The Official TTC Thread!

[LtlFirecracker]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Glad to seem so much good news on this forum.

MP - congrats on seeing the heart beat! I am so excited for you.

JGator - Congrats to you as well!!!

I will come back this weekend and do a longer post.

 

[Trekkie]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

I am a habitual lurker in this thread. I live in a different time zone so it's quite difficult to keep up with what is happening here. When I wake up in the morning I have a long leisurely read over what has been said while I've been asleep.

Congrats to MP on hearing the heartbeat!

Congratulations to DCGator!

As for me, well... I'm not really sure what's happening on my side. I mean, I couldn't wait earlier today so I did a test... And there's a very, very faint line that only I can see.

I will test again tomorrow morning with FMU but how will I make it until then???

ETA:

Sorry, I am not being very coherent over here.

I think I'm in a minor state of panic. Panic in case I am pregnant and panic in case I'm not.

I mean, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. It's too soon! It's our first month officially trying. I haven't even had a chance to play with my thermometer! I have PCOS. I was expecting it to take about 3-6 months, I was expecting to have some time to prepare myself for this...

But on the other hand... What if I'm not? What if I'm getting all worked up about nothing? What if it's just an evaporation line? What if I'm never, ever going to fall pregnant... What if I already am?

Let me just STFU.

Can someone please, please, PLEASE tell me to calm the eff down?

ETA 2:

I'm breathing deeply.

And desperately looking for a delete button so that I can remove this post and any other evidence of my craziness.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the good wishes. I spoke with the NP this morning, and she thinks that everything looks fine and was not overly concerned with the date discrepancy. She said the key is that we had a heartbeat in the 6th week. So, for now, I'm going to try to let myself relax and enjoy this special time.

Tammy, enbcfsobe, Dandi and the others in the 2WW. I'm sending you so much dust for good news this cycle!

JGator, still so excited for you and the "triplets"! Hoping this is finally your sticky little bean or two or three

Bright, I hope you have had a fabulous trip and return renewed and ready to take on this challenge again. Your time is coming lady, I just know it. Continued thoughts and prayers headed your way.

Firecracker, I'm hoping you have a dominate left ovary for the next few cycles. The funny thing is that in the cycles that I have been monitored, my left side is usually the dominate (which worked out well for me considering my right tube was slow to pass the dye). If you do end up deciding to take clomid or something similar to stimulate follicles, the great thing is that you often get follicles on both sides. Thinking of you!

Trekkie, I honestly am not sure what to to think about that test. I've never seen that brand before, so I'm not exactly sure where I'm supposed to be looking for a line. I do know that usually, a test line should be as wide as the control line. Maybe you should try a couple different brands of test. How many dpo do you think you are? Lots of luck. Wish I could be more help, but that one is confusing me a bit.

MLK, glad your levels are looking better and wishing you lots of luck if you decide to start TTC this cycle! I don't anything about thyroids, but it sounds like you've done your research.

Sorry if I missed anyone!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

MP -- so glad your u/s went well -- that must be such a relief!! sounds like you're chugging right along! when do they have you going back?

jen -- glad i could make you laugh! also glad you are feeling a bit less anxious. i get incredibly tense and anxious at the mere thought that we'll end up having to do ivf, can't imagine what its like actually going through the process. hope you are able to keep calm and carry on as my brit friends say. fingers crossed for no power outages! my mom (who knows about m/c #1 but not #2) told me the same thing about "relaxing" and i thought i might punch her. so not helpful, despite being well-meaning. but totally confirmed why i've stopped sharing with her about ttc.

jgator -- hope you'll pop in later with betas? best of luck!

trekkie -- deep breaths!! i can't really tell on my monitor from your pic -- can you tell us when the line appeared and what the test instructions said about when to read and after what point to not read?

