# new to this!!



## SANFRAN06 (Apr 27, 2008)

Hi
We are expecting twin boys in August. We have been looking at this web site for the past year and have found it a source of reassurance through what has been an extremely stressful time. 
IVF in itself was not bad at all. The treatment was very well tolerated. The waiting since embryo transfer has been unbearable at times and even now at 23 weeks pregnant we are still nervous as well as very, very, very excited.

We are looking forward to sharing our experience and hopefully getting to know some other couples in our area.

Just felt first movements this week (very late it seems!!) and feeling much better since.

We cant wait to meet our boys xx


----------



## mintyfaglady (Aug 25, 2007)

Hi San Fran, welcome to the board and HUGE congrats on your twin pregnancy - how exciting! 

We're a friendly lot, so just get stcuk in posting wherever you like.

I've added you into the Who's Who in the LGBT family list in the sticky at the top of the page - you'll find details there about who everyone is and what they're up to, treatment-wise.

Bye for now,

Minty
xxx


----------



## mary1971 (May 3, 2008)

hi am another newbbie 

partner and i doing first diui on the dreaded 2ww.


----------



## SANFRAN06 (Apr 27, 2008)

Hi Mary,
We remember that 2ww so well. It was awful. Nice to know we're not the only new kids on the block!!
Good luck, we hope it works out for you.
K+J


----------



## nismat (Mar 7, 2005)

Hi SanFran,
Congratulations on your twin pregnancy    
Are the boys non-identical?
I love your due date!

Tamsin


----------



## mary1971 (May 3, 2008)

2ww over bfn on second diui. seems to happen so fast! any1 else used diui? 

x m x


----------



## SANFRAN06 (Apr 27, 2008)

Hi tamsin
the boys are not identical. All going well so far, getting bigger and now the boys are moving more we are feeling much less stressed!
Do you think boys are easier It would be nice for them toarrive on time but we are not holding our breaths!!
The consultant wants me to go naturally as long as twin 1 is head down so we will see, Im indifferent to either way so whatever will be will be. If its a normal delivery I will need an epidural anyway so hopefully less pain!
How was your labour??
Kerry and Jen

Hi Mary
So sorry to hear your news. Its so so gutting isn't it? It seems like all you do is wait all the time and it is so stressful. To be honest with you we tried only 2 DIUI as the statistics were rubbish compared with the price!!
We went to IVF as we thought it was worth increasing our chances (despite the increase in cost!) and hoped it would lessen the wait and stress of going through many negative 2ww. A friend of ours had 6 IUIs before trying IVF and told us that she would recommend not waiting so long as psychologically it is so hard to keep getting BFN's and enduring the 2ww. We decided to try IVF and were extremely lucky so obviously we would recommend it. We needed ICSI too as donor sperm not so good, proved excellent in the end though as you can see.
We found the IVF treatment fine throughout although had a bit of ovarian hyperstimulation when BFP. The hardest part of it all is the waiting. We are both childrens nurses so see lots of sick babies and I think we worry unnesessarily because we see the worse case scenarios.
We wish you loads of luck with your next try, whichever way you choose!
Take care,
Kerry and Jen


----------



## CookieSal (Jun 24, 2007)

Huge congrats SanFran and welcome to the forums.    How exciting to be having 2 little boys. 

Mary - so sorry to hear your result hun, it's horrible isn't it      I'm having DIUI aswell.  Had my first cycle in April which was pretty much a disaster from start to finish.  Just been for a scan with my consultant this morning and have the green light to go ahead with my next cycle (phew! whole fibroid issue that had to be clarified).  I asked him re moving on to IVF but he is sticking to his guns that I should give 3 x IUI a go first.  (although he did say if I over stimmed again that I could convert mid cycle).  Have you looked into getting your drugs from other sources as this is meant to cut the cost?  My friend over on another part of the forums has given me some tips as apparently I can save up to a third if I don't buy them from the hospital.


----------



## mary1971 (May 3, 2008)

cookiesal  hi hope your well. i thought the cost of the drugs were not too bad,usualy £90 per cycle.if i could tho i would look at getting them else where.

