Still At It

[Scooter]

This thread is for people who have been TTC for an extended period of time (6 months or more) and/or for those with known/diagnosed infertility issues. The and/or is the important statement here. ;) We welcome you to join whether you're trying to conceive for the first time, already have children, have suffered miscarriages, you're seeking treatment or not.


For non-members:
We always welcome supporters and cheerleaders! Please understand that this is our own safe place to discuss infertility and our feelings about it, and keep your comments supportive and on-topic. Thank you!

Table of Contents for Page 1:
Post 1: Members (part I)
Post 2: Members (part II)
Post 3: Members who are expecting
Post 4: Members' BABIES! (part I)
Post 5: Resources (including HPT Sensitivity Comparison)
Post 6: Links to old threads, recent congrats & condolences


So, without further ado...

Still At It...Membershttp://www.webmuseum.com/blove/ttc.gif
in alphabetical order by user name

ag05
Me: 32
DH: 30
Married 5/01
TTC since 1/04
prescribed Clomid 50 mg 5/04 due to irregular cycles
Clomid 100 mg 6/04
Clomid 150 mg 7/04
Clomid 150 8/04 - pregnant
11/04- missed miscarriage w/ D&C (13 weeks)
Clomid 150 mg 2/05 - pregnant
2/05 - miscarriage (6 weeks)
Started seeing RE 5/05
RPL test results so far - abnormal MTHFR (folic acid prescribed)
IUI/Femara 5 mg/Trigger cycle planned 8/05.
Currently taking more tests!

Baby Lust
Me: Amanda (22)
DH: Shane (27)
Married: 10/19/02
TTC: 3/04
Charting: 6/04
SA: High count, low motility
Clomid: 50mg April, May ; 100mg June
Chemical Pregnancy: June
FF Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/Shanes_Angel)

bunky
Me: 30
DH: 31
Married: 10/02
TTC: since 09/04
Off BCP: since 03/04
Charting: since 02/05
Irregular cycles
12/04: CD 3 bloodwork showed slightly elevated LH
05/05: DH's SA normal
06/05: HSG showed left tube blocked, bicornuate uterus
05/05: Clomid 50mg - ovulated on CD 16
06/05: Clomid 100mg and possible IUI
07/05: First RE appt
FF Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/91107/)

DallasLady
Me - Giovanna (25)
DH - Tony (39)
Married - 9/01
Charting - 11/2002
TTC - 1/2005
Issues - Low sperm concentration (11mil/ml) and low morphology (6% Kruger)

ds2003
Me: 27
DH: 31
Married since: 11/08/03
Off BCP: 12/03
TTC since: 6/04
Charting since: 7/04
Known issues: dx PCOS 7/04, annovulatory
Test results: DH's SA-normal; HSG 1/14/05-normal;
-->Ovarian Drilling 5/20/05- I'm finally ovulating
3 failed Clomid cycles before Ovarian Drilling (50, 100, 150 mg)
Meds: Currently taking 1500mg Metformin and 5mg Femara/letrazole
FF Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/ds2003)

Freckles
WC Name: ilovepac
ME: 29
DH: 36
Married since: 2/1/03
Off BCP since: Never really on BCPs
TTC since: 6/04
Charting since: 9/04
Known issues/test results:Too many issues to list here, but suffice to say I am taking a drug cocktail of clomid 100 mg, progesterone, and estrogen.

gator97
Me: Kristen (30)
DH: Peter (30)
Married since: 11/06/04
Off BCP since: 12/04
TTC since: 2/05
Known issues/test results: dx stage 2-3 endometriosis/adenomyosis 8/05

gigglespca
Me: 36
DH: 40
Married 10/01
TTC since 1/02
prescribed Clomid 50 mg 1/05 by obgyn then went to RE for fear of cysts
Clomid 50 mg 1/05
Clomid 50 mg 2/05 - pregnant
4/05- missed miscarriage w/ D&E (12 weeks)
6/05 Trying again! Clomid 50 mg
RE appt 7/1/05 17mm follicle on left side no trigger shot due to size
Currently on 200 mg of prometrium orally twice a day after ovulation

Happy1
Me: Nikki
DH: Tim
Married: June 8, 2002
Forever in our hearts: Jacob John born and died 10/6/03 at 35 weeks due to genetic issues.
TTC #2 since: January 2004
Known Fertility Issues: DH has an extremely low sperm count which we just found out about a month ago. He has seen a Urologist but there are no physical signs that would explain the decrease.

Jennylou
Me: Jenny
DH: Sean
Married: 9/20/03
PCOS
Forever in our hearts, DS Andrew Wyatt 5/20-5/22/05
TTC #2 with clomid

jlp
Me: 31
DH: 40
Married: 01/04
TTC: since 07/04
Off BCP: since 03/04
Diagnosed with PCOS: 10/04
Irregular cycles, multiple cysts
04/05: Clomid 150mg - small follies/O on CD21 - failed
05/05: Clomid 200mg - 3 large follies/HCG shot on CD 18 - failed
06/05: Clomid 200mg - 2 medium follies/repeat U/S 7/1 - HCG shot

julesp313
Me: 33
DH: 38
Married: March 2003
Charting: September 2003
TTC: December 2004
Issues: None known

KaliLily
Me: 32
DH: 32
Married: 8/16/97
TTC #1: On Prometrium now to induce period, will begin Clomid 100mg on CD5
Issues: PCOS (Diagnosed 1996)

Karlatta
Me: Karla, 25
DH: Scott, 26
Married: 6/8/2002
TTC: July 2003
PCOS, Metformin
10/04 - Letrozole
11/04 - Letrozole, IUI - Pregnant!
Miscarriage 1/05
05/05 - Letrozole, IUI
06/05 - Estrogen/Progesterone
07/05 - Letrozole
08/05 - Letrozole

Kemorr
Me: 29
DH: 31
Married: 1/5/2002
TTC: September 2004
known issues: short LP, spotting, low forward progression, low morphology. HSG normal, day 3 bloodwork normal, 7 DPO progesterone normal except for most recent cycle - slightly low.
Clomid 50 mg 4/05 - BFN, Clomid 50 mg with IUI, trigger and progesterone 6/05 - BFN
7/2005 Clomid, HCG trigger and IUI - BFN
8/2005 - chemical pregnancy

kischer

knoelani
Me: K / 28
DH: B / 33
TTC: 12-2001
Dx: Late ovulation, PCO w/ 80% of symptoms of PCOS, SA issues
1-05: 50 mg Clomid
1-28-5: HSG, all clear
2-05: 100mg Clomid, 1500 mg Metformin
3-05: 100 mg Clomid, 1500 mg Metformin
4-05- DH SA poor results, clomid break, still taking 1500 mg Met
5-6-5: DH SA & urologist appointment: A okay, could be improved slightly with lifestyle changes
6-16-05: 1st RE appointment
7-05: 100mg Clomid, 1st IUI

La_bride_2004
me: 32
DH: 36
TTC since Feb 04
HSG, all tests normal
Dx: male factor, poor SCSA
CC1, 3 IUI's- all BFN
IVF #1 Dec 04: OHSS/biochem/m/c
FET#1 June 05: biochem/m/c
Aug 2005- varicocele repair surgery for DH
Status: waiting to TTC in 6 months or whenever we get a good SCSA!

Marteneym
Me: 22
DH: 27
Married since: 10/4/03
Off BCP since: 9/04
SWH since: 10/04
TTC since: 12/04
Fertility Blend cycles 4,5,6
Known issues/test results: Delayed Ovulation
9/05 Clomid 50mg

MrsSmith
we're both 25
Married: 3/2003
Issues: PCOS, random cycle lengths and no ovulation
TTC: we never officially started, but we've never prevented either
RE visit: 6/2005 - PCOS, suggested Provera and Clomid

Nigellas
Me: Kerry
DH: Chris
Married: 8.7.01
TTC: Off and on since 2001.
4 miscarriages (11 wks, 19 wks, 6 wks and 12 wks)
RE is stumped – unexplained RPL.
Currently on Femarra and Prometrium.

ocgatita
Me: Judy
DH: Edward
Married: 4/04
TTC #1 since: 6/04
Known Fertility Issues: None, will seek medical intervention if we haven't conceived by early next year.

paisleydays
Me: Amy (34)
DH: Andy (32)
Married: 7.02
TTC: 1.04
Charting: 1.046.05 1st meet w/RE
6.05 SA=low count, low motility
6.05 3rd day BW=High FSH
Currently doing acupuncture & looking for a new RE

*~*~*~BABYDUST*~*~*

[Scooter]

Members (continued)

pocket
Me: Pocket, 33
DH: Pita, 30
Married: 8/23/03
TTC: Begin Clomid 50mg August
Issues: PCOS, Hypothyroid

shouldaeloped
me: Heather, 32
DH: Neal, 34
Married: 10/19/02
TTC: 10/04
2 miscarriages: 1st 1/05 at 12w2d, natural and 2nd 5/05 at 9w2d, d&c
currently waiting for cycles to get back to normal and testing to be completed to try again. bloodwork and SHG scheduled for 7/8/05

Stephanie
Me: Stephanie, 25
DH: Brian, 29
Married: 10/6/01
TTC: 3/04
Known issues: None, that we know of yet. Varicocele possible.
SA to be done in the next month. Cycles returning to normal
after BCP.

suzfuzsunflower
Me: 23
DH: 23
Married: 08/09/2003
TTC: March 2005
Charting: March 2005
Known Issues: I am not ovulating, and not getting EWCM. Not sure why, though.

Suzlywoozly
Me: Sue/27 DH: Jeff/31
Married: 6/15/02
TTC: 10/02
10/02: 1st Lap-Found ovarian cysts and endo
4/04: Started Progesterone supplements and 25 mg clomid
8/04: 50mg clomid - Had no follicles
9/04: 100mg clomid - Had 2 follicles and 1st failed IUI
10/04: 100mg clomid - Had 1 follicle and 2nd failed IUI
11/04: No clomid due to 2 ovarian cysts. Started Metformin 1500mg/day
12/04: No clomid due to "large mass" and ovarian cyst on left ovary.
Surgery the second week of January.
m/c 6/05
IVF 8/05-9/05

thedoorchick (jasonsbride on the WC)
Me: Emily (35)
DH: Jason (31)
Married: 1/19/02
TTC: 11/02 to 3/03, then 12/04 (took a hiatus due to jobs, etc).
Charting: 7/02
SA: High count and motility, low morphology (1%)
M/C: 5/03, 3/05, 4/05

TravelGirl
Me - 34
DH - 34
Married - 7/01
Son - 8/03
TTC - 5/2004
Charting - 11/2004
IF issues - None that we know of.


Taking a Break

bottleored
Me: Caroline (38)
DH: Paul (42)
Married: 10.03
TTC: 1.04
Charting: 3.04
Uterine Polyp: 5.04 (D&C, hysteroscopy)
SA normal, b/w normal
9.04 - 5.05: 6 rounds Clomid
10.04: HSG - left tube blocked
1.05: Tubal recanalization - left tube unblocked!
1.05, 2.05: very low HCG results, discovered antibody issue
6.05, 8.05: injectibles (and low dose HCG), blood thinner, progesterone
BFP 8.29.05 m/c 9/05
FF Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/44b0a)

hangin'in
Me: Jen (39)
DH: Ron (27)
Married: 10-03
TTC: 10-03
Dx: High FSH in May 04 (13.25) Given Donor Egg speech by RE. FSH retested in February, numbers came back in normal range. Did 1 month of accupuncture in March.
IUI 2/05, failed
IUI 4/30/05, 2failed
IUI 6/05 failed
the Dr. really only recommends Donor Eggs at this time, and DH and I aren't ready to do that.

la_bride_2004
me: 32
DH: 36
TTC since Feb 04
HSG, all tests normal
Dx: male factor, poor SCSA
CC1, 3 IUI's- all BFN
IVF #1 Dec 04: OHSS/biochem/m/c
FET#1 June 05: biochem/m/c
Aug 2005- varicocele repair surgery for DH
Status: waiting to TTC in 6 months or whenever we get a good SCSA!

ShelbyMay
Me: 25
DH: 27
Married: 05/17/2003
TTC: 2/05
Charting: 9/04
Known Issues: Possible semen allergy; antibodies could be inhibiting sperm

tigerest
Me-28
DH-29
Married 7/6/02
Off BCP 7/03 (started charting 11/03)
Early M/C - 1/04
10/04 - DH's SA Normal
1/14/05 - Laparoscopy and Chromotubation = Both tubes blocked
2/15/05 - HSG confirms both tubes blocked
4/15/05 - Laparoscopy #2 a success! Both tubes surgically repaired.
Continuous Acupuncture
TTC again in June! :D

[Scooter]

http://home.hot.rr.com/lizandrob/smilie_file/smilie_preggo1.gifMEMBERS EXPECTING:
in order by due date and color coded by sex where known

February 2006

angelgirl8
me: angelgirl8 27 dh: also 27
married: 7.6.03
ttc: 1.04
testing: cd3 and 7dpo blood tests fairly normal
5.04: SA normal
9.04: HSG-tubes clear
9.04, 10.04, 11.04: clomid, IUI, trigger, progesterone
12.04: gonal-f 150iu, IUI, trigger, progesterone
3.04: IVF#1 (all but 1 of the 22 fertilized eggs multinucleated and fragmented; transferred 1 4-celled embryo on day 3)
5.04: IVF#2; added metformin: PREGNANT 6/05!!!!
TWINS!! tentatively due 2/12/06

Christy559
Me: Amanda (26)
DH: Matt (29)
Married: 6/29/02
Off BCP 1/03
TTC: 9/03
FF Chart (http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3d9f6)
PREGNANT 6/05!!!!
Due 2/06

March 2006

amychris03
Me: Amy (29) DH: Chris (34)
TTC: Since 9/03
Diagnosed with PCOS: May 04, currently taking Metformin
Injectables cycle # 1- 8/04: Follistim was a success! ended in an Ectopic PG
Laparoscopy 2/24/05 revealed lack of musculature around tubes
IVF #1 6/15/05
PREGNANT 7/05!!!!
Due 3/22/06

heidi0622
Name: Heidi - 29
DH: Mike - 29
Married: 6/22/02
TTC: March '04, Charting: June '04
Known issues: m/c 10/04 at 5.5 weeks, saline U/S normal, bw normal, SA excellent, unexplained IF
Treatments: Started 50mg Clomid 06/05
PREGNANT 7/05!!!!
Due 3/22/06

April 2006

Kopper
Me: Katie (26)
DH: John (28)
Married: 9/21/02
TTC: 7/04
Charting: 03/04
6/05 3rd day BW normal
6/05 HSG all clear
6/05 SA normal count and motility, low morphology
Starting IUI next cycle
FF Chart (http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/9e5e6)
PREGNANT 7/05!!!!
Due 4/6/2006

amygrrl
me: amy (35)
dh: dan (33)
dd: ~avery elizabeth~ born still on June 3, 2005 at 27 wks from possible cord accident (we love you, baby girl!)
frozen embries: 3 on ice from our round with Avery
TTC since: March 2003
Treatments: 6 failed rounds of Clomid. 1 successful IVF producing Avery
PREGNANT 8/5/05!!!! our miracle baby!
EDD: 4/18/2006

jrsygirl
Me: Holly (31)
DH: Brian (32)
Married:September 2002
TTC: 9/04
M/C: 12/04
7/05 injectibles and IUI
PREGNANT 8/18/05!!!!
EDD 4/28/2006

Scooter
Me: 29, DH: 32
married: 8/01
m/c 8/02 at 5.5weeks
TTC since 4/03, charting since 9/02
Unexplained IF, uterine polyps removed 6/04
8/04 failed 50mg clomid cycle
10/04 & 11/04 failed clomid 100mg & progesterone
1/05 new RE, suspects immunological issues, began baby aspirin and Folgard
2 more cycles clomid (100mg) + IUI = failed
started accupuncture
2 cycles letrozole (2.5mg) +IUI + progesterone = failed
7/05 bravelle (1.5 amps) + IUI + progesterone = success!
FF Chart (http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/18494)
PREGNANT 8/18/05!!!!
EDD 4/29/2006

May 2006


catJennifer
Me: Jennifer (29)
DH: 30
Married: 10/26/02
TTC: 4/04
Charting: 10/04
Stats: PCOS, elevated prolactin
Meds: Dostinex, Metformin XR 2000mg
5/04: SA normal
10/04: HSG normal
10/04, 11/04, 12/04: 50 mg Clomid
3/05: 100 mg Clomid + IUI
4/05: Femara
8/05: Follistim, trigger, progesterone
PREGNANT 9/6/05!!!!
EDD: 5/16/06

[Scooter]

http://circles2.fertilityfriend.com/Circles/images/smiles/icon_baby_boy.gifBABIES!!http://circles2.fertilityfriend.com/Circles/images/smiles/icon_baby_girl.gif
in order by birth and color coded by sex

Akire
Me: Erika - 34 DH: Jeff - 37
Off BCP: 7/03
TTC: 7/03
Charting: 8/03
HSG: 5/04 - One clear tube
BFP 11/04!! - EDD 8/6/05
Sydney Allyn 8/07/05 @ 3:23pm, 8lbs 8oz, 21.5in

amygrrl
me: amy (35)
dh: dan (33)
TTC since: March 2003
Treatments: 6 failed rounds of Clomid. 1 successful IVF
Avery Elizabeth born still on June 3, 2005 at 27 weeks from possible cord accident (we love you, baby girl!)

Jennylou
Me: jenny
DH: Sean
Married: 9/20/03
PCOS
50 mg clomid and 1500 mg glucaphage
Forever in our hearts, DS
Andrew Wyatt 5/20-5/22/05

Carissa (Crosew on WC)
Me: Carissa (25) DH: Eric (25)
TTC: Since 3/03
Diagnosed with PCOS and low progesterone.
Clomid, Metformin, prometrium and trigger shot
BFP 3/04, M/C 4.04
BFP 9/04!!! - EDD 5/25/05
Grace Elizabeth 5/15/05

[Scooter]

Abbreviations and acronyms
List of TTC & IF acronyms written out (http://womens-place.com/ttc/ttcacronyms.php)

HPT Sensitivity Comparison Charts
Fertility Plus (http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html)
Pee On A Stick (http://www.peeonastick.com/hpts.html)
Mama's Ark (http://www.mamasark.com/hpt.htm)
Baby Hopes (http://www.babyhopes.com/pregnancy-test-sensitivity.html) (they've checked with the manufacturers to verify the numbers)
Remember, the hCG starts at 1 at implantation and increases as time goes on, so the smaller amount of hCG it measures, the more sensitive the test is!

Books
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060937645/qid=1041654042/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/104-0287896-1655948?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

The Fertility Sourcebook by M. Sara Rosenthal, PHD (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0737303808/qid=1042220393/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-0287896-1655948?v=glance&s=books)

Healing the Infertile Family by Gay Becker (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0520211804/qid=1125724439/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-5989308-5276662?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

Inconceivable by Ben Elton (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385334656/qid=1041659461/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/104-0287896-1655948?v=glance&s=books)
The movie "Maybe Baby" (below) is based on this book

Inconceivable: A Woman's Triumph Over Despair and Statistics
by Julia Indichova (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0767908201/qid=1059292613/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2812959-1358247?v=glance&s=books)

The Infertility Diet: Get Pregnant & Prevent Miscarriage by Fern Reiss (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1893290395/qid=1059292976/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2812959-1358247?v=glance&s=books)

Conquering Infertility: Dr. Domar's Mind/Body Guide to Enhancing
Fertility & Coping with Infertility by Alice Domar, Phd (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670031550/qid=1059293116/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-2812959-1358247)


Girlfriend to Girlfriend: A Fertility Companion by Kristen Magnacca (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1588202135/qid=1082306449/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_2/104-9895052-8814318?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

Great List of books for Infertility (http://www.ein.org/infertility/books.htm)
Includes these and more!!


Movies
Maybe Baby (2001) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000062XKW/qid=1041654127/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/104-0287896-1655948?v=glance&s=video&n=507846)

She's Having A Baby (1988) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300988996/qid%3D1041654195/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-0287896-1655948)

Websites (by subject)

Charting
Ovusoft aka TCOYF (http://www.ovusoft.com/)
The site for Toni Weschler's book which includes message boards, chat and cycle galleries which are very helpful.

Fertility Friend (www.fertilityfriend.com)
A free charting site which includes a lot of information and cycle galleries.

Local Support
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association (http://www.resolve.org/main/national/chapters/resolvenearyou.jsp?name=chapters)
Nation-wide referrals to local support groups and therapists.

The American Infertility Association (http://www.americaninfertility.org)
Lots of information and support, including message boards and chat rooms.

Financial Concerns
ARC: Advanced Reproductive Care (http://www.arcfertility.com/)
information on financing infertility treatments

Family Fee Plan (http://www.amerifee.com/fertility-financing/index.asp)
information on financing infertility treatments

State Insurance Requirements (http://www.resolve.org/main/national/advocacy/insurance/index.jsp?name=advocacy&tag=insurance)
Links from the Resolve site about insurance & laws.

Inciid's Insurance pages (http://www.inciid.org/index.php)
Click through menu on right for more financial topics and the insurance forum.

General TTC
Trying To Conceive.com (http://www.tryingtoconceive.com/)
All things TTC! Lots of info as well as a place to buy herbal therapies for
conceiving.

Baby Med (http://www.babymed.com/)
Tons of information. Everything from Chinese gender charts to an FAQ section on pretty much any TTC question you could have.

Baby Hopes (http://www.babyhopes.com)
Baby makin' supplies!

OBGYN.net (http://www.obgyn.net/)
Lots of general info on women's health. They also have doctors on line who
answer questions.

Infertility Sites
INCIID (http://www.inciid.org/)
Pronounced "inside". (The International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination)
Excellent national resource.

Resolve (http://www.resolve.org)
Wonderful site with lots of infertility information and support.

I dream of baby (http://www.idreamofbaby.com/fertility.php)
Learn the basics of fertility issues here. This site also has a great message
board community!

Fertility
Plus.org’s list of female hormone levels (http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hormonelevels.html#female)
Starting your fertility work-up? Check out this site to see a list of the
commonly tested female hormone levels, the function of each hormone, and the normal levels of each hormone.

Shared Journey (http://www.sharedjourney.com)
Shared Journey is dedicated to providing quality information on topics such as
infertility, miscarriage, surrogacy, pregnancy after infertility, living
child-free, and adoption. Our information is supplied by well noted Reproductive
Endocrinologist's, Psychologists, Adoption professionals and links through
various sites.

