TTC for 12 months +

Congrats Auntie, such great news. So happy for you

No Agirl but I did read it - borrowed from library. Devoured it in a night. Was a good easy read.

Thank you so much everyone. A-girl, that you for some wonderfully useful advice. In my house, I am the one that thinks a million miles ahead when dh is pulling me back to reality so I've just for a long walk to try and think up some ways to keep busy over (hopefully) the next couple of months. Like the week-by-week plan, next week is another bt, so I'll aim for that.
And yes, other people would be out celebrating, not putting "maybe" and "hopefully" in front of everything.
I'm also seeing a really great counsellor, who is a nice woman and lets me prattle on a bit. She doesn't know much about IVF so it's actually kind of helpful to explain it to her. We don't talk about that much here, does anyone else see a therapist/counsellor?

Do what you got to do to get through Auntie but like Storm said try to enjoy it too (I know that is SUPER hard!).

Good on you for seeing a counsellor. There have been times where I have seriously considered seeing someone, usually in my darkest of hours when I feel like I am going to actually go insane and that surely things could never get worse. I found the one we saw pre treatment was amazing and very good at putting the whole donor thing into perspective. For me as time has gone on many people in my life know about our fertility struggles and what we're going through. Some know more detail than others but it means that I have lots of people I can talk to about it if I feel I need to hence I haven't actually sought a professional.

Spoke to my specialist today. He wasn't against using progesterone and said it wouldn't do any harm but said that there isn't any reason to use it either so I decided to not go with it. He said that if I get pregnant and its looking dodgy then they'll go straight into support in that area however didn't think it's necessary. I just have to trust that the first embryo had something wrong and it's not necessarily going to happen again. I HATE how much this game is russian roulette EVEN with the fact that sperm has met egg already lol.

Awesome news Auntie  Come on bubba!

Auntie - woohoo!! So pleased you got the rise, grow baby grow!!

BC, yeah I'm still around, have just got back from 10 days in Australia so haven't been posting much but I start injections on Friday (yay!!) so will be around a bit more. Sounds like there will be a few of us doing transfer together which is awesome!!

Storm, great that you've decided to plow on with IVF! Ask them about the Colorado Protocol, that's what I'm doing this time after the CP last time, so it could be worth trying.

As for a counsellor, I've thought a couple of times about seeing one, we tried to after the last IVF but the booking person was away and by the time they were back we never got round to it. My specialist thinks I need to this time (possibly because I still get all blubby when I talk about this in real life or about my losses) so we're gonna try and do it soon (which means I need to ring and book).

Will be on here a bit more though joining in with the conversations now!

Well done Lesley! My morning ones were always the sorest.

Epic - you and me hun bfp all the way!!!

Hello to all you lovely ladies xx

It's pouring and cold and I'm yet to drag my butt out of bed. Wish me bloke was home to snuggle up with lol. Oh well good things come to those who are patient.

BC wise words of wisdom there! We have certainly all been patient enough... time to bring on the sticky bubbas!

Epic - welcome back! I'm glad you will be hanging with us a bit more now, and wow your start date really did come around quick huh! Thanks for the advice - what is the Colorado protocol? I think it's a good idea to get in and see a counsellor if they offer it free - why not! DH and I will def be taking up that offer!

Lesley - yaye for a good first injection!
It's great that so many of you are doing your rounds at the same time - I hope it leads to a nice string of sticky BFP's!!

Another 2nd pregnancy announcement on FB last night - ugh wonder when they will get easier to see

Hugs to all

Thanks BC it's not someone I'm extremely close to but still makes me get that pang of sadness. Most of my closest friends know what we are going through and when they have (yes most of them have already) announced their 2nd (some first and second ) they are pretty good about it. Although I am yet to share our latest update with regards to having made a decision on IVF.

Wow, lots to catch up on so I can't barely try to cover it all! But here comes a big long post anyways haha.

I have been super sick, so just been lying on the couch feeling sorry for myself for the past almost week now. MIL bought me food (on DH's long distance instruction I think!) which was nice, but unfortunately doesn't suffice for DH looking after me!

