TTC at 35+: Age Is Just a Number!

[stars]

So AWESOME ... thanks for posting those pics!

[margiepgh]

Congratulations Bella and Family! - I am so happy for you. :) (and thanks for posting the photos IrisHope

Melissa - That's very sweet of you to offer to lend me the fertility monitor. I'll PM you.:)

-------
Yesterday I had my HSG, so I've completed my diagnositic testing. The HSG really wasn't too bad at all. I was a little concerned because I've heard so many horror stories. The resident said everything looked clear, but she still had to review the films with the attending radiologist. My DH still has to get a SA. He's starting to make me mad with his procrastination.

I got a call from the nurse on my bloodwork last week. Apparently, my thyroid levels were a little low, so I had to have the testing redone yesterday. So I guess depending on the results, I may be taking thyroid medicine. If so, I'm hoping it will give me a little more energy and help me lose that extra 15 pounds I've been carrying around.

[melissafromnc]

Yay for the awesome pics of bella and babe! Congrats again. You look sooooo happy.

margie Hypothyroidism is a chronic disease that goes undiagnosed quite frequently. I've been taking Armour for my mild case of hypothyroidism for several months and feel sooooo much better. There's great information at thyroid.about.com (http://thyroid.about.com). Do you know your levels? Appropriate levels were recently lowered from 5 to 3 (anything above is considered hypo) but most Endrocrinologists (not REs the real Es) believe that your tsh should be between 1-2 for ttc. Mine is now down to 2.18 from 3.15 but we're trying to get it down a little bit more. It makes a huuuuuuge difference in how I feel in general.

[tsmom]

a HUGE congrats to Bella and her family!!! Iris thanks for posting - I am so happy for them!

Melissa - thanks for the tip on the sink accessories -that should be a few of my xmas gifts - We had our knobs and pulls installed today - almost done!!

Kimmie - nice to hear that you have not gained -- I have been doing enough of that for both of us! I have started snoring now from the extra weight and lack of room around my lungs --- awww sweet revenge on dh - it is driving him nuts!

Hope the rest of you are well!

[ellybelle]

Congrats to Bella and her new addition to the family!!

I think I need to get some O predictor sticks (gah, I can't even remember what they're called anymore). I'll probably just check CM for awhile and test when things look promising, because I just can't get back into the temping groove. Any recommendations on where to get them cheaply?

[rene']

Hello all, I just wanted to post a quick update. I lost my baby this past week. I was 10 weeks. Although I don't know at this point if we will try again, we are going to see if we can find out what's happened since this is my 3rd m/c. I really thought this one was it since we saw the heartbeat, my levels were great and I was that far along.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone.

Congratulations Bella.

[melissafromnc]

rene' I'm so sorry for your loss. Does your doc want to do some testing to see what might be behind this? Thinking of you.

tsmom So which accessories are you going for? I just got my sink this week and can't wait to get it in.

elly Instead of opks you might think about getting a fertility monitor off ebay or craigslist. I found it much easier to use than opks and not really more expensive because you can always resell it. Just a thought.

I've got a bunch of books to give away if anyone wants them. I can post a list later but mostly just general books for ttc over 35 and infertility books. Pretty much everything except Infertility for Dummies because that was written by one of my favorite nurses at the Cooper Center and one of my fav posters over on the high fsh boards.

[pixielou]

rene i'm sorry to hear about your loss. i think we were due around the same time. mmc really sux. not much more to say about that. it's one of those things that just does NOT get easier with experience.

at 10 weeks, i'm assuming you are doing a d&c. in which case, they should be able to run genetic testing on the fetal remains. i've had this done a few times, and it has always come back as a trisomy.

we're thinking of you. hugs.

~pixie

[rene']

Pixie ~ Actually, I won't be having a d&c. I got rid of everything naturally. However, I think one of the reasons I'm having such a hard time getting over this is because the doctor said that if I do start passing stuff, to try and save the tissue. So, I did. I actually saved the baby (little arms, fingers, little legs, toes, ribs) and took it back to my doctor for testing. Seeing the little baby has really made this tough for me. I'm hoping they can find something out.

melissafromnc ~ Thanks, yes, this is my 3rd m/c. So, I want to see if we can find out what's going on and my dr. agrees.

[Jill1228]

Can another old lady join?????

Me: Jill (38)--will be 39 next month
DH: DH (46)
Stepson named Justin born 4/15/90 (DH has custody)
We got married 12/11/01
Stopped taking the pill this past July. Not TTC but not preventing it either

Nope, won't be heartbroken at all if I get a BFP! :D

[mobox]

Rene, I'm so sorry to hear you news. YOu are in my prayers.

[melissafromnc]

AphiJill--Welcome!! Are you a Renthead? I'm a total renthead and just counting down the minutes until the movie.

margie--got your pm and I'll ship off to you as soon as I can make it to the post office. It'll probably be tomorrow or Friday. I'll include my latest box of sticks and fwiw you can get those fairly cheap on ebay.

I know Liana hasn't been here much lately. For those of you that don't know, she lost her mother last week. She's home now and preparing to leave for Cape Town on Saturday. I'm sure she'd appreciate any and all good wishes as she approaches this next (and hopefully last) cycle.

[jesseybell]

Rene I am so so sorry about your loss.

Right now I am in my second 2WW and hoping I get to cancel my December 2nd HSG. If I don't, then I am actually excited/anxious for it to happen to find out the results.

[rene']

Thanks mobox and jesseybell. Things are starting to get a little better, I'm not crying every day. Unless, of course, someone tries to talk to me about it. I went in for blood tests this morning and probably won't get those results for a couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see if they find anything.

[pixielou]

aphijill welcome. and may you get that bfp!

rene reading your post sent chills up my spine. and not the good type. what an awful thing to experience. i myself went a tad loony when i passed a few unusual clots, which then led to my emergency d&e. so i can't imagine what you went thru.

do you know if they were able to run any testing on the baby? i think it takes about 2 weeks to get any results. it also takes about 2 weeks to get the results back from all of the bloodwork.

it's a tough decision trying decide how to move forward. i myself am trying to figure that out now.

if you want to chat at all - with another mmc survivor - feel free to pm me.

(sorry my response is so late. for some reason i don't get e-mail notifications for all my threads - i think it's because i don't use the autologon feature.)

[stars]

teendoc I just read Melissa's post and wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you.

rene I'm so sorry to hear your news, hang in there and be good to yourself.

Well ladies, I'm officially off of the pill WOO HOO. The endo. had suggested I go on it after having Dylan in hopes that it would save what eggs I have left. We will now take that "wait and see" approach until I get fed up and make my way back to Dr. Check, so I guess I can officially be added back to this thread.

So happy to be back with you ladies :)

Me: 39
DH: 34
Diagnosis: High FSH and the boyz have Motility issues
IUI #1 with low stims: Success, DS born 7/14/04
TTC: Officially off pill 11/05 and waiting to see what happens

Let me know what else you need from me.

[ellybelle]

So sorry to hear about your loss, rene. I hope you get some answers soon.

Liana, Sorry to hear about your mom.

[rene']

pixie ~ The doctor is still waiting on test results from the baby. She didn't know if they would be able to get anything since it died at around 8 weeks and I passed it around 10 weeks. Had you heard that? She did say it would take around 3 weeks to get any results. I will be calling them back around the end of the weeks after Thanksgiving to see if they've gotten any test results back. I'm almost hoping that they find something wrong with me to explain why this happened.:( Thank you so much for your support and kind words.

ellybelleand stars ~ Thank you so much.

I just am glad I have some people to talk to this about. I just don't feel that other people IRL can understand what I'm going through. And I don't want to give anyone all the gory details of what happened. Thank you all for giving me someone to talk to.

[mobox]

Well, girls, back to square one for me. Started AF today. :( But I am really proving what my charting was telling me with the OPKs. That my LP is much shorter than it should be.

Cycle one (charting only): O-CD19 AF-CD29 (10 days)
Cycle two (OPK): O-CD24 AF-CD36 (12 days)
Cycle three (OPK): O-CD22 AF-CD33 (11 days)

Anyone else experience this and if so, what did your GYN do for you?

[Jill1228]

Thanks for the welcome and yeah I love RENT!

Rene' I am sorry for your loss :(

[ellybelle]

mobox An 11 or 12 day LP is long enough for pregnancy, as long as there's not spotting and/or a temp dip before CD. It's the 10 day and less LPs that are more of a problem, or those with spotting during the LP.

My LPs were around 11 days long when I conceived my DD. ;)

[margiepgh]

Rene - I was so sorry to read about your loss. :( I hope you can get some answers from the testing. Please take care of yourself.

Aphijill, Stars - I've added you both to the roster.

Melissa - Thanks for loaning me the fertility monitor. :) I look forward to receiving the package.

--------

I've been MIA for the past week or so because we travelled to Phoenix for a wedding and made it into a vacation. It was a pretty nice trip overall, except for a few meltdowns by my toddler.:o

The RE's office called me last week about the results of my thyroid testing. They referred me to an endocrinolgist because the levels from the second test were also out of the normal range. So I have an appointment tomorrow with the endocrinologist. Thanks for all of the info on hypothyroidism Melissa. I don't know my TSH levels, but will try to get them from the doctor tomorrow.

[stars]

Just popping in to wish all of you a...

Happy Thanksgiving

[Bellefior]

I know I subscribed but didn't official post my stats, so here they are:

Bellefior
Me: 36
DH: 36
TTC since 5/05

No medical issues that I know of, but we've already been trying for 6 cycles, so if it doesn't happen by the spring (when my next OB/GYN visit is), I'm going to ask the doctor to follow up with it.

[margiepgh]

I just got back from my appointment with the endocrinologist. I was quite suprised to learn that I have hyperthyroidism instead of hypothyroidism. My TSH levels were less than 0.05, and normal is greater than .5. The endocrinologist had them draw about 5 vials of blood for various tests and based on the results I may need some sort of radiology test for further diagnosis. He thinks it is either due to Graves disease or thyroiditis. The endocronolgist is going to call me on Monday with the results of the testing. The treatment is going to be a bit tricky if I get pregnant. The preferred treatment involves radiation and requires avoiding pregnancy for 6 months. Because of my age, 6 months is an enternity when TTC so that may not be the best option for me.

