The Official TTC for 6 Months or More Thread

[monkeyprincess]

LV, I think that's a good move. December is so busy and goes so quickly, and there is something nice about starting fresh in the new year. I might be forced to take the month off. I'm going to see when AF arrives before I decide what to do. This month I triggered on CD10, so if there is a cushion around that time, I'll probably try again, or if not, I'll just have to wait. I have a crazy travel schedule. I am traveling on November 24-25, then I'm gone December 2-5, December 11-12, and possibly another day or two the following week, and then we're going to see my family over Christmas. It will be January before I even have my head back on straight!

Have a good weekend everyone! Sorry I've dominated this thread with my whining so much this week!

 

[brightlight]

Loves Vintage - My RE originally prescribed Follistim but the online pharmacy I ordered my meds from didn't carry it, so she switched me to Gonal-F. I did one Gonal-F injection in the morning, one Omnitrope (growth hormone) injection in the afternoon, and one Menopur injection in the evening. I responded really well to the meds, so we stopped the Menopur injections after 4-5 days and lowered my Gonal-F dosage. I didn't experience any side effects except some slight cramping for about an hour after I did my first injection. I mentioned this to Brightspot before, but I still have unopened meds in my refrigerator. They're completely sealed in their original boxes if you're interested. I have 2 boxes (10 vials of Menopur) and one Gonal-F pen. I should also mention that I was on birth control pills for three weeks prior to the start of stimulation. You should probably ask your RE about whether you'll start on bcps so you'll have a sense of when your egg retrieval and transfer will be. I don't remember, do you have PCOS? If so, you might be more prone to hyperstimulation and may not be able to do a fresh transfer. I can't think of any websites off the top of my head, but I'd be happy to answer any questions and describe the process in detail so you know what to expect. There was one website I found that was very detailed about embryo transfers. I'll try to find it and post it here. The only suggestion I have for prepping your body is to increase your protein and lower your carb intake. Also, eat a colorful diet to make sure you're getting your nutrients and drink lots of water. You may want to ask your RE if there are any acupuncturists who have privileges there. Doing acupuncture before and after the transfer increases the blood flow to the uterus. My acupuncturist was really great, and it was really nice to have someone there to dote on me. She really tried to make sure that my husband and I were comfortable and that I had everything I needed like blankets, etc.

Monkeyprincess - You are not whining! You support others more than you ask for support!

Ok, this really is my last post until after Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thank you very much, Brightlight. This is all very new to me. I didn't even know that BCPs might be a component to any of this! Curious to see what my RE will recommend for me. I do have a ton more questions for you, but I will wait until after TG! No, I do not have PCOS. My main affliction appears to be my age. I will definitely ask about the acupuncturist. I would totally sign up for that if available! Thank you for your kind offer re: your Gonal-F. I expect that I will have full drug coverage and already have some left-over follistim, so I think I am all set, but thank you for offering! I did email BrightSpot, and hoping we can connect through her. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

MP - Totally ditto what Brightlight said! You are a huge support in this thread (and others too!)

 

[monkeyprincess]

Hi ladies. As expected, another BFN today at 14dpo, so I'm officially out this cycle. Question for all of you. This is the first time I've gotten to 14dpo without any spotting (and not pregnant), so I assume that means my progesterone was quite a bit higher than normal. I'm supposed to stop the prometrium now, and I'm wondering how long it typically takes for you to get AF after stopping? I'm contemplating using it one more night and ideally, I would make it to late Tuesday or Wednesday before AF arrives. That way I might actually be able to attempt another IUI this cycle. If AF comes before that or too long after that, I probably won't be able to do to my travel schedule.

Today sucked. I had a baby shower this weekend, and I feel like I'm being inundated with baby news everywhere I turn. Just worried that this failed IUI means we are dealing with bigger fertility issues than last time. On top of that, I had to leave town, and I hated leaving DH and my son. The good thing about TTC is that as soon as you get over the feeling sad part at the end of a cycle, you have to move forward right away and focus on the next cycle. That's also the bad thing about TTC, but I'm going to try to see getting to try again as a good thing.

Thinking of everyone as the holidays come up. It is such a hard time of year to be going through this crappy infertility stuff, especially for those of you who are trying for your first.

 

[Loves Vintage]

MP - Sorry to hear about the BFN. I am not sure how much you can control when AF arrives by taking prometrium. I stopped taking mine and starting bleeding 3 days after, but I think that probably would have started even if I had kept taking it. I do hope your cycle timing works out.

I don't think you should worry too much about the fact that the first iui did not work. Sometimes, they just don't, even if all aspects of the cycle are ideal. I really hope IUI2 works for you.

