IVF Anyone Part 2

[IVFIVF]

IVF Support & Friendship Part Two
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Members:

alo
Age: 30
DH: 32
Married: 10/01
TTC: 2003
DX: balanced translocation chromosomes 1 and 4
4 m/c (3 chemical pgs, and 1 loss at 10 weeks of triplets)
IVF with PGD #1 unsuccessful due to genetically abnormal embryos
IVF with PGD #2 October 2005, unsuccessful

amychris03
Me: Amy, 29
DH: Chris, 35
Married: 6/21/03
DX: PCOS, lack musculature along outside of tubes
Ectopic PG: 9/04
Status: PREGNANT
EDD: 3/26/06

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

angelgirl8
me: angelgirl8, 28
dh: also 28
married: 7.6.03
ttc: 1.04
testing: cd3 and 7dpo blood tests fairly normal
5.04: SA normal
9.04: HSG-tubes clear
9.04, 10.04, 11.04: clomid, IUI, trigger, progesterone
12.04: gonal-f 150iu, IUI, trigger, progesterone
3.04: IVF#1 (all but 1 of the 22 fertilized eggs multinucleated and fragmented; transferred 1 4-celled embryo on day 3)
5.04: IVF#2; added metformin: (18 retrieved, 13 fertilized, 4 low quality embryos survived and transferred on day 3)
6.02.05: Pregnant with TWINS!
EDD - 2/8/06

Applebee
Me: Lori Ann (39)
DH: Ted (36)
TTC: Oct 04
DX: Unknown; All tests ok; SA ok
M/C: Jan 1997 @ 7 weeks
Two snowbabies: 6 day blastocysts; over 100 cells each
IVF #1 APRIL 06: BFN, 3dt w/AH, Grade 1 - 8 cell, Grade 1 - 7 cell
IVF #2 JUNE 06

Astro
Me: Astro age 39
DH: DH age 36
TTC since Sept 03
Laporoscopy June 04
Polypectomy October 04
DX: unexplained infertility with a touch of endo and fibroids.
Clomid/IUIs/Progesterone since July 04
Pregnant with Twins
Status; Miscarried at 16 weeks.

AusMarchBride
Me: 39
DH: 42
TTC: Mar 2003
DX: Unexplained IF
IVF#1: Jan 05, unsuccessful
IVF#2: May 05, PREGNANT
BFP: Jun 14, 2005
Sarah born by c-section, 27 Jan 06, 5lbs 2ozs

Bellefior
Age: 37
DH: 36
Married: 5/03
TTC: 5/05
DX: male factor infertility, RE appointment for 1st week in June.

Cath
Me: Catherine, 32
DH: 34
Married: 11/01
TTC: 11/03
Dx: PCOS in July 2004
4 failed IUIs
1 chemical pregnancy a month we were taking a break(10/05)

donm425
me: Donna (35)
DH: Mike (36)
TTC: Nov 04
DX : High FSH (14/20/11.5) and one blocked tube

gator97
Me: 30
DH: 30
Married 11/04
Off BCP 12/04 (started charting 12/04)
8/05 - laparoscopy- endometriosis (stage 3-4)
1/06 - HSG-clear
1/06 - SA normal

Happy1
Me: Nikki, 27 (7/17/78)
DH: Tim, 35 (11/2/69)
Married: 6/08/02
DX: Male factor
Status: Just starting out

islandgirlsj
Me: Lisa (37)
DH: Ken (41)
Married: April 26th, 2003
DX: Tubes tied, had tubal pregnancy which took a tube.
IVF#1: Unsuccessful,6/5/05 - We have 10 frozen embries, so we move onto a FET cycle next.
IVF#2 -FET, 7/25/05 - Unsuccessful 8/3/05
Currently taking a break. May try another FET in the New Year.

Jad
me: 34
DH: 33
married: 9/02
DX: male factor
IVF #1 June/July - Chemical Pregnancy
IVF #2: September/October 2005
Status: PREGNANT with TWINS!!

Jan1902
Me: 35
DX: Tubal adhesions;tubes cauterized 11/04
IVF #1 1/05, #2 3/05 , #3 8/05 Unsuccessful
FET 6/06

jon'sgirl
me: 29
DH: 31
married: 5/02
DX: male factor
IVF: currently doing our first IVF cycle.

Jude
Me: Emma (37)
DH: Richard (40)
TTC: July 2005
DX: Low sperm count following chemo, & PCO.

