30 something and TTC #1 for a year

[GettingBroody]

Yay for having an apt MrsG!!! Is it with your dr or FS?

 

[MrsG2010]

Fs. I last saw him in nov or dec

 

[aleja]

Hi ladies broody that really sux ... I guess the consolation is that you do have your two holidays coming up . I wouldn't cancel them either as its will be good to destress before starting the IvF cycle . You may also be one of those lucky couples who falls pregnant while waiting ! In terms of your age you are still young so it's not like your fertility is dropping within months because of this .
But I totally understand how it must feel ... Because we all want to be pregnant NOW, the idea of waiting till August or september means another few months of not being remotely pregnant and that is painful

MrsG yay!!! Did your DH end up getting his bloods and SA results ?

 

[MrsG2010]

aleja, DH blood work is normal. He did not do the new SA (first one done May 2011). Still doesn't think he needs to. His feeling is... it's a waste of $200. Because it's not like he has no sperm. So DH feels the doctor probably wouldn't change his recommendation based on a different test result up or down.

Maybe the doctor will let us move forward without it. I'll know on Wednesday.

 

[GettingBroody]

I would be surprised if they progress you without more recent tests but fx'd! Although maybe they only need the most recent results for the very invasive treatments like IVF/ICSI. Maybe they are more relaxed about moving onto things like clomid and IUI with older results?

 

[mk8]

Mrs g- what were dh's numbers again?

 

[aleja]

Hey MrsG , is MrG coming to the appt with you? If so I have a feeling the FS will ask him to book in for another SA ... If you guys are heading towards an IUI they do a special SA that checks how many good sperm he has left after a post wash . They need minimum of 5 million 'washed' sperm to be viable for iui . Your Dh shouldnt have any issues with meeting this.. My DH failed this test!

 

[MrsG2010]

morning gals. Yes DH is going with me to the appointment Wednesday morning.

Here are his results from last May (keep in mind when I called his urologist, the nurse told me his results were "normal" -- I called back and asked her to send them to me.) :

Morph 4% (>4% normal forms strict criteria)
concentration 20mil (>15 mil normal)
volume 1.5 ml (>1.5 mil normal)
Motile 40% (>40% normal) (Progressive-slow 70%, non-progressive 30%)

 

[mk8]

Hi Mrsg

Those results look "normal" in that they hit the min criteria but as your other tests are fine, perhaps the spermies are the culprit as they are "below average". Has your dh taken vitamins?

 

[MrsG2010]

He takes a multi vitamin when he remembers (not that often) ...

I personally think the problem for us is his slow progressive, below average results. And my late ovulation.

 

[mk8]

Have you tried complementary therapies for late o mrs g? Do you exercise? I found when I did 15 mins yoga every morning I ovulated earlier. I also tried dong guai herb (Chinese meds) and my period was heavier and I ovulated earlier.

If late o and slow sperms are to blame, they're quite an easy fix

 

[mk8]

Gosh I feel like crap today girls. 17 months of TTC and a big fat nothing. So sorry to sound negative but I needed somewhere to rant. I know we all have bad days and some good days... Today's just bad. I feel really sad. I'm doing all the right things- seeing a fs and undergoing tests etc. I just wish they would hurry up. Given the length of time and cycles (19), I can't help but feel convinced that I need ivf or something... As long as we get our baby I'm happy but it's the fear of the unknown. Not sure why I'm having a mad panic... I guess because my birthdays coming up. another birthday with no bump or baby

 

[aleja]

hi ladies,
mk feel free to rant away. this is why we are all here to be there for each other...
your sadness and panic makes perfect sense given it has been so long ttc. i am not sure how to stay positive as i have the same dilemma as you.
When is your bday?? i can totally relate with feeling anxious coming up to my birthday. I am completely dreading my birthday this year. i am turning the dreaded 35 and that is just so depressing. I am praying that I will be pregnant by then. one can only hope.
Mk, you really are doing everything you can and you have your HSG coming up which may be the key to all this. Unfortunately a big part of LTTC is the waiting and more waiting. i think it is the worst part of this.
hope you feel better soon hun x

