Long Term TTC & Assisted Conception September 2012

[miloro]

Yay Krikkit.

Juniper, sorry Af is being a hassle. Hopefully its over quickly and your body behaves for and end of Sept transfer.

Emerald Star, sorry AF came.

Andie, Mrs Mac, Joespratt - how are you all going? Hopefully having a relaxing (or at least not too stressful tww).

Glad to see you got some good results Vic. Body be good!

Heya to those I have missed.

AFM, went to FS for first round of meds today. Hubby came along, looked miserable the whole time hearing about the intricacies and needles (somewhat squeamish). He did say as we were leaving (him halfway out the door before we'd actually finished with the nurse) that he has it lucky. All he needs to do is one thing, I have blood tests, scans, needles, meds...about time he realised this is hard work. I start Synarel tomorrow and with luck AF will come right on time next Tuesday. If it is later than Thursday we have to delay IVF for another week - body please do what I want . Today's BT shows I certainly O'd about a week ago, so hopefully the meds don't extend the luteal phase.

This could really be naiveté, but I am just happy to finally be actually doing something more proactive rather than just hoping and doing the same thing that hasn't worked for over 2 years.

[juniper76]

Vic, FX your body cooperates for you! How annoying that you have to wait overnight for the results!

Em Star, I feel like I rattle with the supplements (12 tablets/day) and I'm going to acu weekly.

miloro, the first time I took Synarel it delayed AF by 2 days. I was warned up to 5 days can be normal. The other cycles it didn't delay it, but I was naughty and started at 8 or 9dpo those cycles instead of 7dpo (probably not a good idea on your first IVF when you don't know how you'll respond to the drugs).

[Emerald Star]

Juniper - what supplements do you take and what do they do? and combined with the acu have you found ANY difference since you started?

[Krikkit]

Aaarrrgghhh anyone got symptoms or had symptoms of ohss? I have taken 2 panadol 2 nurofen and 1 tramadol since I got home and i am in agony now the clinic is saying I have to go to Ed for an ultrasound

[myturn]

I had moderate OHSS the last cycle.... it was awful....but I didn't have to go to hospital in the end, just time off work, sitting on the couch doing nothing, and resting - drinking LOTS of Gatorade. I blew up like a balloon and it was horrid....

I hope you feel better soon - best take the advice of your clinic, if they say you need an ultrasound... you need one.... They told me to take panadine, but no ibuprofen (cause that can thin the blood and may affect implantation) - so be careful what pain killers you take. Just follow the clinics advice and look after yourself love - it hurts bad - I hope you feel better soon xoxo

[Krikkit]

They said nurofen is ok today then panadol or tramadol after. The pain is unbearable I cant walks or sit up for too long only lay flat on my back.

[nothing2lose]

Yes to the ohss.

Yes to taking a million supplements and acupuncture (although no acu at the moment).

Congrats Krikkit!

[myturn]

krikket it's the yuckiest feeling ever.... but.... I did get a BFP when I had the OHSS.... so... it won't affect whether or not it's going to stick
Just rest rest rest... it's all you'll be able to manage, and the only thing that will help you feel 'okay'

big hugs babe ... it's all worth it in the end xox

[JoeSpratt]

great pick up Krikit! Hope you get further good news

careful with the tramadol if you haven't used it before. The last (& only time) I have taken it it knocked for six. I literally could not take my head off the pillow for 24 hours and was violently ill.

Good luck!!!

[J.Bear]

I know what u mean bloss! This week has been so nail biting. Will be keeping my fingers crosses for your embies.

Krikit good work on epu!

Emerald I'm sorry AF arrived. I have been doing acupuncture but no herbs this will be my first cycle since starting acu so I can't say but I have heard very goo things! Big hugs x

AFM 8 out of the 10 are suitable for biopsy. Bit sad as the numbers are reducing quickly but trying to stay positive for my other 8!

[nothing2lose]

great pick up Krikit! Hope you get further good news

careful with the tramadol if you haven't used it before. The last (& only time) I have taken it it knocked for six. I literally could not take my head off the pillow for 24 hours and was violently ill.

Good luck!!!

I second the warning for tramadol. I had it after an EPU last Grand Final Day. I was vommiting and totally knocked out for 24 ours too. Horrible stuff.

[Krikkit]

Tramadol hasn't even touched the sides for me, i have had it before and the pain is breaking through it. FS said to wait a few more hours then go to ED. He seems to think its more like "normal" pain or something was irritated during epu rather than ohss.

[juniper76]

Note to self: avoid tramadol...

Krikkit, I'm sorry to hear you're in so much pain. I agree that you need to stay in contact with your FS's office and follow their instructions. OHSS is not something to be taken lightly and it's better to act now that to wait for it to get worse.

Juniper - what supplements do you take and what do they do? and combined with the acu have you found ANY difference since you started?

