The Official TTC Thread!

[pancake]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

amc I think with OPKs my general mentality is either it's positive, or it's dead to me. You will have LH in your system all the time and tests can be unreliable and inconsistent. Don't overthink things - when it's positive, it's positive, and that's it.

Re RE vs obstetrician, to be honest if it were me I would be inclined to wait at this point. 80% of couples (or thereabouts) are pregnant after 6 months, and if you're having regular cycles and had no issues the first time round (and are relatively young!), I'd probably wait until that point before seeking fertility investigation/advice. It's horrible watching other people get their positives and feeling left behind, but you've only been trying for ?3 cycles - it's still well within the normal expectation.

 

[dani13]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Amc, I understand your frustration, but I agree with Pancake. To seek out infertility intervention at this point would be really jumping the gun. There is a major difference between having unprotected sex and actively TTC, and this is only your third cycle trying, right? For someone your age, if there is no pregnancy after one year of well timed intercourse ( and you have regular menstrual cycles) then an infertility work up is warranted at that point. So, you really have plenty of time. It will happen!!

 

[missrachelk]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

AMC - I'm for going to the re sooner than later. I was seen immediately bc I had irregular cycles but IMO if insurance covers it why wait?

 

[mia1181]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just wanted to say that I ovulated! Currently 2DPO. Testing begins on 7DPO (Monday) because that is when I got my BFP with my daughter. I'm not too optimistic because we only had one shot on O-3 but my TCOYF software says "good" under Conception Chance so I'm hanging on to that.

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Thanks, all, for your input. Like I said, I know that even discussing this is jumping the gun and it's not like I would be making an appointment to talk to an RE right now. I know it's way too soon for that. I do have a call in to my OB to discuss it. She very well may say to wait another 6 months and that's fine. I like to know what my options are in advance. I mean I may get pregnant this month and it will all be a moot point, but I like to have a plan in place in case that doesn't happen.

Pancake- That's sort of what I figured about the OPK- negative is negative. I just thought it was odd to get such a strong line during AF. But, 1) I've never used this brand, and 2) I've never tested this early, so I didn't know what to expect.

Mia- Yay for ovulating!

AFM- CD 5 and AF is gone. Shortest AF cycle ever- 3 days plus one day of light spotting. Hopefully it's my last one for a while!

 

[missrachelk]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Question - clear blue fertility monitor - yay or nay? I stink at interpreting tests so I'm considering getting one. Any experience?

 

[aviastar]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hey amc- just chiming in cause I kinda split the difference in the suggestions. I waited 6 months, 3 just winging it and 3 temping and OPK-ing, and then I put a call in to my provider to see what their general infertility screening policy was. Turns out, that six months + charts was enough that they wanted at least an appointment to look at my charts. Charts looked great so we moved immediately into ultrasounds and bloodwork. Now I'm in my TWW of cycle 10 and my first on clomid. My practice does three clomid cycles inhouse and then refers you out to an RE after that, which I think is a nice proactive stance. And two more cycles from now puts us at just about exactly a year, so that would be a natural time to see an RE anyway.

Hopefully, it won't come to that for us, but I'm with you- I really appreciated knowing what to expect and some sort of timeline for treatment in advance. I wasn't expecting/demanding treatment 'early', I just wanted to know what the guidelines were. It helps me look forward and have 'milestones' so I don't feel like I'm stagnating and not being proactive. Also, I kinda feel like now I am checking things off the list that gets me to higher level treatment, so I'm not putting all my eggs (hehe) into one basket each cycle, but playing the long game instead. It's a mental coping method, but it's helping alot. And if we get a BFP in the meantime, it will feel like an awesome surprise!

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hey amc- just chiming in cause I kinda split the difference in the suggestions. I waited 6 months, 3 just winging it and 3 temping and OPK-ing, and then I put a call in to my provider to see what their general infertility screening policy was. Turns out, that six months + charts was enough that they wanted at least an appointment to look at my charts. Charts looked great so we moved immediately into ultrasounds and bloodwork. Now I'm in my TWW of cycle 10 and my first on clomid. My practice does three clomid cycles inhouse and then refers you out to an RE after that, which I think is a nice proactive stance. And two more cycles from now puts us at just about exactly a year, so that would be a natural time to see an RE anyway.

Hopefully, it won't come to that for us, but I'm with you- I really appreciated knowing what to expect and some sort of timeline for treatment in advance. I wasn't expecting/demanding treatment 'early', I just wanted to know what the guidelines were. It helps me look forward and have 'milestones' so I don't feel like I'm stagnating and not being proactive. Also, I kinda feel like now I am checking things off the list that gets me to higher level treatment, so I'm not putting all my eggs (hehe) into one basket each cycle, but playing the long game instead. It's a mental coping method, but it's helping alot. And if we get a BFP in the meantime, it will feel like an awesome surprise!

