The Official TTC for 6 Months or More Thread

[monkeyprincess]

Random, I'm so sorry. I cannot even imagine getting that news. I pray that whichever option your mom chooses she will be able to live as comfortably as possible for as long as possible. And maybe, just maybe she will get a chance to meet your next baby. You never know. But again, I'm so very sorry.

Tourmaline, you're so lucky to have 4 kids. And hopefully you will be able to add more to your family as well. Personally, I'm not a big believer in all the gender selection methods, because I have to think it's not all that more accurate than the 50/50 odds we all have/ But I confess I don't know much about all of that because at this point I'd do anything just to get pregnant with a healthy baby. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you get your BFP and it happens to be a girl.

LV, I'm thinking about you, and am so hopeful you will have great news to share after your ultrasound tomorrow. I'm sure it's nervewracking, but I have a really good feeling for you!

SB, how are things going with you. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!

JGator, any updates? Thinking of you as well!

LC, same to you. I hope that you are doing okay, lady. Thinking of you.

Hi to everyone else!

 

[Loves Vintage]

RT - I am really sorry to hear about your mom. I hope you are able to spend time with her in the coming months.

Tourmaline - Wow to 4 kids! You must be one busy mom! What are their ages? I hope this cycle is it for you!!

JGator - How are you doing?

MP - Thanks for asking about me. Fortunately, I never have much time to think about how things are going. I am keeping the mindset that all is well, and I truly believe that it is. I will not have my apptmt until late afternoon, so won't be updating until later in the day. I hope you are doing ok.

Tbaus - I hope you get a bfp very soon. I am glad that you are checking in here with us.

SB - Any clarity regarding this cycle? Not sure when you were going back for u/s?

Choro and LC - Hope you ladies are doing well.

 

[JGator]

LV, will be sending good thoughts your way tomorrow. Very excited for you.

RT, very sorry to hear about your mom. I really hope she is able to hang in there to meet your future baby. Treasure every day that you have with her still in this world.

Tourmaline, my sister had 5 kids in 8 years. I don't know how you do it. It's insane at her house!

Tbaus, glad to hear from you. Did you test yet? Good luck.

MP, I would like to avoid IVF too if we can. I hope you are hanging in there.

AFM, I think I'm 14 DPO today - 3 days of BFNs in a row. My DD has woken up early the last 3 days and messed up my wake up times so I haven't seen a real temp drop yet or AF, but I think she'll be here tomorrow or the next day. We'll see. Feeling a little down on the whole TTC thing these days. I guess the normal ups/downs of where I am in the cycle is getting to me plus general apprehension on getting back into the RE motions of monitoring, meds, etc.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, I'm glad you've been able to keep yourself distracted. I hope you'll report back tomorrow or this weekend, but like I said, I really have a good feeling all will be well and you will finally graduate from this thread. Hope the rest of us are able to join you at some point. Oh, and I think I'm doing as best as can be expected right now, thanks for asking.

JGator, do you think you maybe ovulated later than you initially thought or do you normally have a pretty long LP? I never get past day 12 without AF (or a BFP the two times I've been pregnant) unless I'm on progesterone support, but that's just me. It is certainly an adjustment going back into fertility treatment mode with the constant monitoring and all the negatives that come along with that, so I definitely understand what you're saying. I have become increasingly frustrated with the whole process as well, and a lot of time I really wish I could just avoid going to the clinic and seeing the people there. Part of me thinks that if I didn't have those frozen blastocysts, I might take a break or stop all together after this latest disappointment. But I am comitted to giving them a shot at life (and hopefully giving us another baby). Hugs. I will say that if you are committed to trying for another baby, IVF was really not as bad as I anticipated, despite everything I just said.

