Tumbling Through the Rabbit Hole...
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Apologies for the length of this timeline. I've wanted to record in fairly great detail all the happenings of the past years, mainly for posterity, so I can remember what happened and when (my memory is crap like that). Read at your own peril..

Apr 2006 Met my lovely M

Nov 2009 Got engaged

Sept 2010 Just married!!!

Oct 2011 Finish my studies

Dec 2011 Ditch the pill my cycles return back to normal like a clock work.

Jan 2012 Start trying for a baby in earnest

March 2012 Move houses to a leafier, more baby-friendly (ha!) suburb and a bigger flat.

Apr 2012 Register with a new GP, spoke to a nurse about our baby making plans and was reassured that it "could take up to a year".

Dec 2012 Despite one year of trying, no baby. Start finally temping, using OPKs and charting religiously.

Jan 2013 Book an appointment with GP to discuss our subfertility.

Feb 2013 Blood tests and semen analysis conducted - all come back normal.

Mar 2013 Referred to a local subfertility clinic

June 2013 Appointment at subfertility clinic. Doc suspects endometriosis (due to my list of symptoms - painful and heavy periods, pain during sex, IBS-type issues, etc), and tells me to put on 4kg and then ring up to book for laparoscopy and hysteroscopy.

July 2013 I embark on my 'fattening/muscle building diet'

Early Aug 2013 2kg gained, two more to go!

Late Aug 2013 Target weight reached - book laparoscopy, +/- ablation and dye for Nov 8, 2013.

Sept - Oct 2013 Period panic (lap potentially coinciding with period). Spend 10 days on Norethisterone (progesterone) and readjust my cycle accordingly.

8 Nov 2013 Lap performed - surgeon finds two 'small patches' of endo and removes them. Tubes, uterus and ovaries appear to be in good nick and unaffected by the adhesions. We are given a three month window to carry on trying au naturel. At least my blog has an apt title!

17 Dec 2013 Follow-up appointment to discuss the game plan. Despite the endo we are placed in the 'unexplained' category, since the endo had not messed up with my tubes/ovaries/uterus. ("Umm, doctor, have you never heard of natural killer cells and such like?!"). We are offered 4 free IUI cycles, one fresh cycle of IVF and a FET courtesy of the NHS.

4 Feb 2014 Follow-up appointment to sign paperwork. Are told to ring clinic on CD1 to book first scan for IUI #1 for CD8.

11 Feb 2014 CD1 Ring up clinic to book first scan for Monday Feb, 17, which actually is CD7, since I am an early ovulator.

12 Feb 2014 CD2 Start 5 days on Clomid.

12 - 16 Feb 2014 Side effects of Clomid: the ability to tear up at the most random things. Also some funky 'fluttering effects' in my peripheral vision when I first wake up (and esp. when I wake up during the night to go for a pee). Decide that these are probably due to de-hydration and up my water intake. Said effects disappear when I finish Clomid.

17 Feb 2014 Scan #1. Two good size follies (13mm & 12mm respectively) on left side and one (14mm) follicle on right. Lining right on target at 6.1mm (so I'm told).

19 Feb 2014 Dildocam scan #2: Follies ready to burst (left side 18mm & 17mm, and right side 1x 20mm) and womb lining thickening nicely at 7.3mm. HCG shot given in the bum by the nurse. IUI scheduled for the following morning.

20 Feb 2014 IUI #1 completed with a sperm sample of 9million/ml.

5 March 2014 AF arrives - first IUI cycle's officially a bust, but at least I have the joy of having a super light and pain-free period, which makes a marked difference (- thanks Clomid!)

Mid-March 2014 Am informed by our nurse that the clinic is not doing scans between 7th - 24th April, so that scuppers up our plans for IUI#2 during April. We are cheerfully instructed to try naturally, so naturally we try.

2 Apr 2014 AF arrives, again, with quite a heavy bleed and medium level of pain. We are told to take a cycle's break and try naturally in the meantime.

30 Apr 2014 AF arrives again. I call the clinic, am instructed to start Clomid on CD2 - CD6.
IUI #2 is a go-go.

7 May 2014 HcG shot done at home (thanks, M!) at 11pm (more like 11.20pm after all the vial opening and powder-mixing business).