Kat (FKA MIPG?)
Age: 36
DH: 40
Married: 9/02
TTC: 12/03
DX: unexplained (HSG, SA, bloodwork all fine)
10/04: miscarried at about 6 weeks
11/04 - 3/05: four rounds of Clomid + trigger (and timed BD) -- all unsuccessful
IVF #1: June '05 (transferred two 8-cell, grade 1 embies)
Status: beta was 6/23
PREGNANT with TWINS!
EDD: 3/2/06 - Boy / Girl Twins!

kemorr
Me: 29
DH: 31, 32 in Feb.
Married: January 5th 2002
TTC: September 2004
IF Info: Grade 2 endometriosis, mild male factor, classified as "unexplained"
3 Clomid cycles, 2 with IUI - all BFNs
4 Gonal-F cycles with IUI - all ultimately BFNs
Possible chem pregnancies on 1st and 3rd Gonal-F cycles, may just be booster HCG at 7 DPO - RE doesn't seem sure!
Laparoscopy 10/05 to remove mild endo
Hysteroscopy 10/05 all clear
Starting IVF Feb/Mar 2006
pregnant! BFP - 2/27/06, EDD 11/03/06, singleton

kischer
ME=Kischer (31)
sway=DH (31)
Married- 10/6/01
TTC- 5/02
HSG- tubes clear
SA- normal
Off BCP- of course
M/C's - 7/04 & 12/04 & 12/05
Two ectopic, one 6 weeks
RE - since 9/04-
Clomid - 7 cycles, 2 OBGYN, 7 RE, I think
HCG - 2 cycles
Acupuncture - yes- 4 cycles
back at the RE - 10/05
Letrozol/Femara - 10/05
1st IVF cycle 4/06

KLo
Me: Lois (31)
DH: Kevin (36)
Married: May 11, 2002
TTC: July 2003
BFP: October 25, 2004 (officially)
EDD: July 1, 2005
IF Info: Bilateral distally blocked Tubes
IVF#1 – Transferred two 8-cell Grade A embryos – Successful!!
Pg with twins - one lost at 8wks.
DD: 6/16/05 - Matthew Michael George
TTC #2 with IVF - some time in 2006

la_bride_2004
Me: 32
DH: 37
TTC: 2/04
DX: male factor, high DFI
IVF #1- OHSS/ chem. preg (Dec 04)
IVF #2 - FET - chem preg (June 05
varicocele repair surgery, 8/05, 13 found and repaired
11/05 chem preg., SA results now show normal count
1/05 normal hysteroscopy, no uterine septum
Status: SCSA testing Feb 06, if normal, on to injectibles/IUI


Ladybug777 (formerly Scorpiobride on WC)
Me: Jazmine (27)
Dh: Taft (30)
Married: 6/15/02
TTC: 3/03
DX: Bilateral removal of tubes (8/05); initially dx w/ left hydro but lap showed both tubes dilated; mild male factor
11/04: IUI #1 w/ Clomid- unsuccessful
2/05 & 3/05 : IUI #2 & #3 w/ injectibles- unsuccessful
IVF #1 (1/06): chemical pg
FET #1: April 2006

Lola9404
Me: Lauren (28)
DH: Juan (29)
TTC since September 04
Diagnosis: Severe Male Factor
IVF #1 - Nov 2005, BFN
FET tentatively scheduled for Jan 06

Mooshie
Mooshie
Age: 38
DH: 38
Married: 02/03
TTC: since late 2003
DX: Male Factor
I've never been pregnant before
3 IUIs, 2 with gyno, 1 with RE with 100 mg of Clomid on days 3-7 on the 3rd try
Completed our first and only IVF cycle in March and we're PREGNANT!!
Due: 12/11/06 (my bday)
Gender prediction: girl

mrselle ~
Me: Jo (30)
DH: Ed (35)
TTC: February 2003
5/2004 - Pregnant!!!
6/2004 - Miscarriage at 7w5d
DX - Unexplained
IVF# 1 - Aug. 2005. Transfer cancelled due to OHSS.
FET# 1 - Dec. 2005. PREGNANT
EDD 1 September 2006

paisleydays
Age: 34
DH: 32
Married: July, 2002
TTC: January, 2004
DX: High FSH & Severe Male Factor
Status: IVF/ICSI #1 Jan/Feb 2006

Sandybride
FET - 8/05
Status: 9/2/05 - PREGNANT!

