TTC 18 months or more -moving on to IUI/IVF/ICSI part 3

[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!

@Blue that all sounds really positive. Even the tsh issues, at least you know now & it's something to keep an eye on. I have underactive thyroid. Not sure about any impact it could have on egg quality, but it def impacts on all your hormones, & can make it difficult for an embryo to stick if the levels aren't quite right. On the whole, it's generally quite easy to treat, & I found going gluten free made a huge difference.

Blue Im quite supprised myself about the spinach! The nutritionist who specialises in fertility sounds like a fantastic idea. I have my FX for your karyotyping test. I hope you get the news you need!

If you all dont mind i would like to stick around for a bit as i want to see how everyone gets on and i dont feel completely confident to leave just now.

Feel free to stick around scottish and trying.

I was surprised about the spinach thing too. It's still a really healthy good but not good in high amounts for ttc. I don't really understand the science of it but this lady seemed to know what she was talking about.

angel that's interesting about gluten free. I'm going to ask my gp to test for coeliacs. I don't have any GI issues but the NICE guidelines at it should be filled out in cases of unexplained infertility as some women don't have any symptoms. Although interestingly fatigue and depression can be symptoms of coeliacs (but can also be of hypothyroidism or infertility depression). Technically we are explained bc of dh's mfi, but they think there is something wrong with me causing bad egg quality so I figure I'm unexplained at this point.

@bluebird I totally get what you mean, we have mfi which was picked up at dh 1st sperm analysis, so very few tests have been done on me. There's always a niggle in the back of my mind that they've maybe missed some issue with me, so I'm trying to cover as many bases as possible myself. I'd say it's definitely worth getting tested for coeliac, as you say there's quite a few things that have similar symptoms & most of them can impact on your fertility, so anything that can even be ruled out is helpful. I didn't actually get tested for coeliac, I just trialled cutting out gluten for a few weeks to see how I felt. I didn't have any gi issues beforehand, but the few times I've tried gluten since cutting it out completely I've felt so ill (stomach cramps, headache, nausea, lethargy, skin problems) that I just avoid it completely now. All round I feel so much better now I'm gluten free, & I've lost about 1.5-2 stone I think you can test negative for coeliac, but still be gluten intolerant, so with bearing that in mind too

Sorry for such a long post, I've become one of those bores that's become obsessed with diet, nutrition & health

My sister's having her baby on Thurs so went shopping for some baby presents tonight, very mixed emotions

No need to apologise angel. I wish I was more obsessed with health and nutrition! Every morning I wake up with good intentions and always lose my way at some point in the day. I can usually maintain a healthy diet 80% of the time by the other 20 is preventing me from losing weight. I'm hoping paying a nutritionist will be the kick up the butt I need to be held accountable!

I visited the gp today. She didn't want to start me on thyroxin as I'm so close to the normal range. I'm higher than my fertility clinic wanted so I'm going to see what they say next week. Then likely back to the GP. She did take blood to test for coeliacs and another thyroid test so we will see how that plays out.

@blue I hear you , it can be so blooming hard to stay on track sometimes. I'd say 80% on track is pretty good though, more than I manage sometimes

2 stone is amazing! Angel Im a terrible dieter i lose weight and then always want to treat myself so i lose alot and then it climbs very quickly.

FX for your test results Blue hopefully the clinic writes you a letter for the GP if your range isnt acceptable and you dont have a fight on your hands trying to get thyroxin.

We've started getting weekly Abel & Cole recipe boxes. They have 3 organic meals under 500 calories and that has definitely helped us eat better. I'm terrible at meal planning and always go for the same boring thing. My dh has lost 10 lbs...I haven't lost anything. I don't feel like I'm eating more snacks but obviously something is going wrong.

@scottish I lost 2 stone initially, but my weight does fluctuate now by about half stone. I used to be so strict with myself, but it wasn't sustainable & then I'd have a blow out Now I try to allow myself the odd treat, a little of what you fancy & all that.

@blue i know our local fertility network runs a nutrition workshop a couple of times a year. I haven't been to one yet, but I've heard really good feedback. Not sure if there's be anything like this in your area maybe?

We're heading to stay with my mum for the weekend & going to visit my sister & meet my new baby niece. Cannot actually wait

Hey how was everyone's Easter? We got to meet my new baby niece, she's such a wee doll.