9 May 2014 IUI #2 completed. TWW commences, again. (I later learn that I responded poorly with only one follicle and thin uterine lining. Sperm sample on the other hand is a good at 16.1million/ml.)

21 May 2014 Start spotting.

22 May 2014 AF starts properly to confirm that IUI #2, too, was a bust. Short (2 day) period and very little pain. Thanks again Clomid. However, I am left wondering whether the said is wrecking my uterine lining. I speak to our nurse who tells me to book a consult with our Doc to discuss the game plan.

Consultation booked for 19th June 2014.

14 June 2014 We receive a letter stating that 'due to re-organisation' our consult has been postponed to 10th July 2014. Eat my shorts NHS.

10th July 2014 Consultation to review game plan. I express my concerns re: Clomid (weird vision distortion symptoms), light periods. Doc confirms that my uterine lining was poor during last cycle. We are told to switch to Metformin. Progesterone is added because I ask for it (due to my pre-period spotting). I feel like I am being humoured, but at this stage, don't care.

Aug 2014 IUI#3 Metformin, HcG and progesterone suppositories (post IUI). Three follicles, good lining, sperm sample unknown. BFN

Oct 2014 IUI#4 Metformin, HcG and progesterone suppositories (post IUI). One follicle, good uterine lining, sperm sample unknown. BFN

24 Oct 2014 Consultation at Fertility and Gynaecology Academy with Dr Gorgy to discuss my concerns re: natural killer cells etc, prior to our one and only NHS funded IVF cycle. He tells us that IVF is our best option, but it is difficult to say anything based on our failed IUIs only. IVF is our best chance and will provide us with more info to go by should we wish to pursue immunological testing / treatment later.

9 Dec 2014 Final consultation at our local NHS clinic to discuss IVF. Our entitlement to 1 fresh IVF cycle and 1 FET  (should there be any embryos left to freeze) courtesy of NHS is confirmed. We are given an information pack on 4 clinics and asked to decide which one we would like to go with at our leisure.

14 Dec 2014 Decision letter sent to the local clinic re: our choice of clinic. Having done our homework we decided to go with a highly reputable clinic attached to a big teaching hospital in Central London with good transport links, attractive looking success rates and friendly staff. To be fair, all of the clinics were pretty evenly matched. Transport links were the truly deciding factor in the end..

10 Feb 2015 First consultation at our chosen IVF clinic - blood tests done (incl. full thyroid panel), sperm analysis conducted, reams of paperwork filled out, consent forms signed, discussion of our 4 IUIs, endo etc takes place. Due to some fairly low sperm samples in the past we are offered ICSI as well as IVF. I am asked to contact the clinic at CD1 to start the cycle.

7 March 2015 CD1 - start of our first IVF cycle. I contact the clinic, appointment made for 18 March.

12 March 2015 Thyroid results come back normal.

18 March 2015 Schedule appointment at IVF clinic - Buserelin injections lesson, IVF schedule discussed, meds ordered. 

21 March 2015 Meds arrive!

27 March 2015 CD 21 Start injecting Buserelin (50 IU) in the mornings.

6 April 2015 I get invited for a first round of interviews for a new job on 14 April 2015. Eeep!

13 April 2015 Scan #1 - Everything looks good. I am told to continue injecting Buserelin (20 IU) in the mornings and inject Gonal F (300 IU) in the evenings. 

14 April 2015 First round of interviews for the new job. I am successful and get invited for round 2 on 22 April 2015.

21 April 2015 Scan #2 - Everything looking good, advised to carry on with both injections.

22 April 2015 Second round of interviews. I am successful and am offered the job the next day. I have a spine-crawlingly awkward conversation with the Director about our IVF journey to forewarn them. He discusses this news with the Trustees and they offer me the job anyway.Yay!!! I will be starting in my new job on 3 August 2015.

24 April 2015 Scan #3 - Everything looking good, but we are given the option to wait a little longer (a few days) to try to get the smaller follicles catch up with the larger ones and in so doing increase the potential number of eggs to be retrieved. We agree to this plan.