************
I had my appointment with the RE yesterday and discussed IVF in some detail. He suggests IVF with PGD on day 5 to detect chromosomal issues prior to transfer. I am also doing an IUI this cycle after all. I feel relieved at the decision, so I do think it was the right decision for right now. CD4 today. We will see how it goes.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, good luck this cycle. It would be so great if this IUI works! And if not, it is nice to know you are able to plan for the next step. AF showed this morning, so it is CD1, and I'm not quite sure what will happen this month. This past month I had an ultrasound and triggered on CD10. This month, I will be getting back on the evening of CD10 from a work trip, so it could possibly be too late to trigger. I'll see what she thinks when I talk to her.

 

[royalasscherlover]

Just wanted to drop in to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful for the support and wisdom from all the ladies who participate on this thread. My holiday wish is that we all get some real, true good news soon!

 

[BrightSpot]

Hi, lovely ladies. Sorry for being away for a while. I'm going to try to catch up here & wanted to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know the holiday season is particularly difficult when you're wishing you could share it with a little one (or 2). It certainly is for me too, but I'm very thankful for the friendships & support I've enjoyed here.

LV, I'm so, so sorry to hear that this pregnancy didn't wind up being viable. Huge hugs to you. I'm glad that you didn't have to have a D&C, though & that you're able to do another IUI before the end of the year. I really hope that this one yields a healthy pregnancy. If you wind up moving to IVF, I'm glad you'll have some insurance coverage to help. And it sounds like you have a good protocol. We were planning to do PGD as well, assuming we had enough embryos to make sense financially.

MP, I'm so sorry to hear this IUI didn't work. How frustrating & sad. Big hugs to you. It's an awful feeling as you come to the limit of what you're willing to do cycle-wise when you haven't had success yet. That said, IUI has worked for you before & I feel confident it will again. And don't worry about venting here-that's why we're here! You're absolutely a wonderful source of support & we're all lucky to be your cyber fertility friends.

Aviastar, yes, you're right that the waiting & uncertainty are one of the most difficult parts of the process. I hope you can get your testing done easily (or even better, that you don't need to!) And your DH isn't going to get much sympathy about the SA. We women have to go through so much worse in this process, however I imagine doing a SA, especially producing in a doctors office, would be pretty awkward.

SB, I'm glad you're able to squeeze in another IUI, but sorry you have to. That makes sense to try a few more as there is a lot of chance involved in this process. Hoping there's a lot of good news around here soon.

Laila, I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. And nearly at the end of the first trimester as well. How heartbreaking. Big hugs to you.

Tbaus, how are you holding up? Thinking of you, dear.

Brightlight, I'm so glad we were able to connect. As for the bcp, my doc put me on it before our first IVF attempt back in April. I was on the pill for several months, actually, as we had a delay before we could start IVF. My ovaries wound up being over suppressed & I only produced 2 follicles, despite full IVF stims. (We cancelled the IVF & converted to an IUI cycle.) So I'm a little hesitant to go on bcp's for a short period of time, even though I would love to for the sake of the hair loss (it helps) & cyst (good point that the bcp's could help resolve that.)
I hope you're doing ok & promise I'll write more soon.

Afm, the heavier bleeding did seem like it was a period as it lasted about the requisite amount of time. It's been over for several days & I'm grateful to be finally feeling better. The holidays have been tough, though. I was in a home store that was decked for Christmas already the other day & was feeling nostalgic about our first pregnancy that was around this time last year...until I remembered it was 2 years ago.

And I found out that my SIL is definitely pregnant again. So I'll have to put on my brave face for the announcement tomorrow. Of course, I'm thrilled for her, but you guys know how hard it is...

I don't know what will happen for our next cycle, but I guess I'll go see my RE before December 13th & find out. It would be nice if we don't have to wait 2 months before trying again but I'm not sure we'll be able to schedule anything with the holidays. Perhaps if we just do femara it would require less monitoring.

I'm with SB--really hoping we all get some unqualified good news soon.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Bright, I can only imagine hitting the two year anniversary must be pretty hard. I was so hoping you would have had good news by now. I still think it is going to happen, but I hate that it is taking so long! Hopefully, there will not be a long delay again before you get to start another treatment cycle. And yes, we all understand how it is to hear pregnancy announcements. It's not like you wish ill on anyone else and aren't happy for them, it just makes the void feel even bigger. Big hugs to you!

SB, Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! Really keeping my fingers crossed that this time's the charm for you.

Best wishes for a nice holiday weekend to everyone else!

AFM, I had an u/s this morning, and it looks like my follicles all popped last month, so there are no cysts and I'm good to start femara again this month. I'm traveling most of next week, so I'm going to be hoping and praying that I get back in time to trigger and have an IUI again maybe next weekend. I'll be taking OPKs with me just to make sure I don't get an LH surge before I get back. I told her how discouraged I was that last cycle was a bust, and she said that sometimes it just takes a few tries. She did say that if IUI is going to work, you should be pregnant by 3-4 cycles. If it doesn't happen this time around, I think she may want me to have another HSG. Anyway, I have a lot to be thankful for, so I'm going to try to focus on that and just push forward. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[random_thought]

I posted this over in TTC but thought maybe I would post it here too, just tryin to find somewhere to be able to talk about this stuff even though I haven't been on PS in a looooong time....

