TTC for 18 months or more. Moving onto IUI/IVF/ICSI -part 2

[bluebird3]

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!

gee yay for a plan! How did they know that they only live 24 hours?

hope They didn't test my AMH either. As FSH was ok (is that the right one?) and due to being 30 they didn't think it necessary. I'm pretty sure as they just think it's Dh's count that's stopping things as they didn't bother to do HSG for me either. They said it didn't matter whether tubes were blocked box Dh's count was too low anyway. He was 8.9 and 6.7. Maybe should start him on proxeed.

I'm just waiting for AF to show so I can get going! I'm excited now. Fx for tea and star leading the way!

ptera bet it felt great getting af after such a long time. The NHS can be really unfair sometimes.

maple not long now. It will be here before you know it!

Thumbs up for being cycle buddies maple. Keep me posted on your dates.
Ptera - count isn't too much of a problem for us but DHs had poor morphology in all our tests so far. They did something called a sperm survival test where they leave them for 24 hours in a petri dish to see how many survive and his were not good :( hopefully ICSI will help us though.
Hope the stabbing is going well for those down regging/stimming.

Hey star the itching is normal according to the nurses. I had to go in to have my first one so they could make sure it wasn't a major allergic reaction. Apparently some people go into full on anaphylaxis from them.

My first scan is tomorrow so hopefully something has happened. It's good to hear not feeling much different is normal just. I've also been super thirsty but drink a lot of water anyway so hadn't really put two and two together.

gee March is just around the corner and lots of fun activities will def help pass the time. Me and Star will hopefully be able to help a bit with what to expect as well a few other ladies waiting to get started.

Excited for all of us!

Blue remind me when you are due AF again? Hope it is soon (or you get a bfp of course!)

Gee I thought sperm couldn't live outside the body more than 24 hours anyway? Interesting all the different tests the different clinics do! Will let you know dates when I get them through!

Tea I'm always jealous of people who drink lots of water normally, I'm really awful at it, know I have to really up my intake though. Glad the itching was normal!

Trixie I missed your post! Hope everything is alright with you, always nice to hear from the grads!

Hi all,

gee match isnt too far away, it will come round soon, i will be on a similar time frame to you too, expecting AF in the next week or so then will book in to start down regging very end of feb/beg march.

tea all the best for your scan tomorrow x

ptera well done on the clomid, bet it felt good to finally get af x

I spoke to the clinic today and they were lovely the nurse went through my most recent blood results and my FSH is 6.1 which she said is absolutely fine. They dont do AMH levels unless they arent sure on your other levels but all mine are fine so they havent done my AMH.
My clinic decides stimm dosage based on FSH and all my tests, age etc...and i responded well so shouldnt be worried.
She is sending my blood results so i have a copy and offered an appointment with a senior consultant if i am still unsure.
She was cross with the consultant we saw for saying that, she said he should of either not said it as there was no need or actually found my results and explained properly! And that they need to remember every little thing that gets said plays on the minds of people going through fertility treatment!

Xx

Hope good news today tea!

Hey all, it was amazing to get af. Never been so excited to see it in my life. You take it for granted usually, never expected it to go awol for so so long. It was fairly normal but short. Only 3 days whereas I would usually be 4 or 5. Possibly an effect of clomid? I have heard it can thin the lining so I suppose less to shed? Perhaps.
gee that is interesting about the test. I havent heard of it before. I suppose people often focus on count rather than anything else. I know we do! Sorry the results werent great though :(
hope i am glad the nurse was so helpful and much more reassuring. Make such a difference.
tea i hope your scan goes well today! Let us know.
How exciting blue, nearly time to get going!! Eeek!!!
I have just sent a snotty email to the PALS service about OH's results. He is still fobbed off every time he calls and it has been nearly 7 months now. It was only a blood test, how can it possibly take so long?! I always feel awkward making a fuss though so no doubt they will just tell me to wait patiently and i will agree haha.

Hope I missed your message - so glad you got a lovely nurse to speak to you. That's reassuring, hope she put your mind at rest.

Ptera I can't believe it's been 7 months! After all this time I'm sure results are fine but that's no excuse. Hope they get back to you - quite right to send a snotty email!

For my first iui I was on clomid but it thinned my lining so they switched me to injectibles, my periods have been super light since coming off the pill though.

