The Over 40 Crowd

[geckogirl]

Sunseeker - So happy for your little ones snuggling in...... We are very close in this cycle. I test on the 17th.

Update....We had our transfer today and all 10 embryos survived to day 3. We transfered 6 embies - 4 grade 1A 8 celled and 2 grade 1B 8 celled. The remaining four will stay in culture until day 5 and if they make it, they will freeze them. I am really excited and much more relaxed than last time. For now I am taking it easy in bed with my movies and little poodle....

Take care everyone!

[Kat]

Hi all
Wow - loads happening on here again!
Geckogirl - 6 transferred - surely one will be THE one...
Ali - hope the 2ww is going OK - did you manage to get away? I have only been to Mallorca once, last year in fact, but will go back at some point to do some more exploring as it was really beautiful. AF cramps don't mean anything one way or the other - I have spent many an hour on this site looking up 2ww symptoms and they can be so different for different people on each cycle.

Tammy, Yasmina, Bev, keep posting those photos! Anna - want to see pics of Matthew too...

Jen, Sonia, everyone else, hi, hope you are having a good weekend - bank holiday here in the UK though you wouldn't know it from the weather. Sunny while we're at work, cloudy at the weekend - that's the good old British weather for you! Might manage a little cycle ride later on if it brightens up.
As for me, I am fine, counting down to my trip to Singapore, trying to lose more weight before I go. DH is off for the weekend mountain biking in Italy so the cat and I have the place to ourselves. My parents came round yesterday and we went for a walk over the fields which was very pleasant.
Still 3 pg ladies at work who must be about to start leaving soon by the size of them... hopefully this was just a whole batch that came at once and there won't be any for ages now...
Lots of love
Kat xx

[BevT]

Hi all, have just posted 3 pics of Wills on the photobucket. Couldn't work out how to put them on this thread as Yasmina did!!

Kat, good to hear from you, you sound very upbeat at the moment. So true what you say about British weather. It looks like it is about to pour down here in Lincolnshire. How's the weight loss doing? Any pointers you can send my way will be gladly received - I know, I know, eat less and do more exercise! How boring. Wish there was a short cut, I'm fed up with wearing all my "fat" clothes. I need a new wardrobe but reluctant to go and buy any more tents.

Geckogirl, wow, 6 embies. As Kat says, there is bound to be one in there that will make it. Wishing you lots of babydust and try and stay relaxed.

Ali, good luck with your 2 ww also. Will be keeping everything crossed for the 15th!

Yasmina, Wills is starting to suck his thumb also - so cute! The only trouble is you can ween them off a pacifier and ultimately take it away, not so with thumbs and fingers. I know what your DH means though, I prefer not to see babies/toddlers with pacifiers/dummies/soothers etc. Hope Eloise is well.

Hi Sonia, sorry can't help you with your prolactin levels, but wishing you lots of luck for your first appointment.

Tammy, Andrew could be teething early. Wills is dribbling a lot now and also sucking/chewing on his fist. I keep looking for the signs of little teeth but apparently the discomfort can start a long while before the teeth actually appear. Poor darlings, I'm not looking forward to the teething stage, it's so sad when Wills is hurting, I don't know what to do to comfort him other than lots of cuddles. He really screamed after his last lot of imunisations, with real tears too.

Hi to everyone else here.

Better close as it's nearly time for William's bath.

Bev xxx

[jen babes]

Geko girl and Ali good luck to you both on your 2ww...hope these embies are snuggled in already. It is a difficult time but try and keep busy watch dvd's, bake, phone a friend and as soeone else said think happy thoughts to that area. GOOD LUCK and much ***BABY DUST***. Ali testing 15th May when are you testing gekogirl?

Kat good to hear that you are still exercising and doing well on your slimming...Go Girl...Not long to your hols now. you are going to have a FAB time. I would love to go to singapore

sonia- sorry i can't help you with prolactin levels...the only thing i found out from the Zita West 'Bible" is that prolactin is made in the pituitary it stimulates the production of progesterone. It can be higher at certain times of the month the 'luceal phase ' when the follies have just popped. If very high it can signify PCOS and can interfere with natural ovulation. AS this ( i think) doesn't effect you i would go with what your consultant said and it's okay. Hope you have sorted out hotels etc...Yes i have to pay for tests as i have had my share of 2 full fresh ivf's on our national health system( NHS). Don't know how much yet but expect a couple of hundred pounds. Hope to be seeing my New GP this week for a refferal.will keep in touch. Good luck with your 1st appointment...when is it?

Bev-I am on the lap top at the moment so looking at photos will have to wait till i am on the PC, as they take ages to upload on this . looking forward to seeing how Wills is growing!!!!! Also will need to stick a few of my wedding photos on But i ain't to good at the electronic stuff...
Adam and i lived on the south side of Glasgow until last September when we moved to North East Scotland Forres. It's very like Devon/Cornwall here with warmer weather sea but mountains too! It's made such a great change to the quality of our lives. we love the outdoors and it's only 45mins from the ski-ing and mountainbike center at Aviemore.

