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!

Hi ladies, sorry I've not been about much. Been feeling pretty ropey and looking at my phone makes it worse.

Banana - hooray for a bleed!! And fab news on the new plan, I have everything crossed for you.

Lucie - great start with 10 follies :). Everything crossed for you too!

Maple - I've never heard of oestrogen pessaries, but if they are then I imagine they'll be similar to the progesterone ones... Enjoy! Lol.

Brenna - glad your DH is feeling a bit more confident :). We haven't dtd since embry transfer, poor old DH!

Welcome City!

Waves to anyone I may have missed. Xx

Sounds great lucie! I've been on short antagonist each time - first two were high stims because my AFC was low (starting dose 450iu dropping down - 5 follicles at baseline 1st time, 10 follicles the second). Third was lower stims because my ovaries were PCO again and I had 25+ follicles at my baseline - I was on a starting dose of 150iu. I'm on the same dose again this time. Last time we stimmed me low and slow : I think I did 8 days on 150iu, 4 on 75iu and then coasted for the last 2 days. This time as we're focusing on the lining I'm not sure how it'll play out

You're going to have enough embryos for a 5 a side team of kids! Great that you get the NHS cycles - I'm hoping you're not going to need to keep the drugs for more mini cycles as you'll be pregnant and the drugs will expire

maple ah you might be on vagifem then - they're little oestrogen pessaries, they're quite low dose so don't tend to be used much in FET, but are probably a great option for an ovulation induction cycle just to goose the lining along.

Maple, at my clinic they often recommend for ladies whose lining isn't thickening to use one or two of the the little estrogen tablets vaginally as well as taking them orally. Apparently it's something like 10 times more estrogen gets to the lining that way as it doesn't go through the liver first so well worth a try if a bit of a fiddle!

Hey Sammy, sorry you are feeling a bit ropey. Hope it eases up a bit soon.

Banana, it would be amazing if it worked this time but I can't see us being that lucky really. I'm not sure what the plan is if it doesn't work this time as in my head I quite like the idea of 3 normal tested blasts along with my 2 untested before beginning transfers. That just seems like a decent number to me and would kind of take the pressure off for a little bit but then that means another egg collection cycle in Czech to try and get another one rather than just cracking on with transfers so will have to give that some thought. I was amazed by how well low stimms worked for us last time. It gave us the most eggs and blasts we've ever had. I was only hoping to get one embryo for a day 3 transfer but we came away with 3 grade 1 blasts. They said my ovaries probably don't like being pushed with high stimms but the gentle approach seems to work better.

Lucie thats great to hear that your scan went well and things are progressing well for you!

Maple glad your scan went well too and that they prescribed what you wanted!

City hope you have a lovely holiday, i am just waiting about at the moment too, have to wait for next AF then ring up to book in and get my drugs sent out, but we are also off on holiday in a few weeks so hopefully that will make the wait seem less painful, can't wait to get away for a bit!

Sammy sorry to hear you have not been feeling well, hope you start to feel better soon xx

Banana thank you its good to know other people were clueless at the start too, i'm already learning lots! I'm a bit of a control freak and have struggled with not having control over having a child, i've read lots of books etc.... but i think the best info i have recieved is by everyone here so thank you!!

Xxx

Thanks again everyone! I'm feeling more positive this cycle now that I'm on injectibles and the consultant has said they can add oestrogen if they need to.

Sammy I'm sorry you're feeling rotten- hope it passes soon!

Morning everyone,

Quick question (sorry if its a silly one!) But does having light periods mean my lining isnt very good?

Hope everyone has a good day
Xxx

Hi all, just checking in.

Hope, not necessarily. I have very light periods, spotting for a day, full flow for two days (but light) then it's all over. My lining was 14mm last time they looked. I wouldn't worry about until you see how it reacts when it matters. Plenty of iron and orgasms in the meantime!

Morning All,

Hope, my periods are light also, just like itsme has described. I also constantly worry that my lining isn't good but they said it was fine at my initial ultrasound X

Hope echoing itsme - not necessarily at all

Some people just have light periods - the uterus can absorb the lining too. After my May cycle I had 11mm of lining and didn't have a proper bleed, but it thinned to 3mm. I was like - 'but where does it GO?!'

