm but remains to be seen whether I will actually shed it properly and get a bleed

Although it turns out that this may be the least of my concerns, as my smear test result showed 'suspected non cervical glandular neoplasia' ie potential endometrial or ovarian pre cancer


I've got an urgent referral through on the 2ww referral pathway. This year has just been a series of 2ww. I've got a appt at the colposcopy clinic (although it's not cervical abnormalities, the gynae cancer pathway is via the colposcopy clinic) on 29th Dec. So nothing like a cancer scare to sit with over Xmas.


Dr Google threw up guidance from Camden CCG which said only 40 women a year get a result of suspected non cervical glandular neoplasia in London - nothing like being on the shit side of statistics. Said 70% of these were cancerous.


If it weren't for the two normal endometrial biopsies I've had this year I'd be losing my mind even more than I am.

Oh banana that sound awful - hope everything goes ok! Will be thinking of you!

& thank you to everyone else for the welcome! I've got the full results after eventually getting through to my GP - I haven't got a clue really but this is what they are:

Volume: 1.5mls
Sperm count: 52 million
Motility A - motile - 4%
Motility B - non progressive - 27%
Motility C - immotile - 29%
Motility D - immotile - 40%
Morphology - 2%
Everything else was reported as normal with no values but I don't understand the rest of the figures - guessing morphology is low and maybe the amount? DH religiously taking well man conception now! Diet and exercise changes all to start in the new year! im having good and bad days - some days I know there's options so it's fine - other days I think I'm only 27 and it's so unfair & I find my comfort in good! But I am happy that I found out earlier rather than later!

If you're all busy over the Xmas period I hope you all have a a wonderful Christmas and your Christmas and new year is blessed with loads of fertility vibes! X

Shit banana. I'm so sorry you've had more crap thrown your way. Surely with 2 previous normal biopsies, they wouldn't have missed any abnormal cells? I know this sounds stupid but with all the rummaging around you've had up there, could some cells have been "dislodged" and therefore found on your cervix?! I bet you can't wait to see the back of 2016 - I really hope the results rule out the potential of cancer. Easier said than done but dr google is not your friend on this - try to avoid! Thinking of you.

Rosie I can't remember my DH results but his count was like, 15mil I think and morph was low the first one but deemed normal second time. When I had my last iui his count was 30mil post wash and morph had improved too so I'm wondering if it was the vits!