The Official TTC for 6 Months or More Thread

[random_thought]

Update- I'll be taking dexamethasone for 4 weeks. This should lower my testosterone levels and with it the symptoms of the pcos. Hopefully my levels will be lower a month from now On the downside, one of the side effects is that it causes facial swelling

 

[monkeyprincess]

Random, I'll keep everything crossed that your tubes (or at least one of them) are open when you have your test in a couple weeks. And I hope the new medication is helpful as well without causing too many side effects.

Laila, thanks for the support! More and more I realize how much of a miracle our little guy really is. It happened on our first IUI/clomid with him, so I really never imagined it would be this challenging to get pregnant again. I'm sure I'll end up doing at least one more injectable/iui cycle, but I just don't see how the outcome is going to be any different. Interesting about the thyroid information.I had all of my levels tested when I was TTC#1, but I haven't had any testing since then, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.

AFM, I'm finding myself feeling really angry this time more so than sad. It all just seems like such a bad dream that I can't wake up from. I guess I'm just mad at God and jealous that what comes so easily to so many feels so unreachable. Really trying to come to terms with the fact that I may never be pregnant again.

 

[JGator]

MP, you have been through a lot of disappointing cycles, and you have every right to the feelings you have. Have you looked at this forum in particular the secondary infertility section - it may help to read or talk to others in the same boat here - http://www.inspire.com/groups/finding-a-resolution-for-infertility/topics/secondary-infertility/ I personally believe you will become pregnant again. I just wish you knew now when that would be so the waiting game could be easier.

Random, good luck with the new medication. BrightSpot had PCOS and she ended up with her BFP without intervention so there is hope. Hoping the HSG is lucky for you also.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, biiiiig hugs my friend. I can totally hear myself in some of your words. No words for you just big hugs. Your son is your beautiful miracle. As much as our struggles help reinforce our blessings, I just really really wish it wasn't a struggle. Regardless you have friends here that know where you're coming from.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thanks JGator and LC. The sting of the BFN is starting to wear off as the reality sets in. I called the clinic to report my BFN today, and after they gave me the rundown of the plan for the next cycle, I asked if it would be possible to speak with the RE before proceeding. She just called me back and pretty much told me I would not be giving myself a fair shot if I didn't give injectables at least one more try (although she'd recommend two more). IShe was pretty blunt about the fact she thinks it was a waste for me to be on clomid and femara given my numbers. And comparing those IUIs to my most recent IUI was comparing apples and oranges in her opinion. I finally got an explanation for why she believes this. She said, yes, I was getting a good number of follicles from clomid and femara, but they were only mediocre follicles because the clomid and femara cause unnatural rises or decreases in other hormones. As someone with lower AMH and FSH that is getting up there, she said I really need to have 2-3 very high quality follicles if it's going to work, and that is what the FSH does. Her explanation was much more scientific than that, but you get the idea. She did say that she will get a little more aggressive but cannot get as aggressive as she could in other patients because I had made a comment in our consultation that I would not consider selective reduction. So if I have another cycle or two of high quality follicles with no pregnancy, my only option would be IVF. All in all, I feel more comfortable giving it another shot, although I'm really skeptical it will work. Sorry for the self-centered post, but I thought this information might be helpful for anyone in a similar situation.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Thinking of you Choro. Also thinking of you SB and hoping all is going well with you cycle.

 

[royalasscherlover]

Relatively quick drive by from me, but I wanted to add a few things:

LC and jgator, welcome to our thread. I hope this is a short stay for both of you.

rt, good luck with the new meds. I hope they do the trick.

choro, I am so sorry for your loss. Hugs.

mp, I can relate to so many of your feelings about bad dreams, anger, jealousy, and feeling like nothing you do is going to be successful - this all just sucks. I would also urge you to get your thyroid retested - mine was fine a year ago but came back elevated when we redid all my labs before IVF. IVF is such a personal decision, but I think you should have a frank discussion about it with your RE. For me, 5 failed IUIs was enough and I wanted to get to a place where we could control more of what happened as well as get more information about whether we can conceive at all. I am hopeful for you.