Love to everyone else...gotta go as a friend has poppped in

love jen
xxxxx

[teachertam]

Ali & Geckogirl: Good luck on your 2 week wait!!!!!!!! We are hoping for BFP for both of you.

Bev: I saw Wills' photos on photobucket. He is adorable!

Kat: Good to hear from you.

Yasmina: How do you get the photos to attach smaller. When I attached photos of Andrew last time, they came out very large. I hope Eloise is doing well.

Anna: How are you and William doing?

Hello to Jen.

Hello to everyone else.

Regards,
Tammy

[Catharine]

Hey Everyone-
I'm on week 2 without a job and so far so good. My sleeping habits are off since I no longer have to get up so early to start the work day. Have had 2 job offers, one for considerably lower pay more hours and responsibility the other more pay and greater growth potential, just waiting on the paper work

Ali and Geckogirl- crossed fingers as you progress through the 2ww

DH had his evaulation and much to our disappointment this was the worst result since the begining; low sperm #, low motility, horrible morphology. This really perplexed his urologist who works with my RE and hit us hard, particularly DH. He just so wants to fix the problems and move on to the happily ever after part. So, he's now slated for genetic screening for Y chromosome microdeletions. What's this mean? He is not a candidate for IUI, however he still is a candidater for ICSI/IVF. If he indeed does have the microdeletions he risks passing this trait on to any sons if we are so blessed. Sadly, I am an excellent candidate for IUI and now that I've reached that magical age of 43 I am no longer a candidate for IVF unless we consider donor eggs. What a delima.

Which brings me to a question for the group. Everyone has been so helpful sharing their personal experiences along with their protocols and I hope I can draw a bit more from you lovely ladies. Has anyone heard of or used low dose of RU486 in their IVF protocols. It is used to delay the endometrial progression during IVF treatment, thus increasing the odds of embryo implantation? What you say? Yes RU486 at low doses has been reported by a group at USC [University of Southern California] to delay the effects of progesterone on the endometrial lining by 2 days. Essentially this treatment increases the probablity of embryo implantation by leaving the window of endometrial receptivity open a little longer for implanation.

Our next appointment with RE is in June and I will bring this up with her.

Thanks and All the best to everyone.

Catharine

[geckogirl]

Catherine - I am so sorry to hear of your DH troubles. What I don't understand is why you aren't a candidate for IVF? There are clinics here that allow women to try (if three day FSH levels are ok) with their own eggs until 45. I just finished a fresh cycle with my own eggs and am 43.

[Catharine]

Hey Geckogirl-
Interesting, is this in California? I'm in Georgia and unfortunately, I've heard the same statement from our local clinics I know several couples here jump between the clinics trying to get the magic bullet treatment---it breaks my heart everytime I meet a couple frantically trying at all costs to conceive. Sadly, I look in the mirror and realize I too fall into this category, but with a limited window of opportunity as well as fincances.

I'd appreciate clinic names to research on this topic.

Thanks again. All help and advice is most welcome.
Catharine

[geckogirl]

Catherine,

Yes my clinic is in California. I know that Kaiser, Stanford and Pacific Fertility all allow women to try into their early 40"s. Kaiser recommends a cut off age of 42, Pacific Fertility a cut off age of 45 it all testing is ok. I know for myself, my doctor encouraged me to try with my own eggs and if that doesn't work to consider donor eggs later, but I had really, really good test numbers on the clomid challenge test and all the other testing they did. I would assume that if this cycle doesn't work we would be greatly encouraged to try the donor route which we probably will. For now I am just trying to stay positive that this cycle might work! Good luck!

[sunseeker]

Hiya
Thanks to everyone for their good wishes, I had forgotten how difficult this 2WW is. You try and concentrate on other things but it doesn't quite work does it!
We did get away for a couple of nights this weekend which was lovely - a change of scenery did us both good I think. We arrived at our hotel (which was lovely by the way if anyone fancies a real get away from it all break in the mountains - gorgeous) and were met by the owner - a very heavily pregnant lady. She told us she's expecting twins next month and DH was telling her about our treatment and it turned out she had seen the same doctor and same clinic as us - spookey huh?! She kept saying I'm sure it will work for us and not to worry everything will be fine - I really hope she is right. It was so weird as she made us both feel quite excited and then you get scared about being excited. I have had all sorts of twinges and odd feelings but the AF cramps have subsided - it's all so confusing and you can become paranoid so easily.
Geckogirl - we are really close aren't we - lets hope our little embies are well and truly snuggled in now - and we both have some fabulously happy news next week. Are you resting up or do you have to go back to work?
Kat - where did you go to in Mallorca last year - it is a lovely island and we are still discovering new places to go, it's an island of many contrasts.
Jen babes - thanks for the baby dust!
Take care everyone,
lol Ali xx

[Kat]

OK, why is it that just when you really start to get yourself back on your feet, something comes along and pulls the rug right out from under you again?
A good friend/colleague of mine, who I see every day and who I sit close to and who knows all about my ivf failures, m/c etc etc told me today she is 5 wks pg. She told me because she went for a scan as she was really uncomfortable and in pain so v worried but turns out her levels are rising as they should be and she has to go back for a scan in 3 weeks. She has been so very supportive to me over the years and I love her to bits and I really hope she has a healthy pregnancy so why am I in such a mess about it?