This is how I feel. I want to know what my OB's guidelines are now so that I can prepare. Rather than waiting another 6 months, then calling and finding out she wants me to do x,y, and z before she will test or do treatment. I'd rather know that in x number of months, if I'm still not pregnant, then there is a plan in place. If I could get some testing out of the way earlier on (CD3, 7DPO) then that would rule those issues out. I just don't want to wait a long time and then realize that, say, I have week ovulation or something.

Question - clear blue fertility monitor - yay or nay? I stink at interpreting tests so I'm considering getting one. Any experience?

I've heard mixed reviews on it. Some people love it and some people get weird results that don't coincide with other signs.

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

CBFM- I've used this and it worked really well for me. After 4 cycles of ovulating on the same cd every month, I put it away because the sticks do get to be pretty expensive especially if you don't o til later on. I do chart though to keep verifying that I'm ovulating around the same day. If things get funky I expect I'll dig it out again.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

amc, for what it's worth, I agree that it is a good idea to at least talk to your OB after you've tried for 6 cycles. I still think you've probably just had a bit of bad luck and will likely conceive within in the next month or two, but just in case, it doesn't hurt a thing to talk to your OB and see whether they'd recommend bloodwork or monitoring. I see no reason to wait any longer than that when you have been tracking ovulation, temping and have had good timing. People who haven't experienced fertility problems tend to say relax and just give it time, but almost everybody who has ended up having fertility problems says that they wish they hadn't waited so long to seek help. But like I said, I really am hopeful that it is only a matter of time for you that you are pregnant again.

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Thanks, MP. I think and hope you are right.

I did hear back from my OB. She basically said that she would refer me to an RE for any testing rather than doing it herself. She said that normally she wouldn't be concerned with anything except for the fact that it happened so quickly last time. I'm going to call the RE and see what their scheduling is like. If they are months out then I'll probably make an appointment now, just in case.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

amc, I just made an appointment with an RE today on the advice of my NP. In my case, theyare doing bookings for mid-April right now, so I'm glad I called when I did. That's awesome your insurance will cover an RE. Mine doesn't cover any fertility diagnosis or treatment, so that's why I've hesistated to go to an RE before. They are so expensive, and last time, the NP got me pregnant really quickly, so I was hoping that would happen again. Anyway, it does feel good to have the next step in place just in case. Still keeping my fingers crossed for you that an appointment proves unnecessary!

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

amc, I just made an appointment with an RE today on the advice of my NP. In my case, theyare doing bookings for mid-April right now, so I'm glad I called when I did. That's awesome your insurance will cover an RE. Mine doesn't cover any fertility diagnosis or treatment, so that's why I've hesistated to go to an RE before. They are so expensive, and last time, the NP got me pregnant really quickly, so I was hoping that would happen again. Anyway, it does feel good to have the next step in place just in case. Still keeping my fingers crossed for you that an appointment proves unnecessary!

That is my thought and hope. It's the #6 clinic in the country so I'm guessing an appointment is at least a couple months out. And yes, since I have full IF coverage there's no reason to not at least have a plan in place in case I need it. I hope you won't need your appointment either.

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Something to keep in mind. Just because a clinic is one of the best doesn't equal affordable! I live 10 miles from CCRM and the reason they are so successful is because they would've charged me $1800 to run every single test available on this earth on me. I was able to go to my lesser known RE for only a 40 dollar copay and get pretty much the same results.

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Something to keep in mind. Just because a clinic is one of the best doesn't equal affordable! I live 10 miles from CCRM and the reason they are so successful is because they would've charged me $1800 to run every single test available on this earth on me. I was able to go to my lesser known RE for only a 40 dollar copay and get pretty much the same results.

Well, it's the only one my insurance covers so I don't have a ton of options

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Something to keep in mind. Just because a clinic is one of the best doesn't equal affordable! I live 10 miles from CCRM and the reason they are so successful is because they would've charged me $1800 to run every single test available on this earth on me. I was able to go to my lesser known RE for only a 40 dollar copay and get pretty much the same results.

Well, it's the only one my insurance covers so I don't have a ton of options

Ah gotcha

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Well, crap. I called, expecting to get an appointment in the April-May range, which would be pretty legit in terms of giving nature time to do its thing. Next available appointment? February 3. As in two weeks from now. That REALLY seems like jumping the gun.

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Well, crap. I called, expecting to get an appointment in the April-May range, which would be pretty legit in terms of giving nature time to do its thing. Next available appointment? February 3. As in two weeks from now. That REALLY seems like jumping the gun.