AFM, overall my cycle has gone very well - I've was feeling very positive, calm, and I have a bunch of good-looking follicles ready to be retrieved tomorrow. Unfortunately, I got the disappointing news yesterday that my estrogen has suddenly shot up sky-high and it isn't safe to do a transfer next week because of OHSS risk. Any well-developed embryos will all be frozen so that we can try a transfer at a later time after I've had a chance to recover. I know that this is ultimately what's best both for my health and the health of any future child, and that the chance of success is better if we wait, but I am definitely upset and angry - every time I think I'm making progress I hit another roadblock on what's been a very long and painful journey. It's hard to know that it will be another two months before we can do the transfer...that will mark nearly two full years of TTC. In the meantime, I am hoping and praying that we have healthy embryos to freeze. Hopefully once we get to that point, I will be able to process this a bit and come to a better mental place.

 

[Laila619]

Thanks JGator and LC. The sting of the BFN is starting to wear off as the reality sets in. I called the clinic to report my BFN today, and after they gave me the rundown of the plan for the next cycle, I asked if it would be possible to speak with the RE before proceeding. She just called me back and pretty much told me I would not be giving myself a fair shot if I didn't give injectables at least one more try (although she'd recommend two more). IShe was pretty blunt about the fact she thinks it was a waste for me to be on clomid and femara given my numbers. And comparing those IUIs to my most recent IUI was comparing apples and oranges in her opinion. I finally got an explanation for why she believes this. She said, yes, I was getting a good number of follicles from clomid and femara, but they were only mediocre follicles because the clomid and femara cause unnatural rises or decreases in other hormones. As someone with lower AMH and FSH that is getting up there, she said I really need to have 2-3 very high quality follicles if it's going to work, and that is what the FSH does. Her explanation was much more scientific than that, but you get the idea. She did say that she will get a little more aggressive but cannot get as aggressive as she could in other patients because I had made a comment in our consultation that I would not consider selective reduction. So if I have another cycle or two of high quality follicles with no pregnancy, my only option would be IVF. All in all, I feel more comfortable giving it another shot, although I'm really skeptical it will work. Sorry for the self-centered post, but I thought this information might be helpful for anyone in a similar situation.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Thinking of you Choro. Also thinking of you SB and hoping all is going well with you cycle.

I think she's right on here. My RE says Clomid really is a complete waste of time for a lot of women, and it's really only good if you don't ovulate regularly or you have a very mild issue. I know it worked for you the first time though, MP, but I think injectables are just so much better and more effective. I wish your other doctor wouldn't have prescribed it for so long, but he/she wasn't a RE right? My RE would not even give me Clomid, he went straight to Follistim + Menopur. With my son, it worked on the very first cycle. With my twins, it was the second try. So hang in there, MP, I am very optimistic for you still that you WILL get your baby # 2. And I too had low AMH (1.19 yikes) and a somewhat high-ish FSH (8 or 9, I can't remember). I'm very sorry for the BFN.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MP, I'm so sorry about your BFN. And I know I'm not well-versed on the world of infertility, but I think it's really great that you now have an RE that is willing to listen to you and is fighting for you as aggressively as she can. It sounds like you're on a promising path now and I'm keeping everything crossed that the injectibles work for you on your next cycle. I'm really hoping you won't need IVF, but doing another IUI will give you a little time to think about it. FWIW, D said he would not be open to IVF if we needed it (at least not without implanting every viable embryo), but has also said that when push came to shove, if we really needed it, he would figure out something he was comfortable with. I'm continuing to root for you (and all the ladies here)!

 

[choro72]

Oh mp, hugs!!! So sorry you're feeling like this. I'm learning a lot, and rooting for your next cycle!
LC, I was peeking at the other thread, and I'm so sorry for your loss.
RT, good luck!

thank you everyone for your thoughts. I'm going to use the pills tonight. DH won't be home until late, but it's the best way to fit the schedule.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Choro, thinking of you. That must be so hard. Really hoping things go as smoothly as possible. I'm also hoping you are able to get pregnant again quickly once you are ready to try again. Take care of yourself.

NEL, thanks so much for your kind words. Means a lot to have the support of all of you ladies on here!

Thank you also, Laila. It's so helpful to hear from someone who had success with injectables. Your support means a lot!

