Still At It...Fall '06 Edition

[looty]

I just took about 3 hours to go back and read everything that has been going on since the last time I posted. I know I didn't have to but I wanted to and I am glad that I did since I got to see that the hormonal mess I have become on Clomid is somewhat normal and that I am not the only one who has wanted to deck insensitive people. :p

Since it's been a while I obviously can't really do SOs but I will try to be better about coming in here more regularly.

Threadmistress can you update my stats?
10/06 Clomid 50mg, BFN
11/06 Clomid 50 mg

Good luck to the ladies that are getting close to testing. I am testing with the ladies that are testing closer to Christmas. I am Oing today (major O pains) and plan on testing on my grandpa's birthday. He passed away earlier this year and I have been thinking that maybe him being 'up there' pulling for me will help. I am sure you ladies understand the need to have anything to pull hope from. It would be awesome to get a BFP on his birthday!

[kazata]

The egg can travel to my good side right?:confused:

As for eggs traveling from side to side...we had that happen to someone like last month! Just ask Kazata...she's in the July or maybe June mommy thread and she's definitely a witness (although I will admit prior to her I had never heard of that happening before.)

I still lurk in here every now and then, and I just had to comment on this, because, as Pocahontas pointed out, yes, it did just happen to me - the egg can travel to the good side. :D Good luck!

[monkey]

Hi ladies,

I often came to this thread to read because there were so many helpful info among all of you regarding to trying to conceive. To be honest, I was a bit worried because I do not have the greatest luck in getting pregnant. You have given me great comfort to keep going. Also, as of last year, I went to school in Philly while my husband is in the Bay Area, CA. These two factors combine totally scratched out all the probability as well as the luck of getting pregnant before my school is over. Well, when I could not, I was worried. Now, I just found out the I could, I was worried to. We spent the early part of Nov. together and the third week and fourth week of Nov. together, now my "clear blue stick test" says I'm pregnant. I am way too thrilled. But....how should I break it to my husband? Is there any good ideas out there that you can throw to my way? Thanks!!!

[lawphil]

Hi All,

DaniML - it is great that you are waiting. That way when you get your results there will be no question about what they are!

jessied1025 - Good luck with the RU. I will be interested to hear. my DH's SA was normal but borderline but then when we went to do the IUI it came back as only 5 million with 45% motility. So it may be a path we go down soon.

petunia - welcome. It sounds like you have been through quite a journey. I hope your stay here is short.

Poca - good luck with this cycle. I hope the third time is a charm!

Patience - good luck this cycle. I am glad that you are so well taken care of by the staff at your office.

Holiday gift - I don't know. I see them so much I feel like I should send them a card or something but I am not sure what is approriate.

As for me the beta came back negative today. I really knew - even though I had let myself have a little hope (why I don't know?!). I had a horrible night last night - my cramps were the worst I have ever had and because it was pre-beta I didn't take any aleve. I ended up taking a hot shower and then bath at 4am - needless to say I didn't feel any better this morning. My DH in his groggy sleep said, 'your body just won't give you a break'. He hit the nail on the head!

I have have not had to use a tampon yet but I did pass (and sorry for the TMI) a large dark brown clot this morning and then just spotting since then. I am afraid to let day 1 pass me by but I think that I should wait for the full flow day, right? The reason I ask is that I always spot but I don't usually get cramps until the full flow day. I am having a wierd hybrid cycle right now!

Of course my RE is in the caribbean right now...gosh I wish I was there. Luckily the head of the practice will be handling the start of this cycle so I feel like I am in good hands.

I have a couple of questions. First, I want to see how we can have more mature eggs, I had 3 at 18, 16 and 14 (I don't mind three but 16 and 14 on not really great) without the threat of overstimulation (which is what happened last time) and also how can we get to that mature point without overstimulation so I can take a full course of the HCG shot (I had to do a half dose last time because of the overstim). Also, I had a strong progesterone of 40 something on 5 dpo but I start spotting on 9 dpo. What is the story with that? I thought that spotting was caused by weak ovulation and/or low progesterone. Maybe there is something else we should be thinking about??

Anyway, come on day 1. I am cutting it really close to the holiday season and I really want to get this cycle in.

oh, and to complete this novel I am also bracing myself for the possibility of cycsts. There were a lot of little follicles that developed pretty rapidly - hopefully they will not cause any problems going forward.

Thanks for listening ladies. I really need a place where I can go and vent and not have to worry about putting on my positive push forward face. My Mom keeps saying she is not worried as long as she knows I am happy - so I obligingly say I am very happy and not worried at all. What a lie! Who wants to worry their mom though - you know?

Ok. I am done. I hope everyone is holding up well. I am reading along hoping for positive things for alL!

[Patience]

jodylovesscotty Yikes! Up to 10 visits?!? Wow, I really need to think about what I'm going to say to my manager. Hopefully I can just schedule most of the visits before work or doing my lunch hour so my absence won't be noticed.

petunia I like FSUSammy's basket of cookies idea. I've been thinking about getting them something also. Something food related (pastry, cake, cookies, etc.).

looty I hope your grandpa's birthday will bring you a BFP. Then you'll know that your grandpa is looking out for you from "up there". :)

lawphil Sorry about the negative beta and the bad cramps. ((Hugs)) I hope your RE can figure out the right protocol for you on the injectables. That would be very frustrating to not have the desired number of matured eggs.

pocahontas Hey cycle buddy. How are you doing on Clomid this time around? I think I'm having hot flashes in my sleep now because I was unusually warm last night even though it was pretty cold outside. I'll be so glad to be done with Clomid forever.

[pocahontas]

yep...3rd time was the charm for me...i hope this is it for you too...i never thought TTC would ever be so hard...or so draining...

Good luck to everyone!!



Poca - good luck with this cycle. I hope the third time is a charm!

Shoot, LAWPHIL and POLKA...I hope I don't make it to "third time's a charm" because this is only my second Clomid cycle (but since it is my third IUI I guess if that saying is going to apply it could at least be for that!) Now LAWPHIL...refresh my memory, you are doing IUI+injectables right? Was this the 2nd cycle for you? I am trying to find out as much as I can about the whole "shots" thing because according to my RE if Clomid does nothing that is my next stop (although it will be February, I guess, before I get there.) But I keep hearing about the horrors of OHSS...so I am eager to learn how to avoid that (if that's even possible.)


pocahontas Hey cycle buddy. How are you doing on Clomid this time around? I think I'm having hot flashes in my sleep now because I was unusually warm last night even though it was pretty cold outside. I'll be so glad to be done with Clomid forever. Hey cycle buddy...I am faring the same as you! LOL :D Last night, I was sweating and I think it was 30 degrees outside the bedroom window. :rolleyes: Thankfully, tomorrow is the last pill! :o

[TazLuv]

Lawphil - just a quick drive by. I used to consider red flow day 1 until last cycle. I had three days of super light brown spotting and then nothing (on Prometrium) so after the obligatory 14 days I called the RE, they ran some tests and did an u/s. That light spotting was my period for the month - so you might want to consider today day 1. I've been told that some times on fertility drugs the "old" stuff is all that clears and that is why all you get is brown.

[Jess71903]

I haven't checked in for a while, since I am technically "on a break" and I get in trouble every time DH catching me on CC :rolleyes:. Just reading along every few days.
Congrats to LDSangel!
Today I let my dr's office know that I wanted an RE appt. I probably should have a long time ago, but it's just so inconvenient that I thought I would give my dr. a shot. I had some spotting today (just on TP) but it was just once. It's early for AF, but I usually have a few days warning like this, so I am sure by Thursday CD1 will be here....which is fine, since I am on the aforementioned break....whatever.

[lawphil]

Hi All,


Jess71903 - glad you have made the decision to move on to the RE. I hope they will get you in the right direction quickly!

Taz - thanks for your advice. I just emailed the nurse at my RE's office. She usually checks her email in the afternoon - so hopefully I will hear back then. I would love to get started...we are dangerously close to Christmas and I am not sure what will happen if the holiday interferes...I don't even want to go down that road yet.

Poca - Thank you for the correction - yes I hope the third IUI is a charm! I am doing the injectibles. What I have learned is that you are at a much greater risk of OHSS when doing IVF rather than IUI - a lot more eggs and higher E2 levels. The problem that I have been finding which I almost experienced and Taz did experience is over stimming so there are too may eggs and too high chance of multiples which will lead to a cancelled cycle. The best way to avoid OHSS is for them to carefully monitor - which means at least every other day visits for ultrasound and blood tests to check your E2 levels from day 7 through trigger/IUI. My E2 levels went from like 400 to almost 1400 between days 7 and 9. Thankfully they were watching and triggered me right away to stop the growth.

patience - I hope the clomid isn't having too many side effects. At least the weather is cool. I say that having no idea what part of the country you are in! I hope the weather is cool where you are!

Looty - welcome and good luck testing!

Nothing new to report here. I am in the is it or isn't it stage of trying to determine day 1. Hopefully the flow will match the cramps and we can get on with it. You gotta love that the spotting stops after the negative beta...why do our bodies play such mind games?!

[pocahontas]

Poca - Thank you for the correction - yes I hope the third IUI is a charm! I am doing the injectibles. What I have learned is that you are at a much greater risk of OHSS when doing IVF rather than IUI - a lot more eggs and higher E2 levels. The problem that I have been finding which I almost experienced and Taz did experience is over stimming so there are too may eggs and too high chance of multiples which will lead to a cancelled cycle. The best way to avoid OHSS is for them to carefully monitor - which means at least every other day visits for ultrasound and blood tests to check your E2 levels from day 7 through trigger/IUI. My E2 levels went from like 400 to almost 1400 between days 7 and 9. Thankfully they were watching and triggered me right away to stop the growth.
Okay, I am glad you brought up over stimming because I thought OHSS was over stimming (or maybe it is to a different degree? :confused: ) I guess I should ask about that in the IVF thread. Either way...that u/s check every other day sounds time consuming so I guess I should start thinking about how that will work around my job now in case in the future I have to go down this road.

[ctjo]

Hi Ladies, sorry I have been MIA for awhile. Last I was in here, I was gearing up for my annual with my gyn to discuss our next steps. Additionally, my DH was filling a prescription from the urologist to get rid of some cells in his semen. Well, imagine my surprise when I got a BFP at the beginning of November! I feel awkward that my stay in this thread was so short, but I have to thank all of you for the support, information, and patience in answering all the crazy questions I had. After 14 months of trying, I truly believed that we would need some serious medical intervention. The only thing I did different that month was the Robitussin! But I can't believe that was *it* - I don't know what it was - luck, the stars aligned, whatever.

Thank you all again for the support. This is a great thread and I wish everyone all the best and BFPs!!! I will be following along if that's all right.

[DaniML]

lawphil, I agree with TAZ that this is probably day 1. I had one of those weird cycles recently and my doc said we would count it as day 1. Good luck getting another cycle in before Christmas!

ctjo, congratulations. Glad your stay was a short one!

