Anyone else just starting their journey ?

[TTC73]

DH is going for his sperm sample to be tested today and hes so nervous and the GP wants me to have some blood tests done and swabs at a later date. So nervous of what to expect and terrified of the possibility of IVF I've heard its so painful ?
We've been trying to have a baby for over 3yrs with 2 chemical pregnancies so far

Lopey - sorry to hear you’re feeling downhearted, and I know it must be difficult not to (but I’d also be googling like crazy in your position). I shall be keeping everything crossed that your cycle goes like a dream from here on in and that you have a good quality blastocyst to transfer come Tuesday. Sending enormous virtual hugs your way. I hope you find plenty of distractions this weekend. When will you get your next update? Will the clinic be in touch over the weekend? (I’m a total rookie as you know, so I have literally no idea how these things work...)

Sorry you're not feeling turbo positive @lopey, you're right, it does just take one but I'd definitely be googling too so can understand your nerves! My fingers are crossed for you guys that you have at least one lovely little blastocyst for transfer on Tuesday. I think you've got a really healthy attitude though- half preparing for next cycle just in case. I'm similar - prepare for and expect the worst, with a tiny smidge of hope for the best while trying not to jinx things or get too carried away! I really hope you can distract yourself, as crazy as that sounds..!

We're about to enter fw, and I'm already getting anxious about ivf in aug/sep and how I'll cope with the stress.

Thanks for your replies and words of wisdom @CatRen27 and @Cariad2017 . I know I need to step away from the google. I'm thinking I need to step away from mumsnet too, just for a few days....becoming a bit obsessive!

@Cariad2017 , I get no update over the weekend. Not until Tuesday. She basically said on the phone that they'll put them in the oven and leave them there unobserved until Tuesday morning, to give them the best chance of development undisturbed. I was under the impression they checked them at regular intervals, at least each day, but maybe not. Maybe they've changed the usual protocol. Maybe it depends on the quality of what's been formed so far....?

Certainly we were marketed embryoscope (where they video the whole development as snapshots so they can track what's happening) as a way of preventing the constant "in and out" of the oven, in case it hindered progress. Kind of glad we didn't go for it now (it was down to cost: it was £750 extra) seen as it's been revealed they never take them out after the first day anyway?!?! What difference would it have made?

I will try and chill now and enjoy time with my current lovely boy, "living in the moment" as it were.... thanks for your kind words x

Guys i need your advice!!
AF arrived on Wednesday morning about 3am and it came on heavy and fast without warning and has been heavy to the point I've gone through about 12 pads in 2 days when i use half that normally for an entire 5 day period then on Thursday morning it had stopped entirely with no warning and i went without a pad or anything Friday with nothing now this evening ive just started up spotting again
For context usually my period is 5-6 days long and starts of light on days 1-2 then 3-4 are heavy flow and 5-6 are light and go on/off till its all done and i also get really bad sickness and nausea aches and pains with them but with this one there was one of that either it was the easiest period ive had in years!!
Any idea what could have happened ? Going to be asking GP on the 14th but needed some reassurance till then

@TTC73 best to get checked out by the doc hun like u said but ive had periods like that before it seems to flood the first 1/2 days then its a shorter period v strange

Fully expected to get my period this month, so when it came this morning I thought I was fine. Then a couple of hours later found myself bawling in the bathroom over it. It doesn't get easier does it...

No it doesn't i resent my Periods every month its not fair

Sending enormous hugs your way Estrella. If it’s any consolation, I got a BFN at 12dpo this morning, bringing cycle 23 to an end (yawn!)

At least Cycle 24 brings us a step closer to IVF (albeit that I’m petrified that IVF might not work)

@EstrellaMay I'm so sorry, it's really crappy. I'm 7dpo with a temp drop so looks like this month is out. We even been taking about next cycle, we're on holiday so will ditch the opks and thermometer and just have fun. But I know when AF does arrive I'll feel terrible. It's hard not to cling into that shread of hope.

@Cariad2017 sorry about your BPN. I don't know how you have coped with 23 cycles. I've not quite addressed the fact that IVF might not work. Trying to think of it as a process that might take 3 cycles so I don't get my hopes up for the 1st cycle.