I haven't reviewed the other blood work/testing with the RE yet, but when looking at my lab results with the endocrinologist I noticed that my FSH level was 10. From what I have read, that level is probably on the borderline of normal.

[melissafromnc]

I wanted to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm off to the post office to mail a package to margie as long as I can get there in time. I'll also look for info on hyperthyroidism in my books and see if there's some good info for ya.

I don't know if anyone besides me lurks over in the Pregnancy after Infertility (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=5573&page=21) thread but our own kimmiebride could really use support right now.

[Fireside Girl]

Kimmie lost the baby on Thanksgiving. I'm sure any support you could give her she would appreciate.

[jesseybell]

There aren't enough words to express how sorry I am kimmibride.

I am also here to announce that my HSG on Friday is going to have to be cancelled because I got a BFP on Friday!!
While I am very excited, I know this is potentially just the beginning. My mom had 6 miscarriages. I have issues that could increase my risk of eptopic pregnancy or an incompetent cervix, so I will be monitored very carefully.

[Jill1228]

My thoughts are with Kimmiebride

Jessie congrats!!!!!!

[Fireside Girl]

Jessie,
Congratulations!

APhiJill,
Welcome to the thread. I just saw rent today so finally get the reference.

[Applebee]

Kimmie, I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jessey, congrats.

[ellybelle]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Kimmie. :(

[Kimmiebride]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your notes and PM's... it means the world to us. We are holding up pretty well, despite our return to the ER at 5 AM today. I now think that my body is finally ready to heal.

It gave me great joy that life is as it should be, and goes on... Jessey, seeing the news of your pregnancy makes me so happy. I wish you the very best, and send my love to all my ladies over here. We have been through so much together.
Full of hope that we will all receive the blessings we pray for,
Kimmie

[LeighW]

Kimmie,
I am so, so sorry. Sending you and your DH lots of hugs and prayers and good thoughts.

Jessie,
Congratulations!

Margie,
I'm sorry about the possible delay in TTC-ing, but glad they have identified a problem that is treatable.

Always the bitter with the sweet.

Sorry I've been such a bad buddy. I'm in a terrible TTC-funk. I've been reading along and rooting for everyone, just don't have much to say.

My CD3 bloodwork was all within normal limits, and I have an HSG tomorrow.
So, maybe we'll get lucky from cleaning out the pipes. :)

Take care, girls.

[CapeCod04]

Kimmie - I'm so sorry for your loss

Jessie - congratulations - you bring us hope

[stars]

Kimmie I am so sorry to read your post about your loss. I'm thinking of you and your DH.

[pixielou]

well, i finally figured out why i couldn't log in to cc - apparently passwords are case sensitive. and for some weird reason, the person who never uses a capital letter - i guess my caps lock key must have been stuck on. ugh.

kimmie my heart aches for you. i am so sorry you have to go thru this. i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

jessey congrats on the bfp. i'm sending major sticky vibes your way. wishing you a happy and healthy 9 months.

*******************
dh and i just got back from the re. our issue is rpl due to chromosomal abnormalities. the new re right away recommended ivf with pgd. the good news is that she did all the test ordering and drug ordering right now - so as soon as cd1 hits - which should be ~10 dec, i can schedule the cd3 + cd10 bloodwork as well as schedule the saline sonogram. and as soon as the cd10 bloodwork is back, she will know if we are a good candidate for ivf, and can submit our insurance paperwork approval. so we should know by christmas if we are approved, in which case, we can start the protocol with the start of the following cycle in early jan. the bad news is that my insurance has a 50/50 acceptance rate of ivf with pgd when the reason for the ivf recommendation is pgd. i'm kinda ticked about this since we had been approved for ivf with pgd right around the time i got pg with dd. but in the meantime, dh's company made us switch insurance carriers - and now we have sucky insurance that isn't as liberal in approving ivf (i know i shouldn' complain about this since there are so many women who don't even have the option of getting insurance to pay for it - but i'm still miffed about this).

~pixie

[margiepgh]

Kimmie - I am so sorry to read about your loss. :( <<Hugs>> Please take care of yourself.

Melissa - I got your package on Saturday. Thanks!:)

LeighW- Good to see you around here again. Are you seeing an RE now?

Jessie - Congratulations!!!! Please keep us posted.

Capecod- How are things going with you? Are you cycling again?

-------

Well AF arrived today and normally that would be terrible news, but with the uncertainty about my hyperthyroidism, it is for the best.

The endocrinologist called today about my blood work. My tests came back negative for the Graves antibiody, so that makes Graves disease less likely. But, I need to get a thyroid scan to determine definitely that I do not have Graves. It is looking more like it might be thyroiditis, which may resolve on its own.

[melissafromnc]

margie: Glad you got the package. Let me know if you have any questions. Glad you don't have Graves and hope everything resolves itself on it's own.

APhiJill: So, what did you think of the movie?

Bonnie: You've been holding out on me as well. Did you like Rent? I hope so, otherwise I'll feel horribly guilty.

kimmie Hope you're taking care of yourself.

Jessey: Big congrats to you! Wishing you all the best.

pixie:I hope your insurance all works out. You live in a great state so you should at least get to benefit from that. Maybe the new company will be more likely to approve you since you got approved before? I hope you get approved quickly. It sounds like your doc is trying to speed things along, which is great.

bellefior Welcome!

leigh Yay for the good cd3 news. Hope the hsg was good as well. Good to see you back here.

I don't know if Liana will have a chance to post but tomorrow (very soon, our time actually) is her tranfer day. Things are going really well for her so far.

Hope everyone else is well and had a good Thanksgiving.

[CapeCod04]

Hi all! Just popping in real quick. I start stimming tomorrow. We're hoping third time's the charm! Either way, this will be it for us with ART.

[Fireside Girl]

Melissa,
Overall I really enjoyed Rent. The beginning I thought was a little awkward, but in general I really liked it and was crying by the end. My husband was another story. While he said it was maybe a brilliant broadway play he thought it didn't translate to film.

Liana,
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Capecod,
Hopefully the third time is the charm. Good luck!

[Bellefior]

Well I'm currently CD 10 so not much to report there.

However, as I was leaving for work this morning, my husband said to me, guess who is pregnant, I didn't want to tell you last night. Instantly, I knew it had to be his cousin Melissa, since she was the only one out of all his cousins other than us w/o kids yet. Sure enough, it was her. He said he was afraid to tell me because he thought I would flip out on him, like I did with the last two pregnancy announcements by his cousins. Actually, my reaction was very matter of fact, and I said, gee that's nice. We figure she is due in August, since this is fresh off the family grapevine.

I suppose I should give some history here. All of the remaining cousins in DH's family were married in the space of a year. DH and I were the first to get married in May 2003, Melissa in July 2003, Cousin D in December 2003 and Melissa's sister in May 2004. She was the last to get married. Cousin D's wife had a baby 9 months after the wedding, as did Melissa's sister. DH's dad is one of five brothers, and was the only one without grandchildren. No pressure there, right?

I've just been so sick and tired of people in DH's family asking, so when are the two of you going to have kids? This newest pregnancy should start up the rumor mill again for us: that we don't want kids, that I am a career woman who doesn't want kids, that we can't have kids. None of that is true (as far as the not getting pregnant yet, I think it is just rotten timing on our part). I am absolutely dreading the family Xmas party this year, because if someone says it again (and it's usually one of the uncles who already hasgrandchildren), I have already told DH that I will get up and walk out. He said he would respond with, "we'll have them when you are ready to mind your f-ing business" and be right behind me. Actually, I thought about maybe saying to them, "yes, DH and I should work on that right now, thanks for reminding me, DH, where's the nearest broom closet?", but I have a tough time finding humor in this. I actually feel bad for my FIL because I know his brothers ask him about this constantly.

Part of me is afraid that because of my age (37 next month), may be why it hasn't happened yet. My mom had me 2 months short of 40, had a hard time getting pregnant, and then I was born 2 months early and spent 8 weeks in the hospital--40 years ago that was a big deal. I doesn't help that we are on the older end of the cousin spectrum either.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now, feeling immensely better for having gotten that off my chest. Sorry for the vent. Thanks for listening!

[Bubbas]

Bellefior- Whenever anyone asked me when DH and I were going to have a baby, my response was "about 9 months after we get pregnant". This always caused a chuckle and usually shut them up.

[Hangin'in]

"about 9 months after we get pregnant".

I LOVE THAT!

[ellybelle]

And it doesn't end after you have one child either. If anything, it gets worse, because now (according to the nudges) you are depriving your first child of a brother or sister and bound to raise an only child.

We've basically told everyone we're only planning on having one child. We get the "only child" comments, but that's easier to take than the constant questioning.

[pixielou]

gosh - i have just the opposite problem. people in my family look at me like i'm crazy when i say we are trying for number #2. the typical comment is something "you went thru so much trouble for #1, we figure you'd just count your blessings with 1". then there was an aunt who point blank said "aren't you a little old to be having babies?"

~pixie

[Bellefior]

Actually we've figured out the perfect response when one of DH's uncles asks us again at the annual Xmas party in 2 weeks. I'll tell them, "When are we having kids? Thanks for reminding us Uncle. In fact, you don't mind if DH and I go upstairs to work on that, do you? We should be back in about 20 minutes, please excuse us!" Then we both get up and walk out of the room.

It's funny, my DH asked me if I was envious of his cousin and told me not to feel that way because God wouldn't want me to feel that way (This week's sermon was on the 7 deadly sins, of which envy is one, so that's where DH was coming from. It apparently made an impression on him). I told him that yes, I was envious, but that I was also only human, and it was natural to feel that way, and while God may not want me to feel that way, he also isn't down here living my life. My feelings prove I am only human, not a candidate for sainthood! It's not that I'm not happy for them, I am, but there's a part of me (and I am ashamed to admit this) that says, why isn't it me?