MrsG, your DH's sperm seems normal enough and perfect for IUI. How late is your Ov? what is your LP?? I also have a late OV but normal LP. My FS doesn't seem to be fussed over this as long as OV is actually happening. It is a pain for me though because I sometimes wait 3 weeks to OV which then blows out my cycles to 30++ days.
I agree with Mk, that some herbs can help. I used to take wild yam and chastetree that made me OV earlier. but this trend only lasted 3 months then it went back to normal late OV. GL with your appt tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing what FS says..

 

[MrsG2010]

Sorry Mk. We've all been there. A lot of us seem to have summer birthdays. I remember this from last year. I'll be turning 32 in a couple months. :/

Aleja, I usually ov between days 17 and 22. Usually towards the 20, 21, 22 area. And then 14-16 day LP.

I haven't been temping or track the last couple months so I dont know what's been up lately. I got AF on 5/17. I didn't even announce it. Doesn't seem to be a point to it. So my appointment is tomorrow - and I'm feeling positive for that at least. Tomorrow will be CD7. Hopefully the FS will get something in place for next cycle.

 

[GettingBroody]

Aw big mk8. Some days are definitely harder than others and we've all been been there so don't feel bad about feeling down. And please feel free to rant as much as you like - that's why we're here As you said yourself you are taking all the correct steps, unfortunately there is a LOT of waiting involved in the process and it's so hard when we've all already been ttc and waiting longer than most... I'll also be 32 in a few months, another year gone *sigh*

MrsG, I'm excited about your apt tomor! Can't wait to hear how it goes!!

 

[mk8]

Thanks ladies. I'm 32 next month- June 9. Bah

I've been thinking about ivf and time off work - need to plan sadly as limited holidays and I'm footing the bill. This is if required obviously. Aleja- would you mind recapping the process? What's the next plan of action?

Girls, I think we need done positivity - we are all gonna get pregnant in the next few months!!!!!!!!!

 

[GettingBroody]

Mk8, there are 2 IVF protocols - long and short. The protocol you go on depends on your amh or fsh and probably on your clinics preferences but in Europe and US most women seem to be put on the long one. That means a few weeks of bcp starting on cd1 to suppress your ovaries and regulate your cycle (amount of time varies but average is 3 weeks), then 1-2 weeks on injections that further suppress everything (usually Lupron or Busrelin, this bit is called down-regulating), then they check your levels and if they're ok you move onto stimulating injections/nasal sprays for another 1-2 weeks. You're closely monitored at this stage to check your follicles etc and when they're ready you get a hcg trigger shot and then egg collection is 36hrs later. 3-5 days after EC the embryos are transferred back in (and any extra suitable ones are frozen if you choose) It's about a 6-7 week process but varies for individuals depending on how you respond to everything. The short protocol basically skips the bcp and the down-reg and goes straight to approx 2 weeks of stimms around cd1 so it's a much shorter process... Hope that helps a bit!! It's awful having to pay for it yourself - I know exactly how you feel! Have you looked into the cost of everything in your local clinic?

 

[GettingBroody]

MrsG, how did today go?!

 

[mk8]

Thanks for the info broody. Really helpful. I think I may need to take time off for monitoring as the hospital is over an hour away from work. I wonder how many scans/blood tests are required. Do you know? How are you doing? Hopefully nice n positive

 

[GettingBroody]

I think the monitoring depends on the clinic - in the IVF thread I'm on I've seen mention of every day, every second day, every third day... Probably also depends on an individual's response to the meds - if the follicles are growing very fast then they'd probably need to test more often...? I'm doing very well, thanks! Still waiting for dh's blood tests before we can think of sorting out a plan and a time frame but there's nothing I can do to speed them up and stressing about lost time definitely won't help anything so just decided to be super relaxed instead!