AFM, CD25 and had some brown spotting this AM. can't tell yet if its AF, but should probably be able to tell by this afternoon. i got so exhausted yesterday afternoon that i had to leave work early to take a nap before acupuncture and then went to bed super early. i thought hmmm.... but then this morning doesn't look so good, it was pretty enthusiastic spotting, and i'm kindof crampy so i'm guessing 95% chance of AF. Oh, well. It was too much to hope for this soon after a m/c anyway.

ETA -- make that 100% chance of AF. ugh.

 

[Puppmom]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Trekkie, post your test on fertility friend. There are lots of experience POASers there. To me, I see a line but it looks white?? How long did it take to come up? Maybe it's an evaporation line? Good luck!

 

[amc80]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Trekkie, post your test on fertility friend. There are lots of experience POASers there. To me, I see a line but it looks white?? How long did it take to come up? Maybe it's an evaporation line? Good luck!

Agreed, looks like an evap line. Does the line have color in person?

 

[Sha]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

MP - so happy that you heard a heartbeat! Yayy!! I hope everything continues to go well.

JCgator - congrats!!

trekkie - I agree that the line looks like an evap line...

 

[Trekkie]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Ok, I'm a lot calmer now.

I'm 13DPO, so it probably is too soon to tell. Still, I'll try again in the morning.

Thanks so much for calming me down!

Good luck to everyone here!

*goes back to lurking*

 

[JGator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Trekkie, I think that's an evap line too. Test again tomorrow.

MP, I hope you can relax and start to get excited about your pregnancy! Things are looking great for you.

enbcfsobe, so sorry about AF showing up.

Jen, good luck with the fertility shots this weekend.

Hi, Tammy, Firecracker, Sha, Puppmom, AMC, and anyone else out there.

AFM, thanks to everyone who has congratulated me on my BFP. I just got my first beta result. I am either 12 or 13 DPO and the beta is 92. My progesterone is 36.4 which is amazing considering I am not taking progesterone supplements and had problems in my last pregnancy with low progesterone. I hope it holds up. I'll go back in on Monday AM for another beta to see if it's doubling appropriately. But, I'm excited!

 

[Sha]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Trekkie, I think that's an evap line too. Test again tomorrow.

MP, I hope you can relax and start to get excited about your pregnancy! Things are looking great for you.

enbcfsobe, so sorry about AF showing up.

Jen, good luck with the fertility shots this weekend.

Hi, Tammy, Firecracker, Sha, Puppmom, AMC, and anyone else out there.

AFM, thanks to everyone who has congratulated me on my BFP. I just got my first beta result. I am either 12 or 13 DPO and the beta is 92. My progesterone is 36.4 which is amazing considering I am not taking progesterone supplements and had problems in my last pregnancy with low progesterone. I hope it holds up. I'll go back in on Monday AM for another beta to see if it's doubling appropriately. But, I'm excited!

Yayyyy!!! that IS exciting!

 

[Puppmom]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator, that's fantastic! I hope you have some fun plans this weekend to distract you until Monday morning!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator -- yay!! stinks that you have to wait until Monday for more info, but good news that everything is at an appropriate level!

Trekkie -- i agree that this is probably an evap line, that's why i asked about the timing. sometimes evap lines get worse the longer they sit. good luck tomorrow!

MP -- glad your doctor was reassuring! keep growing that baby, lady!

AFM looking forward to some sushi tonight!

 

[Jen_91909]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator, wonderful news!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator, that's wonderful news! I'm hoping for awesome doubling betas!

Jen, hope your appointment goes well tomorrow and that you can finally get this IVF cycle under way! Wishing you lots of luck this cycle. I so hope that your body responds well and you are able to get some healthy embryos!

enbcfsobe, darnit! I'm so sorry AF arrived. Maybe your body just wasn't quite ready yet after the miscarriage. Really hoping your luck turns around this next cycle. I know you posted this a few days back, but I'm sorry that your friend is being insensitive. I'm glad you and your sister are able to talk about it though. I think everyone dealing with infertility needs to have a least one person who will just let you vent about it and be understanding. I think the subject makes a lot of people uncomfortable because they just don't know what to say and can't fully understand it or say anything to fix it, so they would rather just avoid it. Enjoy your sushi!