 

[JGator]

MP, my average LP is 15 days according to FF. I could have ovulated 2 days later which would mean there is a very remote possibility that I am still in the game, but I will try not to think about that. This is an unusually long cycle due to BCP and/or the Polyp removal - at CD 33 now, and my cycles are usually 29 days according to FF. Thanks for the encouragement on the IVF process. I just hate all the waking up early and monitoring and blood draws, and now we have a nanny that we are not letting in on this process so I will have to make up excuses on where I am in the morning all the time. Our clinic has a no kids in the waiting room rule.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you then. And I hadn't thought about how having a nanny might affect things. Is it weird because she will have to come in earlier those days? Can you say you need to run a work errand those mornings? Hopefully you can say as little as possible. I sometimes wish our clinic had a no kids policy (although we had to bring Ev there one time when an IUI fell on a Sunday), but there are times that it just frustrates me when little kids are in there making noise and I'm feeling stressed or anxious waiting for an ultrasound. I think of all the people who are trying for their first and how hard that might be for them, especially on tough days. On the day I found out the baby no longer had a heartbeat and I was walking out trying to hold back tears, some lady was up front with the receptionists showing off her brand new baby, and it was just hard to see at that very moment. Anyway, sorry for that little rant!

 

[JGator]

MP, if my DH is out of town for work, she will have to come in early. Otherwise, I will try to get appts early enough that I can be back home before she gets to work which just leaves me feeling sneaky, but it's none of her business. We had to have her come in early for the polyp removal and she saw us both leave together for other appts at the RE and always asked where we were going and we just made up stuff. She knows I had an ob/gyn surgery in August because she asked when I asked her to come in early for it. I can completely understand why the office has the rule on no kids. We just don't have anyone other than the nanny to watch K, and I guess we likely wouldn't tell our family about the RE either if they were nearby so that wouldn't help! I guess these are small issues - just pesky logistical pains!

 

[JGator]

AF arrived this evening so I'll be calling my nurse tomorrow to see what the next steps are for an IUI. I assume I need to go in for a CD 3 ultrasound and bloodwork. Will keep you all posted.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hi ladies,

Thanks so much for the call outs. TBH I had to take a break from the whole TTC process, thinking about etc. And the midwives said they want 1 normal period before trying again, so I've just been kinda waiting around for that. I've been following along a bit checking in on you guys, though. I think I'm still going to take a step back. I'm not sure how I feel about trying again after this. Maybe I need to just reset in new year or something? I dunno.

MP, I'm glad your surgery went fine and you're recovering. TBH, there's nothing that can help you get through this loss but time. But it really helped me knowing everyone on this wonderful thread was there and thinking about us.

RT, I'm very sorry to hear the bad news about your mom's test results. I hope you can make your way over there soon. Sending dust.

JGator, I'm hoping our cycle is just a very long one. With the polup removal and all the stress, I can see why it's later than your normal cycle.

LV, hoping you can stay distracted and all goes well for u guys. FIngers crossed that all goes well for you guys.

OK I'm exhausted I'll try to write more tomorrow.

~LC

 

[choro72]

Ugh sb, that just stinks. I'm sorry you are feeling this way. You're so patient for even trying this. If it comes down to it, I'm not sure if I would even attempt IVF.

tbaus, I'm so glad you're back in the game.

LC, hugs. Hope AF comes on time without intervention again. Are you still bleeding?

JGator, Waiting to hear your news.

mp, how are you doing? I'm feeling more positive on this thread thanks to you.

RT, I'm so, sorry to hear about your mother's condition. I can't imagine what you are going through.

AFM, after more than three months of continuous bleeding, it suddenly increased for two days then went away over the next few days. I think that was AF. It's such a relief to have clean pads. sorry for the TMI.
Anyway, I started temping, and it seemed like I ovulated a week later than usual. I can't be sure because I missed some data days, my OPK were all negative, and I didn't feel any O pain. Is it possible to get temperature spikes without actually ovulating? This morning my temperature dipped a little and I started spotting. I'm expecting AF to start tomorrow.
I'm bummed of course for the BFN, but relieved that my body finally is doing what it's supposed to be doing.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, wishing you all kinds of good thoughts today!

