The answer to Two Plus ? Is 4!
After one egg share that became a donation cycle and a full ICSI cycle two months later (August 2012), we became parents to boy/girls twins in May 2013. The last seven months have been the best, hardest, most rewarding, most tiring and complete months of our lives and I'm glad to say that we are surviving as parents as multiples. Not only surviving but doing it with a smile on our faces (most of the time 😉).
Please excuse any spelling mistakes, I have my little lady napping on me x
Sunday 5 January 2014
Thursday 5 July 2012
Treatment Day 6
So this is it, we are actually having treatment. I started on Gonal F injections on Saturday to stimulate follicles to grow and tonight I started Cetrotide to prevent ovulation. On Saturday, I was a complete bag of nerves, swinging from manic nervousness to crying within a second. Once I had done the first injection, a calmness passed over me as I was no longer able to control what happens next.
The sideeffects have not been pleasant with nausea, tiredness and achey back/ovaries. Fortunately, I've been able to work from home most of the week so have been in comfy clothes and watching crappy tv with the laptop :)
My first scan was yesterday and despite the doctor not saying much, I think things are going to plan. I've been kept on the same dose of Gonal F which I have taken as a good sign but I spent most of yesterday panicking that this wasn't going to work. Fortunately I had an acupuncture appointment which not only relaxed me but my acupuncturist is very good at giving me a much needed reality check.
Today, I am being positive. It is the clinic's job to make this work and I have to trust in their expertise!
Thursday 28 June 2012
Infertility is a lonely place
It seems that when you can't get pregnant, the whole world seems to be full of bumps and babies, as if to rub your face in it. When your story is infertility, it seems that there are very few people that you know how have the same story. None of my family have experiences of infertility and only one close friend is in a similar situation. Whilst I have shared my experiences with friends who mean well, I've often got comments like "I know someone who had IVF/applied to adopt etc and then found they were pregnant naturally". Whilst that is a great ending to their story, it may not be the ending to mine. I find I smile politely, nod and walk away knowing that they don't really understand the pain of not being able to conceive.
One place where I have found support, advice and friendship is Twitter. Whether it be through shared experiences in a weekly #fertilitysupport chat, congratulations when things go well or a shoulder to cry on when they don't, Twitter has offered me an outlet to rant, cry and celebrate our story of infertility and I know that I will have support whatever our next chapter may be.
To all those in the #IF community, thank you :)
S xx
One place where I have found support, advice and friendship is Twitter. Whether it be through shared experiences in a weekly #fertilitysupport chat, congratulations when things go well or a shoulder to cry on when they don't, Twitter has offered me an outlet to rant, cry and celebrate our story of infertility and I know that I will have support whatever our next chapter may be.
To all those in the #IF community, thank you :)
S xx
Thursday 7 June 2012
Treatment Update
On Tuesday, our clinic confirmed that the recipients for the egg sharing cycle have agreed the match :). IVF cycle is really happening eeeekkk!! I should start using myself as a pincushion at the end of June/beginning of July depending on when AF shows her face!
We're now waiting for our delivery of Gonal-F ready to store in the fridge for D day. My head is in a spin and I'm anxious/excited/scared/happy all at once. I will do what I can prior to treatment with diet, acupuncture and supplements but at the end of the day, hubby and I have to put our faith in the clinic and let them do their job.