Scooter
Me: 29
DH:32
Married:8/01
m/c 8/02 at 5.5 weeks
TTC: 4/03
Unexplained Infertility, possible immune issues
3 cycles of clomid & progesterone
2 cycles of clomid + IUI
1 cycle of letrozole + IUI
using acupuncture & on Folgard & baby aspirin
status: on 2nd cycle of letrozole + IUI
next cycle: Bravelle + IUI, and then moving to IVF
Status:8/19/05 - Pregnant

[IVFIVF]

Sidsou
Ann - 34
DH - 42
DS - Kyle - 8/31/2004 - IVF success story!
Original DX - male factor infertility
New DX for TTC #2 - male factor and high FSH
Status:TTC #2 with IVF September/October 2005
Status: Oct 05 IVF converted to IUI - unsuccessful

Suzlywoozly
Me: Sue (29)
DH: Jeff (33)
TTC: October 2002
10/02: 1st Lap-Found ovarian cysts and endo
4/04: Started Progesterone supplements and 25 mg clomid
8/04 - 11/04: Clomid and IUI's
01/05: Surgery to remove mass on left ovary. Turned out to be endo which caused left ovary/fallopian tube to adhere to uterus
02/05-04/05: 2 clomid cycles with failed IUIs
06/05: Pregnant on unmedicated cycle and miscarried
8/05 -09/05: IVF #1 BFN
10/05- FET-BFN
12/05- HSG shows tubes opened
04/06- FET cancelled due to fluid in left tube
05/06- Lap to remove both tubes. Both were blcoked, filled with fluid. Tubes and ovaries were stuck to uterus.

Tandis
Me - 29 (30 in July)
DH - 31
Married- 4/26/03
5/04 -TTC
9/04 - HSG: tube clear
2/05 - SA: normal
2/05 - Endometrial biopsy: normal
3/05-9/05 - Saw RE #1
4/05 - SHS #1: normal
5/05 - IUI #1: 50mg Clomid, trigger shot, failed
5/05 - Laparoscopy: removal of scar tissue and freed up tube and ovary
7/05 - IUI #2: 50 mg Clomid, trigger shot, failed
8/05 - IUI #3 :50 mg Clomid, trigger shot, failed
11/05-1/06; 5/06-currently - Acupuncture
4/06 - Seeing RE #2
5/06 - Clomid challenge: scheduled for next cycle
5/06 - SHS #2: scheduled for next cycle
7/06 - IVF#1
Known issues: one fallopian tube, half of one ovary (left side), severe scar tissue

tigerest
Me-29
DH-30
Married 7/6/02
TTC 7/03
1/05 - Laparoscopy and Chromotubation - Endometriosis, both tubes blocked
4/05 - Laparoscopy #2 a success! Both tubes surgically repaired.
12/22/05 - HSG #3 - Both Tubes Still Blocked after surgery and Clear Passage
2/06 - IVF #1 w/ femara, 1 embryo transferred, Chem. PG
3/06 - IVF #2 w/ half dose follistim/menopur, 2 embryos transferred, Chem. PG
3/31/06 - Laparoscopy #3 - Tubes, cyst, Endo Removed
6/06 - FET#1!

[IVFIVF]

TTC/IVF Abbreviations

#dp3dt : Number of days post 3 day tfr - That is the number of days since your egg transfer assuming they did the ET 3 days after the retrieval. So, 18 days past retrieval would be 15 days post 3 day transfer, 15dp3dt
#dp5dt: Number of days post 5 day tfr - That is the number of days since your egg transfer assuming they did the ET 5 days after the retrieval. So, 18 days past retrieval would be 13 days post 5 day transfer, 13dp5dt
2WW: "2 week wait"; the approximate time from transfer to menstruation due date/Pregnancy Testing
AF: "Aunt Flo"; your period; Menstruation
BBs: "boobs"; breasts
BCP: Birth control pills
BD'ing: "baby dancing"; baby-making intercourse
Beta: Blood test performed to confirm pregnancy. This is not just a yes/no test but gives levels of the pregnancy hormone HCG and progesterone to confirm that the pregnancy is viable
BFN: "Big Fat Neutral" or “Big Fat Negative”; Negative pregnancy test.
BFP: "Big Fat Positive"; Positive pregnancy Test
CD: cycle day; a particular day in your menstrual cycle. Example: CD1 is the first day of your period
DH: "dear husband"
DPO: Days Past Ovulation; number of days from your post-ovulatory temperature rise. Example: 1DPO is the day after your ovulation
E2: Estradiol; the level of estrogen. Used to determine the quality & maturity of developing follicles
ER: Egg Retrieval
ET: Egg Transfer
FET: Frozen Egg Transfer; same as ET but the eggs were retrieved and fertilised during a previous cycle and have been frozen for use in a later cycle
FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone; a hormone which promotes egg growth. Measuring FSH levels can give an indication of ovarian reserve. FSH in a manmade form (Gonal F and Puregon/Follistim) is also used as the trigger shot to cause the ovaries to produce multiple follicles
HCG: human chorionic gonadotropin; the hormone that is present during pregnancy and what the HPTs and blood test measure to determine if you are pregnant
HPT: home pregnancy test; a urine pregnancy test you can take at home
HSG: Hysterosalpingram; a diagnostic test where dye is injected into the uterus and then is traced through the fallopian tubes to ensure there are no blockages that could stop an egg from getting through
IMHO: "in my humble opinion"
IMO: "in my opinion"
IUI: intra-uterine insemination
IVF: in vitro fertilization
MFI: Male Factor Infertility
OHSS: Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome; a rare and dangerous complication from the body being overstimulated by fertility drugs
PIO: Progesterone in Oil; synthetic progesterone self administered by injection daily after egg retrieval until a positive pregnancy test. Usage can be continued further into the pregnancy if natural progesterone levels are not deemed high enough to support the early pregnancy
PCOS: polycystic ovarian syndrome; a fertility problem
RE: reproductive endocrinologist
SA: semen analysis
Trigger: An injection of HCG given to trigger the ovaries to ovulate and release eggs
U/S: ultrasound


