Long Term TTC & Assisted Conception - June 2007

Morning,

We have had one IVF/ICSI cycle and then 1 FET cycle, the FS has said that there is nothing to be alarmed at, but she just thought bcause we were young we would fall quicker and whilst we have a month or so up our sleeves we may as well rule out any possibilities. My acupunsture/chinese herbalist said he thinks im falling pregnant and then my body is aborting the baby because i am too stressed.

As for the tests the pap smear was just because i was due nothing to do with ivf, and the others were blood clotting disorders, hormone levels and they tested DH and I for antibodies and a few other things not 100% on all of them. Should find out in a couple of days.

I also called up about that job today, they havent been able to get hold of the guy that did the 3rd interview and will let me know by close of business today. :crossfingers:

Hope i answered the questions Kotare & Holly!

Shannon...I'm really interested to hear what your herbalist has said about stress...I'm convinced it's my job that's causing me to miscarry...seriously considering quitting...did he have any suggestions???

Ellie - Yep he said to quit that it would be a miracle if i fell pregnant if i keep working where i am... hence the jobhunting. He said if you fall pregnant and your too stressed your body can't deal with pregnancy and the sress and you miscarry. Not nice to hear. :)

Ok, I'm going to do my best to attempt some personals here,

Welcome Rols, Hope your stay with us here is a short one :) Goodluck to you and your DW with your FS appointment on the 19th. Have you read the book called Swimming Upstream? It has a funny chapter about sperm tests. I read it out to my DH and he had a good laugh at it. One of the other girls here has it also? BW or Summer? sorry can't remember which one of you girls got it?? Anyway, the book is not only directed towards women, but also the mans journey as well. :)

BG - OMG @ testing later and keeping us all in suspense! You naughty girl :lol: Can't wait to hear your result..

Mel , Your DH's urologist sounds umm... different?

BW - goodluck Monday! Will go check out your journal now to catch up on all your news :)

Ellie - good to hear you are feeling ok.

Holly - goodluck with Anotnia. Excuse my ignorance, but is she like Ruth Sharkey, they call her the "babymaker" here in QLD.?

BIG hello to anyone else that I missed. Sushee, are you heading to Egypt soon?

Not a lot happening here, went for my repeat B/T yesterday. Only needed one vial taken, woohoo! Just praying that it doesn't show a higher red cell count than last time..

Nic

Yep...I was so meant to hear that today. DH and I have been discussing me resigning but coz I'm in Education and have my 'permanency' it's a big deal to give up...I'm going to attempt to get leave without pay...and if not I'll have to resign and do some relief teaching...which would be fine anyway...but then I think...I'm lucky I'm in a position that I can earn ok money doing relief teaching and there's heaps of work around...then if we're doing a cycle I don't have to ask anyone for time off...which is my problem where I am now...mmmm...thinking out loud...sorry...so the permanency thing isn't really a big help anyway...time to make a decision...big chat with DH tonight I think!!! Thanks Shannon...I'm with you...bub's are more important...can get a job anytime!!!

In your circumstance Ellie, relief teaching sounds like a definite option. you are fortunate in that most people could not find work to fit around IVF, or other life dramas. If you can financially afford to ditch the job, I say go for it.

As for typical stress (ie. not I'm about to die stress) and pregnancy, I gather there are no proven links regarding miscarriage, but the risk is probably not worth it.

Hi Nic, thanks for your message. DW has ultrasound this afternoon to make sure everything is in the right place. She also had 4 vials of blood taken the other day on the first day of AF (I'm getting good at these acronyms) so they could test for something starting with F I think - some female hormone which is supposed to be floating about around that time.

Thanks Rols...and yes...you're doing great with all the acronyms...are you going to the scan? Any excuse to get out of work I say! Hope all goes well for you both today :)

Could it have been FSH, Rols? You are doing great! I'm really enjoying having a blokey perspective on things. Really appreciating the support from everyone right now... I think I'm getting myself together - feeling much, much calmer today.