JGator, sorry AF arrived, but I'll be keeping everything crossed clomid and IUI does the trick. I assume you're taking clomid, right? It's not fun to be back in this place, but if you get another baby out of the deal, it will so be worth it. Hang in there! And yes, it is tricky with your nanny situation. We're fortunate that as long as it falls on a weekday, we can just drop Ev off at daycare as early as 6:30 (he normally doesn't go until 8 or so). But if it falls on a weekend, it's hard to think of excuses why we need to drop him off at my SIL's at 6:45 or 7 on a Sunday morning. My family knows what we're going through, but they live out of town. DH's mom and sister are in town, but he doesn't feel comfortable sharing with them, so it's not ideal, but we've made it work.

Choro, I hope your right that your cycle is returning to normal. Man, I cannot even imagine how frustrating that whole thing must have been. Keeping everything crossed that you are pregnant again very soon and stay that way! I agree with you that this having to wear pads and having sporadic bleeding just sucks and it's such a constant reminder of bad memories. I have only had a couple of times of AF-like bleeding, and it seems to be like every other day. Most of the time it's just there when I wipe and doesn't even reach the pad, but I just feel gross. I wonder how long it's going to last.

LC, big hugs. You really do have to do what is best for you. If that means taking a break from all of this, then that's exactly what you should do. I feel like for me, the only way I'm going to get out of this funk is to start trying again, and since I know there's very little chance of it happening on its own, and if I do end up needing to do another IVF fresh cycle, I'm not getting any younger and my eggs are not getting any better. But if I didn't need help to get pregnant and if my loss had been farther along like yours was, I think I would want to take a break as well. I hope you know you've got a lot of people who care about you from afar and hoping for good news someday soon. We all could use a bit of that!

ETA - Had a blood test this morning, and my beta is down to 129. I go in again in 10 days to make sure it is under 5.

 

[random_thought]

Well I ovulated on CD12. WTH. Seriously. So I got one baby dancin session in because the night after that was when we got the news about my mom so obviously did not feel like it. I had rum last night so I'm praying that is the cause for the spike in my chart but I'm not holdin my breath lol.

 

[JGator]

LC, good to hear from you. Take the time you need to heal.

Choro, I'm sorry about the BFN. I hope your body is finally getting back to normal now, and that you are able to conceive a healthy baby quickly.

MP, it's a Follistim injectibles IUI so this will be different than the Clomid I am used to previously. The trigger shot will be the same though - Ovidrel. That's great that you can drop off Ev early at daycare. Sometimes, I wish K was in daycare, but our situation is pretty convenient that I don't have to get her all dressed and ready to go in the AM and out the door early and deal with all the traffic around here so the convenience of the nanny is big.

RT, bummer if you did O early. Maybe your 1 BD will do the trick though. Keep on charting to see what happens though. You never know with the rum.

LV, good luck today!

AFM, the nurse called back. I am going to do a Follistim injectable IUI. Since this is a Friday, I am dealing with trying to get the meds from my insurance's specialty pharmacy approved and overnighted vs. paying out of pocket to pick up locally. Wish me luck that I can get this all sorted out today. They want me to come in on Sunday for CD 3 bloodwork and ultrasound and then start the Follistim injections on Sunday evening. Have any of you used Follistim? Any advice on that? I haven't done any intramuscular injections yet,and I am a wimp with needles -a pass out, blood pressure dropping kind of wimp.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, I did Gonal-F, which I believe is pretty much the same thing as Follistim. We had to inject it in my upper thigh, but I think you can also do stomach. DH always did it for me, but I'm pretty sure I would have been fine doing it myself. It was a pretty short skinny needle, and I only had to do the injections for like 6-8 nights. It really isn't that bad. Nothing like the huge 1.5 inch long thick PIO shots I had to do every night for 6 weeks, and even those weren't that bad to be honest. You'll do great. That's great you have insurance coverage because the meds are expensive, and I hope you get that all sorted out today.