Hey ladies, I found myself kind of moseying on over to see if I recognized anyone posting here and I do so I thought I would see if anyone minded if I posted here...The bump just, eh, isn't really doing it for me.

We've been ttc our second for almost 2 years now. In September, I finally got in to see a decent RE (my obgyn had tried to write me off with just having low progesterone when in my fact my levels were completely normal. So anyways, when I went in to see my new (and amazing!) RE we discovered that not only did I have endometriosis, I also had PCOS with insulin resistance as well. I was put on Metformin and about 2 weeks ago I had a laproscopy to remove the endo. They found it all over my right ovary and also on my right broad ligament. My left ovary was attached to my pelvis and my pelvis was filled with adhesions from when my appendix was removed 26 years ago ( ). We also had a SA done for DH and the numbers came back fantastic so that isn't our issue, pretty much just me. We're hoping to finally get our bfp this month after going through all of this!

It's so strange because it only took us 7 months to conceive our first son and without any knowledge of any issues as well...

Anyways, sorry for the novel, hope it's ok if I post

 

[aviastar]

Hi Random! I'm sorry that you find yourself in this boat, but we're more than happy to have you post with us! I've heard quite a few success stories of BFPs after laparoscopy, so I certainly hope it did the trick for you. What an idiot your ob was!

If you wouldn't mind, can you tell me what the endo felt like? Did you notice symptoms at all? I think I may have it too, and a lap is on our list after we knock out some bloodwork and the SA this month (if we aren't successful on our own in between- ya gotta keep the hope alive, right?)

Great to hear about the popping, MP! It kinda sucks that this whole thing is so much a process of elimination; weeellll, the femara is working like it should, so there's a chance it didn't just catch so now you have to try it for 4 months before we can conclusively say that it might be a different part of the process, so now we can tweak that one. Wouldn't it be great if they could just run a diagnostic on our systems like they do with cars? Plug in here, push start, annnnnnd...yup, that check fertility light is just your left ovary! We can fix that right up for you!

Bright, I'm sorry you have to see this anniversary come and go again. It just isn't fair.

Glad you are felling good about the plan, LV! It's nice to feel like you are marching forwards rather than treading water.

AFM, I got my crosshairs 6 days ago, so I'm TWW-ing it. I feel like we had a good shot this round, with the ultrasound showing a nice lining and a fat folly. I made it past DPO5&6 wihtout any spotting this time, which makes me happy even if the midwife wasn't concerned. But I did manage to have a nosebleed on DPO4 instead. Blood is never ideal, but at this point I will take it out my nose than out the hoo-ha and be happy about it!

 

[random_thought]

Hi Random! I'm sorry that you find yourself in this boat, but we're more than happy to have you post with us! I've heard quite a few success stories of BFPs after laparoscopy, so I certainly hope it did the trick for you. What an idiot your ob was!

If you wouldn't mind, can you tell me what the endo felt like? Did you notice symptoms at all? I think I may have it too, and a lap is on our list after we knock out some bloodwork and the SA this month (if we aren't successful on our own in between- ya gotta keep the hope alive, right?)

Sure I actually never even thought there was anything wrong with me until I started ttc this time around. Ever since I had my first period, the pain was unbearable. Some nights I would throw up because the cramping was so so intense. It eventually eased a bit after time (which I later found out was due to scarring). I usually would have AF type cramping for 3/4 weeks a month. I also had a very short luteal phase and very very very heavy blood flow. I would typically go through an overnight pad every 3-4 hours a day. Also, ovulation was (and still is) very painful for me. Just feels like sharp pokes where my ovaries are combined with nausea. Another kind of weird symptom I had was horrible lower back pain. I also would have bad cramping during orgasms when we had sex but now that has completely gone away thank God! I found a total list of symptoms from it online and these are the ones that relate to me the most...


Very painful menstrual cramps; pain may get worse over time
Chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis
Pain during or after sex
Intestinal pain
Spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods
Infertility or not being able to get pregnant
Chronic Fatigue
Diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods

It's hard to know which of these were from the PCOS and which were from the endo but I hope this helps a little bit?

Also, something else to consider- my RE was able to see it on an ultrasound because it had spread so much.

 

[aviastar]

Thanks, Random!

I don't know how many of those you need to check off to make endo a real possibility, but I have the majority of them. I did have an ultrasound and no endo was visible, although I know you can't always see it via US.

I should have AF by this weekend, if she's coming. So I'll be booking our tests Monday morning if she's here and doing a happy dance if she's not. I was excited to get all the way to DPO9(today) with no spotting, but then I got some midmorning.

Don't know whether to feel optimistic or not; I've been daydreaming about telling family at Christmas, but everytime I catch myself I try to curb it- it's a dangerous road to get attached to the idea at this point.

