LT Trying to Conceive with IUI #4

Hi All,

Oddly enough, I don't feel inclined to go to another thread - not when all my friends are in this one. That's really made me think!

So let see what each of these cycles is...

Down reg - a medication is started in the luteal phase, these meds aim to lower the levels of a woman's hormones, particulaty LH and Progesterone. The other hormones are introduced after an u/s shows suppressed ovarian activity. A long protocol
Antagonist - FSH injections (or could it be clomid too) from day 3 with no supression of natural hormones
Flare - commencement of synthetic hormone meds a few days into your period, a day after you start injecting Gonal F - it is known as a short protocol


ANy other cycle styles we should note?

:-)
P.

Hey all,
Just a quickie, I'll try to get on tonight. Just wanted to weigh in on the "who do you tell" business. My best friend knows (she's got a 1-year old) and is great, my cousin knows (also a good friend), my mum knows and apart from that I have the naturopath and the FS nurses. My brothers don't know because there's constant nagging as to when we're going to have kids. In a funny way I know they'd stop this if they knew, but it's nice to know they want us to have kids. So I'm happy for them to keep bugging me. The inlaws don't know but we don't see them very often so I'm not fussed about that (neither is DH). I think if DH was more comfortable with it, more people would know, but he feels it's our business. I try to stay happy with my friends getting pregnant so easily and big bellies around work but it's hard some days. It'll happen for us too one day though, so I look forward to my babies having lots of good friends around.

Glad you're going to stick around OP - you're right, you're the beacon of hope! My BBT charting was looking so positive for ovulation this cycle until I re-read my info that said CM changes may be due to antihistamines (was taking these between Christmas/New Year). So maybe not ovulating yet. Still, I went to the doctor yesterday and have my slip for day 21 bloods so I'll see what's happening then.

toby, I hope your SIL doesn't tell your MIL. Maybe if your DH asks her not to? It's a pretty personal thing to go sharing for someone else!

Oh - my engaged cousin (engaged at NY) has asked me to be a bridesmaid - in 2010 - hopefully I can fit back into a dress after giving birth (thinking positive).

Flare is commencing synthetic hormone meds a few days into your period, a day after you start injecting Gonal F - it is known as a short protocol

Down Reg - a medication is started in the luteal phase, these meds aim to lower the levels of a womans hormones, particulaty lh and Prog. The other hormones are introduced after an u/s shows suppressed ovarian activity. A long protocol

Thanks WLAB! So I did what's called the White Protocol with my clinic.

You basically commence FSH injections on day 4 of your cycle and continue for 9-11 days, with monitoring of follicle development. This is in conjunction with your normal hormones. An hCG trigger injection is used and IUI takes place approximately 24 hours later. White protocol may include luteal suport as well - Pregnyl injections three times a week. The intention of this approach is to increase the number of ocytes released to increase the chances of obtaining a fertilisation and subsequent pregnancy. Multiples are the key risk with a White Protocol - odds go from 1 in 80 to 1 in 10.

:-)
OP.

Hi All!

Well luvvabubba, my DH called her last nite and she had already guessed what was going on with us HA! i'm 100% sure that she would have told her Mum as she was there when DH called, too bad he didnt speak to her as well.

Wannabe - thats pretty much the same ppl i've told inc. a person in admin at work ( so i could get time off) and 2 close friends at work. I'm guessing many others at work have an idea about whats going on as they have to take my classes etc and absences are on the notice board daily. oh well!

OP - hows things with you??

AFM - as I'm typing am a little excited had BT and scan this morning and insemination is on Friday. Gee my emotions are all overthe place, last nite I very neg about it all, now a little excited, who knows how i will feel in 10 mins time! lol

Anyone want to share their coping strategies with the insemination? I cant stand the thingy going in that opens you up to the world (ykwim?) sorry if 2 much info) Even today i felt like i was going to throw up with the scan. last iui i was in a state! I'm being a wimp, I know. As it is only 5-10mins max.

Keep being positive Girls!

Toby: How exciting .. Friday will be here before you know it ...