SanFran06  hello and a big congrats o the bfp. i have thought of ivf lots but it is the cost that puts me off. if only money is o object eh? how much in ttl were u and did u use donor?

xx


----------



## SANFRAN06 (Apr 27, 2008)

Hi Cookiesal

What drugs are you paying for on DIUI? when we tried it we had chlomid and got this off our GP.
We had IVF and ICSI at London womans clinic with donor sperm. We paid for a 'buy 2 get 1 free package'! Lucky for us we didn't need it as BFP first cylce and so lost a bit of money but if it works you dont care! The package does not include the drugs which you pay extra for each time. I managed to shop around chemists and got the drugs for about £100 less than the clinic offered. Its also worth asking your GP if they can supply any of them for you. We also paid extra for ICSI but when faced with not the most mobile sperm after all you've been through, you are hardly going to say No!! I think in total with the 2 DIUI'S we have spent about £10.000. If only money were no object Still it is so worth it and I realise thats easy for us to say when we are expecting. 
We really hopes it all works out for you too.
Kerry and Jen


----------



## leoaimee (Jun 3, 2008)

Hi everyone,  

I am also new .... I think i was having the same 2ww with you Mary ... no joy that time either.  
was very sad cos i really felt pregnant!  the mind playing tricks.

congratulations SanFran.   

and good luck to cookiesal too!
 


To be honest I'm a bit stumped over the abbreviations ... even after looking at the glossary.  is DIUI donor insemination....

and i hope its OK to tag along to this thread even though the topic has kind of diverged... kind of fighting back the shyness to come out of the lurking closet.

I live in Spain and come back to the London womens clinic for in-seminations using donor sperm.  so far having natural cycles.

I just missed a month because of miss timing my flights.  Predicted i would get surge on day 15 or 15 as that fits with my usual pattern, but surged the day after i returned to Spain (day 1.  

To be honest i was relieved i had a surge altogether because i was worrying it wouldn't happen at all.  I have had some problems with ovulation predictor tests the first two months, appeared not to get a surge in Feb or mar this year ... However in march i had scans to check the follicle and all was OK.  so i think it was my nerves getting the better of my ability to do the tests.  

I am using the digital monitor now.  and this month wasn't getting any 'high fertility reading at all'  and then jumped straight to the surge on day 18 (normally day 15).

what a mindfield.

currently trying to decide whether to book flights for July ovulation or rest for another month on the advice of my acupuncture Dr.

anyway I'm really glad to have found this board because already i feel calmer to know my emotional rollercoaster is normal with this process and I'm not turning into a lunatic! 

love and best wishes all


----------



## mintyfaglady (Aug 25, 2007)

Hi Aimeegaby, and welcome. Don't feel shy, we're all nice and friendly - honest!

How stressful for you having to come over from Spain for treatment! You must have been gutted when things went pear shaped last cycle. Have you thought about doing stimulated IUI cycles? That way you'd control when you ovulate by using a trigger shot. Mind you, I don't know what you'd do about the scans in the lead up to ovulation.

I always used the OPK sticks AND the monitor, because I never really trusted either of them. Don't know if that makes it worse though, because sometimes they told me different things!

DIUI is donor IUI, you're right. 

Anyhow, glad you've found us now - it's a great place to come to for support during all the ups and downs.

Take care,

Minty
xxx


----------



## leoaimee (Jun 3, 2008)

thanks minty!!

i am having acupuncture to help with the ovulating ... and kind of trying to work on the assumption of balancing my body and being natural as much as possible.....

but obviously that needs to be weighed up against the side effects of the time factor and the longer it feels like we have been ttc the harder it gets.

i am thinking about moving treatment to Spain.  have recently found a clinic near me, although Spain has different anonymity for donors, and to be honest i would really like our child to at least have the option to trace their donor if he/she wanted to.  But its possible i could part of the treatment in Spain and part in London.

we have the money for one more diui and then its back to saving up again.  so i will have a financial imposed time to reassess treatment options.

so I'm sure i will be reading everyones posts and trying to get a feel for other people's experiences.

thanks a million 

Aimee (partner Gaby)


----------