FYI for future reference for anyone - the FA nurses confirmed it was fine for me to take amoxicillin, as it won't affect anything, but would also be out of my system before the transfer anyway. Now just has to WORK to make me well again haha.

First of all - Auntie, congratulations I so hope you can enjoy being pregnant and that the worry is not too great, and that everything continues to work out for you!!!

And welcome poppy

Good luck to all the ladies starting out with IVF, and Storm that's great you guys had time to talk and reach a decision. As everyone has eluded - the IVF process is entirely different for everyone, and it depends on so many things like what protocol you are on, what your fertility issues were to start with, how you handle needles, how you react to the drugs and so on.

Personally, I found the injections to be fine, and for the most part I had my DH do the injecting - I think it helped to make him feel more involved in the whole thing, except for when he wasn't around and I did it myself, which again the first one was a bit creepy (just overcoming the natural self-preservation instinct not to jab yourself!) but it was fine once I did it. For me though, I had a very strong reaction (ended up with 35 eggs and even more follicles) so I became quite sore and uncomfortable toward the end, and needed to take time off work because sitting was quite uncomfortable. Because of this I ended up needing to tell more people at my work about it than I had initially wanted to, but oh well, such is life.

Because I had so many follicles I was put completely under for the egg retrieval on my RE's advice, so I can't comment on how that was, but again it varies between each person. I bleed out quite a bit at the end as I was coming to and had to be put back under while they got it under control, which was scary for DH but I was none the wiser haha and it was all ok in the end anyway.

Recovery for me from the collection was not too bad all things considered, I think because I rested and drank LOTS etc and I - surprisingly - avoided OHSS. Because of my high risk of OHSS though, I wasn't able to do a fresh transfer and my embies needed to go on ice, which was fine as I don't know how receptive my uterus would have been then anyway haha. The FETs for me are fine too. The only discomfort is from the full bladder you need to have!

I think the only universal things that can be said of IVF is that - it varies from woman to woman and even cycle to cycle in the same woman, and that it is a physical and emotional roller coaster - never a truer metaphor was spoken. It is same as with any fertility journey, but except with maybe some higher drops and more loop-de-loops But as long as you scream if you need to and wave your arms around and try to smile through the fear, then you'll be fine Hopefully we all manage to get off the roller coaster after however many rides and get our prize at the end!

Re counselling, I haven't used one through FA for the fertility side of stuff, but I did use to see a psychologist regularly for my BP and I think that, if you have the right person for you, then there is nothing better in the world than having someone impartial to talk to - after all, we are essentially all counsellors here to one another! I am not sure why I haven't utilised the counselling for fertility - I guess I have been coping with it fairly well and have had DH. Might be something to think about though now!

BC, I feel you honey I really do! I am often thinking to myself all the 'why didn't the first one work? Was it just a bung embryo, or is there something else going on with me? how can a highly graded embryo with a perfectly smooth transfer to a perfect manufactured lining not work? There has to be something else wrong. What if all the embryos are bung?' and soooo on and soooo forth. Then I have moments of clarity where its 'its just how it works, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with you or that it won't work out next time' etc. And I switch between the two until I tell myself to stop thinking and go make a cup of tea/go to sleep/actually do some work while at work haha I guess a lot of my anxiety over the next one not working comes from knowing it will be my last attempt for a while before leaving NZ. It feels like there is more pressure for success when there is a time limit on things - similar feeling to being down to your last embryo I would imagine.

Mushroom, what exactly is IVM, if you don't mind my asking?

Epic, I have been quite interested in the Colorado Protocol so will be great to hear how it works out for you. If my next FET doesn't work out then I will be talking to my RE about what we could possibly do different when I come back to NZ, and that will be on my list (although I really hope I won't need to!)

Storm - Facebook is the devil

Right so epic, BC, Lesley and any other cycle buddies - let's all sit front row, front carriage on the roller coaster and shout 'BFP, BFP!!' all the way around the track