BW

Hi Ellie i hope you are feeling ok. Well, everyone seems to think my job is too stressful and they are blaming that on the miscarriage- you work too long hours, too high stress job blah blah. I kind of think they are right too. I will wait to see FS next time (soonish) and then maybe just drop hours back altogether for next FET, i just want to be able to give the embryo the best chance possible. DH and i want to move down the coast for a quieter lifestyle in the next few months which will be great, but at moment live in mid of city and its just so hard to relax. And i think unless someone in your workplace has been through ivf, they dont really understand the emotional and physical demans ivf puts on your body, and just infetiloty in general. Job change sounds good for you, i hope it makes you feell happier, thats the most important thing.

Hey Mel...my DH and I did the big tree change 3 years ago...we live on a beautiful 4 acre property now...lots of trees and only 5 mins from the beach...and now that I think about it I had never fallen pregnant until we moved here! I'd taken 8 weeks off work for the big move and to settle into the new community...get to know people and stuff and we got our first BFP...unfortunately ended in ectopic...prior to the move we had never got close...mmmm...how is it that I'm justing working that out!@?! Anyways...DH and I are having the BIG talk tonight...make plan and then stick to it! Good luck with your plans...the move sounds great!

Ellie, I hadn't even considered going to the scan to be honest, and now I feel a bit guilty. My intention is to do as much as we can together, but because the scan is internal I guess I assumed there was no invite available! Just looking forward to hearing the results. She is in there as I type.

BW - glad you are on the mend. Yes it was FSH I think. Hopefully if the FS is the one doing the scan (DW things so) we may know results of that today.

Happymel, tree/sea change is the way to go, even without IVF I reckon! How anyone can live in a big city is beyond me. I want to go on a killing spree if I'm in Melbourne or anywhere like that for more than a day. Ellie's got the right idea, how awesome would that be? Trees, land, and beach - my dream (particularly if there are good diving sites nearby!) We live 15 minutes out of the nearest city in a small town, but fortunately very close to SIVF.

UPDATE: DW just rang and ovaries are all where their supposed to be and tubes and all that stuff. Apparently they can see follicles which I am told is a good thing.

What is irking me at the moment is our credit card morons. We want to up our limit so we can initially pay for the treatment, and wanted to go to 10K, from 3K. When we first got the card and only wanted 1K they offered us 8.5K, yet now, even though we are on more money they will only give us 6K. ****ers. Plus we have council rates and car rego coming up. We can afford it, but I hate debt, even if it's just short term debt. I think I need to get over it!

Oh one more thing then I will definitely go away, one your first IVF cycle, if tehy can get enough eggs and a reasonable fertilisation rate, I take it on the second cycle (assuming there is a second) they can just do a FET, which is a whole lot easier and cheaper, yes?

Rols - My DH came to the IVF scans and was quite facinated so see everything, made him feel more involved i think. yes money is a pain in the butt when it comes to IVF but yes if you have embryos frozen after your fresh cycle they tend to use these in a FET before going the whole thing and yes you will be relieved to hear it is cheaper. :)

Thanks Shannon. I better get DW to start talking nicely to her eggs, make sure they are all on the job. No point talking to my sperm as it clearly hasn't been listening.

Rols...sorry...I didn't mean to imply you should be going to the scan...my DH didn't come to internals until I had an ectopic...everything happened really quickly and he didn't really get a choice!
On the credit card thing...we just swapped ours over on one of those 'transfer over deals and pay no interest for 6 months'...just transfered the amount we had owing and applied for a higher limit...then we closed the original account...got the 10k over the phone...DH thought I was funny coz I got a pink 'virgin creditcard' which we only use for fertility stuff...might be worth considering?
Oh...and congrats on the scan results...all good:)

Nah no probs Ellie, glad you brought it up.

DW has same pink credit card, and they are the ones who are playing hardball. Morons! We earn more now, have no debt, yet they offer us less money than when we had more liabilities. Unneccessary complication!