 

[aviastar]

Scratch that, reverse it. I've decided to be throughly pessimistic. Cramps, headache and more spotting, AF is on her way in, I think. If she arrives on Friday as expected then CD3 will be Sunday, so I'll need to call first thing Friday am to get a special appointment set up for CD3 blood work on a weekend.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Aviastar, I'm sorry you're feeling pessimistic. For the record I hope you are wrong! I'm all too familiar with daydreaming about announcing it on specific occasions or being pregnant by a certain date. I did that last month before Thanksgiving, and I will probably do the same thing this month about Christmas. The sucky thing is that if I don't get pregnant this month, I will be depressed again right before Christmas, and even if I do get pregnant, I'm going to be a nervous wreck in the early stage and too afraid to announce for awhile. It's just so frustrating to realize how little control some of us have over our fertility! I also wholeheartedly agree that it would be so awesome if there was a way to diagnose the specific problem. I wish there was a way to tell if an egg was actually fertilized. That way you would know whether it was worth being hopeful during the two week wait.

Random Thought, I'm sorry to hear you have been trying for so long for your second. There are a few us on here, myself included, trying for a second. I'm glad to hear you were able to get a diagnosis and hopefully the treatment helped! Keep us posted.

LV, how are you doing? hve you had your IUI yet?

Bright, hope you are holding up okay. Just one more week until you go back to the doctor, right?

Hi to everyone else!

AFM, I've been out of town this week and won't get back home until tomorrow. I'm CD9 today after taking femara, so I will go in on Friday for an ultrasound to see where things stand. I barely even feel ready to be at this phase in the cycle again. I wish the second half of the cycle went even half as fast as the first half seems to for me. For some reason I'm having a hard time imagining myself getting pregnant again, and I hate being so pessimistic about everything. But I honestly am not sure how much more of these fertility med cycles I can tolerate. I'm just tired of not having answers as to why it's not happening and not knowing if there is any chance of a different outcome this time around. I'm sure you can all relate, and it probably has something to do with the end of the year approaching.

Anyway, despite my pessimistic attitude, I did want to get on and wish everyone luck! I feel more optimistic for you all than I do for myself!

 

[dcgator]

Just a quick fly-by, but wanted to say a few things:

LV - I am so sorry sweetie. I am glad that it resolved on its own though, and that you are clear to move on. I think the decision to do IUI one more time is good, and hopefully, this will be a little Christmas miracle for you and your family. Big hug!

MP - I am sorry you are feeling so down right now, but try to keep that head up lady. Big hug to you and know that although I am not posting as often, I am keeping you in my thoughts.

RT - It's been a while, but welcome back. I'm sorry for the troubles you have been experiencing TTC #2, but hopefully things will begin to improve now that you have a competent Dr. Good Luck!

Bright - I'm glad to hear that is sounds like your body is finally getting back on track with everything. I am sorry that you have had to endure everything that you have in the past few months, but I can only pray that you will finally get your little one soon. A huge hug for you and let us know what the doc says next week.

To the rest of the ladies in the thread, keep fighting the good fight girls and know you have a wonderful group of ladies acting as your own personal fertility cheering squad - Go TEAM!

 

[BrightSpot]

dcg, thanks for the support & hugs. It's nice to see you here. I hope you're feeling well & baking away.

MP, I'm holding up ok. Honestly, I'm trying my best not to think about this stuff & focus on the holidays/other things.
I'm sorry you've been feeling so down. This is a rough process, but I find it especially hard to remain positive around the holidays. I hope you can enjoy your time with E & try to focus on that as much as possible. He must be getting excited about everything now. I do understand feeling more positive about others' chance for success than your own. I really do feel you'll have success with a second little one & just hope your wait is not too long.
As for me, I fear I'm not getting out of this thread the way I'd hoped. Big hugs to you.

aviastar, thanks, dear. I'm so sorry you've been experiencing such awful symptoms! Hugs to you. I hope AF doesn't arrive, but if she does, I hope you can get your tests done ASAP. I know how you feel about daydreaming about telling people around a certain time, etc. When it doesn't work out, it just sort of adds to the disappointment of another bfn, doesn't it? Hugs.
I had a nice chuckle at the idea of an infertility diagnostic like a car. Wouldn't that be nice?

random, welcome! I'm sorry you're having to post here, but I'm glad you've come to join us.
I'm glad you're seeing such a great RE & that s/he has been so proactive with the endo, etc. Hopefully now that it's been removed you'll have success quickly! I hope your horrible symptoms have resolved as well! How are you tolerating the metformin? I have PCOS as well & would be happy to talk about it if you'd like.