SB, I'm so sorry you are not going to be able to do a transfer this month. Even though you know you are giving yourself and your future embryos the best chance by holding off this month, I know how disappointing it must be. Maybe LV will chime in, but I know she mentioned that FET sometimes have higher success rates than a fresh cycle. Really hoping your retrieval went well and that you get some high quality embryos to freeze. Hugs! I cannot even imagine how hard it is to go through all these struggles while trying for your first baby. I am so hopeful that your time is coming very soon.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP. I'm glad your RE gave you an in depth explanation for her plan. And it does sound reasonable, and I'm hoping that a 2nd cycle of injectibles will be successful. We're with you, my friend. And I agree, it's so helpful having such a wonderful group of ladies here to help us through this.

SB, I'm hoping everything went well during retrieval and you're feeling back to normal again. Praying for some healthy embryos for you guys. I can see how disappointing it is that you won't be able to do a fresh transfer, but I remember LV noted good things about doing a frozen transfer. Hugs and dust for you and your DH.

AFM: Enjoyed a wonderful weekend by the lake with DH's friends. I told DH on the way there I *think* I should be ovulating this week, so hoping we'll see how it goes. I'm temping and so far no O spike yet and my OPKs are still very faint. I'm starting a bad habit of drinking a cup of coffee day day at work, but after some rough nights, I just need it to stay awake at work Also I'm thikning of setting up a standing acupuncture appointment on the weekends. I used community acupuncture and got pregnant with my 1st, so I'm hoping to have repeat success with it.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, glad you had a nice time at the lake and will be doing acupuncture again. Hopefully both of those things help with the stress. Really hoping you have some nice timing and can confirm ovulation soon.

AFM, I started round two of injections last night. DH rubbed too much alcohol on my leg because he's super OCD about the injections (which is generally a good thing), but I don't think we allowed the alcohol to completely dry or something because the injection stung so badly! I got teary-eyed and DH felt terrible. Now, we're both going to be on edge for tonight's shot. If it works, it is obviously worth it, but it really sucks to have to go through all these hoops and spend all this money with no guarantee there will be a baby. People who get pregnant easily have no idea how blessed they are!

ETA - Actually I shouldn't say that, because I'm sure many of them do. I just wish I could be one of them!

 

[aviastar]

Hey MP, when I was an egg donor I found the shots hurt less when you choose a really fatty spot, pinch it up, nice and thick, and then just jab. I did my own shots in my stomach.

Good luck!

 

[choro72]

mp, that sounds awful. I really hope this works for you.
lc, fingers crossed!

Hi everyone. I think my head is clearer now and I can express my emotions better. Thanks for all your support. So many of you have struggled through this for so long with more invasive measures, and I'm truly blessed that I got to implant at all.

I'm so blessed with my son. I adore him so much. At the same time the stress gets in the way and I tend to be short tempered with him
I'm glad that the baby stopped growing at 6 weeks. It's definitely better that I had not seen the heartbeat at all.
I hope they can check me tomorrow to see if everything is clear.

And with this, I'll stop lingering with this experience, and move on to the next round of TTC. Again, thanks for your support. I can't go through this without you.

 

[JGator]

MP, you probably already know this, but try pinching a fatty area and also put ice on it before the injection for a few minutes to numb the area.

 

[Laila619]

MP, you probably already know this, but try pinching a fatty area and also put ice on it before the injection for a few minutes to numb the area.

Yes. Also for me, it helped when I injected the meds slooowly. When I did it quickly, it burned so bad. I did mine myself.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thanks aviastar, jgator and laila, for the advice. I could probably do the subcutaneous ones myself, but I think DH likes being involved (it's a "we're in this thing together" kind of thing) and making sure everything is done by the book, so I let him do it. Last month, we did 7 injections of gonal f with zero problems, and I barely felt a thing, so I'm pretty sure we've got the technique down. But this time, I had the stinging from the alcohol on the first one, and then last night, I didn't feel a thing, so that was good, but I think we hit a blood vessel because it bled a bit and then formed a bump and bruise immediately. I feel like this cycle is not off to a very auspicious start. I left a message with the clinic this morning to make sure there's not a concern as far as absorbing medicine from the bleeding, etc. I'm sure they're starting to recognize my name from all the calls and questions

Choro, again, I'm so sorry for your loss. Although I know it certainly doesn't make up for your loss, I do think it is a good sign that you were able to conceive. Unfortunately, something just wasn't quite right with the embryo right from the start, but there is a very good chance that you will conceive again very soon, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you have a sticky BFP shortly.

SB, hope everything went okay for you, and that you didn't develop OHSS or anything and that you've got some good looking embyros.