It happens that my scanty periods were related to thin lining, but my issue is fairly unusual, as my endometrium is very stubborn and doesn't respond to oestrogen. Light periods on their own definitely don't necessarily mean anything

Morning everyone.

Yes really looking forward to my holiday. We're off up to some Scottish Islands to stay in a cottage and relax and do some walking etc. We usually go to Scotland at this time of year and we usually get good weather so fingers crossed. Work is really busy so it will be lovely to just get away.

Good luck to everyone. Really hoping to get my next appointment through soon. Am going to ring the clinic on Thursday as we're going away soon.

Can I ask a silly question? Has anyone had to have the MMR jab before starting treatment? I've had one shot and the nurse at my practice asked if I had to have the booster. I rang the clinic and they said they didn't know and to ask the nurse in my practice. Obviously I want to be immune so if I have to have the booster I will (I've got an appointment booked just in case I do) but it means that we can't ttc as it's a live vaccine. I know that I'm waiting for IVF but I would like another chance to try ourselves if you know what I mean. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hope everyone has a good day.

City I had the MMR at school but never had the booster I was meant to get at university so I had it at the doctors when I first wanted to TTC and mentioned it to him. I was told we couldn't for a month after.

They check for immunity too as part of the investigations.

Hope my periods have been so light since coming off the pill. Most of the time I don't even fill the smallest tampon. It's been a tiny bit better recently (I will have one day where it does) but the scans showed I had thin lining - I was wrong about my last one it was 5.4mm not 5.8 and my baseline scan yesterday it was less than 3! I don't think you can tell until they check with scans.

Hi all!

Banana, glad AF arrived for you! Hoping your lining thickens up for you, and you arre able to transfer. I've been thinking of you while you've been gone.

Mrsren, before ttc, I was pretty sure EVERYTHING could be solved with a cup of tea

Brenna, glad things are looking up! Best of luck with the SA tomorrow.

Maple, yay for progress!! Glad everything went ok!

Lucie, glad everything went ok for you too! Loving that you're doing your own protocol. You know whats worked best for you after all. Everything crossed for you!

I hope you're feeling better, Sammy.

Hope, I was also very clueless at the start, and still am in alot of ways. Its been amazing having everyone here to help me out when everything has gotten confusing. You'll pick everything up as you go along :-) I've had light periods since coming off the pill too, and was quite worried about my lining but it doesnt seem to have been a problem. I think everyone is different, so try not to worry too much (though its impossible alot of the time!)

Cityzen,no one ever mentioned the MMR jab to me, so I'm not much help there I'm afraid. hope you have a lovely holiday!

Star, how are you doing?

Hope everyone else is ok and big waves to anyone I've missed!

Hi everyone,

Great news about your scan Lucie, I definitely think the lower dose is the way to go. I was on lubicon for my FET last time on top of the pessaries. I've said to the nurse/Dr that I am concerned about my progesterone on a medicated cycle but they don't seem at all concerned. I do have a stash of pessaries so could supplement with those. I am hoping they will do a separate prescription for lubicon though and we will just pay for it. I actually had a call from the hospital yesterday and need to pop in today to collect a treatment plan. I can't go off my next AF apparently so would have to wait for my October one. We were planning a holiday in October though so after a bit of deliberation have decided to stick with the holiday plan and do our FET in November. Also realised that the effects of my endometrial scratch will have worn of so will need to organise another one of those. Will still check in to cheer you ladies on but its going to be pretty quiet for me on the treatment front until November when hopefully you'll all have graduated

Good luck ladies x x

My periods are also very light and my lining has been variable. Mainly ok but one or two times it has been a bit thinner than I would have liked. I have often wondered if it's because of the light periods but who knows! My viagra pessaries are out for delivery today so at least I can add those in on this cycle and see if they help.

Cityzen, your holiday sounds lovely, hope you have a great time. I think I'm all up to date with the jabs but I don't recall my clinic asking me about them.

MPP, hope all is going well with you. Can't be too much longer until your scan! Yes it's a little nerve wracking doing my own protocol but it's worked for me once before and I just don't feel that high stimms work that well so I may as well give it a go and just look at this round as a bonus as I still have my back up frosties at reprofit. If this mini ivf protocol does work fairly well for me again this time it would be great and would give me lots of info about the type of protocol that's best for me.