Thanks maple. I am hoping they are fine cos you would hope they would have made nore effort if not but I don't believe that is always the case!! Tbh, aside from the fact it costs an absolute fortune I am glad we are going private as our hospital is absolutely useless. Hope we get better treatment when paying (not quality wise but customer service) although from what I hve read that might be debatable lol.
I have heard injectables are better than clomid. I was actually surprised by how low the success rate is with clomid. I always think ivf and icsi has a terrible chance of success but it is higher than any other method per cycle, including natural, I believe? Anybody know if that is right or if i made it up lol. Most other methods are between 20-25% per month

Thanks for thinking of me everyone. Had my scan today and nothing significant is happening which is gutting. My follicles aren't being stimulated at all. Nurse said they were just looking at her, wondering what to do! My lining is still pretty thin too. My dosage has been upped from 225 to 300 and I need another scan on Saturday. Although the nurse said it's fairly normal and nothing to worry about it does essentially mean the last 7 days have been a waste of time and my e/c won't happen next week as planned. Rubbish!!

Good for you re the email ptera 7 months is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for test results!

star have you got your scan tomorrow? Hope it goes well if you do.

I'm not sure about success rates and different methods. I know miscarriage with IVF is the same chance as a natural pregnancy and I thought it was about the same chances carrying to full term but could be wrong. I like to bury my head in the sand and not look into it too much as the stats arent that favourable but like you said, chances are fairly low naturally too.

Fed up of all this today. Tomorrow will be better I'm sure

Hey ptera between the first two SAs which were 4 months apart, motility had gone up from 18% to 39% and morphology from 2% to 4% but count had gone down from 20mil to 11mil! However, they make an assessment of what you need based on the SA and for the first they recommended icsi and with the next they recommended ivf, which I take as an improvement. For the latest they've said ivf too but they'll go by the sample on the day. Re chances, I think trying naturally is 20% chance per month, so IVF is a higher chance per cycle, but you don't get many goes per year!

Thanks trixie! Lovely to hear from you- hope all's going well. Nice to hear you were on the same dose (probably same consultant?) with no symptoms and had success.

Sorry to hear your news geeup. But as others have said March will be here before you know it - even quicker if you book in some lovely treats . If they are recommending ICSI then it will certainly help - male factor is the easiest to overcome with icsi.

I'd actually come on here to ask how your scan went tea. Sorry to hear it wasn't as you hoped, that must be really gutting. BUT that's the point of the first scan so they can get your dose right. Frustrating you need to stim for longer, but I think better slow and steady than overstimulating and getting ill. one thing we've surely become accustomed to is all the waiting around. Fingers crossed for good news on Saturday

So glad you had a lovely nurse Hope and your minds at rest. Those consultants need a kicking sometimes

My first scan is Friday, so we'll see how things are going then.

God i feel like crying. Had a reply to my snotty email saying that they have recieived results and will tak to the dr and fertility nurses about the best way to get the results to us. Personally I can't see how that can possibly be good news because if they were clear they just need to post a letter/call up saying so. I know I should try not to think the worst until we hear back but I cannot see how that can have anything other than crap news. I feel like we are just destined to not have kids. Male factor? Yes. Female factor? Yes. Genetic shit? Sounding quite likely. I am just so fucking sick of it all. Having a baby is meant to be the easiest thing in the world (and FREE ffs). I'm just so fed up of every time i let myself hope it might all be ok I get kicked back down with more shit news. I know I may be wrong and I hope I am but I just think it cant be all clear with needing to speak to everyone about it. Back to work I go wanting to curl up and cry. I just hate it :( sorry for the miserable post x

Oh ptera it's so unfair that they are messing you about like this. You just need the results so you can move forward with a plan. Maybe it won't be worse case scenario. Totally understand your despair. It's so unfair that most people just get pregnant without thinking twice. Don't lose hope as there are so many treatments out there. Sending you hugs.

Sorry I've been away for a couple days. Have been so busy with work that have collapsed when I get home and in bed for 9!

Af is due sat or sun. I then run the clinic and go in the next day for a scan and if all looks good get my meds and start stabbing. I've started spotting and can have a few days spotting before af so things look on track.

tea that's so frustrating that it's been delayed but at least then can adjust now and fx your follies start a big growth spurt.

Good luck at your first scan tomorrow star

Petra Try be Optomistic. I know it's hard but the cloud could have a silver lining and they know how to fix it (You could be worrying yourself sick unnecessarily). The advancements these days are awesome. (You never know it could even be something which means they need to make small adjustments ?? and they dont want to explain it incorrectly to you with a letter/ phone call). Just try to stay calm till they explain what the issue is and try to work out a plan on how to sort it. It's horrible to feel like you are going from pillar to post. We are all here to support one another. Don't apologise for having a bad day.