Thinking of everyone else!

 

[BrightSpot]

MP, I'm so sorry for the bfn last cycle. Big hugs to you. I hope the second round with injections does the trick. Ditto to the others suggestions about icing the injection site & injecting slowly. Near the end, I wound up doing the injections myself because I found it easier to control the speed of injection & manage the pain, especially with menopur & lovenox (blood thinner).
Speaking of blood thinners, I've had that same response (bump, bleeding & bruise) after acupuncture when I was on blood thinners (either lovenox or baby aspirin.) I can't remember if you're taking anything like this or not, but if so, that might be the cause. It's not dangerous, just annoying.
Sending you a truckload of dust that this is it!

choro, I'm so, so sorry for your loss. Sending you a huge hug. I hope all went as well as could be expected with the medication & that you conceive a healthy, sticky bean very soon.

SB, I'm glad the first part of your IVF went well, but so sorry to hear that you weren't able to do a transfer. After going through all of that, it must be devastating to have to wait! I hope that the retrieval went well, that you were able to avoid OHSS, & you have some healthy, frozen embryos. I've also read about higher success rates with FET's than fresh cycles & definitely think this was the smarter move. (If you develop OHSS & wind up getting pregnant from a fresh transfer, it can be very difficult.)
Still, I know the waiting is so hard. Hugs to you.

RT, I'm so sorry to hear about the PCOS & endometriosis. I hope the metformin has been helping you (without a lot of side effects.) I'm really excited to hear you're on dexamethasone. That was something I was planning to try with my doc as I've heard good things about it lowering testosterone & helping with fertilization/implantation (sometimes it's prescribed along with clomid). How is it going? I'm really hoping this will be the push you need!

LC. I really have a feeling you'll be pregnant again very soon, but the waiting & uncertainty are so difficult. (Not to mention the fear that can accompany a pregnancy after a loss.) Sending you a big hug.

aviastar, I'm glad you have a plan to consult with a RE & hope you're enjoying your time off from fertility stuff until then. This is such a stressful process & a break can be just what the doctor ordered sometimes.

LV, thinking of you & hoping you're well.

SS, hope you're feeling well too & your little ones are baking away!

JGator, I completely understand what you're saying (& I feel like I'm a couple of years away from writing nearly the exact same post that you did.) Also, I think my DH, like yours, is a lot more optimistic about the possibilities of a future pregnancy than I am.
I wish I could offer more in terms of wisdom here, but these are things I think about a lot & I don't really know the best answer for myself either. Wishing you & your DH all the best as you go down this path.
How did your first appointment with the new RE go? That's really great that your insurance will cover 2 IVF cycles, if you decide to go that route.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Everyone,

I really want to do a long post, but time does not permit.

MP - Good luck on this cycle with the injectibles. I am so sure that it is just a matter of time for you. That doesn't make the waiting or the process any easier, but time will pass, and you will have good news for us. Injections are comical at my house. I am happy to do them all myself, but I am doing three injections at night and one in the morning, so my husband mixed one last night. They sent us so many needles. He used a huge needle, handed it to me, and OOF!

JGator - Did you have your apptmt already? Are you in NJ? For some reason I feel like you may have mentioned that before, but if you are, RMA NJ is one of the best out there right now, depending on your diagnosis. Would love to find a way to chat with you about things off-line. I am on the other site that you mentioned to MP, and we could PM on there. Alternatively, if you are in touch with BS, I think she might be able to connect us? Hmm, I may set up a LT

SB - Check in when you have time. I know how hard it is to have to wait even longer, but trust it is for the best and be glad you have a doctor who is judicious enough to recommend waiting. Some REs are recommending waiting to transfer, regardless of hormone levels. I will be doing a fresh cycle and waiting to transfer. It is a long wait, but I do think it is for the best.

Choro - I am very sorry for your loss. It is so unfair. Hugs to you.

Laila - Would love to hear an update on the twins. How many weeks are you now?

LC - Are you having just one cup of coffee a day? I'd say don't worry about it! We still have to get through the day to day, and I do not think one cup of coffee is going to alter the quality of my eggs! Let us know how the acupuncture goes. I gave up my acupuncture after IVF#1 because it was too much of a time commitment for me. She would often keep me there for 2 hours with needles in! I would sometimes fall asleep after I got more comfortable with the whole community aspect of it all.