[pocahontas]

Glad to have found this thread! Very cool especially to see Craftgenius and Mobox as well as a few other familiar names from the WC. I just turned 35 this year and DH is 32. We were married 3 months ago and will attempt this TTC thing after the holidays. Hopefully, I can start the first of the year with some bd followed by a BFP by the end of the month. Of course, like everyone I have the typical fears of a AMA woman (or at least that's what they call us...Advanced Maternal Age) which I hate because my mother was very fertile right up through age 40. She had me 2 months after her 39th birthday! So DH swears it runs in my genes that I'll have no problems. Hope he's right. *raising my glass to smooth sailing for all of us*

[Applebee]

Hi All! Sorry I've been away for so long.

Had my first RE appt. today. Basically, it looks like IVF is the only option for me. Although my Day 3 tests from back in April looked good for a 39 year old, the doc said he felt the best option for us was IVF. I was happy that DH didn't stop the doc right there, like I thought he would. He's always said he didn't want IVF, but after hearing the doc, he seemed fine with it. We were both glad that our results were good, however they plan to redo my tests and give him a 3rd SA - just b/c they are infertility specialist. They will also do the HSG, but even if there is a blockage the doc said he won't operate. He said most likely it scar tissue from my D&C 8 years ago and you really can't repair the tubes that great if there is a lot of scaring.

Next is finding out what insurance will cover. My company is switching to a new carrier Jan 1 (luckily, I'm the one to help choose the plans!) and I'm waiting for the broker to send me the plan booklet for the carrier we want to go with. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Take care and I'll try to come in tomorrow night to catch up w/everyone else!

[Jill1228]

I was off work today. Went in for my annual. OK, how come I had to have my annual pap and pelvic and my doctor is a total hottie? That should be against the law! :)


Looks like everything is okay. I had to have some blood work done...apparently my hemoglobin is low. I am on CD 25 so we will see how things are going. When is the earliest you can test for pregnancy?

Our 4th wedding anniversary is coming up on the 11th

[tsmom]

Elly so true about "when are you having #2"

APhiJill - My OB is hot too and he is the sweetest man - DH knows that is why I like him!!

Bellefior - stay positive - I am 37 and will be having # 2 at the end of Jan!

We need some good news over here!!!

[melissafromnc]

APhiJill--Happy early anniversary!

TSmom--You're getting so close. Very close indeed.

Bellefior--Love that response.

Applebee--Do you know about the ivf thread? There's lots of wisdom and knowledge there. Many of us have done ivf as well. I think ivf is great because you get so much information. It's time consuming and can be psychologically draining but so is all ttc, right? I hope you get some good coverage. That will at least take the bite out things.

pochantas--Welcome! Hope your mom is right.

pixielou, bubbas,stars, ellybelle, hangin'in, and everyone else (those are the only names I can see below--no offense meant) hope everyone has a great weekend.

TSmom is right. We need some good news around here. I've got a feeling we'll get some of that by, oh say Monday. Word on the street is that someone will be taking a beta then.

[ellybelle]

Oooh, sounds promising melissa! I hope to hear some good news!

Boring old CD 9 around here -- wish that I was due to O towards the end of the month rather than next week. DH is working long hours and is totally exhausted and stressed right now He's been falling asleep on the couch before I even put Sofi to bed!

[melissafromnc]

Just so y'all know, it's not ME who's taking a beta on Monday. It's the good doctor Liana. Or so I think. I'm hoping

elly--Hope your dh can take some time off over the holidays or destress. My man has been incredibly stressed lately and it's so hard. He's usually in bed by 9:30!

[Hangin'in]

I knew who you meant Melissa! I was wondering about her timeline earlier this week.... when she should be testing! I hope she gets some great news... it's looks very good!

[Kimmiebride]

dropping by to say all my crossables are crossed for Liana!!

Cathy, thanks for your PM! :)

I am plodding along day by day. The latest is I have a small blood clot in my left calf, and the doctors are watching it, but are not too worried about it spreading or becoming a problem since it's in my calf and not above my knee. I HATE the ER, and really don't want to have to go there again. I also HATE the fact that my car practially knows the way itself. My anxiety attacks have seemed to decrease the past couple of days, and I even made it to my friend Carrie's trunk show yesterday. I am reading all the books that have arrived from people in the past couple of weeks. The one I found the most helpful was Life Touches Life. I could relate to the mother/author very closely, except for the part that she did not go on to have other children. I hope for a different path than that.

take care ladies,
Kimmie

[mobox]

Hi ladies! Still reading and lurking but I have trying not to concentrate on TTC and not stress. I guess I think that if I don't think about it as much as I have been, maybe it will happen. Here's my stats:

Cycle one (charting only): O-CD19 AF-CD29 (10 days LP)
Cycle two (OPK): O-CD24 AF-CD36 (12 days LP)
Cycle three (OPK): O-CD22 AF-CD33 (11 days LP)
Cycle four (OPK): O-CD17-18

I should start between tomorrow and Friday and right now I have absolutely no cramps and my bbs hurt tremendously. I was out of town on business through CD17 and took the test on the morning of the 18th and it came out +. But I had the discharge starting two days before that which is why I'm not entirely sure when I O'd.

Here's to lots of HOLIDAY BLESSINGS to all my 35+ homies!!!!!

[Jill1228]

Thanx for the early anniversary wishes, Melissa! We did have a good one yesterday.

I am expecting AF anytime now. I took a test the other day (on day 29...my cycle can be between 30-36 days). I got a BFN (Big Fat Negative). In a way I was relieved but then in another aspect I was disappointed. Relieved because right now we are just chilling until the beginning of the year. Dave is holding off on having his US Visa activated until after January 1st (he just got his Green Card approval in November).

Also I am out for a few weeks because I have a slight rotator cuff injury

[CapeCod04]

Just popping in - had my retrieval today. They got 16 eggs - totally unexpected - RE says some may be immature. We'll know better tomorrow when we get the fertilization results. Transfer is Saturday - so I'll be having a weekend in bed! :)

[melissafromnc]

Well, I thought Ms Liana would post her news here. But she hasn't. So not to totally steal her thunder but she had a positive beta. And it tripled for her repeat beta today. Maybe this will get her out of the woodwork? I decided we needed some good news around here.

capecod 16!!!! Congrats. That's fabulous. Wishing you some great embies to transfer.

mobox Maybe those sore bbs are a sign of something else?

APhiJill Glad you had a good anniversary. Sorry for the bfn but I can totally understand the relieved yet disappointed feeling.

kimmie Glad you had fun at Carrie's trunkshow. I bet she had some gorgeous stuff. Did Bastille go or was she working? I'm glad you found a book that resonated with you. I wish a very different path for you than the author.

[Astro]

Liana Yippee! Congratulations! I'm very happy for you. :)

I'm still lurking. Nothing much going on. We finally got clearance to try again after the passing of our two boys, so we're back on the IVF needle train. Currently doing lupron until after Christmas.

[Kimmiebride]

Hooray for Liana! Wishing you all the best.

Astro honey good luck!!!

Good job on the eggies capecod! good luck with your transfer!

Melissa, thanks for the note. I waited for Bastille, but she didn't show before I left. Hope you are well too. happy anniversary!

Aphiljill Happy anniversary to you too!

Mobox, goodluck with those soreboobs.

I have had a rough week again... hospitalized since Monday for a pulmonary embolism, which I kept asking them to check for, and the ER doc assured me that there was like a one in 2 million shot that the clot in my calf could ever cause anything like that. Well, it seems to me my turn to be the one in a lot of things... losing my baby, and now this. I am so tired, and also so angry (not an easy combination...) and now we aren't able to TTC because of the blood thinners. I just don't know what to say. We were looking forward to that "golden time of fertility" that happens after a loss sometime. Now we are back to empty nothingness. Not easy to take, and I miss my little boy so much.
Thats all I can manage today... best to everyone
Kimmie

[teendoc]

Ladies,

I apologize for being so horrible. I should have posted here sooner but I'm a total jerk.

Melissa did indeed tell the good news. Our DE cycle in Cape Town was successful. It was a miracle that I am sure occurred due to the divine intervention of my mom, who I lost on November 8th, right before our trip. In fact my due date, if I make it that far, is 8/21/06, the day before her birthday. I had one day of happiness before the horrible anxiety set in. I'm wondering if I will ever relax and enjoy being pregnant for now.

Cape Cod: Great retrieval! Can't wait to hear the fertilization report.

Kimmie & Astro: I am sorry to read about your losses. I didn't know. All my sympathies. And Kimmie, the PE. Oh my. I'm hoping and praying that you get better very soon.

Mel: did you get your postal snafu corrected?

Sorry that I haven't been up to speed on all that is going on here. I will do my best to stay better connected with you all.

[Bastille]

Liana - what incredibly wonderful news. I am THRILLED for you and Mason. I am sure your dear mother had a "role" with God in helping the wonderful cycle you had in SA. Your blog is wonderful and as always I love to read your beautiful writing. I am so happy this journey is now headed down a different path - it may be the "road less travelled" so far for you but I know you are a trailblazer and am sure you will enjoy the "bumps" on the road albeit with nausea and other inconveniences. Please do continue to post and let us know how you are doing - such exciting news!!

CapeCod - wow what a retrieval - I hope to follow in your footsteps.

I don't post much but definitely still read this thread and as it is so dear to me and I love read to everyone's news.

News about me is that I am doing IVF in January (it was rescheduled from November); however, the Lupron starts this Saturday. I am excited about my first hopefully to be completed IVF (I had 1 cancelled in July due to low response) so I changed clinics and will now cycle with a totally different protocol at the Sher Institute which includes an estrogen priming protocol as is known as LA8E2V in LA - will be staying with Mother in Law so wish me luck on that as well....

[melissafromnc]

Liana-HAHHAHAAHA!!! I told you you'd better post here. I knew I'd finally get you to post your wonderful news. No, my postal snafu is not yet resolved but luckily Ms Oregon is a nice person and took package back to her post office on Monday. Maybe I'll get some nice presents soon? Maybe just a lump of coal.

kimmie I'm so very, very sorry to read about all your medical problems on top of everything else. That sounds pretty scary. I'm just so sorry.

astro Good luck with the lupron and the next ivf cycle.

bastille Hope your January ivf is lucky number 1! I was on the A10ev2 protocol with Sher so it's very close to my protocol. I'm sure you'll do much better than I did. Maybe the L makes all the difference? (I was pushing it too close to make the cycle so we dropped it).