Jess71903, good for you for moving on to an RE. I'm in the process of making that decision myself. It's not that I think my OB is incompetent, it's just not his specialty (though he knows a lot about fertility problems).

pocahontas, crossing my fingers that this 3rd IUI is the charm!! I just got past what you and Patience are experiencing with the hot flashes. This month was so bad and it took so much longer. But, if a BFP is the result I am willing to suffer.

monkey, congrats. Don't really have any ideas on how to tell your DH. I've thought of a million ways to tell mine if it ever happens, but now I just don't think about it anymore. There have been too many BFN's. Sorry, I'm not much help in that department.

Me, counting down the days... CD25 & approx. 10DPO. No symptoms whatsoever. My boobs are not even sore yet. Which makes me think I might not have ovulated at all, or not when I thought I did (haven't heard back from the doc yet). If I did ovulate then I should start in 5 - 7 days and I usually have at least week of sore boobies every month. If this cycle isn't it we have to wait until January because I'll be out of town during the time we should BD in December. I'm thinking about moving on to an RE at that point as well. As I said to Jess above, it's not that I don't think my OB knows what he's doing, but it's not what he specializes in. I asked him once at what point we decide to move on and he said anytime we're ready. We'll see.

[Patience]

ctjo Congrats! Don't feel bad your stay was so short. I love hearing about BFPs from SAI ladies because it gives me hope that it will happen for me one day. Here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy for you! :)

[FSUSammy]

ctjo - Congrats on your BFP! Glad your stay was short.

DaniML - Hopefully you did O and the no symptoms is your body's way of fooling you!

[Jess71903]

Congrats cjto! As Patience said, don't feel bad that you weren't in here forever. Graduation is the goal of everyone in here!

I am having the same problem you are lawphil. I had one instance of red on the tp yesterday, quite out of the blue. It was 4 days early, assuming I O'd when I thought I did. Today is just a tiny bit of brown, so I don't know either.

I guess a few of us will be starting something new with the new year. I found out today that I only takes 2 or 3 weeks to get an appt with the RE group I am going to, so I am pretty sure I can get one early in Jan when DH and I could both be there (per the RE group's strong suggestion on their website).

[monkey]

[QUOTE=DaniML;1092424]
monkey, congrats. Don't really have any ideas on how to tell your DH. I've thought of a million ways to tell mine if it ever happens, but now I just don't think about it anymore. There have been too many BFN's. Sorry, I'm not much help in that department.

Thanks so much for your response to my question. I think I will tell my DH when I came back to the Bay Area for the break. In the mean time, big {{{{{{hug}}}}}} from me to all of you for the pregnant charm. Much love!!!!

[honeygirl]

Hello all. I'm still on vacation (in Hawaii) and trying hard to relax and not think about TTC. I'm 8dpo in my 2nd Clomid cycle and so far don't feel any dramatic symptoms. I have no plans to test until I'm at least 14dpo since AF arrived on 13dpo last cycle. We'll see how my willpower lasts since I have 3 digital POAS at home. ;)

Asha - Just wanted to say that I read part of your "for moms to ponder" Chit Chat thread and I think it was a great idea! I haven't read it all, but was disappointed (but not surprised) when it started going downhill. I hope that you aren't feeling too attacked. The calousness of some of the ladies here is disheartening.

[Patience]

honeygirl I hope you're having a great time in Hawaii. I wish I were there.

Jess71903 I agree that it's a good idea to bring your DH to your first visit in case the doctor needs to ask questions about his family history.

DaniML Well, your 2WW isn't over until AF shows, so good luck to you. Maybe you won't need to see the RE in January.

pocahontas Hey, we should brainstorm together to figure out how to work around the frequent RE visits with our jobs if we have to do injectables. I'm just afraid that I'll be asked to go on a business trip during the week I need to be monitored closely. Not good... But fingers crossed for the both of us that Santa will bring us the best Christmas present this year! :D

lawphil Sorry your body isn't cooperating with you. I agree that our bodies shouldn't send out mixed signals like that. So frustrating. Hang in there.

[Asha]

Asha - Just wanted to say that I read part of your "for moms to ponder" Chit Chat thread and I think it was a great idea! I haven't read it all, but was disappointed (but not surprised) when it started going downhill. I hope that you aren't feeling too attacked. The calousness of some of the ladies here is disheartening.
thank you, honeygirl.

you know i was kind of ashamed to come into this thread bc so many of you posted such personal stories and then i feel like those stories were violated with the complaints and insults of a few people. what really got me very upset is that i had requested that those complaints be discussed via pm bc i just thought it was so insensitive to be complaining about it in that arena. i had no idea that the mothers would get so upset. if i did, i don't know if i would have started the thread bc i feel like our stories were overshadowed by the "drama." i am glad that it is somewhat getting back on track. people seemed to have moved the complaining to the "divisive" thread. warning - don't go to that thread as that one is quite upsetting too. so, i am sorry to all of those who may regret having shared your story in a place that was less than welcoming. i hope i have not caused you any pain.

*****
well, on to better, happier topics. i have a positive!!!! my beta was 128 11 days post 3 day embryo transfer. i am soooooo happy!! right now i can't think of anything else but about the baby or babies growing inside of me. i am crying with happiness bc we have been on this journey since june of 2004. that's about 27 months!!!! please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that the lil one or ones stick around for nine more months.

[FSUSammy]

Jess - Glad you will be able to get into the RE early in Jan!!!

honeygirl - Hope you are enjoying Hawaii!! Hope you are taking lots of pics!!! Definitely relax and not even thing about TTC or testing.

Asha - I'm sooooo happy to hear about your BFP!!! Congrats girl!!!! I hope the little one(s) stick!!!! Keep us updated on your progress.

Me - CD 60, 7 DPO and woke up with AF-like cramps. Temp is still above the coverline so she won't show up today but I have a feeling she might show up before 10 DPO. No biggie because right now I just want to be on a new cycle. I guess I'll have to wait and see what my body does next.

[DaniML]

Asha, that's wonderful news!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
I'm so excited about the BFP's in this thread. All of us are trying to hard and it gives me so much hope when one of us gets their BFP! I purposly stayed out of that other thread. I just knew what it would turn into.

honeygirl, I'm so jealous! I want to be on vacation!!! Well, I have 17 more days until I get to go home to Germany for 2 weeks. So I guess I shouldn't be too jealous. I hope you enjoy your vacation!!! And that a BFP follows it!

FSUSammy, I'm hoping my body is fooling me. Still no symptoms whatsoever.

Jess71903, great that you don't have to wait too long for an appointment! At least you can get things moving in the right direction!

[ctjo]

DaniML, Patience, FSUSammy, Jess71903 - thank you so much!

Asha!!!!! Congrats, congrats, congrats!!!!!! I know I don't 'know' you that well but I've read about your journey on this thread and others. I'm SO happy for you! ~~~sticky vibes~~~

[jodylovesscotty]

Oh Asha I am so excited for you!!!! Can't wait to hear how everything progresses!

[petunia]

First and foremost - ASHA!!!!! - Congratulations!!!! I had read in the IVF thread that you were getting your beta results yesterday so I was thinking about you all day. Guess your "asha" was answered. :) I'm so happy for you and wish you the best of luck these next few months! :D As for the other thread - thank you for posting it. Even though I was surprised by some people's responses, I think benefit of everyone's stories outweigh the negative reactions.

ctjo - Congratulations to you as well! I hope you have a happy and healthy nine months! :)

FSUSammy - thanks for the ideas for the cookies. I think that'll be perfect for the office staff!

jessied1025 - Thanks for the welcome! Good luck at the RU. My DH went to see one, I think it helped a lot. He recommended surgery, but we're waiting to see what my RE says.

DaniML - I know what you mean about not wanting to test. I hate those couple minutes waiting for the lines to show up (or in my case, not show up). Any symptoms yet?

looty - That would be so amazing to get a BFP on your grandfather's birthday! Good luck!

lawphil - Thanks! Did you find out how to decide what Day 1 is?

Patience - Yeah, the food idea is best, I think. You can't go wrong with sweets!

pocahantas - How are the clomid side effects? I'll be taking pill 3 today - and the hot flashes are killing me. I'm actually looking forward to going out in the freezing cold today!

I hope I didn't forget anyone - I'm not very good at this whole message board thing! :)

[lawphil]

First of all a HUGE CONGRATS TO ASHA!!! Major stickiness and H&H 9 months.


Well, AF is here in all her glory. I was sitting in a meeting and as the cramps intensified I knew she was here. I had to leave so I could go back to my desk for some deep breathing exercises...plus a few Aleve.

Anyway, I have day 3 testing on Friday am and I am keeping all toes, fingers, whatever I got crossed that there are no cycsts, etc and I will be able to move forward with IUI before Christmas.

So I turn 32 next week. So I am very type A and in order to stay calm and enjoy the moment I give myself deadlines (seemingly very realistic deadlines) which are supposed to let me just enjoy the ride and hopefully meet that goal by the deadline - trying to manage my Type A personality. So when I started this journey at age 30 I decided that I was just going to enjoy it and I would be completely fine with whatever happened as long as I was pregnant by 32 (because of course I would be pregnant by 32!). Obviously not happening. But in all honesty, I am glad for 32 to come and go. It has been dangling out there as this deadline that I set and the pressure to meet that deadline has been mounting. That plus all the fantasies of making the big reveal at Christmas has just compounded that anxiety. My point is - is that 32 is here and there will be no big reveal at Christmas. And although I am a little sad about it all I am just glad to be out from under the pressure of these made up deadlines! Now I can just reset the clock - 2007 pregnancy ?? - I love to torture myself!

Wow I didn't expect that!

honeygirl - so jealous reading your post. I hope you are sitting on the beach enjoying an umbrella drink!

[pocahontas]

thank you, honeygirl.

you know i was kind of ashamed to come into this thread bc so many of you posted such personal stories and then i feel like those stories were violated with the complaints and insults of a few people. what really got me very upset is that i had requested that those complaints be discussed via pm bc i just thought it was so insensitive to be complaining about it in that arena. i had no idea that the mothers would get so upset. if i did, i don't know if i would have started the thread bc i feel like our stories were overshadowed by the "drama." i am glad that it is somewhat getting back on track. people seemed to have moved the complaining to the "divisive" thread. warning - don't go to that thread as that one is quite upsetting too. so, i am sorry to all of those who may regret having shared your story in a place that was less than welcoming. i hope i have not caused you any pain.