Aviastar - Good for you for setting that apptmt. Knowing more information is a good thing. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Having time off from treatments IS great, I agree!

BrightSpot - Thanks for continuing to check in with all of us!

***********
I am doing another fresh cycle. It's been a whirlwind, which is one of the reasons I haven't been posting much. When we had our embryos transferred to our new clinic (DH actually drove them over!), my new clinic was very concerned about the embryo quality as had been recorded by my prior clinic. Basically, they do not think they are high quality, and as far as I understand, they may not have saved them. Regardless, I am still of the belief that one of those embryos may be our baby one day, so they are being held at new clinic. New clinic is much more aggressive with stimulation. I am doing a Microdose Flare protocol with the max dosage of menopur and follistim, plus femara in the beginning. I should have my retrieval next week. The RE counted about 20 resting follicles at my first follicle check. I will go back on Saturday to see how things are going.

At my last clinic, they believed that creating more eggs is not necessarily better. New clinic believes the opposite. We will see how it turns out. This is not a unique issue to these two clinics, by the way, from what I've read on-line re: stimming for 40+.

I was really on the fence about doing PGD testing previously, but we will now PGD test all of the embryos (including those that are frozen!) They will thaw, test and then re-freeze them. I cannot keep doing single embryo transfers and hoping for the best. New clinic shared some stats with me that showed they are able to achieve the same success rates (over 60%!) with PGD tested normal embryos across all age groups.

I am so tired of all of this, really. But, I am in a new cycle and trying to stay positive.

(So, that was longer than expected, but it could have been longer!)

 

[JGator]

MP, I'm glad the next shot wasn't as bad as the one where the alcohol stung you. I knew you were likely an expert on injections by now! Where are you in your cycle?

Bright, thanks for checking in. You are getting so close, and I am thriled for you. If you think you want to get back on this list in a couple years, get your baby sleep trained early. That's going to be my lesson learned from K. That was likely what delayed me thinking about having a 2nd until now. I needed a few months of uninterrupted sleep at night before even thinking about it! The RE appt is on Monday. Wish us luck.

LV, good luck with your fresh cycle. I am very interested in hearing the results of the PGD testing. I think we should do PGS/PGD/CCS - whatever we can to check out any future embryos if we get the chance to in the IVF process.

AFM, I am on CD 14. I am trying to temp, but it's difficult with our daughter getting up at different times every day (she's my alarm clock). I got an almost positive OPK on Tuesday and a very positive one yesterday afternon/evening. I took about 10 OPK tests yesterday because I was so excited to see a dark line! I was torn with TTC or not this cycle and DH was like whatever you want. So, we have 1 attempt in, and we'll see what the outcome is - it's almost like playing roulette! I'm sure my odds are very low to get a BFP that sticks, but I'm hoping we get a miracle out of this cycle. The RE appt is on Monday, and I guess we will know in 2 weeks if this cycle has a BFP and until then just hope/pray I didn't ovulate an ancient, decrepit egg.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, fingers tightly crossed. It would be awesome if you caught a healthy egg right out of the gate. I really, really hope your journey to #2 goes much more smoothly than mine! Too funny on the sleeping thing. Part of the reason I started trying over a year ago is because I actually was hoping for kiddos close in age so I would still be in the sleep deprived/infant care phase. I feel like it is going to be painful to start all over again now that I'm used to sleeping soundly most nights again, buit I obviously know it is completely worth it. And I'm glad we have gotten to spend more one on one time with Ev and enjoy his babyhood. If I ever do get pregnant, he's in for a rude awakening because he is a big fan of undivided attention from mom and dad.

LV, oh wow, I'm sorry you have to go through another fresh cycle, but it does sound like your new clinic is on top of things and this will give you a much better chance of conceiving. Keeping my fingers crossed things go smoothly and you have a few high quality and healthy embryos at the end of this. In order to do the genetic testing, do you have do a FET later or are you able to do a fresh cycle still? I have been stalking a few infertility/IVF blogs recently, and the whole process just terrifies me. Not so much the actual process, but the emotional and financial aspect of it. You and others currently going through it have my sympathy!

Bright, thanks for the support and for checking in with us! I'm so, so happy you are on the other side of this now, and I really hope everything continues to go smoothly for you. And hopefully if you decide to go for another, things will go more smoothly next time.

