The Official TTC for 6 Months or More Thread

[split_shank]

MP! Lurking all week to hear this!!!! Can we chalk up spotting to implantation and them rooting around up there so much?!?!?!? Those are some AWESOME lines!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, you are such a strong woman--not just when times are tough (this probably being one of the toughest situations you've ever had to endure), but always. I am truly inspired by your ability to stay as positive as possible and not become overwhelmed by the anger and frustration. You're human, so you are certainly entitled to those moments! Thinking of you tons, my dear, and am hoping that you continue to feel better.

MP, I am beyond excited for you! I was hoping, praying and mentally forcefully willing you to be pregnant after your transfer. I'm continuing to keep everything crossed for you! Seeing that positive pregnancy sign is something you've been wanting for a long time--it definitely brought a tear to my eye seeing the pictures. I know you'll keep us updated and we're all here cheering for you!

 

[S&I]

MP, yay for your positive beta! That's a great one for 13dpo. Mine started at 29 this time, and I think I'm one of those low HCG people too, because A started off low too. Are you getting another one on Saturday? Continued sticky dust and prayers for you that everything goes smoothly from here on out so that you can try to relax and enjoy it! So happy for you!!!

 

[choro72]

mp, I'm so, so thrilled for you!!! I spotted all the way through the 5th week, so as a fellow chronic spotter I never gave up hope for you!!!! From what I here the beta rise is more important so I hope to hear encouraging numbers tomorrow! OMG I'm beyond excited!!!!

lc, you always have positive, great words of encouragement here. I could always count on you to feel supported, even if you were speaking to someone else. I only wish I can return the favor.

 

[JGator]

MP, I am so excited for you! Sticky, healthy dust headed your way. I really hope this is Ev's little brother or sister! Sorry I am late to congratulate you...I took a nap after the procedure and didn't get online till later than usual.

AFM, the polyp removal went well. Slight cramping and spotting, but very manageable. I was tired though from the anesthesia. I'll talk to the RE nurse tomorrow about next steps, but right now, I am thinking - stop BCP in the next couple days and have a normal cycle - go on vacation next Saturday for a week. Come back and try an IUI in September and move on to IVF after that. DH is on board with this plan. He also thought maybe we could do Clomid with timed intercourse this cycle, but I don't think I will be able to do the required monitoring for that with the vacation. I'll ask them tomorrow though.

 

[tbaus]

MP, I haven't been in here in months but came over to thank you and I'M SO HAPPY to read your news!!! Congratulations!!! Sending you tons and tons of sticky dust

Thanks you for thinking of me. The last few months have been hard. Will arrived sleeping into this world on April 12, a day shy of 22 weeks. It seems so long ago, but i can also remember every single second i spent with him. It has only been four months, but DH and I decided that if we didnt try now we would probably psych ourselves out and never try again. So here i am. I would love to join you guys over here again but, since this is our first month trying again I don't really qualify. I might dip my toes in the ttc thread, but this really does feel like home....

 

[royalasscherlover]

mp, congrats!!! Sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Tbaus, dear, what you went through is unimaginable. I'm so very sorry for the loss of your little boy. I understand why it might be scary to try again, but I am really glad you are dipping your toes in again. And of course you can post in this thread or the other TTC thread or both!

LC, big hugs to you as well. I agree with the others that I am in awe of how positive and upbeat you always manage to be. I will pray for peace and comfort for you. When you are physically and emotionally ready to try again, I hope you are able to speak with a doctor or specialist to get some answers for you about going forward. Thanks for cheering me despite what you're going through.

JGator, so glad your procedure is over! Your plan going forward sounds like a good one to me. Let's hope it happens quickly for you!

Random, I hope you are doing okay. I'm so sorry for what your family is going through right now. Again, I cannot even imagine how hard that is.

LV and SB, I hope things are going well as you gear up for your upcoming FETs, and I would love nothing more than for you to both be successful!

And thank you to everybody else again for all the sweet messages. I appreciated every single one of them. It's so awesome to have this support when nobody else IRL knows we are doing IVF. I made the mistake that we all do, and tell each other not to do, and took more tests this morning. I *think* the wondfo was maybe slightly more of an obvious line than the one yesterday, but the FRER was slightly lighter than the two I took yesterday. It seemed to be slightly defective and took a second dip to get the dye to start flowing and was still slow to make it happen, so I'm trying to chalk it up to a possibly defective test and potential variance in urine and dye concentration. I could go on and on, but I'll save you all from my neurotic ramblings. If my HCG isn't going up, I'll know that after my beta tomorrow. And I keep reminding myself that no matter what happens, it is good news that I conceived. Anyway, thanks again for all the support!

ETA - Why the heck do I have a Trade symbol on my posts???