I just have to say that dont credit cards come in handy with ivf!!! Dont know what we would do without it!! We are with IVF australia and we knew what sort of money we would have to pay upfront, but when i paid it and they told me i couldnt claim it back until the whole cycle was finished i was like AHHHH!!!! Its crazy, but all worth it in the end. We have 10k on our card and is bout right i think, with all the ivf stuff that goes on it and your other bills, certainly comes in handy when things dont go quite right. Ellie, how are you feeling after yesterday?? I had horrible cramps for bout a week after and then they just stopped. Doc thought they might have had to take me back in, thankfully they didnt.
Thanks guys for thoughts about the tree/sea change. i cant wait, i know i will be heaps happier. At mom, it takes me bout an hour to get to work- crazy!! I live in city but work in the west. Cant wait to live by the beach and go for swim after work and just relax and not have to worry about being a dag if i want to be :) !!
Rols, my DH was away for all of the IVF cycle, and i reckon would have been great if he had been there for scans. The nurses/doc always asked where he was, so dont feel uninvited to scans, i think they think is a good thing, to be there and to be supportive of your DW.

Rols - DH has been to a lot of my scans etc. He is well aquainted with my ovaries!! But that was because we used to have an 8 hour return trip in the car, so we always tried to go together. Now it's only 20 mins so he comes if he's home, but not if he's away. He does think it's cool to see all the follies on board. All the nurses/docs are more than happy for him to be there. It's such a female focussed process that it's great for him to feel partly involved.

Shannon - can i say i'm a bit surprised that your acupuncture guy would say what he said. That would make me unhappy to hear. I have heard so many times that acupuncture helps with implantaion, so i hope that is the key for you.

Ellie - good luck with your talk. I hope you manage to find a happy medium between work and IVF.

Can you believe i got my bill today for cycle two. We only just paid for cycle one 5 weeks ago. AAArgh. But with the new medicare/ICSI thing, this bill is $323 cheaper. Yay! I can't believe we have paid over $5k in less than 2 months.
Sorry, i know it's not about money, but sometimes it's cr@p isn't it.

Mel - cramps have got worse this afternoon...a little bleeding yesterday but nothing today...FS said I'd bleed like a period for 3 to 5 days...now I'm worried coz I'm not??? Always something to worry about.

Rols - go elsewhere for a new card...we swap all the time to best interest rate deals etc.

Kotare - think pizza and burbon will be a necessity for the BIG chat...DH just wants me to quit ..I'm the one with the issues!!!!

To everyone else...hope all is going well...can't wait to be back here 'officially'...FET next for us...yippee...even if it is like 10+ weeks away!

All the anxiety I've been going through is slowly going away now... I'm sure it's from the damned letrozole! Last time it stopped after I'd ovulated, and even though this morning's temperature rise wasn't as high as I'd hoped, the calmness tells me that it happened on schedule.

Had acupuncture this evening... have a bowen therapy appointment tomorrow, and intentions to chill out as much as possible over the weekend... I might even start the reports that were due yesterday that I haven't even started yet!

Ellie, I take it you are a teacher? Me too... There was a teacher at my school last year who went through IVF, lost both pregnancies and is taking this year off work to focus on things... Sadly, it hasn't worked for her at all. I do wish you better luck if that's what you decide to do. As much stress as can go on in my school - the people themselves are being fantastic. I owe the rest of my faculty big-time - they are doing a lot of my share of the marking, and just generally doing everything they can to keep me from freaking out. Some of the executive are also brilliant, it's just the lack of policy, planning, support from certain sections which make it awful. If we're still at this next year I'll probably go part-time. We can't afford to go through IVF at all without me working, but if the stress becomes a factor, that's what we'll do.

Rols, DH came as often as he could for my appointments. Which basically means he was there for one of the cycle scans, was going to be there for another but they were running late and he had to race off to work. He's been there for every single appointment with the FS, and has often had to duck into the clinic for me to pick up drugs and instructions. He was there for EPU (had to be, with the anaesthetic and all), and will be there for transfer on Monday. I've told him that I don't think I can manage the drive into the clinic without crashing, so it's up to him. Hopefully I'll be a heap less nervous by then!