I have had two "transfers" , and the biggest hurdle I had, was how long to lay for after transfers had taken place. After TTC naturally for so long, and virtually laying still for as long as physically possible ha !! - it felt so strange getting up ... virtually straight away ... I kept thinking everything was going to fall out .. It is something I will find hard with my next cycle as well...

Howdy Girls,

Happy New Year guys!!! I am back from my break and of course straight back into ttc. Im sorry for not being around too much, I didnt think I belonged here in the IUI thread anymore (and not yet and IVF thread so didnt feel I had a home anywhere. But after your comments OP I agree, I am confortable and happy in this thread and hope no one else minds.

Firstly, OP my deepest condolances re: your doggie. I have 2 furbabies who are my world and feel your heartbreak. I hope that time is healing your wounds. Congrats on reaching the 9 wks also!! You guys must be so excited. How is the morning sickness going?

Toby - welcome and good luck. I also have had to juggle who to tell etc, and basically kept it strictly to those who we needed support from, such as close friends and work collegues.

Hi WannbeaMum - congrats on the Bridesmaid job - I like your positive thinking also it is the best way to deal with all of this.

AFM - well I feel like I am in limboland. I posted a thread a few days ago, I have been on syranel since day 23 (starting IVF cycle), however I am currently Day 33, AF is 4-5 days late. I called my clinic who assured me that the syranel will NOT delay AF, in fact, bring it on. But they also assured me that I will definately get AF, it is probably delayed cause of stress at the impending IVF cycle. Well honestly, I am not and have not been stressed. Quite the opposite. Can anyone offer any weight to this argument?

Diamond,

It could just be that you had a late ovulation, which does happen when you come off FSH injections. You were doing back to back cycles with no break, so I think your body would be breathing a sigh of relief. So lets say you ovulated Day 20 of your cycle, AF will be due on day 34 - exactly 14 days after ovulation. Over the past six months of IUI treatment, the months where I didn't do FSH injections, I ovulated between day 18-20 (and conceived on Day 20!) so I think this is a pretty viable explaination.

AFM: I have not vomitted once. I've gagged a couple times though, which is pretty of putting. The metallic taste in my mouth has returned with a vengence, esp in the afternoons. I can't seem to get enough food to eat! I'm HUNGRY all the time and if I let it go on too long I get really nasty, then what I do eat doesn't touch the sides. Protein and complex carbs like mashed potatoes seem to be the only things that fill me up. I'm terrified of turning into an elephant, but there's nothing I can do - this baby wants me to eat.

Diamond I'm glad you're sticking around. We all want the pleasure of supporting you through to BFP! Me especially!

:-)
OP.

Yeah I like OP's explaination too diamond. Delayed ovulation would explain late AF - do you know when you ovulated during this cycle? And welcome back! Hope you had a good break and are de-stressed.

Just wanted to pop in, but should go do some work ;)

Hi Guys,

Yes - I have pondered that late O theory, and I believe I o'ed no later that day 17. This is late for me, I usually O between day 12-14. However that being said, I am only 2-3 days late now so not much to worry about. I am just so frustrated, I should have started the injections by now. I have my blood test at the clinic on Monday so i will hold out until then.

OP - sounds like a you are doing well, no spewies yet!! Try not to worry about putting on weight, just listen to your body and give you bub what he/she needs...

OP ... It is the most amazing feeling how hungry such a little bub can make you feel. DH was only saying when I had a swimsuit on and I was complaining about my weight gain, I gained it from my first preg last year, when I ate, ate and ate some more during those wonderful days.... you just cant stop, I gained 10 kilo's ... so enjoy but be cautious about the weight gain, its sooo hard to get off...

I am suffering with an annoying headache - I can already feel the hormones slowly creeping in my system, I have to be carefull, they make me a bit cranky ...

OP - I read somewhere that a flare cycle straight after a natural cycle, runs the risk of a prog rise, which may affect implantation, ... does that meen anything ?

Hi to everyone - sorry for the lack of persies

WLAB - high progs are good because they thicken up the endometrium for a juicy implantation. So I would think that's good. You just need the hCG levels to go along with the prog.

:-)
OP.

PS - had only gained 1.7kgs by Dec 22, and hubby doesn't think I've gained any more yet. Not sure I share his opinion!