Some Useful & Helpful Information - Links and such

Our First IVF Anyone? thread on CC (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=671&page=1&pp=10)

IVFer's HCG Levels (http://ivfer.com/hcg.htm)
IVF Pregnancy Due Date and Timeline Calculator (http://www.ivf.ca/calcu.htm)
IVFer's Pregnancy Calculator Page (includes embryo measurements, heartrates and fetal weights) (http://www.ivfer.com/pg_calc.htm)

[IVFIVF]

Ladies, we are good to go. Post away :D

Please check your stats above and if anything is wrong or needs updating, please advise in your post.

Thanks

IVFIVF (also known as AusMarchBride/Ann :D )

[Sidsou]

Hi all - just subscribing and a couple of changes to my stats...

Ann - 33
DH - 42
DS - Kyle - 8/31/2004 -IVF success story!
Original DX - male factor infertility
New DX for TTC#2 - male factor and high FSH levels
Status:TTC #2 with IVF September/October 2005
Status: Beginning Stims October?

[CapeCod04]

Hi! Here's my update

CapeCod04
Me: Kate (44)
DH: Aron (35)
TTC since Aug 04
Diagnosis: none really - my fertility problem is old age!
1 unsuccessful IUI
1 whacked out injectible cycle that was supposed to be an IUI
IVF #1 - Sept, 05, Chemical Pregnancy.
Status: started IVF Cycle #2.

[Suzlywoozly]

Just subscribing...

Went in for another sono and E2 at the butt crack of dawn this morning. I'm up to 24 follicles. The largest is at 20 and the smallest is at 11. I go back again tomorrow for another sono and E2. Looks like ER won't be on Monday now. I'm thinking Tuesday.

Thanks again AusMarchBride for taking over :D

[mrselle]

Just checking in.

Ann, thanks for taking over.

[IVFIVF]

Updated to here

[AusMarchBride]

Hi ladies.

No need for thanks, just pop your cheques in the mail ;) Someone may need to take over for me after February though.

Suzly That's some great results from your stims. Well done

All well here, cold and wet though (the weather, not me) which is a nice change. Hope everyone is well and enjoying your weekend.

[Suzlywoozly]

Hi ladies.

No need for thanks, just pop your cheques in the mail.

...and who should we make those payable to? :p

[Suzlywoozly]

Just got the call... Trigger tonight & ER is on Tuesday morning :eek: :eek: :eek: ! I just got really nervous about things. The ultrasound this morning showed more than 24 follicles (there were too many to count).

[AusMarchBride]

...and who should we make those payable to? :p

Good point Suzly , just send cash, it'll be much easier ;)

Suzly Also, fantastic result with your stims. All the best for retrieval, hope they get lots of lovely eggs. Let us know how you go :D

[Suzlywoozly]

Good point Suzly , just send cash, it'll be much easier ;)

I'll get right on it!

Thanks for the good wishes! I feel like I need all I can get right now!

[AusMarchBride]

You'll be fine, really. This is your first ER isn't it?

[Suzlywoozly]

yup - first one! (and hopefully my last :))

[Jad]

suzly - Good luck tomorrow. You'll do great.

As for me, I go in tomorrow AM for my baseline. Between turning 34 and approaching the end of the BCPs, my positive attitude has evaporated. Probably didn't help that I spent the whole damn weekend by myself. :rolleyes: Anyway, now I've got a full four weeks ahead of me where I'll be simultaneously obsessed and filled with dread. Fun!

[Sidsou]

Suzly Good luck!! I was a nervous wreck for my ER (especially since I had never been knocked out before) and for the transfer. Luckily they gave me a little valium to calm me :) It sounds like you have some great follicles there! Fingers and toes crossed for you!

Jad 34 isn't that bad - is it? Actually I'm just a couple weeks behind you in terms of stopping the BCP and turning 34 :) Fingers and Toes crossed for you also!!!!