FertileHeart (http://www.fertileheart.com)
A community of people exploring holistic approaches to fertility. A site by
author Julia Indichova (see books above)

Specific IF Issues
Soul Cysters (http://www.soulcysters.com)
PCOS site with lots of support and info

Dr. Beer (http://www.repro-med.net)
Reproductive Immunology information, including lists of tests, pricing, local referrals

Reproductive Immunology Support (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/immunologysupport/)
Yahoo group for RI patients, tons of info and articles

Info for Family and Friends
Empty Arms (http://www.vocalicious.com/empty_arms/empty_arms_mod.html)
This is a great video so they can understand what you're going through. (And get out your kleenex!)

[Scooter]

Welcome to a BRAND SPANKING NEW Still At It thread on our new message boards! Let's all pray that this new thread will mark the beginning of an unprecedented amount of fertility on the board...


In this thread we have sent a hearty congratulations to these happy members!!:
Christy559, amychris, heidi0622, Kopper, amygrrl, jrsygirl, Scooter, catJennifer

Our condolences to:
Suzlywoozly, bottleored

We welcomed these new members:
Freckles, ocgatita, Happy1, Stephanie, Nigellas, jlp, ds2005, shouldaeloped, paisleydays, ag05, KaliLily, gigglespca, Kemorr, Kopper, TravelGirl, DallasLady, pocket, julesp313, jrsygirl, thedoorchick, marteneym, la_bride_2004, gator97, ShelbyMay

Members we'd like to hear updates from:
previous members who are expecting or had their babies! Let us put you back in the stats!

[Suzlywoozly]

Hey Scooter- Thanks for starting up the new thread over here. I'm disappointed with the new WC format too! I hope you don't mind if I post over here or lurk still since we are still in the unknown whether this is a viable pregnancy. I go to the Dr. tomorrow morning and hopefully I will have some better answers.

[Freckles]

I wasn't a member of the WC Group---mostly because I have always tended to be very private with our TTC journey. I tend to be very sensitive about it at times, but this sounds like the perfect safe spot to share all my thoughts.

Copy & Pasted from the other TTC thread:
WC Name: ilovepac
ME: 29
DH: 36
Married since: 2/1/03
Off BCP since: Never really on BCPs
TTC since: 6/04
Charting since: 9/04
Known issues/test results:Too many issues to list here, but suffice to say I am taking a drug cocktail of clomid 100 mg, progesterone, and estrogen.
Current status: Waiting to test...

I'm sure I will have much more to share in the near future. Thanks for starting this here!

*Babydust to all*

[Scooter]

Sue! The first visitor! :D Of course you can stay over here. I totally agree with what everyone wrote to you in your FP thread--your numbers are jus on the lower end of normal. Everything could be completely fine. But at the same time I totally understand wanting to be cautious at this point. And for the record, since the IF experience is so different than other pregnancies, a lot of the pg SAIers come back and post throughout their pregnancy. So don't feel like you're going to be kicked out, ok? Thinking good thoughts for you.

[Scooter]

Freckles, whoops, I missed you! Welcome to SAI, I'm glad you feel safer here & can join. Hopefully you'll find this thread as supportive as our WC one was. :) Oh, and in your stats when you say "too many to list here"--that may be true for the charting thread, but not here. It's nice to scroll through the stats and see what you have in common with others, so you know who's on a similar path.

[Suzlywoozly]

Thanks Scooter! I know that maybe it's the hormones getting the best of me, but I can't stop thinking that this is too good to be true! Thank god my Mom worked with my Dr... It's nice that she can call and raise hell for me! :D They didn't even question it and offered an appt. first thing on Monday morning. It put my mind at ease a bit but I still am worrying like crazy. I know my numbers are on the low end but isn't it that they aren't doubling fast enough? I thought that the numbers can be low but have to be doubling every 48-72 hrs :confused:. I hope that made sense because god knows I'm confused! How are you doing? I'm sorry that AF found her way to you. I still want to get together and catch up with you sometime soon. I totally understand if you don't want to be around some crazy hormonal person right now!

Alright I have to go find Jeff... He is suppose to be putting in a closet organizer for me! Who knows if that project will ever get done :rolleyes:

[jennylou]

Hi ladies! :)

Are we in the right spot here, or should we be in All things Family section, under TTC? Just checking, I'm not sure how many will find us over here. They have a TTC w/charting and a reg. TTC thread set up there now. Of course, I'll go where ever you guys go!

We'll be joining back in probably in late August or September for another go 'round. I won't be going back to the RE at this point, because the OB/GYN that I stumbled into at almost 30 weeks pregnant works with infertility patients. I'm pretty sure she's just clomid and all that jazz. But, that's all it took last time, so we are hopeful that clomid will work again. If not, we'll head back to the city and the RE.

I'm not sure if you want my stats now, or if you just want me to wait, but I'll be the official cheerleader for now.

Suzy - I hope your numbers keep rising and this is a viable pregnancy for you.

Freckles - Welcome to the group. You'll find this group of ladies to be a great source of support.

[Scooter]

Sue, yeah, I'd probably be thinking the same things you are right now! I think most SAIers have spent their first few months (usually more like 9 mos) worrying it's too good to be true. The double every 72 hrs thing is just a basic rule of thumb I think, it's not really exact. That's what happened to Amygrrl, when she got pg she was sure she was going to miscarry because the betas weren't rising "fast enough" but after a slow start things became "normal".

Jenny, yeah, I was trying to figure that out, too. I read a few threads before deciding here. Basically, Kaite wrote that she's not sure what will be the best place, so start group threads here and then they can always be moved later. So I thought the TTC & TTA threads would be over here, too. ?? :confused: I'll post int he FP forum with a link just in case anyone's lost.

[Scooter]

Pointless update: while I was creating this thread they were starting the sub-forums over in ATF (that's All Things Family ;) ). I posted asking this to be moved over to the TTC section. So if you come back and we're not here, you'll know where to find us!

[jennylou]

Looks like we're all moved into the new spot!

Thanks for setting this up scooter. :)

[jennylou]

Just a note - the link for the thread of abbreviations no longer works.

[knoelani]

I think I did this right... Hi ladies!

Scooter~ Thanks for setting this up. The new WC boards just didn't do it for me...hopefully we'll be able to continue this wonderful community here

Suzly~ I wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you. I hope all is well, that your numbers are good, and I'm sending you the strongest best sticky vibes I can!

Freckles~ Hi, welcome!

Jenny~ Hi, hope all is well with you!

Nothing really to report, I just wanted to make sure I joined. AF should be here in the next two days. Figures, I have a final on Tuesday and that's when she's due! We need to both have our infectuous disease screening done next week, I'll start the clomid again, and we'll do our 1st IUI in the next couple of weeks.

~ On a side techinacal note, how do you link to other things in your signature like LJ, FF, etc?

Hope everyone has a great week!

[jennylou]

knoelani - I have my good days and bad days. Thanks for sending good thoughts. :) In order to set up your siggie, I'm pretty sure that you use the same img tags that you would on the wc. Or for the links you can use this code:

[*url=htttp//:livejournal.com]My livejournal[/url] At least, I think that's the code!

[Scooter]

Knoelani, great to see you! you've been added to the stats. Good luck with this next cycle! Are you definitely sure about AF coming in the next few days? Jenny's right about the code, although I think it needs the www. part in there, too. It's the sae code as on the old WC.

Jenny, thanks! I'm working on cleaning up the whole thread, I just reorganized the entire resources post since it was jsut all ove the place and hard to find anything. I haven't tried quite ALL the links yet, so I appreciate the input. :)

Oh, and Sue, forgot to say it earlier, but of course I want to hagn out with you, hormones and all! Like I can talk, after being on hormones for the last 10 months??

[Suzlywoozly]

Jenny- Thanks for the well wishes! I hope everything gets back on track for you when you go back to the RE.

Knoelani- Thank you, too! Yeah for your 1st IUI! I hope it is a succ :D ess

Scooter- Your hormones can't nearly be as bad as mine! :rolleyes: I nearly grew fangs at Jeff today and burst into tears over cleaning up the guest bedroom. Can't wait to see ya soon!

Freckles- Welcome to the group! :D

As for me, I'm still freaking out. It didn't help that some of our friends stopped by unannounced at 8:00 tonight. The house was still totally torn up from us working on the remodel. I can't stand the wife and her bratty kid. It's too bad we are the Godparents to the youngest son. My stomach is absolutely killing me with nerves. I have no idea why my nerves are getting the best of me. It's not like I've never been to the gyno before. Sh*t it should be like home there by now. I'll be back to give an update in the mornig after my appt.

[bottleored]

Ok - I give. I was trying to give the WC a chance to work stuff out (because I've been there 3 years), but since everyone shifted over here I guess it's time.

Thanks Scooter for starting us up! You can add my stats.

I'll be back later ....

[jennylou]

Welcome bottleored. Glad to see a few more migrating over this way.

[amychris03]

Im here! :) You can add my stats!

--
Quick update on me! We are probably looking
at trigger tomorrow, retrieval on Thursday, and
transfer on Monday (the 4th of July, that has to
be lucky right?). I can't wait! The anticipation
of it all is killing me!

Good to see everyone making there way over
here, will be back later!

[jennylou]

Amy - Glad to see you over here. Good luck with the trigger, retrievel and transfer.

[amychris03]

Thanks Jenny ! Its a bit nerve racking when
I actually sit down and think about it!!! Hopefully
all will go well and it will be a piece of cake!

[jennylou]

amy - I'm sure it is nerve wracking! Hopefully, it'll all go smoothly for you.

[tigerest]

Ok, I followed you guys over here.

So is this thread a little more private than WC? I don't think I totally understand.

Mexico was awesome, had such a great time. Drank way too much! :/ Now I gearing up to O. Hopefully, all is good and we'll catch a good one this time! ;)

Amy - Good luck this week!!!!

I'll be back later....

[jennylou]

tiger - glad you had a good time in Mexico! These boards really aren't any more private than the wc. But they are easier on the eyes to read. :)

[Scooter]

Oh good, more people are finding their way over! :D Welcome, Amy, Caroline, and Tiger!


A couple updating/mod questions for you:

Knoelani, would you like to update your stats on how the urology appt went, and what your current protocol/plan is?

Jenny, would you like to be added back to the "sitting out a few rounds" category? And also, I would like to update your stats, but I'm not sure what you'd like it to say about Andrew. I was planning to leave you down in the baby section and up on the roster at the same time. Let me know, there's no rush.

for the whole group, I'm looking over the long long list of babies born, and I'm wondering what you think of it? There is so much info there, and a lot of people never come back to update us on the baby's birth/due date/etc. :( Do you find the info useful or would you like it to be edited down a bit to take up less room? It's kind of a happy problem to have, really. It just takes up the majority of the first page, and sometimes I know we're not always in the mood to click on a thread and have to scroll through a million baby details.

[jennylou]

scooter - Since we're at a new site, why don't we take the info down and start again? If people come in to update, then you can just add them back into the babies section?

As for my stats:

Jennylou
Me: jenny
DH: Sean
Married: 9/20/03
PCOS
Forever in our hearts, DS Andrew Wyatt 5/20-5/22/05
TTC #2: Sometime later this year

[Scooter]

That sounds like a good idea. I was going to start posting members expecting, but it felt wrong to post their info on another website, KWIM? We'll just start fresh. Do you want to put anything like 50mg clomid in your stats in the baby section? I was thinking just in case someone else with PCOS is curious how you were able to conceive, it could be helpful.

[Suzlywoozly]

Just got back from the Dr. It was a loooong morning! At first they were not going to do an u/s just a consult with the Dr. He first asks why I am there because he just reviewed my labs and everything looked fine. I told him about his biatch physician assistant and the hell she has put me through the last 2 weeks. He said not to worry about the doubling time as long as the numbers are rising and there is no bleeding. He then decided to do an u/s and said he didn't think he would see anything yet. He doesn't think it's ectopic and there was something very small that could be the beginnings of the sac in my uterus :D Lining looked good and something about the corpus leutem looked good as well. I had another HCG done today and I go back next Tuesday for another u/s.

Amy- Good luck to you. I hope the transfer is a success :D

[jennylou]

Scooter - Sure you can add the 50 mg clomid, as well as 1500 mg glucaphage to my stats.

Suzly - Sounds like a much better report from your Dr. :)

[ocgatita]

I just wanted to see if I could join your thread. I followed a little bit over on the WC but it just seemed to intimidating to post since your threads were so long. Here are my stats:

Me: Judy
Husband: Edward
Married: April 2004
TTC #1 since: June 2004
Known Fertility Issues: None, will seek medical intervention if we haven't conceived by early next year.

Here's to BFP's all around :)

[knoelani]

Ok, I promised myself since I was getting a clean break from WC, I would NOT spend all my time here during the day when I should be working! :rolleyes:

Scooter~ Thanks again for setting all this up. I agree with starting fresh...if people move over or join and want their old info, we can always add it. As far as my stats, I updated them on the "old" place, but I'm not sure if you saw that.

Here's the update:
DH SA & urologist appointment: A okay, could be improved slightly with lifestyle changes
6-16-05: 1st RE appointment
7-05: 100mg Clomid, 1st IUI

Suzly~ I am so happy that your appointment went well! Yay for good news!

Bottleored~ Hi! I'm glad you moved over :)

amychris~ glad you moved over too! Good luck with your retrieval and transfer!

tiger~ Sounds like your trip was great, glad you had a good time in Mexico. I'm glad you moved over here too!

Welcome ocgatita !

I'm so pleased that people are moving here and that we can continue to support and cheer for each other.

AF should be here Wed, and then we get to start our first IUI cycle. As much as I wish we didn't have to do this, I'm a little excited about moving on.

Hope everyone has a good evening!

[knoelani]

Oh, btw jenny thanks for the tips on linking in my sig...maybe one of these days I'll actually attempt to do it! I want one of those cute little picture things too, perferably of my doggies, but I can't figure that out either.

[Scooter]

Amy, here's to a painless trigger tomorrow and an easy retrieval of tons of high quality eggs on Thursday! :)

Sue, YAY, I knew things sounded like they were going ok! That is very encouraging news!

Judy, Welcome! Glad you decided to join us! A fresh thread always draws in more people than a longer thread, not sure why that is. Maybe I should add some encouragement in the 1st post?? Your stats are updated, I hope you have a short but supportive stay with us. :D

Knoelani, sorry, I didn't see the update over "there." That place is so terrible I can barely stand to go check it. It gives me a headache. Thanks for reposting, I've updated you. To put up an avatar (the pic by your name), make sure you have a pic of your doggies saved on your computer. It has to be 90x90 pixels, so check the size to make sure it fits. It also has to be a .jpg I think--I know it can't be a .bmp. Then come here, and click on "User CP" on the toolbar above, and then "Edit Avatar" on the left. If it's on a website, enter the url, or if it's saved on your computer click browse and find the right file. Click "save changes" and you'll have an avatar!

[Happy1]

Thank you for bringing this over. I'd like to join if I could please. Here are my stats:

Me: Nikki
Husband: Tim
Married: June 8, 2002
Forver in our hearts: Jacob John born and died October 6, 2003 at 35 weeks due to genetic issues.
TTC #2 since: January 2004
Known Fertility Issues: DH has an extremely low sperm count which we just found out about a month ago. He has seen a Urologist but there are no physical signs that would explain the decrease.

Good luck to everyone here!

Nikki :D

[jennylou]

judy - welcome!

knoelani - no problem, if you want to link your FF chart (or whatever) you can drop me a PM with the info, and I can give you the exact code that you could post in your siggie.

Happy - Welcome. I've been lurking in your NW journal recently. Your positive attitude is amazing. I wish the two of you all the best in your journey to have another baby.

[Akire]

Hello Ladies!

Just wanted to pop in & say that I'm still cheering for us! I'm not sure what you'll decide about posting expecting mom's but wanted to give my stats just in case:

Akire
Me: Erika - 34
DH: Jeff - 37
Off BCP: 7/03
TTC: 7/03
Charting: 8/03
HSG: 5/04 - One clear tube
PREGNANT 11/2004!!!! Sydney Allyn due August 6th, 2005

[bottleored]

Morning ladies!

amychris good luck with the trigger and transfer!

tigerest welcome to the CC side! Glad you had a nice trip to Mexico.

jennylou yes, these boards are even easier to read than the 'old' WC. The posts always seemed to be 'smooshed' into the middle. A lot of times I'd just read the 'printable version'!

scooter I think starting fresh is a great idea. No offense to those who have come and gone! Maybe you could put a note in that post that says something about former members who would like their stats included? That way if they are checking the thread, they can give their info.

suzly glad you got good results. Keeping my fingers crossed for your sticky baby!

Welcome Judy and Nikki!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just love all these colors! And I have to get my post count up so I become "Way Too Cool".

CD8 here. Non-medicated cycle because of 2 cysts. Hoping for my typical 32+ cycle so we can do injectibles next cycle when we get back from Hawaii. Will start the BD-ing next week, just practicing this week ;)

[bottleored]

Cross-posted with Erika - Thanks for popping in and updating your stats!

[ocgatita]

Aww, thanks for the welcome Bottleored, Knoelani and JennyLou and thanks for updating the stats Scooter......So AF just came and went so I am basically on CD 4. I will try to figure out how to link my chart on here so we can all help obsess over it ;) Take care ladies and I hope you all have a great day

[angelgirl8]

i haven't gotten a chance to read this at all, but i wanted to post and say i'm here.

i will always read along and root for everyone and be here to answer questions because this thread was amazingly helpful for me!

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone! If possible, I would love to join you. I lurked like no other over at wc and kept telling myself that I would join one of the charting threads or pop in on some gossip. Of course, I always felt like the party had started and I was arriving late! :)

I am really glad that this board got started and that I have a chance to begin fresh with everyone. I looked at the ttc with charting thread, but I honestly don't know if I could be a part of it. Since I'm being all honest and everything, let me just say, I know that it will be hard seeing people only try for a month or so and get what I have wanted so badly. I was in a group on another board for fireman's wives and, well, I finally quietly stopped posting because every single one of them got pregnant and I hadn't. The last baby was born a couple of months ago and while I was so happy for them, it was also a reminder as to how long I had been trying without any luck.

Anyway, if I could introduce myself:
Me: Stephanie, 25 DH: Brian, 29
Married: October 6, 2001
TTC: 3/04
Known issues: None, that we know of yet. Varicocele possible.
SA to be done in the next month. Cycles returning to normal
after BCP.
Here's to lucky cycle #10 ;)

[bunky]

Hi everyone. I found my way over here from the thread on WC. Thanks for starting this up, Scooter! Please add me to the roster.

Sorry no time for shout outs... I am kinda freaking out and need some advice! I have my first RE appt scheduled for July 15. I called today to add my name to the cancelation list and it turns out that I can move my appt to tomorrow! That is so soon... and I can't decide if it will be a good thing for me to move the appt. Tomorrow I will be 11DPO (on a Clomid cycle with my OB/GYN) but my chances of being pg this cycle are slim since I ovulated from the side where I have a blocked fallopian tube.

My question is if I go to the RE tomorrow would I be able to start treatment with him my next cycle? My LP is about 14 days on Clomid so CD 1 would be July 3.... putting CD 3 a week after the RE appt. Would a week be enough time for the RE to do any additional tests and be ready to start me on injectables (which I think is my next step)? How soon after seeing your RE for the first time did you begin treatment?

I appreciate any advice any of you have for me. :)

FYI: I posted this in Family Planning on WC too but I am not sure how many of you visit there anymore so I wanted to post here too.

[jennylou]

Glad to see so many have made it over here. :)

bunky - I posted a reply to you over in FP at wc. The simple answer is it will probably depend upon your RE as well as what tests/diagnosis you've already had. Good luck if you go tomorrow. Could you always do another round of clomid if the timing isn't right?

akire and angelgirl8 - welcome and I don't know that I speak for everyone, but it's always good to have some grad support here. :)

Stephanie - welcome.

[knoelani]

Welcome Stephanie!

Thanks again Scooter & Jenny for helping me with all my technological challenges! I think I got the picture right, it's a little fuzzy, but you get the general idea.

[angelgirl8]

bunky...i agree with jennylou. i saw my RE for the first time at the beginning of a cycle and he wanted me to just do one more natural cycle and some testing before we started anything. but depending on what you've done, your doctor may have different plans. good luck!

scooter...thanks for moving me, my dear! my tentative due date is february 12th (or 8th), i have no idea, but it's definitely february. also, i didn't end up doing luveris the last round of IVF so if you want to remove that you can. i won't be able to answer questions about it!

[Scooter]

Welcome to Nikki and Stephanie! Good to see you, Bunky!

Erika, Thanks for updating us!

Angel & Sue, I added you both back in--do either of you have an EDD yet?

Judy, on FF, log in and click on "Sharing" in the toolbar on the top. Select "homepage setup" At the top it will give you your homepage address (post it here & I'll add it to your stats). Going down the page, you can type in a message, add a ticker, whatever. Then go to "published charts." You can click on at least two from "available charts," depending on if you're a free or VIP user, and those will be the ones displayed on your homepage. I think you just click on "save settings" to start your homepage--haven't done it in a few years so I don't know, they may have a button that says "generate homepage" still? Anyway, you have to do that before other people can see your homepage.

[Scooter]

Knoelani, you're welcome :) Always glad to see more cute doggies!

Angel, thanks! You're too fast for me--wait a minute, are you reading my mind AGAIN???

[angelgirl8]

scooter...we cross-posted! i have a tentative EDD (is that redundant?) it's 2/12/06. i think.

[Suzlywoozly]

Scooter- No EDD yet :( Based on LMP it should be february 8th, but based on conception and hcg levels it's probably February 20th. I should know more by next weeks u/s.

"Hi" to everyone else. I'm running out the door to hunt down a cheesesteak :p. I'm going to turn into the goodyear blimp if I don't slow down. Be back later for some s/o's.

[Suzlywoozly]

Oh yeah, Scooter- TODAY is the day to check your mailbox finally!! :D

[amychris03]

Welcome Freckles, Judy, Nikki, and Stephanie (and anyone else I
may have forgotten!

tigerest
Glad you had a good time in Mexico! Good luck this cycle!

Scooter
The retrieval is at 2:45am tonight! :eek: Im hoping DH
will be able to assist me without passing out, this will
be the first intramuscular one so we will see!

Suzlywoozly
Glad to hear things went well at the drs office and he
isn't concerned about your numbers! Keep us posted!

knoelani
Good luck this cycle with your IUI! Its always exciting
for me to change protocols too, because I have renewed
hope!

bottleored
Have fun practicing ;)

bunky
It took me two cycles- One whole cycle of tests
(bloodwork, ultrasounds on certain days, HSG, SA
for DH etc), and then the next cycle we started
injectables.

---
Im done stimming! I do my HCG trigger tonight at
2:45am :eek: and then have my retrieval at
2:45 pm on Thursday and the transfer on Sunday!

[ocgatita]

for all your help! Here is the home page to my chart if you want to include it on the first page. I will try to put it in my signiture at some point as well.

http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/5517b

Hope that works, if not, let me know :)

Thanks again!

