# OUR STORIES



## blue ribbon (Apr 23, 2007)

Hi all!!!
Just thought we should have a thread were we could record our individual stories as a kind of a diary. The idea is that you reply to this message with the details of your tcc journey, how long you have been trying, what treatments you've done, thoughts, feelings etc. then as time goes by you can update.
Here goes!!
I am 36 and i will be 37 next week the day before i am due to test. My Dh is 35 (always wanted a toy boy) I met my Dh a good couple of years back and we started dating on and off. After the 3rd time dating we started taking it to the next level to the point that we bought a house and then got married in August 2005. I had been on the pill for a long time and decided to stop taking it just before the wedding. (bearing in mind i always wanted a honeymoon baby).
We had been trying for over a year and nothing was happening so we both agreed that we should get some tests carried out. I went to my Gp who then referred me on to see a gyn who carried out some routine bloods and hsg which all came back normal apart from a very high fsh. My Dh had two Sa carried out, although the first wasn't good at that time we were advised that icis would be our way forward.We both decided there and then to change our life style we gave up the **** and starting exercising and eating more healthy and a year on we are both still off the **** and doing well. We were then referred to the RVH and last year had our initial consultation with Dr Traugh who advised us on ivf, we were sent away and we were to go back a couple of weeks later to sign the consent forms but i cancelled this appointment as we both found out i was pregnant.
We were both totally in shock and really chuffed that we were going to have a baby and we told everyone. However i made it to 10 weeks and i needn't tell ya we were gutted it hurt so so much and still does because it had taken so long to get there to have it taken away again. But such is life.
I then went to have a D&C carried out which i hated. A couple of weeks later we started trying again (as i was told you are at your most fertile following a mc) but that wasn't to be. In the meantime i rang the royal to get reinstated back onto the waiting list for ivf and also went to see Dr Mc Manus to get on her private list for ivf.
So here i am now i have just finished my first ever cylce of ivf. I am finding it very very hard to stay positive over these two weeks. We are just hoping and praying and i suppose that is all you can do!!!
I hope i havn't bored any of you.
lots and lots of love to each and everyone one of you 
Kxxxxxxxx


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## Cate1976 (Oct 29, 2007)

Hi,  I'm cate age 30.  DH is 40.  Been ttc since we got married in April 04.  DH has low sperm count.  We were referred for fertility treatment in oct 05.  We were referred to Altnagelvin hospital and they did some tests day 21 and HSG for me.  Found out DH has low sperm count November 2006.  Altnagelvin had 5 month wait for test to be done again so consultant referred us to Royal in Belfast.  Had initial apppintment there in May last year, DH's sperm test was done in August and although count is slightly reduced, there is enough that IVF will be appropriate for us.  We're waiting for the letter to say we're top of the list and hope to get it end of this month.  I thought I was pg back in February 05, got + on home test but then AF turned up 4 dasys late on the day that test at health centre came back negative.  Put that down to early mc or chemical pg.  My sister has a LO age 20 mnths and is due another in August (found out Christmas Day).  There's been 14 babies born to friends at church and at times it has been extremely painful.  DH and I are fortunate that our church family are very supportive especially our senior Leader (Brendan and his wife), they've really been there for us on the toughest days/weeks.


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## emak (Jan 21, 2008)

Hi all,heres my story........so far.
Im 34  and DH is 35 and we have been together for 12 years (married for 4.5)and tcc since christmas eve 2005.The first year of trying was a pretty casual affair ,we just said lets go for it and see what happens...........but of course nothing happened !! Then in Feburary 2007 the DR discovered a polyp on my cervix and we all thought that this was possibly the reason why i wasnt concieving,so off i go for my gynae appointment to get it removed and i was telling the doctor that we had been tcc for a while and he recommened that i get a day 21 test done which i did and hey it showed i wasnt ovulating.So my gp decided to put me on clomid while i was waiting for another appointment in Altnagelvin........girls for those of you that have been on clomid for months i really feel for you i thought it was awful.OK i finally got my appointment in August and was due to start my 3rd month on the drugs but the docs in the hospital said that they didnt want me to continue as they wanted to find the root of the problem,which was fine by me NO clomid yipeee!!!
So they decided they wanted to do a lap and dye and we waited and waited for our appointment which we finally recieved ,it was on 2nd Jan 2008 thats the day my world  came crashing down.Was told that my ovaries appeared polycystic and that my tubes were blocked one totally and the other they managed to get a wee bit of dye through and that IVF was our best option .I had a ruptured appendix years ago and this is the cause of all my probs ,I think i must have cried for 3 days solid and some days even now im not much better to be honest,so we were refered to the rfc and had our first appointment on 12th March with Dr mc Manus,silly us though we thought that would be us on the waiting list but was told that we would have to wait about 5/6 months for a review then we would go on the list NO WAY i thought so we paid for a private review on 7th April and thats was us on the list YIPEEE !!!
So now we are like alot of other couple out there and just waiting to be told that we are at the top of the list which i hope wont be too far away im thinking Oct/Nov.I hope i havent bored you with my story and i really hope by the end of the year i will have a happy ending to add on to the end of this story.    
E  xxx


