IVF Journey: 7w4d pregnant

This is my IVF diary. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for four years now, and have a diagnosis of 'unexplained infertility'. We have finally reached the top of the waiting list for IVF - a form of assisted conception. I'm blogging about what happens as it happens, as a kind of therapy for me and as an awareness raising exercise of what IVF is all about.

I must say the antihistamine drugs have made a big difference and I now feel less sick. A manageable amount of sick. But very veeeeeeeeeeeeery tired. I even had a nap on Monday afternoon. That never happens. I gave myself Monday and Tuesday off work and spent them in bed. Today I have done a few hours in the office, and tried walking round the block. Went OK.

I want to emphasise that this is rough though, and continues to be rough. I hate it. But it is worth it and I am determined to do my best to incubate Kipling as well as I can.

I have mentioned in passing that I waited until I was 30 to start trying for a baby, which is four years after I was married. This was all about me being prepared to do something that is a massive big deal and hugely disruptive, without resenting it. I wanted to feel financially secure, I wanted to be willing to step out of my career for a bit. And based on my past experience of hormones, I was anticipating pregnancy (for me) to be bloody awful. I didn’t start trying to conceive until I was prepared to man up to those things.

Well so far pregnancy is indeed bloody awful. But I am in a place, personally, where I am prepared to sacrifice myself and do something bloody awful for a positive future outcome. And I don’t resent it, especially after the added effort of all of the years of infertility and rounds of IVF. I am immensely grateful to be doing this and I’m going to give it my best shot.

I still hate it though.

In other news, NHS Lothian sent us by post a packet of information about having a baby. Some sheets explaining the upcoming appointments and other relevant issues, and a booklet about screening.

It looks to me like the only immediate action required is to get a flu jab, and to consider whether to have some of the more invasive screening which can have a 2/100 risk of miscarriage. I will talk to the husband about this, although my view is to avoid the invasive screening as I don’t think the result would make me want to terminate the pregnancy so no point in taking the risk.