*****
well, on to better, happier topics. i have a positive!!!! my beta was 128 11 days post 3 day embryo transfer. i am soooooo happy!! right now i can't think of anything else but about the baby or babies growing inside of me. i am crying with happiness bc we have been on this journey since june of 2004. that's about 27 months!!!! please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that the lil one or ones stick around for nine more months.Asha, don't be ashamed...you know we all love you. And furthermore, you will notice it was NONE OF "US" over there actin' a plain fool and showing their TRUE colors! (And that's kinda why I didn't answer the post from whoever "MONKEY" is because A) I didn't know if it was someone from that thread being snarky under another name and B) I was so sensitive from your thread I doubt I could have been very nice in my response. :p (DaniML is sooooo much more diplomatic than me.) So no worries...besides, you have better things to think about. CONGRATS!! I am so happy for you, girl! Good to see another "sister in the struggle" get her BFP! :D



pocahontas Hey, we should brainstorm together to figure out how to work around the frequent RE visits with our jobs if we have to do injectables. I'm just afraid that I'll be asked to go on a business trip during the week I need to be monitored closely. Not good... But fingers crossed for the both of us that Santa will bring us the best Christmas present this year! :D
Okay, Patience...since it seems if we have to go that route you and I will pretty much be on a similar time frame we will definitely have to put our heads together. The only good thing for me is that with the profession I have I don't have to do any business trips, thankfully. But then again, it's a little harder to just take random time off in the job that I have also. :rolleyes: We will figure out something but right now I am optimistically CLAIMING we won't need it! :p

Hello all. I'm still on vacation (in Hawaii) and trying hard to relax and not think about TTC. I'm 8dpo in my 2nd Clomid cycle and so far don't feel any dramatic symptoms. I have no plans to test until I'm at least 14dpo since AF arrived on 13dpo last cycle. We'll see how my willpower lasts since I have 3 digital POAS at home. ;)

HONEYGIRL...hurry back! We miss you!

Hi Ladies, sorry I have been MIA for awhile. Last I was in here, I was gearing up for my annual with my gyn to discuss our next steps. Additionally, my DH was filling a prescription from the urologist to get rid of some cells in his semen. Well, imagine my surprise when I got a BFP at the beginning of November! I feel awkward that my stay in this thread was so short, but I have to thank all of you for the support, information, and patience in answering all the crazy questions I had. After 14 months of trying, I truly believed that we would need some serious medical intervention. The only thing I did different that month was the Robitussin! But I can't believe that was *it* - I don't know what it was - luck, the stars aligned, whatever.

Thank you all again for the support. This is a great thread and I wish everyone all the best and BFPs!!! I will be following along if that's all right.
CTJO...congrats. It is always nice when another SAI has success...so H&H 9 months to you!

pocahantas - How are the clomid side effects? I'll be taking pill 3 today - and the hot flashes are killing me. I'm actually looking forward to going out in the freezing cold today! Hey Petunia...I didn't really have any flashes last night which is good because I have been having bad back pains in the past week and a half that have outweighed the hot flashes! I don't know if this is a Clomid induced symptom or not but it sure is a pain in my A**! Go away already, would ya? Geesh...

LAWPHIL: I am sooooo crackin' up at you because I am glad to know there is another "me" out there. All my dang deadlines have passed. *sigh* And I am still driving myself crazy with new ones. I won't even tell you what they are because they are so ridiculous. LOL

[Patience]

I don't have much time for other responses right now, but I wanted to say
Congratulations Asha!!!

I'm really happy for you and wish you all the best in the next 9 months! :D

[kazata]

Eeeeeeeek!!!!! ASHA! Congratulations! That's wonderful news!!!!

[skb]

asha
I'm chasing you between two threads. But thought I should congratulate you twice! Have a wonderful pregnancy and a joyful holiday. Take care.

[ptcrn]

Asha, congratulations!!! That is great news- I will be thinking sticky thoughts for you! I didn't see the other thread you started, but I think I won't look at it now! :) I gather from what everyone has said in here that it was just a bunch of "difficult" people behaving badly in that thread- so please don't feel ashamed in any way!

So I turn 32 next week. So I am very type A and in order to stay calm and enjoy the moment I give myself deadlines (seemingly very realistic deadlines) which are supposed to let me just enjoy the ride and hopefully meet that goal by the deadline - trying to manage my Type A personality. So when I started this journey at age 30 I decided that I was just going to enjoy it and I would be completely fine with whatever happened as long as I was pregnant by 32 (because of course I would be pregnant by 32!). Obviously not happening. But in all honesty, I am glad for 32 to come and go. It has been dangling out there as this deadline that I set and the pressure to meet that deadline has been mounting. That plus all the fantasies of making the big reveal at Christmas has just compounded that anxiety. My point is - is that 32 is here and there will be no big reveal at Christmas. And although I am a little sad about it all I am just glad to be out from under the pressure of these made up deadlines! Now I can just reset the clock - 2007 pregnancy ?? - I love to torture myself!

lawphil, I could have written that post! I have set so many artificial deadlines for myself that have only disappointed. I guess I just need to be okay with the fact that my life isn't about a bunch of "shoulds." It is what it is, and I have to deal with that. I'm really trying to take each day as it comes, but it is much easier said than done, as I know you all understand!

petunia- welcome! I too haven't seen my RE's office too long, so I probably won't get them anything for Christmas. But I'm a nurse and I know we always appreciate something yummy to eat, so cookies sound like a great idea! :)

(And that's kinda why I didn't answer the post from whoever "MONKEY" is because A) I didn't know if it was someone from that thread being snarky under another name and B) I was so sensitive from your thread I doubt I could have been very nice in my response. (DaniML is sooooo much more diplomatic than me.)

pocahontas- I had the same thought! LOL!

ctjo, congrats to you too! Happy and healthy 9 months!

honeygirl- soooo jealous of your vacation in Hawaii! We went there for our honeymoon and I have been dreaming of it ever since! Have a fruity drink for me and hopefully you will come home to a BFP!

Jess71903- good luck with the new RE- 2-3 weeks for an appt is really good! I hope they will be able to come up with a plan that works for you.

Ok, I know I missed a whole lot of people, and I apologize. This thread has been moving fast lately!

As for me, I had my first vag ultrasound yesterday- an interesting experience! It wasn't unpleasant, just a little uncomfortable I guess. AF arrived on Sunday, so this was a pre-IUI scan. The nurse called me last night to say I am all set to start with the Clomid tomorrow. I am a little nervous about side effects- I'm starting with 100 mg. I know I've read that some of you also started with 100- did you have a lot of SE's that first month?

On the good side, the costs for all this are pretty low. My insurance covers 80% of the IUI, so my total is going to be around $150 for everything. I was really nervous about that so that is really good news!

[pocahontas]

pocahontas- I had the same thought! LOL!

The nurse called me last night to say I am all set to start with the Clomid tomorrow. I am a little nervous about side effects- I'm starting with 100 mg. I know I've read that some of you also started with 100- did you have a lot of SE's that first month?

On the good side, the costs for all this are pretty low. My insurance covers 80% of the IUI, so my total is going to be around $150 for everything. I was really nervous about that so that is really good news!LOL...glad to see I'm not alone in thinking about behaving badly. :D (Since no one else answered either...I will assume we aren't the only ones who were thinking that way.) And I'm not typically the type to bite my tongue! :p But it really irked me since clearly, NONE of us are preggo or we wouldn't be here in SAI...heck, if i were in that situation I'd think it MUCH more appropriate to join my corresponding mommy thread (or even ask the Charting or SWH thread) and ask them such a thing than ask a bunch of folx who've been hoping for a BFP for SEVERAL months (well, years for some). :mad: ARGH! But on a happier note, I will gladly report that I started on 100 mg (after much grumbling that other girls only started on 50 mg and I thought 100 might be too high too soon) but after the initial dull headaches it wasn't so bad. But I'm gonna warn you hot flashes are residual (not to mention withOUT warning) and don't just go away as easily as the headache. :o But good luck! There are a few of us on our second round this cycle...so I'm sure the others will chime in.

Okay, I can't remember if I asked before but can anyone who had to do an IUI out of pocket let me know a rough estimate of how much it is? My insurance covers only 3 and should I decide to do another 3 with injectables they are out of pocket. I wanted to see what we'd be looking at costwise before I even consider it though.

[looty]

Lawphil~I do the same thing to myself with the deadlines. :rolleyes: Don'tyou love it? Here's hoping that you meet your 2007 goal very early in the year!

Poca~So you're another deadline girl? Me, too! Glad to hear that you haven't been having any hot flashes. I hope the back pain goes away soon!

Ctjo~A big congrats to you. It is great to see a lady from here graduate because it gives everyone hope! I'm glad that you didn't ahve to stick around. Don't feel bad, we all hope to graduate as soon as possible!

Dani~I hope you get to continue the string of BFPs here! I am in the same boat as you...seeing an OB but thinking that I may switch to an RE soon. I am really happy with my dr so I am worried she will take it presonally. I am sure she won't and she will be thrilled to have me back as a pg patient.

Jess~I hope you can figure out your bleeding or lack there of soon. That is great that you can get into the RE so quickly. I hope I have the same luck if I need to do that.

Honeygirl~Enjoy the rest of your vacation! I am jealous of Hawaii as I sit here and look out the window at mounds of snow. I hope you get to have a BFP to make you happy that you are home. Good luck holding out.

Patience~The time off is something I am worried about too when we move to injectable or IUI. I am a teacher so it isn't like I can just take off an hour here or an hour there. I have students that need me to be here. I am sure I will be able to figure something out, but I think I will have to tell my boss what is going on somewhat (which I don't really want to do). SO if you come up with anything, make sure to let me know!

Asha~ A huge congrats to you! I am so happy I am grinning from ear to ear. I haven't come out and talked a lot here but I have definitely been touched by a lot of the stories here, including yours. Sending up tons of prayers that your little one(s) will stick! I too don't blame you for the turn that thread took. It was so heartwarming at first and then...well you know.;)

Sam~ Sorry your temp went down and you think that AF is on her way. I hope she doesn't show up that early. Good luck next cycle...if you need it.

Petunia~I think it would be awesome too! Thanks for the good luck wishes.

ptcn~That is great that you are set to go with the Clomid and that your insurance covers so much. I don't know about 100mg. I know on 50, I have had worse O pains and some emotional ups and downs, but nothing more. Good luck!

I definitely O'ed on Monday. I had some major O pains. I have never had them that strong. It actually scared me a little because my DH said that I maight be popping out a lot of eggs. In a way I hope so because I want as many targets as possible, but I don't want to have a litter. :p I am expecting AF right before my family comes in for Christmas. I hope it is a BFP because if I just started AF and I see my fairly pg sister for the first time, I may want to have a break down. I feel horrible for that. I know everyone here understands but I still have some guilt over that and the fact that I am not always supremely happy to be planning her baby shower.

[ptcrn]

pocahontas, Thanks! I thought 100 was high to start with too, but I guess it is just the doctor's personal preference. Glad to know you didn't have too many problems on it. I get headaches all the time anyway, so that won't be anything new!

The breakdown of my pre-insurance IUI costs are: $275 IUI itself, $218 ultrasound, $93 bloodwork, $88 meds (Clomid and Ovidrel). Hope that helps!

looty, thanks for the response! Good to know you haven't had too many SE's on 50mg. LOL about the litter- I have had the same thoughts! I hope you see a BFP for Christmas!!

