The Vasectomy Reversal Wives & Girlfriends Club. aka (VR WAGs)

[ElmoBumpToBe]

Hi! So funny that you replied today as I was just coming on to post again. So my feelings about letting things lie lasted for about six weeks but my desire to create another baby seems to be as strong as ever so I just don't think I can mess about anymore. We have talked again and hubbies agreed to going back for an appointment next month to do our blood tests and take things to the next step!

Look forward to hearing about the SA and that is such good news that you have seen some swimmers!

Rachy hope to hear an update from you soon!! xx

 

[Pitterpatter5]

Hey ladies,

I've done the silent thing for a while too... We are now about to hit our O window #10! tbf feeling pretty s*^ty, both me and hubby thought it would have happened by now, especially after what we were told were OK sa results! I went to a specialist last week as we are both impatient and seeing as where we are (expats in KSA) I just requested the consultant, told him what I wanted and voila, bloods and ultrasounds done, so far he can find no reason why I'm not falling, so he now wants to retest the hubby as its been 4 months since his last sample and 11 months since the op, fingers crossed the little guys are still there! He thinks it highly likely he has a problem as I have conceived and carried without problems previously and nothing has shown in any of the tests so far! I'm cd11 today and tom he wants to check I'm almost ready to ovulate so another yucky ultrasound. I have my fingers crossed its just a case of the consultant saying stick with it a little longer!

 

[rachy28]

Hi ladies, im half way through my FET cycle now.Day 14 down regulation & Waiting for af so i can have my baseline scan then start estrogen. Im very late of course, nothings gone to plan so far. I expect transfer to be pushed back a week so around December 7th-11th.

Elmo, great news, glad you haven't thrown in the towel just yet 😉

Vickie, I think your destined for a Christmas or new year bfp, just make sure dh is cleaning his pipes regularly.

Pitterpatter, sometimes you need to look deeper at the sa results, were you given them? Some specialist just look at numbers, motility & morphology but problems after vr tend to lie in viscosity, agglutination and white cell count. As Elmo and I know, great numbers dont necessarily mean everything's fine. We have normal count, motility and morph but severe immunological infertility due to antisperm antibodies. Many clinics dont test for antibodies so you may need to specifically ask for the Mar test xx

 

[live_in_hope]

Hi! So funny that you replied today as I was just coming on to post again. So my feelings about letting things lie lasted for about six weeks but my desire to create another baby seems to be as strong as ever so I just don't think I can mess about anymore. We have talked again and hubbies agreed to going back for an appointment next month to do our blood tests and take things to the next step!

Look forward to hearing about the SA and that is such good news that you have seen some swimmers!

Rachy hope to hear an update from you soon!! xx

aww elmo I guess taking that step back has made you see things clearly and to you, its that you cant wait and you need to get things going! Thats a good thing though, that you were able to step back for a bit and look at things/revaluate things. Wishing you both thest of luck with the tests etc. Keep us posted wont you xxxxx

Hey ladies,

I've done the silent thing for a while too... We are now about to hit our O window #10! tbf feeling pretty s*^ty, both me and hubby thought it would have happened by now, especially after what we were told were OK sa results! I went to a specialist last week as we are both impatient and seeing as where we are (expats in KSA) I just requested the consultant, told him what I wanted and voila, bloods and ultrasounds done, so far he can find no reason why I'm not falling, so he now wants to retest the hubby as its been 4 months since his last sample and 11 months since the op, fingers crossed the little guys are still there! He thinks it highly likely he has a problem as I have conceived and carried without problems previously and nothing has shown in any of the tests so far! I'm cd11 today and tom he wants to check I'm almost ready to ovulate so another yucky ultrasound. I have my fingers crossed its just a case of the consultant saying stick with it a little longer!

hey pitterpatter! :wave:
Sorry you're feeling pretty shitty about it all at the min it truly is one of the hardest journeys to go down in life....the waiting, the not knowing...we all want that end result and for some, it comes so easily...keeping everything crossed that hubbys sa is as good as it was before are you temping? I cant remember if you were or not...xx

 

[live_in_hope]

Hi ladies, im half way through my FET cycle now.Day 14 down regulation & Waiting for af so i can have my baseline scan then start estrogen. Im very late of course, nothings gone to plan so far. I expect transfer to be pushed back a week so around December 7th-11th.