BTW, any idea how long it took your HCG to go back down below 5? I'm really hoping mine will be gone by next blood draw in 10 days.

 

[JGator]

Hi, MP, when I had my D&C, I was at my old obgyn who sucked. So, no, they did not take my blood again after the D&C to check my betas. I did get AF about 32 days after the D&C though and that obgyn told me to wait to hear back on the genetic results of the MC before proceeding with TTC again. I saw an RE in the meantime who told me there was no reason to wait and then finally over 2 months after the D&C, I finally got the genetic test results from my old Obgyn so that would have slowed me down more than necessary. I'm glad I left that ob office behind. They were horrible.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, I'm hoping my cycle will return as quickly as yours did. I need to stay away from google, because I've seen stories about people's HCG lingering several weeks after a D&C (like 7 or 8 weeks or more). Just hoping mine continues to go down quickly. I'm so ready to put this cycle behind me and to start moving forward. My OB/GYN was great when I was pregnant with Ev, but she is pretty much useless and a total Pollyanna when it comes to fertility, and that's why I saw the NP before moving to the RE. Apparently my old OB/GYN doesn't do any OB work anymore, so once I have a pregnancy that sticks I need to find a new one.

 

[Laila619]

MP, mine was really high at 11 weeks, and I still got AF 29 days later. You might be one of the 'lucky' ones who has AF return relatively quickly. When you have infertility and your eggs are not getting any younger, it sucks having to wait around and waste time. Getting pregnant again did help me heal a little, but I still think about that baby all the time and get sad often. I would have had a 4 month old now if he/she were here. I think you never really get over it, but time does dull the sadness. I hope you're doing okay.

I am anxiously waiting to hear from LV too. LV, hope you get terrific news today!

 

[lliang_chi]

SB, I hope you get some answers with the U/S. Sucks that your regular RE is out of town too. Sending hugs that your chance will be coming soon.

MP, I think I'm one of those whose HCG lingers I think. It sucks that your body doesn't return to normal quickly, but I was able to take Prometrium and that was back to normal.

Choro, glad you're spotting free. Wow, were you seriously anemic if you were bleeding for so long? That's crazy. I'd have your OB check your iron levels and maybe get you on a month or so of supplements if you're low. I don't thikn there's any detriment to pregnancy, but anemia would make you feel fatigued during the day, so that's why I mention it. I'm not a doctor, I just have low iron levels so I know how it affects me.

Took an HCG count last week. My levels were still pretty high, almost 150. I'll go in again in a week or two and take another draw. Hopefully it'll be going down.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Here's my update. We saw the heartbeat today, 6wks1day. DR said everything looks normal. I was sure everything was ok, but I was still so nervous, and just relieved when I saw the heartbeat. And, then we heard the heartbeat, which sounded like a miracle to me.

JGator - I've taken follistim with every IUI (except one) and IVF cycle. The medication is pre-loaded in a cartridge that you put in a "pen," attach a needle, then dial up the dosage. DH helped me on the early cycles, but I found it much easier to just do the injection myself. The needle is really small and thin. Oh, and you can find instructions on-line from the manufacturer, which I have found helpful for some of these drugs. They all seem really daunting before the first time, but you (or your DH) will be an expert by your third dose. What dose are they prescribing? Were you able to get the meds ordered in time? I hope yes because every time I had to order drugs, it was at the last minute, so these specialty pharmacies are really excellent at getting the meds out asap.

MP - It seems like your beta went down quickly, so hopefully that's a sign that it will continue to drop without issue.

 

[Laila619]

Oh, how WONDERFUL, LV!!!!! Hearing and seeing the heartbeat! Happy dance!

 

[JGator]

LV, Congrats! That's amazing news! I'm so happy for you. I think I sorted everything out today with the insurance and the RE after several calls. They said they are overnighting the meds to me. I'm taking 150 units of follistim.

