A ranty blog about Natural FET

So here we are again, on another cycle....another simpler cycle...a more straight forward cycle....yeah fucking right!!!!

So we're attempting a 'natural' FET. Ive had just over a year now with absolutely no fertility drugs in my system. Its been a great year! And its made me realise how consumed I was by the whole fertility bullshit and how much the drugs were fucking me up! Hence why we've really pushed for a 'natural' FET. I've also switched my job in the past year, and am in a much more fulfilling role, I have a lot more responsibility and a lot more pressure, but Im surrounded by much nicer and better people and have a much more human boss! So whilst its more demanding and quite stressful its more manageable and makes me happier which in turn affects the fertility crap.

So anyway on to this cycle and how we led up to it. So over the past year I really have 'relaxed' Ive had a lot of fun, but also have looked after myself Ive ate well, exercised etc, and mentally felt like I was in a much better place. Ive also been doing homeopathy, and I really think that has also helped, it has helped me deal with the situation with my mother better, I still hate how ill she is and how she'll never be able to be a mother to me, but Im much more tolerant and more able to see the situation for what it is. Though i did break down today after speaking to her, as I just 'wanted my mum' I wanted to tell her how shit things are, and her to tell me it would be 'OK' you know like most people do...like most people probably take for granted...picking up the phone to your mum telling her you'd had a bad day, or better yet going around for a cuppa and a hug....well I can't do that..and it breaks my heart that I can't!! :(

Anyway Im digressing....so the homeopathy has really helped me emotionally, but also has helped me have more regular cycles they're still very long, ranging from 35-45 days but still they're there! And I even experienced PMT for the first time, and also having pretty much a river somedays of cerival mucus!! Now wtf is that all about?! Who'd have thought Id be happy at some days having a little puddle in my panties!! I never thought I had an issue there, I've never had dryness during sex or anything, or at least I didn't think I did, but my goodness now I certainly don't have an issue!!! Sorry TMI!!!!! But something that is important fertility wise, which Id underestimated!
Anyways also along with the homeopathy Im taking a herbal remedy called angus castus, it was recommended to me by my boss who also has PCOS who swears it helped her conceive, though the warning label states not to take if TTC or pregnant! But theres lots of evidence to suggest it can actually be helpful and even help with thickening womb lining, which as you know is one of my biggest problems. Im also taking a multivitimin called 'proceive' which also contains inositol, which also is great for PCOS and fertility....so I really am trying!! Therefore I really wanted to see what would happen for me in a natural cycle, as that has never really been truly tried. The clinic have tried to fob me off stating they tried it last Jan, however that was straight after 2 rounds of drugs and they didn't take into account my natural cycle, so Im not counting that! So the clinic are very unhopeful that a natural cycle will work for me, they're pretty adamant that I need drugs.....Ive been so hopeful and positive leading up to this, so has DH, and I really don't trust this clinic and their protocols, they're very old school, have a pretty crappy success rate, and just aren't very willing to deviate off protocol despite evidence. So its very frustrating! But our finances are quite poor, we have no savings and a fair bit of dept from living quite freely in our 20s, house expenses, uni degree etc and the bank of mum and dad unfortunately does not exist for us, so it would be a case of getting a loan if we got accepted if we went private. Logisitcally its also difficult, our closest decent clinic is 2 hours each way, so would mean taking time off work for each appt. Both our bosses are very understanding, but its not ideal. So it really does make financial and logistic sense to stick with our current clinic, as we have not yet made it to transfer, we still have 2 attempts left, so we would be silly not to take them, especially with a natural cycle, however we are concerned at what the cost might be to my health if we go for a medicated cycle with them...

But anyway lets not get to far ahead and talk about this current cycle. So I am currently on day 24, for most normal people that would mean AF would be looming! However that is not the case for me. I had my first scan at 10 days, had a womb lining of 4.6mm but no dominant follicle. Well thats kind of OK as was not expecting it yet as knew it would probably be far too early for me. However what we weren't expecting was the poor attitude of the sonographer and the nurse at the clinic!! The sonographer was about 45 mins late which is very normal for her! And just rude throughout! Absolutely no dignity or even humanity! Then the nurse...well she's a lot to be desired! Her first comment 'well you're not doing much are you!?!' in an abrupt sarcastic tone! She also said it was highly unlikely that this would work and would prob need drugs, we had to push for her to agree to rescan us. So that they did, at day 18 this time, a much nicer sonographer this time, much more thorough, though a lot less comfortable! However again no dominant follicle but womb lining had grown to 5.5mm, so 'not negative but not positive' as the rude nurse told us, and she apologised that we would need to come back for another scan, 'but it is what we want' she told us with a sarcastic undertone. So that third scan was today, we both went in feeling quite positive again, I was almost certain that there would be a dominant follicle this time, as around about this time is when I think I probably ovulate, just from tracking my symptoms myself. However we got in there and NOPE!!! Still no fucking dominant follicle and the worst bit my womb lining has actually reduced!! Im now at fucking 5mm!!! WTF?!?! My eyes filled with tears whilst we awaited the nurse to tell us that she would need to speak with the consultant to advise the next step, she was actually nice to us today, thats generally not a good sign! So off we went, feeling pissed off and fed up and awaited the dreaded phonecall.......well a different nurse called and to our disbelief they have agreed to scan me one more time, this time in a further 10 days...so this will be make or break.....