 

[JGator]

Tbaus, great to hear from you. Feel free to post here if this is where you are comfortable. I started posting here when we decided to TTC for our 2nd after being here previously with our first. I cannot imagine what you went through either. You are a very strong woman.

MP, good luck with the beta tomorrow. Congrats again! Your news made my day yesterday.

LC, thinking of you.

LV, good luck with the FET. Are you taking any meds now in preparation?

 

[random_thought]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I just feel so crappy about what my mom is going through and at the same time gutted that I had to use the money we saved up for iui for plane tickets I'm praying this cycle just happens naturally or the next or possibly the one after that as well.

I'm also sorry to hear about the hard times everyone else is going through. We need more good news on this thread for sure.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Random, I'm so sorry on both fronts. The financial barrier for many to fertility treatments is such shame, and I'm sorry that you had to use your IUI funds. I'm glad you are able to be with your mom right now, and I just hope that someway you are able to save money or find a financial resource that will permit you to seek fertility treatment in the future if it's necessary. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that the surgery you just had permits you to conceive on your own.

JGator, thanks! Knock on wood, I haven't spotted since Wednesday, so I hope that's a good sign, but that FRER this morning really rattled me. It's my b-day (beta day was scheduled a day earlier than I expected), and even though I'm swamped at work and stressed, I'm trying to force myself to enjoy the fact that, at least for today, I'm pregnant. Hope you are feeling good today and recovering well. A nice vacation will be relaxing and it would be awesome if it lead to a BFP or at least gets you geared up for treatments.

 

[ladypirate]

tbaus, just wanted to pop in here and say that I'm so glad you and your husband are trying for another baby. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts.

 

[JGator]

MP, Happy Brithday. Hope you had a great day and that you are able to celebrate this weekend, too. Keep us posted on your beta tomorrow. I'm glad the spotting stopped. Don't worry too much about the FRER.

RT, so sorry about your mom and the IUI money. I hope you don't need to use the RE afterall.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Unfortunately, my beta didn't double. First one was 41 (I accidentally said 42), and today it was only 72. I'm supposed to keeping taking the supplements and come in for another beta in 5 days. I've read enough to know this isn't good. Sad

 

[Laila619]

Aww. Just hang in there, MP. I've seen betas do some weird things, so I wouldn't count yourself out yet. The limbo period is the worst though.

 

[random_thought]

ditto to Laila, That seems so close to doubling that I wouldn't count yourself out yet! I'll be getting you in my thoughts and sending good vibes your way

 

[S&I]

MP, so sorry your 2nd beta wasn't as high as you expected. Did you get your blood drawn at the same time or later in the day than the 1st beta? Fingers crossed that your next beta shows an appropriate jump! Like Laila said, this early time is just so stressful. Hope you can enjoy your birthday this weekend!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thanks guys, I know that you sometimes hear success stories, but realistically low and slow rising betas just don't lead to babies. I hate that it has to be ambiguous. I would just rather have a definite answer and start moving forward. It's been a rough day. DH was trying to keep my mind off it, so we ran errands, and went to dinner. But a girl with an adorable baby belly walked in, and I broke down. I know so many of you have been through this, and it was just a club I didn't want to add to my resum. But I'd rather know now than later. So funny how attached to the idea of another little person I became in 48 hours. I took a picture with Ev last night with the cake, and I was thinking this is the first picture if me and my two kids. I was going to announce around his 2nd birthday, and they'd be a perfect 2.5 years apart. Yeah, I got carried away. I just hope one of our frozen blasts will make it. It's going to be so hard taking this risk again though.

 

[JGator]

MP, I'm very sorry to hear about your beta. I'm sure you are trying to protect yourself by not being too optimistic, and I completely understand. I'm so sorry, and I can totally relate to how you had figured out the age gap and when you would make the announcement. Hugs to you my friend.

 

[choro72]

mp, I'm sorry your beta is lower than you hoped. This period is so nerve-wrecking. Damned if you test, damned if you don't. And I can completely relate to your initial excitement. Are you going to do any more blood draw?

 

[Loves Vintage]

MP - I am really sorry to hear the results of your beta. I hope you are able to stay busy today too. Distraction is a blessing. Hugs!!

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, hugs hugs hugs my sweet friend! I'm hoping and praying against everything that your next beta will be good news. I know it's hard to have hope, but it's there my friend. I'll carry it for you for while if you need help with it.

RT, When will you be going to visit your mom? I'm hoping after your surgery, just natural TTC will be all you need. Sending dust.

AFM, I'm going in for my surgery this week. When I had posted this pregnancy wasn't done, but the procedure was just a foregone conclusion. Anyway, another (selfish) reason I'm hoping MP has good news this week, so it can balance out my week of suck. I'd much rather be super happy for a friend instead of sad and wallowing for me. Anyway, pity party ( ) over. Back to our regularly scheduled program...