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I was able to get in within a few weeks when I scheduled my first one. While I agree that going in sooner than later is my preference, 3 months out still seems a bit too soon. I didn't realize you had only been trying that long...

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Well, crap. I called, expecting to get an appointment in the April-May range, which would be pretty legit in terms of giving nature time to do its thing. Next available appointment? February 3. As in two weeks from now. That REALLY seems like jumping the gun.

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I was able to get in within a few weeks when I scheduled my first one. While I agree that going in sooner than later is my preference, 3 months out still seems a bit too soon. I didn't realize you had only been trying that long...

I've only been charting and tracking since September but we haven't used protection since getting AF back last January, other than pull out on occasion.

ETA- At this point I do think it would make more sense to have my OB run some basic tests. But she already said she wouldn't do that and would refer me anyway.

 

[dani13]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Amc, I do think that you can definitely seek advice from your OB or your RE after about 6 cycles if you really want to be proactive. That would definitely be more reasonable than 3 or 4 cycles trying, yanno? I hope I'm not coming across as insensitive, just trying to provide perspective from a clinicians POV ( I'm an Ob/gyn NP). Then at least they can proceed with a pelvic us, HSG, and lab work for you, and of course semen analysis for your husband. And that's just to start!!!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

AMC: Could you call back and ask when they'd recommend you come in, given your history and current circumstances?

Mia: Woohoo! O-3 could easily do the trick. Fingers crossed for you.

How is everyone else doing? Im on my last day of spotting...which would make me happy, but unfortunately we found out DH's new employer will not issue insurance until he has worked with them for 90 days. He's a pharmacist for a major retail pharmacy chain. So what do we do? Just pay out of pocket if/when we need to go to the doctor, I suppose. We'll have to for E's well baby check in a month. Guess this means I'll be waiting for a while to have my hormone levels checked out Not sure if we'll hold out on TTC. Probably the best thing to do, but I feel like our odds of success are so low that it doesn't really matter.

 

[mia1181]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

PPM- Sorry about your insurance sitch. I would probably look into the Affordable Care Act or COBRA for your state. It will probably be pretty expensive but it would protect you if there was an accident or someone had to go to the ER. That broke my heart that you think you wouldn't get pregnant anyway. You never know! I'd be inclined to keep TTC. If you got pregnant, you wouldn't go in until at least 6 weeks right? My doc doesn't see you until 10, that's a chunk into the wait for insurance coverage. I feel you though, my mom is fighting stage 4 lung cancer and is in between insurance because my dad switched jobs. It sucks. Congrats on your husband's new job though! Isn't it hard to get a pharmacist position these days? My husband knows a pharmacist who is out of work right now. I'm not sure on the details but someone was saying there is a lot of competition.

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Oh PPM- I'm really sorry about the insurance stuff I've been through that more times than I can count and it just plain sucks! I know in colorado they offer a program for middle class incomes (up to 70k income i believe?) but it's something along the lines where they cover maternity and also any children. It's basically like medicaid but you get better care and choice of doctors because you do have to pay like 100 bucks to get it. Maybe they have something like that there?

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Looking for some opinions

Got my reply back from the RE.

"It would be very unusual for endometriosis to come back that quickly.  Endometriosis doesn’t cause golf ball sized clotting either, although such clots would definitely give you a lot of pain.  Why don’t you make an appointment to come see me so we can take a look and figure out a treatment strategy?"

Ok well for one, large blood clots ARE a symptom of endometriosis according to every single article and book I've read about it. So a little confused there. I don't want to come off as an ass about it but I'm starting to get concerned that maybe she is just in this for the money?

Also, I've read that the endometriosis starts coming back as soon as you get your first period after surgery.

Thoughts? It seems like everything I read contradicts what she tells me regarding my endo….

 

[ello]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

lliang_chi!!!! Congratulations Mommy!!!
Sorry for my late reply, I had to remove myself for a few months as I was going nuts...I have been cheering behind the scenes ever since my chemical pregnancy last year and I'm over the moon with your positive news. What did your husband say when you gave him the news??? How did you tell him? Can you tell us what your symptoms were after O to testing. Did you have any idea, inkling?

We will miss your company on the TTC thread, that's for sure. Best of luck and I look forward to see you hopefully on the other side if we get pregnant. I had the varicella vaccination so I had to wait a few months before we could try again but we are back again and giving it our best!!! I am 9DPO at the moment. Not very optimistic as I still have mid cycle spotting and cramping, which my doctor brushed off as nothing She said that it takes months for hormones to settle after breast feeing and weaning. I feel that it might be endometriosis or something…something I will ask about again during my next visit. Frustrating...

Hi everyone else…you ladies still hanging in there?