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## shem (Nov 2, 2006)

hi! this is my story so far im 32 dh 33 we're childhood sweethearts been together from i was 12 WOW married 5 lovely years. was on the pill till i got married in april 03 came off it straight away thinking it was dead easy to get pg i was very naive back then. after about 10 months i decided i was gonna go to my gp to investigate especially since my best mate was married 6 months before me and her gp told her to look into investigations now as waiting times for fertility treatment was 2 yrs. my gp sent me away and said to come back in 6 months if no change i was'nt happy so went for 2nd opinion and was sent to hospital for tests. had a lap test done sept 04 which was fine dh sa was not. Paid for private app in jan 05 with prof mcclure and was placed on nhs icsi waiting list at RFC. Sept 06 top of list treatment commenced oct. NOV had 7 eggs collected 6 fertilized 1 grade a 3 cell and 1 grade b 4 cell put back result BFN. Coped better than i thought i would i came out more positive raring to go. Waited nearly 6 months for a review which was 4th june 07 private tx was next step told waiting list was 3 months and here we are a year later starting our tx. Its been a long haul ive always told myself good things come to those who wait an ive done my fair share of waiting im scared more this time because i know how it can make you feel an ive prayed to be blessed with a child from the beginning i hope god will answer my prayers no one knows whats ahead and  if things dont work out this time ill cross that bridge then. x


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## alley73 (May 24, 2008)

my story so far,  me and dh both 34,  been to-gether since we were 17, got married in dec 99  . came  off the pill there and then, i so wanted to be a mummy straight away, well it never happened. 18 months later still ttc we decided to go on hols to costa del sol, had made appt with doc for the week i returned from hols, arrived back on the sat , didnt feel myself so did a home test and had a bfp,  we  couldnt believe it, dd born in march 02,  the light of my life.  as it took 18 months to get a bfp , we started ttc when dd was 6 months, nothing happened. Then on xmas-day 04 got my 2nd bfp, we wre over the moon, then on jan 12th i went to work , i was getting mild cramping pain in my tummy, started work at 4pm and 10 mins later i knew something was not right, got lower back pain started sweating and a pain in my shoulder( i would later find out that this was a sign of internal bleeding)  so i left work and  went  to  my  mil house wich was  just across the  road from work, the pain was awful, mil phoned my sil  who is a mid-wife and was on duty that  day, she told me to come straight up to hosp,  got there and dh arrived we were took straight away as i was close to passing out, had internal scan which revealed i had an ectopic pg, then all hell broke lose, i had ruptured on the table,  i could hear every-one  shouting but it felt  as if i was out-side the room looking in (  strange eh?)  i remember telling dh to look after our dd, he was crying , my sil the mid-wife  was holding him as they both cried. Then i woke up , no baby and no left tube, heart broken. doc told me later that if i had stayed in work, by the time an ambulance had of got to me i would have dead.....  So in march/apr i had my nhs ivf which resulted in 3 eggs collected but none fertilized, gutted!.... i still have not cried, and never took any time off work, i dont know why , i suppose it will hit me like a ton of bricks soon, but im still waiting...Any-way i am now on private waiting list for icsi, and last month dh and i had a big heart to heart( after some wine ) and we dont know if we can afford icsi, So should we spend money on the baby that we may never have, or on the one blessing that we do have?... so we will wait and see when we are called and take it from there....  many thanks for listening  ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    alley xoxo


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## SUNNY2007 (Jul 8, 2007)

I used to post here a while ago but now on another forum enjoyed reading your stories.  Here is mine Me and Dh both 34 married for 2 years before we started trying to conceive in 2003 tests including lap and dye showed i had polycystic ova and endometriosis on very high doses of clomid which made me loopy at one stage i was taking 250mg actually could have stabbed someone it was like really bad pmt on that about a year i started to ovulate but still no pregnancy dh semem anaylis showed poor motility and antibodies referred to rfc in Jan 2005 saw prof maclure Feb 05 and August o5 had bloods done etc signed forms for ICSI first ivf dec 2006 tested 4th jan 2007 got my BFP only to m/c 5 days later.  Had review appointment Feb 07 FET july 6th 07 and BFp on 20th July 07 coming up to the year now.... Well so many months later i have the most precious boy and girl twins who are 4 months old.

