Chinese Accupuncture

[Briss]

Briss.....that's great. You won't regret it! Like you I found the whole concept of it very odd but am convinced that was our problem. Sorry I should have said I sent mine royal mail as well.

The 40 days of Doxy are worth doing .....they also put me on a 25 day course.

I THINK imsi/picsi and icsi are all included in the cost and used if needed.

Tarot, thanks! For some reason I thought there will be a combination of different antibiotics. but it seems like Penny wants my DH to take Doxycycline tbs 100mg x twice a day for 40 days + vitamins. Is this all? or did your DH have to take something else?

 

[Briss]

terripeachy, this is such a hard journey. I am not able to let go, to me it's like letting go of life itself… sad.

I continue to be very impressed with Penny, she called me last night and we had a lengthy discussion about our situation. no one has done it so thoroughly before I have to say. she is not very optimistic about this cycle as I have developed a cyst and she does not think I have an actual dominant follicle (Munich agrees with her actually). she was very encouraging of me doing natural IVF though in general. she also suggested DH tries her sperm improvement protocol before doing our next IVF. I am still insisting on trying this month because it's all due to a chance really if my egg is of good quality this cycle it can fix his sperm better than any protocol. Serum is quite pricey though at 3K per cycle natural or stim plus flights are more expensive than Munich or Prague. DH is not happy about it and I can understand the cost concerns here but so far I have received a lot of information specific to our situation and Penny has not charged anything yet. He is also not happy about taking antibiotics for 40 days but we tried everything else and it's not like he has to do injections or something.

 

[tarot]

Briss.....that's great. You won't regret it! Like you I found the whole concept of it very odd but am convinced that was our problem. Sorry I should have said I sent mine royal mail as well.

The 40 days of Doxy are worth doing .....they also put me on a 25 day course.

I THINK imsi/picsi and icsi are all included in the cost and used if needed.

Tarot, thanks! For some reason I thought there will be a combination of different antibiotics. but it seems like Penny wants my DH to take Doxycycline tbs 100mg x twice a day for 40 days + vitamins. Is this all? or did your DH have to take something else?

Briss.....My DH only took the Doxy for 40 days. Like your DH he was not keen,neither was I as we prefer a more holistic approach normally but he was so delighted to get his much improved sperm results he now is very glad he took Penny's advice.

He took 1000mg vit c and 400 Iu of Vit E and that was all..... along with the Doxy.You shouldn't eat or drink dairy or anything calcium based for a hour either side of the doxy as it reduces absorption.

My course at the same time was Doxy and the odd day of a hefty dose of Azithromycin in the protocol as well for 25 days.

 

[Juniperjules]

Hi ladies.. Haven't been in here for a while.. Am sorry to see that some of you have been having a pretty rough time of it lately..

Briss, for what it's worth- my OH & I also took doxy about 2 mths ago for an infection my FS discovered in a urine test I did.. It's called ureaplasma urealyticum, quite common apparently (my friend & her hubby also had it!).. Anyway, a little word of advice.. Make certain that you always take it with food, AND with a full glass of water.. I learned the hard way- I came home late one nite, had eaten two hours before, and absentmindedly swallowed one of the doxy with maybe 2 mouthfuls of water.. AND basically gave myself what felt like the start of an ulcer! For a whole week I could hardly eat anything at all I was getting such terrible oesophageal pain! I was swallowing antacids constantly, gaviscon particularly helped. Needless to say it is a VERY strong antibiotic, so be careful with it.. I'm a nurse- I should've known better, but it's easy to be on autopilot when ur swallowing God knows wot tablets & supplements every day!

AFM.. Have not been in here bcos I had a bit of a meltdown a couple of months ago.. Found out that I need a fallopian tube removed, that my OH has varicoceles (and therefore very low sperm count), and at the same time found out my younger sister had fallen pregnant without trying after 3 months off the pill. It's lovely news for her- she deserves all the happiness in the world... But all of this info at the same time just sent me to a very dark place for a few days initially- then a very low & negative place in subsequent weeks.