[DaniML]

(DaniML is sooooo much more diplomatic than me.)
LOL probably because I didn't read the other thread. Otherwise I would've probably been more suspisious! That and I'm clearly a little beside myself to even answer such a post lol.
that other girls only started on 50 mg and I thought 100 might be too high too soon
I started with 100mg too. I did two cycles of that and since I didn't ovulate on my 2nd cycle (and have no confirmation on whether I did or not in the 1st one) my doc uped it to 150mg this time.

looty, I kind of had the same concerns, that my doc would be upset or something. I LOVE my doc. But when I asked him he plainly told me that it was totally up to me and his feelings would not be hurt. I am keeping my fingers crossed for that BFP for you!!! It would be such a nice Christmas present. And yes, we all understand, even if it is your sister. My sister popped out two kids like it was nothing (both pregnancies were unplanned) and here I am struggling. It's not always easy to be happy for them even if they are your family!

ptcrn , lots of hotflashes and some mood swings. Like poca said, the hotflashes are without warning. I would sit at my desk and suddenly, out of the blue, sweat like a pig. Hopefully yours won't be so bad!

lawphil, isn't it weird how we like to torture ourselves? Before I met my husband I was totally ademant (sp?) that I would NOT have another child (I have a 10 year old), then I met my husband and started thinking, hmmm, maybe I would want one, then I went to yes, I want one, BUT not after 30!!! Well, I'm 30 now and obviously am not even pregnant. I was very dispointed when I turend 30 for that reason. We have been on this journey for over 2 years now as well and after while I just had to re-evaluate my deadlines. I have now decided not to set a new one... we'll see how that goes!

petunia, we'll see if I can actually go through with not testing. I really do think this time the fear of a BFN outweighs the anxiety to test. We'll see. How is the Clomid going for you?

Alright, I guess I need to get some work done. I have had a major case of holiday slacking going on here lately. Well that and the HUGE fight I had with my sister - like I need that right now. Anyway, hope everyone has a wonderful afternoon!

[DaniML]

Well, so much for thinking I actually ovulated. I just talked to the nurse and she said I did not. My progesterone was at 12.3 - they look for a min. of 20. Just great. She said my doc wants to try one more cycle before moving on. But, now I have to wait until January because I will be out of town when we are suppose to BD, unless AF showed RIGHT NOW. Since this is only CD 26 is pretty much impossible for that to happen. The earliest I'll start will be CD32, and that's WITH ovulation. Without it'll be more like CD40 +. I am so incredibly frustrated and am really fighting to hold back the tears (because I am at work).

[TazLuv]

Quick post - I feel like I have no time for SO's anymore, so sorry. :(

Asha - CONGRATULATIONS, please keep us posted, you give us all hope!

Poca, I ignored the aforementioned post for the same reason, I totally thought she was in the wrong to ask here but kept my lips zipped. ;)

I'll try to come back tonight and catch up more.

[kazata]

Dani Take this with a grain of salt, since I don't know your exact protocol at the moment or what testing your doc's office did, but that number sounds like you ovulated to me. What day did they do the progesterone test? I have always heard that they look for a minimum of 10 on a non-medicated cycle and a minimum of 15 on a medicated cycle (that's to show strong ovulation - anything over 5 is considered to show ovulation). I have never heard of needing over 20. I can tell you that I had a progesterone level of 9.9 on a non-pregnant, non-medicated cycle, in which I know for sure that I ovulated (they checked it via ultrasound - I had a follice one day and the next day it had "popped" then I did the progesterone test 7 days later). In fact, now in my pregnant cycle, I had a progesterone level of only 13.6 on one test - so clearly you don't need over 20. Also remember progesterone levels fluctuate throughout the day, and depending on how long before you ovulated they may have either already peaked or not yet peaked....It just sounds really strange to me that they would say you have not ovulated with that number. :confused:

Poca Have to comment that I had the same thoughts regarding certain poster, clearly she did not know what this thread is about. :rolleyes:

[Loud_curly]

I lurk on this board, but post over on the TTC w/ charting thread. I wanted to say CONGRATS to ASHA for your BFP, and also to thank you so much for the other thread. I haven't posted there, but your story and so many others were so touching.

I hope this is a sticky baby for you (and that you'll be OK in the August mommy thread with that other mommy-to-be)!

And for everyone else in the board, I'll likely be joining come January - we're starting our 7th TTC cycle with no luck so far. Hope that many of you will have already moved onto the mommy boards by then!

[polkadot]

***comifn out of lurkdom to say****

Congrats Asha!! sticky sticky to ya!!

I also wanted to say that the thread you started was a beautiful thing and that I knew excatly where and how you wanted it to go...too bad some people around here cant just stay on topic....anyway...H&H 9 months to you!!!

[DaniML]

kazata, thanks for your response. Of course now that has me thinking. My protocol is: CD5 u/s to check for cysts, CD5 - CD9 150mg Clomid, CD15 u/s to check follies (but this month we couldn't do this because it fell on Thanksgiving weekend), CD21 b/w to confirm ovulation (or lack thereof). So, since I didn't have the u/s on CD15 this month, maybe I had a weak ovulation? If I ovulated when I think I did then my b/w would've been on about 5 or 6 DPO. I'll have to go do some research now. Thanks for your input!

[kazata]

Dani It could also just mean that your ovulation was a couple days off. I think progesterone is supposed to peak around 7 dpo, so say you were only 4 dpo when they took the progesterone test - that could explain a lower than expected number.

[lawphil]

I just wanted to chime in, Dani to say that my doctor (and some people on CC) said that anything over 5 means ovulation. They want to see over 10 for non medicated and over 15 for medicated but numbers less than that don't mean a lack of ovulation it just means either a weak ovulation (which could cause low progesterone) or a progesterone problem.

Hopefully that is the case here. Maybe a higher dose of clomid or progesterone supplement could help?

[lawphil]

One more thing. I agree with Kazata. I ovulated on day 17 or 18 on clomid. So day 21 may not be 7 dpo.

[pocahontas]

Poca~So you're another deadline girl? Me, too! Glad to hear that you haven't been having any hot flashes. I hope the back pain goes away soon!

Yeah, unfortunately and since I've met very few of these self-imposed deadlines, you'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now. :rolleyes: (Glutton for punishment, I tell ya!)

pocahontas, Thanks! I thought 100 was high to start with too, but I guess it is just the doctor's personal preference. Glad to know you didn't have too many problems on it. I get headaches all the time anyway, so that won't be anything new!

The breakdown of my pre-insurance IUI costs are: $275 IUI itself, $218 ultrasound, $93 bloodwork, $88 meds (Clomid and Ovidrel). Hope that helps!
Uber helpful, Ptcrn! That looks like about $700 (although it might be closer to 900 bucks for me because I think Injectible meds cost more. We'll see...or hopefully, we WON'T!)
LOL probably because I didn't read the other thread. Otherwise I would've probably been more suspisious! That and I'm clearly a little beside myself to even answer such a post lol.
LOL...well, at least we know who to nominate to speak for us "hot heads" next time someone comes out the blue with such mess...cool, calm and PC at all times, DANIML! :D

!

Poca, I ignored the aforementioned post for the same reason, I totally thought she was in the wrong to ask here but kept my lips zipped. ;)

Oh no! Now we can't have our very own Threadmistress getting caught up in controversy!

Dani Take this with a grain of salt, since I don't know your exact protocol at the moment or what testing your doc's office did, but that number sounds like you ovulated to me. What day did they do the progesterone test? I have always heard that they look for a minimum of 10 on a non-medicated cycle and a minimum of 15 on a medicated cycle (that's to show strong ovulation - anything over 5 is considered to show ovulation).

Poca Have to comment that I had the same thoughts regarding certain poster, clearly she did not know what this thread is about. :rolleyes:I was going to say the same thing as Kazata, Dani after I read what numbers. I have heard exactly what she has regarding progesterone levels. I think maybe you did O. Of course, I'm no RE...:confused: (KAZATA, with only 12 posts and none until now in SAI, I wonder what she was thinking we were...a Weight Loss group "Still At It"? LOL)


I hope this is a sticky baby for you (and that you'll be OK in the August mommy thread with that other mommy-to-be)!
You took the words right out of my mouth, LC about her joining that thread...oh the IRONY! ;)
And for everyone else in the board, I'll likely be joining come January - we're starting our 7th TTC cycle with no luck so far. Hope that many of you will have already moved onto the mommy boards by then!*raising my glass* Here's hoping you join the BFP Christmas wish list a few of us who O'ing within the next week have already started. Then you won't even have to see cycle 7!

[jodylovesscotty]

pocahontas~ As far as the med's if you do injectibles, will your insurance cover those? If not they are about $1,200 for a cycle. Just a FYI.

[Jess71903]

Drive by post to say Congrats Asha!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOO Happy for you!!! Praying for a sticky baby or babies for you!

[Asha]

THANK YOU so much everybody for your kind words and well wishes. i must say i am quite bad at shout outs, but i am still rooting for everyone here. i hope everyone has positives too, and it doesn't take you as long as it took us.

[Bellefior]

Hi everyone.

I apparently created controversy by a thread I started in Chit-Chat, and despite my apologizing repeatedly and asking people to let the thread die, people still find it necessary to let me know that I might not have been as understanding as I could have been and my choice of words/topic was poor. If I offended anyone here who is TTC, or who has children and is TTC, I sincerely apologize. I would also ask you don't any kind of response post in the Chit-Chat thread so as to let this whole fiasco die down completely.

One thing I have learned from all this is to be a little less forthcoming about what I chose to share on a public message board, or maybe I should limit my posting from here on it to boards dealing exclusively with TTC and or IF. That being said, I'm probably going to be limiting a lot of my TTC/IF posts to my LJ from here on in. I will be checking in from time to time and rooting you all on, and maybe even posting now and then, but if you want access to the LJ, you will have to PM me because it is friends only. Thanks.

[pocahontas]

pocahontas~ As far as the med's if you do injectibles, will your insurance cover those? If not they are about $1,200 for a cycle. Just a FYI.
YIKES! :eek:

[jnshanna]

OMG, YAY Asha!! I'm so happy that you finally got that BFP!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[Patience]

pocahontas You crack me up with your "I wonder what she was thinking we were...a Weight Loss group "Still At It"? :D I wanted to say something, but as usual, I chickened out because I wasn't sure if she was a troll or genuinely lost on CC. FYI, my Clomid+IUI cycles run about $700-750 (Clomid, Ovidrel, 2 u/s, and IUI). I'm switching insurance for 2007, so my IF treatments will be covered 50%. This is a good thing considering the crazy prices of injectables.

DaniML I agree with the other ladies. When I first started on Clomid, I was only monitored via b/w to confirm ovulation. Every cycle, they had me do CD21 b/w even though I knew that I would not be at 7DPO because I did not ovulate on CD14. So you could easily be in the same situation.

lawphil I understand completely about those self-imposed deadlines. I gave myself a deadline to have two kids by the time I turn 35 (or at least be pregnant for the 2nd time on my 35th birthday) when I started TTC at 31. Ha! I'm now 33 approaching 34 and I'm haven't even been pregnant once. But of course, I like to torture myself by giving myself another deadline of getting pregnant by the time I'm 35 (this is more due to health concern for the baby rather than my own insanity - I'll be advanced maternal age by then). Sigh.

looty Going to the RE for an IUI cycle shouldn't be as time consuming as an injectable cycle. But I can see how it would be more difficult for you being a teacher. I guess the only advice I can give you is to plead with your RE's office to give you really early appts. or late afternoon appts. when you're done with school. But who knows, you might not need it because a BFP may be right around the corner for you. Don't feel bad about not being 100% thrilled about your sister's shower. It's natural to have those feelings because it's very difficult to be reminded so often about what you don't have yet. I equate attending a baby shower to being a kid in a candy store where everyone else is allowed to have as much candy as they like, but you can't touch or eat anything. It would certainly drive me nuts, so that's why I don't do baby showers anymore.