I'm babbling... I think I need to go bother DH about dinner... ;)

BW

HI everyone,

I am new to the forums, this is only my second post so hoping I am in the right place...

Quick run down...have PCOS, went off pill last March to try but AF wasn't cooperating with me! FS put me on Metformin for 3 mths but that did nothing, did 2 cycles of CLomid still no ovulation (had to take the prog. tablets to get AF). My FS has now said that I have the choice of IUI or IVF.

I guess I really want to get ppls opinions on what they think worked best for them as I am so confused about what to do. My DH & I put having a baby off until we had our house & now that we are here I wish we hadn't waited. I find it hard to be around those friends and family that seem to fall pregnant at the drop of a hat...is that normal to feel that way?

Also my FS works with Sydney IVF & when I looked at the prices I nearly fainted. Am now looking at going through Westmead IVF but looks like I will have to wait 2 mths before I can see one of their docs. Does anyone else go through westmead? Anyone suggest a good FS?

I'm lucky that I am close to those at work cause lately I have been crying at the drop of a hat. I know there are others worse but I was naive & didn't think it would be this hard.

Look forward to talking with you all more often

Welcome, AliCat. You've certainly come to the right place, and I do hope we can help you.

I'm also in Sydney - I go through next generation fertility with David Knight - you can always get in to see him quickly, even for the first appointment. We were in within a week.

I too have PCOS. I did the metformin thing - no go. I did clomid and got nowhere but off work for a week with severe anxiety... no ovulation.

And this is where my FS is different to others. He doesn't seem to like clomid much, and uses another drug called letrozole which works in a similar way, but uses a different mechanism in the body. I've ovulated on it twice now. Way less side effects than clomid, so this could be an option for you? It's not a very common thing in Australia just yet, but I'm certainly a big fan of it now.

When it comes down to the IVF/IUI thing... my FS explained that getting women with PCOS to respond sensibly to IVF drugs can be a bit tricky. Often we under-respond and get nowhere, and a slight increase in dosage creates a massive over-response which usually leads to cancellation of an IUI cycle. I went through that with my IVF cycle... we still got to collect the eggs, but I was too sick from the hyperstimulation to be able to transfer. That's not to say that it's not worth trying IUI. We would have if it were an option for us, but with the state of DH's sperm it was completely off the table for us.

As for the way you feel... completely, utterly, 100% totally normal. It's hard. Some days are worse than others, and nobody ever really thinks TTC will be this hard, or that going through IVF or other forms of assisted conception is as hard as it is. It's important to have supportive people around you - they are the thing that saves your sanity in this!

I hope this has been of some help to you... Feel free to ask more questions, everyone here is more than willing to answer them for you.

BW

Thanks for the welcome Lou.
Atryingtime I have destressed alot with the help of all you ladies, I think it was nerves about my 1st time! lol
BG let the countdown begin!! Good luck I will be watching and waiting to hear great news from you!
Well heres to a new month and a whole new fresh load of hope!

Hi Ali. Finding it hard to be around people who fall pregnant easily is something I reckon each and every one of us feels. It is also a certifiable scientific fact that since we have been TTC, there has been a huge increase in babies and pregnancies amongst people everywhere! In the supermarket, work, social events, whatever!

As for costs, we have just started with SIVF, and I too nearly died when I saw the prices, particularly as we don't have another choice where we live. But remember the quoted prices are before Medicare rebates, and the Medicare Safety Net once you've spent around $1000 out of pocket. You probably know all of this already, but it's all knew to me. Knowing it is going to cost us around 2K approx out of pocket is much more manageable than 6K!

Blayz, good luck.

Hi AliCat - Firstly, welcome to TTC! I hope that it all happens very quickly for you!

I cant really help with the PCOS side of things, all I can help with is information about trying IUI. My FS asked my DH and I to try IUI before we try IVF. I have sev. Endo and DH has a 'few' problems with the motility of his boys. So, after many tests (on both of us) the FS suggested that we try up to a max. of 3 cycles of IUI before we try IVF.