Thinking of you ptera. It's the not knowing that is hardest. Hope you're pleasantly surprised after all this worry.

Hey all. Thanks for the kind words. Turns out all results bar one are fine and that is slightly high. OH cant remember what it was though! He decided to surprise mw by telling me when i got home. Which was nice. Just meant i had been in tears half hour earlier with mtly mum for no reason!!! I will let him off though. Im so happy i could pop lol. Just couldnt understand why she would need to sk dr and nurses how to give results that are essentially fairly ok. But I dont really mind cos im on cloud 9 after all that worrying this afternoon. Feel like a drama queen now

Ptera Your not a drama queen we all would have been the same. Thats fantastic news

I had my HSG today.. all was fine no blockages. Fingers crossed that it has swished out any gunk that could have potentialy caused difficulties..

Thanks :)
Fingers crossed! Did yours hurt? I have heard anecdotally if it hurts there is more likely to be a blockage. Mine really hurt and had a potential blockage. I bled loads too

No it never hurt abit. The tube felt a bit scratchy going in but otherwise not a thing. It was really quickly done so i have no complaints. The waddle back to the changeing room was more uncomfortable ha ha. No bleeding atall. I had heard that aswell.

Well that is good that it was fine :) apparently more fertile for the next 3 months too so fc for you!

Just back from my scan and may have the opposite issue to you Tea. 19 follicles (14 on right, 5 on left) between 10 and 17mm. Not sure about the lining but she said it was nice and thick and I'm responding well. They're worried I'm getting over stimulated so have done a blood test to check how much fsh in my blood and will call me later to let me know whether to stay on this dose or drop down again. I have to up my water intake to 2.5 litres a day - this is such a challenge for me! I felt a bit sick after last night's injection which the nurse said is one of the earliest signs there's too much hormone in my blood.

Anyway, not bad news really although I am scared of getting ohss and not being able to transfer. Still, all being well I'll have egg collection on weds.

Ptera, I'm so pleased your genetic tests came back fine - you must be so relieved. Why on earth put you through that with an email like that?!

Great news on the hsg thistle

I'm not actually sure who my consultant was Star, I saw a lady for my first consultation then a different Dr. due to my NK cells, then when I was having treatment I saw a few different Drs, all were really nice though. Sounds like you are in for a good haul! I had mild ohss during my first fresh cycle, I read that drinking coconut water and lucozade was good as they both have lots of electrolytes so I was guzzling those as well as water. Good luck for Wednesday

Star wow that's a lot of follies! I know what you mean about finding it hard to drink water - take care of yourself, hopefully you won't get OHSS! Have you had the blood results back yet?

Tea I think slow and steady is a good way to go, hope the scan shows more response and lots of follies tomorrow!

Ptera glad the results were nothing to worry about in the end - that's stressful that they were being elusive about the results but I guess it's to make sure someone who really understands them speak to you so they don't say the wrong thing!

Blue looks like AF is on her way - not long to start now!

Scottish glad the HSG was fine and didn't show any blockages. I had a hyscosy (same thing?) and only had a bit cramping too but I have heard experiences similar to ptera (sorry it was horrible )

Hi ladies...need some advice.

I always spot before periods. After a day or toe of light spotting, I have a day where for a few hours I'll have what is like a proper flow. Only lasts 1-2 trips to the loo but will be bright red and blobby (tmi...sorry). Then goes back to light spotting for 24 hours and then will start again, proper full flow nonstop for 3-4 days. Would you count day 1 from the day with the first bleeding, or from the 2nd start?

I've had the 1st bleeding today which looks like a full bleed but it stopped again. I've rung to go in for a scan tomorrow but now worried I jumped the gun and should wait till Monday. Just scared to miss starting if I should count today as day 1.

Blue, I would count today as day 1. I think it's normal to have flow go up and down during your period. I would mention it at your scan and they can decide whether you should delay starting mess for a day or two. It would be worse if you didn't go in and then missed it.

Clinic called, my dose is down to 100iu from tonight.

Thanks for the ohss tips Trixie. What were your symptoms and did you have to delay ec or et? I'm nervous about the number of follicles, I've heard too many is not a good sign for quality. Anyway, I guess there's nothing I can do now so we'll see.