[Chris~n~Jen]

Asha ~ Huge Congrats! All this talk your chit chat thread made me hope over there and start reading. I've gotten through page 15 but now my eyes are so tired. I was really touched by how many women were opening up and sharing their stories. It's to bad that some people can't just let a good thing go. They feel the need to create drama.

Sorry about my lack of shout outs to everyone. This thread moves so fast. ;)

[Byrd's Boogie]

Where to begin?

First I would like to say congrats to CTJO and Asha. Asha I have followed your story (quietly in the background) and I am so happy for you! Sticky Vibes.

Kazata and Poca thank you for chiming in on my egg traveling to my good side. Kazata it always makes me feel good to hear real life stories. Poca can you give me a lesson on thinking Positive? You are always so positive whereas I tend to crall into my shell and wait things out...quietly!

Shoutouts to everyone else later, I gotta get ready for work.:rolleyes:

[pocahontas]

pocahontas You crack me up with your "I wonder what she was thinking we were...a Weight Loss group "Still At It"? :D I wanted to say something, but as usual, I chickened out because I wasn't sure if she was a troll or genuinely lost on CC. FYI, my Clomid+IUI cycles run about $700-750 (Clomid, Ovidrel, 2 u/s, and IUI). I'm switching insurance for 2007, so my IF treatments will be covered 50%. This is a good thing considering the crazy prices of injectables.


I wouldn't have been sure either if she hadn't claimed she "lurked" here and read along with us. :rolleyes: Guess she thought we had "boo-boo the fool" written across our foreheads with that comment. Okay, so in reality, I am looking at around 2K with injectibles+IUI...now that sounds more in line with things I've been hearing from various people on price. So glad you won't have to eat half the cost thanks to insurance...now I am really certain I need to get my BFP before February (since that's the earliest I'm thinking about doing inj+IUI) so I don't have to go broke! :p

Poca can you give me a lesson on thinking Positive? You are always so positive whereas I tend to crall into my shell and wait things out...quietly!
I wish I could, Byrd's, but after how terrible my reaction to a certain post was going to be yesterday...I vote for DaniML to teach us "all things positive" because I have learned I am not the one! LOL :D She is waaaay better than me at that sort of thing!

Clomid gals...I think I am going crazy. I keep expecting Clomid to dry me up because that's what I've been told. So I am all set to be dried out when in fact it's the contrary, I am getting CM now waaay before O. (Last cycle when it happened I thought it was just a fluke. But it has started again.) I am like CD8 and I had creamy CM when normally (sans Clomid) CD8 and 9 are pretty much dry then around CD10 or 11 the creamy CM comes. I don't get it...it starts earlier and lasts longer than when I wasn't on Clomid. I don't know if I should count this as a good thing or what! :confused:

[DaniML]

Thank you for all your responses ladies!!! It is giving me hope. I'm pretty sure it was NOT 7DPO. If I ovulated when I thought I did then it would have been 5 - 6 DPO. Now, since this was a medicated cycle I guess the progesterone should be over 15, but since it wasn't 7DPO it could have been over that in the day or two after, right? I'm not sure if this holding out hope is a good thing or a bad thing. My doc usually monitors with u/s AND b/w, but CD15 (for the u/s) fell over Thanksgiving weekend and since he's a regular OB, not an RE, his office was closed and I didn't get the u/s. I guess we'll just have to see what happens.

Bellefior, I'm not exactly sure why people are getting so incredibly defensive these days. It seems like you can't ask any question without getting someone ticked off. If people don't like the topic, stay out of the thread!!!!

On a brighter note, are you all ready for Christmas? I don't know what it is with me this year, but I'm having a hard time getting into the season. I LOVE Christmas, it's my favorite holiday of the year, but with everything going on it just seems hard to get "jolly". Hope you guys are doing better than me in that department!

C'mon Santa, we need some BFP's please!!!!!

[gymwidow]

Drive by posting just to update you guys a little bit on the real me.....

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm officially coming out of the closet on the FP boards. I've been posting anonymously as "gymwidow" since I wasn't telling my online friends about our TTC and PG journey until now, but we reached the 2nd trimester this week and saw our beautiful babies doing great on u/s on Tuesday, so I'm ready to let everyone know who I really am.

So, w/o further ado, Gymwidow is really.....

[Jenean]

Gymwidow is really ..... Jenean! :)


As always, I'm reading along and cheering for everyone. I can't wait to see every single one of you over in a mommies' thread! Sending you much love, many hugs, and a ton of baby dust!!!!!

[looty]

Ptcrn~Thanks! I am hoping so too. Good luck to you this cycle.

Dani~I figured my OB probably wouldn't be upset, but it's good to know that your dr reassured you that it wouldn't be a big deal. I hope you can figure out what is going on soon.

Loud_curly~I hope you don't have to join us ever!

Poca~I haven't met many of them in regards to TTC either. Darn the luck! I hope we can both reach the goal of a 2007 baby early in the year (or before it starts).

Bellefior~Sorry to hear that you aren't going to be around much. I can understand though. I have a LJ account but I never go over there. Make sure when you get good news you let us know!

Patience~That could be possible to get the early or late ones depending how long the hours are. Probably the later ones would work better because The Re that I will have to go to at if we get to that point will be at least 45 minutes away and I have to be at work by 7:15. I am sure that I could work it out if it comes to that.

Gymwidow/Jenean~Man! You are sneaky!:D A big congrats to you and now I just have to try to remember when you post under Jenean that it is you. :o

Just waiting now. 3DPO and no symptoms, which is good because I realize that at this point they would be FPS. If I can hold out to test until my g-pa's birthday, I would be 18 DPO so it would be more probable to get a BFP. AF will probably come before then though. I am holding onto that little shred of hope.

[Jess71903]

I guess the fact that your big announcement (gymwidow=Jenean) means nothing to me tells you where I spend my time on CC! I am glad you are "out of the closet" now and that things are going well!

Bellefior- I have no clue what you are talking about. I hate that so many people are so reactive and ready to assign bad motives to everyone who posts. I hope you will stick around the TTC/IF areas, though. You have been a wealth of info for me!

me- just hanging out with a really little AF (she must be working out). It's still mostly brown, but enough for me to know it's AF. I don't know what's up. I wish we had a "reset" button, so I could reset my body to pre BCP and see if that makes any difference.

[SweetRed]

It's time for me to join this thread.

SweetRed
Me: 33
DH: 38
Married: 7/2005
Charting: 3/2006
TTC: 3/2006
Issues: Late, irregular ovulation
12/06: CD3 & CD21 BW normal; HSG normal

We're waiting for our SA results next week.

I don't have much to add right now, but I've been popping in this thread more and more as we go through our testing. Thought is was time to join the club.

[pocahontas]

It's time for me to join this thread.

SweetRed
Me: 33
DH: 38
Married: 7/2005
Charting: 3/2006
TTC: 3/2006
Issues: Late, irregular ovulation
12/06: CD3 & CD21 BW normal; HSG normal

We're waiting for our SA results next week.

I don't have much to add right now, but I've been popping in this thread more and more as we go through our testing. Thought is was time to join the club.Hey SWEETRED! I'ma Bay State girl too (Cantabridgian born and bred! :D ) Welcome! I see I've only been TTC a month longer than you. But hopefully, you won't have to be here as long as I have (think I joined in August and still here. :rolleyes: ) Bright side: you'll love the girls here though!

[ptcrn]

I wish we had a "reset" button, so I could reset my body to pre BCP and see if that makes any difference.

Me too Jess! I have often wondered if I had never gone on BCP (10+ years ago) if it would have made a difference now. I guess I'll never know, but I do wonder what it does to our bodies long term.

Welcome SweetRed! I hope your stay here won't be long!

Starting my Clomid tonight- thanks to everyone who shared their side effects. Definitely not looking forward to the random hot flashes!

[Patience]

SweetRed Welcome! I hope your stay will very short.

gymwidow/Jenean It's so good to hear updates on your healthy pregnancy. Thanks for the good wishes and baby dust.

pocahontas That's very interesting that Clomid is having the opposite effect on your CM. I wonder why that is. The mysteries of the human body...BTW, we will probably end up being cycle buddies next year also because I might not start injectables until Feb. if I'm unable to get authorization for treatment by my RE at the beginning of January when my insurance switches. Gotta love HMOs and their bureaucracy. :rolleyes:

Me - going for my follicle check tomorrow. I'm guessing that the more mature follies are on the left ovary this month because I've felt a twinge or two on my left side.

[Asha]

regarding birth control, i don't think y'all should beat yourselves up over it. unless you are unexplained many of us here have diagnoses that have nothing to do with birth control, and unexpliained doesn't mean the cause is b/c pill anyways. i can bet that they did a study of people who don't have infertility and get pregnant and people who do have infertility, they will find no significant difference in birth control use. blaming yourself will just make you feel more guilty, infertility is not your fault. i understand that there are people who have differing opinions on birth control, and it is does have some extreme side effects for a few women. that's like almost any medicine. are you going to question your use of tylenol, nyquil, or benadryl over the years? don't make yourselves feel guilty. :)

[FSUSammy]

gymwidow/Jenean - Glad you were able to officially come out!

SweetRed - Welcome over here, hopefully your stay here will be a short one.

me - 9 DPO. Temp is going up instead of starting to drop. If there would have been any chance of being PG this cycle I'd be getting excited now. Alas, no need to get excited AF is definitely on her way. For the heck of it I decided to check out if my RE has put in the claims for everything I've had done so far. I was afraid that my insurance wouldn't cover anything since I don't have IF coverage. To my surprise they covered EVERYTHING!!!! I just have to pay my co-pay here and there but they covered my bloodwork and u/s that I had last week!!! I'm beyond excited. I was seriously worried that they'd code it the wrong way but apparently my RE's office knows how to code things in a way to get insurance to cover it. Woohoo!!!

[jessied1025]

Sorry if I miss anyone, I can be terrible at shout outs!! :o

gymwidow/jenean Congrats again!! Glad you were able to officially come out as well!! Now I will have to remember that you are Jenean! :)

jess71903 Sorry to hear that AF is slowly on her way. I too get the brownish discharge before AF officially arrives. It sucks, because you know you are out of it before she even arrives. Hang in there!

SweetRed Welcome, hope your stay is short and sweet. I hope the SA results come back positive! :)

ptcrn Good luck with the Clomid!

Patience Good luck with the follicle check. My fingers are crossed for you!

FSU Sorry about AF. :( Hurray for your insurance covering all the tests so far!! That's great! So far we had to pay for everything out of pocket, except 50% of the SA. The last statement I received from my health care provider listed the HSG as "pending insurance". I still have my fingers crossed that my insurance will cover it as I would hate to get that bill right before Christmas.

As for me not too much going on. DH & I will probably start BDing this weekend just in case we can get lucky. But mainly we are just patiently waiting for the appointment next Tuesday with the RU. I am really hoping that surgery isn't needed and that maybe it was just a bad SA test. But at least I just want to know where we go from here...