Elmo, great news, glad you haven't thrown in the towel just yet 😉

Vickie, I think your destined for a Christmas or new year bfp, just make sure dh is cleaning his pipes regularly.

Pitterpatter, sometimes you need to look deeper at the sa results, were you given them? Some specialist just look at numbers, motility & morphology but problems after vr tend to lie in viscosity, agglutination and white cell count. As Elmo and I know, great numbers dont necessarily mean everything's fine. We have normal count, motility and morph but severe immunological infertility due to antisperm antibodies. Many clinics dont test for antibodies so you may need to specifically ask for the Mar test xx

hey rachy! Wow we're all on today! sorry things havent gone quite to plan, but it still all sounds like its wel underway! Roll on dec!!
Dya know, we joked about it but hubbys last vr was in sept and i conceived boxing day...if i were to conceive this xmas, that would be all 4 of us with birthdays in the same week in sept.....my family would officially disown me! i keep asking hubby if hes 'keeping himself regular' lol and he says he is....he knows the importance so i am trusting him. I might scope again in the week...il have to send you the vid of what i took afew weeks ago, see what you think feeling quite relaxed about things right now....i joined slimming world in aug....lost just over a stone and i feel so dofferent. Im comfy in size 12s and am smaller than i was before i even got preg with Emily! id rather be pregnant but until then....lol

 

[rachy28]

A full week of celebrations, Id rather have it that way! I make alan clean his pipes every other day, im just not in the mood to help because of the hormones but he's been amazing through everything. He's still religiously taking his vitamins and he must be doing something right because he still had a good count at egg collection. I was extremely nervous after you went through the blockage and disappearing sperm situation that it may have happened to us. Thankfully that wasn't the case so no sperm extraction needed. Its a good job tbh because I wouldn't have thought he'd have been comfortable enough to drive back home from London after that!

I finally got my driving license back after a 6 month ban following my second cardiac arrest. I haven't driven far because im quite apprehensive now. I think i was a little nieve the first time because I assumed it wouldn't happen again.
Id love to see your hubby's sperm Well, you know what I mean 😂😂😂 If we had a microscope id look every time he did his maintenance xx

 

[Pitterpatter5]

Well, I dug deeper.... I asked the surgeon to send me the full SA report, a guess whet they didn't tell me, agglutination is 100 so I assume that =100% or screwed!
I'm so mad right now, all they needed to say was there's a problem, how can you say you've got a good chance of pregnancy if the buggers can't swim?!
I guess at least we've found out what the problem is now.... I just knew something wasn't good, I should have trusted my gut from the beginning... Anyway, here's the results from the SA in July.

V 4ml
PR 4/5/6/5 - 25.8%
NP 3/2/0/1.7
IM 14/12/12/12.7 19.4x10(6)
TSN 776. X10(6)
Total motility 34.5%
Morphology 8%
Agglutination 100 ( can't read scribble but looks like tot)

Does this make any sense?! I can't link to the pic for some reason so typed it exactly!
It lists the who values for ref. after...

 

[rachy28]

We were told the same thing after dh's reversal, our surgeon said he expected us to be pregnant within 6 months with results like ours! I just knew something was wrong because of the agglutination which he dismissed so after a year ttc, I went to my gp and ordered another semen analysis. Our local clinic noted the agglutination then proceeded to do the Mar test which revealed 100% IgG & 72% IgA Antisperm antibodies.
We tried everything to help our chances of a natural pregnancy but nothing has helped.
The good news is, AsAb's do not affect fertility rates when undergoing icsi so there is a way around this problem xx

 

[Pitterpatter5]

I have my fingers and toes crossed for a miracle... Hubby will need to do another SA this week after I O ( we want to continue naturally until it's all checked) and then we will have it confirmed but overall feeling pretty crap, don't have the finances for ICSI so we are going to have to sit down and have a proper heart to heart about where we go next or if we decide to let it be!
We are british expats in KSA so I'm curious to know what they would charge compared to the UK... I have friends who've successfully been through Ivf but this is a step up again!

