I know what you mean re: adoption Springy - I'm not sure if I can get my head around it either.

(((Hugs))) MrsMax - fingers x'd next mothers day will be your first - and all of us for that matter!!!! How are your injections going chicker?

How you doing Ifechi?

Well done on your levels Katrus - huge good luck for Tues that you can proceed this cycle lovely xxxxx

I keep forgetting that I'm about to start this week - it doesn't feel real to me eeek! Sat with my family this afternoon wondering what they would all think of what were about to go through (none of them know). MIL would wet herself if she knew (in a good way) as she absolutely longs for her first grandchild. The pressure would be too much if she knew!!! I have had to endure 5 long years of her hinting since we got married!!

Adoption is atough opne. I guess I am just clinging to it at the moment as I cant imagine not having children in my life - but the reality of adoption might be too much if we ever get to that stage.

ratma - only a few more days for you!! Feels like something is actually happening once you start those jabs - although sometimes it still feels like everything is going too slow!!!!
have you not told anyone what you are doing?

I have told my family, DH's family know but the in-laws arent very supportive generally so dont think they know the details. I have told a couple of close friends, but even then not the detaisl. However, have the 2WW off work so they will guess when I am having it cause of that.

I just couldnt keep this stuff to myself - but havent told most people and only my very close friends know we are having a hard time TTc (although i am sure most can guess as we have been married 2.5 years and I am 35!!)

Nope - our families have no idea we are even ttc! I wouldn't want to worry my family and OH's are just a nightmare when babies are even mentioned.

I've told only a handful of my friends and my best friend is coming with me for my first lot of scans and my injection lesson after Easter, no one else knows my timetable - just that its soon. I'm quite enjoying the secrecy of it all TBH. I've booked off the week of EC but said I might need to chop and change it (using our house renovation as an excuse). Although am hoping I still have a job then!! I'm aiming to take off a few days for EC and just the day of ET then I'm going back to work or I'll go mad I think!

Yep start sniffing Friday - I'm quite excited!!!

Hope everyones doing good?

Good luck tomorrow Katrus

Ratmagirl - it is better to have fewer people know about the TTC. I stupidly told anyone who would listen that we were looking to start a family .... well here I sit approaching 3 years later and I'm constantly explaining our situation to people.

I have been able to tell "white lies" to friends about when we're doing IVF and most think it isn't until May or June so we have some time to get through it and the result ourselves before people start to really question what's going on.

Luckily I don't think most would even realize I wasn't at work during my ER and ET and I am busy with school work so I can avoid social stuff on the weekends with that excuse

Katrus - good luck tomorrow, I have everything crossed that your TSH level is where it needs to be!

Marie - rest and relax now and only positive thoughts! Implantation could start anytime now and go for a few more days so you're right too early for any symptoms, and as I tell many women on here my sister and my best friend tell me over and over and over they had NO symptoms at all till the babies kicked at like 17 weeks! So no symptoms even as you progress a bit doesn't mean this didn't work!

So, ladies, we went to my appointment this morning... Can't hold the excitement, but I just got the results and my TSH level is at 1.73!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEY!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy! So now, I am going in again on Saturday and Sunday I will start stimulation meds, I think it is called Gonal-F. I will give all the dates once I get it all streigth in my head. They gave us so much info, showed us how to use the injection stuff and such, but I was so stressed I barely can remeber. They gave us a flashdrive to watch a video on it, so I will tonight. Anyway, I have a really good feeling about this cycle, and hopefully it will work from the first attempt!!!! FXD!!

Katrus!!! That's bloody ace news lovie!!!

Bet your head is spinning!!!

Thanks Springy - that must be tough. Glad you can cover up your appointments though and that no one knows your actual dates.

Hope you're doing okay Marie?

MrsMax - I was down in your neck of the woods today, went on a day trip to Bridport and Lyme Regis. Me and my friend went to Cerne Abus on the way home (chalk man carved into the hill) and I threw a pebble down near him and wished for our IVF to work!!! Hope it comes true xxxx

That's awesome!!! Gonal F is easy peasy - I have used it in two iui so any questions ask away!!! I am using for my IVF in a few weeks time too.

Oh, thank you guys so much! And Springy, I probably will have to ask something. Guys, I feel so stupid, someone explained it to me already before but I still don't get it. What's the difference between the terms down regging and stimming? It looks like I will start Gonal-F and then 6 days later Ganirelix. It was interesting I was supposed to be on Follistim instead of Gonal-F but they said my insurance doesn't cover Follistim, only Gonal-F. Is Gonal-F cheaper than, or what? Anyway, I read about a lot of people using Menopur, but so far I am only aware of these two meds. Does that sound right?

Downregging is where they put your "ovaries" to sleep - they can do this using Suprefact, Lupron, birth control pills etc. NOT every IVF protocol using this type of medication - since you are going straight to stimulation and adding in the Ganirelix you are on a short protocol.

The Gonal F is your drug for stimulation - i.e. it makes your body produce more eggs than it normally would in a cycle. There are several drugs that can do this - Follistim, GonalF, Menopur etc. They all do the same thing but are made by different pharmaceutical companies. So your insurance obliviously covers the EDM Serono Medications = Gonal F. (Side note - I happen to work for one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies so I am quite knowledgeable on drug products).

Essentially during IVF they need to make your body make more eggs than normal - in a normal cycle each month you would have a number of follicles that are "sitting" in your ovary waiting to "grow". Our clinic used the analogy of going through high school ... at the start of the school year (i.e. your monthly cycle) there are lots of students with lots of potential ... as you progress through high school one student emerges to be your dominant / top of the class student - in your cycle this is your follicle that becomes dominant and is the one that grows and will eventually release at the time of ovulation. Once this dominant one is chosen all other will drop off and not continue to develop - except in some women who release 2 and end up with fraternal twins naturally .....

So in an IVF cycle they pump you full of the drugs that will tell all those other high school students to keep developing and will force your body to make lots of follicles. Then to prevent you from ovulating those when the largest one gets to a certain size you will add in the Ganirelx which inhibits your body from ovulating ... then you'll give yourself another drug to "trigger" ovulation which prepares the eggs at the last stage for retrieval. Then you go for your retrieval ...

Hope that helps.

OMG, thank you so much! The school analogy is great. I understand it much better now.
So, I received Ganirelix today, but no Gonal-F. After clearing up the confusion, it looks like I will be receiving the Follistim on Friday, which is what i was prescribed initially.

I have never injected myself or anyone, so this is kind of scary. I watched many videos with instructions on how to do it, and it looks easy. So hopefully I can do it myself.