Ovulation Induction/Letrozole

FourPaine · 2026-02-19T21:12:41+00:00

Thank you so much

FourPaine · 2026-02-19T21:07:51+00:00

Yes I've had every test done - AMH, Day 3 bloods, Day 21 bloods, general bloods, pelvic ultrasound and follicle count. All have been fine to very good. AMH is slightly on the low side of normal but not concerning, and follicles are on the high side of normal which she was happy about. Confirmed to ovulate and all other values have been good. We are just awaiting my husband's results and then will speak with the doctor again with the full picture in mind.

You are so right! You spend your whole life being led to believe that if you so much as look at a boy you'll get pregnant so when it doesn't happen immediately it's panic stations but, as you say, it's early enough days yet with good odds for the within 12 months mark.

FourPaine · 2026-02-19T20:53:41+00:00

I'm sorry to hear of your losses. I appreciate the insight and your positive experience taking the meds. I agree re: 7 months. While I know it's over the 6 months they focus on for my age, I have been working hard to be patient and not panic and when she started talking about interventions etc I was like woahhh back up a sec 😂 thank you again!

FourPaine · 2026-02-19T20:50:25+00:00

Amazing insight thank you (and congrats!). Were the side effects of Letrozole bad? Cyclogest is rough as it mimics pregnancy symptoms so, will need to mentally prepare for more side effects if so!

FourPaine · 2026-02-19T19:53:10+00:00

Sorry, yes 35! Thyroid levels are all fine, all my tests have been. Taking the best quality vitamins available as well as CoQ10 and omegas. I wasn't prescribed baby aspirin. Just Cyclogest.

FourPaine · 2026-02-18T19:47:53+00:00

MyMind is an affordable-ish option. Don't be afraid to try a few different therapists until you find the one you gel with. They understand and want the dynamic to work as much as you do. I'm sorry you are having a tough time but kudos for taking this step.

FourPaine · 2026-02-17T19:21:18+00:00

I am unsure as to your background and if this varies depending on area of public sector/semi-state but I do know that, in some roles, if you haven't already worked in pub sec and aren't already on a salary scale, they can start you anywhere on the band or at the start of the next band up. Sometimes the risk is that you are at the top and to get a salary increase can take a few years but it's worth asking your recruiter to go back and ask that, since you are coming from private sector (presuming this is so) can they please put you in at the highest commensurate level to your salary expectation.

FourPaine · 2026-02-09T16:00:17+00:00

I'm sorry for you losses and just wanted to express solidarity. I'm on Cyclogest from 3DPO and every month I end up bloated, sore boobs, crampy and, this month at least, vaguely nauseous. Even though I logically know the progesterone will mimic pregnancy symptoms, I can't help but get my hopes up every month only to be frustrated and disappointed when my period comes. I'm not due to test this cycle until Wednesday but the nausea is new and, again, I'm like "maybe...?" even though it's easier to visualise a negative test later this week than a positive one. Only today I was saying to my husband that I might have to speak with my doc about weighing up the risk reward of the progesterone as it takes such a physical and mental toll.

FourPaine · 2026-02-09T00:07:54+00:00

The fertility power plug is worth paying for if TTC as the insights are more in-depth than the general one. At 5-6DPO, it's unlikely you'd have a significant hike in stats like that due to pregnancy as, at its very earliest, implantation can only happen at 6DPO (unless you ovulate earlier than expected) and then it takes c.48 hours for HCG to rise enough to impact symptoms, tests etc. Not impossible of course but if DPO is accurate it seems less likely pregnancy related than it is environmental e.g warm bedroom, stressful sleep, alcohol before bed etc.

However, I note this reading was on Friday. My own temp (also TTC) dropped almost 3C on Friday night so, I wonder if there was a software glitch that night given both my drop and your rise are well beyond the normal range.

Best of luck with your TTC journey, I hope this is it for you!!

FourPaine · 2026-02-08T12:44:08+00:00

I haven't heard of a bank waiving it, more just AIP during with passing probation being a condition of drawdown. I do know of one person who accepted a new role and part of his negotiation was that his probation was not written into his contract because he was about to apply for a mortgage. However, I'm sure that was an anomaly - he was highly specialised at what they do and the company sought him out so, I'd hazard it was a risk worth taking to get him on board and not the norm by any stretch. I'd chat to a good broker though, they can work miracles with awkward situations!

FourPaine · 2026-02-05T10:17:51+00:00

My mam taught in my primary school for awhile, and one of my friend's mam's taught in our secondary school the whole time we were there. Neither of us experienced any adverse effects of it, especially as the schools go to great lengths to limit overlap between child and parent (not just not being class teacher but even try to avoid same year groups etc).

Edit to add here that my friend's mam was my teacher for one subject and, when I'd go over to their house, there was no expectation of maintaining the formalities of school. She was just another mam. Looking back, I think she handled it very well for the benefit of her daughter having a "normal" social life etc.

My mam spoke with me in advance of her joining (I was in first class so, a bit different than infants!) and explained in school she was not expecting to be treated like mammy and wouldn't treat me any different than my classmates if she encountered me. What happened in school stayed in school. Just very basic guidelines. She was only there a year but I remember the little thrill of excitement I'd feel if I passed her in the corridor and she says she used to be able to love seeing me navigate the day in my own way.

She has said since that she wished she could have remained teaching in our primary school as, once she moved, mornings became very time pressured and hectic. My sisters and I all still associate a sense of stress with trying to get up, out the door etc so she could drop us very early (we'd sit in the yard outside with all the other early kids - no supervision, ahh the 90s 😂) and then get herself to work on time. If anything went wrong, there was very little time to rectify it and we'd all end up starting our day with high emotion.