 

[live_in_hope]

We were told the same thing after dh's reversal, our surgeon said he expected us to be pregnant within 6 months with results like ours! I just knew something was wrong because of the agglutination which he dismissed so after a year ttc, I went to my gp and ordered another semen analysis. Our local clinic noted the agglutination then proceeded to do the Mar test which revealed 100% IgG & 72% IgA Antisperm antibodies.
We tried everything to help our chances of a natural pregnancy but nothing has helped.
The good news is, AsAb's do not affect fertility rates when undergoing icsi so there is a way around this problem xx

rachy im so glad you're here to explain it all...i dont know much about sa's....i was nieve after the first vr and we only received count and motility...as you know, both poor figures...would have been interesting to see what the others figures were. This time around, and knowing a lot more, i am worried about the probs we may have to face after decembers sa...as this vr was really our last chance...thats the reality and im feeling quite nutural about it all...
Good news that hubby does it every day...i dont think sean is that regular...but we'll see...ill ask subtly...
God news on getting your license back! Yer taking it steady is prob a good thing, you'll get your confidence back in no time xxx..

I have my fingers and toes crossed for a miracle... Hubby will need to do another SA this week after I O ( we want to continue naturally until it's all checked) and then we will have it confirmed but overall feeling pretty crap, don't have the finances for ICSI so we are going to have to sit down and have a proper heart to heart about where we go next or if we decide to let it be!
We are british expats in KSA so I'm curious to know what they would charge compared to the UK... I have friends who've successfully been through Ivf but this is a step up again!

hey im so sorry hunny i hope the cnfirmation comes with some hope of a way forward for you both xxx i live in hope that we all get our miracle babies and soon! Xxxx

 

[Pitterpatter5]

Good morning ladies,

So..... Specialist looked at the results of the SA, atm says he doesn't have a problem and that pregnancy is still achievable?! As the rest of the numbers look ok... He says he has asked for a more detailed inspection of the clumping when oh gives his second sample next week...
Me.... He did another internal ultrasound, we can see a 16mm egg which he says should be released in 2-4 days and to continue to bd! He did however say that my ovarian reserve is on the lower end of normal for my age (32) and doesn't want to wait too long before giving us a helping hand

He then wants me to have a hystography?! ( sorry if it's wrong)the one where they pump dye in to check my tubes if I don't fall this month after my next af...

Hubby is completely against IVF and says he will only consider IUI for sperm washing purposes...

Suppose for the moment we just have to keep going! After a meltdown yesterday I've dusted myself off and we have agreed to giving it another 6months before we (I) panick again! Especially as hubby has said he will only agree to minor interventions...

The consultant has now also put the hubby on vit c as well as his regular vitamins and maca powder to give him the best chance.... Fx'd for us all ladies!

Thanks for letting me let off some steam, I think the oh thinks I've lost it sometimes! X

 

[live_in_hope]

hey hun, rant away, better out than in most definitely!!
Im pleased you are getting some answers and things are going forward with you both. He sounds very knowledgable and understands the urgency which is good hope the sa goes well next week! You'll be in your tww then !

I must share the news of a woman i work with......she is in her late 30s/very early 40s (im guessing) has been trying for children for decades, numerous failed ivf (4 i think) and has recently started adoption proceedings.....she then started showing signs of the change....went to the doctors and found out she was pregnant! I cried when i found out, never been so happy for somebody.... the dr said that as she was going through the change, her body chucked out a load of hormones that helped her conceive.... No real point to this other than miracles happen and when you leaset expect them! I wish us all our little miracles xxx

 

[Pitterpatter5]

That's such a great story! It shows that somewhere out there there's a silver lining for everyone when you least expect it!!!

 

[Sol-fee]

Hi Ladies, not been about for a while. Been trying not to focus on TTC too much (if only that worked!). We are now a year and a half since DH's reversal and nothing has happened. We decided to go back to GCRM where we had the reversal done and start looking at IVF. They redone my AMH levels which were still high so all good there and they seemed to think all was ok with me. They said they were surprised nothing had happened given Dh's last SA results though so done another one just to be sure. Unfortunately his count has dropped to 0.5x10^6 so very low. They think due to scar tissue build up. We were told it was a risk but we had a week of being pretty devastated.

However we are now on the ICSI train! Have our consent appointment on Monday next week and hopefully starting on antagonist protocol in January. Costing an absolute fortune but keeping everything crossed that this will work for us. The clinic seem confident that we have a good chance.