Basically, IUI is much less invasive and also involves lower doses of hormones than IVF. I just finished my first cycle of IUI - I am currently in the dreaded TWW... my blood test is next week - fingers crossed. I havent found the whole thing to be 'that' bad - certainly doesnt appear to have as much strain on your body as IVF - from what I hear the other girls in here talking about! Poor things...

If you trust your FS, that he/she is willing to try IUI with you because he/she honestly believes that it could work - then I would definately give it a go.
This is a very obvious thing to say - but, just make sure you ask lots of questions and make sure that he/she IS confident that IUI really IS an option - not just an easy way out for them atm.
Good luck with it all!! x

Thanks Rols
you have given me some food for thought, I go to most of my appts by myself, DH would come if I asked but I am sometimes a little too independant, i am now considering with this cycle to have him be more involved and come along as most people have said in this thread that their partner goes with them mostly. Perhaps it could be a good thing to lean on him a little more.
As for the cost medicare is great in NZ we would have gotten anything back like we do here and in the states it costs 10K US per cycle! So we are lucky but is it still alot of money 2k a month, especially when most of us have been shelling out 1K for IUI and other fert treatments over the last few months. But i am sure it is all worth it in the very end!
And I second that about EVERYONE being PG! OMG seriously! I must not be drinking the same water as the rest of the town!!

Welcome Ali...I too have PCOS and over the years have worked our way through the chlomid, IUI, IVF, and finally have ended up at ICSI. Personally I don't have any regrets about our journey (other than the obvious - we still don't have a baby!) Each step has given FS more information and has allowed for positive changes in our next protocol...we attempted IUI but the cycle was cancelled because I produced too many follicles which is really common with PCOS girls...I'll never forget when they scanned me and the nurse saying what fantiastic ovaries I have for IVF...was shattered at the time...but I do stim up really well. I find the physical side a IVF/ICSI really challenging and at times painful...EPU is a huge for your body and really not that nice...that's for me anyway. Good luck...do what feels right for you guys...looking forward to following your journey and hearing about your BFP soon xxx

Rols and Blayz...our last ICSI cycle has left us $5000 out of pocked...that includes freezing 2 snowbubs and that's which top HBF(do they pay for anything anyway?)...thank goodness we're over the medicare safety net for the year now...next one should be closer to $1000...expensive bubbies...DH and I have this 'joke' that if we have girls (always preparing ourselves for mutliples!) we will just never let them use the phone (coz they'll possibly take after their mother!) and that will easily balance out the cost!!!!

And as for the big CHAT last night...we have finally made a decision...I am going to talk to my boss when I go back to work on Tuesday and aply for leave without pay for terms 3 and 4...with a letter from FS to support and then if they won't give me that...I'll resign! Yippee...means I've only got 4 weeks left at work...which will give me a few weeks to destress before doing FET...soooo good to have a plan!

To everyone else...hope all is going well...have a great day:)

Ellie - 5K? Was that with additional drugs or something for PCOS? Just looking at the SIVF site, and with ICSI it is apparently about $1200 out of pocket after medicare and safety net. So assuming no safety net for first cycle, add 1K and I would've thought around 2-2.5K plus medications?

I assume for the first cycle if you haven't already reach the safety net, the cost of that cycle contributes towards the threshold - ie. it kicks in about 1K later than it would otherwise?

Rols - No...that's just the cost of ICSI and blastocyst (sorry forgot to add that before)...expensive huh!!!!

PS. congrats on your decision too, Ellie.

Good Afternoon

Welcome Ali!!

Well just a quick one good job on the BIG chat ellie! Well just had to share!
I GOT THE JOB!! They called me an hour ago and i start in 2 1/2 weeks! with a $10 000 payrise! Yippeee Means IVF goes on hold for 6 months but we can keep trying maybe a miracle will happen!

Congrats Shannon!!!! That's fantastic...the beginning of good things to come...well deserved!!! Hope you're going out to celebrate tonight...I'll have a drink for you...not too many around here that can drink at the moment so I'll take care of that!!!! Any excuse!!!!

Good work Shannon!