 

[Dandi]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hi ladies!! I'm about to head to work, so just a quick drive by to wish everyone well! I'm currently 9dpo and think I'll wait to see if AF arrives (in 6 days) and if not I'll test then. Hugs to all!

 

[mlk]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just a quick log in from my iPhone to congratulate JGator and Monkey on their great test results and wishing them sticky dust.

Dandi good luck whenever you cave and test!

Back later for a proper post

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator!! I came back to say thank you so much for the Nusa Dua tips and I read that you a pregnant!!
What awesome news! Best wishes for a happy healthy and sicky 9 months to you!!

Monkey! Yay for the heartbeat! Excellent news!! I hope you can relax a little now.

Hello to everyone else!

AFM: CD 1 and I'm all lined up to O on our holiday in Bali right around our second wedding anniversary. After 16 months off of BCP perhaps a little holiday magic will do the trick

 

[Jen_91909]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

enbcfsobe - I'm sorry to hear AF arrived. I totally missed the sushi reference on your last post. I really hope next cycle brings you better luck.

dandi - Hope this is your cycle.

HOT - wow, now conceiving in Bali would be amazing! Good luck!

MP - thank you so much for all your well wishes! How are you feeling?

AFM, I had my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork yesterday morning. The bw was first and the woman doing it must have been new, because it hurt a lot more than normal and then I ended up bleeding all over my arm and their floor afterwards, and the vein looked enormous and purple. Needless to say, now my arm is very sore and bruised! I've had tons of bloodwork done and that's a new experience...!

My ultrasound went well. The dr. counted 10 follicles "under 10" on the left and 14 under 10 on the right. I'm not exactly sure if this is good or what, but she said it all checked out and gave me the go-ahead to start the medications.

Here's one thing that concerned me yesterday though - when the nurse sent me specific injection instructions in email form she sent over results from the bloodwork and my FSH was 10.7. I've had my FSH tested 4 times before and it has always been in the 7-8 range. I emailed her back with my concerns and she just said "FSH changes every month and it's still in normal range." Ok. I just find it disheartening that when I had it drawn exactly 20 days before it was 7.6 and now, going into the IVF cycle it is suddenly 10.7. I was on birth control pills for 16 days during that period of time so yesterday was sort of like a fake day 3 for me. I don't know if this threw it off but a 3 point shift seems awfully high (to me.) Anybody have any insight on this? I'll definitely ask the doctor about it when I see her Tuesday.

Finally, I started the injections last night. It really wasn't bad because the needles are so tiny. The follistim didn't hurt at all, though I did bleed a bit. (Probably need to refine my technique pulling the pen out). The menopur medication definitely burned quite a bit when I injected it. But the mixing and set up wasn't so bad, definitely looks more intimidating than it is. I'm sure in a few days I'll be an old pro at it. Today I feel some soreness on the right side of my abdomen and I can't tell if it's injection related or actually my ovary. I highly doubt I should be feeling anything at all in my ovaries after one day of injections, but I definitely feel something there. So we'll see.

My next ultrasound & bloodwork is Tuesday a.m. and I'm excited to see what's happening in there!

Thanks for reading everyone, sorry it's such a novel!