[Jess71903]

Thanks, Asha...I know you're right. Since I am basically unexplained, I guess Iam just grasping at straws. The reason I thought of it, though was because before BCP, I got cramps to signal AF was coming, I would start in full force, and have normal flow until it was over. Now I get several days of "maybe" before the cramps and full flow. I never know when day 1 is. I guess that's still in the realm of "normal" though.

Welcome over here, Sweet Red. These ladies are great. You will like it here, although I hope you don't get to get too comfortable.

FSU- glad your ins. payed so much! That's awesome!

I hope all of you getting ready for Clomid or RE appts. have good experiences. Clomid wasn't that bad for me. A mild hot flash or 2, but nothing major (50mg).

I am bad at SOs too, so I'm sorry!

[DaniML]

I really, really need this week to be over with. After everything that has been going on this week (HUGE fight with my sister, busy at work. skin is acting up do to stress) I now may have pulled my hamstring. We were walking back from lunch when suddenly my right foot slipped out from under me and went to the front, while my left leg went to the back and I went ALL THE WAY down. Yeah, it was a full blown split. I looked at the girls and said you know, I don't remember the last time I did one of those. Then I remembered, NEVER! Now my leg hurts and I have hobble around with mini steps because it hurts to walk. UGHHH!

Jess71903, I was going to echo the stuff about BCP not neccessarly being the culprit (though I'm with you on the reset button for other stuff). I was on BCP for almost 8 years when I got pg with my now 10 y/o son (yeah, I was ON the pill when I got pregnant). I haven't taken it since and now, 10 years later, I have problems. Our bodies can be so bizzare!

jessied1025, Have fun BDing and I hope DH's won't need surgery! I'm surprised you had to pay for everything. I know my insurance has a stipulation that if I have been DIAGNOSED with IF they won't pay. Keyword being diagnosed. My doc won't diagnose me because of that. All the testing is being coded for the PCOS. Maybe check with your doc about that?

FSUSammy, that's great that your insurance covers everything. As I said above, mine does too unless I have a diagnosis of IF. OH, they didn't pay for DH's SA, but everything else they have covered so far. Hope AF shows soon so that you can move on!

Patience, keeping my fingers crossed for your follicles!

Welcome, SweetRed! Sorry to hear about your O problems (I'm right there with ya). What is your docs plan of attack?

ptcrn, good luck with the Clomid. Hopefully you will be one of those with little or no side effects :).

Jenean, good for you for being able to come out of the closet!

[lawphil]

Hi All,

Well I am a mess. I cried all last night - my poor dh. To start off my evening I went to the dog park and they made a new rule that it closes at dusk. Well, I had a complete shi*t fit and got into a huge fight with the guy working there. It ended poorly and I got into my car and sobbed. Anyway, I was able to pull it together and went out to my book club - which was actually lots of fun.

When I got home and there was a message from my friend that recently had a beautiful baby after a long struggle with IF telling me to call her before the party this weekend. I knew what it was about because I suspected it since our last get together...one of our friends is pregnant and is planning on announcing it at the b-day/holiday part on Saturday. This particular friend - who has had her own set of hardship in life - just got married at the end of August so she hasn't been trying for very long... Well, I just lost it. I sobbed on the phone for about 40 minutes. I am so happy for my friend but so, so sad for myself. I feel like I need to find some strength from somewhere to make it through my birthday and the holidays.

So I was talking to DH (who is wonderful and trying to get this but he is a guy so it is just not possible for him to fully understand). Anyway, I said something like I feel so sad and alone and he was undersandably hurt and replied 'I just didn't realize our life was so bad' - it took me until this morning to be able to figure out what to say which is that he is oversimplifying this. Our life is wonderful - great jobs, family, friends, relationship - but this one thing is so overwhelmingly sad that it is overshadowing all of the greatness in our lives. Also, my friend confirmed exactly what I was feeling - that this is such a scary, isolating and all consuming process - it is very normal to feel lonely. I seriously looking into some type of either acupuncture or holistic mind body medicine because I feel like I am losing it!

Anyway, Just sitting here waiting for the call about whether to start my next cycle. The technician took a lot of pictures today (I told her to not show me the screen because I can't be trusted to not freak out) and then said if I start my cycle...that tiny little word, IF, keeps playing over and over in my head.

Sorry there are no shout outs. I have to get back to work...getting fired on top of all this would be bad!

[DaniML]

Just wanted to send you some {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}, lawphil! It really is an all consuming process and no matter how hard the men in our lives try to understand, they just can't. On top of the longing for a baby there is the whole hormonal issue that we can't even help. I'll be thinking about you!

[skb]

I hope to catch up with all of you ladies this weekend. It has been a crazy week.
But I wanted to agree with lawphil. All of the blessings in our lives, doesn't necessarily make this process and easier. I hope you feel better and find the support that you need.
As for me...drugs arrived yesterday. Good grief, what a science project!

[FSUSammy]

lawphil - I'm sorry you are feeling down. It's ok though, you have to get it out at some point. I don't think men will ever understand how we truely feel when we are faced with IF issues. They just don't get it. No matter how many times you explain something or tell them something that you are going through they just will never understand EVERYTHING we are having to do in order to bring a child into our lives. Lots of Hugs girl! Hang in there!

[lawphil]

Thanks for the support ladies. It really means a lot to me.

Well, we are officially out. Four cysts. Here is the kicker my E2 was 26 - so none of them are functional there are just some damn many of them!

Thanks again for the good wishes it means a lot!

[pocahontas]

Thanks for the support ladies. It really means a lot to me.

Well, we are officially out. Four cysts. Here is the kicker my E2 was 26 - so none of them are functional there are just some damn many of them!

Thanks again for the good wishes it means a lot!Awww...I'm sorry LAWPHIL! Canceling a cycle sucks but IF further complicates it because you feel like you're losing ground. I completely understand and I have days when I feel like I'm wasting cycles doing Clomid and other junk when I should maybe just jump to IVF or something. Here's a {{{HUG}}} for ya! Try to enjoy the weekend as much as possible. And BTW, your mention of looking into accupuncture doesn't sound too bad. Just from my experience with it, I think it's definitely worth a shot. Will they put you on BCP to try and shrink the cycts?

[SweetRed]

Thank you for the warm welcome, ladies! I too hope my stay here is short and sweet, but I hope many of you leave before me. :)

I am horrible at SO's especially when I'm new to all of this and can't offer much more than mutual support, but I wanted to make sure I gave my support to lawphil. I'm so sorry things are feeling extra rough right now.

A quick update for me, DH's SA came back "normal". My nurse left it in a voicemail, so I have no idea if it's "good enough" normal or "great" normal, but I'll take normal. I'll find out the details when we have the big pow-wow with the doc in the next few weeks.

However, the nurse did mention that they noticed a fibroid during my HSG yesterday. She's going to have my doc take a look at the images and call me with what to do next. I have very mixed feelings about this news. Guess I'll find out what my doctor has to say before getting all riled up. But if anyone has any words of wisdom and/or experience on this, I'd love to hear it.

[Patience]

lawphil I'm so sorry about your cycle being cancelled. That's so frustrating. I second pocahontas' suggestion to try acupuncture if you're dealing with so much emotional turmoil. I always tell people that even if acupuncture doesn't help you physically, it will definitely help your mental state. Please take care.

[ABirney]

Hi ladies, I'm way behind so sorry for lack of s/o's..
Congrats to Asha and ctjo!! H&H 9 months to both of you.
Welcome sweetred Hope you won't be here long!
lawphil {{HUGS}}

CD7 here. I emailed my dr when AF arrived and he said my cycles are still too long even on the metformin (it was 42 days which is actually short for me.. lol) and to come in to "recap and discuss what the next step would be". So I go in on the 20th. Hopefully we'll get the ball rolling! (I'm guessing he'll be putting me on Clomid but not sure.) So I'm just hanging out until then.

[skb]

sweetred Welcome. As the other ladies said, I hope your stay is short and sweet as can be. I have no personal experiece with fibroids...I think pocahontas does and will likely have two cents for you. However in real life I have 2 girlfriends that have an intrauterine fibroid. In both cases the fibroid was left to deal with *after child-bearing* given it's involvement with the uterine myometrium. HTH but I know what you mean about getting news that you aren't expecting. It can certainly throw you for a loop. On the bright side...you didn't complain about your HSG, so that must have went well ie. not excrutiatingly painful...bonus.

[SAI Ladies]

***Updated to here***

Congratulations to polkadot & Asha!

Welcome, SweetRed

Asha, do you want to be graduated?

[Asha]

i think its a bit early for graduation. i want to wait until we hear the first heartbeat.

[Alioop12345]

congrats Asha and Polkadot!!!

I am still making myself scarce. Emotionally, things are challenging right now. MANY IRL friends are PG with their second babies or are giving birth to their second ones and it's just hard....I think the hollidays make it worse too KWIM? Anyway, I am CD16, took my HcG on Firday night and am waiting for a confirmed O to start the Progesterone injections. My temp still has not gone up do I guess DH and I will have to DTD again tonight :rolleyes: After 20 months....I am getting SO frustrated. I am on Viagra supps 4X a day and have started bleeding after/during intercourse. I don't know if the meds are irritating the vaginal walls or what, anyone else experiecing this? I'll be testing around XMAS (Please Santa, I've been really good this year).

[pocahontas]

sweetred Welcome. As the other ladies said, I hope your stay is short and sweet as can be. I have no personal experiece with fibroids...I think pocahontas does and will likely have two cents for you.
Not two cents...but I do have a penny. LOL :D Hope that will be good enough. :p Actually, I have 3 fibroids, but at last check my RE (and an OB/GYN before her) both have said they are A) too small for them to even consider removal which would do more harm than good due to the scar tissue it would leave and B) not located in a place where they would prevent pregnancy. So essentially, it would depend on where yours are located (as well as the size) as to whether or not they will prove problematic.

[pocket]

Asha and polkadot - I am so incredibly happy for you! what incredible news!

I am recovering from my lap. In the end it turned out that my ovary was the size of a nerf football, and I almost lost it because they had a hard time stopping the bleeding. poor pita and pocketmom were so scared! Please pass on the word - too many people take clomid unmonitored, and it really can be dangerous.

as for monkey - i am not totally sure, but i think she's one of my girlfriends and is following me trying to figure out if she knows me. You know how it is when you run into someone online and you don't know for sure if it's really them? anyway, she's about the nicest person in the world and wouldn't have known she was in the SAI thread or what that means.

if i am incoherent, i apologize, i am PUI and will be for the next week or so!

[Asha]

pocket - i am glad to hear you are recovering from you lap. what did they do to repair the damage to your ovary? i completely agree with you about the dangers of clomid. i would think ob/gyn's would have to take some sort of certification class before they start giving fertility treatments even for rx's of clomid. wouldn't your friend be able to tell that's you by your avatar? what is pui?

[c'est la vie]

Hello all! I've been lurking for some time now and finally decided to register on CC and become a member. I'd love to join you in this wonderful tread.

My stats:


c'est la vie
Me: 30
DH: 43
Married since: December 2003
Off BCP since: December 2003
TTC since: Jan '05
Known issues/test results:
Male Factor: low sperm count and low motility



Asha and polkadot CONGRATULATIONS!!!