[Jad]

sidsou - I guess it's not awful. But I feel like I've been running in place for about three years. I just don't feel like I've made any progress toward having the family that I want or the career that I want. Very disheartening. And then I start thinking about how if this cycle doesn't work, I have maybe one more shot (FET) of having a baby before 35. I know that I'm supposedly "young," but if this only gets harder? Well, that doesn't bode well for me.

In other news, I just got an invite for a baby shower that is scheduled for a few days after my beta. I'll be RSVP'ing late to that one -- after I know what the results of the cycle are. 'Cause there's no way in hell I'm going without a real BFP in my pocket. Considering that I was still crying regularly at that point last cycle, I don't think my presence would be terribly welcome. :rolleyes:

[amychris03]

Just checking in! Nothing has changed in my stats! :)

Suzlywoozly
Good Luck tomorrow with your retrieval!

Jad
Good Luck at your baseline tomorrow!

[jon's girl]

Hi every one.

I would like to join your forum. I have never done an online journal before... this is kind of exciting and intimidating at the same time.

This Wednesday is our first appointment with RMA - reproductive medical associates.

We suffer from male infertility issues, and after appointments with OBGYNs and Urologists, we have been told that the only option that will allow us a 50% chance of conceiving is to do IVF.
I am not sure what to ask in the appointment... or what I can expect?

I am nervous .. any words of advise that you can offer about the first visit with my new RE would be GREATLY appreciated.

- D

[AusMarchBride]

jon's girl Welcome and I hope your stay here is a short one. No need to be nervous about your first RE appt, it'll be fine. He/She will probably ask a heap of questions about your "reproductive life", look over any test results you have from your other doctors, probably send you off for more tests.

I think it's extremely important that you feel comfortable with your new doc, and feel able to discuss pretty much anything with them. Your RE has to get pretty intimate (verbally I mean :) ) with you and DH, so it's important you feel comfortable discussing this sort of stuff with them, and definitely that you feel able to ask questions, have him/her go over and re-explain something if you don't quite grasp it first time around.

Regarding what else to expect, it differs between REs and also between patients. Your new RE may want further testing, although I found that my RE was happy to accept the results of tests my gyno had sent me for, but that may differ between REs. Also, I'm in Australia, so our procedures etc may be a little different.

You should come out of the appt with a sort of list of what needs to be done next (e.g. more tests for you-blood, HSG, ultrasounds, more tests for DH, or no further testing necessary, information on which IVF protocol is necessary if they deem that to be the next step), and an indication of when you would start cycling.

You can also ask for stats on their success rates, and also on what sort of chance they give you of conceiving on IVF. I didn't ask any of this, and was quite happy not to know, but I already knew the clinic where I was doing my cycling is one of the world leaders in IVF. Also, I preferred to go in to my cycling not knowing how they rated my chances, because I truly believe every patient is individual and overall success rates don't means so much when people have so many different causes for their infertility.

Anyway, enough chatter from me ;) Good luck on Wednesday, and you may find you want to come back here and ask some questions after your appt. We'll be here waiting.

Also, if you want your stats posted in the front of the thread, if you give me your info in this format,

AusMarchBride
Me: Ann (39)
DH: Michael (41)
TTC: March 2003
DX: Unexplained IF

If it's easier, feel free to email your update at IVFIVF@hotmail.com but just post here to let me know you emailed. I don't check that email very often.

Suzly Good luck for your ER tomorrow, hope it goes beautifully. Make sure you rest when you get home.

Jad Between turning 34 and approaching the end of the BCPs, my positive attitude has evaporated

You're really a young thing, I promise. And remember, although you're coming up to 35, it's not like there's a switch in your body that turns off the day you turn 35. That decrease in fertility is gradual, and has been happening since we were in our 20s. There's no major difference between trying to fall pregnant at 34 and 10 months to 35 and 6 months.

I know it's hard though when life doesn't turn out quite the way you plan. Can you talk to someone about it? Sometimes, just saying things out loud makes them less scary, and an unbiased viewpoint is often a good reality check. Be gentle on yourself also, this IVF is hard and you're right in the middle of a cycle with all the extra stress that adds.

I hope you go to that baby shower with a grin from ear to ear!

Sidsou I was a nervous wreck for my ER (especially since I had never been knocked out before) and for the transfer. Luckily they gave me a little valium to calm me

Wow, I like your doc :D Although at my clinic they didn't offer valium, ( I guess I didn't look nervous enough :rolleyes: ), they do have a nurse whose job is to be with the patient until they go under the anesthetic. My nurse was with me for for an hour or so on the morning of my retrievals, through the anaesthetist interview, talking to the embryologist, the doc who did the surgery, and then the nurse walked me into theatre holding my hand, and was holding my hand while they put me under the anaesthetic. I said to her I was fine, wasn't going to run away or anything, and she just said, "That's my job, to stay with you until you fall asleep". I thought that was lovely, even though I didn't really need her.