Hopefully will have some more information after Monday.

 

[Pitterpatter5]

Hey sol-fee,

Sorry to hear hubby's numbers have dropped so much, I have all my fingers and toes crossed that it all works out for you... I am waiting for hubby to go and give another sample and then we will know where we stand, so far we havnt even had a hint of a bfp but I'm praying every night that we get lucky!

Keep us posted on how the appointment goes x

 

[Sol-fee]

Thanks Pitterpatter, was quite a shock as his numbers etc were so good at the 3 month point. At that point we had nearly 24 million per ml with 53% motility, 80% abnormal and less than 5% agglutination. We always knew it was a long shot with the time since his vasectomy but those numbers gave us hope. Never mind though, hopefully we will get there somehow!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you too! Hope the second sample gives you some answers at least!

 

[rachy28]

Hi Sol, welcome back! Ive just done my first icsi cycle after almost 3 years post reversal. Im currently in the middle of my FET and plan on bringing our snowbaby home in 3 weeks!
Good luck with your appointment on monday *my baseline scan day and first day of estrogen* & fingers crossed for your first cycle xx

 

[CharlieB32]

Hey ladies,

Sorry I have not been active on the board, the whole process has literally drained me and I just didn't want to keep hearing and seeing about ttc

Rachy - thats amazing that you have gone through the ICSI, how did you find it with the injections and side effects etc?

Vic - hey partner! how are you? one month until your SA and you've seen swimmers when scoping - thats awesome!! I tried scoping but I couldn't see any movement so I don't think our redo has worked although hubby did his 3 month SA yesterday so we will get the results next week.

However, we have decided to go for ICSI/IVF and have our initial consultation on Dec 4th. I came on today after a 15 day luteal phase ( I thought I was in luck this month and that it had happened but clearly not), so I have to ring the clinic on Monday in order to go and have my pelvic assessment scan and AMH blood test then Dec 4th we will know what we are looking at cost wise. We don't have the money but hubby has said he will find it. We've just paid off the first op with Mr Harriss and I would like to pay this one off before we start ICSI but I don't think we will be able to. Once we get the SA results then I can either keep the consultation appt if it a zero as we expect or cancel it if he has good results and all I'll have had done is the pelvic scan and AMH so thats not a bad thing as at least I will know how I am looking fertility wise

Hey Sol - looks like we are on the train together! Will be nice to have someone to go through this with as I don't know anyone who has been through it and my family are less than supportive at this stage as they are worried about the drugs side effects and I think they think that just because we have two children already we should be happy with our lot. Well you know what I am, I am so blessed to have conceived two little miracles naturally, but we made a mistake with the vasectomy and we are now prepared to do whatever we can to give our two more siblings.

Vic - when I scoped this is what i saw at I think 300X what do you think it is as I'm sure thats not a swimmer at that low magnification?

Anyway ladies, I'm back to support you all now and sorry I stuck my head up my ass to avoid the inevitable when I could've been offering words of support to all of you xx

 

[rachy28]

Hey Charlie, welcome back.

Honestly, the injections are fine if not a little tedious when you've been doing them a while. The only drug i got a side effect off was the Suprecur (buserelin) injections. This drug basically puts you into a temporary state of menopause so you get disturbed sleep, acne and hot flushes. Once you start stims though, those side effects disappear. I wouldn't worry because they are only hormones and the majority of them are naturally derived. I have a severe heart disease and ive coped amazingly well.

If my embryo fails to thaw or implant, then i have to cycle again. I've decided to give my body a recovery period so probably won't cycle again until late February/early March. Anyway, im super excited about going for my baseline scan on Monday *Vag-Cam* and starting estrogen. I feel like im one step closer to bringing my baby home.

I hope you get a fantastic SA result and wont need icsi but just in case you do, I wish you all the luck with everything xx

 

[CharlieB32]

That's good that you've had a relatively easy time of it on the side effects side of things hun, fingers crossed your embryo sticks!
I'm having my pelvic assessment scan, AMH and hormone bloods done today so we are *vag-cam*ing it together haha!

What is the baseline scan for?

Thanks for your wished on the SA results, I'm still keeping everything crossed - should have the results by Friday but I hope they hurry up, the waiting is so tedious!

When do you go for your embyro transfer?

xx