Good luck today, Captain xxx

Tested today at 8 DPO, fool! BFN of course! Will be testing every day till the witch comes now.

Fingers crossed for you MrsPhez! 8 DPO is WAY too early either way so I'm still hoping this could be your month.

SO

My news is good - my AMH level was 19 point something, the lower end of the normal range is 21 but he said 19 is 'excellent' for my age. So it looks like i have good egg reserves.

DH's SA was also excellent - 54% of his swimmers are excellent mobility, 14% good, he had 9% morphology (not sure what this means but apparently 4% is average) and he had over 50 million of them which is great.

As the consultant put it though, 'there is no point having lots of lovely fresh salad if you get home and the fridge is broken'. So the next step - given i have quite heavy periods - is to have a hysteroscopy to check that the fridge (uterus) looks like it is working OK and there is no obvious reason why a nice fertilised embryo wouldn't want to get comfy in there.

So i'm going to have one hopefully on 4th March - need to book it in and it will be under a general - we can carry on TTC in the meantime, but if we still haven't had any luck, we would then be able to go ahead with IVF in April or May.

Consultant was lovely, like a different man to the one we have talked to previously, although it is the same guy - it is as if he finally thinks that things might not happen for us naturally but that he can help - either that or he sees he is closer to the £ signs....We came away with loads of bumf and a price list and basically he said if the hysteroscopy comes back clear we can decide either way whether to keep trying for another 6 months or go straight to IVF, and that there are no guarantees of success either way. He said after the age of 37 it can be quite common for the shell of the eggs to thicken which makes it difficult for the sperm to penetrate, but the only way to know this is by having IVF - if they are thick walls then they can do assisted hatching where the laser a window in the shell to allow the sperm to get through. Amazing really.

IVF looks like being about £5k per cycle with all the drugs.

So that's my news...!

Hinky did you decide to go to see your GP? I was thinking you should try to get a hysteroscopy. Do you have heavy periods? i always think that is such a hard question to ask as there really isn't a benchmark is there? i have no idea if my periods are any heavier than the next person's!!x

Ah, I am glad it went well and your consultant was nice. In the circumstances, the things you found out are pretty good news, aren't they. It sounds like you might be able to make some lovely embryos! And the other part of the jigsaw is getting looked into as well with your hysteroscopy. All really positive, I am so pleased you didn't get any nasty surprised. You must be relieved.

I must say I have wondered if there is any physical reason why my uterus might not make a good nest, especially after failed implantations following my D&C for my mmc. I sort of dismissed that idea though after the latest miscarriage as the embryo obviously implanted ok and began to grow, so I sort of thought that discounted that problem. But might be worth an intensive Google session

Ah, we've all been there Keeping fx for your BFP in a day or two xxx

Thanks HB. Today was also a BFN, ho hum.
Just hoping the B100 and Vit C will boost my LP above 10 days this time, the BFP would be a bonus of course!

hey everyone, just checking in. I just started with my usual pre-AF spotting, she is due on thursday, so I'm out for another month. and feeling really pissed off about it actually. This is the last month that could have given me a less than 3 year age gap with my son and for some reason that matters to me. I guess just because it is another mised milestone.

Anyway, my hysteroscopy is scheduled for what will likely be CD14 of my next cycle (5th March) so that will mean we don't have a chance in March, so depending on the outcome of the hysteroscopy i think i'm going to try to start IVF on my April cycle. Exciting but sad...

x

How's everyone doing?

Hey, Captain. It was my 3-year-gap last chance last cycle too, and I had the exact same reaction when AF arrived last week. I keep having these milestones and as they pass I sort of invent a new one, the latest is that maybe if I get pregnant soon they'll *only* be 3 school years apart instead of 4. That gives me another 8 months...

I will be thinking of you on 5th March, hope the hysteroscopy doesn't bring any new worries, and that your IVF can start in earnest. Must be good to feel like you're doing something. Sad though, like you say. If there is any justice you will get pg on first attempt and have a h&h pregnancy. I'll be wishing you all the luck in the world anyway.

I've just got back from a week in Malta with OH's family and LO. Was good to relax but flippin AF showed up the day before I went and made me feel crappy for the first few days we were there. I also 'celebrated' my 36th birthday over there. I hate birthdays, another year older just hammers it home about the biological clock ticking. OH's family are not aware of our latest loss so I could not even explain why I was not jumping for joy.