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE


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## bron11 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi all
Aged 39 married to hubby for 4 years, been trying for baby for 4 years, been given clomid for 6 months didnt work, die test etc, nothing conclusive.  Was given inital app at Royal Feb 07, second app with them 0ct 07.  Finally were allowed to go on NHS and Private list.  
Had inital concultation with Origin in Oct 08 (thought given i was going private might get treated quicker!!).  Got told had cysts on overy and might be cancerious - wasnt though.  They agreed to do treatment then in Jan 08 over phone said they would not offer it as my FSH level had reached 18, needs to be 16 and under for them.  Prof McClure agreed treatment could go ahead with him at Royal.
Got to top of private list at Royal in May 08, treatment had to be extended by 2 days as folicols were not growing, eventually got 9 eggs, 7 fertilised, 2 grade A implanted.  BFN on 13 July 08.  

Took 6 months of work to give the cycle a good go, undertook acupuncture and bowen, no alcohol for 6 months (killer!) but still no pregnancy on 13th.  Really thought i was preg, but was not the case so emotionally all over the show.  Returning to work on 4 Aug, which i am now dreading.
Spoke to my bowen threapist, she is helping me to chart my Basal Body Tem, she thinks I might have problem with my thyroid which app affects infertility, so having this testing on Wed.  My temp starts of at 35.1 on first day of period and then gradually goes down instead of up - this is right!  So not sure what my body is doing.  
I have two other children, now aged 21 and 18 hubby none, and two grandchildren, 2 and 4 months,  at birth of both of them which was really hard for second as we were due to start ivf.  Love them to bits but there not mine!  Hubby finds it really hard as he never had his own, so tries not to get too close.  He not much of talker so not sure whats goes on in his head.  

We plan to try again once we get to top of NHS list, trying to remain positive.
Well thanks for reading,  only just found this site and do find it helpful reading others comments.  Hope all goes well with everyone. Bron


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## Cate1976 (Oct 29, 2007)

Coping with friends/family getting pg and having babies has been really hard on me at times as well.  The IF hit me last year 4 days before my nieces first birthday.  I then looked at calendar on mobile phone and realised that if pg back in Feb 05 had lasted, my due date would have been 24th October, my Nieces birthday is 25th October.  That hurt and I ended up in Brendan's office pouring my heart out, he'd only gone up there to write something up for a meeting he was having with someone in the church office downstairs only to me appear.


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## Lesley08 (May 4, 2008)

Lesley

Got pg at 16 with first child - horrified but continued- mid A levels, gave birth to Sarah aged 17 (who is now at Oxford just about to start her PhD!!!) Went on to have three other children, while completing my degree, teacher training and masters degree. In 2001 divorced my hubbie and then in 2006 remarried to a man 17 vyears my junior who did not have any children of his own. Started trying again in Dec 2005 and got pg in March 2006 only to m/c in May 06 ( Waterfall) ttc ever since. Told I had high FSH in Feb 08 and immediately arranged Donor Egg tx in Czech Rep cant say Im overjoyed with this but trying to be practical!! 

Lesley  xx


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## bron11 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi Cate
Yes its hard when others are getting preg and having babies around you.  My daughter had her second just as i started first cycle of IVF, was there for the birth and her first.  So hard not to breakdown cause you just wish so hard it was you.  Just found at also from my son, (just turned 1, that his girlfriend also preg, so if my IVF would have worked, then we would have been due around same time - this sucks!!  Haven't told hubbie yet as he still getting head around failed ivf.  Fell like a failure as it is my body that does not work, not his.  Anyhow, due to go back to work on 4th Aug after 6 months off, this will also be hard, but have to get back to reality.

Going to discuss thyroid test with gp to see if i have a problem that could affect fertiltiy - if anyone has advice on this greatly app.

Hope all yous well and looking after yourselves. Bron


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## Cate1976 (Oct 29, 2007)

BTW  I'm 31 not 30.  Totally understand where you're coming from about your DS's GF's baby being due the same time as yours would have been if your IVF had worked.  Last October, my situation hurt so badly, in fact when Brendan gave me a hug at the end of me pouring my heart out to him, I did let a couple of tears drop but said that if I started it'd be ages before I stopped and he really did need to get back to his meeting.  A friend of DH and I has a DS who was born 7ish weeks before what would have been my due date and since last October, whenever I see her with him, I think of the playmate he would have had.  Only lasts for a moment though.  Feeling more sensitive about IF at the moment.  My Nan died back in February and I'm the only grandchild that she didn't live to see get pg and have a baby.  Both my sister and my cousin were pg with #2 when Nan died, cousin gave birth back in April and little sister is due in 3 weeks.  I am looking forward to birth of my Nephew but let's just say I'm       that IVF works for me.  Seeing freinds and family getting pg and having babies has been the hardest thing for me but church family have been great.  I've been honest with all my friends who've had babies and said I'm pleased for them but wish I could be among them and apologised if that has come across as me being jealous and they've all said it's not jealousy but understandable.