LV & SB, how is this cycle going? You guys must be getting close to IUI time. Fingers crossed for you both!

brightlight, thinking of you & hoping you've recovered from your vacation.

tbaus, I hope you're well.

afm, I guess I'm in the 2ww now. I took my first opk on Monday (CD1 & got a near positive around 3pm that was lighter at 11:45pm. So I guess I missed my surge, which might've been earlier in the day. FF thinks I ovulated on Tuesday, putting me at 2dpo today. Between Thanksgiving travel & house guests, we didn't make a huge effort this month, but did hit O-1 & O. (Not that this really matters much because I feel are chances of success are miniscule anyway, but ya still gotta try, right?)

I have an appointment for an ultrasound on December 12th. I'm not expecting AF until the 14th or so, so this is early, but the doc wanted to see me by the 13th or on CD1, whichever came first. I guess this is to negotiate the holiday schedule.

Anyway, I'm going to ask what our options are for doing a cycle in December. I'm wondering if trying an IUI with femara would be possible as hopefully it would require less monitoring than injectables.

I haven't done a non-injectable cycle since early 2012. Ladies, how much monitoring did you receive for clomid/femara cycles? (I'm guessing they work pretty similarly timing-wise). I think with my clomid IUI's I ovulated/did the IUI on CD 17/18. If FF is right on my timing, that would be December 30/31. I'm not sure if we'd able to negotiate monitoring with holiday travel as we'll definitely be gone from December 22-26 & might be gone longer. We were hoping to take a little vacay between Christmas & New Year's but haven't solidified anything yet. Is it worth it to not take a vacation to do a cycle that probably won't work?

Also, I've started taking a small dose of St. John's Wort, which has been helping with my mood considerably. It might not be the best thing to take while ttc, but at this point, I think our chance for success is so slim, especially in a non-medicated cycle, that maybe it doesn't matter.

 

[royalasscherlover]

Bright, I have limited monitoring on the Femara - one u/s on CD 14, with follow-ups every other day after if needed for the egg to be ready. I've been lucky that the last two cycles I only needed the one. I hope you did ok with your SIL's announcement - it's so hard to see other people achieve what is so difficult for us, even though we're happy for them. I just want to be happy for me too! I hope your real good news is coming soon, even with an unmedicated cycle.

dcg, thanks for cheering us on.

mp, I am sorry you are feeling down about your chances. It is hard to keep your spirits up as this fight goes on, isn't it? And I agree that the holidays are hard, since you are naturally spending time with family and missing what isn't there, plus it's a very tangible marker of time passing without success. Hugs. I hope your u/s goes well tomorrow.

aviastar, i am sorry that AF looks to be on her way. I like your idea of a fertility diagnostic - the uncertainty is so frustrating!

rt, welcome but I wish we were meeting elsewhere! Your doctor sounds great and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your surgery is the trick to get you on track.

lv, thinking of you and hoping that you're holding up ok. Did you have your IUI yet?

tbaus and brightlight, hope you're well.

AFM, I had one 25mm follicle this cycle and had an IUI yesterday morning. I had some cramping and a few sharp pains on my right side (where the follicle was) last night and this morning which I think were ovulation pains. We also BD Monday night and this morning, so I'm hoping we covered our bases. Just in case, we'll keep BD'ing until I get a temp rise - it was up a bit today but not enough to call it a shift, so we'll see.

 

[monkeyprincess]

SB, keeping my fingers crossed for you that this will be the month that everything falls into place just right! Sounds like you certainly covered your bases and did all you can do, so now you just have to sit back and wait.

Bright, I have also had very little monitoring with clomid and femara cycles. I typically just have one ultrasound on CD10-ish, but that is because I tend to ovulate early. I think for you they would probably want you to come in at CD12 or 14 to check your follicles. I'm glad you tried this month. I know the odds are lower for those of us on this thread, but it's not like your chances are zero. I would love for lightning to strike either this cycle or next cycle for you! I honestly admire your strength. You've been through so much but still keep going. I'm a wimp compared to you!

DC, thanks for checking in and thanks for the good thoughts. I appreciate it. If you check in again, how many follicles did you have the month you conceived? Hope all is well with you and your little bean!

Hi to everyone else!

AFM, thanks for the good thoughts. I'm feeling pessimistic about my chances, but I'm really not feeling down. I know that my little guy has a lot to do with that.,I have so much sympathy for those of you still trying for your first. I still remember how awful it was to wonder if I'd ever have a little one. I just hope and pray that someday this will all be a distant memory for each of you!

I had my ultrasound today, and I only have one mature follicle. So strange because I've always had about 3. It's like my body is just as sick of all of this as I am and ready to give up. She seemed to question whether it was worth it to even try an IUI with one follicle (because we pay out of pocket), so that did absolutely nothing to make me feel optimistic about this cycle. She said it improved the chances slightly. I just feel numb about it. Do you guys think it is worth it to try the IUI on Sunday? It feels like there is not much chance of it working if I had three follicles last time and still didn't get pregnant.

 

[aviastar]

Well, we're an optimistic bunch, aren't we?