Currently have a date of 26/6 to have my tube removed, lap, hysteroscopy, D&C & dye studies. And we have an appt with the FS this Friday & will find out what she suggests for my OH's issue. I'm guessing she will say to go ahead with IVF as treatment for varicoceles isn't proven to be always effective... AND we don't have time to waste while he heals either. So IVF with ICSI looks like our best option, he'll probably need the biopsy extraction of sperm & I'm guessing she'll also suggest freezing sperm beforehand as well.

Am hoping things start to go our way sometime soon.. Am trying so hard to be hopeful & positive but sometimes all the bad news just bears down on you. Thankfully my OH is an absolute tower of strength. yesterday when we were wandering around shops talking casually about IVF stuff, he told me that if all else fails then he thinks he would agree to us using donor sperm. It was the first time that idea has even been mentioned. He said that he just wants me to be happy & to make me a mummy. That being parents is not just biological. (Mind u it's yet to be seen whether my eggs will be any good either.. But have been taking coq10 for over 12 mths & melatonin for 3 mths now, so here's hoping!)
I can't believe how lucky I got to have ended up with such an incredible man (having ended a 18 yr relationship at 38 yrs old!).. I try to remind myself that miracles DO happen- he was my first miracle!

It's nice to see familiar names in here- like seeing old friends. I hope the coming weeks & months bring positive outcomes for us all

 

[nobump]

JJ sorry to hear your going to loose a tube. Your OH sounds as though he is very supportive.


Afm. Had my fibroid removed last week. Hopefully that will put an end to the heavy bleeding. Not sure if we will do another cycle. Started to look at fostering or at least adverts for fostering are catching my attention. Maybe going to an info session next week end if I can talk hubby around.

How's everyone else doing?

 

[Juniperjules]

Thanks Nobump! I'm pretty ok about the tube removal now- was a bummer when I first found out- but at least explains why I've probably never been pregnant before despite never using contraception thru my 20's & 30's.. My ex had no sperm issues- so was probly all due to my tube. Maybe a blessing in disguise given that we aren't together now after all those years. I just want it out & sorted now so we can move onto the IVF cycle.

I also have looked into adoption/fostering etc after speaking to my psychologist. She suggested looking at other options for down the track 'just incase' we can't get pregnant. So that it doesn't feel like the end of the line kind of thing.. I think it's really important to at least know you have some other options. I hope ur hubby responds the way u want him to.

 

[Blythe]

nobump - how are you feeling since the removal of the fibroid? Has the bleeding been kept at bay - i so hope that this will lead the way to your longed for BFP I found out i have a polyp but it does not effect my cycles thankfully but i will look to get it removed. At the moment i am looking at £630 for a Hysteroscopy - im not even sure if that is good or not....i cannot wait for the NHS. Do you think that sounds reasonable?

JJ - so sorry to hear about the tube and it sounds like you had a s**t few months. It always seems to come in chunks....finding out about any pregnancy is dark for me [even famous people] but when it is a close friend or family i find it very difficult to deal with as it becomes difficult to switch off from it or ignore it.

Your chap sounds very special - re the donor sperm - now that is love. My DH does not give a hoot about genetics and said he would have no issue with donor sperm - it gave me a newfound respect for him.

I have read that even with a tube being removed the egg can migrate from one side to the other - isn't that incredible. I hope the appt on the 26th goes as well as can be expected and that you are able to move forward and get this show on the road.

 

[nobump]

Hi Blythe.
I am not sure if this is a good price or not. I have private medical insurance with work but needed to get thins pre approved. I see the fees for out patients and tests as I have a fixed limit for this then I need to pay excess. From what I recall. Initail consult was over 200 and ultrasound scan was just over 200. For my hysteroscopy and d&c although they approved the proceedure by the doc they noted to me that the anaesthetist needed to be fee assured. Think limit was190 anything above that I would have to cover. Will you be getting a GA? I also had a D&C so not sure if you can have it without.