Thanks everyone. I'm trying to accept that being up and down is normal. I had a lovely weekend otherwise thankfully. Determined to exercise a good amount now that I'm on my period. Have put on a few pounds the past couple of months so I want to work on that too in the run up to starting IVF.

@Cariad2017 That's really tough. Do you know when you might be able to start IVF?
@TTC73 I hope your GP can reassure you.
@LillyLeaf Sorry to hear that too - glad you've got the holiday to look forward to.

I don't even bother with the tests anymore ive just given up and let the Drs do their work. Its just so shitty when you get a negative every month for me I've never even gotten a positive OPK apart from once about 2 years ago
My body is just broken

@EstrellaMay @Cariad 2017 @LillyLeaf soo sorry ladies its soo tough isnt it and unfair?! Ive shed more than my fair share of tears in loos when ive gotten my period. Last time was a couple of months ago in my sisters toilet was trying my best to hold it in and throw some cold water on my face i didnt want to upset her. Or if u get it when ur at work and have to put on a brave face if only ppl knew how hard ttc can b..@TTC73 try and keep ur chin up hun i feel the same like i hate my body half the time why cant it do what everyone elses does!

Thank you for your kind words Estrella, Lilly and Thisisyour.

In terms of next steps, I have an appointment at the IVF clinic on 11 July to go through the content forms, and to pick up my prescription for down regging. I’ll then start down regging approximately a week after I ov, and assuming this cycle is 26 days, will be expecting my AF, marking day one of our IVF cycle on 30 June.

We’ve been ttc#2 since December 2016 and I knew instinctively that something was wrong when I got to the six month mark of ttc without a BFP (I had three pregnancies in fairly quick succession (over 11 months) whilst ttc#1). The past year has been filled with lots of repeat blood tests and SAs as well as attempts to improve DH’s sperm quality. Our main issue seems to be MFI and although the DNA fragmentation results are much improved, they’re still not brilliant, and when combined with my age and the fact that I only have one Fallopian tube (having lost the other to a ruptured ectopic whilst ttc#1), I think the chances of us conceiving naturally now are very slim.

Lopey - Good luck tomorrow my lovely. I shall be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

@Cariad2017 thanks! ❤️🙂🤞🍀

@LopeyLopez keep us updated hun x

@LopeyLopez thinking of you 🤞

Got gd news today i think..mybloods came back normal but now im just left wondering is it OH? Are my tubes blocked why isnt it happening?

Remind me, Thisisyour. What are your stats: age; how long ttc; any history of PCOS? What tests have you had done so far?

Is your OH lined up for SA?

@Cariad2017 we ve just started investigations been ttc for nearly 3yrs now..3yrs in sept im 34 shortly(scary!). I had my bloods done to c if im ovulating and theyv came back as normal docs says, so nxt step is OH handing in his 'specimen' for SA in 2wks. Meanwhile on my side of things im being referred to gynaeo( apologises for my shit spelling) so i dnt know if OH s SA comes back normal(fx) if it could b PCOS or blocked tubes or unexplained? thats the scariest scenario i think everything else i could deal with at least there are treatments to push things forward just in limbo atm..

Good luck with the rest of your investigations Thisisyour. Hopefully they will uncover a root cause that can be addressed but I genuinely don’t think unexplained (albeit a very frustrating diagnosis, as it is nice to have answers) is the worst place to end up as if there are no issues on either side, then arguably your prospects of IVF success should be fairly good (relatively speaking of course).

Hope today went well Lopey - I keep checking back in case you’ve updated. Thinking of you my lovely (and slightly dreading the fact that this might be me in 6 weeks time)...

@thisisouryrfx18 I know what you mean about 'unexplained', it's really annoying, it makes you hold onto the hope that it might just happen if nothing has been found. I kept asking the clinic if there were any more tests we could do because I was desperate to find something wrong.

@Cariad2017 yh suppose that would b the positive side to it but as u said v v frustrating..im just tired of gettin my hopes up every mnth then nothing feel like my life is on hold

What scares me a bit is you can never rule out 'unexplained'. So even if there are things you KNOW are wrong, as in our case, you actually don't know if there are other hidden 'unexplained' factors at play too.