MP, isn't it a bizarre trick how quickly the first half of the cycle can seem to go and how loooooooong the TWW feels? My cycles are shortening up the further away from BC I get so it feels even faster to me cause I am Oing almost 8 days (8 days!!) earlier than I did a few months ago. Insane. Thank you for thinking of all us firsties; I am finding it harder and harder to keep my chin up as we go here, although I am making an effort.

You only need one, right? I don't know what I would do, honestly. Do you think you will write this cycle off, emotionally, no matter what now that you know about the lonesome folly? If yes, then I would skip IUI and think ahead to how you'd like to proceed in the new year. If you will wonder too much about that one little guy's possibility, then I would do it. So then you know you did all you could. This isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I do believe that things happen for reasons- you DO have a healthy follicle and if this is your month, The Big Guy Upstairs probably doesn't mind either way, cause He's gonna personally supervise that follicle's journey.

Thanks for checking in, DC!

Bright, I'm glad you found a protocol that worked for you this month. I think it would be hard to mentally just switch off all efforts, although I do wonder at what point it may be the (mentally) healthier option. DH isn't ready to really get in the nitty gritty yet, but I am pondering the level of treatment I would be willing to undergo, how long I will be willing to chase this dream, you know all the 'what ifs' that plague this journey. Having been an egg donor, I am familiar with that part of the process and I responded very well to that level of stim, so I think we would pursue IVF as long as we could financially swing it. I admire your ability to stay calm and rational about everything!

SB- YAY! Keeping my fingers crossed for you! Sounds like your timing has been really good!

Thinking of you, BrightLight, Tbaus, LV...

Well, I was right. AF did show up, only two days earlier than I expected; nice of her not to make me wait, but geez, DPO10? Really? It did mean that today is CD3, so I was able to schedule my bloodwork for this morning and don't have to go in over the weekend. Silver linings. And it makes CD21 Christmas Eve, which kinda sucks that I have to go in for another blood draw, but does mean that the office is at least open in the morning, which they would not be on Christmas Day. Once again, I see the hand of fate here in the small details; it gives me hope that while this may not all be on my timeline and I may need some help, that I have not been left on my own. We'll sort out the SA next week.

I am very optimistic that both tests will come back perfectly normal. Because I am mostly convinced that what we are really dealing with is an Egg Transportation Issue. I have been off BC for eight months now and I was reminded, forcefully, of why I went on it in the first place this month. My periods just continue to get worse every month; I fainted this month. Luckily, I know the warning signs and was able to leave the sales floor and lay down in the office before I actually blacked out. The pain was so intense, and it happened so fast (two days early!) that I didn't have time to prep with ibuprofen and was taken completely by surprise. Poor DH got a frantic phone call and had to rush over to our store with meds (and my pup, cause she makes everything better). A few ibuprofen later I was fine, but damn, that can't be normal.

Anyway- here's hoping we can all trust our Higher Powers, love our faithful and longsuffering partners, enjoy the babies around us, and all get KTFU this month!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Aviastar - Yikes! That pain sounds really awful. I hope you get some clear answers soon. Will you get the results of your bloodwork on Monday?

MP - That's a tough call, but I think I would still do it. How much do you have invested in the cycle already vs. how much would the IUI cost? Given that you are young and had success with IUI before, I think I would go for it. You just need one good egg, right? Sorry that you have been feeling pessimistic. I am the same way -- optimistic for everyone else, but not so much for myself.

SB - That's great! I hope this is it for you!! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

BrightSpot - Wishing you tons of luck! I've got fingers crossed that you are surprised this cycle! It can happen!! I'm glad to hear you find the St. John's Wort helpful.

DCG - Thank you, dear. Hope you are doing well!

**************
I had my IUIs yesterday morning and this morning. There were three follicles that were large enough to have mature eggs, but a few 15s as well. I was at the REs office FIVE TIMES this week, and I have had it. At some point, he had upped by dosage of Follistim to 225, which is the most I've ever taken. I think he was trying to grow the smallers, but I had to keep going back in to be checked. By the third visit, I was feeling really done. Today was the fifth visit. I cried on my way to the office, and I starting crying in the elevator. Ha! I walked up to the receptionist crying. Meltdown!! Between work (dealing with pushy miserable sales people all the time), all of the appointments and missing something else I had scheduled this morning due to the IUI, I have just had it. Fortunately, one of the nurses pulled me into a side room and reassured me that she has seen this so many times before, my hormone levels are so high, and it's ok. Light bulb moment -- the hormones!! Why didn't I think of that, not that I think it would have helped if it had occurred to me on my own. Between that, other obligations, work stress, I just felt pushed to the edge. I am going to try to look at this 2WW as a 2 week break for myself and hopefully avoid future meltdowns.

Cheers!

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, sending you good thoughts this cycle. That's great that you had three follicles, and hopefully one of them is going to become your baby. I have no doubt that all the hormones you were on contributed to your feeling emotional (as well as the five visits!), but I hope that things are able to even out for you over the next couple of weeks. I'll be hoping and praying we both get a great surprise in a couple weeks!