[CapeCod04]

Liana - Congratulations - what wonderful news!

Bastille - good luck with the cycle

I got my fertilization report this morning. 14 of the 16 eggs were mature and 9 fertilized. I have my own little baseball team! My transfer is Saturday morning. I have to now figure out how to finish my Christmas shopping and clean the apartment before the holiday, all while taking it easy. It's a good thing that DH is a firefighter and is used to cleaning.

[mobox]

Kimmie,
My DH had two blood clots (DVT) in January. He was on Warfarin (coumadin) for 6 months and it did the trick. NO more clots. His were bad too. He did two weeks of stomach shots too. If you are aware of the signs of PE, like shortness of breath and over-tiredness, you will catch it but chances are so slim that the clots will move. My best friend has 14 clots in her lungs that will never go away because she ignored the signs of PE. She's lucky to be alive. They think that birth control caused her clots. I wish you peace of mind and health through this time. Did they tell you couldn't get pregnant on the blood thinners?

Well as for me, I started good old AF on Wednesday. My stats this time around are started on CD29 and had an 11 day LP. I'm going to make my next Gyn appt after the new year. I'm just going to relax and enjoy myself over the holiday and new year.

I wish you all the best!

[Kimmiebride]

Mobox, thanks for your note... I do have a PE, but they said it's small, and hopefully it's the only one. The clot in the calf may be the culprit, but I also was tested for some genetic stuff, and I have an inherited clotting disorder that can make things worse, and tough in pregnancy. I am meeting with the perinatologist who delivered my little guy sometime next week, and hopefully we'll have more of a big picture. Now I am on those tummy shots (lovenox) and coumadin until further notice. I had my first PT test today, and they upped my coumadin, since my number is still the same as it was on Tuesday so I am not responding to this level. She said not to worry though since the shots are taking care of most of the anti-coag at this point until the coumadin dosage gets set. all I can say is ug, and I need a nap. PE's suck bigtime. I am so tired!

Go team CapeCod!!!

too tired for anything else!
Kimmie

[tsmom]

Hooray for Liana!!! That is wonderful news - we are all cheering for you and hope that you can relax a bit and try to enjo.. ( believe me I know easier said than done)

Kimmie - Oh goodness please take care of yourself and thank goodness you had the tenacity to keep up with those darn ER doc's. Hope the meds work quickly. You guys are in our thoughts and prayers.

Capecod - nice retrieval...

Bastille - nice to hear from you :) - good luck in LA

[Jill1228]

Liana! I used to post in your WC journal...I was Jill121101

Congrats! I am excited for you

ETA: I took a pregnancy test on CD 25 and it was a BFN. Now I am on CD 35 and no Aunt Flo. I am guessing it is due to stress...should I hold out for a few more days before testing again? I have sore "girls" but no other symptoms

[Bastille]

Just wanted to pop in and support everyone. I know there are many people trying for #2 and so I wanted to suggest Inconceivable by Julia Indichova as well as her website www.fertileheart.com. Her book is about secondary infertility. Her website has proven to be very caring and supportive and I have really enjoyed it (even trying for #1).

Started Lupron today - waiting for the loopiness.

Kimmiebride - did you test positive for MTHFR? I have this too - in additon to Lovenox I am also taking Folgard - high dosages of B vitamins and Folic Acid as with MTHFR we have a harder time "digesting" these things and therefore need to take higher doses. Let me know if you would like to talk about it. Sorry I missed you at Carrie's, I planned to go but worked until 9:00 on the Peninsula and couldn't make it in time - bummer because I was really looking forward to sparklies and her Pomtinis.

[CapeCod04]

Well ladies - we put back a basketball team yesterday. DH prefers to think of them as truck company in the fire department - there are 5 positions in the truck. I'm not sure if the other 4 will make it to totsicles, but hopefully we won't need it. One of the embryos that went back in is a morula (don't know if I spelled it right). I have to look it up yet, but I got the impression yesterday that it was between an embryo and a blastocyst. I wonder if that makes it more likely to want to stick?

[Jill1228]

Update! Took a test last night and still a BFN...
Aunt Flo came with a Vengance this morning

I took a pregnancy test on CD 25 and it was a BFN. Now I am on CD 35 and no Aunt Flo. I am guessing it is due to stress...should I hold out for a few more days before testing again? I have sore "girls" but no other symptoms

[melissafromnc]

CapeCod--Good luck with that team you got there. A morula is great and you're right, it's kind of between an embryo and a blast. Sounds like you got some good ones.

Bastille--hope you survive the lupron. You're off to the races!

APhiJill--I also find peeing on a stick to be one of the fastest ways to bring on cd 1. Sorry for the bfn.

tsmom--How ya holding up?

Hope everyone else is doing well.

[Fireside Girl]

I wanted to stop by and give a transfer update. Stats (for those who know or care about these things) were endometrial lining of 11 and 2 blastocytes that were 3AA transferred back. For those of you lucky enough to not have to go high tech that just means (oversimplified) that they are dividing properly. We are freezing another 4 blasts for if it doesn't work.

I'm really hoping they stick, but realize I'm probably jinxing myself by saying that out loud.

Maybe because it's a donor egg cycle, the whole process,especially close to transfer felt very existential, like it was happening to someone else, and I was detatched. When I actually went in yesterday for the transfer though I finally felt connected again.

I took it easy yesterday and will take today off from work. Even though the literature doesn't really support needing bed rest I figure it can't hurt.

[melissafromnc]

Bonnie--Those are some incredibly nice blasts you got there! And with such a cushy lining I'm sure they're gonna just snuggle right in and make themselves at home. Eat lots of pineapple and take good care of yourself. Hope the time until your beta passes swiftly.

[teendoc]

Bonnie & Cape Cod: Congrats on the great transfers! Though I don't usually do this, I'm sending lots of sticky vibes! :)

Jill: Great to reconnect with you here. Sorry for the negative.

Bastille: Good luck with the lupron. I hate that drug!

Kimmie, Mobox, tsmom, Melissa and all my other friends, I hope you are doing well.

Today I woke with the first migraine of the pregnancy. I am not a happy camper. My stomach already feels not great and now this poker going through my right eyeball is NOT fun at all. Of course all my usual meds are off limits. I'm going to find some motrin and hope for the best!

I'm flying to Montgomery Alabama tonight. :rolleyes:

[tsmom]

Bonnie - Cape Cod - thinking lots and lots of positve thoughts for you guys!

teendoc - oh I so feel for you, I have had 2 killer migrainse with this boy and oh - I hope it goes away soon for you!

Bastille - whew - you are on your way.

Melissa - thanks for asking - I have to go check out you little bungalow :)
I am fine~ 34w's - I have an appt this Friday and we are going to take T to see the baby. I am having some problems with RH factor disease but we will assess that at the appt and hope all is well. "brother" is kicking up a storm so that is good.

Jill - Sorry about the bfn!!

[Fireside Girl]

Melissa,
I can't wait until I'm reading about your own adventure!

Liana,
Thanks for the sticky vibes. I know you mean it. Do you know when your first ultrasound is?

tsmom,
Thanks for the positive thougts. I didn't realize you were already 34 weeks. Do you know if you are having a boy or a girl?

Capecod,
How are you doing? Is the anxiety driving you crazy? Are you checking everyday for symptoms, like I am?

Jill,
Sorry about the negative:(

Hello to everyone else!

[pixielou]

capecod and fireside girl thinking lots of positve thoughts for both of you.

liana belated congratulations on your bfp. the 1st trimester really sux. the migraines and the morning sickness should be over soon. i had migraines so bad during my pregnancy that i got sent for an mri of my head.

melissa i'm really getting excited for your upcoming cycle. as i told you before, cape town is a gorgeous city - it'll be a place you will want to go back and visit so many times celebrating ivf anniversaries!

*******************
just did my cd10 bloodwork today. had my sonohistogram yesterday. my re was running late yesterday, so the ultrasound lady and my dh were "having fun" playing with the ultrasound - they took so many pix of my ovaries and uterus - i swear the printout tape was a good 10 feet long. i've also been on clomid this cycle - so lets just say that i did not find humor in their photography. everything should be submitted for insurance approval tomorrow, and we should know next week if we are approved for ivf with pgd.

~pixie

[mobox]

Kimmie--DH also had the genetic trait for clots. My MIL had them all three times she got pregnant. I hope that you are doing well and progressing with the coumadin. DH had the same issue where it took about 4 weeks for it to get into his system.

As for me, well, next week should be O time and we'll see where it takes us.

[teendoc]

Hi Ladies,

I hope everyone is doing well today.

Well early this morning we had our first ultrasound and we are having a singleton!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/teendoc/Pregnancy/Sono1.jpg

I admit that part of me was sad that it wasn't twins because twins always seem like so much fun. But when I think about it, a singleton is about all I can handle without going completely grey. (No offense to the wonderful twinmammas).

Sam was so happy and said that things looked great. Zappy has implanted high in the uterus, away from my fibroids. I have another scan in two weeks. I forgot to ask questions like yolk sac/fetal pole. I'm just happy, nauseous and on my way to LA today.

I'll check in later, everyone. Have a great day! :D

[Kimmiebride]

Liana, that's a purty picture! Congrats and well wishes again!

Mobox, thanks for that info... I hate the regulating part. I am off to my blood test now!
Kimmie

[pixielou]

liana what a gorgeous picture! thanks for posting it! zappy is a cute knick name - i like it.

*****************
i acutally got some ironically great news today from the re. apparently my dh has crappy motility. which means our ivf submission will now include crappy motility in addition to rpl - which increases our chances of insurance approval! now i just need to find a *gentle* way to break this news to dh. . .

~pixie

[Fireside Girl]

Liana,
The ultrasound looks great!

[mobox]

Yay LIana!!! Thanks for sharing your great pic.

[tsmom]

Zappy is looking good!!! Hope you are feeling good!!