[jlp]

Please add me to the list.

jlp
Me: 31
DH: 40
Married: 01/04
TTC: since 07/04
Off BCP: since 03/04
Diagnosed with PCOS: 10/04
Irregular cycles, multiple cysts
04/05: Clomid 150mg - small follies/O on CD21 - NO PG
05/05: Clomid 200mg - 3 large follies/HCG shot on CD 18 - NO PG
06/05: Clomid 200mg - 2 medium follies/repeat U/S 7/1 - HCG shot

*******************************

I'm trying to stay positive, but at this point I'm getting very discouraged. Hopefully we all can help eachother through this.

Jen~

[Stephanie]

Jen
I agree completely with what you said. I haven't done much of my testing yet, but the best way to describe the way I feel would be discouraged. It's hard not to be when my husband's cousin got pregnant without trying. When she told me that they hadn't used anything and that they only had sex once that month, I had no reply and just stared at her. Are you kidding me? :rolleyes: And she follows that up with the question, "You guys are still trying, right?" No, we changed our minds. ;) She is getting married on Friday and while I'm happy for her, I'm bitter at the same time. My husband talked to her one night on the phone and the first thing she said after he asked how things were going was that she was fat. Someone, shoot me! She's no more than 110lbs. :p

Ah, I guess that needed to come out. Thanks, vent over. I'll try to catch up on some of the thread so that I can learn about a lot of what everyone is doing. I don't know much about the process of IVF, so I don't respond to some things, forgive me. I want to at least sound like I know what I'm talking about. :)

[Christy5599]

Hi ladies! I just wanted to stop into the new thread to tell you that I got my BFP today! It was an unmedicated cycle so the even better news is that we just had sex like normal people and I actually got pregnant! I'm just 4 weeks today and I have an u/s scheduled on 7/15. Please think sticky thoughts for us!

I'll check back in periodically to see how everyone is doing, as always I'm hoping the best for everyone, this is a long road. Take care!

[Baby Lust]

Hello everyone! I would like to join you all over here, if I could!

Here are my stats!
Me: Amanda (22)
DH: Shane (27)
Married: 10/19/02
TTC: 3/04
Charting: 6/04
SA: High count, low motility
Clomid: 50mg April, May ; 100mg June
Chemical Pregnancy: June
My chart: http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/Shanes_Angel

Thanks Scooter! :cool:

[Suzlywoozly]

I think things just from bad to worse... The dr called tonight and said I should expect to miscarry sometime this week, if not to come to my scheduled appointment next Tuesday and he will schedule a D&C. My hcg levels only went from 271 last Wednesday to 300 yesterday. He said there is almost no way this pregnancy will stick so I might as well terminate it now. I am absolutely devestated. I wish the bleeding would just start now so I can get this over with. What the hell did I do to deserve this? I don't know if I can go on dealing with all of this infertility crap. Sorry for being such a downer to the thread. I just needed to get this out to someone besides DH. Thanks for listening.

[Stephanie]

Congratulations Christy!!

I hope that you have a very happy and health nine months ahead of you!

:D

[Stephanie]

Sue~I posted and then saw that you had posted at the same time. I am so sorry! :( I can't even imagine how you feel. Don't worry about being a downer here. I think that everyone would agree when I say that the whole point of this is to be able to turn to other people. We are all here in the thread for the ups and downs and I know that there will be plenty of them. I don't know you (yet), but I'm definitely here to listen. Please keep us posted and I'll be thinking of you.

[jennylou]

So sorry suzly.

[Baby Lust]

Suzly, I'm so sorry to hear that. :( {{{HUGS}}} We are here for you.

[Suzlywoozly]

Jenny, Stephanie & Amanda- Thanks you guys are the greatest! I really appreciate all of your support right now. It's so hard to believe that this is really happening.

[Suzlywoozly]

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask... The dr. mentioned that my blood type RH negative. He said this may be the reason that I have had a hard time getting pregnant and why this one won't stick. Has anybody else heard about this or is RH negative. If so, did you ever get the shot to fix the problem?

The IL's just came over to bring DH dinner. They keep telling me that everything is fine and the dr. is just making a big production about this whole situation and not to worry about it. Easy for them to say! :mad: To make matters worse, DH's sister just had a baby two weeks ago and it feels like salt being rubbed in an open wound when MIL breaks out the photo album to show us pictures we have already seen :rolleyes: I feel like running away right now... maybe I'll get on a plane and go to Hawaii tomorrow :p Anybody want to join me?

[amygrrl]

ok... i finally found you guys... here are my stats

me: amy (35)
dh: dan (33)
TTC since: March 2003
Treatments: 6 failed rounds of Clomid. 1 successful IVF producing Avery Elizabeth born still on June 3, 2005 at 27 weeks from possible cord accident (we love you, baby girl!) along with 3 frozen blasts.
Status: July 25th - Meet with RE to discuss next steps. Possible fresh cycle in Sept/Oct. Meeting with Perinatologist to review Avery's case. Undergoing b/w for a variety of clotting disorders. Meeting with Cardiologist to change arythmia med. and praying for a brother or sister for Avery

[jennylou]

suzly - I am RH- and never heard that. I did get the shot for it, week 28 and then following delivery. But certainly not that early in my pregnancy. Had I had spotting, then I would have gotten it. I know what you mean about salt being rubbed in a wound. My youngest half sister just had a baby a week and a half ago. Hi, sorry, but I don't need every detail update.

amygrrl - glad you found us.

babylust and jlp - welcome!

christy - congrats.

[Christy5599]

I'm so sorry to hear your news Suzly, and it must be salt in the wound to see those photos.

Take care, we're all thinking of you.

[angelgirl8]

suzly...i'm so so sorry, sweetie.

[Nigellas]

Hey there... I've been eyeing this thread over at WC for sometime now, but wasn't sure if I fit in - RPL is such a weird infertility issue, and I know that some people don’t view it as infertility since I can actually get pregnant (I just can’t stay pregnant). Anyway… Here’s my stats, I’d like to hang out if that’s ok. :)

Me: Kerry
DH: Chris
Married: 8.7.01
TTC: Off and on since 2001.
4 miscarriages (11 wks, 19 wks, 6 wks and 12 wks)
RE is stumped – unexplained RPL.
Currently on Femarra and Prometrium.

[knoelani]

I'm hesitant to post both of these in the same thread...

Suzly~ I am so so sorry sweetie! My thoughts are with you and your dh and please don't feel bad about coming here. That's what we're here for. I wish I could help in other ways, but know we're all thinking of you.

Christy~ Congrats to you. I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, and happy 9 months.

Welcome to everyone else, I'll be back later to read in more detail.

[shouldaeloped]

it seems that everyone has left the wc and I gotta say, this is a great new place to be. I have had several M/C and find myself trying again. so I hope it's okay if I hang out here too.

me: Heather, 32
DH: Neal, 34
Married: 10/19/02
TTC: 10/04
2 miscarriages: 1st 01/05 at 12w2d, natural and 2nd 05/05 at 9w2d, d&c
currently waiting for cycles to get back to normal and testing to be completed to try again. bloodwork and SHG scheduled for 7/8/05

[bunky]

Welcome to ocgatita, Happy1, Stephanie, jlp, Baby_Lust, Nigellas, shouldaeloped!

Scooter - Thanks for adding me to the roster.

knoelani - Good luck with the IUI! I hope it does the trick. ;)

jennylou - Thank you again for your response. :)

angelgirl8 - I have had quite a few tests done already so I am hopeful that the RE won't need to do many more. Guess I will just need to wait and see! Patience is something that I don't have a lot of right now.

amychris03 - Thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck with your retrieval and transfer... you must be so excited!

Stephanie - I know what it is too feel discouraged about your own TTC struggles and be surrounded by people who seems to get pg the first time their husbands touch them. ;) feel free to vent away. We all understand and that is why we are here.

Christy5599 - Congratulations on your BFP!!! Happy and Healthy 9 months to you. :)

Suzywoozly - I am so so sorry this is happening to you. Please know that we are here to help you through this. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

amygrrl - Good to see you.

So I went ahead and changed my RE appt to today at 1:45pm. I am so excited! I have had a lot of tests done already by my GYN (CD 3 bloodwork, ultrasounds, 7DPO progesterone tests, and an HSG) so I am hoping that I won't have to wait too long before starting treatment with the RE. Even if I do have to sit out next cycle and have some more tests done it will be OK. I am just so happy to be starting down a more aggressive path and hope that I will finally get some more answers. Thanks for your support!

[karlatta]

Suzy - I'm so sorry about what you're going through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finally made it over here. (I'm KarlaBell of the WC.) My stats:

Me: Karla, 25
DH: Scott, 26
Married: 6/8/2002
TTC: July 2003
PCOS, Metformin
10/04 - Letrozole
11/04 - Letrozole, IUI - Pregnant!
Miscarriage 1/05
05/05 - Letrozole, IUI
We have no idea what we're going to do next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, so now my lengthy update. I can't remember if I already posted this at the other place, and it's down right now, so I can't check - sorry if I make you all suffer through this twice.

My June cycle got cancelled because my lining was too thin. I went on estrogen to increase it - it worked. My last u/s showed perfect lining. The RE also advised that we move to injectibles (Bravelle and Repronex) because I'm getting discouraged about this whole process and he thought that it would help if we really tried to increase our chances. DH and I initially agreed. But we've since thought about it, and now we're not sure where we stand. I cancelled the cycle and now we're just trying to decide what we want to do. We're not sure how comfortable we are with things like IUI's and injectibles right now (even though we've done them in the past), but we don't want to not have any intervention because I have such erratic ovulation (once a year). So we're at a total loss as to what kind of treatment we want to pursue. Sigh.

[tigerest]

Suzy - :( I am so sorry to hear your news. I was really pulling for you! I'll be thinking about you.

I am so behind in this thread! People are joining like crazy! I am so sorry to see so many women having to join. Wishing everyone the best!!!

Christy - Congrats!!!! Sending sticky vibes your way! Just imagine...getting pregnant the old fashion way! :p

I got a + OPK last night....both lines matched, but then this morning it was a blazing +. The test line was like 2 times darker than the control. So we threw in a BD just to make sure. But BOY I am in a lot of pain today. Started out as just some pain near my left ovary, but it kept getting worse, to the point it was difficult to move. I am all bloated too. This is a bit early for me to be ovulating, but is it possible I just O'ed? I guess we'll see with my temps....

[Suzlywoozly]

Thank you all for everything! I called the RE today to get his opinion on the situation and right away he said that there was no hope and he didn't understand why my OB doesn't end the pregnancy right now and why he would make me wait until next week. I asked the RE what he thought my options were and he said that he still thinks IVF is the only way for me to have a healthy pregnancy. That's just one more thing to add to my plate now... worrying about how we are going to pay for it. I never thought something could hurt so bad, this tops it all.

[Ole Miss Bride]

Suzlywoozly, I am so sorry you're going through this. I've been lurking around after you ever since you got your BFP, and I was just so disappointed to hear it turning out like this.

Love,
Betsy

[amygrrl]

suzy - i'm thinking about you...

[Suzlywoozly]

Betsy, Thank you so much! I hope everything is going well with you :)

Amy, Thank you too! How are things going for you? I hope they are starting to look up for you guys. :)

[Freckles]

Suzlywoozly I am so very sorry for what your are going through right now. {{{hugs}}}

I'm also sending out love & healing vibes to all those who have lost a baby.I cannot fathom the pain. :(

Edited to remove my TTC details due to leaving thread.

[amygrrl]

suzy - as much of a cliche as it is, we are taking it one day at a time. it's been very difficult... actually beyond difficult... and not a day goes by that we don't talk about avery or what she looked like or how it felt to hold her... since we know we want more children and need to move quickly b/c of age, we are doing everything we can to face our grief head on. we don't have the luxury to get stuck if that makes sense. so we have to just be willing to feel all the pain and work our way through it.

our big hurdle right now is that the nurse at the hospital where we delivered avery forgot to forward her autopsy orders to the lab, so they released her for cremation without the autopsy. this means we have a very incomplete picture as to why she died and what happened. the dr's are leaning towards cord accident, but it is VERY rare at 27 weeks. cord accidents in general are rare and only 5% of all cord accidents occur between 20-36 weeks so it's very important that we explore all possible causes.

tomorrow i'm going to have my b/w done for about a million clotting disorders just to rule that out. and we have a tentative appointment with the head of perinatology/ high risk ob at stanford set for Sept. 6th. he will be evaluating the pregnancy and avery's birth to see if he can confirm a cause of death. since we hope to start a cycle in mid sept, i'm hoping we can squeeze into his schedule a bit earlier. ideally before we meet with our RE, dr. lahti on july 25th. but as long as he looks at our file and can recommend any testing prior in the next month or so, that's all we will need. and then if we are blessed with another pregnancy, he will be our primary dr. and we will likely deliver at stanford.

anyway.... you can read more of this if you want by going to my LJ journal. i'm atendertrap over there.

[amygrrl]

i also wanted to add... IF ONLY I HAD HAD THIS MUCH CM LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS ON THE CLOMID! who knew that your body could make so much CM after having a baby???? for the last 2 weeks it's like i have the sniffles down there! :eek:

[Scooter]

OK, I'm going to attempt SO's....I apologize in advance in case I miss people.


Welcome to jlp, Kerry, and Heather! I hope you find the thread supportive and helpful.

And Welcome Back to Amy, Amanda, and Karla! Although I'm sorry any of you three have had to come back here at all. :( I wish each of you a much easier and more successful time of it on this go 'round.

Congratulations to Christy!! I hope you have a sticky healthy pregnancy!! That's great news. :) But wait just a second--having sex can cause a pregnancy??? I'm kind of in disbelief over here. Sorry, It hink that's just an old wives' tale. :p

Kerry and Heather, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. RPL is slightly different from what many of the people here are going through, but you are definitely not the only people here who've experienced that, or who've experienced the loss of a pregnancy or baby. I think we all suffer from the same grief of wanting a successful pregnancy and fears about the realistic part of that, so I hope you don't ever feel out of place here.

Sue, My heart just breaks for you! I can't believe you're going through this, it's just not fair after everything you've been through to get to this point. And then to have your Drs say something like that to you, I can't imagine how that must feel. You're sucha great person and deserve so much more than this, and I truly believe that one day you'll reap the rewards of that. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. ((((hugs))))) Call me if you want to talk.

Betsy, hey you, good to see you over here! Do you want me to add your stats back in?

Tiger, good luck, those sound like great O signs!!

Karla, sorry you're in such limbo right now. I seem to remember you two were thinking about July being your last letrozole/IUI cycle before IVF. Is that still on the table or are you reconsidering the whole plan? Next month I'm stopping the letrozole and going on Bravelle, myself, before moving to IVF. Looks like we could be going along the same path.

Bunky, how did the RE appt go??

Freckles, wow, no wonder you didn't want all that in your stats on the Charting thread. Thanks for sharing your story with us! What shall I put in the stats for you? (I don't want to summarize wrong! ;)) One thing about the post-coital exam--it's not known for its reliability. We've had SEVERAL members here get pg the month of their postcoital exam, after getting devastating news about the results (all sperm dead, no chance getting pg w/o IUI or IVF). Are you seeing a regular ob/gyn or an RE? I find it interesting that they've kept you on that protocol for so long w/no luck, and then want to move on to trigger shots? Strikes me as odd, seems like usually they'd have moved on to trigger/IUIs by now. They don't like you to be on clomid for too long. Especially since clomid tends to dry up CM and cause problems that way and you already have issues with that. Do you mind me asking if you've thought about a 2nd opinion?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duh, so worried about shout outs I forgot to post an update. :rolleyes:
I've seen 4 Drs in the last 2 wks. I went to an Immunologist (rheumatologist) who was wonderful & so supportive about the IF stuff. She ran more immune tests and I get the results next week. With the Eastern route, I've given up on the herbs idea and am just doing full on accupuncture. I say that because this week we did about 30 needles, both front and back! My muscles were so sore afterwards I had to drink water all day & I felt like I'd had a workout!

I also met with the RE for a consultation, and we decided that I'm doing this current cycle of Letrozole and an IUI (with prog supps in the LP, yay), and then we'll do injectibles (Bravelle) & IUI next month. If neither of these two cycles work out then our lucky cycle #30 will be IVF. If that doesn't work, I go to Dr Beer for full immunology testing (possibly NKC is the problem) and treatment, and then come back for IVF #2 (hopefully a frozen cycle). Who knows what after that, I'm guessing adoption.

[Freckles]

Are you seeing a regular ob/gyn or an RE? I find it interesting that they've kept you on that protocol for so long w/no luck, and then want to move on to trigger shots? Strikes me as odd, seems like usually they'd have moved on to trigger/IUIs by now. They don't like you to be on clomid for too long.

Hey Scooter! I am seeing a RE. And I guess I should have explained myself better, I started with 50 mg of clomid for 2 cycles, and then took a break for 1 cycle, and then took 100 mg of clomid for 3 cycles, and have now just started a break, so even though it has been 8 months time----it has only been 5 cycles that included clomid. Does that make more sense? :)

Unfortunately, even with the progesterone my cycles are still very long. I am taking a break from everything of my own accord not at my doctor's wishes. They want to try the trigger shots next---I am waiting until after my cousin's wedding so I can be focused for the ultrasounds, which she said are needed to determine when to best time the shots? Does that make sense?

As for my stats----I have no idea??? We are on a break until September....

HTH. Sorry if I confused things with my last post. ;)

ETA: I will probably just be reading along to learn more from other's experiences until we start up again in September unless we get lucky and get pregnant during that time.

[karlatta]

Scooter - Thanks for the Welcome Back!

Karla, sorry you're in such limbo right now. I seem to remember you two were thinking about July being your last letrozole/IUI cycle before IVF. Is that still on the table or are you reconsidering the whole plan?

July is/was going to ge our last cycle before adoption. We're not sure where we stand on the timing of our "last cycle" anymore, but we're not planning on doing IVF.

[aprilshowers]

Suzlywoozly, I just wanted to express how sorry I am for you that you're going through this. It is absolutely heart-breaking. :( Please take care of yourself.

[jennylou]

i also wanted to add... IF ONLY I HAD HAD THIS MUCH CM LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS ON THE CLOMID! who knew that your body could make so much CM after having a baby???? for the last 2 weeks it's like i have the sniffles down there! :eek:

Snort...isn't that the truth!

Bunky - How did the RE appt go?

suzly - still thinking about you and sending good thoughts your way.

karlatta - I was thinking more about your situation, have you tried Fertility Blend? http://www.babybellyboutique.com/fertility_blend.htm It's even more natural than clomid. You could then just use the OPKs to see if you've ovulated. Just a thought...

scooter - Thinking good thoughts that this cycle works out for you. :)

So, my bil and sil came over last night. After 2.5 years, they are finally pregnant. I'm so happy for them, it's so easy to be happy for people who've really been through the ringer trying, you know? BIL just had surgery (I forget the name, something with a V...but THE surgery) and this was their first cycle trying after it. She's been on clomid as well. I'm just so thrilled for them. :)

[Suzlywoozly]

Jenny- Thanks again! Congratulations on becoming an aunt again. It's such a hard thing to sit back and see others so happy when they have something you don't have or grieving the lose of. I guess I'll be getting the injection for the RH negative thing next week when they do the D&C. I don't understand why they would give it now though.

aprilshowers - Thank you too! I hope everything is going well for you and that you have a very healthy & happy pregnancy.

Freckles - I don't think there is a way to measure how much someone is going through when we all have something different that is keeping us from that one thing we all long to have. Your situation is just as important as the rest of us in here. I hope you find the support you need... these ladies have been truly awesome every step of the way. Oh yeah... at least DH has strong swimmers :D

Amy - Wow, I can't believe that they never ordered an autopsy. I can't imagine the pain you and your husband have been through. I hope all goes well with all the dr's appointments and that they can give you some more answers. I will head over to LJ sometime today to check out your journal. Thanks for sharing! Yeah for lots of CM... maybe that will do the trick ;)

Scooter - Hey girl! Thank you so much for all of your support. You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you know that I am always here for you as well :). I know that one day all of us are going to reap the rewards of having children, including you!!! Thank g*d you gave up on the herb thing... I can't even imagine having to drink that stuff. I'd be gagging all over the place. You definitely have willpower! Did you two decide which RE you are going to go to for the IVF? I might call you today just to talk.

Bunky - How did the RE appt. go? I hope everything is on track for you!

amychris- How did the transfer go today? I hope this is the cycle you have been waiting for :D

Sorry if I have missed anyone!

As for me, all I can do is sit and wait for something to happen or until my appt. on Tuesday. I called my OB this morning to see if they could just give me the injection to miscarry or schedule the D&C before the weekend. They said the Dr. is gone all day today and only in for a few hours tomorrow. It wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't a long holiday weekend and I know he is not on call this weekend. We are suppose to go to the IL's for a BBQ on Sunday. I don't know if I can face all of DH's family right now, especially since only his parents know what is going on. On top of that, I have not talked to or seen my SIL since the day she told me she was pregnant back in October. She just had the baby 2 1/2 weeks ago and I only have seen pictures of my niece. I don't know if I could go through all of that this weekend, especially when my FIL has a big mouth and always seems to make the worse comments at all the wrong times! Dh sugested we go down to Disneyland this weekend, but who the hell wants to go to Disneyland when they are waiting to miscarry :rolleyes:

[paisleydays]

Hi everyone. I was a lurker on WC, but figured I would finally join in over here.

My stats:
Me: Amy (34)
DH: Andy (32)
Married: 7.02
TTC: 1.04
Charting: 1.046.05 1st meet w/RE
6.05 SA=low count, low motility
6.05 3rd day BW=High FSH
Currently doing acupuncture & looking for a new RE


Basically our 1st RE told us that there was no way for us to get pg w/o IVF due to husband's motility, but no way that my FSH levels would allow a successful IVF. I've already gotten the speech that we should use donor eggs twice. After we get back from vacation we will start with a new RE who is more willing to work with our "special issues".

[amychris03]

Back from retrieval. All went well and they got
10 eggs, which I guess is good? I have no Idea what
is considered good to be honest. We will get a call
tomorrow to see how many fertilized and will do the
transfer on Sunday! Im off to lay down and rest, just
wanted to do a quick update.

[Baby Lust]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! It's kind of bittersweet... I am not happy that I have to be in the SAI thread, but I am so glad to be in such wonderful company!

Huge Congrats to Christy! :D

Angel, I know I have not had a chance to congratulate you and then I just saw that you are having twins!!! :eek: I am SO happy for you! Huge Congratulations! :D

Suzly, Thinking about you and sending many hugs!