:

---

AFM - well I feel like I am in limboland. I posted a thread a few days ago, I have been on syranel since day 23 (starting IVF cycle), however I am currently Day 33, AF is 4-5 days late. I called my clinic who assured me that the syranel will NOT delay AF, in fact, bring it on. But they also assured me that I will definately get AF, it is probably delayed cause of stress at the impending IVF cycle. Well honestly, I am not and have not been stressed. Quite the opposite. Can anyone offer any weight to this argument?

---

sorry to crash your thread!

I once knew someone on here posted that they were about to start injections after af after syneral and af was late so did a HPT and got a BFP! might be worth giving it a go?

Hi Loula,

Thanks for your positive vibes :lol:

I know the obvious thing to do now would be to take a hpt - but after 3 years of bad experiences with them I have a deep aversion to them. I have a blood test on Monday so I will wait it out until then. Still no AF nor any sign of her showing up.....

OMG Diamond! How do you feel? Any cramping? Tired? You wouldn't be the first person to show up to their IVF cycle BFP. How brilliant would that be???

AFM - went to the naturopath yesterday and got a big talking to about food. She wasn't really happy about my low progesterone, so she's put me on herbs for a month to keep the progs up. Is anybody else here taking Vitex? She wants me on that too, but didn't give me any, and I'm wondering whether it's a liquid thing that might have gone into the herbs tonic?

She also gave me a bach flower remedy for grief over my darling doggie, so I'm really happy about that. I've worked hard to move on but every now and then I break down and cry. I just miss him so much. I guess all those overnight stays he had at boarding last year has trained us to get used to being without him.

Love to hear your feedback on Vitex if anyone's taking it.

Cheers,
OP.

Diamond: Your a strong lady staying clear of the dredded poas's ...I hope you get some wonderful news on Monday....!!! How are you going with the Synarel, are you still sniffing? How do you do it for so long, I vomited last night when it ran down my throat, and I can't stop sneezing, I just rang FS to see if I can have a test to make sure its working, if not, I will have to waste the $100.00 and ask for the injections instead....

Babysteps: CD12 - how are you feeling ?

OP: Cant help with the Vitex my friend, open a thread, and you will get some good responses that way ??

Bella: How did your natro appt go ?

WBM: You heard any results on your GP's B/t ?

Toby: How did yout BT go on Monday

Shades: How r u goin ... waiting it out till Feb

I just read on a sticky that Vitex is linked to MC.

I put a call in to my naturopath and she said everything is contraindicated in Pregnancy, which we all know is true. However, she said she has treated thousands of patients with vitex, and specifically hundreds with low progesterone during pregnancy, and has definitely averted miscarriage, not caused it. She said the reason why it's so good is because it has an almost immediate impact on hormone production (danged if I can understand why the IVF doctors don't recognise this and use it in treatment) in women who are deficient.

She also said it is in liquid form in my herbal tonic. So there you go - my advice to anyone else using Vitex is use it strictly under supervision, as it seems to be a pretty powerful herbal remedy, and not to be messed with.

OP.

Hey all, I found this info regarding vitex/chaste tree online:

YourHealth Australia - Integrative Medicine - Conventional, Natural, Alternative
Vitex does not contain hormones itself, however it has a unique ability to affect the regulation of human hormones via actions upon the pituitary gland. It has been shown to regulate the production and release of luteinizing hormone and prolactin in particular, which in turn affects ovarian follicle function and increases progesterone production. Vitex is perhaps the most widely used herb for female reproductive problems.
Conditions Commonly Used For
PMS
Irregular menstrual cycles, amenorrhoea
Acne
Heavy periods
Fibrocystic breast disease, lumpy breasts
Infertility
Progesterone deficiency
Peri-menopause
Elevated prolactin levels
Numerous female reproductive complaints, according to diagnosis

Side effects of using vitex are rare. Minor gastrointestinal upset and a mild skin rash with itching have been reported in less than 2% of the women monitored while taking vitex.
Vitex is not recommended for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding and should not be used at the same time as hormone therapy (eg. HRT, Oral Contraceptive Pill)

After posting all that - I am on chaste tree (vitex) in capsular form. It's one of the things the naturopath put me on and it's really helped me out. Considering I was 3 months without a period, it's helped me normalise my cycle. She did say it was safe for use in pregnancy (so if I get pregnant and we don't know for a few weeks it's ok) but I think I was coming off it when I knew I was pregnant. There's one thing I'm on that she wanted me to stay on for the first 12 weeks but I'm not sure which one it was!