 

[monkeyprincess]

LV, wonderful news. Praying everything continues to go well, and I know it will. Going to miss you around here, but I'm happy that you finally are getting good news!

 

[lliang_chi]

LV, what wonderful news!!! So happy for you! Ditto Monkey, I'm going to miss you, but couldn't be happier you're graduating

 

[Bella_mezzo]

CONGRATS LV!!!!!!!

 

[Tourmaline]

RT, my heart goes out to you. How completely devastating. <3

LV, my kids are 10 (girl), 8, 4.5 & 2.5 (3 boys). And how exciting about hearing your baby's heartbeat!!

JGator, It's not actually chaotic here, as I try very hard to maintain peace. They have fun together, but they are also helpful and well-behaved.

LC, I wasn't around when you were on this thread before, but I gather that you had a devastating loss. My heart goes out to you.

MP, yes, I am very lucky to have 4 kids. I feel grateful every day. I know that fertility is much harder for others here than it has been for me, which is why I came here gently. My husband and I are very happy with what we have and with this time of life, and we would like to prolong the baby-having stage a bit longer (have another one) if we can. Obviously, a healthy baby would be the first priority. A girl would be lovely, too. But again, I don't want to offend people with my presence here, and I think I may have made you uncomfortable by talking about my goals, since wanting a girl is more specific than wanting a baby, and since I already have 4 children. I understand that it is frustrating for you to be bombarded with information from people with more than one child, just as people who've tried for years and do not have a child might feel the same about you having one and wanting another so badly. I recognize that you need a place where you can vent about people who have had an easier time than you at this (and not have to deal with information that hurts you or makes you resentful), and I am rethinking my presence in this thread. I have looked long and hard for a group where I can get TTC support and not make anyone uncomfortable with my presence. There's a very active group on FB, but it moves too quickly to form bonds with anyone, so I will continue my search. Best wishes to all of you in your TTC journeys! <3

 

[JGator]

Tourmaline, my sister has a girl (almost 11), 3 boys and then her 5th (soon to be 3 year old) is a girl so maybe you will end up with the same gender order. My sister also has a 6th child who is her DH and does not help her at all with the 5 kids so that's why it's chaotic at her house. I don't think you should leave the thread. And, I wish you the best in conceiving your 5th.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Tourmaline, you read ill intent into my comment that was not there. I'm sorry what I said offended you. I actually think I'll take a step away from here for awhile. Best wishes to all.

 

[random_thought]

Well finally some good news, apparently I'm back in the game!

LV- how wonderful that you got to hear the heartbeat! I can't wait til I am at that point!

Also, y'all better stop leaving the thread before I have nobody left to complain to! *lassos MP and tourmaline and pulls them back in*

 

[Sha]

RT- Lol. Great that you still have a chance!

Tournaline- I'm a lurker here now as it's been difficult for me to keep up with the thread, but I've gotten great support here in the past. I think everyone tries their best to be supportive of each other's individual TTC journeys, regardless of the no. of kiddos you have already. Anyway, for what it's worth, just wanted to mention that I've also gotten good support from babyandbump.com. That's if you still want to continue your search.

 

[royalasscherlover]

rt, sorry about your mom but glad you are back in the game this month.

tourmaline, best of luck to you.

mp, I'm sorry you felt the need to leave, but I understand wanting a break. Keeping you in my thoughts.

lv, congrats!

jgator, hope the injection goes well tonight. You will do fine and get used to it very quickly - thinking about it is worse than doing it!

LC, hugs. You have been through the wringer and need to take care of yourself.

choro, glad your body is getting back in the swing of things.

tbaus, welcome back. I hope you have success soon.

afm, I managed to track down my regular RE via email and we decided to cancel the transfer. So I'm on progesterone until AF shows up in a couple weeks and then we will start the FET process again. I feel a little better since we made a decision, but also very ready to get off this roller coaster.