And you're a young thing too!!

All well here, have an ultrasound next week which should be fun.

[CapeCod04]

Welcome Jon's girl!

My house is going to look like a pharmacy again tonight! The box of drugs arrived today. I've got some new ones too! I will be adding hcg to the mix. I have enjoyed being shot free these last couple of weeks.

[Jad]

All systems are go! I start jabbing myself on Saturday. And suddenly I'm excited again after feeling all glum for a couple of days. :rolleyes:

suzly - Hope your ER went swimmingly!

amychris - Thanks for the good baseline vibes! Apparently they worked because everything looked good and I don't have to wait for AF this time.

jon's girl - Welcome! We have MFI issues as well. No need to be nervous for the first appt. I think Ann gave you much good info. I'm sure they all work differently, but more than likely they'll just talk. We didn't do anything that required me to be half-naked until our IVF sign-up appointment, which was different than the first consult.

Ann - Sadly, I talk to someone every week, but it hasn't really succeeded in changing the underlying context. Ah, well. But thanks for the encouraging words about the shower. I hope you're right!

cape - So what'd you decide to do about timing? Just stay on the BCPs a little longer?

[jon's girl]

So good to get some info.... I'm glad you guys are so welcoming and so full of information!!

Thanks!

Question: the minute you started the IVF procedure, did it feel like every one else around you was getting pregnant easily? I have just heard from 6 friends/family members that they are pregnant... and have been invited to 3 baby shower-type of events! While I'm of course happy for every one... at the same time, I feel a bit... sad and well, just... URG!

[angelgirl8]

just wanted to stop in and say hi in this brand new thread.

jon's girl...if you have nyc clinic questions, i'd be happy to answer any of them! good luck!

jad...congrats on starting the stabbing. glad you're feeling better emotionally about it.

ann...excellent job with the thread. you might have a future in this.

suzly...how was ER?! hope all went well.

[Sidsou]

Jad Glad you are feeling better! I know exactly what you mean about the "what have I done so far". I get like that every once in awhile too. For me so far - hitting just 29 for some reason was really tough for me due to all of that.

Jon'sGirl Exactly!! I really don't know if it's just us noticing everyone being pregnant more or what. But I swear so many people just said oh I think we'll start trying and the next month I find out they're pregnant. It's so hard not to be jealous. Feel free to ask any questions of us :)

Ann I do love my doctor! I guess I must have looked like the nervous wreck I was :D

[Suzlywoozly]

I'm back..... Everything went really well. 21 eggs retrieved and I just got the call that 16 fertilized :D. I am so happy since the RE told me that he thought he was only doing to be able to retrieve 12. So, we are set for ET on Friday or Sunday.

[jon's girl]

Thanks to every one for being so welcoming.
Today was our first appointment with our RE. We liked him.

He really spent a good amount of time with us going over IVF... and our chance of success (he said 63 - 70%, which was better than the 50% we had heard before) Our RE also told us that varicocile surgery wasn't really worth it for us. Jon's sperm has to get soooo much better, that it can't/won't happen.

He scheduled our cycle with us today... I start the birth control pills in a few days.... then the nurse explained the rest of the process... which sounds .... well... it sounds ... YUCK. (can't think of a more appropriate word.) They give 2 classes: one on injections and one on the whole process - we are signed up for the one on the whole process.

I hope I get through this... I am afraid of needles, blood being drawn, etc...
This is also soo much to handle emotionally.

Anyway... I am glad I have all of you here to guide/support .... but I do hope we are all out of this thread soon !

[AusMarchBride]

jon's girl Glad your appt went well. And don't be too worried about all the stuff ahead of you (classes, injections, pills etc). It all seems a bit daunting when you first hear about it, but just take it one step at a time and it becomes a bit more do-able :D The emotional side is tough, no question, but use this thread as a support. You'll pretty much find that you are not alone in your feelings, everyone else has had the same doubts and fears.

Suzly Great result on retrieval and fantastic fertilisation numbers also :D When do they decide whether your ET is Friday or Sunday?

Sidsou But I swear so many people just said oh I think we'll start trying and the next month I find out they're pregnant. It's so hard not to be jealous

Ohhhh, that's so true

angelgirl ann...excellent job with the thread. you might have a future in this

Cheeky sausage ;) How are you doing?

Jad All systems are go! I start jabbing myself on Saturday. And suddenly I'm excited again after feeling all glum for a couple of days Woohoo. It's incredible how happy the thought of injecting yourself can make you feel :D If anyone had told me that a year ago I'd have said they were nuts!

Capecod When do you start stims? Will you be on a similar schedule to Jad (I think she's earlier than you though) or closer to jon'sgirl?

