February/March Buddies

[sue e]

Tracii - great news that af, has finally arrived, so annoying waiting isnt it?

wishing you all the best

love

sue e xx

[fulloffaith]

Hey girls,

I have been sick all week!
So I have been stuck at home laying on the couch watching the million baby shows that are now on...feeling sorry for myself and balling my eyes out! So all the ladies on the shows who just weren't expecting to get pregnant now have their cute nurseries...blah blah blah! And to make it even worse I am PMSing!
And even though I am pretty much glaring at the T.V., I still continue to watch!! Glutton for punishment I guess!

But now I am feeling better today, have lost weight from being sick so I guess some good came out of it!! HAHA

Hope you girls had a much better week than I had!
Everyone have a great weekend and stay away from those baby shows...unless you need a good cry! HAHA


Allison

[Shellbell]

Good morning ladies! I have a question. This is my first try at IVF so it's all new to me. Is is really necessary to get extra rest during your whole IVF cycle, or is it mostly important after egg retrieval or embryo transfer? I'm just working alot of hours during this month and wanted to make sure it was ok for me (a couple of 60 hour weeks). Will this influence follicle stimulation?

Thanks - Michelle

[melliot7]

I have my class on Feb 8th. Hope to start cycle around mid to end of Feb.
1st IVF cycle.

Melissa

[Sand]

Hi Michelle ... Have you read Zita West's "Fertility and Conception". It's a really useful read - full of info and tips. She advises to take things easy throughout your cycle and to keep the abdomen warm. This encourages blood flow and great follies ! Then, get as much rest as poss between EC and ET to let your body recover ... After ET rest, rest and rest .. She reckons a minimum of 3 days bedrest rest and keep warm (although stop using a hot water bottle). She also advises on great nutrition and positive thinking. Her book's well worth the £15.

Good luck !

Sandra x

[fulloffaith]

Welcome Melissa!

Totally normal to be nervous but alot of us ladies have already been thru this and are on our 2nd and 3rd and more attempts.
So hopefully we can help you out!
Once you get going with the whole process, shots, blood tests, etc. you'll become more relaxed. It was actually a pretty exciting thing going thru it all for me but unfortunetly I got a BFN.
Be positive is the best advice I can give you.
We are around the same age...if I can ask what is your fertility problem?

Allison

[Shellbell]

Hi Melissa and welcome. It looks like we may be cycling close together! I start my stimulating meds around the 12th of Feb. It will be my first attempt at IVF/ICSI as well. It's so nice to have this support network. Even though friends/family are always a positive support they don't really know what we're going through and how stressful it is. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Sandra, thank you for the advice on does & don'ts! I knew I probably needed to take it easy. Don't want to take any risks!

I'm getting so excited, only 8 days until I start the follicle stimulating shots!!! I'm counting down!

Michelle

[NickiMark]

All the best girls with everything! xxx

[cmg]

just a quickie to say, Kate - how did FET go. Did the embies thaw out ok and how many did you have put back. I hope you are on your 3 days with your feet up, but let us know how it all went when you get a chance.

love Caroline

[Tracii]

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying warm. It has been so cold in Austria and Germany. We haven't been above 0 since mid-December (atleast near Munich and Vienna) - and there is no end in sight I am trying to track down hotwater bottles for when I start stimming to keep my tummy warm at all times. I ordered some from the internet (which DH will love b/c they have the union jack as warm covers )...I just hope they arrive on time. I will go into the city on Monday and search high and low as well - I am on a mission

I am officially on day 16 of DRing...and getting incredible headaches around 4pm which last until the AM. This time my LH should be controllable. AF also came with a vengeance...but I keep visualizing the clearing out of the uterus for the next 'shag carpet' to be laid with nice sticky edges to grab and hold that embryo (or embryos ).

DH is off to the US until next Friday. So I am in Munich staying busy with some projects....I do miss him but at times it is better that he is not here..esp. when the hormones (or lack of when DRing) kick in.

Happy Sunday

[Kate21]

Hi Girls,

Just to let you know the FET went really well. They took 2 frosties out and both defrosted fine, although they did reduce from 4 cell to 3 cell. The clinic said this is quite normal and as long as they continue to divide they will be fine. Only problem is I won't know if they continued to divide or not, at least not until my test date!!

The actual transfer went really smoothly, they struggled last time - my bladder was too full!! So, now its just a waiting game. I do feel so much more relaxed than last time, although it is only 3 days into the wait...I may not be saying that this time next week!

Caroline - hows things going with you?

Allison - I know what you mean about baby programmes, see it as education. When our time comes to be pregnant we will know lots of tricks of the trade It is a nightmare hearing about these women who just 'fall' pregnant, being a teacher I've had to watch two 14yr olds get pregnant through one night stands - life just is unfair sometimes. Our time will come

Tracii - how are the headaches? Got any easier?

Sending lots of PMA to everyone else I've missed
Kate

[cmg]

Yo Kate - 2 out and both thawed! That's great news and really gives me hope for my two little bundles of cells. I hope you're getting plenty of rest. When do you test - do you have to wait the full two weeks?

I have started stick-peeing to detect my LH surge. Was it you who recommended digital ovulation kits? Can't recall who it was, but they really are good. So much easier than all that faffing about trying to judge whether one line is darker than the other. I have to test twice a day for some reason. So far, no sign, which I'm really pleased about as I really want ET to be Thurs or Fri as that fits in with me better and gives me the weekend to put my feet up. If the LH surge had been today that would have meant Wed ET which would have been a real pest. It's odd though, because even though all weekend I've wanted it to be negative, the test seems so much like a pregnancy test kit that I get this anxious feeling waiting for the result and for a fleeting moment I want it to be positive. Just the ritual of it makes me anxious, so the real thing is going to be horrible.

Anyway, hope everyone's had a nice weekend. Started to feel like spring here which was lovely.

Caroline

[NickiMark]

Ahh Digi LH wee sticks, I will have to get 'em next tmt cycle. Darker lines do my head in!!!!

But those digi OV kits aren't in all chemists are they????

where did u buy yours???

[cmg]

Got mine in Boots, Nicki - even the smaller branch had them. Never seem to find them in supermarkets - they seem to do about 3 kinds of HPT but no OV kits.

I wish they made refills for them. It's about £22 for a pack of 7, but with the digi kits you get a separate main bit and attach a new end bit to pee on each time. Surely they could sell a refill pack of another 7 end bits and you could just keep the main part. Cheaper and less wasted plastic.

Caroline

[Tracii]

Kate - congrats on ET Now the fun waiting game My clinic acutally likes you to have a completely empty blatter for ET...they ask you several times to go I think every doctor is different in the way they like to work. Time to kick your feet up and relax. I am sending tons of baby dust and sticky vibes!:D

Caroline - I hope everything goes to plan and FET happens near the end of the week. You are so lucky it is starting to feel like Spring...I am very jealous as I look out the window with snow falling down I like snow but it has been a horrible winter here...but on the positive side it could mean a nice warm summer

One more day until ultrasound and blood check. I am definitely more relaxed this time...but also more aware of what is happening and not so freaked out about EC. Last time I was also working - I quit in May - so I don't have the added stress.

Happy Monday - I am off in search of my hot water bottle