Kimmie - how was the blood test? I have been thinking about you!!

Had an ob appt yesterday and Brother showed no signs of fluid build up in either his tummy or around his heart so we are ecstatic! I go back again on the 18th of Jan. (my ob is going on vacation).

How is everyone else doing?

[CapeCod04]

I had my beta this morning. I won't get the results until around 2 pm. If it's positive, I think I'll figure out the due date, then start dreaming of babies. If it's negative, I'm going jewelry shopping.

[Astro]

capecod04 here's hoping you're figuring out dates this afternoon. :)

[Jill1228]

Ok today is my 39th bday :eek: and my bio clock is screaming! Hoping for a BFP for 2006!

[CapeCod04]

Hi ladies! I've got to go figure out some dates! I guess the jewelry will have to wait. I've got a BFP!

[sophiapb]

Delurking for Capecod. OMG, I got goosebumps reading your post.


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

[tsmom]

Cape Cod - Congrats!!!!! So happy to hear that you will not be shopping for jewelry!!!

[teendoc]

CapeCod: Major congratulations!! Jewelry can wait!

[Fireside Girl]

Capecod,
Congratulations! Great News!!!

We found out christmas morning (4:30 AM) that we are also pregnant. I wanted to wait for you to post first though, just in case. I'm so happy you are.:)

Beta #1, 9dp5dt, 199. We don't do a second beta until 01-03-06.

[Kimmiebride]

wow, it's an explosion!
Congratulations to you all!
Kimmie

[melissafromnc]

Congrats to CapeCod and Bonnie! What a great way to end off the year. I'm glad there was no jewelry shopping today. Thrilled for both of you.

[tsmom]

Fireside Girl - A huge CONGRATS to you too!!!


Now this is what I was talking about - nice to see some action over here!!!

[CapeCod04]

Congratulations Fireside Girl!!

[pixielou]

capecod and fireside girl

huge congratulations!!!!!

happy and healthy 9 months to both of you!!!

what an awesome christmas present!!!

[margiepgh]

Capecod and Fireside Girl - CONGRATULATIONS!!!:D

.... and belated congrats to you Liana!:D

[Jill1228]

Congrats to Cape Cod and Fireside girl

[stars]

WOW WOW WOW ... I've been away and just came back to read all this FANTASTIC news ... CONGRATS to Capecod, fireside & Liana A happy and healthy 9 months to you all.

As for the rest of you, I wish tons of BABYDUST for 2006!

Happy New Year to all of you.

[bottleored]

Huge congrats to our 35+ ladies - Liana, CapeCod and Bonne!!!

What a wonderful way to start the new year :D :D

[jesseybell]

Capecod and Fireside Girl - CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is such wonderful news.

APhiJill - Happy Birthday! Here's to hoping that you get a BFP in the very near future.


I have not posted here much because I ended up getting pg so quickly (thankfully). Holding onto the little bugger could be my much bigger task since my mom had 6 m/cs.
I had my first appointment with the nurse yesterday. Since I am at a higher risk of ectopic because I am a DES daughter, she volunteered an ultrasound. Everything looks good- position is good and I saw the heartbeat. It measured at 9w which is actually a little ahead of what I predict.

They scheduled a nuchal fold test for 1/17 and I have my first doctor appt on 1/12. DH and I need to research the non-invasive and invasive genetic testing to be educated for the doctor's visit. The nurse said we didn't need to do the nuchal fold test if we didn't want to, she just needed to schedule it because there is such a strict timeframe it needs to be done.

-Jessie (35),DH (33)

[pixielou]

congratulations jessey! and you've even seen a heartbeat!!! woo hoo!!!

you should never ever withhold good news from this thread!

~pixie

[jesseybell]

I also forgot to mention that I was quite excited to see so many women of "AMA" in the OB waiting room! They far outnumbered the younglings.

[ellybelle]

Wow! Congratulations to Liana, Fireside girl, jesseybelle and Capecod!!:D So glad to see so many BFPs!!

[Fireside Girl]

Jessie,
Congratualtions!!!

Thank you everyone for all the good wishes.:)

Liana had a bit of a scare this week so please send some good thoughts her way.

[melissafromnc]

Jesseybell Congrats!! Good position and a heartbeat to boot. Since I've been down the ectopic road I know how scary that can be but you are well past that now. Pixie is right about not withholding good news.

liana Thinking of you and hoping you're not too bored staying in bed.

Wishing all of us a great 2006.

[Toonces]

Hi ladies. May I join? I've been dragging my feet b/c I can't find the time to be out here as much as I'd like to be, but I'm going to try. Here are my stats:

catgirl1007
Me: 36
DH: 35
DD: 10/8/04
TTC#2: November 2005

Currently I'm in the dreaded 2WW. I O'd late on CD25 and am now 8DPO. I'm a POAS addict... tested this morning with, of course, a BFN. I'm going to try to wait until Wed. or Thurs. to test again.

I haven't read all of this thread, but are there many charters? I'm not temping, but I am charting AF, CM, OPK and BD. We co-sleep with our DD and I BF her throughout the night, so it'd be difficult to get an accurate temp.

I had DD one day after my 35th bday, so I was considered "maternally geriatric" with her, too. :)

[Fireside Girl]

Catgirl,
Welcome to the thread!

I've never really charted so I can't give you any help with that, but I'm sure many on this thread have.

[craftgenius]

I haven't posted in here in a while although I've been lurking. I was extremely bummed that my last cycle of clomid did not work! My doctor was going to refer me to an RE at the beginning of the year. So this month I didn't take any fertility treatments....ie, clomid, trigger and IUI. Check out what I got on Dec. 28...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6df20b3127cce9619b4826d1200000016108AZuGTdi5bNL

I am totally stunned and extremely worried that something might go wrong but I am excited! :)

[Fireside Girl]

Craftgenius,
Congratulations on your BFP! It seems like we've had an explosion of those around here lately:D .

I find that some days I'm just really happy about this new pregnancy and other days I get insanely worried about why aren't I feeling AS morning sick today as I was the day before. So don't worry about worrying. It's pretty normal, I think.

[CapeCod04]

Congratulations craftgenius! I think I know what you are feeling. It's that mix of joy, fear, excitement, anxiety. I'm looking at it as a bunch of hurdles - next blood test, first scan, etc. As I get past each one, I think I'll feel a little more secure.

[Toonces]

Fireside Girl ~ TY for the welcome! :)

craftgenius ~ CONGRATULATIONS!! H&H 9 months to you. I think you were one of my journal buddies on the WC several years ago. Glad to see your BFP.

[tsmom]

What a way to start off the new year!!! Congrats Craftgenius!!! It is only natural to worry - heck I am 36w and I still worry every day!! Try to enjoy it though and not get caught up with too much stuff!

[craftgenius]

Catgirl1007 - What was your WC name? I do sortof remember a catgirl from the WC but I'm not quite sure.

[Toonces]

Catgirl1007 - What was your WC name? I do sortof remember a catgirl from the WC but I'm not quite sure.

It was the same - catgirl1007. ;) This was about 3 years ago in early 2003 when I first joined the WC, then I quit journal-ing.

[teendoc]

Congratulations to the newest pregnant ladies, Fireside girl and Craftgenius! I am excited for you both!

[jesseybell]

craftgenius- Congratulations on the BFPs!!
Unfortunately worrying is part of the game. I am worrying slightly less since last week when we had an ultrasound, but then I start to get worried that I am not as worried!!!

[Bellefior]

Congrats Craftgenius, Fireside, and CapeCod !

It was a very surreal New Year's Eve. I'm sure this will make most of you laugh

We had two of my best friends from HS over with respective spouses for dinner. We are all good friends (s.o. included). It's strange that some of us have known each other for almost 25 years because we grew up together. It's even stranger that we all like each other (including some of the spouses that we haven't known as long).


DH (36) and I (36 soon to be 37) have been TTC since May.

J (37)and wife M (37)have been trying the last 8 months & have had a failed IVF. They are on their second IVF cycle.

G (37)and wife P (soon to be 40) are trying for # 2.

Can you believe after we had dinner we were sitting around the table like adults talking about TTC, temps, pregnancy tests (laughing about getting up at 5 am to test with FMU) , IVF and whatnot? :eek: Guys too!

There is just something really strange about that, especially when you can sit around with guys you've known from HS and talk about sex with a straight face and be serious about it! But in a strange way, it was comforting to know we are not alone in our journey.

DH summed it up nicely: when we were in HS, every month we prayed that AF would show and say damn if it didn't (not that that happened to any of us, but you know what I mean)! Now every month we say damn if it does show up! Your priorities shift as you get older, no question about it. I made everyone laugh and said if I had known it was this hard to get PG, I would have fooled around more in HS!

[Fireside Girl]

Thanks Liana and Bellefior!

Second Beta was 5028(17dp5dt). They want me to make an appointment for early next week for a "sack check". I guess we'll find out then whether it's a singleton or twins.

[melissafromnc]

Woo hoo bonnie! That's a mighty fine number. My money is on twins. Care to take a bet? :)

Congrats to craftgenius. Happy and healthy 9 months to you.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

[Fireside Girl]

Can't take that bet. We think it may be twins too. We'll know next Thursday (by which time you will hopefully be all knocked up too!). It could be a singleton but the beta's a little high,my sleep is getting really funky, and doing even slight exercise like vaccuuming for christmas had me extremely winded.

Whatever it is as long as it's healthy we'll be happy with.

[Applebee]

Congrats Craftgenius and Fireside!!!!

WOW, there have been a lot of BFPs in this group!! I hope there are plenty more for 2006. Good luck ladies!!!

[margiepgh]

No time for shoutouts today, but I thought I'd give you an update of my RE follow-up visit.

In summary:

FSH - normal, but borderline
Antral follicles and ovarian size (ultrasound) - low
HSG - tubes are clear
SA - count is good, but morphology indicates 10% normal shaped (optimal is >14%)

Although the FSH is still OK, my RE places greater weight on the antral follicle and ovarian size testing. However, it is possible that the testing could have been impacted by my hyperthyroidism (which is "hopefully" a temporary condition due to thyroiditis).