[CapeCod04]

Jon's Girl - you will get used to the needles - it becomes part of the routine

suzly - wow - great retrieval and fertilization report!

As for me, I start stims this weekend. We pushed things up a week, rather than back a week. I'm doing a lupron microdose flare again, adding high dose hcg to the mix. So, if all goes like last time, I'm looking at my ER on the 30th and the transfer on October 3rd. My DH should be coming home from New Orleans on Saturday - so he won't get to miss the emotional swings at the start of stims! :)

[mrselle]

Welcome jon's girl! Glad you had a good visit with your RE. I was afraid of the needles too, but after the first shot I was fine and you will be too. :)

Suzly, that is a wonderful ER result and an AWESOME fertilization report. I hope that everything continues to go just as well.

CapeCod04, good luck with starting stims this weekend.

~~~

As for me... it’s been three weeks since I was in the hospital for OHSS. Physically, I’m ok, but emotionally I don’t think I’m ok and I think its beginning to affect how I feel physically….if that makes since. AF finally went away, but now I’m feeling some twinges every so often where my ovaries are located and that bothers me. Its not painful, just enough for me to notice and it can be bothersome. I’m very tender on my right side and that bothers me to, because I wonder if some long-term damage has been done. I want to see me my doctor for reassurance, but I’m tired of going to the doctor. Does that make since? Emotionally, I’m sad. Maybe it’s my hormones. I keep reminding myself that I just spent one month on fertility drugs and driving 45 minutes to get ultrasounds and blood work. But then sometimes I think that its not my hormones. I’m definitely feeling down and I don’t know what will make it better. To top it off DH has me charting this month. In the past he has never cared about the whole charting thing, but for whatever reason he wants me to chart this month. I am charting, but the ONLY reason I am doing it is because he agreed to enter the information on FF. It’s CD16 and I fear my ovaries may be broken because I haven’t O’ed yet and there is no sign that I might O anytime soon. Not to mention that if charting actually worked for us I’d be pregnant many times over by now. Did any of you have these feelings (physical or emotional) after an IVF cycle?

[jon's girl]

Hey guys.

You've all been using abbreviations and I can't figure all of them out... any chance you can clue me in to a thorough list somewhere on line ?

Question for those of you who travel for business or are just travelers:

When can you travel and when can't you travel during this process? I have tons of business trips planned for October, but we start the hormone injections in October ... the nurse asked if there were any trips i "had" to take... and I said... i guess not. But, if I don't go, I'll be losing money...
just thought I'd get your input...

[Suzlywoozly]

mrselle, capecod, AusMarchBride- Thank you so much!

We find out tomorrow morning if the ET will be tomorrow at noon or if they will push it to Sunday. I haven't been feeling so good the past few days. I am not in any pain at all, but I am so nausea and can hardly get off the couch or out of bed. I'm not sure if it is from the PIO :confused:

mrselle - I can't really answer your question since this is my first IVF cycle, but I want you to know I am thinking about you. I know you are tired of going to the dr but could you call them and ask about the pain? Lots of {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} to you!

CapeCod - That's great news things are getting started for you! I'm glad to hear your DH is coming home soon. I hope he has a safe trip home :)

jon's girl - Welcome to the group! I hope your stay is short. I'm not sure there is a list of abbreviations. You can list the ones you don't know and we can tell you what they mean.

[la_bride_2004]

Hi ladies! I have followed you to the new thread and just wanted to say hello.

DH is SLOWLY recovering from the varicocele repair surgery, but we are hopeful it's done some good. Five more months and we will find out.




Astro Just wanted to say I am so sorry for your loss, and I am sending hugs and love your way.

[AusMarchBride]

Jon's girl You've all been using abbreviations and I can't figure all of them out... any chance you can clue me in to a thorough list somewhere on line ?

Fine question. I'm going to see if I can dig up a list of abbreviations and I'll repost it on the first page. I'll let you know when I've done it.

And you asked about travelling while cycling. I would guess it should only be a problem once you have started stims (as they need to monitor you with ultrasounds and bloodwork every 2nd day) and then obviously when you are doing retrieval, transfer and a day or two after that. It's sort of hard to give you exact answers because you may respond to stims very well and therefore your time on stims may be shorter than others, or if you are on the pill first they may decide to keep you on longer depending on your personal response. So my answer is wait and see I guess.

Capecod Woohoo for starting stims on the weekend. And I'm happy your DH is coming home, that's really important that he be around to suffer along with you ;) Sep 30 will be here before you know it.