Aviastar, I'm sorry AF arrived, but I'm glad you were able to schedule your bloodwork. I like your attitude about finding positives in the small things and remembering to be grateful when things like timing work out. One thing I wanted to mention, and I'm sure you already know this, but you should really aim to have your second set of blood tests 7 days after ovulation instead of just 21dpo (unless they happen to coincide). Hang in there lady. I just have a feeling you will be blessed with a baby before too long.

AFM, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I've decided to go ahead and try the IUI.We are supposed to do it bright and early tomorrow morning, assuming the snow storm we are expecting doesn't interfere. I'm going into it realizing that the chances are not that great that it will work this month, but our chances of getting pregnant are even lower if we don't, so the IUI won out. Each IUI cycle costs us about $700, so it's not the end of the world, but that obviously starts to add up, especially since we just bought a new house, need new furniture and haven't sold our old house yet, and I'm going to start working reduced hours/making less money starting in the new year. The financial and time sacrifice is certainly worth it if it works, but it feels pretty crappy getting the bills after a failed cycle.

 

[BrightSpot]

Just have a sec but wanted to respond to MP...

I'm not sure what I would do in your shoes, especially since you're paying OOP for IUI.
I did conceive twice with IUI with only 1 follie (not sure if this is reassuring or not).

Of course, you could also just BD (with trigger or not) & have a better shot than with an in medicated cycle.

Sending you lots of dust no matter what you decide.

Hi to everyone else & hope you're having a great weekend! I'll post more soon.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks, MP. You always know exactly what to say! I am wishing you tons of luck and hoping for clear roads for you tomorrow morning!

 

[tammy77]

MP, Hannah is a one follicle Femara/Trigger/IUI baby! Good luck my dear!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Tammy, thanks for popping in. It's reassuring to hear you, Bright and others have been successful with just one follicle. Hope you are doing well with your little one!

So, this morning was just disappointing all around. First of all, the weather was not good. so DH drove to the clinic and did his thing, and then he came and got me and Ev to bring us back to the clinic for the IUI. He was worried about me driving. We got back to the clinic a little later than we wanted, and then DH's post wash count was only 9 million, which is much lower than last month (although he at least had over 90% motility). And we also found out that he had white blood cells in his sample, which indicates some kind of infection. She prescribed him antibiotics, and she is going to do a culture on me next time I see her whether or not I'm pregnant, because we might be passing back and forth some infection now. Great! And then the IUI procedure itself was a bit uncomfortable as she had trouble getting my cervix positioned right. The whole morning was just frustrating, which sucked out the little bit of hope I was hanging onto, and now I kind of wish we hadn't even bothered given my one follicle and DH's lower count. I know it's still possible the IUI will work, but it just doesn't seem likely. But the one good thing is that we learned about the infection, which wouldn't have happened if we didn't do the IUI. I hope you are all having a better day than me!

 

[tbaus]

Hi everyone!

I know you are probably sick of hearing my excuses but November was a horribly busy month: between work and the other usual life stuff we had 3 family birthdays, one being my Mum's (who no one bothers to lift a finger for so I go the extra mile to make it special for her) and another being our little niece who lives a few hours away. Needless to say it has been crazy and I didn't have a second to breathe! But, I have finished work for the year now so I should be popping in more regularly.

I promise to get to everyone soon. Just wanted to refresh your memory. My LMP was 31 October and I started taking 2.5mg letrozole on CD6 for 10 days. We did the usual blood tests after and there didn't seem to be a change in my hormone levels so in the end they cancelled the cycle before I got to trigger. Two weeks ago I had a talk with my doctor over the phone. She wanted to start me on progesterone to induce AF and I casually mentioned I had been having sore nipples (which I have come to see as a symptom AF is coming based on the last few cycles) so she ordered one last blood test just in case. The results showed that my progesterone had gone up, which means I may have ovulated by myself. So they told me to wait it out and if AF still hadn't arrived by the next week to go for another BT. Another week goes by, I go for another blood test and my progesterone is even higher. Based on these tests they think I may have O'd around CD24. I asked the nurse if I could ovulate even though my oestrogen didn't go up, and she said I could have but it wouldn't have been a very strong ovulation. They say the same thing again, if AF hasn't arrived by the following week to give them a call. I was nauseous a few times last week, and I have been very tired and going to bed early. DH kept pressuring me to POAS, but I refused. I hate the disappointment when there is not even an evaporation line on the darn thing.

Well, today (CD40) I woke up and went to a water aerobics class. Came home and decided to POAS. And what do you know, there is (I think) a faint line.....

Called the nurse, and she didn't seem excited at all. Just said she would speak to the Dr and get back to me in a few days. I'm freaking out, scared more than excited because this cycle was so not normal. This can't be good, but I sure hope it is.

I hope I attached the photo correctly.