MANY IRL friends are PG with their second babies or are giving birth to their second ones and it's just hard....I think the hollidays make it worse too KWIM?
Alioop12345 I too find this time of the year extremely hard. We just attended a party for one of our friend's second baby's birthday and I felt so out of the loop for not having a child yet. I felt like I had nothing in common w/ them to talk about!

[honeygirl]

Welcome c'est la vie and sweetred what a great user names! I hope that your stays are short!

Asha - Super huge congratulations to you!!! How exciting!! I hope that you are able to officially graduate soon. :)

pocket - The size of a football? Oh my goodness how scary! I am glad to hear that you are recovering from a successful operation. What is next for you?

Alioop12345 - I haven't been at this 20 months, but I know that it is extra hard to be IF this time of year. Best wishes for your Santa Christmas Wish List. ;)

ABirney - Glad to hear that your dr is staying on top of things. Yes, 42 days is too long! I had long cycles till being on Clomid and it is wonderful to be done by 28 days! Good luck with your appointment.

lawphil - I hope that your weekend went well! Sorry to hear about your disappointing news and overall bummer day. :( I hear you on your DH not understanding, I had a very similar situation with mine today.


I'm 13dpo and went ahead and did a test this am, it was BFN. I figure that AF will arrive tonight or tomorrow am (that's what happened last cycle). I was doing pretty good with the news and didn't even cry or get upset this morning. But then we went to church. It was the children's christmas program. The paper program had a beautiful picture of a chubby baby (supposed to be baby Jesus) and then all of these little kindergardener's started singing and I lost it. I hurried out and cried in the bathroom. When I got control of myself I went back in and we decided to leave. DH didn't understand why I was upset, said that I needed to have more faith, etc. He also tried to point out all the good things in our lives, etc. Sigh. I tried to explain to him (like many of you ladies have with your DH's) that I need some time to be sad here and there. And that I trust (have faith) that we'll get pregnant someday, but that it is still hard that it isn't today. This is so difficult for him to grasp.

I am feeling fine now, but I may need to avoid chubby babies for a couple days. ;) I didn't post about this in the TTC thread, I knew that you ladies would understand.

[ABirney]

Alioop Hope O is confirmed soon and you have a wonderful Christmas present!
pocket How scary!! Glad they were able to get things under control though. Hopefully you won't have any more complications.
c'est la vie Welcome and hope your stay is short!
honeygirl Sorry about the BFN and about your episode in church. Your turn will come, I know it!

[Byrd's Boogie]

Sweetred I had a myomectomy in February to remove 6 fibroids, my largest being the size of a grapefruit, like Poca said it really depends on the size and location.

Pocket I'm hoping your recovery goes well.

C'est la vie Welcome!

Honeygirl sorry about the BFN, but you're not out yet. It's not over till the red lady shows!

As for me, I am 9 dpo and chugging along. My test date is this weekend, so we'll see if my second cycle of clomid worked.

[FSUSammy]

c'est la vie - Welcome!

honeygirl - Sorry about the church incident. This holiday season has been particularly hard because everywhere I go I seem to be seeing babies and little kids and its just making me want one even more. Hang in there girl!!!

me - I'm either 12 DPO or CD 1. My temp dropped drastically below my coverline today. I ended up overriding Ovusoft's call on my O date but I can't override the coverline. My coverline should be at 97.6 (I think) and today's temp went down to 97.3. I have had a killer headache since last night so I think AF is going to show up today. Hopefully she decides to show up soon that way I can call up the RE to schedule my CD 3 bloodwork before the end of the day.

Sam

[c'est la vie]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. :)
I'm currently on my 2ww. AF is due at the end of this week but hope she won't show her ugly face this time.

honeygirl Sorry about the BFN :(

FSUSammy hope AF doesn't show up at all for you! Hopefully the temp dip was just implantation!

[FSUSammy]

Well AF has arrived. So here I am CD 1, and onto a brand new, hopefully not long, cycle.

[DaniML]

FSUSammy, I'm right there with you. I can feel AF coming on strong sometime today. At least you were expecting it and it means you can move on!!

c'est la vie, welcome! The ladies in this group are a wealth of support and information!

Byrd's Boogie, keeping my fingers crossed for you!!!

honeygirl, so sorry about your break down at church. As much as our DH's try to understand, they just can't. Even women who don't have these problems have a hard time understanding, let alone men. At least he's trying and is right in pointing out the good things in your life. I tend to forget those as well.

pocket, glad to hear you are recovering from your lap and that you didn't loose your ovary! Hearing that makes me twice as glad that my doc does u/s every time before giving me a new dose. I hope you're recovery is short!

Alioop12345, I do think that the holidays make things a lot harder. It's a time where families come together and the feeling of being incomplete can creep up pretty quickly! I hope you get you O confirmed!!!

Me... as many of you ladies suspected, there MUST have been some type of O activity, maybe just not strong enough? Anyway, it's CD31 and I can feel AF coming on strong. She only shows this early during cycles where I O - 32 days is a perfect cycle for me. This sux for the obvious reasons, but also because they can't go up any more on the Clomid, which means if the Clomid is not giving me a good O we'll have to add something else in. Which means more drugs.

Since there is no way for me to get another cycle in before I leave for Germany (it would only be CD13 or 14 when I leave) I'm going to try really hard to take my mind off TTC until after the new year. I"m going to enjoy Christmas with my familiy (which I have not been able to do in 6 years) and try not to be sad over the fact that we have not gotten pregnant yet. I'm going to count my blessings!

[TazLuv]

Hey ladies, CD-1 for me as well. I go in for a baseline u/s tomorrow and hope to be able to trigger before 12/23 as to not waste a cycle, but I'm willing to try rather than just give up the cycle. Hopefully there will be a true Christmas baby. Of course we're on a new drug cocktail this month (again) so we'll see what happens. :rolleyes:

Good luck to everyone that is in the 2WW.

[Patience]

c'est la vie Welcome!

Alioop12345 I'm sorry you have to deal with your IRL friends' pregnancies and babies. I'm probably going to have the same problem too because I know at least two of my friends are trying for their second now. I'm expecting to hear pregnancy announcements very soon.

pocket I hope your recovery is going well. That's pretty scary about your ovary, but thank goodness you were in good hands. Take care.

honeygirl Sorry about the BFN. I think all of us have had similar experiences with our DH's. Men just aren't programmed to react that way. But you have us, so vent as much as you want here.

Byrd's Boogie Hopefully the 2nd Clomid cycle worked for you.

FSUSammy Sorry about AF.

DaniML That's too bad about the timing of your cycle and your vacation. But at least you can enjoy Germany and time with your family at Christmas. Part of me wishes that I had waited until Christmas to visit Germany because I would love to visit the Christmas Markets. The pictures of them looked so magical.

TazLuv I hope your RE has the right drug cocktail for you this cycle. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this cancel will be successful.

Me - I had my IUI, so I'm in my 2WW. I had a really bad crying fit over the weekend because I was just feeling so depressed about my chances of ever becoming pregnant. Even though I'm only a few cycles away from IVF, I'm having a really hard time accepting the fact that I will have to go through so much medical intervention to get pregnant. It's the whole feeling like I've failed as a woman. It doesn't help that I'm surrounded by very fertile people IRL who get pregnant on their first or second month. I'm sure being on Clomid has contributed to my emotional rollercoaster.

[DaniML]

Patience, I know exactly what you mean about failing as a woman. It's just not how I wanted to get pregnant. On the other hand, one day when we have our babies we can tell them how much they were wanted and that we worked really hard to get them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this IUI is it!!!!!!!

TazLuv, hope you get another cycle in before Christmas. Good luck with your new "cocktail".

I'm still waiting on AF to actually show. I have the cramps and had some spotting (only on wiping) earlier, but now it's all gone again. I'm guessing by tomorrow morning she'll be here full blown.

[ABirney]

Hi ladies..
ByrdsBoogie Good luck testing this weekend.
FSUSam Good luck with the new cycle!
Dani Hope the spotting stays away. Have fun in Germany!
TazLuv Hopefully the new drug cocktail will work better for you!
patience Hopefully your IUI worked!

Nothing new here, hanging out at CD10.

[Jess71903]

I'm sorry you are feeling down about your chances, patience. I know what you mean. In my mind, this is supposed to be easy, and when it's not, you feel like somehow you've failed. I hope this IUI works for you!

I am sorry I missed everyone else. Just had to update real quick. I may have to have a minor surgery soon, so I am not sure what will happen with TTC. I have a fluid-filled cyst in my breast for the 2nd time and they think it should come out, just in case. It was aspirated about 3 months ago (I think) and it's back. We were planning to go to the RE in early Jan, and now if I have to have the surgery that may be pushed back.

[FSUSammy]

Patience - Hope your 2ww goes by fast and that the IUI worked.

Jess - Sorry that you have to have the surgery done. That's just awful. Maybe you can still go to the RE in January and just let them know that you will be having the surgery and all that way you don't really waste any time.

Me - CD 2, cramps are somewhat gone. AF has been somewhat heavier than usual but you'd figure with a long cycle like mine it should be heavier! I go in for my testing tomorrow. Really hoping that it shows something. They'll be doing a vag. u/s too, not sure how that works while AF is here, guess I'll find out! It'll be interesting to see how my ovaries look now on CD 3 compared to how they looked right before I O'd last cycle.

[looty]

Just a quick check in. I haven't had a chance to really read along or get caught up until now. I have been really busy trying to get ready for my family to come in for Christmas. I am excited for them to come, but it is a lot of work getting your house ready for a 6 people staying for a while.

I am 8DPO. I should get AF on Monday or Tuesday next week. I am not planning on testing until the Friday after that if AF isn't here by then. I just don't want to see another BFN.

[DaniML]

Dani Hope the spotting stays away.

No such luck... AF is here in full force so this is officially CD1. I have cramps from h*ll! I do have some Pamprin, but I bought the new kind and it's loaded with caffeine which makes me jittery so I haven't taken any yet. We'll see how long I last. I usually live on Pamprin/Midol and a heating pad for the first 2 days.

looty, I'm hoping AF stays away and you get your BFP!

FSUSammy, I can't imagine having an u/s while AF is here. I guess because mine is so heavy that it would just seem impossible. Hope all goes well and that you get the results you're looking for.

Jess71903, sorry about your surgery and that it will push back TTC a little. You do have to take care of yourself first though! When is the surgery scheduled for?

ABirney, good luck this month!

And good luck to all those still in the 2WW!

[c'est la vie]

Patience Hope the IUI worked!

Jess71903 Sorry to hear that you might have to have surgery soon.

FSUSammy I've had a internal u/s done on CD3 and I also thought it was strange and even asked the nurse "err...you know I have my period, right?" and she said "yeah, we know". Good luck tomorrow!

looty I'm sending some "implantation vibes" your way!

DaniML Sorry to hear AF showed up today. Sounds like your cramps are really bad.

Me: AF sould be here this weekend. Sometimes I feel I'm going to the restroom more often than usual and feeling tired ealier at night, but I know it's all in my head. After getting disappointed so many times, I don't let myself believe in signs anymore.