Maybe phone round some other facilities.

JJ info session was interesting. DH even asked questions. They are going to follow up with us when we return from holiday.

I am starting to feel better. Even feel as if I have more energy than before. Not bleed yet. Hope it holds off til after our hols.

Hope you are all managing to catch some sunshine x

 

[Blythe]

NoBump - that is great news that you are starting to feel better....i cannot imagine the exhaustion from so much bleeding over such a long period of time.

I would be getting a GA which they charge £230 for or around that price. I will have a look around though to compare prices....although they always find some way of stinging you with unexpected costs.

sunshine has been a bit hit and miss in London this weekend and in my work i often spend the day in a basement....honestly whole seasons go by and i miss them!

Enjoy your hols x

 

[Vonn]

Hi ladies, haven't been on this thread in a while so I thought I'd check in.

Blythe--did you have the GA? I must admit I don't even know what that is, but I hope it helped if you had it done.

No bump--how is life without the fibroid? Much better, I hope!

Juniper--are you about to have your procedure soon? I hope you are feeling positive about it.

Briss--What's going on with you? Are you testing soon? It looks like you're due for AF, or hopefully a bfp!!

AFM--testing on Monday to see how my 4th IUI went. Had some stabbing bb pain a week ago, but nothing since. Not feeling like I'll get a positive. Two IUIs covered by insurance after this one, hoping to get multiple follicles. Have had a couple, but only one that's mature. I do that on my own, wishing for the meds to do more than that!

 

[nobump]

Blythe just to say AF arrived yesterday. Now have severe cramps. Pain started yesterday morning ahead of bleeding. Taking cocodomol and just took a mefenamic acid aas its to soon to take more cocodomol. Hoping it helps. Have follow up with surgeon next week so will check to see if this is normal. We are away at the moment so no hot water bottle available. BDing has also been a little painful, but think I am still healing.

Vonn GA is a general anaesthetic. Good luck with your test FX.

 

[Blythe]

Nobump. So sorry you are having so much pain. I hope it settles down and that the bleed is relatively normal post op.

Vonn thinking of you today

 

[nobump]

Blythe pleased to say pain has eased up and hoping is nearly done.

Vonn how are you doing?

Break away is doing us good. Not read through fostering stuff yet. Think I will take a look tomorrow when traveling. Heading home via London for 2 nights.

 

[Vonn]

Thanks for the thoughts, ladies. I had a negative blood test, so IUI #4 was a bust. On to #5, will be using follistim and menopur. I really want to stim at least two mature follicles. We'll see if my body will do that! I have 2 more insurance-covered IUIs. After that, IVF is out of pocket (either donor eggs or mine). I am REALLY hoping I can get lucky and find that one good egg!

 

[Juniperjules]

Hi ladies,
Vonn, sorry to hear you had a BFN. I hope it's lucky number 5 for you.. I know wot you mean about hoping for that one special egg..

My surgery is on Friday- thanks for remembering it's close : ) am getting a little nervous now but am sure it will all go well. My FS told us we can start IVF with my first AF after the procedure, so that's looking like mid July.

Am excited and petrified at the same time. A collegue at work just did her first IVF cycle after surgery to remove severe endo, and she got a BFP on Monday!!! She got 7 eggs, 2 fertilised, one transferred fresh & the other didn't make it to day 5 to be frozen.. Those numbers just scare the c#*p out of me. I mean she got a BFP, but if she hadn't it would've been back to square one again! and the costs involved in it all are just RIDICULOUS.

My girlfriend who also works with us is now starting her 2nd cycle next week.. So she'll be a few weeks ahead of me.. And she's also just had endo surgery. So the 3 of us are all doing IVF within weeks of each other. My natural thought process is to think ill be the one who it doesn't work for. They are both only 33 & I'm 40. My odds aren't great compared to theirs.