So the next steps are:

1. Get follow-up blood work at my endocrinologist (in 2 or 3 weeks) to determine if I am still have hyperthyroidism.

2. Hopefully get a phone call from the endocrinologist that the thryroid function is normal. If not, I will probably need to repeat the blood work in another 6 weeks or so.

3. After my hyperthyrodism is resolved, I need to get a repeat of my Day 3 blood work and ultrasound at the RE's office.

4. I have a follow-up appointment with the RE in 10 weeks.


The RE said that unless the repeat ovarian testing is normal, the probability of pregnancy with ART is about the same as if we try to conceive naturally. In that case our only other option is DE.

So, I'm a disappointed that my results were not normal, but I'm not devistated. Before my appointment, I felt as though I was desperately running out of time for fertility treatment. Now that I know the treatments won't be effective anyway, a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. We will probably just continue to try to conceive naturally for the next year, and if that doesn't work, we'll look into DE.

[melissafromnc]

Well it's Thursday afternoon where I am so I thought there might be some news from firesidegirl.;)

margie-- A couple of quick questions for you. Do you know if your dh's sa was using Kruger Strict Morphology or not? If it wasn't then it can be very ambiguous especially the morphology part. Kruger Strict is the only consistent guidelines that exist. He can also improve morphology by taking Fertility Blend (or the components), acupuncture and a few other things. Just a thought. Did your RE give you numbers for your antral counts? That's probably much more telling than just saying they are low. There are loads of women with low antral counts and even high FSH (much less borderline) that get pregnant with or without ART. Just ask stars for one. I think you might benefit from something that increases your dh's morphology just a bit and strengthens your ovulation. It could be that you're not ovulating strong enough. Do you know if your RE is high fsh/poor responder friendly? Also acupuncture could help you quite a bit. It takes a full 3 months to produce oocyctes so you could spend some time increasing egg quality and quantity before your next appointment, maybe with acupuncture and supplements like Fertility Blend and Coenyme q 10. Just a thought. I really hate it when docs are discouraging to women with borderline fsh because there's soooooo much success out there. I used to have a spreadsheet but don't think it's on this laptop.

[Fireside Girl]

Thanks Applebee!:D

Margie,
I'm sorry you didn't get the results you wanted. I knew that Melissa would have some good advice for you.

As for me, we had our first ultrasound since finding out we are pregnant. We are having a singleton. After making myself sick with worry yesterday thinking about all the complications that can occur when it's twins in many ways I am relieved. I had really thought that it was twins though so there is a little sadness that it's not. I asked my doctor if he thought we could have had a vanishing twin and he said it was possible in light of the other symptoms I had. He said the baby was measuring just perfect and we were able to see and hear the heartbeat. That was a real milestone because I've never heard a heartbeat before.

I'm so hungry all the time. I wonder if that is normal. I don't remember that in my previous 2 pregnancies/miscarriages.I'm trying to eat when the baby seems to signal me to eat but I don't want to get as big as a house!!

[teendoc]

I too was a little sad when I found I wasn't having twins, but then I looked at myself in the mirror and said that one little person will be PLENTY!!

Congrats to you.

[margiepgh]

Fireside Girl - I'm glad things are going so well with you! :) I think handling one baby is plenty of work. Really, I don't know how twinmammas handle two.

Melissa - The RE said my antral count was 5 and he would like to see it at least 9. I'm not sure about the method for the morpholology testing. I think I'll call the nurse and find out. Thanks for the advice about the Fertility Blend and the accupuncture. Is the Fertility Blend something you can buy in a health food store or is it ordered through the internet? Also, what is the best way to find somebody reputable for accupuncture? Will once or twice a week get good results? My RE probably isn't particularly high FSH/poor responder friendly. Really, he pretty much said that there wasn't much he could do. Is there a listing anywhere of high-FSH friend RE's?

[jesseybell]

I had my first OB appointment yesterday. I got to see the little bugger again.

I go in on Tuesday for my nuchal fold test, then I don't go back to my OB for a month. I should have the results after a week. At that time I'll have a vaginal ultrasound to check my cervix - because I am a DES daughter I am at risk for having an incompetent cervix and she verified that my cervix is shorter and slightly malformed.
In a month I presume that we'll schedule the "big" ultrasound and discuss further timing between it and an amnio (we haven't decided 100% if we are going to have one or not).

[Jill1228]

Good luck Inda. I was on the pill for damn near 20 myself.

When is the best time for doing a PG test? Right before the expected period or when you are considerably late?

I am expecting my period soon and got a BFN again. Things are kinda crazy so it might be a good thing that I have a BFN

[mobox]

Hey friends!!!

Welcome to all our new members....good luck with the trials and tribulations of TTC at 35+. This has been a wild ride for a lot of us!!!

And WOW AND TRIPLE WOW!!!. Look at all those excellent BFPS!!!!! Such heartwarming and encouraging news to come back from my hiatus and see all the great news.:D

As for me, well, the dreaded AF came on Saturday. I was expecting it though, we didn't do charting or OPK this cycle because of the holidays and also we were on vacation for 2 weeks. NO matter. I"m to see my GYN on the 30th. Hopefully she'll have a plan of action for me.

Baby dust to everyone!

[Toonces]

Welcome Inda!

APhiJill ~ Technically the best time to test is when AF is late, but the First Response Early Response tests are usually pretty reliable. There are stats regarding their accuracy either on the box or in the directions. I got a BFP with my DD at 13 DPO with FRER. BTW, are you an Alpha Phi? I was for one year my first year of college and then dropped it when I transferred to a new school.

I'm still hanging out waiting to O. I'm on CD13 or 14. I had my annual exam on Friday and my GYN said my right ovary is enlarged. She said I'll either O soon (which I doubt based on temps, OPKs and I've been O'ing in the late teens-mid 20s) OR she said I might have a cyst. :( So I'm going back for an u/s next Friday.

[stars]

Hi ladies ...

Wow has this thread come a LONG way since I started it way back when on the WC. So happy for all you preggos and welcome to the newbies!!!!

My 1 1/2 year old keeps me on my toes these days, he doesn't like me on the computer ... wants my full attention so I don't get much time to post.

I think of you guys all the time, wish I could give personal "shout outs".

Keep the BFPs a comin!!!!

[Bellefior]

Okay I am highly upset about something I just found out re: my insurance.

I work for the Fed government and am covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. I figured since I am living and working in MA, MA mandates infertility coverage, and my plan is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MA, IVF is covered.

Guess what? It isn't, or so I have been told, because its a Federal Plan and supposedly exempt from state mandates! they'll pay for the diagnostic tests, but nothing else (no IVF, no IUI, no meds)

I've been trying to find the exact text of the MA law on line. We've been discussing IVF, and I'm hoping we don't need it because it looks like I am ovulating but am wondering what the f*ck I have been paying all this money for insurance for!

[CapeCod04]

Bellefior One thing you want to look for in the law is whether the mandate is based on the location of the employee or the employer. Unfortunately, it's highly possible that the MA law does not apply to federal employees, because that would mean the state got to dictate to the federal government. Even if it were a federal law, the federal government often exempts itself. Good luck to you. I hope you find a way to get coverage. If nothing else, could you switch to your husband's coverage?

[Bellefior]

When I get a chance this week, I am going to call the state insurance office. However, I think this is a case of because it Federal superceding state requirement.

I wish I could go on my husband's insurance, but unfortunately, he is studying for next month's bar exam and is currently on mine.

[Hangin'in]

I really hate insurance sometimes.... the insurance available from my employer prior to the insurance we have now (same employer) did some crap job of getting out of paying for mandatory covered IF related things. They said that since they were out of TX, a non mandated state, and my employer paid for my insurance out of TX, and the insurance was billed to my employer in TX, that they did not have to follow the AR mandates. When we switched carriers a year ago, DH and I had to go with the HMO, rather than the PPO because the HMO was covered specifically according to zip code, hence they HAD to follow the AR mandates because we live in AR, but the PPO policy was not zip code specific, so that policy would not have covered IF (IVF proceedures). Worked out better for us to be in the HMO, but I think it's crap the way they separated it out.

[Bellefior]

Well, I called the state insurance commissioners office and they confirmed it. Because I am employed by the Federal govt, they do not have to pay the IVF benefits that the state requires.

This really sucks and the ironic thing about it is that I work for a government agency that deals with discrimination and if this were happening in the private sector, we would probably sue them!

We do have some options. Next open season, I will look to see what other plans are out there but I bet I will have the same problem. Or when my husband starts working again after the bar exam , I will go on his insurance. Or maybe I'll even find a new job.

We're going on a 3 week vacation to Florida after DH takes the bar, so hopefully none of this will be necessary. I think our timing just sucks and DH has been under some major stress with studying for the bar, so I haven't really pushed the issue. I know I am ovulating (you can see my charts in the charting thread) so I'm hoping all it is is timing.

[Fireside Girl]

Bellefior,
I'm sorry about the insurance situation. Generally, BC/BS is pretty good about infertiltity treatment. I hope it works out.

[Bellefior]

Thanks, Fireside. This isn't really BCBS fault because its what the government has decided to cover/not cover and its a nationwide plan. If my employer were in MA only, it would be covered.

If I needed an organ transplant, it would be covered ubder my plan with prior approval. I find that strange, since a transplant is a lot more expensive than IVF treatments. Go figure!

[pixielou]

Generally, BC/BS is pretty good about infertiltity treatment.

and i have had the exact opposite problem. bc/bs has rejected our ivf request. whereas tufts had approved it 2 years ago. in our case, bc/bs does not consider rpl to be infertility. not sure if i'm more p i s s e d at bc/bs for rejecting us. or dh's employer for making us switch to bc/bs.

i have 2 other friends right now who have also had their ivf requests rejected by bc/bs. in both of their cases, bc/bs does not believe in secondary infertility.

[Bellefior]

PixieLou are you in the NE area? You say that Tufts covers it, and that used to be one of my options. If you are in NE, then I may look into switching plans next time my health benefits open season rolls around.

If it wasn't for the fact that I am on a nationwide plan, BCBS would have no choice but to cover it...