I would have thought that if it acts on ovarian follicular function to increase progesterone levels then that's not necessarily something you would want to do during pregnancy. In a quick google search every reference except a message board on natural pregnancy.com said to come off it in pregnancy.

Thanks for asking WLAB, but I'm off to have bloods on Sunday. Should have results Tuesday evening when I see the dr. Not too fussed as am watching all of my cycle signals (CM BBT etc) instead of the bloods this cycle.

So diamond, bloods on Monday then? Hope AF stays away and Loula's thinking is right! fingers crossed for you!

WLAB - no good about your reaction to syneral. Hopefully you can get used to it or there's a better option for you.

I'd better dash again - one day I wont be in a hurry to run off! Away for the weekend after a busy working day today so will be a nice break.

Take care all!

Oops, I forgot - when I go back to IUI I will come off everything the naturopath put me on because they can interact with each other.

Good morning everyone,

Well i had my naturopath appt yest and she was fantastic!!! I to have started on Vitex, a multivitamin, liquid herbs and a glucobalance tab - all to help with my hormonal imbalance and insuline tolerance, also got a strong talking to about my eating and at times with shift work lack of it!.

I have got a FS appt Mon and think we will be moving onto IVF? Well that will be the disscussion anyway. The naturopth believes i will be balanced in about 4 months but agrees that's a long time to put off any IUI or IVF cycles. If i stay with my current FS i will be under monash IVF but if seek a second opinion from recommended person the i will be under MIVF - just wondering and i kow every clinic and cycle is slightly different but how much "out-of-pocket" roughly will we be 1000, 10000???? We have priv health cover but not top and i'm not covered for IVF but prob would be for hospital stay? I know it's hard to answer but any clue would be nice.

Diamond - hope AF stays away and you get a wonderful suprise!!!

Toby - GL for today let us know how you go.

Hello to all my friends sorry for no more personnals i have to get ready for work.

xxBella

Bella,

You need about six grand to get in the door for IVF - they charge you for everything up front. Check our old thread - I wrote out a comprehensive list of costs for Diamond last year. They don't give you the proper receipts for Medicare until the first transfer is complete, so you'll be out of pocket for about 4-6 weeks. When you get everything back, you'll still be short about two to three grand. BUT at the end of hte financial year, you get a statement from Medicare showing your total out of pockets, and if it's more than $1500, which it will be, you can claim an additional tax deduction of 20% on any amount above the $1500.

Cheers,
OP.

Your not going to believe this (you probably will OP) but I called my clinic again re: delayed AF on syranel, and the nurse told me that yes, sometimes syranel can delay AF!! This is completely opposite info to what I was told a couple of days ago!!! Grrr.......They couldnt say how long for, but it sounds like this could be whats going on with me. Of course, Im quietly praying for a miracle but dont feel so optimistic right now. They have booked me in for a preg test on Monday so time will tell I guess.

Op - sorry I can not add an info about vitex. In regards to how ive been feeling, slightly crampy/dull pains, a bit off colour in general and indigestion has returned. Of course, this could be nothing though....

WLAB - yes, the syranel is horrible!! Surely there must be a better way to deliver the medication into our system. It also makes me sneeze and want to blow my nose. You poor thing throwing up!!! Maybe try to disguise the taste with a lollipop or something....

Hi to everyone else!!!!