I'm trying to be positive but am feeling kind of low.. I guess it's the build up all starting to get to me. Last nite I was in tears reading about preimplantation genetic screening. The FS suggested we do it due to 'advanced maternal age'. It's $680 per embryo. Part of me feels like maybe SOME of this process should be left in the hands of God (I'm not OVERLY religious but I'm Catholic & it does mean something to me!) and another part of me thinks it would be crazy not to do it- it screens for aneuploidys, like Down's syndrome. Anyway thinking about it is making me crazy. I talked (well cried) to DP about it last night and hes gonna sit and have a good read about it all & together we'll talk about it.

Do u girls have opinions on genetic screening? I'd be interested to hear them. I guess one of my thoughts is that they don't guarantee anything. They acknowledge that it's not 100% accurate, and that it doesn't screen for everything. So Wots the point in doing it is my question I guess??

 

[alison29]

IF i was doing IVF i would do the genetic screen one less variable to conted with. Once you get your BFP at least you won't worry if their was something genetically wrong with the embryo that may cause miscarriage.

 

[Briss]

Juniperjules, just quickly to respond re genetic testing. Zita West's book has a very good chapter on this, she included interviews with various fertility specialists and their views on genetic testing. Basically the common view seems to be that it's a good idea if you have some known genetic diseases that run in the family which you want to avoid in your children. otherwise risks seem to outweigh the benefits. although having gone through MC recently I tend to think over 35s would also benefit as the level of chromosomal errors in sperm/egg seems a bit higher. I personally would not be able to do it as we do natural IVf so only one egg / one embryo. it makes sense if you have 8-15 eggs. the main risks are damage to healthy embryos + you would need to freeze all embryo while you wait for the results and some may not survive freezing. so again it does look like it makes sense if you have quite a few eggs to spare.

 

[Juniperjules]

Thanks ladies...

Briss, the PGS doesn't test for things like say Cystic fibrosis or other known genetic problems that run in families- preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) does test for those things though. Were not considering PGD, but PGS... We don't have any real concerns about genetic issues, it's more that the FS suggested PGS due to my age being 40, so it just 'screens' for chromosomal stuff like trisomy 21 and other aneuploidys. It says that once u rule out the embryos with chromosomal issues, the rate of live pregnancies is the same as in women in their 20's. It definitely seems like a really good idea. But then when u start reading up more it starts to get confusing with conflicting info. It's not cheap either, $680 per embryo- you have to pay $2,000 upfront in the hope that you get at least 3 embryos to test.... I'm thinking we probably will do it.. But I also feel like if it's not 100% accurate then Wots the point in that?... Seriously... So many decisions to make with this IVF game..

 

[Briss]

you are right but PGD and PGS are effectively the same procedure i.e. removing a few cells from an embryo for chromosomes/gene analysis and can be performed on the same sample so the risks i.e. damage to embryo during cell removal are the same. Have you looked into comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), it's the same as PGS but i hear it's somehow less traumatic for the embryo

 

[Vonn]

Juniper--how did the surgery go? I hope everything went perfectly and you are busy healing and preparing for your IVF cycle. I know how hard it can be to remain positive and hopeful, but try, try, try! Those follies/embies and our bodies and spirits need all the positivity in the world during this uber stressful TTC process!

Nobump--have you been free of pain and bleeding for a little while, at least? I hope so! Are you back home now?

Blythe & Alison--anything new going on with you two?

Briss--I'm chart-stalking with a smile.

AFM--I'm on day 7 of my menopur & follistim cycle. Had a scan today and nothing really growing yet. This is VERY weird since last month on follistim alone I had an 18 on day 7 & triggered that day. And this cycle, still only 4 little ones?! Strange! The dr upped my menopur dosage and I go back on Thursday. I haven't really been tracking my estrogen, but I'm gonna start asking what the results are. Had it done today so I'll ask on Thursday.