Because she came off the pill 3 months ago.
I give up
Kat x

[children]

Kat, that is why we need this site to be supportive to each other. It is normal that you could not completely happy about your friend's happy news simply because it hurts too much - it reminds you even more than anyone else who is far away that you are still struggling for your own. I do not remember whether you have mentioned that you are looking for alternatives? I am constantly thinking about getting my second child soon through adoption because the line is getting longer. In the US, more than 20,000 babies are internationally adopted in year 2006 and this number won’t get smaller!

Bev, I saw Wills and he is adorable, his eyes are very bright! About the photo, as I told Tammy, I simply copy the image code of each pic and paste to my post.

Anna, is everything ok?

Tammy, I also saw more pics of Andrew and he had two shots only? Eloise had three and she had bright red and colorful bandages - although they may not help for relieving her pains. Oh, I used Photoshop to decrease the photo size before I upload to photobucket.

Ali and Geckogirl, fingers are crossed for you and keep the faith. May your 2ww flies by!

One funny thing is that my hubby says it’s no fair that everyone exclaims when Eloise burps, farts, pees, and even poops yet frowns when he does the same. Eloise is fine and I am still breastfeeding her exclusively which is a bit hard for me as I am working full time now. I pump 3 times a day/3~4 oz each time and feed her in the night, 3~4 times she could go without feeding in the night, but I feed her because I don’t mind doing so. She does not open her eyes in the night so I can go back to sleep within 30 min mostly of the time. Eloise threw up only once after my Aunt arrived 3 weeks ago. I am not sure whether this is because Eloise is getting older or my Aunt is just great with babies! Here she comes ....

[Kat]

Yasmina - Eloise just gets more and more beautiful!
Thanks for your kind words - I feel so selfish thinking of myself and how I will feel in the coming months and not thinking about how she is feeling.
I did a lot of crying last night and am not really sure how I feel this morning. My way of dealing with this before has been to try and ignore the person and the fact they are pregnant and that has been OK because they haven't been friends and haven't worked in the same room. This one will be different.

Ali - some of my favourite places that I remember in Mallorca were Soller and around there in the mountains, Deia, Formentor and then Cala Figuera (the best calamari a la plancha ever), Cala Santanyi in the southwest and round there, infact there were so many lovely places but those are some that have stuck in my mind.

Let's see what today brings ... one day closer to my holiday anyway so life isn't all bad

Kat xx

[sunseeker]

Kat - it's so difficult when a close friend/colleague makes an announcement like that isn't it. A very good friend of ours announced she was pregnant at her husbands birthday celebration and it really caught me unawares (to say the least) and I felt like everyone was looking at me and asking me if I already knew etc, which I didn't. I ended up spending most of the rest of the night sobbing in the loos which is not like me at all but we are all so emotionally charged I guess. So don't feel bad about not feeling all lovely thoughts - you wouldn't be normal if you did, if you know what I mean! Also, in some ways it's easier spending a lot of time with that person because you have to face it and watch them grow and share the experience with them and although it's not easy in some ways it's easier than seeing someone every now and then and not know what to say as you watch them grow, take care and I'm sure your friend understands any mixed emotions you may have - she probably felt so awkward about telling you her news too.
Yasmina - Eloise is lovely!!
lol Ali xxx

[BevT]

Kat - I agree with what Ali has said - you may find it easier to be closer to your friend through her pregnancy. I know that you would not begrudge her but I do understand how you feel. I had the same experiences with several friends over recent years and although I was truly delighted for them, I did feel envious. I tried not to, but you just can't help it. After the m/c's and losing Trini, I found the easiest way for me to deal with other friend's pregnancies and babies was to stay in contact, be involved (to a degree) and to go visit them straight away after the birth and hold them in my arms. It made me cry (I'm filling up now) but I was scared that if I didn't make myself do it, I would never be able to see them again. You know that we all feel your pain and I really really wish there was something I could do to make your dreams come true. Take care of yourself.x

Yasmina, Eloise is so so beautiful!! How old is she now - I can't remember but I think she is a similar age to Wills. He was born 23rd Jan. I know that Andrew is about a month younger than Wills, and Anna's Matthew is about 2 months younger. Eloise has so much hair - bless her. Wills' hair mostly rubbed off but is started to come through again, a bit lighter this time.

Ali and Geckogirl, half way through your 2 ww now? It is hard but soon it will be over. Still keeping everything crossed for you for your BFP.

Catherine, sorry that DH's evaluation wasn't what you had hoped for. Sorry I can't help you with the RU486 dose. Sounds good though. Good luck for your next appt. in June.

Hi Tammy and Jen, sorry must dash as Wills is shouting.

Bev xxx