AFM, injection number 3 went perfectly, so that was nice. The nurse yesterday told me I absorbed all of the medication even with the bleeding and possibly hitting a blood vessel the night before. I started on the same dose as last cycle for the first three days, and she is having me bump up the dose for days 3-6 (I guess that is the more aggressive part she was talking about), and I go in for my first blood test and scan on Sunday. I had to shuffle some work commitments for next week because I was supposed to travel, but I suspect I will be getting another IUI early next week, so that wouldn't have worked. Please, please, let all of this be worth it!

 

[monkeyprincess]

By the way, have any of who have done injectables done the multidose vials? At least in the case of Gonal F, it saves us money to do it that way because the 450 unit vial actually has up to 150 additional units of overfill. That means that you can get nearly 600 units for the price of 450. Anyway, I only did 7 days of 75 units last cycle, so I still had just under 75 units left in the old vial. It is good for 28 days after reconstituting if you store in the fridge, so we were able to get most of our first shot this cycle out of the old vial. This time around, I will be bumping up the injections to 150 for the next three days, so we are going to have to crack open a new vial for the last one (and if I need any additional injections after my scan on Sunday). So, here's my question. Thinking ahead, if we end up having to do another cycle after this, is there any wiggle room on the 28 days thing? We are most likely going to have quite a bit of medication left after this cycle, so I'm wondering if it would be good for a few more days - say 30-32 days after reconstituting? I'm going to ask my doctor next time I go in, but just wondered if anyone had any information? Hopefully my explanation made sense!

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, I'm glad the nurse is super happy with your absorption and things are looking OK. I'm seriously praying that this is it for you too. And I know you said you'll have a lot of medication leftover, but it'd kinda be a nice problem to have, KWIM? I think it's sweet that your DH wants to be involved. He seems very supportive and I'm glad you have him in your corner. Doesn't Ev have to share attention with Uhn-key and Atticus? Ethan's kinda used to us needing to pay attention to Quizas. But he definitely prefers having all the attention for himself.

JG, yup I here you about temping being inconsistent, but after two weeks it becomes a habit. I did a pretty good job temping this cycle, except for when we were out of town this past weekend. Well, I'm hoping you get lucky this cycle I think we O'd close to the same time.

LV, Wow, what a rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied shifting clinics. I'm really sad to hear that the other clinic isn't optimistic about the frozen embryos. But I'm really glad this one seems to have a new plan in place. How are you feeling about the RE and staff? That's the most important I guess. And yes, I used to rock the BEST NAPS at acupuncture. Selfishly that's kinda why I want to start going again.

BrightSpot, so sweet for you to check in Hoping all continues well for you and can't wait to meet your newest Spot in Sept

Choro, It's really hard to just fold up your emotions and put it back on a shelf. Don't put yourself under too much pressure to feel a certain way. I'm glad you're looking forward to TTC again, and I'm very hopeful for you. You sound like you have a great attitude that your sweet son is a blessing. And don't feel bad about losing patience, it happens to all of us.

AFM: I'm nearly positive I O'd on Sunday, so i got O-2 in. Hoping that's good enough for this cycle. Going to just wait now, and I won't plan on testing until the weekend of the 12th. So we'll see what happens.

 

[monkeyprincess]

MP, I'm glad the nurse is super happy with your absorption and things are looking OK. I'm seriously praying that this is it for you too. And I know you said you'll have a lot of medication leftover, but it'd kinda be a nice problem to have, KWIM? I think it's sweet that your DH wants to be involved. He seems very supportive and I'm glad you have him in your corner. Doesn't Ev have to share attention with Uhn-key and Atticus? Ethan's kinda used to us needing to pay attention to Quizas. But he definitely prefers having all the attention for himself.

Yes LC, totally! If the reason I end up with extra medication is because I get pregnant, I will be thrilled and won't give it a second thought. But what I don't want to have happen is that I don't get pregnant, and the medication cannot be used for next cycle because it's expired by a few days.

Yeah, glad you finally ovulated! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[lliang_chi]

Yeah I knew where you were going with that, but I dunno, I'm just staying optimistic for you. I *really* hope you won't need the meds next cycle. Hopefully the clinic can give you an idea what you can do to preserve it for the next cycle.

