TTC for 12 months +

Best wishes Amie   I hope this is your month and those lovely little eggies are just wiggling with anticipation to meet their other halves. I will be thinking of you!

Thanks for the welcome back ladies
BC I've never had Intralipid be discussed with me before. What is it? Is that the plan for you with your next IVF? FA's suggestion to me last year was to do "scratching" with my next IVF.
I've decided not to get the pessaries through my GP and the chemist. I worked out it would only be 12 days worth of them for $240! I may aswell go back to the specialists!
I had some cramping yesterday and no AF yet, and without getting too hopeful AF shouldn't even be due for another 5-6 days. I think I'll wait till Wed or Thurs to test though.

HT things are really moving along for you! I hope your optimism pays off this month with a nice BFP!

Amie hope the IUI has gone well

Hi All!

Well we are patiently waiting for our next appointment with FA on the 22nd... golly time drags sometimes doesn't it! Anyway I have just found out about lipiodol (popppy seed oil) flush, which looks like it helps 'unexplained infertility' like us get naturally pregnant... has anyone had this done? success? know where/who actually does it? It would be magic if there was something helpful to try before going the whole hog on IVF...

Not an expert by any means on intralipid but it was discussed with specialist. From what I remember Basically it's the same fats they feed ppl who are on a feeding tube. It's done via IV at a certain time in the cycle and can apparently have on lowering natural killer cells. We all have these and they're designed to protect from foreign things entering your body (viruses etc) but for some ppl they work too well and it's though they attack embryos thinking they need to be got rid of. The research is very new and it's not sure it even works but is not dangerous to do and pretty cheap. They do one before transfer then one at bfp and another around 12wks.
I haven't discussed it again and he was going to take my case to one if their clinical practice meetings so much chase up on that. I'll be keen to try it if recommended. Got nothing to lose and have already tried the Colorado approach with no joy.
Hope that makes sense?!!

Thanks Mushroom and HT. All went well today. We both have tomorrow off work which will be nice after the last few days of scans, blood tests etc. Was going to have a sleep in but still one more blood test first thing to check my LH surge is on its way down bugger.

Now just got to get through a looonnnggg two weeks.

HT, is it still looking like Thursday for you? Thinking of you x

Merrily that lipiodal flush sounds interesting. We're unexplained infertility so far too so would be interested to hear what you find out.

Hi everyone, I have been MIA lately but reading along. Have been really struggling emotionally and just hunkering down a bit. I thought I’d pipe up though as I had my tubes flushed about 6 weeks ago now. There is some really encouraging research that Neil Johnson (Repromed) has done which you can find online but in a nutshell I believe it is beneficial for those of us with endometriosis or unexplained infertility because it makes for a friendlier environment for eggs to mature and for an embryo to implant. Repromed is the only fertility clinic that offer the lipiodol flush currently, but my gynaecologist referred me to the radiology department at the public hospital to have it done, and I believe this happens regularly as an investigative procedure rather than therapeutic. My referral form called it a ‘lipiodol hysterosalpingogram’.

It starts out just like a smear – the speculum goes in and then they put a balloon type thing in to ‘plug’ your cervix while they feed in the poppy seed oil (lipiodol) with a tube. All going well, the oil goes up into your uterus and through your tubes and this shows up in the xrays. Some people can experience pain particularly if there is a blockage in the tubes as they need to exert a certain amount of pressure. Then they take another xray to test how well the oil disperses into the pelvic cavity – if it hangs around it can indicate scar tissue which can hinder interaction between the ovary and the tube.

Mine went really well, with my tubes being clear and the oil dispersing pretty well. I felt no pain, just a bit uncomfortable like any time a speculum is involved! I was a little tired and off kilter afterward but that was probably just the nerves bleeding off. I’m not holding out a lot of hope after finding out our sperm morphology is an issue as well, but I’m hoping there may be some positive effect for IVF in a few months – that’s just me though – no research to back that up that I know of!

I hope that helps to explain it – let me know if you have any questions! Thinking of you all and wishing you all the best with treatment and general well-being – this is so freakin hard, and although I wouldn’t wish it on anyone it is good to know there are people out there who understand xx

I hear ya Merrily! There is no right answer but I figure a) it will help your chances and b) if they find anything then it may reduce your time waiting for IVF. Plus c) if you can get it done at the public hospital like I did then it's free. Another option may be to have a laparoscopy - I didn't know I had endo until I had mine. They can flush your tubes at the same time. It is definitely more invasive than the HSG though.

One thing about the HSG - it is so amazing seeing all 'the works' up on the x-ray screen! I said at one point "woah, my vagina looks enormous!" The nurse was like "um... remember the speculum is still in...." haha whoops, blonde moment :)

Fingers crossed it's Thursday HT so that you can enjoy your boys' birthdays and the party (and hoping no. 3 arrives for you in January so you don't have 3 birthdays in April!).

Dolly thanks so much for that info. It sounds like the same procedure as for an HSG which I had in January but poppy seed oil sounds a bit more therapeutic than dye.

I had my blood test this morning and LH was on its way down so I'm now officially TWW'ing. Will just try to keep as healthy and stress-free as I can. I'm on day 10 without coffee and tea which is a huge achievement for me. I used to get a headache if I didn't have one by mid-morning so good to be kicking the habit. Not sure that it makes a difference but I feel better doing something to help our chances.

I think you'll be ok HT. Your ovaries will plumping up ready to go is all esp with the drugs you've been taking. Mine do the same just before ec.
Good luck hun xxx

Good luck for today HT!

*hugs* Soda - fxd the bloods have better news for you

Dolly - lovely to hear from you, thanks for sharing your lipidiol experience. I hope it works a miracle for you and you don't need your ivf! Sorry to hear you've been finding it tough lately, this sure is one hell of a journey we are all on and it sure takes some emotional stamina. Know you are an incredibly strong woman but it's okay to have days where it all seems too hard, unfair etc and we are always here if you need a listening ear