Here's a recap of the details on IVF costs I published in our old thread:

If you are considering IVF in the future, corrale your finances now. You need $5,500 just to get in the door. And then you need $1,100 for every transfer after that. You do get up to 80% back from Medicare but it takes time. For example, if your treatment started on Oct 1, you pay $3,800 immediately (inc ICSI). You'd then do your surgery - another $1,500, much of which ISN'T refunded by Medicare, then if all goes well, your first transfer is included (although you pay $100 for day surgery which is a total crock if you ask me because it's no more complicated than a pap smear). IVFA will only give you the final invoice at the END of your cycle (ie approx Oct 28) and then you can go to Medicare. Oh - and surprise blastocyst development will cost a further $600. We had this too. And you also pay something like $250 for 6mths embryo storage.

If, like us, you couldn't do your transfer straight away, you may end up waiting an additional two weeks, plus the two weeks wait - so it would be 8wks before you get a cent back. By then, if you need another round, you need $1,100 to get in the door. Plus, you'll pay $90 to have the specialist tell you the treatment didn't work, and another $32 if your husband sits in the chair next to you!

Cheers,
OP.

PS - Total cost of this baby I'm carrying is approximately $30,000 (three years TTC)

Anyone seen this appalling story today?

Woman miscarries in hospital toilet

OP.

WLAB - yeah I'm here - watching and waiting for my doc and saving up my monies (if you can't find a bright side, polish the dull one!) :)

Well AF is here....the dream is over.... I am a little disappointed, but truely I have a less that 5% chacne of falling preg naturally so I kind of knew it wasnt to be. Im just ticked off AF is 6 days late and therefore my treatment pushed back 6 days!! Can you tell Im not a patient person..... :D

So let if be known world - syrnael DOES delay AF!!!!!!!

OP I read this story yesterday, and yes it is horrifying!! Can you believe in such a rich country our hospitals can be so backward? I really feel for the woman and her family. On another note OP I think you should not pay close attention to stories such as this, as I dont want it to cause you unnecessary worry or stress for yourself IFKWIM....

Thanks for that Diamond, I do appreciate you looking out for me.

I was mortified more from the point of view of lack of understanding or appreciation we as a society seem to have for women who suffer miscarriages, especially when they occur in the second trimester. For over three months that woman has bonded with her unborn baby and has newly framed her identity as a mother to be. For a medical professional to tell her thousands of women have miscarried before her is totally disrespectful of her own personal situation and definitely rude regarding her feelings or the emotional trauma of how the MC went down.

While I feel every bit confident that my pregnancy will proceed and succeed, I have to say I would be floored if anything went wrong - at any stage. There are plenty of girls on here who have been through it, and I don't know that I give them enough respect for the journey they've been through as they continue to pursue parenthood. I'd like to think being in this impossibly exclusive club is making me a little bit more understanding, sympathetic and compassionate.

On a happy note - one of the girls in my office was telling me this morning she had her daughter at 43!!! She's now 51, her daughter is eight. I find this so inspiring! WLAB - you should too! There's hope for us old girls!

:-)
OP.

Diamond : Sorry about af arriving ..

OP !!!!! Im in shock - ARE YOU CALLIN ME AN OLD GIRL :rofl: If anyone has talked me out of an "age" related problem .. it is you ....

My miscarriage : A long and quite honest post

At 11.5 weeks, I started bleeding at work on a Friday, I went to a city hospital, to be told the early pregnancy clinic was closed until Monday, and I would need to go home and wait, my BT showed a high HCG level, there was nothing they could do. I was beside myself, and drove home with no instructions on how to prevent our long awaited bubba leaving us

I woke (if you could call it that, because I didnt sleep).. on Saturday with pain and heavy clotting, Dh and I drove to another hospital, who asked me to wait in the waiting room, and finally we where seen by a doctor, who did an internal that was so painful, my dp could hear my cry in the corridor. Your cervix is open, it doesnt look good, I was told I needed to go home and come back later that afternoon for an ultrasound. We did, hoping that a miracle would appear and I will still see my bubba's heartbeat. It wasnt to be.

I was sent home to wait for a phone call, to be admitted for a D&C as the list was full, I was doubled over in pain, that I could only descibe as labour pains, I should have rang an ambulance, looking back... I sent my dp to his mums for some panadeine forte, and self medicated myself, until I heard back from the hospital.