Amy, That is great news! Hoping for tons of fertilization! :D

I am still waiting to O... I was hoping to O ealier this cycle since my Clomid Rx was upped and I took it earlier, but it looks like I am going to O on CD20 like I always do. :rolleyes: Oh well... I'm predictable and that gives me extra time to BD. :cool:

Hope everyone is well and having a good week!

[amygrrl]

Amy - 10 is a great number! are you doing icsi or natural ivf?

to all the new folks welcome! may your stay be short and sweet.

more on amazing amounts of CM - really.... i don't think i've ever had this much mucos come out of my nose, much less my 'special place'... i'm sorry if i'm grossing anyone out but my dh is way over my amazing mucos, has deemed it beyond disgusting, and now refusing to talk to me about it anymore!

anyway, i followed up with stanford today and the coordinator called the dr's secretary and they were able to get us an appointment for July 14th with the head of perinatology. yeah! i'm very happy about that as i think it will give us some closure to learn more about what happened to avery. this will be the month of dr. appointments.... july 14-perinatologist, july 25th-RE, july 25th-baseline mammogram scheduled, and a trip to the cardiologist sometime in between.

[ocgatita]

I apologize if I miss anyone as I have been out of my office for two days and haven't checked in.

amygrrl: Great news on your Dr. appointments. I hope you find all the answers you need.

Babylust: Welcome to the thread and I hope you have a very short stay. Thanks for joining

amychris03: Sending prayers for success w/ your fertilization

paisleydays: Welcome.....Glad you found a new RE to work with. Here's hoping for a BFP for you and your hubby.

Suzlywoozly: :( I don't know what to say, I just want to send my thoughts and prayers your way and send many hugs.

jennylou: Congrats to your BIL & SIL. I totally agree that there is certain amount of extra joy when you hear someone is pregnant that has struggled w/ fertility. :D

karlatta: Good luck on your IUI cycle. I hope this is it for you guys

freckles: Hope you get a BFP before starting your trigger shots

Scooter: Sounds like you have a good plan in place. I sure hope that you get a BFP very soon and don't have to follow through w/ your plan. I have to say, I love your upbeat, positive attitude as I have seen you around the WC for quite some time. I hope that if our journey is as long as yours, I have your grace and patience to deal with it.

To everyone else, I am following along and wish you all the best and hope you all get your much deserved BFP's really really soon. My DH and I have only been TTC for 13 months but I cannot imagine what some of you couragous ladies have undergone in your hopes of having a child. I hope we can all be each other's support in this difficult road of TTC.

My DH and I have been thinking alot about our situation lately and I may be seeking medical intervention this summer rather than waiting until January of next year. For those of you that have seeked medical intervention, can you maybe tell me what to expect or what the process will most likely be like? I have Kaiser medical insurance and I am wondering if they will even allow us to seek intervention yet, is the 1 year mark still applicable for those under 30?

TIA for any feedback. Take care ladies :D

Judy

[jennylou]

ocgatita - The one year mark is certainly applicable for those under thirty with no known issues (some of us got to beat the clock b/c there was clearly issues earlier). That said, Scooter has experience with Kaiser specifically, so I think she may be best to tell you what to expect with them. I could tell you what to expect with a regular insurance plan that you pick the doctor, but I understand that Kaiser is a bit more unique. Typically though, you can expect to start a bunch of tests for you: CD 3 testing, ultrasounds, HSG, etc. For your DH, you can probably expect a SA.

[Nigellas]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. :)

Question
I've been taking Femara and then getting a trigger shot on day 12 for the last 2 cycles. I've noticed that one or the other seem to be killing my CM. Is this normal? I'm wondering if it's the trigger shot if I should just not get the shot next cycle... Whatcha think?

[bunky]

Hi everyone. Just a quick update on my RE appt. DH and I both really liked the RE. He was very friendly and caring and spent a lot of time with us. We were there for a little over 2 hours! He explained everything is great detail and we feel we have a better understanding of where we are. He did an ultrasound to look at my uterus and ovaries and agrees with my OB/GYN that I have a "touch" of PCOS. He ordered labs to check my insulin, glucose and some androgens. He wasn't concerned with my ovulatory problems or even my blocked tube. The main issue is my uterus. He couldn't tell from the ultrasound if it was bicornuate or septate so he ordered an MRI for next Friday. Once we know what we are dealing with uterus-wise we will decide where we go from here. He suggested a med-free cycle next month since our plan of action really depends on the MRI's findings. All in all I am very happy with the appt... although hearing him voice his concern over my uterus abnormality was somewhat upsetting. Please cross your fingers that the MRI shows that something can be done to correct the problem.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

[Hangin'in]

Wow, 10 pages...

So good to see so many familiar faces... I have migrated myself!

Still rooting everyone on..

Congratulations Christy.

Suzly... so very sorry.

I'm still waiting on AF, I finished the provera 2 weeks ago. I haven't gone to the RE because I have made some peace with the fact that I have had my last assisted cycle, and with that peace there is some reserve about having to stick my feet back in those stirrups.

I'll be lurking. Scooter you can add my stats if you want, but since we are not doing medicated cycles any more, I don't think I should be in the "active" file!

[MtySheera]

I still follow this thread keeping my fingers crossed for all of you, since I once belonged to the SAI club.

ocgatita: I have Kaiser. I had been charting for a year before I went to see the RE, but the year was enough time for them. First I went to my ob/gyn and he had a few blood tests ran on me, and an SA for my DH. The results for me were good, but my DH's details weren't good at all. So my ob/gyn sent us to an RE. The RE was very impressed with the charting I had done. I showed her the website I used, www.fertilityfriend.com, so she could see all of the details of my cycles, which were regular. I had more blood work, and was put on 50mg of Clomid to test the quality of my eggs. I thought we'd be waiting a few months before doing an IUI, but when they did the ultra sound to check the size of the follicles, everything looked good, so as soon as I knew that I was ovulating (I had the clear blue ovulation monitor), my DH gave a sample, they did the wash, and we had our IUI. We were extremely lucky and got pregnant that first time.

So if you get a good doctor with Kaiser, things can move very quickly. Good luck!

[ds2003]

I would like to join.

ds2003
Me: 27
DH: 31
Married since: 11/08/03
Off BCP: 12/03
TTC since: 6/04
Charting since: 7/04
Known issues: dx PCOS 7/04, annovulatory
Test results: DH's SA is normal; HSG 1/14/05 - tubes are clear; Ovarian Drilling 5/20/05 - other than PCO everything is normal and tubes are still clear
Meds: 3 failed cycles of Clomid (50, 100, 150 mg); Currently only taking 1500mg Metformin

Link to my chart: http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/ds2003

[karlatta]

I FINALLY got to talk to the nurse at my RE's office - we've been playing phone tag all week.

We decided I would do Letrozole, with no trigger, and OPK's to see if I can ovulate on my own. I am really hoping that with the Letrozole and the Metformin that my body can kick it into gear and ovulate.

[Scooter]

Whew, this thread is moving so quickly, it's hard to keep up! Sorry in advance if I'm slow with updates. Real life keeps getting in the way. :rolleyes:

Welcome, Paisleydays and ds2003!

and Welcome Back, Hangin'in!

Freckles, yes, that makes so much more sense now! I was thinking you were on it continuously. I did 5 rounds of clomid, in 9 months, so I definitely get it. For now I'll just put you in the Taking a Break section. The reason they'd be doing ultrasounds to determine your trigger date is because the u/s shows how many and how big your follicles are. If they trigger before the follies are big enough, it won't work, because the eggs are not mature yet. So they have to make sure that you have at least one around 18mm before they give you the shot. And the shot is just to help ensure that you O.

Karla, oh that's right, sorry I got it mixed up. I just remembered that July was your last cycle of trying this way. Good luck with this cycle, I hope your ovaries are feeling more cooperative!

Sue, Thank you so much for teh card, that was so incredibly sweet of you!! I'm sorry I didn't call you back yet. DH & I had a big argument yesterday & I was feeling horribly unsociable. I don't know what it is about infertility--if it's the prolonged stress, the financial stress, the hormones--but we've had more arguing in this last year than the whole 9 before it!! :eek: Sorry you have to face the ILs this weekend--can you just stay home? I was really hoping the next time you went to Disneyland you'd be pg or have your baby. :(

Amychris, WOW, 9/10 eggs fertilized, that's great news!! :D

Amygrrl, your July is getting all booked up! I'm happy for you, I hope it means things move along & you get answers and plans and feel supported on the medical side of things.

Judy, aw thanks, that was nice of you to say. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always positive--I've had months and months of being down, depressed, or angry. It just goes through phases. But at the same time, getting to this stage of IF has become easier. I think aftera while you start slowly coming to terms with it and having more good days than before. I do hope you never have to get to that stage, though! ;) The one year mark is good for anyone under 35, so that won't be a problem. As far as the Kaiser stuff, I sent you a PM.

Nigellas, I've never heard of the trigger shot effecting CM. :confused: I sure know that clomid does, though. And last month on Femara I didn't get my usual CM pattern around O, so maybe it has a similar effect??

bunky, sounds like you're happy with your RE! That's good news, and good luck with your MRI.

Jen, If you want me to, I'll put you in Taking a Break, but it does sound like you're not preventing, right? Want to update your stats?

MtySheera and Aprilshowers, would you like your info to be added back into the Babies and Expecting sections?

**********Updated to here**********

[ag05]

Can I join too? My stats are as follows:

Me: 32
DH: 30
Married 5/01
TTC since 1/04
prescribed Clomid 50 mg 5/04 due to irregular cycles
Clomid 100 mg 6/04
Clomid 150 mg 7/04
Clomid 150 8/04 - pregnant
11/04- missed miscarriage w/ D&C (13 weeks)
Clomid 150 mg 2/05 - pregnant
2/05 - miscarriage (6 weeks)
Started seeing RE 5/05
RPL test results so far - abnormal MTHFR (folic acid prescribed)
IUI/Femara 5 mg/Trigger cycle planned 8/05.
Currently taking more tests!

[karlatta]

Scooter - No worries. I know I've changed my mind a million times in the SAI threads. It's no wonder you got a little confused!

[Suzlywoozly]

Scooter - Don't even worry about it! I totally understand where you are coming from ;). I had to put my foot down with Jeff's mom tonight when she asked for the 100th time if we were coming over on Sunday. She "doesn't understand why we wouldn't want to see the baby" and "it's just not fair to Jeff to keep him from seeing her." At times like that I just have to walk away and shake my head!

Today has been another day from hell. I woke up to the worse cramps ever and some brown spotting. I called the dr and they told me to come in right away. Murphy's law would have it that there would be a waiting room full of pegnant women and newborn babies. I guess I should have expected that going into an OB's office. I think the receptionist could see the look of horror on my face and took me right into a room. The dr did an exam and an u/s and said I am in the very early stages of the miscarriage. He can't do a D&C until next Wednesday and he is not on call this weekend. He said if it turns to red flow and I can't handle going through it on my own to call the dr on call for him and request for the D&C to be done. I wonder what the likelyhood of a dr I have never met agreeing to do a D&C at the drop of the hat :rolleyes:. Who knows, if it really gets as bad as he says it will then I will just complain of severe abdominal pain and that may really get thi s guys attention.

Be back tomorrow for some s/o's. Hope everyone is doing well!

[Suzlywoozly]

I forgot to add... The dr gave me a prescription for the rho-gam which is the medication I need for the RH negative thing. He tells me that it's an injection and that I need to give it to myself tonight :eek:. First of all, I have never even given anyone an injection let alone myself one. Second of all, I had no idea how to do it. He tells me to give it in my thigh and he is sure I will figure it out on my own since I will have to do the injections when we start IVF. WTF???? DH takes the prescription to Safeway and they look at him like he is nuts. They called every pharmacy in 50 mile radius and not one pharmacy sells it. The only way to get it is through a dr or at the hospital. How am I suppose to find a dr that has it in their office on a Friday at 4:00 p.m. and at the beginning of a three day weekend when they tell me I have to have it within 72 hours! Finally we found a hospital that would sell us the injection and I took it to my mom to give it to me. Thank god for having a nurse in the family. That b*tch hurt!!! I guess I'd better get use to it since our next step is IVF.

[Scooter]

ag05, welcome! I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriages. It's great that you're getting testing done, good luck in getting some answers! Can I ask what they put you on for increasing your folic acid? Is it just a straight folic acid supplement? I ask because my Dr put me on Folgard, and a couple others here are on it, too--I'm wondering if it's getting more common for Drs to suggest it lately.

Karla, I understand changing your mind--I don't know how many treatment plans we've changed through in the last year and a half ourselves. :rolleyes:

Sue, Your MIL pisses me off, I hope you don't mind me saying that. She's just one of those people who doesn't get IF and what it's like. I'm glad you put your foot down! You're haivng a horrible enough weekend, you don't need to be in an emotionally difficult situation in the middle of all this! So was that shot intramuscular? A few months ago at the REs they said "OK, go home and tomorrow give yourself a trigger shot in the leg or have your DH give you that shot in your hip." They didn't want me to do a subQ shot because some people get allergic reactions to it! I was terrified, I ended up driving all the way back down there the next day because DH & I were too scared to do the shot ourselves. I'm not looking forward to the progesterone shots for IVF!!! Maybe you'll just have to see your mom everyday during your 2ww! ;)

[jennylou]

suzly - You have to give the shot to yourself? WHAAAAAAAAAT? Um, when I have had these shots, I've had them at the hospital (even the 28 week one). They draw blood and then leave me waiting. They then take my blood and mix it with something and then inject it into me. Kind of creepy, but that's the way they explained that it worked. So, I'm confused as to why you didn't have that sort as well. Maybe there are different kinds? If so, I want the kind you have next time. The lab was so busy at the hospital when I got my 28 week one that I was there for about 4 hours!!!! When I was in the hospital, it didn't matter one bit that I had to wait, obviously, because I was busy with other things.

Your mil pisses me off too. :( I'm glad that the OBs office was sensitive to what you are going through. My OBs office is the same way. When I had to go in 4 days after Andrew died, they rushed me into an Exam room and then they let me leave via the back door. I think all OBs shouild be sensitive to these things.

[Suzlywoozly]

Scooter- I totally don't mind you saying that about my MIL! She has been pissing me off since the day I met her. I can't remember if I told you what happened when we told them that I was pregnant. She starts balling her head off and says " I don't want anymore grandchildren! I just can't handle this! I've had too much going on with the new baby being born this week... I just can't handle this!" I was ready to throw her out the front door! Then two minutes later while Jeff and I are trying to bask in our glory, she breaks out the photo album with pictures of SIL breastfeeding and giving birth! :eek: :eek: :eek: That was the last thing I had ever want to see and who the hell carries those pictures around in their purse to show people? Yes, the shot was intramuscular. It feels a lot better today. My Mom said to keep rubbing the injection site since the stuff was so thick and that is what causes the soreness. I would have done the same thing as you by taking the shot back to the dr to give to me but it has to be administered within 72 hours of the start of the miscarriage. Who knows what I would have done if I couldn't have found the stuff anywhere!

Jenny- Whoa, that kind of sounds scary about them mixing it with your blood! I would have freaked out if they made me play mad scientist on myself!! :eek: From what I read on the paperwork my mom filled out for me to return to the dr, there are two types of this rho-gram stuff. If you miscarry before 13 wks gestation, they give rho-gram mini (which is the one I got) or if the pregnancy is at or beyond 13 wks gestation the "full dose" is given. Maybe the full dose is given the way you had it!?! That's really nice about your OB's office. I think that they probably see enough of this bad stuff happening that they probably have a routine on handling it. Even the people that I was pissing because I was calling so much in the past few weeks, got rid of their attitudes yesterday! I think they finally got the picture that I wasn't over reacting and maybe, just maybe their physician's assistant is a moron!

I'd better go... I'm going to get a well deserved pedicure! :D God only knows I need one! DH told me I have alligator feet :o

[Hangin'in]

Scooter the only thing I would add to my stats is that the Dr. really only recommends Donor Eggs at this time, and DH and I aren't ready to do that.

[bottleored]

Happy July 4th everyone!

Congrats Christy!

hangin'in you will still remain 'active' in our minds! Best of luck with everything!

suzly I can't believe what people say sometimes. Your MIL is a piece of cake! Hope it gets better for you with the D&C. I can't even imagine the emotional rollercoaster you're on!

Welcome ag05 so sorry to hear about your m/cs! There are several ladies here who are working through similar issues. I'm sure we'll all be a source of support in one way or another.

karlatta fingers crossed for a spontaneous O!

Welcome ds2003 and Baby Lust! Familiar faces from the TTC w/charting thread!

bunky glad your RE appointment went well. I always feel like the more we know, the more we can try to fix! I know my RE was 'happy' with my b/w that indicated a possible clotting problem because it would be 'easy' to fix - relatively speaking. Hope all goes well with your MRI.

ocgatita I can't add anything else to all of the descriptions everyone else has posted about their RE appts. They always start out with 'standard' tests and then move on to specific ones based on those results.

amychris03 anxiously awaiting news of fertilization and transfer!

Welcome paisleydays! Sorry to hear about your test results. I know there are a few ladies out there with FSH issues and good information!

Scooter wow - you've got all the cycles planned out already! My RE seems to take one month at a time. Next cycle he's trying a different mixture of Gonal F and something else, based on how I reacted last cycle.

amygrrl wow - that nurse should be fired! Unbelievable! I hope all of your appointments are positive ones!

Welcome freckles! Wow - AF at 8? That must have been a surprise!

Welcome shouldaeloped! Sorry to hear about your m/cs. Hope your HSG goes well this week.

Welcome Nigellas! Just because you've gotten a BFP doesn't mean you're not "Still At It". Sorry to hear of your m/cs and you will be more than welcome here!

Welcome jlp and stephanie!

****************
CD14. Starting to BD for real. Hoping I don't O until at least Friday, though. 8 days till Hawaii. Trying not to obsess, trying to relax.

I was at a party yesterday with a friend who is pg with her 3rd child, due in 3 weeks. She was lamenting having a July baby (her 1st 2 were Apr/May). At some point said something about it 'taking so long to conceive this one' :rolleyes:. Gee, 3 months, huh? Apparently they were successful with the other 2 in the first month. After a few remarks back and forth (there were a few people around), I finally said 'well, sometimes things just don't work out like you plan'. What I should have said was 'I was hoping for a July 2004 baby' or 'good thing you don't have to wait 20 months like me'. I just feel like she should have known better. I'm 38 for g0d's sake! Sorry for the rant!

[Suzlywoozly]

Bottle- Thanks! MIL is definitely a piece of cake and then some ice cream on the side! :rolleyes: Yeah for Hawaii! I bet you will have the best time. It's my second favorite place in the world next to Disneyland :D !!!
I'm sorry about your friend being so unsensitive. Some people just don't get it!

I spent Saturday afternoon/evening in the emergency room. I couldn't take the pain anymore. I don't think I have even been in so much pain in my life! Turns out my body was trying to get rid of the pregnancy but it was stuck in my cervix. The on-call dr refused to do the D&C after he did the exam and saw what he thought was causing all the pain. They sent me home with some cr*ppy pain meds and Methergine. I'm still trying to figure out the methergine.... why would they give this medicine to somebody that is having a m/c when it causes strong uterine contractions but stops the bleeeding? Isn't that the whole point of the m/c is that it gets rid of everything in the uterus? Why would they want to stop it? I'm totally puzzled. I have to call my OB tomorrow to see what I do from here. I assume that he won't do the D&C on Wednesday now that the other dr decided against it.

Yesterday SUCKED! We stopped by the IL's so DH could say hi to his grandma. We called before to make sure that nobody would be there for their BBQ for a while. They said not for 2 hours. About 20 minutes into the visit, the doorbell rings. It was my SIL, BIL, nephew and newborn niece (who I had never seen). I wanted to run out the back door. I haven't seen these stupid people in almost 10 months why the hell would I want to see them at a time like this. First thing BIL does is sits down the carseat and takes the baby out to start passing around. Somebody just slit my arm open now and pour a gallon of salt on it puh-lease! :mad: I told DH that we needed to leave and they wouldn't even say goodbye to us. MIL, FIL & GIL follow us to the front door and I hear BIL & SIL in the kitchen saying "I don't understand what the big deal is... It's not like she was that far along!" I hate these people right now! I'm so tired but can't sleep and have been up the entire night. I thought the pain meds would help me sleep but I think they are having the opposite effect. Who knows what we are doing today, nothing can top the last two days! :rolleyes:

Hope everybody has a safe and happy 4th! :D

[Baby Lust]

Suzly, I am so sorry to hear how your weekend is going! :( I cannot believe BIL and SIL would say that! :mad: I'm sorry you had to hear that. :( I hope your OB can shine some light on the meds you received and I hope they make a decision soon on the D&C! I am thinking about you and sending prayers your way! {{HUGS}}

Bottleored, I'm sorry your friend didn't think before she spoke. :rolleyes: The willpower we gain from IF, huh? :cool: Hawaii sounds awesome! I am GREEN I tell you! GREEN! :p

[amychris03]

Oops- thanks for reminding me, bottleored.
I could have sworn I posted here, but I've been drugged
up and on bed rest so that's my excuse ;). The transfer
went well. Actually the dr says it went perfectly, which is
good to hear, but it makes me so hopeful and Im scared to
get hopeful and have it not work out. Anyways, 9 of the 10
fertilized, and 8 went on to "grow" if you will. So we
transferred two 8 cell, B++++ (she says she has only ever
given out one A because it is considered perfect and she doesnt
like to give that out) embryos and had 6 to freeze. Now we
wait until the 18th for the test!

---
bottleored
So envious of you going to hawaii (even though I just went). I
just love it. Have fun BDing.

Suzlywoozly
I told you this over on the IVF thread, but ((hugs)).
You had a rough weekend girlie. Hang in there.

Karlatta
The Letrozole Metformin combo sounds worth a try! Let's
hope its just the combo you need.

Welcome to DS2003 and ag05 and paisleydays!

OK- I know I havent gotten to everyone, but I just looked at the clock
and realized I have to go shower for dinner! Hope everyone else is doing
well!!! :)

[ocgatita]

Replies: Sorry if I miss anyone :(

amychris03: Congrats on the successful transfer....praying all goes well :) Good Luck!
bottleored: Have a great time in Hawaii! Totally know what you mean about your friend! Sometimes its just so hard not to be pissed at people like that!
Suzlywoozly: So sorry about the rough time you are having. Hope everything gets better for you really soon.....we are all here for you.


Just found out today that my DH's cousin is pregnant w/ her third child. Of course she got pregnant relatively quickly.....I am happy for her and her husband despite the fact that they have a somewhat troubled marriage and I hope this baby will give them an incentive to work on their relationship, but at the same time I was a little bit emotional. Oh well, our time will come. Hope you ladies all have a nice week :)

[Nigellas]

Scooter- thanks for the femara info. :)

Suzly- Gosh, I’m so sorry you are going through this… And I can not believe – In fact I’m furious over how insensitive your SIL was. People can be such jerks sometimes.