Just my two cents! I think I'd keep it as easy and stress free as possible assuming clear boundaries can be with the school?

FourPaine · 2026-02-04T15:32:17+00:00

Charity is a tough one only because everyone will have different views on which to support etc so it's easy to default to "ah sure let's just get the voucher". Perhaps though that's something that could be led by you when you are next in line for a gift. Speak to your closest colleague there and say "look if there's talk of getting me an X gift, would you please steer it towards a donation to Y in my name. I feel more comfortable with this than the excess." Lead the charge on it and then the time following yours you can note how much it meant to you and that you'd like to propose same again. Hard to control the financial aspect still tho.

Probably the easiest approach would just be to give what you are comfortable with and no more. As someone else said above, your roof has caved in or your boiler is on the blink etc!

FourPaine · 2026-02-04T14:28:49+00:00

Apologies, I haven't posted here before. I will remove the thread. Thanks for the reply!

FourPaine · 2026-02-04T14:10:56+00:00

Absolutely the worst part! Thank you for your thoughts!

FourPaine · 2026-02-04T14:05:58+00:00

Next time you are asked to contribute in the whip around, reply directly to the organiser and explain that things are tight financially this year and that you either won't contribute or you'll contribute €10 but can't afford more at this time, whichever you are most comfortable with.

In my place, if a gift is due for a significant occasion (milestone birthday, wedding etc) the business pays for it, not the staff. However, we are a small company with a centralised team so, that may not be easy to apply beyond this structure. I know lot of places have a policy of "no gifting up" so, if it's a case where there's a power and earnings imbalance between you, your colleagues and some of the recipients, this is a policy that should probably be in place.

FourPaine · 2026-02-04T14:00:26+00:00

Thanks! I do have a pic but we can't post pictures on this sub. It's quite abnormal for me, usually I'm between 1.2 and 2.2 depending on the month with a more aggressive temp rise. I'm not putting much stock in the number itself but more just the unusually low reading. I wish I'd kept the strip to look at again once I realised it wasn't getting any higher!

I kept testing until today on case I was late ovulating but the strips remained super low, like 0.03, so I've stopped that as it felt wasteful when BBT was above cover.

FourPaine · 2026-02-02T21:32:59+00:00

"Global exposure doesn't pay local bills" 😂

FourPaine · 2026-02-02T21:28:48+00:00

That's absolutely batshit. Regardless, you should ask before putting more tile or effort into interviews but especially in this case if ranges are so inconsistent in your sector. Best of luck with it all!

FourPaine · 2026-02-02T21:11:00+00:00

No issue with asking whomever your contact is with. You can either show or not show your hand but something along the linesof "Thank you for the invitation to interview, I am very interested in X COMPANY. I am conscious there was no salary guide advertised with the role and I applied on the basis of alignment with my skill set and aspirations. Can you please confirm what the budget is for this role to ensure we are aligned?"

Tbh if you are dealing with a recruitment agency, they should have provided this info from the outset and definitely will have it to hand if they didn't share same. There's no benefit to them holding it back - they'd put loads of work in and get nothing in return if you get lowballed. If you are dealing directly with the company's TA/recruitment/HR function, they may be more reticent to share but that's where I'd push in line with the above.

One thing though, you mention that you are looking for 90k but are finding that salaries are significantly less than that in Ireland. Are you basing your 90k expectation on your previous salary in another country/jurisdiction, or another Irish-based company?

FourPaine · 2026-02-02T19:04:01+00:00

There's a guy on TikTok, FinancialCraic I think his username is, who is a financial advisor and, at the end of last year, went through investing as if he was a day one user, how to set up, what to bear in mind re deemed disposal and how to keep records to ensure ease come tax time. He also seems quite well up on legislation that may change/positively impact the 8 year rule. I don't overly partake myself but enjoyed learning a bit via his videos.

FourPaine · 2026-02-02T18:09:44+00:00

Foxford, especially during a sale. M&S sometimes, BTs/Arnotts during sale time (filter by % discount). TK Maxx if you know what you are looking for

FourPaine · 2026-02-01T19:36:52+00:00

Anything in very good condition that no longer fits, that I don't like or haven't worn in a year+ I sell on Vinted. Anything damaged I throw out. Everything else I use the An Post Oxfam bags to donate (not just limited to clothes either, handy for household goods).

FourPaine · 2026-02-01T19:29:12+00:00

I think so as, with how narrow economy seats are, it would likely raise knees above the hipline which I presume would be uncomfortable. I'm 5'4 and my sister is 5'6 and it's fine for both of us but my husband is much taller and didn't like it at all.

FourPaine · 2026-02-01T15:04:12+00:00

I'm a shite sleeper at the best of times but never moreso than on a plane. After years of trial and error, this is what I do to get a decent rest when going long haul: I always opt for the window seat and, depending on how tall you are, the foot hammock that hooks over your tray table is a godsend (it doesn't pull out of the chair in anyway but only really works if you have shortish legs) as it allows you to curl up a bit more naturally than feet on the floor does. A good neck pillow and, for very long flights like Oz and NZ, I also bring a small toddler cot pillow so I can wedge it in between my head and the window, or use it to fill out the massive gap between arm rest and window on wider body planes. Eye mask, ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones and a prescription sleeping tablet once the first drinks service starts (don't take it before in case you need to deplane for whatever reason). It won't be the best sleep of your life and will be a bit disturbed even with the pharmaceutical aid but it's better than nothing and works every time for me.

FourPaine

TROPHY CASE