Hi Ali, Welcome :)


Ellie, hope you have no trouble with getting your time off. either way, Woohoo for only 4 weeks of work left!

Shannon, that's fantastic news about the new job..and a ncie pay rise too! Congrats

BIG hello to everyone, hope you are all well. LOL at drinking different water to the rest of the town, Blayz. My theory is I should take my DH to the pub, pretend I don't know him, "pick him up" without asking his name and have a one night stand LOL!

Nic

Nic that is really funny!! And hey I bet it will work lol!!!!
but all said and one I know that we will all get there in the end we are just taking the longer way round but it is such a worth while goal! Well me and DH are off to the pub! lol!!

PMSL Blayz!

Nic

Yay to Ellie for making a stand for your mental and physical health.
And yay to Shannon. Pity about the wait, but you're a spring chicken - 6 months will fly by.

Ahh Nic - i think i would end up a giggling mess if i tried to pick DH up. Funnily enough we met after i picked him up at a pub - I was only 21 and i'd had a bit to drink.

Welcome Ali - i can't help you, but you have come to the right place for advice. Good luck. Stay strong too - we all have some good days and some cr@p days, but everyone here has been great helping me with those days.

I was very organised and rang the chemist to see if they could get some Syneral in for me. They said that they had already ordered one in for me as my last prescription said 1 repeat. I thought that was nice, so i went in to pick it up. As i walked out the door (after handing my $90.00 over!) i had a funny thought - if they ordered it in at the same time as my last bottle then it might have the same expiry date. Sure enough - they had sold me a bottle which had technically expired yesterday. So, thank goodness i was a few days ahead of things and i didn't need it this weekend.

:

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As for the cost medicare is great in NZ we would have gotten anything back like we do here

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Hate to put a downer on things but i thought you should know that in NZ IVF is FREE. Yes FREE. If you have a medical condition that causes fertility troubles, it is free straight away, (i.e. endo, PCOS, tubes, MF etc) otherwise if you have 'unexplained infertility' you have to wait 5 years, and then it's free too. You can even get it free if you are a single female (or same sex couple) who have paid for your own treatments that have not worked (after a certain number of attempts). I know this as DH and i have considered a move across there and we wanted to investigate our treatment options. So, yes medicare is great, don't get me wrong, but you don't even have to pay for your hospital bed for EPU over there!

Hi to everyone else who is lurking out there - lets hope we have a great weekend, with a BFP or two announced. :crossfingers::crossfingers:

hi all - havne't really been posting much the last few days but have been keeping up to date with everyone's progress/posts

just wanted to drop a quick post (mainly so that Jo doesn't try hunting me down!!) - HPT this morning was a BFN - but i'm not entirely giving up hope - as yet, AF hasn't arrived, so until either she arrives, or the BT on Friday tells me otherwise, there is still a thread of hope in there!

i think it's something of a blessing in disguise that my bro asked me last night to have his three kidlets overnight - has been a definite distraction since they woke up at 6 this morning - barely even had a chance for a quick cuddle from DH after the test result.

roll on Friday and the BT so we know for sure - this waiting game just sucks...

Good luck BG. Let's hope when success is eventually yours that you don't get three all at once like you have at the moment!

hmmmm, that could be interesting - the only dreams i ever have about having kids myself - i always have triplets!!!

considering the hell we all go through to get our family, i can't say i'd be particularly unhappy having the whole family at once.... food could be expensive though - bro's kids have had cereal (two kinds each), then a plate of bacon and eggs - and the middle one (Mr 5) said he wasn't sure he was full!!! they've been here a day and already eating me out of house and home - can't imagine what it would be like to have 3 the same age full time - especially if they have appetites like these three!

Hey BG...good luck for Friday...my hpt didn't show up till about 2 days before AF was due...hang in there hun you just never know...have verything crossed for you xxx
As for me...cramping has settled and bleeding slowing...and my MIL is coming over today...do you see the link??? Pain...cramping...blood....hehehehe...wish me luck!!!
Have a great weekend everyone...it's a long weekend in Perth...YIPPEE!!!