[jennylou]

suzly - I can not believe your sil said that, it's rude and beyond insensitive.

amy - glad the transfer went well, I'll be hoping for a BFP announcement from you soon. :)

[Suzlywoozly]

Just wanted to say thanks again to EVERYONE for all of their support. It has really helped me get thorough this. I talked to my OB yesterday and he re-ran my HCG. It went from 263 in the emergency room on Saturday to 28 yesterday. He said by the end of the week the test should be completely negative :( He doesn't think I need the D&C now based on my numbers even though he insisted that I should be having a "normal or heavy period." I keep telling him that I have hardly had any bleeding and I'm still in a lot of pain. I stopped the methergine yesterday and he said that should take away the pain. He doesn't want to see me for a follow-up and I should just wait to meet with the RE at the end of the month. I'm assuming he will forward the pathology report to the RE. I woke up this morning with this awful empty feeling. I know that DH & I are not going to be able to start IVF in the next two months. Financially it is too much for us to take on right now, especially since I still haven't gone back to work.

amy- Yeah! I can't wait to hear about your BFP in a couple weeks :D

Ocgatita- I know how you feel! It's really hard to swallow the news that somebody else is expecting when you are trying so hard without results! Like you said... Your time will come!! ;)

[ag05]

Thanks ladies for the warm welcome. I haven't had time to catch up (vacationing) but will be back later.

Scooter - Just taking some folic acid from the health food store. I kind of wish I had gotten the prescription stuff (folgard). Taking 3 pills a day is not fun.

[Scooter]

Amy, you know I'm thinking good thoughts for you!! :D

Ocgatitia, sorry about the news. :( It's so hard to hear things like that, especially when it's an oops baby and/or the parents are...questionable. I usually don't know whether to laugh or cry or throw something!

Sue, I sent you an email earlier. I hate that this is so confusing for you, I wish it was just smoother and you didn't keep getting all these varying medical directions. I hope you get some answers from the pathology report. (((hugs))))

ag05, Hope you're having a good vacation! Folgard isn't prescription. When you run out of your supplements, you may want to look into finding the Folgard OTC--I was told just to take it once a day. So I take that with my prenatal and aspirin, all at once. Makes it easier!


I had our 4th IUI today. It was a stressful day & I had two meetings in the afternoon, after the procedure. I'm trying to take it easy (I did squeeze a bit a mediation in at least). The u/s was yesterday, and I had one 17mm follicle, two 11s, one 10, and two 8s. So the 17 is the only one that's going to go, of course, but the RE said it's very promising that my ovaries have been responding so well to the meds--6 medium to large follies on letrozole surprised her. Lining was at 10.4, and the sperm sample was "magnificent" (oh I bet DH is going to love that feeback :rolleyes: ) . It bodes well for IVF in the near future. So we've got a decent chance at a singleton this month--although I'm not holding my breath at this point! I have to start the progesterone on Friday, blagh.

[jennylou]

Scooter - Glad that your ovaries are responding nicely. Here's to hoping that this cycle does the trick for you this month.

Well, I have my 6 week PP check up tomorrow. My OB is pregnant and due at the end of August, so we'll have to discuss TTC going forward at tomorrow's appointment, even though we won't be trying until end of Aug/beginning of September.

[heidi0622]

I'm joining back up.
Scooter, here are my stats...
Name: Heidi - 29
DH: Mike - 29
Married: 6/22/02
TTC: March '04, Charting: June '04
Known issues: m/c 10/04 at 5.5 weeks, saline U/S normal, bw normal, SA excellent, unexplained IF
Treatments: Started 50mg Clomid 06/05

I'm waiting out the 2WW on my first cycle of Clomid. My body responded well and I O'd on day 15, much earlier than I have, but I still have to wait out this 2WW another week.

Suzly, I am so sorry you are having to deal with a ridiculous amount of stress right now...no one should have to put up with the in-laws that you have right now. Take care.

Jennylou and Amygrrl, My thoughts are with you as you start this TTC process again....take care.

My best to all the SAI girls here.

[Suzlywoozly]

Scooter - I replied to your e-mail. Yippppeee for the IUI and DH's magnificent swimmers! I can't wait to give him a hard time about that one ;) (Just kidding!). I hope this is you cycle :D :D :D ! I hope the pathology report comes back quick. It's so hard when we are left hanging for even longer without any answers. At this point, I don't think they will ever have an answer for us.

Jenny - Good luck at your appointment tomorrow :) I hope that everything gets back on track for you.

Heidi - Welcome back! I hope your 2WW goes by fast.

[angelgirl8]

scooter...good job ovaries! during one of my IUIs the RE said "your husband's sample was fantastic, but you can tell him it was just okay". ha!

jenny...good luck at your appt.

[jennylou]

Hubbies do really like to hear about their good numbers. A year after his SA he still likes to bring up his boys in a proud manner.

Thanks for all the good lucks at the dr today, I'm sure I'll report back after the appointment.

[amychris03]

Suzlywoozly
Glad to hear that you probably wont need the d & c. You know,
I was kind of mad when I heard that we had to probably do
IVF but weren't able to start it right then (since DH was
away and we had scheduling conflicts). In retrospect it wasn't
such a bad thing, because I was able to get myself physically,
mentally, and emotionally prepared for what was to come.
Thanks for your good thoughts for me! I will try not to
disappoint ;)

Scooter
Glad to hear that you responded so well! That is great
that DH's numbers were so good too :) . Hopefully you
wont need it, but I bet you will respond really well to
injectables if it comes to that, since you responded that
well to the letrozole. Is this your first time with the
progesterone? Thanks for your thoughts! Im trying
not to get my hopes up too much just yet!

jennylou
Good luck at your drs appointment!

heidi
Sounds like we are in this 2ww thing together, hang
in there! I still have 11 more days before my dr
does the beta, and Im going to TRY to hold out
that long even though I know I can test earlier!

---
Not much new with me- Just trying to take it easy!
Ive had some mild cramping, which isnt uncommon, and
the progesterone is making me sleepy and my bb's hurt.
Im four days past a 3 day transfer, so technically Im
at 7dpo. After all the excitment of the past few
weeks, this is definitely the "boring" part of the
cycle. Im just talking to my embies trying to convince
them to stick around!

[amygrrl]

scooter - way to go for good ovaries... it sound like you will have a really good response to ivf... the other thing i didn't mention before was that i loved moving to ivf b/c it gave me the the answer to the one question that can only be answered by ivf... egg quality. when we weren't getting preggo and i was ovulating and his numbers looked good... that question was always hanging over our heads.

amychris03 - take it easy. rest and think good happy thoughts for your babies.

heidi0622 - i would say nice to see you again... but you and me both know that it sucks in first place that any of us have to be here and can't just get preggo at the drop of a hat like the crack ho's down in the tenderloin... opps... i think maybe i've hit the anger stage of grief. :D

Suzlywoozly - i'm hoping and praying that this all ends very quickly for you.

on the boys and their swimmers thing... way back when we were doing IUI's, dh went on a role where 4 cycles in a row his numbers increased. by the 5th cycle he was high fiving the dr when they gave us his numbers... as a helpful hint, we heard or read somewhere that drinking coffee about 30 or 45 min before giving a sample helped the numbers and helped the guys move better... it seemed to work for him.

[jennylou]

My appt went well and she cleared us for TTC this cycle (since I'm conveniently on CD 5!), so I popped my first clomid. I'll try not to get my hopes up, but I have to say, it would be wonderful to be pregnant again and deliver before the one year of Andrew's birth comes around and particularly his death. Not that I don't think I still won't be a blubbering mess that week, but still, I'm sure you can all understand where I'm coming from.

[Suzlywoozly]

Jenny- That's great news! I hope the clomid works the first time around. Are you doing IUI's with the clomid? I can completely understand how it is going to feel for you that week. I'm crossing my fingers for you :D

[KaliLily]

After three years my hubby and I have decided it's time to TTC again. The first time didn't go so well. We were both under a tremendous amount of stress from our jobs, he was traveling overseas (often when I was at peak fertility), and I was not handling the 100mg of Clomid well. So, we decided given the circumstances it was best that we stop actively TTC, and thus stop Clomid, and wait.

What a difference 3 years can make. Last fall I quit my "rewarding but terribly stressful" job to move to Virginia with my husband so he could accept a job offer. As we are settling into our new home, and he has settled into his new job, we've managed to reclaim the people we were before the stresses that turned our world upside-down. Unfortunately, the new lease on life has not effected my ovulation (or lack thereof) so I found myself a new OB/GYN and we're gearing up to begin our first round of Clomid. I have high hopes and am very positive, but I do have some apprehensions. Specifically, the side effects. They knocked me on my tail last time and I'm hoping this time will be better now that I'm much more relaxed. However, just in case I do find myself succumbing to the hormonal lows, does anyone have any advise for pushing past it? I'm planning to get back to my aerobic workouts and am hoping that will help, as it's helped with PMS symptoms. Other suggestions and tips welcome!

Before I go, here are my stats:

Me: 32
DH: 32
Married: 8/16/97
TTC #1: On Prometrium now to induce period, will begin Clomid 100mg on CD5
Issues: PCOS (Diagnosed 1996)

[Kopper]

Hope you ladies don't mind if I join you.

Here are my stats:
Kopper
Me: Katie (26)
DH: John (28)
Married: 9/21/02
TTC: 7/04
Charting: 03/04
My chart: http://www2.fertilityfriend.com/home/9e5e6
6/05 3rd day BW normal
6/05 HSG all clear
6/05 SA normal count and motility, low morphology
Starting IUI next cycle


I just talked to my doctor about an hour ago. She said I am a good candidate for IUI and wants to start next cycle. At the end of this month we will be at 1 year of TTCing but it still feels like this is happening so fast since I only went in last Monday to talk about treatments and options. DH is pretty bummed about his low morphology. I'm going to go try and cheer him up.

[kemorr]

Hi, can I join? I was a member of the TTC with charting thread over at WC, but given my experiences, I feel more at home here. Here are my stats:


Me: Kemorr (29 in 8 days!)
DH: 31
Married: 1/5/2002
TTC: September 2004
known issues: short LP, spotting, low forward progression, low morphology. HSG normal, day 3 bloodwork normal, 7 DPO progesterone normal except for most recent cycle - slightly low.
Clomid 50 mg 4/05 - BFN, Clomid 50 mg with IUI, trigger and progesterone 6/05 - BFN

I'm on CD2 of my cycle, we're doing 75 mg Clomid with IUI and trigger. I REALLY hope this one works. Hopes were dashed by the first IUI failure, I guess I really believed that is all it would take. :(

[Baby Lust]

Jenny, That is great news!! I wish you the best of luck!! Andrew will help you along!

Scooter, That is great news!! You'll have to let us know how the news to DH went! :cool:

Welcome kemorr, Kopper and Heidi! I hope none of us have to be here much longer!

[KaliLily]

Hi, can I join? I was a member of the TTC with charting thread over at WC, but given my experiences, I feel more at home here. Here are my stats:


Me: Kemorr (29 in 8 days!)
DH: 31
Married: 1/5/2002
TTC: September 2004
known issues: short LP, spotting, low forward progression, low morphology. HSG normal, day 3 bloodwork normal, 7 DPO progesterone normal except for most recent cycle - slightly low.
Clomid 50 mg 4/05 - BFN, Clomid 50 mg with IUI, trigger and progesterone 6/05 - BFN

I'm on CD2 of my cycle, we're doing 75 mg Clomid with IUI and trigger. I REALLY hope this one works. Hopes were dashed by the first IUI failure, I guess I really believed that is all it would take. :(
Good luck this cycle!! Stay positive.

[kemorr]

Thanks for the goodluck vibes, Kim. I'll do my best to stay positive :o

I have a question for any of you girls who are taking or have taken Prometrium. What dose were you on? How many times a day and did you take it orally or as a vaginal suppository? My RE had me take 200 mg once daily after my 7 DPO level came back slightly reduced (13). I thought that 200 mg once daily seemed a low dose. Thoughts?

[shouldaeloped]

Hi everyone! it's been a while since i have been over here. I have been waiting for AF to show after my last m/c and she finally made her appearance this past Tuesday. My cycle was only 41 days post d&c so I guess I can't complain too much. I have an appointment today for the sonohysterogram. I can't decide if I am excited to start getting some answers or scared of the whole process. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I am ready to get back on the bandwagon though as is my DH so here goes nothing I suppose.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

[karlatta]

kemorr - I have taken either Prometrium or Progesterone with every cycle I've done with the RE, starting at 3dpo. With the Prometrium, I take 200mg twice a day. I do it as a vaginal suppository. If I take it orally, I get really dizzy during the day. I've talked to other people who have experienced the same thing. It's a little messy, but it's definitely better than being dizzy all day!

Good luck!

[kemorr]

Hi Karlatta, I have a (maybe TMI) question about using the Prometrium as a vaginal suppository. Do you just pop the little yellow pill up into your vagina? Does the yellow capsule dissolve and get absorbed or do you have to remove it? Or, have you had the Prometrium reformulated into another form to use as the suppository? Thanks!!

[karlatta]

kemorr - I had the same questions when my nurse gave it to me. I just put the pill in like it was.

I have also had Progesterone formulated into a creamy suppository (like Monistat or something), but that's WAY messier than the Prometrium.

[paisleydays]

I take 100mg of Prometrium twice a day vaginally. When I first got it I could not believe I was supposed to just pop this little peach pill up my vagina! :rolleyes: But after checking with two friends and the pharmacist, that is exactly what I do. I am actually really glad it is not the suppository. Not a big mess at all and within half an hour or so I am up and about again.

[Scarlatav]

Can I join too? My stats are as follows:

Me: 36
DH: 40
Married 10/01
TTC since 1/02
prescribed Clomid 50 mg 1/05 by obgyn then went to RE for fear of cyts
Clomid 50 mg 1/05
Clomid 50 mg 2/05 - pregnant
4/05- missed miscarriage w/ D&E (12 weeks)
6/05 Trying again! Clomid 50 mg
RE appt 7/1/05 17mm follicle on left side no trigger shot due to size

Currently on 200 mg of prometrium orally twice a day after ovulation

RE said to call for pregnant test on 7/19 if no AF

hoping for the best this month

[catJennifer]

Can I rejoin?? I followed everyone over from the WC. Should I relist all my info?

Jennifer

[Nigellas]

kemorr I'm on Prometrium too - 200 mg twice a day starting 2 days after LH surge. Very yucky business- I highly recomend panty liners.

[amygrrl]

just a drive by post... i can't decide if i'm having AF or not. it's 5 1/2 weeks since i delivered avery and about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks since i stopped bleeding and for the last 3 days i've been spotting... actually, sometimes a heavier than spotting but not quite enough to match up to the first few days of a full blown period... so now i'm wondering if this is my bodies first attempt at AF after avery and is just light b/c of this... or if it's still some residual bleeding from her delivery... i am hoping and praying it's AF b/c my biggest fear is that it will take months for my AF to come which may delay a new cycle in september.

[knoelani]

Wow this thread moves quickly...I feel like I've been away for awhile. I hope everyone had a good 4th. Hi to all the new members, sorry I'm not making individual shout outs to all of you and sorry you have to join, but I hope your stay is very short!

I'm going to attempt to do SOs:

Suzly~ Again, I am so so sorry you have had to go through this. Your Inlaws are a piece of work and I'd like to give them a swift kick in the you know what! The doctors you've been dealing with don't seem a whole lot better. Doesn't everyone get that this is NOT an easy normal run of the mill situation?

bunky~ I'm glad you and your DH had such a good RE appointment!

Karla~ I'm sorry you're dealing with the uncertaintity of what you're going to do going forward. I hope you don't mind me asking, but why have you decided not to do IVF?

tiger~ I hope that was it for you and that you did o!

freckles~ wow, AF at 8! Good luck to you during your meds break, you never know what might happen!

Scooter~ Sounds like you have a pretty good plan worked out and at least have an idea of where you're heading, if things don't work this cycle. I really hope this is it for you though! Good luck during the 2ww and yay for dh's swimmers!

jenny~ Good luck moving forward with this cycle.

amychris~ that's awesome on your retrieval and transfer! I hope all is well and that this is it for you!

bottleored~ Almost time for Hawaii :D I am so so envious! Have a great time. I think we all have the friends that don't think before they speak, I spent the weekend with one of mine.

ocgatita~ I can idenitfy with how you feel w/ DHs cousin's pregancy. I think Scooter said it best..."questionable parents". I feel that way about my best friend right now.

shouldaeloped~ Good luck moving forward with this cycle.

amygrrl~ I don't have any advice, but wanted to say I hope this is AF for you so that you can move forward with this cycle if you want to.

Wow, I think I got everyone.

As for me, CD 11, I'm now through the clomid haze that decends on me everytime I take it. I'm my coherent, feeling, non-moody self again thankfully. I go in tomorrow for my follie check and with any luck DH and I will be doing our first IUI this week. I'm nervous, excited, and a little cautious as well.

Hope everyone has a good week!

[karlatta]

knoelani - A lot of people ask us why we're not interested in doing IVF. There are many reasons. One is financial - IVF is very expensive and DH and I would be just as happy adopting a child as we would be conceiving a child through IVF. So if and when it comes to stopping the current treatments we're on, we will move to adoption. It is only slightly more expensive (after the tax credit for adoption) and is more of a "sure thing". However, that's not our main reason.

Our biggest reason for not doing IVF is that neither of us are comfortable with the idea of it. I don't think it's a *wrong* thing to do, by any means, but it's not something that I think I could handle emotionally. I know that I would think of each fertilized egg as one of my children, and it would break my heart that some wouldn't grow, some wouldn't be transferred, and some wouldn't implant. I fear that it would be just as difficult to go through as my miscarriage was, and I'm not up for going through that voluntarily. We are okay with things like IUI, which just control timing and sample and stuff, so we might do additional IUIs in the future, but I don't think we could handle the emotional aspects of IVF.

[ocgatita]

Welcome gigglescpa and catjennifer :)

Amygrrl - I am sorry but I am not sure what that spotting is :confused: but I do hope its your AF

knoelani - Good luck w/ your follie check & keep us updated on how the first IUI goes. Crossing fingers, arms, toes and legs for ya :)

As for me, I am still waiting to O. I am on CD17 and my Average O date is around CD22.....Hope everyone has a good week.

[paisleydays]

Hey ladies-

I have another prometrium question for y'all. I'm on Day 29 of my cycle. Usually my cycles are 27-28 days, but with the pro. they have been around 29/30 days. I have no idea what day I Oed on, since I listened to the nurse at the RE's office who said not to chart this month. :mad: Tested today, got a BFN. I'm wondering if I should stay on the Pro. until AF arrives or stop it to get moving on to the next cycle. What do you all think?

[Ole Miss Bride]

paisleydays, in my experience, Prometrium never delayed AF if she was on her way. Unless it's driving you absolutely bonkers, I'd probably keep taking it for a few more days.

-Betsy

[Freckles]

Well---I'm trying really hard to stay positive with a big fat negative test result! Still, no baby on the way. It really has a way of bringing me down. :(

paisleydays I would stay with the prometrium until AF arrives. Sorry about the BFP.

ocgatita Hope you O soon. Good luck this month!

karlatta My husband & I are on the same page as you in regards to IVF---at least as of right now. Who knows how our feelings may change down the line. We have been researching adoption as well, and I cannot believe how expensive it is & how difficult the red tape is in many instances.

knoelani Good luck with your first IUI. Hope it goes well this month.

amygrrl I hope it has proven to be AF. It must be so hard to be in that situation. :(

gigglescpa I hope this is your month!

shouldaelopedI'm glad AF showed for you & wish you all the luck in the world this cycle.

kemorrI take 300 mg of Progesterone{100 mg AM/200mg evening} orally 3dpo. I have never used the cream. I hope this is your cycle!

KopperI hope the IUI is the key for you. Best of luck to you & hubby too!

KaliLily You have a great attitude. I do ok on clomid, so I don't have any tricks to offer. I hope it is a short & comfortable process for you.

jennylou Glad you were cleared to try again, and that the timing was aligned with your cycle.

heidi0622 I hope it is your month! How are your temps?

[kemorr]

Thanks for all the Prometrium info girls. I'm going to ask my RE about starting it at 3 DPIUI rather than 7 dPIUI but I think even if he says no, I'm going to anyway. I don't see any reason NOT to and perhaps it will result in a BFP this month. I'm on my 3rd day of Clomid with US scheduled for the 18th. I just wish it would get here already!

[Scarlatav]

I have no idea what day I Oed on, since I listened to the nurse at the RE's office who said not to chart this month

My RE said the same thing, "throw away the thermometer". Don't stress so much. I don't see it as stressing but knowing what my body is doing.

But paisleydays my RE has me schedule an appt for a blood test 28 days after my period for a pregnancy test. I'm scheduled to go in on 7/19/05 for a blood test to confirm whether pregnant or not. If so then he will have me come in every other day to check HCG levels.

[amygrrl]

more bad news for us. avery's tissue sample that was sent off for genetic testing didn't grow cells so we will never know if genetic problems caused her death... we are still left with nothing more than a guess that it was the cord... but with out info on genetics, congenital problems, etc... it really is nothing more than a guess. we are really feeling beat up at this point ... first her death, then the hospital f$cks up and doesn't do the autopsy, then the hospital tries to bill us 35k for a vaginal birth w/no complications, and now we have no genetic results. we are still set to see the perinatologist on thursday, but without the genetics or autopsy, our OB admitted that there's not much even a peri could tell us... so where does that leave us? we don't know... on the one hand we want a baby so desperately... now more than ever... on the other hand the thought of going through 9 months of prenancy with no knowledge of whether or not our chances of lossing another baby in the 3rd trimester are 75% or 1% scares me to death and i honestly don't know if i have the strength for it... i think i may be having a nervous breakdown at this point. there is only so much a person can take at one time and i think i've hit the wall.

[Stephanie]

Amygirrl-I'm so sorry that you are going through so much! What a frustrating situation with the hospital. That's the last frustration that you should have right now! I'm also sorry to hear about the genetic results. I can understand how you would feel beat up.

I haven't been here for awhile, so I have to catch up on everyone. I just ovulated, but it is all so confusing. I had a temp jump on the day after my first +opk, but then two more +opk! What! If anyone cares to take a stab at it:
Day13- 97.1, -opk, ewcm
Day14- Didn't take temp, +opk, watery cm
Day15- 97.8, +opk, creamy cm
Day16- 97.7, +opk, dry
Day17- 97.7, -opk, dry
Day18- 98.0, creamy

I've never had a pre-o temp over 97.5, but who knows. I am using new opks (answer with 20 test strips) and I used them in the afternoon. Of course, I had been holding it since my fmu, about 8 or 9 hours. I'm a teacher with one hell of a bladder . ;) Timing would be awesome if I had ovulated on Day 14, but I'm afraid to think that I couldn't have if the opk was still positive. I arguing with myself about the temp spike though! And around and around I'll go for the next 10 days or so. Any idea if super concentrated urine would make a difference? Thanks!