I've just started reading a really interesting book called "The 4 Pillar Plan" by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. It's about generally keeping healthy & fit, & I'm only about ¼ of the way through, but there seems to be loads of similarities in the fertility info my acupuncturist gives as well. Might see if dh will read it too since he seems to switch off when I chat about advice from acupuncturist.

Hi angel. Glad you had a nice time with your niece. I'll be meeting my new niece in a few weeks at my brothers wedding.

That book sounds good. I'll look into it. My dh is very hard to persuade to make any changes but if I just start cooking healthier he eats it, or if I leave nuts in a bowl on the table, they're gone. I call it stealth nutrition.

We didn't get up to much exciting this weekend. Our fridge broke so had a new one delivered and also did an IKEA trip and some furniture assembly. Did feel good to be productive though.

Our ACU appointment is tomorrow to review recent tests and see what the recommended plan will be. Even though I've been desperately waiting for weeks for it, now I'm getting nervous. I need to keep busy today.

Good luck for your appointment, Bluebird. I hope it is productive and you get to ask any questions that you want to.

Thanks trying. How are you getting on?

I’m ok thanks. Feeling increasingly sick, which is hopefully good. Scan next Mon so just hoping the little bean is in the right place and hanging in there. Always something to worry about, but I’m feeling lucky to have reached this next stage of worry of course! Hope you are soon in the same position

Glad you're doing well trying. I hope we'll all be joining you on 'the other side' soon!

I've been to the fertility clinic. Karyotyping was normal (yay!). It looks like I have subclinical hypothyroidism so have my first prescription of thyroxin to begin. Once it's under 2.5 for 12 weeks I can do another cycle. It was really nice as the consultant had worked with my husband a couple of times since the first appt (dh is a doctor) and so she said we could email her directly for test results etc, rather than paying each time for a consult.

Now for more waiting and using the 12 weeks to get fit and healthy.

That sounds like an excellent appointment. Hope you’re feeling good about having some action to take. Fingers crossed the thyroxine and the arrival of spring will help you into peak condition! 💪 ☀️

That is amazing Blue im very happy for you. Especialy the Karyotyping news!

Hi All

Had my first IUI today (been a while since I played so recap is I’m 30 and we have unexplained, two chemicals and been referred for IVF on NHS but in the mean time trying anything else privately). Been out on clexane, cyclohest and predsinone steroid as a cant harm me cycle with the IUI. Not feeling hopeful, so hard when you don’t have an issue that they can treat! Anyone had any luck with IUI?

All sounds very positive @blue. How do you feel about it all?

Fx iui goes well @ttc

Welcome back ttc. Sorry, I've never done iui as dh didn't have enough sperm so went straight to ivf. Fx for you!!

Mixed feelings angels. I think after 3 failures I'm beyond feeling excited anymore. I'm terrified to feel hopeful. I think the most I can muster is 'glad' that we can still have a go with my eggs. I feel sceptical that this will solve everything. My goal is to get as healthy as possible and see if I have better embryos. If they still are poor quality we will probably go to donor eggs rather than continue to beat a dead horse with mine.

@blue that's totally understandable, esp with everything you've been through. But knowledge is power, & you've plenty of time of get yourself as healthy as pos to give it a really good shot. Keeping everything crossed for you.

We've got a wedding reception tonight, trying to prepare myself for all the when are starting a family questions that will obvs come our way (this particular group of friends seem to be ultra fertile)

Hi guys, can I join you all please?

I'm starting injectings for ICSI cycle #2 on Thursday. Age 32, TTC no1. Low AMH and MFI. Despite low AMH got 20 eggs in cycle 1 but no good quality embryos at the end. Now on lots of supplements for quality improvement and this time round we are having a lower dose of menopur and DH is having his sperm surgically retrieved due to moderately high DNA fragmentation. Fingers crossed it will make the difference but I can't imagine it will make a huge difference and we've been told were very unlikely to have anything to freeze.

Some support and handholding would be appreciated!

Anyone else starting a cycle in the next few weeks? X

Hi everyone
I'm new here!
I wondered whether there is anyone here with MFI (mainly low count) that could provide any experience on their fertility journey.
We started our journey for our second child (think the first was just some sort of miracle) an age ago. I recently got pregnant but due to a blighted ovum I miscarried at 8 weeks. We are currently in cycle 1 after that loss.
I am thinking we should move to ICSI in the next few months

Hi hoping! Nice to see you here!

welcome day. How long have you been trying? And what sort of count does your dh have? My dh has 6-7 million and we've had 3 failed ICSIs. However, I have recently found out I'm hypothyroid so that could have affected things.