Assisted Conception Thread :) updated members list pg1

Hello blue and mamamirfy!

How's everyone doing?

I think I might be getting some symptoms now or :-) whichever way you look at it! I feel constantly sick, bloated and tired. My work trousers are getting too small and I'm getting podgy round my middle! And worst of all, despite all this I am still always hungry!!!!! Although can't eat as much.

Originally Posted by mercyme

It's so nice to see so many familiar names here! We've really been through it, haven't we?!

I thought it might be time to join this thread -- I've been putting it off b/c I've felt superstitious!! But the first scan last Monday (6+5) showed a heartbeat & good growth, and I'm going in for the second scan on Friday (8+2).

Does anyone know about rate of miscarriage after the heartbeat? I heard that it goes way down, but maybe that's b/c most people don't hear the heartbeat until 10+ weeks -- unlike us IVF patients, who are carefully monitored throughout early pregnancy. I'm feeling pretty hopeful at this point, but I just don't want to be blindsided, the way I was last time (m/c at 6+5 / 7 weeks -- probably a blighted ovum, stopped growing at 5 wks).

Hi Mercyme, I read on a couple of sites (so not completely scientific of course) that it goes down to 3-4% after you hear the HB, one site said 5%. either way very low

Britt - I actually live in Brooklyn Heights, right across the Brooklyn Bridge. I refused to live in the city! I probably sound crazy. Banff sounds awesome and I'm thinking we were thinking of going to Lake Louise.

Hi Mercy! I here all different things about mc - I've heard as high as a drop to 35% and then I've heard as low as 1%. I think that you're good to go though. The concern which you have no control over is an mc due to a chromosomal abnormality but those don't usually make it to the point of seeing a heartbeat. After that it's all about you being careful which I'm sure you are. This is torture isn't it? I still dread going to the bathroom for fear of seeing the brown bleeding return. I'm more superstitious than you. My avatar still says TTC.

MrsG - I'm tired, hungry and cranky all the time. But that could be so many things.

Hi again ladies,

I just got back my first beta result 16dpo (13dp3dt) at 240. What were your levels like?

Thanks xo

oh cool Maxxi, thats an awesome area. We took a boat ride the last day before I left and went under the Brookyln Bridge- I took about a billion pictures, I looked like the biggest tourist freak

Blue- I never had betas done, our clinic didnt believe in them. The FS said to me that they cant tell much on betas and that instead they always do an early scan closer to 7 weeks.
when is your first scan?

Originally Posted by Blue12

Hi again ladies,

I just got back my first beta result 16dpo (13dp3dt) at 240. What were your levels like?

Thanks xo

Congrats! Mine was 510. I read an article out of UCLA (or maybe USC) that addressed the issue of how to counsel ivf patients based on early beta. The results showed that anything over 100 predicted sustaining a fetal hearbeat throughout the first tri. Anything under was not necessarily bad news but cause for a little less optimism. It was a small study and I'm sure there's plenty out there to refute the findings but I look at the article everytime I get nervous. But Britt is right, the proof is in the scan ultimately. I think your numbers are good!

welcome Blue and Mamamirfy - so good to have you on board! You too mercy

well, 12 week scan yesterday - all good bubb's is measuring in at 6 cms so they've moved me forward by 2 days. Declined the NT scan and bloods, but accepted the anomaly testing at 20 weeks. And, get this ladies, (mind you, more impressive for UK ladies / NHS peeps), the hosp wants to monitor me more regularly due to it being an ivf pregnanyc - whoop whoop - more scans will upload piccy when i can

sorry it's a flying visit - i will catch up properly soon,

much love ladies x x x x

Originally Posted by Britt11

oh cool Maxxi, thats an awesome area. We took a boat ride the last day before I left and went under the Brookyln Bridge- I took about a billion pictures, I looked like the biggest tourist freak

Blue- I never had betas done, our clinic didnt believe in them. The FS said to me that they cant tell much on betas and that instead they always do an early scan closer to 7 weeks.
when is your first scan?

How funny! I've seen that boat. Before I started my ivf cycle in November I used to run across the Brooklyn Bridge over to the Manhattan Bridge back into Brooklyn. I used to see that boat all the time. I've ruined many a tourist's photo too on the bridge when I would go running.

Congrats Mrs F! You've graduated! What do they look for with the anomaly testing?

MrsF, I can't believe how far along you are -- that's awesome!

Thanks, maxxi & Britt, for the encouraging stats. We all know how far stats can go -- but it's nice to see slimmer chances for negative results (rather than the slim chances for IVF working!).

Blue, my beta for 11dp5dt was 666. (I love telling people that -- it's such a hilariously terrible number. Satan!) 72 hours later, it was over 2000. My IVF nurse thought I might be carrying twins, but that turned out not to be the case. (kinda relieved). The first time around -- the one that ended in miscarriage -- started at 50 14dpiui, went to 100 three days later, then 200 a couple more days later. So, the numbers this time seem much more hopeful to me!