SO I guess its not all bad, its not quite game over yet, but I really don't know how much more of this I can take...we'd forgotten the heart ache, we'd forgotten the 'building ourselves up, being positive' to then go in there and having it all knocked out of you in a heartbeat. Why is it not straight forward?? Why is it so hard?? We seem to have acquired several infertile friends, I love them all to bits, and we have all been a great support for each other, but none of them seem to have been as complicated and getting nowhere fast than us, in fact all have them have had transfers and gone right through a cycle, not all had BFPs but at least they have had the opportunity. Not that I want any of them to experience what we have of course I don't, and some of them have been through awful experiences, but I just wish we could at least get to the point of transfer!

I'm really not sure how much more of this I can take.....

Nervously Excited

So Im currently sitting here at the computer wanting to blog, but also in a lot of pain, feeling sick and a little dizzy!! This may take me a while I think I may need to go lay down and come back......

......Im back!! Oh I hate this, I don't do ill!!! However in a weird sort of way I'm pleased to be ill, as it means something is actually happening, I actually have some follicles!! 'Some' may be a bit of an understatement....as currently I have a total of 46 follicles (16 large ones)!!!! No wander I'm in so much discomfort, and look as though Im 6 months pregnant, which yesterday I got congratulated on in the hairdressers #awkward! Though Im a little confused on the amount of follicles I have, the warnings I had about my risks of OHSS, the fact that they 'abandoned' (still hate that term) on cycle #1 due to me having 16 follicles and in mild OHSS, and now I have 46 they don't seem too concerned?!?! #confused! However Im soooo happy that they're not abandoning and continuing to EC on Mon! I still can't believe I get to say that, we are actually at this stage!

Don't worry though Im under no illusion that this is it, things will work out, I totally get that there are still many more hurdles to overcome, the follicles could be shit, D could have no good sperm, they may not fertilise, the transfer might not take, I could get pregnant and miscarry, I know I know, we still have a long way to go, but the thing is, we've come the furthest yet!!!

And from my reading (which Ive had to do as the clinic is shit and tell me fuck all information!!!) Ive realised that actually my risk of OHSS doesn't go away after Mon, in fact it could get worse, so there is every possibility that ET may not go ahead next week, they did however actually tell us at the clinic that we may need a FET when I recover.

So how am I feeling??? Many friends are asking me the same question, well.... apart from physically shit! Which is no issue, I can handle that, I'd so much rather be a physical mess than an emotional one,  I have a high pain threshold, which I so proudly told the sonographer on my first scan of this cycle, however during my most recent one on Fri, she may have questioned that.....when I probably looked like I wanted to punch her into next week, after I felt like she was counting my tonsils as oppose to my follicles!! That was the most painful scan yet, leading to me almost passing out :O

Anyway 'Nervously excited' seems to sum up my feelings pretty well...I'm excited that this is the furthest we've come, and that potentially things could have a positive outcome, but also pretty nervous of the seriousness that OHSS could bring if it occurs, and of course the utmost fear that things may not work out AGAIN.....if that happens, it is game over for us as far as NHS funding goes, and our financial situation also means it would be game over :( that is without getting ourselves into horrendous debt, but I can't think about that right now, I need to block that out, and 'try' and take each day as it comes.



My emotions this time around have been much easier to control, it was pretty scary how dark I felt last time, never have I ever been in that place, nor do I ever want to go back there, I have never divulged the true intensity of those feelings to anyone, nor do I think I will, not for some time yet, not until there is no chance of those happening again.

This time I feel 'positively negative' if that makes sense??? Im negative in that I am fully aware that things may not work out, but not in a negative way, in a way in that I am trying to prepare myself for that eventuality, though if that becomes the case, I am pretty scared of how I may react, and not sure I am ready to handle that.

Acupuncture....I truly feel that has had a significant impact on controlling my feelings, and also helping in improving follicles, does it sound wrong that I have much more faith in my acupuncturist than I do in the medical HCPs?! She is much more kind, more hollistic, and always runs on time!!

So here we go, trigger shot happened last night, I had my first 'lie in' in a month, 0930 tomorrow morning I will be in the clinic about to undergo EC!!!

I'm off back to the sofa to watch shit TV!!