[Suzlywoozly]

Amy- I'm so sorry to hear what is going on. :( I can't imagine not being able to have any answers now. I still can't believe that the hospital didn't do an autopsy. If you need to talk, send me an e-mail. I'm just a hop, skip and a jump on the other side of the bridge if you want to get together or just need someone to listen. Maybe we can talk Scooter into getting the three of us together! Lots of {{{{HUGS}}}}

[Nigellas]

OH, Amy- I'm so sorry - I can't imagine how har this must be for you. :(

[Kopper]

Amygrrl - I'm so sorry you are going through all of this. Hugs!

[knoelani]

Karla~ Thanks for answering. That's pretty close to how I feel about everything, I just haven't decided what I'm going to do about it.

amygrrl~ I am so sorry that you're having to go through / deal with all this crap on top of everything.

freckles~ sorry about the bfn, if AF hasn't showed up yet, it might not be over!

ocgatita~ thanks for the good luck thoughts, right back atch ya

stephanie~ I don't really have any advice on whether you o'd or not, but I would caution against Answer opks...my RE said that consumer reports rated them as one of the worst and she told me not to use them

I had my cd12 sonogram Monday and apparently I decided to be a slow or poor responder this cycle. I had two follies, both on the same side, at 10mm and then a bunch of little ones. I go back tomorrow for another check, let's hope they grew and that we can do the IUI on Saturday. Friday is horrible timing for us, DH has a 8:30 am tee time (work thing, not just pleasure) that will be hard to work around.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

[amychris03]

Wow- Im really far behind... Sorry for those that I have missed
over the past couple of days! I will reply to what I can remember!

paisleydays
I agree, I would stay on the Prometrium until AF shows.

amygrrl
I'm so sorry you are having to go through all of this. Ugh, the
uncertainty of what happened would drive me crazy as well. ((hugs))

Stephanie
Sorry, no idea about OPK's... I hope it all works out though!

knoelani
Hope those follies grow just enough to get you in for a Saturday IUI!

---
Well ladies, I couldn't hold out until Monday for my Beta, which would
be 18 dpo! I tested yesterday, at 13 dpo and got a BFP!! I know it
can't be the trigger because I got a negative on Sunday so Im really
hoping that this is it! I go in for a Beta today at 1 :) ! Of course I wont
relax until I see the levels consistently rising, and until I see that this
pregnancy is in the right place, but I am super excitied :D

[karlatta]

Congrats, Amy! I can't wait to hear your beta results!

knoelani - I hope the timing works out for you guys!

Stephanie - I hear you on the "teacher with a heck of a bladder thing" - last year my conference was at lunch, so I got ONE chance to potty all day long. It was terrible!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CD 14 right now. I definitely have follies. They're really kind of painful - kind of hurts to walk around and stuff. Happens with every Letrozole cycle, though, so I'm pleased that things seem to be working like they have in the past. I've also had EWCM and *almost* postive OPK's yesterday, so I'm hoping I'll O sometime in the next couple of days. Very pleased about this cycle so far!

[Hangin'in]

Congratulations Amy!

[Akire]

Oh wow! Congrats Amy!! Sending sticky vibes :D

[hub1176]

As a former member of the SAI thread on the WC I wanted to drop off some

****** BABY DUST**********

while it was still potent..... (DD is now 6w1d old so not sure how long the stuff lasts :D )

I wish everyone the best of luck in your journey.

[ocgatita]

Oh my goodness! CONGRATS Amy! Keep us posted on how your appointment goes! I am sooo sooo happy for you! Congrats again!

[heidi0622]

Congrats Amy! So excited for you!

Amygrrl, my heart just breaks for you that you have to go through all of this. Take care.

Hope all of the other SAIers are doing well.

~*~*~*~*

I am very nervous to be doing this as well, but I am announcing my BFP! I tested 2 days ago and got a faint +. I went to the drs. yesterday for a 14DPO blood test and my betas were 93. Right around average for 14DPO. I am still terrified to admit it is real after the long road we have been through to get here and my previous m/c, but for now everything looks as good as it can, so I am trying to enjoy the moment. :)

It took us 17 months, I have been doing acupuncture for the past 3 months and started 50mg of Clomid this month. I guessing the combination of both did the trick.

Thanks to everyone for their constant support.

[amygrrl]

Congrats, Amy!

---------------------------
<b>dr update</b>
went to see the peri today. overall, a good appointment. the big thing that came out of it was that we have really good instincts (and advice from all our IF friends on the internet!!) about what standard of care we should have. apparently, my ob called the peri last week and told him all the tests she had ordered for clotting and immunolgy. he was very impressed and said it was a very thorough list and exactly what he would have recommended. well, although i didn't mention it... SHE GOT THE LIST FROM ME. i made the list from talking to several of my IF friends here and on ivfconnections.com and insisted on having them done. the ob didn't even know what many of the tests were!!!

so basically, the peri said that without an autopsy and/or genetic info we just don't have an answer. the meconium in my fluid suggests that sudden hypoxia occured (ie suffication)... this could be from a blockage/ clotting in the placenta or cord, the cord wrapping around her neck or the cord kinking... but he said there really is no definitive answer. the cord was extremely helixed (coiled) which would be due to formation and there may be evidence cords can potentially have slightly more risk... but there are no studies to indicate a direct correlation b/t extreme helixing and cord accidents and there is no way to know if i will always have pregnancies with extremely helixed cords or if it was a one time thing. for now, we need to do all the b/w to rule out clotting and immunology.

overall, we feel good b/c he didn't mention at all that we shouldn't try again or even be worried about trying again. he did say our standard of care would be much different. i would be placed on a diabetic diet from day 1 and have to monitor my blood sugars 4-6 times a day from the beginning b/c my 1 hour glucose test i took about 10 days before losing avery was borderline. i can continue to take the heart meds i'm currently on and don't have to switch to a new drug. i will be monitored with weekly u/s through the REI clinic until about 9-10 weeks. from 10-20 weeks, i will have 3 or 4 more appointments (no extra u/s necessary b/c they can't tell much at that point anyway and i'll have the nuchal fold u/s and triple screen during that period). at 18-20 wks, i'll have the level 2 u/s and then have additional level 2 u/s's every 3-4 wks until the the baby comes. i'll also have non-stress tests and u/s to check cord blood flow every week from about 24 wks on. lastly, assuming the baby is healthy and the lungs are mature, we will deliver at 37-38 wks.

whew!!!!! so overall, it will mean a much more aggressive approach to care, but i'm very happy with that at this point.

[knoelani]

amychris~ CONGRATS! I hope you have a wonderful 9 months and beyond!

Karla~ I''m glad you're pleased with how this cycle is going, good luck to you!

Heidi~ CONGRATS to you too! That's awesome!

amygrrl~ Even though you didn't get a whole lot of answers it looks like you have a comprehensive plan of action going forward.

As for me, I'm confused! Went in today for my second follie check, one @ 16mm. My RE thinks that I'm still about 4 days away from my surge and 5 days away from ovulation. Why does every doctor say something different?? My regular dr said that I should o after the follie has reached 18-20mm so we always did the trigger shot right around that range. My RE says that ovulation occurs when the follie is around 24mm. So who's right?

As for timing, there's the other lovely conundrum...my RE thinks the earliest we could do the IUI is Monday...they're CLOSED monday, all of the three RE's in the clinic are going to an IVF seminar. So she's really hoping it's Tuesday, which is fine with me, because Wed. I'm on a plane and can't do it then. So that really leaves us one day, Tuesday, to do this thing. Figures that our first cycle of trying to do an IUI would be so screwed up!

What opk's do y'all recommend? Clinic recommends CBE, is the digital one good? What are the chances of the digital messing up?

[Freckles]

amygrrlI'm sorry for what you are going through, and I wish you would have been able to get more concrete answers, but it sounds as if your future care should be top-notch, so that's positive progress.

amychris & Heidi Congrats to you both! You must be so very excited. Have a happy & healthy nine months.

Scooter Hey! Thanks so much for welcoming me into this group, but I'm going to step out, as it's just not for me. I guess I am more comfortable sharing my situation with those in my inner circle if that makes sense? Thank you again. I wish all of you women all the luck in the world. *Babydust* to all!

[amychris03]

Quick Fly by post:

I just got a report back on the first beta, and I was so darned
excited I forgot the number. I *think* it was 146 14 days after
retrieval. I go back in tomorrow for a repeat beta!!! Im just
so excited! I wish Chris was home so I could share this with him!
He's on the ship so I had to send him an email :rolleyes: .

[jennylou]

Congrats, Amy! :D

[TravelGirl]

I'm not sure I belong here since we are TTC #2 so let me know.

Me - 34
DH - 34
Married - 7/01
Son - 8/03
TTC - 5/2004
Charting - 11/2004
IF issues - None that we know of.

My cycles range from 28 -38 days. I just bought a Fertility Monitor hoping that might help us determine when I O. The good news is at least I am. I have a doctor's appointment on 8/8 with my OB to start dealing with this. Not sure what to expect.

I feel frustrated and discouraged but after reading this thread I'm feeling VERY blessed I have my son and realize most of you have gone through so much more. We had always planned to have 3-4 children and we are starting to wonder if that will be possible. Which sounds really selfish since so many of you are just hoping to have 1. It took 5 cycles to get PG with our son and I keep thinking my body's done this before, why is it struggling so much this time?

Anyway, that's my story. Not sure this is the right thread for me but wasn't sure where else to go.

[KaliLily]

I'm not sure I belong here since we are TTC #2 so let me know.

We had always planned to have 3-4 children and we are starting to wonder if that will be possible. Which sounds really selfish since so many of you are just hoping to have 1. It took 5 cycles to get PG with our son and I keep thinking my body's done this before, why is it struggling so much this time?

Anyway, that's my story. Not sure this is the right thread for me but wasn't sure where else to go.

Welcome! In my opinion anyone TTCing and needing support belongs here. You are very blessed to have your son, but I can understand your desire for more children. While I hope to at least have one happy, healthy child, I'd love at least 2. And I figure there's nothing wrong with asking for what you want. :)

A friend of mine got PG very easily with her first. She wasn't really even trying, she was just getting her body ready to try, and the month after she went off BCP she was PG. However, a couple years later when she was ready to try for #2, she just couldn't seem to conceive. She was so surprised given how easily she conceived her son, but from what I learned from her it was not uncommon. With the help of Clomid, she did conceive her second child, another happy, healthy baby boy!

[karlatta]

Congrats, Heidi!

Amy - I'm glad you had a good experience at the peri's office. That must have been super-stressful!

knoelani - How did the timing for the IUI end up working out? I don't know which OPKs are the best, but I'm cheap and used Dollar Tree tests this cycle and they seemed to work well.

TravelGirl - Welcome! I think you belong. :D This thread is for anyone struggling to conceive, whether it's their first, second, or fifth child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for me, I am pretty sure that I O'ed on Thursday. I had a positive OPK on Wednesday, ovulation pains on Thursday (that went away by the time I woke up Friday), and a temp rise the last couple of days. So now I'm in the 2ww, taking Prometrium. I haven't decided what day I'll be testing, but sometime in the next week and a half or so.

[knoelani]

Congrats again, amy!

Welcome, TravelGirl, anyone who's looking for support belongs here.

Karla~ Yay on o'ing. Good luck during the 2ww!

Whoever said no news is good news was off their rocker. I think we're out of luck and the boat has shipped for doing an IUI this cycle. I still haven't seen a + opk, temps are still down, but I think based on all the twinges and pain, that I o'd today or will tomorrow at the latest. My RE's office instructions said to do the opk 1x a day inbetween 12-3 p.m. (real fun trying to do at work), and I think I missed the surge because I actually followed instructions and only tested during those times. I was supossed to go in on Wed for a sonogram and trigger shot if I hadn't seen a +opk, but that was before I knew I had to go out of town for the day for work. I'll give the RE a call tomorrow and see what they want to do. I have a feeling that we're out for this cycle though and we'll be looking at August for our 1st IUI. I'm disapointed, I was looking forward to moving on in our treatment.

[kemorr]

I'm in the same situation as you knoelani!! I was scheduled for my US and trigger shot today. Went in for the US, had one follice that was 23 and another one that was 14 and a bunch of smaller ones. However, my lining was only 6.5mm and they want it at least 8 mm. Since I didn't have an +OPK (I tested twice a day, with FMU and then at night), they said they wanted to wait a few more days to see if my lining gets thicker. I'm meant to go in for another US on Wednesday but I've had twinges and O pains all day since my appointment. Still no +OPK tonight tho!

I was using the CBE digital AND the CBE regular OPKs and I'm sure I didn't get a positive. My REs office had told me to test in the morning, but I was also testing at night. I'm bummed that i think this cycle is a bust for an IUI. Guess I'll have to wait and see what my temps do...

[ocgatita]

Kemorr & Knoelani - Sorry that you both may not be doing your IUI this cycle :( Hugs to you both....

Karlatta - Hope this cycle is it for you! I am in the 2WW as well but I am not sure I am even in the game this cycle since DH and I BD'd on the day before O :(

TravelGirl - Welcome! I hope you find your stay here short and sweet :D

amychris03 - Congrats again! Wishing you a H&H 9 months girl!

amygrrl - Glad you had a good appointment. Hope all is going good for you.


Hope I didn't miss anyone. Just wanted to stop by and check in on everyone's progress. I am in the 2WW but like I said above, I think I "may" be out this cycle. We'll see....

Take Care everyone and have a great week!

[TravelGirl]

Thanks Everyone!!!! I think my friends IRL are starting to get tired of my whining and I would love a few more shoulders to lean on. Not that they don't love me but a new topic of conversation would be welcome. One would think you can only obsess so much. Who knew?

We are in the middle of a move from London back to the US. That should really help our efforts to get PG. :rolleyes: If it doesn't kill our sex life for the next 2-3 weeks it should certainly confuse my reproductive cycle a little more. Yea! So, if I seem to disappear for a few days at a time, that's why. If my cycle goes the average 33 days (+/- about 5 days) I should O on 4 Aug. I'm attempting to use a Fertility Monitor this cycle to determine when I O (since charting doesn't seem to do the trick) but the drastic change in time zones mid-cycle may throw it off. We'll see.

Karlatta - Good luck in the 2WW. The waiting almost always kills me every cycle.

knoelani and kemorr- I'm so sorry you missed your chance this cycle. Hugs!

ocgatita - Hi!

[knoelani]

Hopefully quick flyby post...

kemorr that's funny in a strangely pathetic way that we're both at the same place, hopefully things will improve for both of us!

ocgatita~ hey, you're not out till the witch shows...from everything I know that's actually pretty good timing

TravelGirl~ Wow, you're going to be busy! Hopefully it doens't mess too much with your cycle!

Ok, I did another opk last night just for the hell of it and whatdya know, a + one. There is no mistaking it, I did both the digital and a regular CBE. This is after I talked to the RE, told them I hadn't had a + opk, and they wanted to schedule me in at 5:30 p.m. last night for a sono to see what was going on. I knew I wasn't going to get out of work in time, so we just scheduled for Thursday to see if I'd o'd. So they don't know I have a + opk, I'll be calling at some point this am. So I did another one this morning and it's still +, it was a digital one. Now, my RE office said that they schedule the IUI for the day after a + opk, which I guess would be today? Is tomorrow too late? I's actually leaving for the airport right now, I have to take a day trip for work, so there's no way we can do anything today. Stinking lousy timing!

Hi to everyone else, hope everyone's having a good week.

[kemorr]

Well, I went for my ultrasound this morning and they didn't think that I had ovulated, based on the sonogram, and I still hadn't seen a positive OPK, so they gave me the trigger shot and I'm scheduled for IUI tomorrow afternoon. My lining had thickened to 8.25 mm, so that's at least some good news. I'm still not 100% certain that I haven't ovulated, but I guess I just need to learn to trust my REs office. They're meant to be the experts, after all. Knoelani - sucks about the timing, I hope they can do it a little later for you.

[DallasLady]

Hi ladies, mind making room for a new member?

DallasLady
Me - Giovanna (25)
DH - Tony (39)
Married - 9/01
Charting - 11/2002
TTC - 1/2005
Issues - Low sperm concentration (11mil/ml) and low morphology (6% Kruger)

DH just got the results of his SA back. Everythign was normal excpet for concentratuon and morphology, which were both low. He is going in for a repeat test next friday. The doctor thinks we are good candidtates for IUI.

Do any of you have experience with IUI? I am not sure where to begin.

[karlatta]

Giovanna - Welcome! I'm sad to see another here, but glad that we can all offer each other support.

My DH and I have done two IUIs. They are easy-peasy. Basically, DH gives a sample, they process it, and about an hour later you go in for the procedure. It feels kind of like a PAP, with a little more pressure. They thread a catheter through your cervix (sounds worse than it is), then deposit the sperm in the uterus. I always have AF-like cramps when they put the sperm in. Afterwards, you lay on the table for about 10 minutes, then you're free to go. My RE always tells me to take it easy the day of the IUI. I still go to work and all, but I won't do things like run around outside with the dogs like I usually do.

I got pregnant with my first IUI, but we lost that baby (for reasons totally unrelated to the IUI). Our second wasn't successful, and after that we decided to take a break from IUIs.

[TravelGirl]

Hi Giovanna. I love that name. Not much going on here. Packing. Peeing on a fertiliy monitor stick. Ya know. The norm.

It was a strange day here on the whole though. Started off great. My son slept until 7:45 and my DH got up with him since he was in no rush to go to the office. I was able to sleep until 8:40. Heaven. My normal schedule is to go to the gym then do something with DS or run errands. Well, a friend of mine called and said let's go do something fun with our boys like go to a museum. Well, after that all hell broke lose. As soon as we left I realize I forgot to go to another friend's house to let her cleaning lady in (she's out of town.) Went to my friend's house with other friend in tow. Missed cleaning lady. Head to train station. Trains are packed and we have to wait for 2 trainns before we can get on with the strollers. Get on train and realize I left the keys to my friend's house in her door. Have to go back. Find keys but her door is open. House is fine. Leave, head to a park to let the boys play and they have the sprinkler system on the playscape. Ugh. Cleaning lady calls and said she can come clean the house so I have to run back and let her in. Finally get home to let my DS take his nap and my DH calls to tell me they think 3 more bombs have gone off in London and I should stay home. This afternoon we took it easy and stuck close to home.

I had cramps, a headache, and felt naseuas all afternoon. If I didn't know better, I would swear I was PG. Seriously. This is exactly how I was when I was PG with my son. Except, I just had AF. It was a weird one. Lots of spotting brown stuff (which I did last time too) but had 2 days of heavy flow that needed a tampon (sorry if TMI). Lots of clots this time which I haven't had in a LONG time. Weird. I had a headache last night too but wrote it off as stress to the move. Anyway... that was my day. Back to selling stuff on eBay and packing.

[jennylou]

Welcome giovanna, sorry that you have to be here, but I know that you'll find a great support network here.

We received the results of Andrew's autopsy today. They have officially classified his death as SIDS.

Anyone not ovulate on clomid? What did you do? At what point did you call the doc?

[Suzlywoozly]

jennylou- Wow, I don't know what to say... I bet it must have been really hard to get the autopsy report. I hope you are doing okay. There were a few cycles that I did not ovulate or respond to the clomid (meaning I didn't have any follicles). At those times, they increased the dosage of clomid by an additional 50mg. I hope that was the question you were asking... are they doing u/s to see if you are producing any follicles or are you producing them and the egg is not being released? If it is the second one, then I think they increase the amount of HCG trigger. I finally told the dr. I gave up on taking the clomid, because after 10 cycles on it I wasn't seeing any results. I hoped that answered the ? you were asking. If not, I'll shutup now ;)

I'm just waiting to go to the RE on Monday. I saw my OB yesterday for a pre-IVF pap. I feel like I live in that place! The thing I can't figure out is that the pathology report came back from my m/c and it said there was not evidence of pregnancy cells or fetal tissue :confused:. How the heck can that be? The dr. said that would mean it was ectopic but he had ruled that out with an u/s. I tild him I was still having the same pain on the left side and he told me to tell the RE so he can do an u/s. I guess he's just to lazy to do one himself or he's sick of looking at my crotch! :eek: Sorry... I'm just having a bit of a sarcastic moment! So, hopefully Monday will be here before I know it and we can get the ball rolling to start IVF. G*d I can't wait... I know sounds crazy!

Hope everyone else is doing well! Welcome to all the newcomers - Sorry you have to be here and I hope that your stay is short :)

[pocket]

OK -

This time we are really doing it :D please sign me up.

Me: Pocket, 33
DH: Pita, 30
Married: 8/23/03
TTC: Begin Clomid 50mg August
Issues: PCOS, Hypothyroid

[kemorr]

Hi Giovanna, my husband and I are doing IUIs due to some mild male factor as well, for us low forward progression and low morphology. As a PP said, the IUIs themselves are easy. I'm doing IUIs with Clomid and trigger, so it is a little more involved but not too bad. We just had our second IUI yesterday, so all crossables crossed!! I really really hope this one does the trick, but to be honest I do not feel confident about this cycle. I just have a niggling feeling that we missed the egg.

Is your doc going to do some testing on you before starting IUIs? I would recommend at least a HSG to make sure your tubes are open and day 3 bloodwork, because you don't want to have to go through the treatment if it isn't right for you. Goodluck!

[DallasLady]

Kemmor- Yes, he is going to do testing and bloodwork on me just to make sure I am ok before we begin. I am praying that I check out fine so that we only have one obstacle to overcome. I am so afraid of this having to go to IVF, I don't see how we'd ever afford that.

[Kopper]

Welcome Giovanna. Sorry you had to join us. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you since we just got DH's SA back and he has low morphology too. Next cycle I will start IUI.

jennylou - Sending HUGS your way.

---
I'm just stuck here in the 2WW. This cycle looks promissing so far and it's the first one in quite awhile where my hopes are really up. My post O temps are typically rocky and this cycle so far I haven't had any dips. Now if I can just make it to Tuesday or Wednesday before I test. Doubt it though!

[karlatta]

JennyLou - I wish I had answers for you. My doctor didn't tell me what to do if I didn't O on Letrozole either!

Pocket - Welcome. I hope your stay here isn't long.

Kopper - I'm right there with you in the 2ww. I'm trying to hold off testing as long as possible!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8dpo today. I'm going to test on Sunday. I know it's early, but I can deal with a BFN better than dealing with not testing. At least this cycle.