 

[Loves Vintage]

JGator - Good luck this cycle! I have hope each and every natural cycle -- just need to find that good egg!! Re: PGD testing, our initial hesitation with having it done was that I did not think we would have a ton of embryos to work with. And, we didn't. But, with two cycles of embryos, it makes more sense.

LC - I do like the new DR a lot. I have his email address and cell phone for questions! My last RE was only available for a phone consult by apptmt, and sometimes it was over a week for those! The nurses there were great though. The staff at the new place is huge also, which seems to lend to disorganization and more work on my part, but I think all of the paperwork is in order now, so just trying to coast through this cycle! I can't wait for my Saturday check! Oh, and they offer a lot of other services too: nutritionist (I am trying to drop 10 pounds!), acupuncture (haven't gone yet), counselor (talked to her last week). I do like this aspect a lot and feel like I am receiving a lot of support.

MP - Sorry, I've never used Gonal-F, so I'm not sure. How did the injections go last night? To answer your question, you can do a transfer the same cycle as PGD testing. My RE advises to wait until the next cycle, and believes there is a greater likelihood of success. We will wait.

 

[JGator]

MP, that's an interesting perspective on the getting all the no sleep years done with at once! I think I will just apply my lessons learned on sleep to the next one if we are fortunate enough. I am still learning by the way as we are in sleep training phase 2 with K right now! I do wonder how people juggle with more than one kid after K takes up so much of our time and attention. My sister has 5 kids between the ages of 2 and 10. It's insane at her house!

LC, yay for being cycle buddies this cycle. Sending sticky, healthy embryo dust your way. I hope you get your Fathers Day BFP.

LV, things sound promising with the new RE. I'm really hopeful for you. I know CCRM recommends acupuncture, and they have great success rates so that sounds like a great idea and convenient too!

AFM, the RE appt is Monday AM. I assume they will say to call back on CD 1 and start the usual blood work that I had done 2 years ago. Is anyone taking any fertility supplements? I started taking CoQ10 and Inositol powder based on reading the CCRM cocktail. I also take Royal Jelly and Vitex, but I stopped them post Ovulation.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, good luck at your appointment. I'm not taking any supplements right now other than a prenatal, baby aspirin and fish oil, which I've always taken. It just seems like there's so much conflicting information about all of the various supplements. I should probably ask my doctor about that this weekend because I'm curious if it is worth trying anything. You have been able to get pregnant on your own before and pretty easily with clomid, so I really hope not much has changed in the past couple of years, and you don't have to wait long for a good egg.

LV, good luck tomorrow. Keep us posted (if you want). you mentioned the nutrionist, so I'm curious whether your doctor said anything about losing weight during TTC. I mentioned to my RE that I had started exercising regularly in the months leading up to my consulation and that I was about 10-12 pounds heavier than I was TTC#1. She discouraged exercising and said that I'd be better off not losing the weight because it would be better being a few pounds heavier than my ideal than under (I'm still in the normal BMI range, but closer to the upper range than lower). DH has been on a health kick, so I've lost probably 6-7 pounds since my consultation by watching calories pretty carefully. With the warmer weather and being less covered up, I just couldn't stand feeling pudgy anymore. But I hope it doesn't affect my chances.

AFM, after all my concern about wasting medicine when I have to open a new vial tomorrow, I just had a light bulb go off. Since I won't be opening until day 8 of my cycle, that will buy me more time, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to use it within 28 days of reconstituting after all if this cycle doesn't work. I don't know why I didn't think of that before. I'm such an optimist, huh? I honestly don't even know why I'm doing another IUI considering how doubtful I am about the chances of it working. I'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong!

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, Alright for not worrying about "wasting" your vials. But I'm rooting for you here.

LV, wow, sounds like this clinic can really allow you to take a holistic approach and work on everything (nutrition, acupuncture, emotional). That's great. I'm glad that they worked out this whole support service for their patients. Infertility is such a long journey, it's good to feel you have support along the way.

JG, keep us posted with your appointment on Monday. I'm happy to have a cycle buddy this go round.

~LC

 

[choro72]

mp, I'm cheering for you! Glad it didn't hurt this time.
LV, hope things went well
LC, anything?

AFM, cytotec failed. The little guy isn't there anymore, but the sac and yolk is still there. Exactly what I was afraid of, but at least I tried to avoid the surgical method. I'm going in for D&C on Monday. Do I really need to not drive for 24 hours? I can't imagine not being able to leave the house for the day with my toddler.