 

[drk]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Jen - good luck with your IVF cycle!
Your baseline follicle counts sound fantastic. I know people who feel they're lucky to have 3 on one side and 4 on the other. I'm surprised your FSH is >10 when the follicles are so great. It probably doesn't mean much of anything. I have track marks in my elbows from all the bloodwork I had done with infertility treatments. I tend to bleed for a long time after needle sticks and bruise super easily. I find the best thing is to put a ton of pressure on the spot they had the needle in (tape over the cotton ball or a bandaid doesn't do it at all) for 5-10min afterwards to stop the bleeding.
Hope Tuesday's results are looking good. It can take a few days on stims to see things start growing, so don't panic if not much is happening yet. I think I was on stims for 4 days before they brought me in for the first check.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Jen, sounds like things are off to a good start for you (minus the crazy blood draw - yikes!) Hopefully the injections will get easier as you go. I just wanted to chime in that I think it is very possible your FSH was elevated because you were just coming off HBC. I had some ovarian reserve tests that came with my FRERs that you are supposed to use on CD3 to test your FSH level. They specifically said not to use the tests for at least 2 months after coming off HBC because your levels may be elevated. Regardless, it sounds like you're in good shape and don't have anything to worry about. Keep us posted on your progress! Keeping my fingers crossed!

HOT, have an awesome trip. Hoping magic will happen for you!

JGator, hoping for great results for you tomorrow! Hope you're hanging in there!

Thinking of you ladies in the 2WW! Dust, dust, dust!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Jen -- glad everything is looking good and the injections weren't too bad. i remember seeing the same thing about the FSH and BCPs as MP referenced. i've unfortunately had a few bad blood draws and so sorry you had to experience that!!

HOT -- glad the stars seem to be aligning for you!

to everyone else in the 2ww, best of luck -- sorry if i missed anyone!

AFM, my reluctance to talk to my supposed BFF was apparently justified in an unexpected way -- DH ran into one of BFF's friends today (someone we only know thru BFF as acquaintances), and that friend told DH how sorry he was to hear that we'd had a m/c. We haven't even told other close friends about this and she (or her husband?) is telling their friends who are merely our acquaintances?? WTF?? How is that OK??

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hey guys,

I am day 3 or 4 DPO. FF does not know what to do with my data. I will put the chart up on another post and see if you guys agree with my analysis.

Jen - It sounds like everything is going well. I would not get hung up on changing lab values unless your doc gets concerned. Honestly, there is a wide range of normal.

HOT - that timing sounds like it could not be anymore perfect! Wishing you luck.

DandiAndi - are you still holding out? I honestly think it is a good idea, but I know how hard it is to wait.

enbcfsobe - so sorry about your BFF, I am hoping you have better luck next cycle. Hope you enjoyed the sushi.

JGator - I am so excited for you !!! I am hoping that you get a very sticky bean!!!

MP - These forms are not going to be the same without you, you have been here the entire time I have been here. At the same time, I am so excited for you. Everything seems to be looking wonderful.

To anyone else I forgot, hello

 

[tammy77]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Trekkie, any updated tests? Good luck!

Bright, I'm thinking of you on your fabulous vacation!

MP, I miss you! I'm ready to join you though over in the JBP and over the moon for your sticky little bean. Speaking of which...

JGator, how's it going?! Hopefully well, can't wait for your update and congrats again!

enbcfsobe, I'm so sorry about AF showing. I hope you had a calm, indulgent weekend and good luck this cycle! I know the first 24 hours of AF suck for me, then I'm right in "lets get this show on the road" mode again. Hope that's where you're at now too! Regarding BFF, that's just annoying. I'm sure that she probably thought it wasn't wrong or hurtful. I'm sure that if she'd suffered a mc herself she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to divulge your personal information. Ugh.

Puppmom, hi!

Andi, hi to you too! Hope your TWW isn't too torturous! You're almost to testing land, good luck! I'm a few days behind you but I doubt I'll make it to 11 DPO without caving, which is Friday.

HOT, it's nice to "see" you around here! I hope your vacation is just what you and your DH needed to make a little baby magic happen! Have fun and good luck to you too!!

Jen, it sounds like you're moving right along. I'm glad to hear that the injections aren't that bad. I really hope that this is it for you and I'm looking forward to hearing how your u/s goes tomorrow.

Ltffirecracker, hi to you! I like the first week of the TWW. You know you've done all you could at that point to catch the egg and it's too early to even think about testing or symptoms!