 

[BrightSpot]

Tbaus, yay!!! Congrats, lady! That's one good looking line you've got! Keep us posted on what your doc says but it looks like you're KU! Lots of sticky dust headed your way.

MP, big hugs to you. I'm sorry your IUI was so stressful. We had a similar issue with one of my DH's SA. We never knew what caused it but after a round of antibiotics all was back to normal. It freaked me out too though.
Here's hoping you caught that egg. It only takes 1!

SB, thanks for your thoughtful post. There wasn't a huge announcement for my SIL, which kinda helped. The poor dear was feeling pretty rotten between morning sickness & a cold.
Thanks for the info on femara too. Very helpful. Did you have any side effects?
I'm glad the IUI went well. It sounds like you covered your bases nicely.
Crossing my fingers that you have great news soon!

Aviastar, I'm so sorry for your suffering. Having trouble getting KU is bad enough but it's so difficult when the trying process brings additional misery.
I would really think that having done a successful egg donation should bode well for a healthy pregnancy for you. That's also good that you're familiar & comfortable with the IVF process but I hope you don't need to pursue it!

LV, thanks, sweetie. I'm sorry you e had such a rough week. It's so frustrating when it seems like your life is revolving around doctors appointments. And being pumped full of hormones just makes everything worse! Hugs to you. I hope you're feeling better now that the shots & appointments are over & that you can relax a bit during your 2ww (so hard-I know!) Sending lots of dust your way.

Hi to brightlight & random & anyone I missed.

Afm, I reached out to my doc & it seems their lab will be closed from 12/23-1/1 so an IUI is out for December. Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to try just femara without monitoring (& just use OPK's & BD--assuming my doc would ok this) or just take another month off & try a cycle in January.
Has anyone done a cycle like this without monitoring? For those of you who've used femara, did you have side effects? I feel like my chance of success with this is low, so maybe it's not worth the bother, but on the other hand, you never know. And I hate the idea of sitting out for yet another month.

What would you do?

 

[Loves Vintage]

TB - Wow!! Congratulations!! That is more than a faint line in my book, dear!! Woo-hoo!!! So, the nurse is going to talk to you in a few days? By the way, I think the nurses are pretty much trained to keep a straight face. I get no reaction over here either. But, we are super-excited for you!!!!!

MP - Sorry you had a rough day yesterday! In the end, I think you would have regretted not going forward. I have my fingers super-tightly crossed for you!! Is it too early to ask when you plan to test? I think I will test on Sunday, but then I go over it over and over in my mind if it's too early. That would be 10 days post trigger, but trigger is at night, so probably better to wait til next Monday?

Bright - Thanks, I am feeling quite a bit better. It's sort of like being on vacation from the RE's office!! I would do the Femara cycle without monitoring as you suggest, but I am going to guess your RE might not be ok with this. Would you still need to trigger?

 

[monkeyprincess]

TB, that's fabulous news! Congratulations!!! Keep us posted on how you are doing and what you hear. Depending on your doctor, they may have you come in to test your betas two days apart, or else, you might just have to sit back and wait a few weeks. I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a sticky bean growing inside you. Again, big congrats! That's awesome you were able to do it on your own.

Bright, that sucks that they are closed that whole time! Hmm, I'm guessing my NP wouldn't be okay with prescribing femara if I wasn't going to be monitored. But I guess it doesn't hurt to ask, right? I actually have some extra femara because she prescribed me 7.5 mg each time, but I only took 5 mg. I wouldn't be above trying a month on my own with the medication if I didn't have another option, although I'm not sure it would do any good for me without a trigger or IUI. I can understand why you want to at least feel like you are trying something, and the thought of another whole month off seems impossible sometimes. Let us know what you decide/find out. BTW, the only side effect I think I may have gotten from femara was a headache. I don't for sure if it was related, but both times I have taken it, I had a few headaches during that time. Other than that, I felt completely normal. And now that you say that, I kind of remember you mentioning your DH had an infection at one point. I'm glad to hear it hasn't been an ongoing issue. Did you have to take any time off after he took antibiotics?

LV, glad to hear you are feeling better! Based on last month's results where I was still seeing a hint of a line from the trigger until 10dpiui and 12 days post trigger, I'm going to try not to take any HPTs until next Friday, which will be 12dpiui. Do you know when the trigger was out of your system the past few cycles. I read that ovidrel is maybe out of your system earlier. I would think if you wait until 10dpiui, you would be more confident with your result....

Thanks for the kind words LV and Bright. It's nice to have people to "talk" to that understand. I sometimes wonder if all of these road blocks I seem to be encountering lately are trying to tell me that now is not the right time to be TTC and that I should just be enjoying Ev. It's something I'm struggling with quite a bit. I have always dreamed of a big family, and obviously that is not in store for me, but I also don't think I'm anywhere near ready to just accept that our family will only have one child. I hope that doesn't make me sound ungrateful. I know I'm blessed to have one, and if he is all we end up with, I will still be blessed.