Well today the "painters & decorators" came a callin'
Not too much of a surprise since we were told that our first IVF was not successful.
However, I know that the Oxford Fertility Unit (ironically the initials are OFU which I think is apt!!!) messed up on several occasions if truth be known they are not the best Fertility clinic - just reading thru. the reports on the HFEA website.

We have a consultation with CRM London next week - they specialise in IVF for women my age (just turned 40) and the HFEA has mentioned that CRM are number 1 in the UK so we'll give it a try with them.

The CRM nurse called me on Wednesday to have a chat (something that you would NEVER get with the Oxford Fertility Unit/John Radcliffe) I told her about the mess up with OFU. The nurse mentioned that they have a test at CRM where they can see tell you exactly how many eggs you have left - this was my face ->
WOW!!!
I'll have to give updates when we get back from the consultation but until then I will have to deal with at least 5 to 6 days of the blasted "painters & decorators"

x

Good luck. Hope you have a better time with CRM.

You're very brave going through it again. Have you looked into accupuncture? Loads of women going through IVF seem to swear by it. I used hypnotherapy which was particularly helpful for egg collection.

H

xx

Cheers me dear!

Acupuncture:

I tried acupuncture by this little old Oriental lady who was featured in the Evening Standard and she was recommended to me by an ex-colleague. I did this from June 2004 to March 2005 at £30 a session and nothing.
In fact, I started to get terrible period pains and that's when I stopped.


Hypnosis:
I've not tried hypnosis - at least not the kind where you are physically sitting on a sofa and put under by someone like Paul Daniels (i think he's the bloke that does that ).

I purchased a CD http://natalhypnotherapy.com/

I tried to use the CD last year in November 2005 but nothing happened - maybe I should pick it up again.

Question:
Who and/or what method of hypnosis do you use?
I would like to try what you're doing, if I may please?

Hi

I went to see a hypnotherapist who was a friend of a friend. He'd not done anything like me before... he does a lot of giving up smoking and fear of flying type things. He has a background in nursing and did lots of research about IVF and egg collection before I went to see him.

I had 2 sesssions with him. One was a kinda general thing to see how well I coped with hypnosis. It was great and I had a fantastic night's sleep afterwards. Then I went back for a 2nd session that was more specific to my situation and he'd done me 2 CDs. One I listened to from time to time and then every day before egg collection. A lot of it was PMA stuff and staying calm and relaxed during the process. I know they drug us up to the eyeballs anyway, but I wanted to feel extra calm.

The 2nd CD was for playing during the actual egg collection and had the same relaxing music that was played on the other CD. The theory being that you identify that music with calmness and relaxation. He'd put certain commands in so that when the procedure was finished I'd come round quickly or if the music stopped I'd be ok.

I got 22 eggs so it was a pretty long process but I found it really helped and it was only the last few that I lost concentration a bit and felt more aware of what was going on.

It cost £80 in total which is quite a lot but I was able to claim it back through the health scheme they have at work. Obviously the end result has been worth it. How much it contributed to the success of my cycle I don't know, but I don't regret trying it.

Hope that helps. I may have a contact number or website for hypnotherapists if you are interested.

Helen

xx

OH YES PLEASE!!!
I would love to give it a go.
£80 isn't too bad and I would like to give it a go.
Oh please, if you don't mind.
Many thanks me dear

OOoohhhh I've just read some info. about aspirin and IVF here's a little exerpt:

To read the full story click -> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/329464.stm

Well I usually take 300mg of Aspirin when the blasted Painters & Decorators are in but I may just continue and just chop it in 2 on normal days.

NOTE TO SELF (and anyone else who wants to know):
Although, I do not consider myself to be too old to have a child. I mean if Madonna, Sherrie Blair can do it & a couple of my good friends of mine can give birth and they are older than me then why can't I?!?!

I am so BUSHED!!!
What a tiring day and I haven't even finished yet!
Goodness knows what it's going to be like when I finally have a bun (or 2 :wink: ) in the oven

Anyway, I was so anxious that I couldn't wait for Helen to reply back to me so I went back onto the CD-a-la-baby-hypnosis website and had a look at their links.

After about 2 hours searching I finally struck gold and found a very nice lady that specializes in hypnobirthing.

Her work has been covered by independent journalists and she's been in the news dating back to 2003. There were articles about her everywhere so I gave her a called.

My first session is booked for next Wednesday at 10:30 and I can't wait.
She mentioned that she had helped loads of women my age and older to get rid of "negative mental blocks" that could prevent conception.
...but she would say that wouldn't she?...

However, something inside me just felt right when I spoke to her..
I can't put my finger on it but I think this will be a much nicer journey thru. IVF.

The mere fact that I am going to see CRM London and not OFU in itself is a relief (at OFU it really felt as if they were telling me "Oh F. U!!!")

So now I have an IVF consultation with CRM London (IVF round II) and hypnotherapy session (round I) to look forward to too.

Sorry it took a while for me to reply, but good luck with your appointment. Here's the link anyway, just in case www.hypnotherapy-uk.org This is the British Hypnotherapy Association.

I've just been watching a child against all odds and have been in total and absolute floods. It brings it all back watching someone else go through IVF. What did you think?

Took a look on the BBC message boards before I came on here and it made me absolutely furious. I HATE all those people who say "you're infertile for a reason", "why don't you just adopt", "IVF is unnatural". Grrrrr These people are ignorant idiots!

You're better than I am I DID NOT go to the message boards - didn't know they existed.

After watching the program last night both my partner and I were feeling mixed.

DURING THE PROGRAMME:
Every stage that those women went thru. I felt - anxious, then I felt negative (4 boys and she wants a girl greedy cow!!!), then I felt that I could relate with the women, then I felt (and this is horrible) "please let me give birth to a healthy beautiful child, dear Lord or please", then when the couples' didn't succeed I couldn't do anything else but FEEL for them - their pain (of the couple with a disabled child - I could only imagine their pain) and their spirit (to try again even tho. she only produced 3 eggs the first time - this is the stage where I'm at. TRYING AGAIN but I have produced more eggs).
I couldn't FEEL anything for the one couple who did have a healthy child as I have not got to that stage yet. I just watched with amazement at the miracle before me and WISHED that it could be me in future giving birth.

However, I didn't cry or anything but I did feel a lot of emotions.

AFTER THE PROGRAMME:
My partner and I both thought, after watching the program, that we DO have a good chance. I DO have enough eggs even tho. OFU didn't supply me with the correct dosage I STILL managed to produce 10 follicles of which 8 were mature. Although I wish it were more and that I were currently pregnant we both have decided to give it 100% this time 'round. Even when they say have protected sex we'll do the best we can :wink:




Oh Helen, great minds think a like.
One of the links on the CD-a-la-baby-hypnosis website was actually the www.hypnotherapy-uk.org link which listed a whole host of Hypnotherapist and I found one close to my village.
Can't wait to get on with this..