Hi to anyone that I missed!

AFM: I'm sorry for the pretty rushed post. I know that I've been quiet lately, trying to balance the TTC crazy in me but I'm officially spiraling out of control at 7 DPO. I'm analyzing my chart, noticing that my temps are higher this month and my usual 4-6 DPO dip held off until "implantation dip land" of 7 DPO. I can't wait to go to bed tonight so I can wake up and temp in the morning. What else? Oh, cramps and little pinching yesterday and today that I haven't noticed before. I know none of this actually means anything, but I can't help myself.

I told myself that I would NOT test until at least 10 DPO (I always cave by 8 DPO at the latest, so awful). I can't tell if it's just because I've tested once so the door is open, but once I start I end up using 2-3 wondfos a day from 8 DPO on and it's just dumb. So yeah, my goal is Friday for my first test of the month and just use my chart as a guide. This is only our 4th REAL cycle TTC but I so hope this is it. I know it's silly, but my daughters bdays are Jan and Feb and I'd rather not have a Christmas baby, so I'm hoping for November! My EDD would be Veteran's Day, hehe.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Tammy, getting close now! I'll be really proud of you if you hold off until Friday to test, but I have a sneaking suspicion you're not going to be able to wait that long Lots of dust headed your way!!! No worries, I'm not going anywhere and will be following along with all of you ladies until you get your BFPs, which I so hope will be sooner rather than later. I'm doing pretty well. I'm still pretty much in disbelief that I'm pregnant, mostly because I'm still not feeling too many symptoms - I was pretty exhausted this weekend (which is not necessarily unusual for me and I've been suffering from insomnia, so that would explain it), my bbs are slightly tender once in awhile, and occasionally I feel slightly yucky when I haven't eaten in awhile. But other than that, I feel normal. I think I'll feel a lot more reassured after our next ultrasound in about 2 weeks and we can see whether baby is progressing normally. DH and I are still really tentative about it. I think that is probably just what happens after you try for a long time. It feels like it is never going to happen, and then when it does, it seems to good to be true and you don't take it for granted.

Firecracker, I'd be happy to take a look at your chart if you post. Hoping you are correct that you are in the middle of the 2WW now. I think you're getting to a good place where you are ruling out any potential problems and can maybe consider getting some treatment if you decide to. Keep the faith!

enbcfsobe, sorry your friend has disappointed you and shared your private information. Very frustrating. Some people are such oversharers and just don't understand the difference between private and public information. My mom is one of those. She means well, but for some reason feels like she needs to tell her friends and family everything that happens in her children's lives good or bad, so she has shared our news with some of my extended family members much sooner than I would have wanted.

JGator, thinking of you today!

 

[S&I]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator, I know I'm late to the party, but I just wanted to send you a huge congrats on your BFP! Your first beta numbers were really good too, and I'm hoping your numbers from today are just as good or even better! Are they also testing your progesterone again later on to ensure they don't drop, or is it safe to assume they'll continue to rise as you progress? Can't wait for your beta update!

 

[JGator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hi, all. Thanks for all your positive responses, encouragement, and sticky dust. It means a lot. I will properly reply to each of you later, but I wanted to let you all know my Beta was 319 today and my Progesterone is 49. I am either 15 or 16 DPO. The beta more than tripled in 3 days from 92 and the progesterone is up as well. I am so relieved. The nurse usually calls between 1 and 2pm and I had no call. At 3:45pm I broke down and called the office. I was fearing the worst as they had me on hold for a while. I am so relieved. They want me to come in for an ultrasound next Friday, 3/9. I think I may ask for more blood work between now and then - not sure I can hold out that long...

 

[lizzyann]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Great news JGator!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Yay JGator! So happy for you!

 

[choro72]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Congratulations JGator!!!! More sticky dust!!!

 

[Missy0483]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

JGator - SO happy you got good news today!!! Congratulations!