I've had all sorts of symptoms - sore bbs, tired, pulling/cramping feeling in my uterus-area, etc. I'm really positive about this cycle. I just hope I'm not setting myself up for huge disappointment if I'm not PG.

[kemorr]

Hi, I have a question about equate HPT. I have read on this board and other boards that Equates are the best and the most accurate. I read somewhere else, however, that Walmart has changed their Equates and now they detect 100 miu, rather than 25 miu. Apparently the way you can tell is that the new equates have a purple cap, versus a white cap. Also, on the box, it says accurate on the first day of a missed period, whereas most early HPT advertise 4 days before a missed period.

So, my question is.... Is the confidence in Equate tests only for the old tests and if so, where does one find a 25 miu Equate test?

Thanks!

[karlatta]

kemorr - I'm not sure where you can get the right Equate ones. But my Wal-Mart carries Answer Early, which detects 25 mIU. They're usually about 2/$7. (Make sure you get Answer Early, and not just Answer.)

[amygrrl]

over the last 2 days i have been having some good looking CM (if CM *could* ever be considered good looking!) so i decided to do some OPK's just for the heck of it to see if anything was going on. medium dark line yesterday, but today i've taken 2 and i'm getting the full on positive for the LH surge. so i guess i'm o'ing. it's so freaking amazing to me that i'm o'ing only 7 weeks after having avery. your body truly is amazing. it seems like after growing a baby for nearly 7 months and then giving birth it would take much longer for your body to get back into the swing of things... it's so weird how my head and heart are still reeling from what happened and my body is like 'no biggie. let's get on to the next baby'.... so we are bd'ing just in case a miracle baby in the works for us... but i'm not hopeful at all.

---------------
i don't have a lot of shout outs today. i'm reading all about each and every one of you... i just honestly feel pretty blank on what to say. like i've run out of steam. but i am hoping we can all get out of this thread asap! :)

[amygrrl]

so a bit of advice... don't go to a hospital for mental issues unless you are ABSOLUTELY ok with with being locked up against your will... so i have a history of panic attacks. i haven't had one in a year or more, but with the death of Avery i could feel that i was on the verge of one. i had a full blown one today when driving over bridge and just kept thinking i was gonna drive off the bridge. well dh and i decided i might need to speak with a pyschiatrist about going back on meds. we called our therapist and since it was the end of the day friday and we couldn't get in touch with my old psychiatrist, she suggested we head over to stanford hospital to get checked out and get an 'emergency' referral which would allow me to get an appointment with a psychiatrist on monday and thus get me on the meds sooner b/c she didn't want me freakin out or stressing myself out.

so we go and they immediately start acting like a freakin loonatic... including having a security guard watch me in the waiting area and having one posted outside my door in the exam room. then the dr comes and says the only way to get a quick referral and get the meds started immediately was to be admitted overnight (it was like 1 am in the morning) but that we could come and go as we please and would only have to stay overnight so we could see the other doc in the am...

well turns out they tried to admit me to the pysch ward and sign a doc that stated that while i was 'voluntarily' admitting myself, they could keep me there as long as they wanted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my husband just about flipped. he was freakin out as was i... especially when we saw the paperwork and said no... and then they told us I COULDN"T LEAVE and that they were putting me on 'lock down'!!!!!!! my husband raised hell and they finally agreed to release me... at 5 am this morning!

note to self... do not go to the ER to get anything psych related unless you really are about to kill yourself.

[Kopper]

amygrrl - OMG! You had a tough night. {{Hugs, hugs and more hugs!}}
That is crazy that they would do that. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I'm glad your husband was able to get you out. If you can try and get some rest today.

[karlatta]

Amy - What a crazy experience! You need to tell your therapist what happened so that he/she won't recommend the same thing to someone else!

ETA: Or so that she can better understand/explain the possibilities to others.

[catJennifer]

Wow, this thread has really grown. I'll have to gao back and get caught up. Here's an update for me.

June 2005: started Follistim (75), Dr. reduced to 50 and then my cycle was cancelled because I had 16 follicles (8 were mature).

This month, Dr. started at 50 and I have been on the shots for 12 days and I have only 2 follicles (10 and 12 as of yesterday). On Sunday, I start Cetrotide (to stop an early LH surge) and Ovidrel.

My questions:
Has anyone had multiple cycles with injectibles? How did you respond to different doses of meds?

I also started acupuncture on Wednesday. I'm going to a place that only does fertility work and I had to wait 6 weeks to get an appointment. I will now recieve acupuncture treatments every 10 days.

I'll be back to do SO's after I get caught up!

Jennifer

[Scooter]

Hi, I'm still here! I'm sorry I'm slow on the updates, I promise I'll have them done asap.

Welcome to all the new people, although I'm sorry you have to join. And welcome back again to Pocket.

Amy, I'm sorry that happened to you, that's definitely the risk! If they think you're having suicidal ideation, it qualitifes as a potential "danger to self", which means they do the lockdown thing. That kind of thought you had is really common when your hormones are all over the place after a baby--have you talked to your therapist or Dr about symtoms of PPD? People who've undergone IF (aka all of us) are at high risk for it. :(

---------
My harddrive crashed, it started clicking and died, so I haven't been online much. And now we're going on vacation for a week. I had a negative beta and stopped progesterone on Wednesday--still waiting for AF even though it's 17dpo. I'm a little sad, but wasn't really focused on needing results this cycle, so it was the easiest 2ww ever.

Had my "cd3" u/s today, since we won't be in town for the real cd3, and I have 6 little follies on each side and NO cysts. Femara was much better on the cyst front than clomid!! So we're on our last IUI cycle, with injectibles. I've got my bravelle, hCG, and my needles; I'm all ready! :D I'm looking at it as just a practice month for IVF.

[amygrrl]

hey scooter - yup... apparently they were that way with me b/c 3 weeks ago someone came in with apparent depression or something and then left and harmed themselves... in my naivity, i never thought to edit what was happening for fear of getting locked up! my therapist said no big deal so i didn't think it was... i'll admit i was weepy during the episode... in the beginning b/c i was trying NOT to take the meds and taking them may put off our IVF by a few months, something i DID NOT want. and then later i was weepy b/c i kept thinking 'what if these people are right... what if i really AM crazy and need to be locked up!'... and then towards the end i was weepy b/c they refused to let me leave. it's not PPD, but it's diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks. however, it HAS been triggered by the loss of our daughter, the screw up at the hospital and i'm sure all of the wacky hormone issues after you have a baby. i've had it since i was 19 or so and it comes on after a major life trauma..(dad dying, 9/11, etc.) ... needless to say, i learned 1 very important lesson... I'M NOT CRAZY! today we went i drove over the bridge twice where i had the panic attack yesterday... unmedicated. i just needed to do all the breathing and focusing stuff to keep the anxiety at bay...

of course now i'm freaking out that if we ever decide to adopt, it's going to somehow come up and that the hospital's records will indicate i'm suicidal or something! luckily, our therapist was really pissed about what happened, so if it does come up, i'm sure she'll explain to the social workers that i'm not at all nuts or suicidal.

catJennifer - how do you like the accupuncture? i was thinking of trying it over the next few months.

karlatta - i did and she was really angry at them! she said that had never happened before to any of her patients and that she often does it if she doesn't want the patient to have to wait for several weeks to get into a psychiatrist. apparently, i just happened in right after a patient commited suicide... and it probably didn't help that i have good insurance that would have paid for me to be locked up for a good long time.

Kopper - we slept really late... and yes, thank goodness for my husband! he was NOT about to have his wife locked up! good luck in your 2ww.

[amygrrl]

scooter - forgot to mention. let me know if you guys need another computer. we've got 2 fairly new ones sitting around the house not being used that i'm sure we could sell to you for really cheap! we were actually thinking about cleaning them out and donating them.

[knoelani]

DallasLady~ Welcome! I hope you don't have to hang out too long!

Jenny~ It must have been hard to get the report, I hope you and your dh are doing ok.

Kopper~ Good luck in the 2ww!

Karla~ Good luck to you too in your 2ww!

Amygrrl~ Isn't the body an amazing creature? Wow, it sounds like you had a rough night! I'm glad you got out of thee!

Scooter~ Have a GREAT vacation! Sorry about the - beta.

catJennifer~ You'll have to let me know how the acupuncture goes, I've been toying with the idea but been too chicken.

Kemorr~ Did you ever get to do the IUI?

As for me, I'm in the 2ww. I went in to the RE office on Thursday to check and see if I had o'd. I was supossed to go in Wed for a sonogram and possible IUI since up till Tuesday evening I hadn't gotten a + opk yet. Well Tuesday evening I finally got the + opk and also Wed morning, but I had to go out of town, so Thursday was the earliest I could get to the RE office. And of course, Thursday was too late. The sonogram showed that I had o'd, the RE just couldn't tell when. I keep feeling weird twinges on both sides, so I'm not sure what's going on. I don't feel pretty optimistic for this cycle. I'm really dissapointed that we didn't get to do the IUI and that I feel like we wasted money on all the sonograms. I guess there's always next cycle. I'm going back out of town tomorrow morning for the next week, so at least I'll stay busy!

[Kopper]

Well... I tested this morning b/c DH is going out of town this afternoon and I just couldn't wait any longer.... and it was BFP!! The line was light but it was there. :)

[amychris03]

Congrats Kooper !!! :)

I wanted to stop by quickly, drop of some fresh
~~Baby Dust~~ and let Scooter know
that my EDD is 3/22/06.
I noticed that you had a question mark on the
first page! I have my first ultrasound today and
I am suddenly very very nervous!

[amygrrl]

Kopper - yippee! here's to an easy 9 months and cherubic baby in the end!

knoelani - crossing my fingers for you!

karlatta - how's the 2ww going?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
as for me, today i have a baseline mammogram (i'm getting old)... my first one ever. then this afternoon we are meeting with the RE to pull together our plan. the agenda items are:
- Fresh cycle v. Frozen next time in October
- Blood test results for immunology/ clotting disorders
- Confirmation that she's on board with ICSI-ing everything next time
- Test to see what egg reserve is/ FSH
- Vaginal exam/ u/s since nothing was done since 2 weeks from delivery (I also want to confirm O'ing since I had a + OPK Saturday and Sunday. I just want to make sure my body is doing what I think it's doing)
- Discuss anything she'd do differently with the drug protocol
- DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acid suppliments (will get to this below)
- Extra folic acid?
- Getting insurance negotiated rates?

Ok... about the DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acid suppliments, because of the return of my panic disorder which both the psychiatrist and therapist say is likely hormonal due to PPD, i did a bit of research and learned that american women are WAY more likely to suffer from PPD than other women and there are studies that suggest it's because of a lack of DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acids b/c american women eat less fish that most other cultures. The concensus seems to be that DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acids are involved in the neural development of the fetus and that if you don't get enough the baby leeches it off the mom, making the mom really short on it and causing PPD. So I'm going to talk to the Dr. about this info and maybe start a new supplement and continue to use it through the next pregnancy. Here's a brief article about it...

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Helps Fetal Development, May Prevent Postpartum Depression
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may be able to reduce their chances of having postpartum depression and improve their baby's neurological development by consuming an essential fatty acid called DHA, claims David Kyle, Ph.D., the US director of the Mother and Child Foundation. DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is an omega-3 fatty acid found primarily in fish like tuna and salmon as well as in algae.

While speaking at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, Kyle noted that 15-20% of women in the US who give birth will have postpartum depression. "We believe that the high incidence of postpartum depression in the United States may be triggered by a low dietary intake of DHA," he said. According to Dr. Kyle, DHA levels consumed by American women are lower than elsewhere in the world.

Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the National Institutes of Health reported in a 1998 issue of Lancet that the higher the intake of DHA was, the lower the incidence of clinical depression. Dr. Hibbeln reported in a 2001 meeting of the American Psychological Association that higher levels of DHA in breast milk correlated with lower incidence of postpartum depression. A 1997 study done by Gerrard Hornstra, Ph.D., of Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that the placenta pumps DHA from the mother to the fetus, depleting the mother's supply and leaving her more susceptible to depression. Dr. Craig Jensen at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, conducted a study with nursing mothers -- half given 200-milligram DHA supplements and the other half given placebos -- that showed the DHA content in the milk of the women in the supplemented group was double that of the control group. The Baylor study followed the children for two and a half years. Toddlers whose mothers had received DHA supplementation tested significantly better on standard neurological motor function tests than the toddlers whose mothers had the placebo. So compelling is the evidence regarding DHA and infant health that the FDA has already approved the addition of DHA to infant formulas sold in the US. Early in 2002, two manufacturers announced plans to introduce a DHA-enhanced formula to the US market. The DHA approved for use is an oil derived from micro algae.

Kyle recommends that mothers who want to increase their own intake of DHA should take one of the dietary supplements widely available or increase their consumption of fish.

NOTE: if you are going to do this, several sources say to get a source which is made from algae and not fish oil, since fish oil can be impure and contain high levels of mercury. some articles suggest that there are prescription Pre-Natals with DHA from algae, so I'm going to talk to my doc to see if this is true.

[julesp313]

May I join? DH and I have been TTC since December 2004, which I know is not long in the grander scheme of things, but I'm nearly 34 and he's nearly 40 and I'm too impatient for my own good! I have no cycle issues (30 days average, Oing without fail for the last 22 cycles) and we have no known problems except obviously something is not working quite how it should be. I just had a full pre-natal panel done at the OBGYN, and my blood work came back normal for everything, plus my physical exam is also normal. So... next we get to do an SA for DH, which he's just thrilled about (yeah, right), and then go from there. Dr said they will probably put me on Clomid but I don't understand WHY when I'm Oing very regularly - any ideas?

Me: 33
DH: 38
Married: March 2003
Charting: September 2003
TTC: December 2004
Issues: None known

(And I must wave hi to Scooter and Jenny, both of whom I've had the pleasure of "knowing" from previous journals... )

[kemorr]

Knoelani - We did do the IUI and I am in the 2 week wait. I just don't feel confident about this cycle, if you KWIM. Even tho' my sonogram on Wednesday didn't seem to indicate that I had O'ed, I just have this strange gut feeling that the timing was all off. No sensible reason, just intuition I suppose.

Amy- my RE started me on pre-natals that are supplemented with DHA/omega fatty acids, due to the new studies that show that they're useful in the growing fetus. They also have 1 mg of folic acid in them. They're called Primacare One. They're really expensive tho, $25 for 30 capusles and that's WITH my insurance.

QOTD - How do you girls try to stop obsessing about TTC 24 hours a day? It seems like "will it work THIS cycle" is all I can think of these days. It's getting me down. What methods do you use to take your mind off of TTC?

[pocket]

The way I keep myself from going nuts is that I don’t temp. I just make every effort not to think about it. I know that I have a tendency to be obsessive, especially about something I care so much about. So I do all the things I used to do to get myself to stop thinking about a boy – no fantasizing about the baby, no buying of things for the baby, no thinking of myself as a person with a baby, no letters to the baby, no altering of schedules and patterns (to the extent possible) and no drunken phone calls to the baby or his friends. That last one is the easiest to keep. There will be plenty of time to be excited once I get pregnant. Right now my job is to treat this as a medical condition and not load it up with all sorts of things that don’t belong there. It’s complicated enough without me loading up my expectations and self-esteem and fantasies. The other thing is that at a certain point we will stop and put our energies towards adoption. Right now we have decided to reassess in December. If we don’t want to TTC anymore in December we will begin adoption proceedings in January. I have seen a lot of my friends and family go through this, and it can just rip you apart. As much as possible, Pita and I are trying not to take the whole thing too seriously. Of course we will be parents someday! For now, we are TTC. At some point we will stop TTC – either because I am pregnant or because we have decided that the odds are too low and our chances are better with adoption.

[amygrrl]

kemorr - you rock! i was just telling my doc about them and she hadn't heard of them so she wanted me to hunt down a brand name!