26 April 2015 Scan #4 - A number of smaller follies have caught up with the bigger. Trigger date is set for 28 Apr. Final Buserelin shot will be given on the morning of the trigger shot.

28 April 2015 Trigger shot administered (Ovitrelle 250 IU) at 22:30 sharp. No more injections!! Woohoo!!!

30 April 2015 Egg retrieval for IVF#1 - Initial report: 18 eggs retrieved. 50/50 ICSI / IVF plan proposed. We say yes. I start inserting progesterone pessaries  (400mg / twice daily) like there was no tomorrow.

2 May 2015 - Interim fertilisation report: 22 eggs were retrieved, out of the 11 chosen for ICSI 9 were viable and 4 fertilised. Out of the 11 chosen for IVF 10 fertilised. We have 14 potential embryos! Day 5 transfer recommended. We say yes.

5 May 2015 Transfer day - all 4 of our ICSI embryos had turned into blasts and started hatching. Out of our 10 IVF embryos 2 had turned into blastocysts (not yet hatching), the rest were still developing, but at a slower rate. I had one beautiful, stage five, grade AA blastocyst transferred.

16 May 2015 Our first ever faint BFP!! No spotting, no cramping in sight. This is unprecedented. Symptoms: some mild nausea, re-occurring ferocious hunger pangs, my favourite perfume (and many other smells) make me feel ill, I am constantly tired with super sore boobs.

17 May 2015 'Proper' BFP on Clearblue digital pregnancy test. We send a picture of it to my Dad and Step-Mum via Whatsapp and text a few select friends to share our joy and trepidation. I'd rather that our nearest and dearest know what's happening should this all go south.

19 May 2015 Still BFP on FRER - Obsessed, moi?

20 May 2015 Still BFP on FRER - I decide to get blood HCG test done privately 'for peace of mind'. The results come back at 77 IU/L. Not great, but not disastrous. Frantic googling follows.

21 May 2015 Still BFP on FRER - but.. does that line look lighter to you?

22 May 2015 Still BFP on FRERSecond blood HCG test carried out (again privately). Result: 99 IU/L. Number not doubling as it should (doubling time of 132 hours). Really not great news. Time to start panicking, as this could indicate an ectopic. I make contact with our IVF clinic for advice, now that my 'peace of mind' plan has backfired.

27 May 2015 HcG blood draw #1 at IVF clinic.

30 May 2015 We finally receive results of blood draw #1 at IVF clinic: 132 IU/ml, doubling time of roughly 289.13 hours (although since the tests were done at different clinics, this by no means is very accurate).

02 June 2015 Blood draw #2 at IVF clinic, result: 257 IU/ml, doubling time of 149hours. I am told to stop taking progesterone to start the natural miscarriage process.

06 June 2015 Blood draw #3 at IVF clinic, result 347IU/ml (doubling time of 247 hours).  Internal scan shows no sign of baby either in the womb or fallopian tube. Dr thinks he can se remnants of something in the womb (which limits our risk of ectopic to minimal). I have started spotting by this time. We fly off to Finland for our summer holiday.

08 June 2015 My first ever miscarriage kicks off with hideous (what I can only describe as) 'contraction-like' cramping first thing in the morning. This quickly subsides and is replaced by severe menstrual cramping for the next 5 days. Medium to light bleed, which lasts for approx. 7 days and is followed by considerable amount of spotting.

22 June 2015 M. starts in his new Mon-Fri 9-5 job. Yay! Some good news amongst all the gloom and doom.

08 July 2015 First AF since miscarriage. Turns out we weren't one of those lucky couples who got pregnant naturally straight after a miscarriage.

21 July 2015 Our WTF appointment at the IVF clinic. M. is unable to attend due to work commitments in his new role. The Dr assures me that our miscarriage was more than likely caused by chromosomal abnormality, rather than anything I did / didn't do or by my endometriosis. She certainly does not consider that it was due to implantation failure, since implantation clearly took place. We discuss FET and how many embryos to transfer. The clinic would prefer 1, but are willing to consider transferring two if it is our wish and if we acknowledge the associated risks.

3 August 2015 I start in my new, super low-stress job.

4 August 2015 AF starts. We could start our first FET cycle, but we decide to wait one more month to give me time to settle in my new job.