 

[lliang_chi]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Ello, welcome again. I was wondering where you went. I'm glad you're back giving it your all. And yes, I heard hormones can take a while with BFing and weaning. I hope it's just that and not endo. How did I tell my DH? Well, the previous night we drank (a lot) of wine. So that morning, while we were fixing breakfast I said, "Well, it's a good thing we drank our wine last night.... because I just got a positive pregnancy test." For telling family I'm going to bust out Ethan's "Best Bro Ever" shirt and take a picture with him in it. Maybe I'll modify it to say "Best BIG Bro Ever" instead of just Best Bro. We have a dog so some ppl count them as siblings, even though I don't.

RT, What would be the cost to you for meeting with the RE for a consult? If it'll be covered by your insurance, then I'd just go ahead and meet with her. You can press her for more details and explanations than over the phone. And what she can observe that rules out endo again.

PPM, congrats on your DH's new job. I hope he really likes it. Can you DH check if the insurance will be retroactive? So it won't kick in till 90 days, but once it does it'll cover everyone since the day he started? Maybe that'll at least take care of E's well-baby appt.

AMC, I'd call the RE and tell them you want to see them end Feb or Mar? The good news is you have some flexibility and you just want to be "on the books" if you do need them.

 

[random_thought]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

So...here's what is going on with the RE situation. I was looking at my RE's SART score online and that kind of sealed it for me. 14% success rate for live births. Only 4% of her patients have endo. I'm looking into 2 other clinics by me that are covered by insurance with success rates around 61% on their SARTs. Le sigh, what a pita...

 

[mia1181]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

So...here's what is going on with the RE situation. I was looking at my RE's SART score online and that kind of sealed it for me. 14% success rate for live births. Only 4% of her patients have endo. I'm looking into 2 other clinics by me that are covered by insurance with success rates around 61% on their SARTs. Le sigh, what a pita...

Wow! Looks like you got your answer! 14% seems very low! Although 4% of patients with endo looks like it might be the national average, it might be helpful to find someone with more experience. I don't have any experience with endo but I have passed large clots before after long cycles (quarter size chunks of tissue actually) and golf-ball size sounds absolutely awful! Hope you get some better answers from one of the other REs in your area.

Ello- Hi Welcome back! How long ago did you wean? I am breastfeeding right now 4x a day. I had some cramping/spotting on the day I ovulated this month too. I was hoping it was just from ovulation. Was yours just a little too? Definitely keep bringing up your concerns to your doctor. She may be right about the hormones but it's not okay for you to feel dismissed either! Good luck! When do you plan on testing or are you going to wait until AF is late.


AFM, just waiting to test on Monday. Trying to not think about it too much because we don't really have a great shot. Bought a 2 pack of FRERs and I'm planning on keeping my test supply low so that I don't waste them.

 

[missrachelk]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Why on Earth do I keep testing when I've seen like 5 bfn's ??? Glutton for punishment or something. It's not that upsetting to me at this point, but I have the tests, AF isn't here and I'm like, well it could be possible..... And I'm using cheapos and have clearblue in the drawer and keep wondering - well would clearblue show 'pregnant' ???? I'm not going there for at least a few more days.

I'm just waiting for AF to come so I can get some sticks for the fertility monitor and get started for real. I got a monitor on ebay for $65, I think that's definitely worth it.

Also trying to decide if I don't get pregnent within x months when to go back to my old RE. I think I'll call and ask their advice on timing. I'm thinking 3-6 months then go back. I don't want to spend too much time trying if I need metformin again (and who knows what else might be necessary this time).

 

[ello]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hi LC, Yeah for winefest the night before your BFP! Hee hee! That's good timing in my opinion. Best of luck and thanks for your support along the way.

Mia, I breastfeed for a very very long time - 18 long months to be exact. Although technically I did not breastfeed as my 26 week preemie never latched in the NICU. I pumped and pumped until I could not pump no more. Ha ha! I think it really messed up my hormones so much so that after 4 months of stopping, I still struggle with inconsistent cycles and a short LP. I had a chemical pregnancy last year while I was weaning and I'm sad to say that it has happened to me yet again today! I tested this morning 1 day AF late at dpo11 and got a faint positive, only to start spotting this afternoon. So mad!!! It's bright red and getting heavier with an aweful bachache. I was so excited this morning to tell my husband, I actually shovelled some snow (his job! Ha ha) because I had so much adrenalin! Picture attached of my faint BFP. I will test again tomorrow morning but I'm pretty sure it's a chemical pregnancy again. Snif! I was so looking forward to my October baby. Fingers crossed that this hormonal thing will be temporary. I started changing my diet about a month ago. More protein, veggies, salads and nuts including grains and coconut oil with the hopes to naturally fix my hormones... We'll see what happens.
How are you making out? Are you going nuts? Good luck, fingers crossed for you and everyone else trying to TTC!