pocket - "no drunken phone calls to the baby or his friends" bwahahahahaha!!!

~~~~~~~

update on my appointment:
- Fresh cycle v. Frozen next time in October: She wanted to know why we didn't just go for the frozen since our 3 blasts are 'beautiful'. 1 is a 4AA (perfect on all 3 criteria so the best possible) and the 2 others are 4AB's which is the second best possible. Once we explained our logic, she got it. She just made us promise that even if she gave us twins this time that we'd come back and 'take our frozen babies home'. No worries there. I'll start the bcp's in september.
- Blood test results for immunology/ clotting disorders: Not all the results are in yet, but what we have so far is all clear which is a good sign
- Confirmation that she's on board with ICSI-ing everything next time: we decided we'll do all icsi if we have fewer than 10. If we get 10 or more, we'll do 1/2 and 1/2 again since when we put back avery and she stuck, we put back one natural and icsi and there's no way to tell which batch she came from.
- Test to see what egg reserve is/ FSH: we're doing day 3 blood work in a couple of weeks, along with rechecking my thyroid.
- Vaginal exam/ u/s : she said my uterus and lining look absolutely beautiful. i did actual just O... she said likely in the last 36 hours. (i'm glad i tested so we had the chance to bd like crazy since friday) and she said even though it's best to wait 3 months to go for ivf again for things to be optimum we should try on our own as much as possible in the interim since it seems everything looks so good.
- Discuss anything she'd do differently with the drug protocol: we'll likely go with the same protocal assuming all the day 3 labs come back the same which she anticipates. she may up one of the stims just a bit to increase the # of eggs, but we are still in the quality over quantity mindset and the 5 we fertilized last time were all either perfect or nearly perfect so we both agreed getting similar results would be great
- DHA/ Omega 3 fatty acid suppliments (will get to this below) - thanks to kemorr, this prescription will be called in tomorrow.
- Extra folic acid: also part of the new prenatal
- Getting insurance negotiated rates: we are checking into it to see what we can do here.

so we have a plan! i'm also going on a very low dosage of a drug to kill my panic attacks. i'll be on it for the 2 months then drop off it during the ivf cycle and that should kill any of my panic. over all, we are feeling good.

[jennylou]

Amy, it sounds like you have a good game plan. We'll all be crossing our fingers for you.

QOTD - How do you girls try to stop obsessing about TTC 24 hours a day? It seems like "will it work THIS cycle" is all I can think of these days. It's getting me down. What methods do you use to take your mind off of TTC?

Actually, I tend to think about things a lot, which has been really helpful to me, but I'm in a bit of a different situation I think. Thinking about future babies is usually what helps me sleep at night. I figure that's a better solution than sleeping pills.

[Suzlywoozly]

Cross post from the IVF thread
Somebody please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! Everything WAS going great at the appt. with the RE until we went over the details of my miscarriage and he asked why the dr. never checked my HCG levels after the last one was at 25. It's been over 3 weeks and I'm still bleeding and having the same pain on the left side. He said based on those things plus the path report showing no pregnancy cells, it sounds like it's a tubal pregnancy. So we did an u/s and my lining was super thick and my ovaries were HUGE and totally covered with big cysts. The RE was shocked at the size of my ovaries and said it's no wonder I am in so much pain. I repeated the HCG level today and he said to call back tomorrow for the result. If it is over 5, I need to call my OB asap and tell him to do a lap. This sucks... I really thought we were on our way to start IVF and this is just another set back :mad:.

On the good side of things, the RE talked us out of doing the shared risk program. He really thinks that planning on 1 fresh cycle and if needed 1 frozen cycle is all it is going to take to get pregnant. The cost is a lot less than the shared risk program and if those two cycles don't work we can always do the shared risk program later. I feel good about his advice and I think this is what we will do. So his game plan (before the u/s) is to wait till AF shows, come in for an u/s and start b/c pills. He wants to do cd3 b/w during this time and we will start the stims a few weeks later. He did say that the only way I can do the shared risk program is if I re-do the HSG, since it has 3 years since they did the dye test during my lap. I really don't want to have to do that. Now I don't exactly know what is going to happen since the results of the u/s and if the HCG is below 5. I wonder if the wait for the cysts to resolve themselves or what. I guess I need to ask the nurse that tomorrow.

[bottleored]

Aloha!!

We're back from a fabulous vacation in Hawaii and I'm so glad to catch up on 3 BFPs!!!. Congrats to amychris, heidi and kopper!!

I think I had a much delayed/unmedicated O over the weekend (CD32 or 33). Looking on the bright side of things, I was able to do whatever I wanted in Hawaii - bike down a volcano, hot tub, super slide, not to mention the mai tais! It also means that next cycle we (hopefully w/o cysts) can do another injectibles cycle.

We also had some good news/bad news while we were away. My friend had a bouncing baby boy. DH's friend and his wife lost their 21 week old baby due to incompetant cervix. Needless to say they are crushed and we are crushed for them. Please keep them in your prayers. All of my time on the WC and CC has given me lots of info on subjects like these and I thank all the ladies for their openness.

Welcome newbies travelgirl, dallaslady, pocket and julesp

[amygrrl]

today i was offered a new job. if it weren't for IF and our IVF in october, this would be a no brainer but now i'm not sure what to do... here are the pros and cons... any advice?

current job
- unbenefited contract set to end in 1 month. it COULD be extended again, but they have been extending me 6 weeks at a time so that's the farthest they would extend.
- decent money
- work from home 90% so complete flexibility with schedule and dr.'s appointments
- no insurance. i am on my husband's. we've used up our 10k limit on IF with avery so we will likely have to pay out of pocket for the round in october, however, we will still have all the meds covered as they are on a seperate plan
- work environment is tolerable. no really good friends there. but i work from home anyway so it doesn't matter. however, the company is not considered family friendly.

new job
- fully benefited 1 yr contract.
- increase in pay of 27%
- would have to be onsite 90% of the time with a commute time of 30-45 min each way.
- insurance offers $3500 in IF coverage (which is really a 7k benefit to us since we will get the insurance company's adjusted rates)
- manager is very familiar with IVF and what goes into it and understands dr's appointments and last minute scheduling etc.
- work closely with one of my best friends
- company is considered VERY family friendly.

on the one hand, i think i should just chill out in my current job and if it doesn't get extended so what b/c not working might make me more relaxed for IVF. on the other hand, maybe having nothing to do for a couple of months will just give me more time to mull over everything and become obsessed with it. working off site in a new job might give me a good distraction. i really want to keep stress to a minimum for this round of ivf. working at the new job would mean all of our money stress related to paying for IVF and paying for dh's MBA which he starts in the fall would go away. arrggg... what do you guys think?

[pocket]

Obviously it's hard to say without knowing you, but it seems like a no-brainer to me. Take the job. Things might change, they might not, but if you have the opportunity to work with friends for more money and bennies, I think that's a good thing.

[julesp313]

Can I ask for advice... how do you get your DH to be OK with doing his business in a cup???? Mine's being all whiny and wussy about it... I mean, it's not like I'm asking for the world, I just want a little sample to take to the lab. Honestly, I wanted to smack him upside the head this morning. He said, can't we just keep trying? I said, for how long? He said, dunno (typical male reply!). I told him, if there's something medically not right, we can try til the cows come home but it won't work. Argh! Sorry, slight frustration building here... :(

ETA: in reply to Amygrrl's question, I would also say take the job - just on "paper" it sounds like the better option. However, only you and your DH know if it would truly be a good choice, so hopefully you'll be able to make that call - tough decision with everything to consider...

[jennylou]

Jules, do you have to do the business at the lab or can you do it at home and take the sample in? Honestly, Sean wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he got used to it. I think mainly because I took the bull by the horns and asked him what day we were going to get it done. I didn't give him the option of not doing it. I guess the thing with him is that he knew we couldn't start clomid until we got the results back and he knew that I wouldn't ovulate on my own, so it was *the* next step. He had no choice.

[Hangin'in]

The first time DH had to do his business in a cup, it was at the Dr.s office... not very appealing. But he suffered through it, and whined alot. When it came time to do the IUI's, he got to do it at home, and take the sample in. He only whined about it for the first IUI... when I reminded him that I was the one taking the hormones, I was the one having those "wonderful" U/S's, I was the one having to get my blood drawn, I was the one having to give myself injections.... you get the point. He kind of got the message that if I am willing to do what I have to do without complaining... he could do this 1 thing.

[pocket]

Honestly – I forget who said this to me first but…at least the one and only test he has to take is fun. Is it fun to get your blood drawn every five minutes and have to take pills and shots and everything? No. Under the circumstances shooting off in a little cup is so not a big deal. Pita did it at home with some help – actually it was nice – and I took it in on my way to work.

[Baby Lust]

Honestly, Sean wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he got used to it. I think mainly because I took the bull by the horns and asked him what day we were going to get it done. I didn't give him the option of not doing it. I guess the thing with him is that he knew we couldn't start clomid until we got the results back and he knew that I wouldn't ovulate on my own, so it was *the* next step. He had no choice.
That is exactly how we did it too. We were waiting on him to get it done so he knew he had to do it. Obviously not bery thrilling or manly, but not as bad as he thought it was going to be. Good luck!

[julesp313]

Oh, you guys are so right! I told him - in a rather grumpy manner, admittedly - that if it turns out that we need assistance to get pregnant, the chances are fairly good that the only thing required of him will be to have an orgasm! Bloody men.

Jenny - we get to do it at home and I can drop it at the lab on my way to work (we have two hours to get it there - Vegas traffic isn't usually that bad!). The lab tech told me not to use lubricants as they can affect the sample, and I think this is what he's all pissy about - he said, and I quote, why don't you just rub sandpaper along my d**k? See, this is what I mean about whiny and wussy. ARGH! Smack him, smack him... I reminded him that I've already had blood drawn, which I detest, and had the doctor up to her elbow inside orifices that nobody else should really be rootin' around in... I mean, it seems men have it so easy!

Part of me thinks that he just is frightened about what may be involved with taking this to the next level and getting assistance. Another part of me thinks he's scared that his test results will be less than stellar and he'll blame himself - and think I'll blame him - for us not being pg. And I can understand his fears but it doesn't mean we shouldn't go ahead and find out more about what's going on. And I think it's hard because he just doesn't have the URGE like I do - he wants kids, sure, but it's not that primal "I want a baby" urge that I know a lot of women truly do experience.

Anyway... enough of me. I think we're going to try and get the sample to the lab tomorrow, if I can get him awake in time, and then we'll go from there. I have no clue what's next, if his test comes back normal - or if it doesn't. I guess we wait for the results and then I'll call my doctor and see what the next step is.

Thank goodness I finally got round to joining this thread - I feel so much better knowing that pretty much all the husbands weren't really cooperative at first. :)

[karlatta]

I don't have much time to do all of the SO's and congratulations, but I wanted to stop by with an update.

I'm 14dpo today. BFN. I'm pretty sure I'm out for this cycle. Now I just gotta wait for AF to show.

Question - I'm on Prometrium. Should I continue taking it until AF comes, or will taking it keep AF away? In the past, I've always stopped it after a negative blood test, when I was SURE I wasn't pregnant. I'm more wary of stopping it when I'm just taking HPTs.

Thanks!

[knoelani]

Quick fly by since I'm on vacation and on my way to the lake, but
CONGRATS kopper

[paisleydays]

Been away for a bit but so nice to see all the BFPs! Congrats to all of you! :D


Karlatta ~ I would keep up the prometrium. AF still arrives. Last cycle I kept up the prometrium and she showed up annoyingly a day or two late.

I'm trying to keep myself busy and not stalk the RE's office. We were supposed to get some lab results back today and they haven't called yet. Trying to keep patient for a little bit. No stalking til after lunch is my new motto.

[julesp313]

Nothing doing here - just riding out this cycle, waiting for AF. DH finally agreed, incredibly reluctantly, to do the SA the week after next. I'll be "on the wagon" with AF so abstaining is easier and I know I'll be at a client that is near the lab so dropping the sample off on my way to work is simple. Then August we'll basically take a break as I'll be out of town during the fertile time, but we agreed once the SA results are in, we'll both go meet with the doctor and see what our options are.

I'm so frustrated and impatient... must find a hobby. :)

[Kopper]

Thanks knoelani! I feel/felt kinda of weird being in this thread esp. since I got my BFP so soon after joining. We were going to start IUI next cycle so I thought it would be a great resource. I am reading along and hope all of you get your BFPs soon.

ETA... Scooter, my EDD is 4/6/2006 just incase you want to keep me on the list. Thanks!

[Scooter]

I'm back from a nice (and much needed) vacation, and updates are done! Please let me know if I messed up and forgot to make your changes.

First of all, a big congrats to Kopper, how exciting!! :D

And apologies to Heidi, for not moving you sooner. How neat, two SAIers (Heidi and Amy) with the same due date!

Welcome to Jules! So glad you came over, although I hate that you had to.

We've started my injectibles, and while I wish I could say they're easy, they've been painful. Not tooo bad or anything, though, so it's managable.



I've got a question for those of you who've done injectibles--I'm not sure if I should post it here or on the IVF thread. Have any of you had increased bleeding after starting the shots? :o We started them on cd5, and AF was only spotting that day. But cd6 there was more spotting and now today is cd7 and it's like a light AF again. I don't know why, I am wondering if it could be from the shots or if it's just a sign I need to go have a hysteroscopy to remove another polyp. :(

[catJennifer]

Scooter,
I've done two rounds of injectibles (Follistim). I started each cycle on CD3 and didn't have any bleeding. I did feel bloated and had bruising. :(
Good luck with the shots!! When do you go back to the Dr.?


So, I went for a scan last Monday and had 2 follicles (both 14), then I went on Wendesday and they both measured 10, so I ovulated sometime Monday or Tuesday. So, now I'm in the 2ww. :) I'm thrilled that I don't have to go to the Dr, for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!! I was beginning to feel as though the parking attendant at the office was beginning to recognize me because I was going every other day.

I went to my second acupuncture visit on Friday. It is very relaxing and I don't feel the needles at all.


Jennifer

[karlatta]

I have another Prometrium question. I'm still getting negative HPTs, but tomorrow will be 18dpo. My temps are still way up there. Has anyone had Prometrium lengthen their LP by this much? My normal LP is only 12-13 days.

[Nigellas]

karlatta - Prometrium had made my LP longer, but usually by like 3-4 days. high temps at 18 DPO is really promising! When did you test last?


I have a question about ovulating and follicles:
When you ovulate, how long does it take for the non-chosen follies to disappear? The reason I’m asking is because I was pretty sure I had Oed on Thursday (tons of EWCM and O-like pains) but when I had my US Friday morning she said she didn’t think I Oed because she saw small follies that she felt still needed to develop… I’m surprised that they would have diapered so quickly after I Oed… Anyone know anything about how that works? I’m just in disbelief that I didn’t really O on Thursday… (I’m kicking myself for not temping now!)

[Scooter]

catJennifer, thanks for the reply! Kinda confirms what I was thinking. I went to the Dr today, I'll write a little update in a sec. I'm starting to actually like the 2ww because it means no Dr visits! Glad you like the accupuncture, I've ended up really looking forward to it each week.

Karla, I haven't answered you because I have'nt been on prometrium. Are you taking it orally? I've only been on the progesterone suppositories, and those completely stop AF. I only get AF 2-4 days after I stop taking them. It's made me have a 19 or 20 day LP before (I forget exactly, but I know it was over 18dpo). Oral prometrium doesn't get as much of the progesterone in the uterus as the suppository form, so I'm not sure if it would have the same effect. HTH!

Nigellas, good question. I haven't had a post-O u/s, so I'm sorry I don't know the answer. Are you going to have 7dpo b/w done? That might give you some answers. :confused:


I had my follie check u/s today. I was getting worried that I was developing OHSS because I've been in a lot of pain. But apparently that's just normal with injectibles, since the u/s showed I have one follie at 15mm and one at like 10mm. :( I had a better response from clomid and letrozole! I'm on 1.5 amps, they said it was a really low dosage because I'm at high risk for OHSS. Apparently it's too low. The u/s also showed that I do have a polyp, which is why I was spotting so much until cd8. So between the follies and the polyp, I'm thinking our chances are pretty much nil this month. I hate to be so down on it, but I'm trying to be realistic.

I go back tomorrow for another follie check, and at that time they're writing me a prescription for BCP so I can start IVF, and scheduling a saline u/s. I almost started crying, that thing was so terrible last time I didn't want to ever go through it again. I'm going to request some prescription pain meds! I guess we're just going through the motions with this cycle, and then we'll be taking a month or 2 off to do the saline u/s and a hysteroscopy, and then doing the IVF protocol in Oct/Nov or in Nov/Dec.

[Baby Lust]

Oh Scooter! :( I'm so sorry! There comes a time when any setback becomes too much emotionally. You are such a strong individual and I truly admire you for that. {{{HUGS}}} I hope this u/s goes much better and produces the results you've been waiting for! Best of luck to you! Take care of yourself!

[karlatta]

Scooter - I'm taking the Prometrium vaginally. I wonder if that's why it's keeping AF away so long. I took my last one on Saturday, so hopefully AF will show soon.

Nigellas - I've tested every day from 10dpo until 17dpo. (Dollar Tree tests) All BFN, so I'm SURE I'm not pregnant. I'm just ready to get on with the next cycle.

[jennylou]

So, what's the latest consensus on clomid? I remember back when I was first researching it (over a year ago now) that most docs talked about using it for only six months. Is this a lifetime cap?

My sil was on clomid for well over a year and a half. If it's working (making you O) what's the concerns of being on it longterm?

[Scooter]

Amanda, thanks. :( I think we just need to move on to IVF, the IUIs are just not working for us. :(

Karla, any news on AF yet? If you're using the prometruim as suppositories, I bet that's why AF's so late. Sorry about your BFNs. :(

Jenny, I have no idea what the risks are. I was told the lifetime cap is 12 cycles, but who knows why. Of course, as far as I know letrozole has no cap, so you could always talk to your RE about that for the future. Are you starting clomid again tomorrow? It's only your 3rd cycle on it, total, right? I'm hoping for you!

[kemorr]

Well, I know it aint over until it's over, but this cycle is over for me. :( I had my IUI 12 days ago and I started light spotting today. This is how AF has started all the other 10 cycles that we've been trying, so I don't see why this cycle should be different. I'm meant to take a HPT on Thursday, which I probably will, but i already know the result. Moving onto injectibles next cycle, but I just haven't got any confidence that this is ever going to work. Bummin' right now.

[karlatta]

Scooter - Any better news from the follie check today?

jennylou - I don't remember why my RE said that Clomid could only be taken for a limited amount of time, but I know that one of the reasons he put me on Letrozole was because of that. Sorry I don't know more!

kemorr - Sorry you're feeling so bummed. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19dpo today. Still no AF. I stopped the Prometrium - took the last one on Saturday. I talked to my nurse today, and she said if AF doesn't show by next Tuesday (26dpo), to come in for an u/s. She feels that either 1) the Prometrium is doing weird things, or 2) my lining is really thin. I seem to have suddenly developed lining problems, so she thinks that is the most likely culprit.

I'm just really anxious to get this cycle over with. And, of course, I'm still having dreams that I'll wake up and find out that I really am pregnant and all of the HPTs have just been wrong. :rolleyes:

[Scooter]

kemorr, I'm sorry you're feeling so down, and for the spotting. You never know, it may be implantation spotting...but I understand the feelings of frustration and hopelessness. :( Good luck.

Karla, I took my last prog supp on a Wednesday and didn't get AF until Sunday morning--a full 4 days later. Hopefully it's a similar situation for you. It's funny that you're still having lining issues with the letrozole. That's usually more of a clomid problem! I've got to say, though, that on letrozole it was only a few mm more than my clomid measurements, and on injectibles (which I know you're not going to be doing) the measurement was 14mm. Big difference. Do you know yet if you're going to do another letrozole cycle? You could always ask the RE about an estrogen supp, if you are concerned about the lining. Especially if these are your last treatment cycles, I'm sure you want to give it a good go.

Thanks for asking about my appt. It went slightly better, one follie at 15.7mm and one at 14. Negative LH test (luckily). I'm going to continue the injections and the OPKs. If I don't get a +OPK then I'll trigger Thursday night and have the IUI Sat. morning--and I should have one at about 18mm and one at 20 by then. Two follies makes me feel some slight hope, compared to one.

[karlatta]

Scooter - I hope you're right and it just takes a few days longer. I don't think the Letrozole is causing lining problems. I'm just randomly having them. I had a super thin lining one cycle where I hadn't been on any drugs or anything. Which is strange, because for months, I always had great lining, more than thick enough.

We decided we're going to do Letrozole for a while. Maybe six cycles or something, if the RE will let us do it that long.

I'm so hopeful for your follies! Two would be great!

[jennylou]

karla - I hope AF starts soon. How frustrating to have to wait so long.

scooter - Hope you get a chance at two follies this month!

kemor - sorry about the spotting.

CD 3 here. Will start clomid on Friday...cycle 2.

[ocgatita]

JennyLou: Good luck, hope this second clomid cycle is it for you!

Karlatta: sounds like you guys have a good plan in order. Hope your next cycle brings you a BFP.

Scooter: 2 follies sounds good! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Kemorr: So sorry about the spotting :( Its so hard to keep hope. I don't even know what to say....hoping the spotting ends up being implantation spotting.
_________________________________________

CD9 for me. Justing waiting to O......Still haven't gotten around to making my appointment w/ the RE. I have been feeling pretty down lately, not just because of TTC but other stressors that have come up. Hope everyone else is doing much better than I am.

[karlatta]

Thanks, Jennylou.

ocgatita - I'm sorry to hear that you're a little blue. I hope you O soon!

GOOD NEWS! AF finally started. After a 20 day LP. My goodness! I'm going to try to get in the RE for a baseline u/s so that I can start Letrozole on Saturday.

Finally, we can get this show on the road!

[Baby Lust]

Kemorr, I agree with the other girls. Hopefully your body isn't that predictable. :) {{{HUGS}}}

Scooter, Yay for 2 follies and -LH! I will never lose hope so if you start to, let me know and I will send some your way! :)

Jenny, Good luck with round 2!

[julesp313]

A lot of things being discussed in here that I don't understand, but I'm sure as I read more, I'll learn.

Scooter - thanks for the welcome. I know this is one of those threads that you hope to not need but are truly thankful for everyone in it when you DO need it. :)

I have another question (well, I have many but I'll stick to one for now). After DH's SA results, what is the most likely next step for us? I assume it depends on the results, but if you have experience with either results (good or bad), if you don't mind sharing what happened next, I'd be grateful. I assume we go back to the dr and I read somewhere about blood tests on me (CD3 and something DPO for hormone levels?) but I'm pretty clueless about what various options are out there. Thanks in advance for any info!

And good luck and lots of hope to everyone (and Jenny, I'll be chart stalking you!). :)

[Scooter]

Thankto everyone for the positive thoughts, I didn't get a +OPK yet! That means I got in two extra shots, and will be triggering my TWO follies tonight. :D It's so great to post some positive news every now and again. ;)

Jenny, Maybe I'm crazy (please just let me know), but I thought you weren't sure if you wanted to do the clomid this cycle, because of the timing if you did get pg? Am I remembering wrong?

oc, I'm so sorry you're having a rough time right now. :( IF is so tought because as if it's not hard enough by itself, all the regular problems from life pile up on top of it. (((hugs)))

Karla, that's great news, lots of luck this cycle!!

Jules, the first steps are usually SA, cd3 bloodwork (check FSH and estradial levels, helps in diagnosing PCOS and egg quality/reserve. they may also check prolactin levels), and 7dpo bloodwork (check prog level). The 7dpo test may be repeated, since the levels vary each month. Usually the next step (or same cycle as the bloodwork) they do the HSG. Once you have results from all 4 tests, the ob/gyn or RE can sit down with you & give you a diagnosis and treatment plan.

[jennylou]

Scooter - that was the original plan. I asked S if he wanted to wait this cycle or take the clomid and he prefers to keep trying. We've talked about it and irregardless of where I might be in a future pregnancy, it will still bring about thoughts of Andrew.

jules - first, best case scenario, the SA results are good. I think the OB would want to start day 3 testing and 7dpo testing. Once she has those test results, she can decide what to do from there. If everything with those tests look good, she'd probably want to have you have an HSG. Those results combined with the blood test results would determine what happens next. If the SA results aren't good, you may be referred to an RE right away. Depending upon how poor they are, they might just want to start IUI. If they did that you'd be on some sort of drug protocol to help in pinpointing O for them. If they were really bad, they might recommend your dh has a surgery done, starts with a V and I can't remember what it is????? I think a varicocele. Anyways, that surgery isn't a guarantee of anything, but in some men it can help correct the problem. My bil and sil finally got pregnant after two years of trying the cycle after bil had this done. They probably could have gotten pregnant earlier if they had just done IUI, but who's to really say?

[kemorr]

Hey girls, thanks for all the condolences and hugs. I'm feeling a little better this afternoon, despite the BFN this morning on the HPT. I am just waiting for AF to start (stuck with spot right now) and then I can start my first cycle of injectibles. A new protocol, new hope, right? I'm going to be using the Gonal-F pen. Anyone here used it? It looks pretty simple. The only part of the cycle I'm dreading is the bloodwork (the phlebotomist at my REs office is nurse Ratchett. I've never had a problem having blood taken until her... she stabs around like she has a blindfold on. I'm still bruised from my 7 DPO prog level!). After my first IUI BFN I had a really negative attitude for the second round IUI. I've decided I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude this cycle, even if it means a bigger let down (potentially) at the end. I'm also going to look into starting accupuncture as I've read that helps a lot of people. Good luck to everyone else starting a new cycle or in the 2ww! :p

Threadmistress can you update my stats to 7/2005 Clomid, HCG trigger and IUI - BFN and also my age to 29 :eek:

[karlatta]

Comment on this:

I've decided I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude this cycle, even if it means a bigger let down (potentially) at the end.

After our miscarriage in January, I decided to try to maintain a positive attitude about all things TTC. I still have down days, but I've made an effort to be excited and very hopefuly about everything. My thoughts were that it would be worth it to be positive, even if it meant a bigger letdown. But you know what? The letdowns haven't been that bad. I think that being positive 27 days of the month really helps me stay positive when I get that BFN or when AF comes. It's definitely the strategy I recommend! :D

[julesp313]

Thanks, Scooter and Jenny, for that info. I wanted to know what might be next and I wanted to share with DH so he knows that his little test (that he is STILL agonizing over) is nothing compared to what I may have to go through (yes, will lay the guilt on thick there!). I detest having blood drawn so if he knows that I will most likely have to have it done twice in one month and then possibly the HSG (that's the one where they force dye through your insides and ultrasound the results?), he might be a bit more willing to cooperate with his test. I'm still hoping we'll be able to get that done next week and then I can call the dr once the lab submits the results and get an appt set up. Just don't want to spend weeks waiting around for an appt or to get on with things!

Scooter - triggering two follies - does that mean you have to give yourself a shot? I guess if I'm going to be dealing with TTC issues, I need to get over this psychological fear of needles, huh? :) Good luck!

[jennylou]

Scooter - triggering two follies - does that mean you have to give yourself a shot? I guess if I'm going to be dealing with TTC issues, I need to get over this psychological fear of needles, huh? :) Good luck!

Yeah, I still don't like needles, but they are a necessary evil. It's not uncommon to have 7 dpo blood draws every month. I don't know how I would do giving myself shots though...

The HSG is the dye test. It's uncomfortable at best and downright painful for others, from my reading.

[Scooter]

Jenny, ah, that was the missing bit of info. I didn't catch that you two had definitely decided to try this month. I think you're right, though, no matter when you get pg, when yo're going through it and giving birth and those first few days...there are going to be comparisons. :(

Karla, I'm impressed! I can't do the huge rollercoaster anymore, but part of not feeling tooo down is also not feeling too up, for me anyway. There's always hope, though.

Jules, definitely lay on the guilt. ;) My DH wouldn't do the test until I told him there was a due date and he had to have it done by "next Friday." Then he was all stressed out about getting it done that week--but after what we go through I honestly didn't feel bad about it. That's a little evil, I know! And yes, this month we're administering the trigger at home. We stopped doing pills this month, we're doing injectibles. That means from cd5 through last night cd11 every night I mixed up these vials of medication and DH injected them into my stomach. IVF will be worse because you do even more of them, and everyday inthe 2ww your DH has to give you an intramuscular shot (BIG needle) of progesterone in the hip. :eek:

I think you're getting two tests mixed up. There is the HSG (hysterosalpingogram). You get the dye intoyour uterus & tubes, and they take some x-rays of it. So it's actually got to be done in a radiology lab. Then there's the saline-infused sonogram (SIS) or sonohysterogram (SHG). Those last two are the same test, I don't know why they call them both the SIS and the SHG. Anyway, for that one you're able to be on a regular gyn table (not the stupid xray table). This time you get saline injected into your uterus and tubes, and they do a sonogram of it. Both can unblock any material that may be in there, and can identify problems like scar tissue or irregular shaping. The SIS has the advantage of getting a more 3D view, so they can diagnose fibroids and polyps etc better.

[jrsygirl]

Hi everyone. I'm just joining in now. It took me a while to find the group threads over here.

I had a mc (blighted ovum) in Dec 2004. We've been actively TTC since and seeing an RE since the MC. He wanted us to try naturally a few cycles. It was hard though because my hsband and I both travel a lot for work.

Anyway, I just completed my first round of injectibles with Follistim and trigered last night with two shots of Ovidrel. After 9 days of injections and blood tests I feel like a human pin cushion. We are actually doing the IUI in the morning so I'm pretty nervous.