[Fireside Girl]

I guess I should have been more clear. I meant BC/BS of CT, and from what I've heard BC/BS of MA are generally pretty good. When you have a federal plan that supercedes that but gives you crappy or nonexistent infertility coverage that sucks.

Pixie,
That's crazy that they don't recognize RPL to be infertility.

[CapeCod04]

firesidegirl I have BC/BS of CT too - I work in CT, live in NY. They have been really great with my coverage. I'm just glad that my timing was all before the end of our insurance contract period. I'm afraid that my employer will be moving to limit the infertility coverage to what's required under the new state law, which will mean I would be out based on age.

[pixielou]

bellefior i'm in mass as well. from my understanding, bc/bs has to cover infertility and provide ivf -- yet they are at liberty for determining whether or not they think you actually need it. (just like an organ transplant - you need prior approval). apparently bc/bs policy is that you have to go 1 year without spontaneous conception, followed by 3 injectible iui cycles before they will approve ivf. my 2 friends both had unexplained infertility, and both conceived their dd's thru ivf. but to get ivf approval for another child - they both need to go thru the whole cycle again - 1 year of ttc naturally, 3 iui's. it doesn't matter that you are 41. in my case, they don't consider rpl to be infertility - because i am conceiving. apparently it doesn't matter to them how much money they are spending on my d&e's etc. with my last loss i had to have methotrexate, which requires you to avoid for 3 months. so my 1 year clock would start ticking in january 2006 - not october 2005. at this rate, i'll be eligible to join aarp before bc/bs approves our ivf request.

[pocahontas]

Hey all...haven't been here in a month. YAY for me getting added to the PAGE 1 ROLL CALL! Thanks threadmistress! :D But I suppose I forgot to add some info since my bio looks so bare compared to everyone else's. So in addition to the ages there would you add: Married 9/3/05. TTC #1: 12/05. Thanks. CONGRATS TO ALL THE BFP since I was here last month (especially you, MEL! WOOHOO!) Happy New Year everyone!

[Bellefior]

Pixie, that would be the case and they would have to cover it if I was not employed by the Fed Govt. Even though I live in MA, work in MA, and have Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MA, because its a nationwide, Federal policy, they are exempt form the IVF Coverage requirement (I called the state insurance commissioners office to confirm that and they did). If it was an employer only in MA, it would have to be covered whether they liked it or not.

[pixielou]

bellefior not to sound negative, but if the fed gov't is opting out of ivf coverage in bc/bs, wouldn't they also opt out of ivf coverage for tufts as well? have you done iui yet? or is that not an option? sorry - but i don't remember what your fertility issue is.

but i totally can relate - this whole insurance thing s u x. we pretty much have decided that we are going to self pay. so we are starting the process of interviewing the different clinics and deciding which one we feel most comfortable with. and since we don't have insurance - it looks like we are going to have to pay a couple hundred $$$ for each consult since we want a doctor to look at our records and specifially talk about our situation.

~pixie

[Bellefior]

Pixie you are probably right but I am still going to look into next open season. If I can find an insurance carrier that is offered to us but is only for MA residents, I think I would have a better argument, since BCBS is nationwide. If not, I'll consider going on my DH's plan once he starts working again after taking the bar exam next month.

I don't have a fertility issue at least that we know of, but I was going to talk to the doctor at my next annual appointment about possibly going through tests to make sure there isn't a problem because I know my age (37 next week) doesn't help. I've been off BCP since May, but as far as I know, my charts indicate that I am ovulating so I think it is a question of lousy timing (I haven't really pushed the BD issue for the last month or 2 because DH is busy studying for next months exam).

I know my insurance will pay for any diagnostic tests, but in my usual worrier fashion, I started panicking about what if I did need IVF and called BCBS to check on that. I'm hoping it won't be necessary. My mother had me at 40, and my cousin had her older son at 35 and younger son at 41, so we do have good fertility genes for older women on my mom's side of the family. I think the whole insurance situation threw my husband for a loop because he always assumed we had coverage and waited the first 2 years of marriage before coming off the pill. Hopefully, I'll come back from March's 3 week vacation with not only a suntan, but maybe a baby as well--I'm hoping some serious R and R will do the trick.

[CapeCod04]

Please remove my stats from the list. We found out today that I am going to miscarry and we are not planning to try again.

Thank you all for the support, information, friendship I found here.

[Bellefior]

CapeCod, I just wanted to let you know that you and your DH are in my thoughts.

[melissafromnc]

Oh, CapeCod! I'm so very, very sorry. I just want you to know how much I'm thinking of you right now. I'm just so sorry. Take good care of each other.

[Toonces]

CapeCod04 ~ I didn't get a chance to know you since I'm new to this thread, but I wanted to pass along my condolences. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

[Astro]

capecod04 I am so very sorry to hear your news. You and your husband will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[jlo2be]

Hi All,

It's been forever since I posted on this thread but I just wanted to delurk for a minute to say congrats on all the BFP's!! It's so nice to see some of the 'veterans' finally get those two pink lines. Congratulation to them and everyone who has gotten the good news.

I lurk on here occasionally but, as Stars said, my 1 1/2 year old doesn't leave me much free time to post. :) We've not had much luck TTC since we had him, unfortunately. I had an ectopic pg a year ago last November and this past Christmas miscarried at 6w5d. The OB says as long as we're up for it there's no reason not to try again - we can get pg. It's finding the right egg so I can stay pg. This last MC has been pretty hard to deal with but we're gonna keep trying.

You may not see too many posts from me but know that I am cheering you all on in spirit! Good luck! :)

[Fireside Girl]

Capecod,
I am so sorry.Please take good care of yourself. You and your husband are in my thoughts.

jlo2be,
I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Miscarrigaes are painful enough, but over the holidays is particularly bad. I'm hoping you find the right egg!

[bottleored]

CapeCod thinking of you and wishing you both the best at this difficult time.

[pixielou]

capecod thinking of you. i am so sorry for your loss. give yourself plenty of time to grieve.

~pixie

[jlo2be]

Capecod I'm so sorry for your loss. You and your husband will be in my thougts. {{Hugs}}

[margiepgh]

capecod - I was so sorry to read about your loss. :( You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Although I've removed you from the roster, please know that we are still here for you if you need to vent or cry.

jlo2be - I'm also sorry to hear about your m/c.

(P.S. If you want to post your stats, I'll add you to the roster.)

[jlo2be]

Here ya go:

jlo2be
Me: 42 (43 in April :eek: )
DH: 41
DS: 05/01/04
ectopic pg 11/04
m/c 12/20/05 - 6w5d

[Kimmiebride]

Capecod, sorry for your loss... jlo2be you too... thinking of all of you!
Kimmie

[ellybelle]

Capecod -- I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Take care of yourself.

[stars]

capecod & jlo2be I am thinking of you guys and am so sorry for your losses.

[melissafromnc]

jlo2be: I just saw news of your recent loss (and ectopic) and wanted to say I was thinking of you as well.

May 2006 be a great year for all of us. I had high hopes in January but had them dashed recently. I'm hoping the year picks up though.

[stars]

teendoc If your out there just wanted to know how your doing?!?!?!

[margiepgh]

jlo2be - I've added you to the roster.

Melissa - I'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out for you recently. May 2006 be a great year for all of us.

I couldn't agree more. :)

pixie - Any news on when you might try IVF?

elly - How are things with you?

I haven't seen any posts from Bastille or LeighW for awhile. I hope they are doing OK.

--------------------

I had blood work at my endocrinologist last week to check on whether my thyroiditis had resolved. In the previous three blood tests my TSH levels were all non detectable, compared to the normal range of 0.5 to 5.0. Levels less than 0.5 indicate hyperthyroidism and levels greater than 5.0 indicate hypothyroidsm. Currently my TSH is 4.8. So my hyperthyroidism has resolved, but I am on the borderline of hypothryoidism. The endocrinologist wants me to get tested again in 6 to 8 weeks to see if the TSH has normalized or if it has continued to rise, in which case I will need Synthroid.

Since the thyroid function is still in question, I am holding off on getting a retest of my FSH and an ovarian ultrasound. The RE wanted me to get it retested after my thyroid function had become normal. In the meantime, I did start to take Fertility Blend (thanks for the advice Melissa), but that may take 3 months or so to help. I am continuing to chart and use a Fertility Monitor (thanks again Melissa), and hoping that I can conceive naturally.

[melissafromnc]

Margie--There are lots of us with high fsh and hypothyroidism. FWIW, when you are ttc you want your tsh to be 1-2---no where near where yours currently is. The OLD standards were you weren't hypothyroid if you were under 5. That was changed to 3 several years ago with the caveat that folks ttc should be 1-2. If your endrocinologist is saying the standard is 5.0 you might want to think about a second opinion.

There's a woman on the high fsh board, Alex, who knows tons about this. Also you can go to thyroid.about.com for lots of good info and local recommendations. bastille also knows a lot more than me about this. Maybe she'll see your post and have some additional info. Also, you should get your bloodwork done at the same time of the day each time you have it checked. My thyroid specialist likes to compare apples to apples. Have you had a full panel done? That would include t3/t4/t antibodies and more. It sounds like something is definitely going on with your thyroid that should be addressed.

[margiepgh]

melissa - hmmm.... I wonder why my endocrinologist didn't know about the new standard for hypothyroidism. He is fairly accessable so I think I'll give him a call or e-mail him.

I had the full panel of thyroid testing back in November (including antibodies), but only had the TSH/T3/T4 this time. I'm not sure how the T3 and T4 levels were this time. From what I've read on the internet, it is common to go through a few months of hypothyroidism following thryoiditis, before returning to normal function.

Is Alex on the Network 54 board?

[LeighW]

CapeCod~I'm so sorry. How devastating.

Jlo2be~I'm sorry to hear of your m/c as well. The holidays are hard enough without adding that. I'm your age (42) and TTC#2 after a m/c as well.

Melissa~Sorry to hear of your news as well. Does it involve a donor cycle?

Margie~It must be difficult to get more tests, hurry up and wait, get more tests. It sounds like your endo is good, so hopefully things will be on track soon.