~LC

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, oh I'm so sorry that you still have to have surgery and are still going through this process. Hugs. That must be so, so hard. I feel like a complete whiner to be complaining about non doubling betas compared to your loss. I hope time will help ease your pain. In the meantime, I'll be thinking of you, and I hope you feel free to vent away. Nobody expects you to be upbeat all the time, so do not feel bad about talking about the hard times.

Thanks JGator, Choro and LV. I did my best to stay distracted, and I should be pretty busy this week, so that will help. I keep taking tests, apparently to torture myself. They are getting steadily darker, but nothing dramatic. The line today was still a bit lighter than the control. So I do think my beta is still going up, but probably not at the rate it must. All that means is that this will probably be a long, drawn out process.

 

[Loves Vintage]

MP - Keeping you in my thoughts today. It is never easy waiting for that call, but having a busy day at work does help pass the time.

LC - I am so sorry for what you are going through. It is so terribly unfair. Sending you strength this week.

JGator - I am glad to hear that your procedure went well. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward. It would be great if you could sneak in a clomid only cycle!

To answer your question from a few posts back, yes, I am taking meds for the FET prep. I will share my protocol:

I took BCPs (or whatever equivalent they prescribe for me because BCPs make me crazy, I forget the name)
8/4 - 8/10 Estrace 2 mg 2X day; baby aspirin 1X day
8/11-8/20 Estrace 4 mg 2X day; baby aspirin 1X day
8/21 thru (transfer day? need to check) Estrace 4 mg 2X day; baby aspirin 1X day; Progesterone IM 50 mg in am, alternating with Crinone; Doxy 2X day for 5 days; Medrol for 5 days
8/25 Metrogel night before transfer
8/26 Progesterone suppository 1 hour before transfer; drink 32 oz of water one hour prior to procedure

I had asked about and DR said he would order Dexamethasone (a steroid) for me, but I did some more research and have decided against it. I had mentioned that previously on here.

I have a lining check tomorrow morning. I expect no issues. This FET prep takes forever though. I am taking the week off and will take a mini vacation that weekend.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, thanks for sharing your protocol. So it sounds like it is about three weeks of prep? Good to know. I won't go back in for another beta until Thursday, so fortunately, I am not waiting on a call today. I'm almost annoyed my tests keep getting darker because it has started to make me feel a tiny bit hopeful, but I know that hope is almost certainly misguided. If this is going to fail, I would rather have had the tests start fading out. And maybe they still will. This whole process really messes with you.

So much luck and many good thoughts headed your way in the next few weeks!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Oh, I misunderstood and thought you were going in today. Uggh to more waiting! Yes, the process messes with us! Unfortunately, they say too many variables affect those tests so they are unreliable for day to day testing.

Yes, it's about three weeks, but I have no idea why it seems longer . . . I guess the week of bcps.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, yup, way too many variables. The thing that sucks is that it looks like a perfectly nice progression - started out light and is now just barely lighter than the control - so if I hadn't had the betas, I'd assume everything was going just fine. Like I said, it messes with your head. I probably should stop testing, but I was just hoping to have an idea of what to expect, and if the line had started fading, I was going to ask them to have me come in sooner, so I could stop the PIO shots.

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, We're all on this road together, and we're all here for support and to support each other. I'm sorry you're in this limbo period, the waiting is the worst. Sometimes being busy at work is a good thing, hope you can keep yourself distracted. I'd love love love for this to end up with good news for you, so still sending dust that it will.

LV, Hoping for a good transfer for you in a few weeks. Wow, that's a little more than a week away

JGator, I'm glad your procedure went well. Hoping you were able to enjoy your weekend. Your plan sounds like a good one, what did the NP say on Friday?

AFM, pre-op consultation was today. Nothing else to report. Have a good rest of the week ladies. I might be a little sparse around here, but know I'm checking in (well, I have to to keep tabs on MP) and am thinking of all of you.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LC, I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible and taht your cycle gets back to normal much more quickly this time. Thanks for the good wishes.

Oh, and LV, whether you meant it to or not, your comment was just what I needed to hear to get my head out of the clouds. So thanks! Seriously, I need to get myself back to where I was on Saturday when I first heard my beta and realize this pregnancy is not progressing normally. Otherwise, I'm only setting myself up for another big heartbreak on Thursday.

 

[Loves Vintage]

MP - I am not sure what I said, but I didn't mean to!! About the test lines? I have a million windows open on my computer and don't think I even realized what I was saying. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to dash your hopes. I do hope for the very best for you always.

LC - Like MP said, I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible and that you recover quickly. Check back in to let us know how you are doing when you are ready.