The Over 40 Crowd

[CarolineP]

Randa

On my final round of IVF I felt that I responded badly compared to the previous 3 attempts. I managed 4 follies and they collected 3 eggs, of which 2 fertilised resulting in 1 pregnancy.

It can be done, even at our age - you must keep up with the PMA and try not to second guess your body, it knows whats it doing.

Very best of luck with all your exciting events and we look forward to your updates.

CarolineP

[Kat]

I now have a picture in my head of expanding breasts that I can't get rid of!

Sperm fitness regime not going particularly well but taking it slowly ... after all they'll look for the best ones won't they? And we have always had a good rate of fertilisation before (just not many). Does anyone know if the sperm just a trigger for making the embryo divide or is it 'used' after that? What I'm thinking is what if they find what looks like a good one, we get fertilisation and embryos start dividing, then if the sperm wasn't actually a good one after all then would it matter at that stage?
Does that make any sense at all?!

Enough about sperm!

Debra - re my sisters - one lives and works in Singapore and comes over with her family every summer for a month, one works for the Foreign Office and gets posted all over the world, currently in North Korea of all places. I moved about 15 mins away from where I grew up!

Big J - your work is brilliant, I like the Weinachtsmarkt best. Will you paint differently now you are pg do you think?

Hi to everyone else as well, got to go shopping now. I am going to Carlisle on Monday and then Birmingham on Tues for work and need smart stuff which I don't have. AND I have to spend SEVEN houirs in the car with my MD on the drive to Carlisle - what am I going to talk about? Don't get me wrong, she is lovely, but seven hours of being positive and enthusiastic...!! And I didn't really want to talk to her about Barcelona yet either and if she gets me on my own for that long she's bound to ask me. Actually she has been fantastic through all my tmts and let me have as much time off as I needed, even one day when I just lost the plot and couldn't face going in. I'll just have to try & keep her off the subject...

Speak later
Kat xx

[Suz]

Randa

Thanks for your congrats.

To answer your question re my eggs.

I produce a lot of eggs, luckily, so I used my own.
We still have 7 frosties as well.

Hope you are well.

Suz x

[randa2006]

Hey Girls,
Bad news today. My follies are not growing, in fact some even seem to be shrinking. One out of all seven looks promising (maybe a second), so the clinic recommended cancelling.

They gave me 4 choices:
1) Cancel
2) Take the HCG shot now and do IUI on Monday
3) Take the HCG shot now and have sex in 35-40 hours (hope for natural)
4) Go ahead with the IVF but know we will only get 1-2 at best and highly likely end up with none to freeze.

Couldn't get my sweetie on the phone so I had to make the call.
I chose #3.

If dh doesn't want to chance getting pregnant before we harvest more, then we can just abstain, but at least this gives us the option to make something out of this round.

The clinic said, regardless of age, cycles vary widely. The doc said we could easily get a good amount next time or end up with only one or two again. ??? Do you all know much about this? Has anyone experienced this? Do cycles really vary that much?

[DebraP]

Randa, excuse this if super-short but I shouldn't be on the pc at all. So sorry the follies took a turn for the worse. Tough choices though, I assume DH will be back from his stag-party then for#3? I don't know anything about variable responses unfortunately, ours have been relatively even to date. Watermelon boobs image very strong......

BigJ - I can't wait to have 15mins to look at your art. Good luck with the bra buying, let's hope they settle quite soon! Did you find one of those extender things I described.

Kat. DF and I would LOVE to visit North Korea so I'm quite jealous of your sister being there, and I guess the opportunity to visit - if granted a visa of course.

So sorry to zoom off. Parental visit going OK. Had the big D&M conversation with my mum this afternoon. I plucked up the courage to address her habit of shutting me off and offering platitudes when I want to talk about something important to me. I hope we got to an understanding as I need her support, albeit it has to be via phone usually.

Hi to everyone else. Jill, looking forward to hearing your update.

hugs
Debra

[geordie jill]

Randa,

i was sorry to read your post you must be all over the place but you know what you are one strong cookie, dig deep and try to stay positive (easy said i know) especially with dh being away at the time, keep strong and remember it is a step in the journey to where you want to be and we are all routing for you x and things can still work out

Debra,

Glad you made progress with your mum, I havn't even told mine what we are doing! I can here her now preaching about tinkering with nature

I think it is their generation not talking in depth about serious issues especially with their daughters anyway im pleased for youx

hope everyone else is ok not much to report on my front waitng to see how many embris have made it to blast on monday (et day) will let you know, take care all x

Jillxx

[Sand]

Wow BigJ ... I've just had a look on the site ... Your stuff's really wonderful ! Plsd to hear your beta's up there nice and strong - that must have been a relief. Looking forward to hearing news of your scan

Randa ... I'm sorry you've had bad news. Whichever choice you made, it was the right one.... I have read before that cycles can vary significantly, so don't be disheartened for next time (that's if there is ever a next time ... 'cos tomorrow's going be the day, yeah ? ... is dh home yet ..?? ) Also, hope you're up to speed with all the wedding plans and not getting too stressed out.