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## bron11 (Jul 16, 2008)

Can any advice
Has anyone ever managed to get their drugs funded by their GP, been under the financial site thread and some have and some haven't for both private and nhs.  If so how did you you go about it and has the Royal ever made reference to this?

Also has anyone any knowledge whether it is poss to get NHS funding moved to a different clinic, I dont have much faith anymore in Royal, and I also feel my best chances may lay with assisted hatching and they dont do this?

Again any help appreciated. Thanks Bron.


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## angel83 (Mar 14, 2005)

ME (27)DH (34), Married in Nov 2000. I was then on the injection contraceptive Depo-provera. Had this every 3 months. Stopped this and my periods did not return, After 6 months with no period I was prescribed microgynon 30 (pill) to return my cycle. Thankfully it worked. DH took cold feet and decided to tell me that he didn’t want any kids. Shock is not the word. So I took matters into my own hands and came off the microgynon 30 without telling him. TTC 1 year with no luck so I had to own up. DH was shocked and agreed to have the necessary tests done. It took 2 years to get an appointment with a gynecologist. I had a hystrosalpinogram done Feb 05 – all clear. Bloods done and they found that my prolactin level was too high, re tested normal. DH sperm analysis came back with lowish count 13mill and motility low. 

We had still been TTC whilst being tested, BMS CD14 5th March and I got a +OPK on CD15 didn’t manage BMS again. DH and I had fell out. So I thought sod that I aint gonna be pregnant this month.  Plus I was really desperate to be as I was due to do Bridesmaid for my sister that July and she had purchased a bigger dress incase I would be pregnant. I could not bare having that dress taken in.

Got all these results on the 10th March. We were advised IUI. So I really though bloody heck and I kinda gave up.

Noticed at around CD26 that my (.)(.) were sorer than normal and I had terrible cramps, thought AF was coming early as I normally had a 32day cycle. Got to day 34 and I was raging that my AF was late. I just thought how cruel. But I had woken early that morning to pee (never happens to me) and I still had sore (.)(.), no cramps. So I thought bugger this and I went and purchased and Clearblue test thinking that my AF would then arrive.  This was 25th March 2005 – Good Friday. I got a shocking BFP – Thought it would never happen. 

Jack Due 27th November 2005 and he arrived 1 day early 26th November 2005, weighing in at 7lbs 5oz. He has been our world, we love him so much. 

We knew straight away that we would want more children and because we had trouble conceiving Jack we started TTC straight away. 2 years on and a suspected M/C in July 2007, we saw our Gynecologist in September and he prescribed 6 months of clomid, then maybe IUI. I am Clomid resistant so only managed 4months of it 4x BFN. I am now on Tamoxifen. 3x BFN

Back to Dr Moohan at Altnagelvin on 5th August - hopefully referral to Royal for IUI

So that’s my wee story so far. Hoping for a BFP in 2008.


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## bron11 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi Angel83, good to read your story and hope all works out in future.  Can i ask what Tamoxifen is, i assume it is an infertility drug but my gp never mentioned it.  Also re your Gynecologist were you referred to him from GP - how does it work?  Apart from my referral from GP to Whiteabbey hospital for inital infertility tests, then a referral to Royal we have not been given opportunity to see anyone else or discuss treatment tests?  

Just curious about how different boards have different treatment criteria's.
Bron


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## Lin111 (Jul 26, 2008)

Hi all.
I am new to this so if I mess up on all the abbreviated bits, sorry!!
I am 34 yrs old.  DH 35.  TTC for 20 months.  Attending RFC and so far tests are all clear - FSH,ovulation, SA, and HSG.  Awaiting my next review which I am now presuming could be a long wait after reading all the comments here.
Been eating healthily, taking supplements and staying off drink for ages and not getting anywhere.  Did not think it would be this hard.  Regret not starting earlier!!  My whole life is on hold awaiting a family.  I'm type 1 insulin dependant diabetes and have had it since I was young.  Often wonder is that the link to my 'unexplained infertility'.  My DH finds it hard to acknowledge that we have a problem.  It has caused rows.  I find it very stressful and I have no one that I can openly talk to about this.  DH thinks I'm getting to obsessed with it all!!
I'm thinking about going down the private route rather than waiting any longer for NHS.  The long wait is increasing my stress levels.


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## shem (Nov 2, 2006)

Hi Lin and welcomeyou will find alot of support on here as well as great friends. IF can be very stressful on your relationship and it can be so hard to talk about sometimes come over to the NI girls thread everyone is there to listen and help eachother through these tough times.Shem xx


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## bron11 (Jul 16, 2008)

Hi Lin, and welcome. Shem informed you of thread for NI Girls
http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=147747.new;topicseen#new

Its good to have a form of support outside of hubby. Bron


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