I have faith that we will have a family whether it is through IVF, adoption or some other route. There is a plan for us, the route might be short or long but the destination will be worth it :)
S xx
Saturday 2 June 2012
Holiday Time
Hubby and I have just spent 10 days in southern Spain having some much needed rest and relaxation (which we have been told will help with our forthcoming IVF cycle). It was just what we needed and we managed to escape the constant thoughts and worries of infertility and just sunbathe, swim and eat good food. Here are a few pictures of a fabulous time:
Packed and ready to go :)
View from my sunbed
Beach overlooking Mar Menor
View from the top of the castle at Cartgena
S xx
Saturday 12 May 2012
Acupuncture
There have been a number of recent articles about the impact of acupuncture on IVF success.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/us-ivf-acupuncture-idUSTRE80S0PI20120129
A friend mentioned it first which lead me to my friend Google. I'm an avid researcher and like to know the pros and cons of everything. All that I read indicated that acupuncture was beneficial even if only to help manage stress and anxiety during treatment. It can also have an impact on egg quality. I'm open to alternative therapies having previously had acupuncture, reiki and homeopathy. I had been anxious since being told that we had been accepted to egg share. I think I thought that we would never get to the point where we could have treatment and the reality of treatment, it not working or finally being pregnant freaked me out! So off I went for my first appointment and my anxiety has gone so if it's doing nothing else, I am much more tolerable to be around. I will be having acupuncture around my treatment protocol with two treatments on embryo transfer day. Fingers crossed it will help us get our BFP :)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/us-ivf-acupuncture-idUSTRE80S0PI20120129
A friend mentioned it first which lead me to my friend Google. I'm an avid researcher and like to know the pros and cons of everything. All that I read indicated that acupuncture was beneficial even if only to help manage stress and anxiety during treatment. It can also have an impact on egg quality. I'm open to alternative therapies having previously had acupuncture, reiki and homeopathy. I had been anxious since being told that we had been accepted to egg share. I think I thought that we would never get to the point where we could have treatment and the reality of treatment, it not working or finally being pregnant freaked me out! So off I went for my first appointment and my anxiety has gone so if it's doing nothing else, I am much more tolerable to be around. I will be having acupuncture around my treatment protocol with two treatments on embryo transfer day. Fingers crossed it will help us get our BFP :)
An update
Ok, so I am a rubbish blogger but have decided to make a commitment to try to blog at least once a week. It's been months since I last blogged and things have moved forward in some ways and stayed the same in others! I'll start with the positives: We are having fertility treatment, starting in about 6-8 weeks :).
In my previous post, I think I spoke about egg sharing and fortunately we have been accepted! Egg sharing is a way for couple to have free or reduced cost ivf by giving half of the eggs collected to a recipient. Since the change in the law where a donor can be traced when a child born from donor products can be traced, there has been a huge drop in the numbers of donors, leaving some couples waiting years for donor eggs. We are viewing egg sharing as giving us a chance to have a baby and giving another couple the same chance. Infertility is heartbreaking and if my eggs help a couple have a baby, then I have done some good in this world. It has been quite quick for us to go from our first consultation in February to treatment. To be accepted, there are criteria such as age, BMI (which I have been doing Slimmming World to improve), hormone levels and AMH. My AMH is in the reduced band but fortunately I had 18 follicles on dildo-cam and everything internally is a ok so hubby and I had to have more blood tests - STI screening and I have had karotyping and tests to see if I am a Cystic Fibrosis carrier. Luckily, everything came back negative. If I was a CF carrier, it would not stop me from sharing but the recipient's partner would need to be tested to make sure they are not.
It was fortunate that we had a back up plan as we have definitely been told that the NHS won't treat us due to hubby having a child from a previous relationship. I was offered more tests which felt like were being offered as a tick box exercise. The outcome would not effect the fact the we need ICSI privately do I made the decision to not have them so not to waste anyone's time or money. It was disappointing as we are a childless couple and whilst I understand that there has to be rules, they are so inflexible and punitive! So that's where we re at the moment. Waiting to have treatment with the glimmer of hope that we may get a BFP in July! I think I've just scared myself....
In my previous post, I think I spoke about egg sharing and fortunately we have been accepted! Egg sharing is a way for couple to have free or reduced cost ivf by giving half of the eggs collected to a recipient. Since the change in the law where a donor can be traced when a child born from donor products can be traced, there has been a huge drop in the numbers of donors, leaving some couples waiting years for donor eggs. We are viewing egg sharing as giving us a chance to have a baby and giving another couple the same chance. Infertility is heartbreaking and if my eggs help a couple have a baby, then I have done some good in this world. It has been quite quick for us to go from our first consultation in February to treatment. To be accepted, there are criteria such as age, BMI (which I have been doing Slimmming World to improve), hormone levels and AMH. My AMH is in the reduced band but fortunately I had 18 follicles on dildo-cam and everything internally is a ok so hubby and I had to have more blood tests - STI screening and I have had karotyping and tests to see if I am a Cystic Fibrosis carrier. Luckily, everything came back negative. If I was a CF carrier, it would not stop me from sharing but the recipient's partner would need to be tested to make sure they are not.
It was fortunate that we had a back up plan as we have definitely been told that the NHS won't treat us due to hubby having a child from a previous relationship. I was offered more tests which felt like were being offered as a tick box exercise. The outcome would not effect the fact the we need ICSI privately do I made the decision to not have them so not to waste anyone's time or money. It was disappointing as we are a childless couple and whilst I understand that there has to be rules, they are so inflexible and punitive! So that's where we re at the moment. Waiting to have treatment with the glimmer of hope that we may get a BFP in July! I think I've just scared myself....
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