Jill .. I'm looking forward to hearing about your blasts tomorrow ... lots of PMA ..!

Debra ... Hope you've managed to get parents out for a few gentle walks in the woods, and that the weekend is going to plan ...

Sandra x

[cmg]

Randa, so sorry to hear about your disappointment. It must be awful after all the build up and having to make the decision on your own is like the last straw. Anyway, hope you and your other half had a nice reunion and some fun trying the natural way!! Keep your spirits up, have some fun and have another go when you're ready - like the doc said, cycles can vary widely. Actually, from a self interest perspective I wish I hadn't heard this as I had a good lot of follies last time so kind of assumed it would be the same now, but it might not. Ah well, yet another thing to worry about!

Jill, best of luck for tomorrow. Let us know how it goes.

Off to see some bizarre experimental theatre/ dance/ circus type thing, unless it's rained off, so better run

Caroline

[randa2006]

Hi Girls,
Thanks for the support. It means a great deal. I'm surprisingly not that down. I think I knew it would be this way.

Jill - fingers crossed for great news on your blastos tomorrow!

Caroline - call me crazy, but I think waiting a while like you have should be in your favor for a good harvest. I think, for my age, I went again too soon.

OMG! I just saw a racoon walk across my back yard in broad daylight! I've seen them a few times at night here, but never in the middle of the day They are not as shy as I thought. (I come from the desert and racoons are new to me. Probably an everyday occurance in England and other places???)

[Sand]

Randa - Glad you're not feeling too bad

.... I've never seen a racoon in my life !

Sandra x

[DebraP]

lol - re. raccoons. As far as I can check, they are a North American thing only so definitely not an everyday thing for the rest of us. It's very unusual to see any wildlife here as there is so much empty, moutainous land the animals wisely stay away from humans. I've seen next to nothing in 4 years!

Just had snowy/slushy rain....it's early bl**dy June!

Jill, good luck today.

Randa, did DH get back from his batchelor party yet? are your 35-40 hours up yet??

hugs to everyone else. Randa did you notice what a trend you started with this age-group thread idea? Everybody's got one now!

Debra

[cmg]

Randa thanks for being big hearted enough to try to reassure me, while your going through your disappointment. I'm glad to hear you're coping with it well and hope you get the chance to spoil yourself rotten for a while.

BTW I have never seen a raccoon either!

Hi to everyone else

Caroline

[cmg]

Morning ladies, hope it is as sunny and lovely where you are as it is here.

I said I'd report to Debra after my trip to the acupuncturist and I went yesterday, so here goes. She said the main things she is doing are building up reserves so that good follies develop, building up the blood so that the womb lining is strong and linking the heart with the uterus (this is in Chinese medicine terms not anything literal) which seems to have some overall positive effect. She does different things at different stages of the process, so she'll be doing something straight after ET to encourage implantation.

With me she's also got this entire other layer of stuff to do, which is about fear and shock. I'm ok when the needle goes in but as soon as she adjusts it so it moves my chi, I react really strongly, almost like an electric shock. She reckons my body is having little flashbacks to last year but they're gradually getting weaker, so hopefully by the time I get to the invasive procedures like EC and ET, I'll feel calmer. She's put a tiny mustard seed on each ear (up at the top on the stiffer bit of ear, just under the curved bit at the very top) held on by a bit of clear tape. Apparently that's a point to help with anxiety so I can press them if I'm feeling fraught, which I seem to be a lot of the time right now. They'll stay on for weeks.

I notice Jill is not yet back on the board. I hope this means she's had ET and is resting. Jill, when you're ready, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's dying to hear how it all went, but don't rush back. Hope you're doing ok.

Randa how are you bearing up?

hi to everyone else

Caroline

[JaneR]

Hi Girls,

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I just don't seem to have had chance for some reason.

Still wiating for my appointment to see the Consultant but it will come through soon, might chase next week.

Went to see my acupuncturist last week and we are going to do the herbs to sort out my ovaries and fsh, don't fully understand it all but it is to sort over the hear, uterus and kidneys. I will need to do my basal temparature to get everything right bacause it all has to match your cycle. i am also currently writing up what I've eaton this week and what vits I take as she is getting a nutritionalist to go through to advise me on what extra supplements i should take. So as you can see I am getting organised but have had a few glasses of wine.

It is now less than a month till my birthday and I will have to get used to saying I am forty but it is hard.

Hope everyone is doing OK.

Love,

Jane

[randa2006]

Hi everyone,

Jill, how are you? We're all sending pma your way, Dear!

Debra, yes, I've noticed the other threads that are age-identified. Cool!

Caroline, I'm doing ok. Thanks for asking.

My dh and I chose not to utilize the trigger this round and let the 35-40 hour window pass It was painful emotionally to do that. He kept reminding me that it doesn't fit with our plan. However.... if there were any lingering effects.... we didn't wait too much past that time and ... well.... ya just never know. The guy upstairs (God) can jump in anytime he wants and give us a curve ball.

Other than that, buried in wedding details.

Hi BigJ! Ya gettin fat yet?