[skb]

Welcome ces't la vie.

Patience...it's all so exhausting and in retrospect clomid doesn't make it any easier. You're not a failure. You're not any less of a woman. This IUI will improve your chances and I'm hopeful that you will have some good news for Xmas. But if not, and you and your dh proceed to IVF you will get through that too. I am hopeful that having a baby will help to dull all of the tough stuff.

pocket Sorry to hear about your ovary and lap. That is ridiculous..the size of a nerf ball. I really hope that you are recovering well and they were able to help out your ovary.

Sorry to the ladies who are back to CD 1.

Have to dash.....

But I wanted to say I started my meds for IVF today.

[TazLuv]

Hey ladies, CD-2 for me and another cycle cancelled due to remaining cysts from last cycle. This makes the 4th cycle in a row cancelled either to overstimulation on day 8 or remaining cysts at the baseline. I need a break. So I've been put on BCP for the month and won't be visiting CC until at least New Year's. I can't come to CC to visit other threads without stopping here and I just need a break.

Patience - I know what you mean about feeling like a failure, I had a breakdown about that this past weekend, luckily DH was very supportive but it still sucks and I'm NOT looking forward to all the questions at Holiday. I don't know if it was this thread or another thread but I'm really tempted to use the "when the fertility drugs work" response this Holiday.

If anyone wants to take over as Threadmistress please PM me, otherwise I'll update things after New Year's. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone, for those of us that have had so many heartbreaks lately lets hope we can enjoy the season. I'll see you next year. ;)

[FSUSammy]

Taz - Sorry about having to cancel yet another cycle. Sorry about the cyst, how rude of your body to do that to you!!!! Have a merry xmas and try to have a happy New Year's to.

[Patience]

Thanks everyone for your good wishes on the IUI.

TazLuv I'm so upset for you! :mad: I understand you not wanting to think about TTC stuff right now. As for those pesky questions, I'm almost tempted to say the same thing too. Please take care of yourself and give your DH a great big hug for being so understanding and supportive.

skb Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yes, you're right that we will get through this somehow, but it's a tough road to travel before I get to acceptance. You can bet that the day I deliver my baby will be one of the happiest days in my life. I really hope that you'll be one of the 1st IVF cycle success stories.

looty Best of luck to you! Fingers crossed for a BFP.

Jess71903 What you said hit it right on the nail. Getting pregnant looks so easy for a majority of women, so it's very hard when you're having problems. I'm sorry your cyst is back. I hope it isn't too serious and the aspiration is a just a preventative measure.

DaniML ITA with what you said. My future baby will know how much I wanted him/her, but part of me is scared that he/she will be so spoiled because we went through so much to have her.

[ABirney]

jess Hope the cyst turns out ok.
Sam Good luck at the dr tomorrow!
Dani Sorry the witch showed, hope the cramps ease up.
looty and c'est la vie AF stay away!
skb Yay for getting things going for the IVF! Hope it works for you!
tazluv So sorry to see you go and about yet another cancelled cycle. Have a good Christmas and New year and hope your body cooperates after it's rest.

[FSUSammy]

Hey ladies. This will be quick because I need to finish getting ready to go to work. I just got back from the RE. Had my BIG PCOS bloodwork done, including a glucose tolerance test. As well as a vag. u/s. Thankfully AF was light today so the u/s was pretty good! There are still cysts in my ovaries but not as noticeable as right before I O'd. So my plan is as follows, next week my salint hystogram, on 1/2 I go in for my endometrial biopsy and then the week after I go back to get the results of everything. The doc does not want me to TTC at this time. I'm not worried because my cycles tend to be super long anyways so its not like I'd O before any of my tests were done. Right now I feel like crap from the sugary drink I drank for the glucose test. I really hope that the bloodwork today showed something.

[jodylovesscotty]

TazLuv~ Sorry another cycle is canceled. I think I would be really mad at this point. Not only that you can't use the cycle, but all the meds you are paying for and putting into your body. I am keeping everything crossed that this next time will be it.

skb~ Yeah! for starting your meds. I start mine on Monday. Getting nervous.


Not much going on with me. Waiting for Monday's appointment to start my IVF meds. Getting a little nervous, but trying not to think about it. I've done all the drugs before, just a different procedure. Which reminds me I need to call my insurance and see if I am even approved yet.

[c'est la vie]

well...I'm spotting, so I believe AF will be here later on today :(

[ABirney]

Sam So glad your dr appt went well today! Sounds like you have quite the testing schedule this cycle. Hopefully they'll figure things out and get you started on whatever they need to do to get you that BFP!
jodylovesscotty Good luck with the IVF!
c'est la vie Sorry spot showed up.

[honeygirl]

Hi ladies. Sorry to hear about the spotting c'est la vie, I'm right there with you! I figure AF will come today as well.

FSUSammy - Glad your RE appt went well. Sounds like you've got a lot coming up! Question about the endo biopsy, are they waiting till you O or just picking a cycle day? When I did mine it had to be right before AF was scheduled to arrive (as close to it as possible). Make sure your DR does it at the right time, otherwise the results aren't accurate (and the test hurts like a he** so you don't want to do it more than necessary). Also, they ask you to TTA if you are doing the test b/c if you're pregnant the procedure could abort the pregnancy. Whew that was long. Here's a good site for info:
Endometrial Biopsy (http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/endometrial_biopsy.jsp)

jodylovesscotty - Good luck with your first (and hopefully last) IVF cycle!

Taz - So sorry to hear about your cysts! :( I hope that you can have some peace and lots of good times during the holidays!

skb - Good luck with your IVF cycle!!

DaniML - Bummer about AF, I hope that you are cramp-free today!

Good luck with your 2ww Looty , Byrd's Boogie and Patience!!

Jess71903 - Sorry to hear about the cyst. It's good that you're taking care of it and hopefully you guys won't have TTC set back too much.

[FSUSammy]

honeygirl - They are having me do the biopsy on a specific cycle day. How do I go about convincing them that I haven't O'd by the time they scheduled it though??? Even though I chart I believe the only way to convince them is by them doing bloodwork and they won't be able to do that at that time of course. Any suggestions???

[honeygirl]

Sammy - If you are doing OPK's and charting and know that you haven't O'd (or just O'd b/c it needs to be at the end of the cycle, like 10-12dpo) I'd just cancel it. You could tell them that you know you haven't O'd and want to re-schedule. Hopefully they'll understand, otherwise I'd be worried b/c why go through the expense and (possible) pain if it won't help? Do they not believe in charting?

[FSUSammy]

honeygirl - I don't know if they believe in charting or not. In one of the rooms there was a chart listing different methods of figuring out your cycle and on it was BBT. So I'd think they somewhat believe in it. I guess I'll ask them about it next week when I'm there for my sonohystogram. Like you said, I don't want to go through the pain and expense if its not going to be accurate. Let alone I'd hate for them to want me to redo it just because they based it on cycle days and NOT when I truely did O.

[skb]

Thanks for the good luck vibes ladies. And yeah...I have a cycle buddy. It looks like you will be one week behind me jodylovesscotty. Currently I am taking a nasal inhalant for the downregulation, ASA and my prenatal. I wonder if we have a similar protocol? I hope everything goes according to schedule. I've found it a bit difficult dealing with work obligations and sorting out my time off. I will be away for a good 2 1/2 weeks! Given the Xmas season has been so busy I am looking forward to the "time off" for more than one reason!

Sorry I don't have anything to add about the endometrial biopsy FSUSammy.

Sorry about AF C'est la vie and anticipated AF honey.

taz Ugh, I'm frustrated for you. I did enjoy my break from TTC while we were waitlisted. I hope some time off helps you too.

And as for the 2ww gals....looks like there is some hope for some Xmas BFPs. Looking forward to it!

[FSUSammy]

Hey ladies. I figured what better place to vent than here. It's one of those woah-is-me moments! Well all afternoon its been bugging me that my RE doesn't want us TTC this cycle. It's hard enough digesting that since July I've only had 2 cycles. Thankfully I O'd in both, but still!!! Granted I doubt I'll O by 1/2. And thanks to Honeygirl's suggestion I WILL cancel that appointment for my endo. biopsy if my chart shows that I haven't O'd. I'm so tired of seeing all these people around me get pregnant or those that have a one year old and going for #2 so soon. Whereas all I want is just one right now and my body won't cooperate. I honestly hate my body. I can't vent to DH because he doesn't understand. He'll never truely understand what I'm going through. He's been supportive but I don't think he realizes how much feeling defective hurts your self-esteem. Ok I need to cut this short. He's behind me at his computer and I don't want to start crying in front of him. Gotta stay strong or at least pretend to be.

[honeygirl]

Sorry Sammy, I can relate! When I was doing all my testing I told DH that I must be a lemon and that he should send me back.

As for doing TTA, hopefully it is b/c your dr doesn't want you to get pregnant and then loose the baby with a biopsy. I wasn't told to TTA the month I did my biopsy (by my gyn) and it was torture that day. I got BFN's at home, but wondered "what if". It was awful. I wished that I had TTA'd (and read that we should have), but I didn't know better.

Hang in there, maybe just do some tests this month (and still TTC) and do the biopsy later? Since you have PCOS is it really necessary? The biopsy is commonly used to diagnose a luteal phase defect, do they think you have that also? Hang in there!!

Update: Ladies I'm at 16dpo and I had spotting this morning but still no AF. I'm kind of puzzled b/c she came bright and early on 14dpo last cycle. Does Clomid gradually lengthen your LP? Also, if you had spotting in the morning (at the end of your cycle) how long have you gone before getting full on AF?

[pocahontas]

Update: Ladies I'm at 16dpo and I had spotting this morning but still no AF. I'm kind of puzzled b/c she came bright and early on 14dpo last cycle. Does Clomid gradually lengthen your LP? Also, if you had spotting in the morning (at the end of your cycle) how long have you gone before getting full on AF?Hey HONEYGIRL! Welcome back from vaca! Yep, Clomid played a mind game on me by extending my LP a day longer than it typically is last month. But if you are 2 days past longest LP I will cross my fingers that it might be something different for you! :D

[Byrd's Boogie]

Honeygirl My LP was an extra 3 days on Clomid. I average around 13 to 14 days, I didnt get my period until cycle day 17!

[Chris~n~Jen]

Hey girls, sorry I haven't been around much. Not much going on really. CD14 and we are in the middle of BD fest but it almost seems pointless to me. It hasn't happened in 16 cycles so what's to say it'll happen this time, kinda feeling.

So I just heard on another message board I'm on that my home state of Illinois covers all infertility testing and treatment, including IVF!!! :eek: My mom had mentioned that she thought they did that but I didn't really believe her. All of my family live in Illinois from parents, grandparents, cousins, everyone except my brother that just moved away two months ago. So now I'm wondering if I should try and find out how long you have to actually live in the state before you are eligible for coverage. Maybe DH and I can "temporarily" move back for awhile. I know that's not really feasible with jobs and such here in Florida but man is it tempting.

[Asha]

fsusammy - i completely understand the low self esteem bc of infertility. i hardly felt sexy at all. sex became associated with failure, and it was so hard to feel attractive because of that. for a