At one point, as I was gasping in horror at my FIL twirling my son around on a really high wall (little did I know the grass on the other side came nearly up to the top!!) my SIL's fiance said "oh for goodness' sakes, he is not going to put your son in any danger" and I found myself snapping "I am allowed to be over-protective, I don't have a spare one"... haha maybe I do need to chill out a bit (doesn't help that this guy has two boys with a perfect 2 year age gap).

It doesn't help either that nobody else in my family on either side has lost children or had any trouble conceiving and they all have either 2 or 3 children. There are no only children anywhere in the family. It does make me feel like a bit of a freak. My mum tries to be sympathetic, but she had all 3 children young and just doesn't know what to say or how to help.

I couldn't get an appt with the gp before the holiday and might now just wait to see the specialist at end of March, see what he says. I'm going to ask my boss if I can go back full time in Sept, so in some ways it'd be better if I didn't get pg until that was agreed. I'm hoping sod's law will kick in here and give me a baby just to make my life awkward!

Good to hear from you and awaiting the next update xxx

Hi ladies,
Feel the same about that 3 yr gap as you, my sone will be 3 next January so not long left for me now to get no. 2 in. And on Thursday I was scanned for my cyst which is still 5cm, beeding into itself and preventing me ovulating from that side. Brilliant news I think you'll agree? Sorry for the sarcasm, I'm feeling stressed and about to embark on diet to level out my hormones which means no more fun food or caffeine. If it helps though it will be worth it. Been referred to GYN and rescan in another 6 weeks.
Good luck Captain, I hope it goes well!
It's hard being a woman isn't it?

hey girls!

Thanks for your messages and for the empathy on the 3 year age gap thing. I'm kind of over that now, I figured it would be good to have my LO out of nappies before another one comes along and he is showing no signs whatsoever of being remotely bothered by having poo in his nappy all day long.

Malta sounds lovely hinky - i am trying to get a week away in July but don't want to book anything until i know what our timetable will be for IVF. Keeping my fingers crossed that sods law applies in your case too on the full time working plan! I don't blame you for snapping at your SIL's fiance. He should mind his own business. I've taken to responding to the question as to whether we are having any more children by simply saying 'we have been trying, its not working out, we will likely need help'. To which they either shut up or they ask whether DS was conceived with IVF, to which I reply no, to which they reply that they are sure once we get everything booked and stop stressing it will happen for us naturally, they had a friend who that happened to, blah blah blah. They are trying to be nice, I know, but i just want to scream 'I don't know whether stress causes infertility but i know for sure that infertility causes STRESS!!!!' and the last thing I will feel as IVF is approaching is UNSTRESSED!!!! haha

Sorry to hear about the cyst still being problematic Phez - are you on clomid or anything to help stimulate ovulation from the other side? I'm just guessing as to whether that might help, sorry if i'm misunderstanding or being naive. No fun food or caffiene sounds like a nightmare. I've been trying to drink less tea and diet coke (i hate coffee, so at least there's that) but i have failed dismally as I'm still not sleeping well and working 70 hour weeks is not really conducive with insomina!!!

Anyway, at least i got to have a little lie down today for my hysteroscopy. I am spotting a little now and had quite a lot of blood afterwards but seems to be settling down, and not in any pain. I saw the consultant afterwards and he said everything looked fine, there is nothing that he could see that could prevent pregnancy. He has taken a sample for a biopsy, not sure what he will check but good to know he's being thorough. I have had a long day as I had to be admitted at 7.15am and got gowned up and had obs straight away and was told i was towards the top of the list so should expect to be taken to theatre soon....only to wait and wait and wait! DH arrived at about 10am after dropping DS and nursery...i had the op at about 1pm in the end, which meant i was still in there at 6pm so DS had to go collect DS from nursery (half hour drive) and then come back and get me because i can't drive for 24 hours after the general anaesthetic.

Anyway - next step is to book another appointment (bye bye another £200!) to plan the IVF timetable. I'm hoping to get an appointment for late next week as I'm in Brazil with work w/c 18th March. I also have a business trip to Malawi planned in early April and want to cancel that if we can get cracking on the IVF later this month. Not quite sure what excuse I'm going to make with my client though....not as if i can offer another week in April instead!