Trixie, I was also on lubion with the NHS and will be again this time. Last time I supplemented myself with utrogestan which they didn't know about but when I went in for treatment planning this time around they told me they had now upped the dose of lubion and it would now be 2 injections a day. I don't know if they meant they do this for everyone as standard now or if it was just in my case as a result of the ectopic / miscarriage. I feel a bit better having the 2 lots though so doubt I will supplement with utrogestan as well unless I get a bfp and a blood test shows my progesterone levels are low. Sorry to hear you have to wait for your fet but it will be nice to have a holiday and a little break in the mean time and you can prep yourself ready. Like you say pop in from time to time and let us know how you are xx

I'm just back from the hospital now. They went through the treatment plan for a medicated FET (they are not at all keen on me trying another natural one) and I have lubion so very pleased, just one injection though. Last time I was on 1 and then they upped it to 2 and my progesterone went through the roof, they only tested my progesterone just before transfer though so if I have the injections from the start then hopefully it will be ok. I may well supplement with my leftover cyclogest just to be on the safe side though.

That all sounds good trixie. You can't have too much progesterone. Glad the plan is all in places so you can relax and enjoy your hols and then get started when you get back.

Lucie my liver would testify against that for the progesterone! My ALT levels are through the roof!!!! Funny how things connect in weird ways with biology..

Ok my clinic have always said its better to have too much than too little and there's no actual harm to having too much. I can imagine with all the other meds though it all takes its toll on the body.

That sounds like a great plan trixie - hope the holiday is suitably restorative and that you can have a lovely break

I had no problems with progesterone last time but the plan would be for me to have Cyclogest in the morning and Lubion in the evening, as a belt and braces measure. Dr didn't seem to think the possibility of too much progesterone was an issue!

(Christ knows what my liver is like - I've been on so many daily meds for my spinal injury and epilepsy my liver has either given up or got really efficient and processing everything!!)

Thanks Banana. We are currently trying to decide on a location. I am trying to talk DH into going somewhere hot and faraway but realised that we are going to have to be careful re Zika!

My clinic also said you couldn't have too much progesterone, my levels were over 600. I also worry re my liver from too much wine in the past and the meds now. I take milk thistle sometimes which is supposed to be good for it.

Interesting you mention Milk Thistle as I read it mimics the affect of estrogen! I had no idea the liver was so affected by hormones, but there we go. There isn't anything they can do for it, other than keep calling me back for blood tests which is more than annoying.

Trixie sorry for the wait but I think having going ahead with the holiday as planned is a nice idea - hope you and DH settle on a location soon but hot and far away sounds perfect!

Just did my first Merional injection! Wasn't too bad at all but felt nervous mixing it up - had the instructions out in front of me and DH observed. I was going to get him to help but he's away for a couple of nights and so I thought I may as well do them myself! He laughed nervously, winced and made gasping noises throughout - very supportive!!

Thanks everyone I was getting a bit worried!
I have never really thought of my light periods as being a problem some of my friends moan about theirs and mine have never been that big a deal just a few days then it's over so thought I was lucky!

But now i'm starting to worry its not luck but that it's going to mean there's a problem! I think I'm just over thinking and getting ahead of myself as I'm fed up of waiting! But you guys are right there's no point worrying it might be nothing and if it is it will show on my scans!
I have had two scans already and nothings been said so that must be a good sign!

Thank you all! Goodnight
Xxx

Thanks everyone for letting me know about your experiences of the MMR. The reason I had to have it is because they found that I wasn't immune to rubella when I had my first blood tests. I am quite surprised as I've had German Measles and also I had the rubella injection at school when I was 11. I am annoyed as my GP didn't tell me when I went to get the results of my tests. She just told me that my progesterone level was good but failed to mention that my FSH level was high. Anyway!! After my miscarriage they thought it might have been a molar pregnancy (it wasn't thank goodness) but we couldn't ttc until we got the results and if I'd known then I could also have had the MMR jab. However, I think I'll just have to have the booster and then at least I'll know that I'm immune.

Trixie - hope you have a good holiday.

Maple - good luck with your injections. I'm nervous about having to do them but I am determined to do it when the time comes.

Hope everyone has a good day. Is lovely weather here - hope you have good weather too!