Monday we received a call, to come in Tuesday, still in terrrible pain, we arrived at the hospital at 7am, to be asked the usual pre-op questions - including "are you pregnant " !!!! Waited with no pain relief until 8.30 pm that night. They finally came out and told us that - a man had swollowed his keys, and he pushed me off the list ... WTF !!!! Let him choke, I thought ....

Home again, in excrushiating pain, knowing what my body was doing...

To finally receive a call on Thursday to be admitted for a D & C - It was one of the worst weeks of my life, and I would never, ever, ever again, be turned away from anyone in any hospital. I will end up being one of those people in a padded cell, rather than them push me away again....

WLAB - I can't believe that. You know, if I was getting pushed around like that, I think I'd ring the newspapers or A Current Affair and tell them they had a chance to blow the lid off our appalling health system once and for all. Can you imagine going through all of that with a camera crew following you? I don't think anybody would have the audacity to turn you away.

OP.

WLAB, what a horrible experience. I can't believe that people can be treated like that by hospitals and doctors in this age.

Diamond, I'm sorry to hear that AF arrived.

OP, my FS has said we can do IVF for our next attempt if this cycle doesn't work - it costs us less than $500 out of pocket for IUI including donor sperm so it looks like IVF will be a lot more expensive, but the chances of success go up by 4x.

I haven't been around much, life is really busy between work and it being school holidays (I'm a foster mum to a teenage girl).

I've started my second IUI cycle, I must be about Day 13 today. I had my CD2 bloodtest, everything was fine. On CD9 I had another bloodtest and ultrasound, there was a bit of concern that my follicles are all still really small, the biggest was only about 0.4cm. I had a followup bt and u/s on Friday (CD12) and my biggest follicle was still only 0.9cm. I'm not hugely concerned about being 'slow', because my last two cycles have been 39 days each, but the clinic decided to give me my very own Puregon pen (FSH) to stimulate the follicles. I really hope that it doesn't do too good a job, because I'm pretty sure they'll cancel my cycle if I have too many follicles. *fingers crossed* that it will be ok. My next bt and u/s is booked in for Monday (CD15) so we'll see how I go then.

Good luck to everyone wherever you are in your cycles.

Bella : IVF in Melb : PM me and I will give the full costs .. I completed a cycle last year on the safety net, and we were about $1500.00 out of pocket.. We just paid for our new cycle, without the net, so it will be interesting to see how much we are out of pocket this time around. Melb is cheaper than Sydney, we paid $3850.00 to start, + meds + hospital stay - so I will have a better idea of a non safety net account in a few weeks.

AFM: Sorry about the m/c post, I read that thread, had TWO !!!!! g/f's ring me yesterday and tell me they were pregnant, and the new cycle hopes and symptoms were doing my head in.. I cried myself to sleep, and feel better today, I dont let my friends know how completly hopeless I feel sometimes, so I just put on a brave face, over the phone..

Anyway, sorry for the rant, NEW YEAR - NEW CYCLE - NEW BEGINNING .... I might even change my BB name ..

Hi everyone,

SPREADING LOTS OF :pink-babydust::bluedust:

AND SHARING LOTS OF :grouphug::grouphug:

I had a great chat with DH last night and i have woken this am feeling really positive and hopeful!

2009 is going to be our year - all of us!!!!!!!!

Have a great day everyone

xxBella

Well unfortunately and fortunately however you want to see it i have officially joined the IUI journey..... Feeling really strange about it all not sure why it isn't all that different to what im doing right now with the OI cycles.....

So basically AF arrived on 6th Jan, i started the clomid yesterday so day 5 to 9, i head off for a scan on Monday 19th Jan ill be on day 14 that day (yes sounds late they wanted to scan me on day 11 but i havn't ovulated before day 16 on the clomid so no chance of missing it and i didn't want to drive over an hour for a scan on the Friday to be told i have to come back Monday anyway to ensure the size of the follie/s) going by the past 2 OI cycles ill ovulate on Wed 21st Jan so i should get a +ve OPK Tues arvo and then head to Ballarat early Wed morning for IUI!!!!! Then the nasty 2WW :crossfingers:

Im off to read where all you lovely ladies are at....