Bellefior~I have the same insurance problem--bc/bs federal employee coverage. It sucks and has been the reason I've been dragging my feet on seeing an RE.

Which brings me to, I'm thinking of making an RE appointment anyway. I used to think I'd be OK with just trying on our own, but, 1.5+ years later, I'm really not. The cost and my age have held me back, but now I'm thinking I should at least try this avenue so I know I did everything I could.

Does anyone have any advice on choosing an RE? I really don't know anything (other than I have no insurance coverage beyond an initial consult and maybe some initial testing). I have a referral from a friend, so I might try that first.

I had some preliminary tests last fall. My HSG was all clear. My CD3 bloodwork was fine (TSH, FSH, etc.) except for estrogen. It was a "little" low, according to my ob. Below 35, but no exact number. I had O + 7 progesterone bloodwork done the same cycle (to see if I actually O'ed) but I've never heard the results. (Despite 3 phone calls to my ob, but that's another rant entirely). FSH, which is what I was worried about, was 4. I'm pretty sure there was also a full thyroid panel.

After lots of internet reading, and studying my charts, my self-diagnosis is that I have some mild form of PCOS, probably driven by insulin resistance. My charts look good, but my guess is that I do not actually ovulate every cycle. My cycles are short, EWCM is pretty nonexistent, and my flow is light and barely lasts 3 days. I have lots of EWCM maybe 1-2 times a year (incidently, two of those cycles resulted in pregnancies, one successful), so my guess is that I actually ovulate only a few times a year (blood flow is much heavier and longer after a cycle with EWCM).

I'm also thinking of finding a naturopath and/or accupuncturist. My husband found a clinic in DC (he has a recurring elbow injury) and said they have some expertise in fertility issues. I'm wondering if I should try there first, or there and also an RE . . . .

OK, novel over. ;) I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts, both on what I should be investigating as far as what the problem could be, and how to choose an RE. I'm in the Washington, DC metro area.

Thanks!

[Bellefior]

Leigh I actually talked with one of our AJs (Administrative Judge) unofficially about the whole Federal employee coverage thing. The explanation she gave, and it somewhat makes sense even though I don't agree with it, is that feritlity treatments are considered something "elective" like cosmetic surgery, and not something required or necessary for your health--ie., a heart transplant or chemotherapy. I don't agree with that philosophy, but at least now I understand where they are coming from.

I'm hoping our 3 week trip to Florida at the end of the month will take care of things and any discussion of seeing an RE becomes moot.

[LeighW]

Bellefior~I've heard the same explanation. Here's hoping your vacation does the trick!

Well, as an update to the novel of my TTC life above, I found an integrative medicine center and e-mailed them about making an appointment. :) It feels good to accomplish something.

[margiepgh]

Hi LeighW - It's good to hear from you again. I don't have any advice on choosing an RE. I live in Pittsburgh, and really there are only a few choices around here. I chose to go to the fertility center associated with Magee Womens Hospital, which is the largest center around here, and is associated with the med school. I would think that there would be many more choices in D.C. Maybe somebody on the Network 54 High FSH board can make a recommendation. (BTW - You have a great FSH! :)) Are you planning to go to the integrative medicine center in addition to the RE?

[teendoc]

teendoc If your out there just wanted to know how your doing?!?!?!

Thanks for thinking of me, Stars. I'm doing OK. Just came off my estrace and PIO at 12 weeks and have my first real OB appointment next week. I'm hanging in.

Hope everyone here is well. My energy level has been so pitiful that I haven't been doing much posting or blogging.

Take care!

[LeighW]

Margie~Thanks, I made appointments with the two REs to whom I was referred. :) One appointment is for the end of March, and one is for Friday. (!). I'm thinking of making an appointment at the integrative med center also. They have an accupuncturist with a lot of fertility experience. I figure it can't hurt.

Liana~Glad things are going well, even if that means you aren't feeling so hot. Good luck with the ob next week.

[LeighW]

And Capecod, if you're still reading, I'm so, so sorry.

[melissafromnc]

Leigh--Is one of the REs at Shady Grove? They are the best REs in the DC area. I think a combo of acupuncture and western medicine is a great approach. I'm a big, big fan of acu.

[LeighW]

Yes, one is with Shady Grove. Unfortunately, it is the one at the end of March.

I've heard good things about the other shop, though, and it's a lot closer to my house. So, here's hoping.

I was going to wait to schedule my first naturopath and then acu appointment until after seeing the first RE tomorrow, but now I'm thinking I might just go ahead and call today. Might as well start everything at once. :)

[pixielou]

has anyone heard from tsmom? wasn't she due sometime around now?

bellefior so fertility treatments are elective? hmmmm. . .i sure hope your insurance doesn't pay for viagra then. . .

***********
not too much going on in the house of pixie. we had another miscarriage. i guess it was technically a chemical pregnancy. so i didn't need a d&e. which means we don't have a waiting period to try again.

our insurance rejected our ivf with pgd request. so we are going to have to self pay. we are starting to look at the different clinics in the area to see where we feel most comfortable. i have nothing against my re except for the fact that she works out of boston ivf, which i have heard is run like a factory (just hearsay - i have nothing concrete to back up the claim) . i'm not sure that is the environment i want if i am self paying.

i just found out that my ob has extended her leave of absence thru june. which frustrates me a bit - i would really like to have a talk with her about all this ivf stuff and find out what her opinion is. i'd also like a clear cut answer as to whether or not i can stop taking folic acid supplements, which i was put on last october after i had to take methotrexate.

~pixie

[ejs]

pixielou, is there a reason to stop taking folic acid if you are still wanting to get pregnant? I thought that taking folic acid was a "must."

[Astro]

pixielou, I was told to keep taking folic acid while trying to get pregnant.

[Bellefior]

bellefior so fertility treatments are elective? hmmmm. . .i sure hope your insurance doesn't pay for viagra then. . .




Actually I looked a little more into the policy. It will pay for diagnosis of fertility and treatment but not for those things which are specifically excluded. The specific things not covered are any assisted reproductive technology including AI, IVF, GIFT, IVI, ICI, IUI, and any services and supplies related to ART.

I guess this means that if I needed fertility drugs or surgery, they'd cover it, but not pay for IVF treatments. Not what I was hoping for but better than nothing I suppose.

Oh and I did check because my husband raised the whole Viagra issue too, since he is an attorney (our thought is we might have a legitimate gripe if they did pay for Viagra) . The will not pay for anything to treat "sexual dysfunction", nor will they pay for anything related to terminating a pregnancy (unless the mother's life is in danger/medically necessary), though they will pay for birth control.

Pixie please let me know who you end up using, because I'm in Boston too. My OB/GYN is out of Mass General, so if we have to take this route, we'd probably end up there. PM me if you prefer not to put it in a post.

[pixielou]

ejs and astro just to clarify - i do take a multi vitamin with folic acid in it every day. after my miscarriage/ectopic in october, i had to take methotrexate - which i was told depletes your folic acid reserves. i was told at the time to avoid pregnancy for 3 months, and to take additional supplements of folic acid. i'd have to go read my prescription bottle - but i think it's something like 5 or 6 times the regular level of folic acid. the er doctor - i thought he told me to take the additional folic acid for 3 months - but he wrote a prescription for 6 months. so i'm not sure if i'm still supposed to be taking the mega dose.

bellefior i'll let you know where we decide to go. the mass general ivf program has been highly recommended by a few people. though dh and i are really looking for a clinic with expertise in pgd - i think it's new england reprodutive health up in reading that seems to have a lot of experience with pgd.

[ejs]

pixielou, thanks for explaining about the folic acid.

[pocahontas]

HEY LADIES! I'm snowed in :( So I figured I'd breeze through to see what was the latest and greatest with my fellow 35 and over crowd! :D

[Bellefior]

X-Post from the Charting Thread

Not time to take an OPK yet but wanted to update on something that happened yesterday. Yesterday was the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and our church had a special mass for the healing of the sick which included a blessing and anointing of the sick. I had no plans on going up for the anointing, but DH suggested we both go up and pray that we get pregnant soon, since it hasn't happened yet. Hadn't crossed my mind, but I thought it was a good idea so both of us went up. I'm sure people in the church were wondering "why do they need the blessing, they look young and healthy" but as DH said, its between us and the man upstairs.

[margiepgh]

LeighW - How was the appointment with the RE?

pixie - I'm so sorry to read that you had another m/c. :( I'm also sorry to hear that your insurance turned down the ivf. What does pgd stand for?

pocahontas - How much snow did you guys get?

Bellefior - I'm Catholic too, so our church does blessing and anointing of the sick. I was thinking about participating in the blessing of the throats for St. Blaise day (because of my thyroid issues), but I think I missed it.

------

Nothing much new to report here. I think I'm at about 7 DPO, so I still have a few days to wait before thinking about any testing.

[pixielou]

What does pgd stand for?

pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. they take 1 cell out of the embryo and test it for common genetic defects. when we have had our m/c's, the few times we were able to test the fetal remains - the cause of m/c has been ruled a trisomy. dh and i have gone thru the whole battery of rpl testing, so we are assuming that the other m/c's have also been caused by genetic abnormalities as well. so our hope is that by using pgd, we could hopefully put an end to the m/c's.

bellefior i hope you got a direct line to "the man upstairs" and that he listened. have a great time in florida.

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i'm kinda in a funk now. i am now the only mom in dd's playgroup that is not pregnant. and at playgroup yesterday - everybody had to actually point that out to me - like i couldn't figure it out on my own. the worst is listening to one of the moms complain about what a "horrible mistake" it was that she got pregnant - since they wanted their kids 3 years apart, not 2. yes - how horrible that is. . .i think we will be skipping playgroup for the next few weeks.

~pixie

[margiepgh]

pixie - That sounds like a particularly annoying playgroup. :( Since I WOH full-time, I don't do playgroups, but my MIL has been asking DH when/if we are going to have another one. It doesn't help that my particularly fertile SIL is due any day now and her DD was just born 13 months ago. :eek:

IVF with pgd sound like a great idea. Does it cost much more than a regular IVF?