I take:
* Blackmores pg multi gold
* a fish oil (1g omega3, 400mg EPA, 200mg DHA) - good for you in general, as long as you take a good quality one; it can help reduce inflammation, improve cholesterol (at high doses) and is good for your heart and brain.
* vitamin D (recently diagnosed as deficient, D3 2000iu) - they're starting to show vitamin D deficiency can trigger other problems and is also linked to lowering AMH levels, although my FS was dismissive of that link.
* CoQ10 (just bumped this up to 600mg) - supposed to help with egg quality (N2L can probably tell you much more than me).
* alpha lipoic acid (400mg, combined with one of the CoQ10 tablets I take) - another antioxidant, which I'm told helps brain function and can help lower blood sugar.
* a probiotic
* extra folic acid (500ug, taking the total with the multi to 1mg)
* I'm also supposed to be taking selenium to support my thyroid function (I have signs of possible sub-clinical hypothyroidism), but I tend to forget because I have it locked in a cupboard due to its toxicity.
I can't say I've noticed any sort of immediate effect from the supplements. I just trust my acu to know what she's doing. I don't like taking so much stuff but I would feel like I wasn't doing everything in my power if I stopped.

As for the acu itself, I don't think it works miracles, but I do think it can help. I started acu after IVF#3 was a BFN. We'd been seeing our FS for 1.5 years and had never been pg. In my second month of (only) acu, chinese herbs and TI, we got our first ever BFP. Even though it was a m/c, it seemed amazing after all we had been through. IVF#4 was a bust (tried for 5dt but none survived), so I took a break from acu, changed to a new Dr and did my first lap. After the lap I went back to acu - second month we did IVF#5 and that gave us DD. When we started TTC#2, I went back to acu again - second month - another BFP without medical assistance and another m/c. Seriously, all 3 BFPs were in my second month of acu treatments... Coincidence? Maybe? Who knows? Unfortunately, the streak ended there - I took a break from acu after the d&c but, after I started back, that "magical" second month (and more) passed by without a BFP this time.

[J.Bear]

That's terrible krikit just keep insisting until they get the message. I hope get some relief soon.

[nothing2lose]

Juniper, I take a multi with selenium (naturopath prescribed) as I have sub clinical hypothyroidism too! (small world!)

Eta - Krikkit, ohss starts off feeling like very bad indigestion.

[Andie78]

krikkit - yes, had ohss. first cycle i did, nurses accidently gave me full dose of pregnyl (sposed to be 1/3 dose...) before my transfer. i was in pain, so fs scanned me to check if everything was ok before transfer. i remember saying to dh immediately after scan 'i think im going to be sick', then next i remember i was on the floor... i fainted and dh caught me as fs & nurses had left the room... think they were a bit freaked out bc i then went straight to ED! hads 3 doses of morphine and like you, didnt touch the sides. i asked for them not to give me tramadol bc i had taken that in the past and it made me nauseous. eventually they found some pain med's that worked, then i was hooked up to fluids, heat pack and overnight stay. bit tender the next day, but went home and rested, plenty of fluids etc. i second n2l comment re: starts of with a feeling of indigestion. take care, better to be safe than sorry. xx (great haul btw!)

vic - bt sounds promising, hopefully the next ones will be more telling. love your affirmations too - lol!

juniper - thanks, it was a sucky cycle for me, worst results so far. i hope af eases off you & a bit exciting to be gearing up for a FET.

emerald star - sorry about af turning up, sucks. i take: herbal tonic, multi, fish oil, probiotic from naturopath. sometimes i throw in a coq10... maybe i should be taking them more regularly too. ive done acu before too. and chinese medicine. and throwing caution to the wind and eating and drinking and being merry. and cutting out sugar, carbs. im yet to find the secret ingredient yet though...

miloro - i dont think you're being naive, i always feel more positive/proactive during a stim cycle. i hope your body behaves and you get to start asap.

jbear - 8 to biopsy sounds good to me, when do you find out? (sorry if you've already posted that info...)

hi to anyone ive missed.

[juniper76]

N2L, I have several symptoms of hypothyroidism, but my b/w came back (mostly) normal earlier this year. FSH was excellent, T3 and T4 were normal, but one of the antibodies was slightly elevated. The GP thinks there's nothing to worry about for now and just wants annual monitoring but my acu believes it's sub-clinical hypothyroidism. I have a family history of thyroid problems (maternal grandmother), so it's not that far fetched. So, changing the subject, any list updates I can make for you?

Andie, it's always disappointing when the results are less than we expected or hoped for. Our last transfer was our worst on paper (only 2 embryos survived to day 2, both below average quality), but was our only IVF BFP, so FX you have the same good fortune.

Em Star, I can't remember if I said I was sorry to see your news about AF. For the record, I was. Let me know if you want your cycle day changed. I took the liberty of assuming you'd call the next day CD1 when it started at night (because that's what I'd put on my own chart), but I'm happy to change it if you prefer to use a different cut-off.

[wishanddream26]

Hi ladies, ive been struggling a bit of late emotionally.hav been avoiding all those friends that have announced they were pregnant and got pregnant the first go.i feel terrible about it but thats hw i cope and not break down. Have not started ivf as yet but am having treatments for intrauterine insemination. Both my husband and myself have fertility issues.and am over been told by people that mean well but arent helping by saying ur young u hav plenty of time.this is true but doesnt make every month of disappountment any easier.