Babysteps - Diamond and I had long discussions last year about IVF v IUI. I'm anti-IVF for lots of reasons - the horrendous cost being one, and the lack of bedside manner being another. But that's jsut me and my set of FSs at IVFA. I went to IUI because it was lower financial and emotional impact, and even then, the impact was significant.

The statistics for both IUI and IVF are entirely dependent on your age. I am 40 - for me IUI was a 9.1% success rate, where IVF was 7.0%. That 2.1% meant everything to me, so when our clinic tried to push us back to IVF, I dug my heels in. I was very lucky to get a BFP that same day. It's important to remember 7 out of 10 couples leave IVF without a baby. The only way to impact that statistic ie to be one of the three that does get a baby, is to play the numbers. The more times you do IVF, the more chances you have of succeeding. I know people who mortaged their house to try IVF 12 times. They got a baby in the end, but I can't say the journey was easy at all.

I'm pregnant, so of course I'm a fan of IUI. But to win at this game, my DH had to hand over his job to a donor. That was not without great pain. I am grateful to him that he was a big enough man to know that was what we needed.

In the end, it boils down to what a person feels is best for them. Research makes all the difference - knowledge gives you the power to make the best decision for yourself. ANd I think the more knowledge we have, the better.

Big cheers,
OP.

Hi ladies

Babysteps - how did your appt go yesterday - hoping you have some fat follies

Diamond - how are you going ? Do you have a scan date as yet, now that AF arrived

OP - 10 weeks tommorow!!! tell me how you are going ??

Janeo - good luck with the iui - hoping ti breings a great bfp for you

Hi to Bella and Shades - and everyone xx

I'm good, WLAB. Had a long talk to my naturopath about the Vitex and feel confident there'll be no problems, only benefits. She said pregnant women with low prog usually have painful ovaries - I wouldn't say I've got that, but I've definitely got some sensations that are not comfortable. I've noticed a bit of a difference with this since starting the Vitex. The main aim here is to keep the endometrium thick and accommodating. Lets hope that works.

Did a raft of blood tests last Saturday - they took four vials! Plus I had to pee in two jars! Ironically one of the tests was for blood type. I'm a card carrying blood donor and have known my blood type since I was 19, but that wasn't good enough for them!

Anyway. Diamond! How are you lovely? Coping any better with the Synarel? I found this part of the process quite easy until about three days before collection, when my belly had expanded by 32cms!!! How are you feeling?

:-)
OP.

OP, thanks for that info on IUI vs IVF. I'll need to look into it further before I make a decision to change from IUI, it's not something we?ll be doing until after April so I have a while to investigate. I'm 32, I don?t know how that affects the success rates of either but I'll start searching for information soon. We're already using a donor as we're a same sex couple, so for us that's one less emotional hurdle. Not to say we haven't already had to address all our issues around this, but it was something we had to resolve before we could start the TTC journey.

I've had a few more scans and bloodtests, my follicle was up to 15mm yesterday so things are looking good. My next scan is tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll be ready for the IUI procedure on Friday.

Hi Guys!!

WLAB - what a terrible mc story, I am sorry to hear you went through such a nightmare. You are a strong woman.

janeo - good luck for your IUI! Sounds like you OI cycles have certainly warmed you up for this - not sure how it is different for you - where you doing OI and timed intercourse before?? Good luck hun.... you will find a wealth of knowledge here with these lovely ladies so pipe up whenever you have a question.

Babysteps - it is a hard decision to make. especially given the massive increase in costs. For us, it was a massive improvement on the chances of success, from 15-20% to 40-45%. Like Op said it is a numbers game and you have to play them to your advantage - what else can we do.....?? 15mm sounds like you are nearly ready for your procedure - good luck!!!!!

OP - 10 weeks already!! I cant believe it, time is going by so fast! Im glad you talked over the vitex at length with your natropath = they have obviously assured you that it wont do any harm.

AFM - still sniffing away....I am suffering a chronic headache that never goes away... I dont start fsh injections until friday - I think to time things with my Dr for the surgery. Im glad about that anyway cause hubby is away until then and he does the injections for me. So just waiting waiting waiting......gosh i am sick of this ttc waiting all the time!!!