mrselle I'm sorry you're feeling so blah. This IVF cycling is really tough and plays all sorts of head games. Hang in there and take some time for yourself. I know your DH is trying to help with the charting thing, but maybe straight after your IVF cycle cancellation isn't the best time to be doing it. Maybe you need to try and forget all the TTC stuff for a little while and give yourself some time. I took quite a long break between my 1st and 2nd IVF cycles (due to some overseas travel) and I found it really helped refresh me, let me get past the failed cycle and be ready to go again.

About the charting thing. What I know about charting can be written on the back of a postage stamp, so this may be completely wrong. But I would have thought that the first cycle after being through fertility treatment is not going to be a normal one anyway, the drugs would have completely messed with your body. I wouldn't read too much into it that you haven't ovulated yet. I don't know that even if a person's ovaries were 100% that they would ovulate straight after all the fertility drugs. Obviously there are far more experienced women here and elsewhere on the boards who know everything about charting, maybe it's worth posting a question on the boards about that.

suzly I haven't been feeling so good the past few days. I am not in any pain at all, but I am so nausea and can hardly get off the couch or out of bed

Ohh, you poor thing. Rest up and take it easy .

[la_bride_2004]

Jon's girl

I wanted to say welcome as well, and ask you a few questions because I too did IVF for male factor (I have no known factors.) Has your husband had an SCSA test done? If you haven't, I would HIGHLY recommend getting one done before you move to IVF. (check out www.scsadiagnostics.com )

I wish,wish, wish we had taken this test more seriously. Basically, it measures the genetic damage in the sperm, which is NOT detected from a S.A. Why is genetic damage important? Well, you have extremely high odds of miscarrying if the sperm show genetic damage. We had bad results, and went ahead with IVF anyway (at the recommendation of the RE; the Reproductive Urologist recommended we go for the varicocele repair surgery.) The result? Both times I had biochemical pregnancies and miscarriages. Yup, the test predicted this. I even grew six day blastocysts- genetically damaged sperm CAN fertilize embryos and they can make it to blast. PGD testing will not reveal the damage either.

Totally your call what you want to do, but I WISH I could turn back the hands of time and have us do the varicocele repair surgery first. Oh, and also, our RE said it wasn't worth it either because it looked like there were only 3-4 varicoceles showing on the ultrasound. The RU said it could help. After the two miscarriages, we went ahead and had it done, and guess what? There were extensive veins that didn't show up on the ultrasound!!!

Male IF is one of the most treatable areas of infertility, and the varicocele repair success rates are above 80%, which is much better than IVF.

Food for thought! Like I said, I wish I had known some of this earlier, we would have saved so much money and heartbreak.

[IVFIVF]

jon's girl I've posted a list on the first page of this thread of some standard abbreviations. If there's any others that someone uses (I can't think of any more) that you are unsure about, ask away.

[AusMarchBride]

Coreen Lovely to see you :D And this
DH is SLOWLY recovering from the varicocele repair surgery, but we are hopeful it's done some good. Five more months and we will find out.
is good news. I'm sorry it's a slow recovery and I hope the next 5 mths will go by so fast and that you will get great results from the surgery.

[mrselle]

jon's girl, concerning traveling, DH and I learned the hard way that an IVF cycle can throw you lots of curve balls, so try not to schedule anything that is extremely important.

Suzly, many (((((hugs)))) to you. I felt like crap after my ER too, so I feel your pain. I couldn't tell you if its the PIO shots because I only took it for two days before we cancelled the cycle. I hope you get to feeling better very soon.

la_bride_2004, good to "see" you. :)

AusMarchBride, thank you so much for your feedback. I am with you 100% on charting right after an IVF cycle. Unfortunately, when I started charting 2 1/2 years ago DH didn't understand a thing about it and wasn't interested in it at all. All he wanted to do was BD. He is a very technical person, so he doesn't quite understand that I don't always ovulate on the same cycle day and he doesn't understand the toll these drugs can take on a woman's body. To him it seems logical that my body would go back to "normal" once I stop all the drugs and get AF. He is very sweet, but I gotta say...I think its stupid for me to chart at this stage of the game. It doesn't really make sense to me to go back to charting once you've done IVF. :rolleyes:

~~
Yesterday I decided that my two week long pity party must come to an end. I'm going to start walking in the mornings again, clean out my closet to make room for some new clothes for the Fall/Winter, get a pedicure, and put a smile on my face. :)

[Jad]

Ann - Nice work with the abbreviations. Some additional ones? #dp3dt and #dp5dt? E2? FSH? FET and PIO for sure. That's all I can think of right now.

mrselle - I charted the month after my IVF. My temps were a little wacky, and even though I did O about the same time I normally do, I never got a good solid coverline. And this was all while being seriously depressed. If you're wondering if you're alone, just read back a little in this thread. You're not.

coreen - I hope the surgery did a *lot* of good. Will you check at three months and then again at six or just wait until six?

suzly - Sorry you're not feeling great. The PIO never made me queasy although the stims sure as heck did. In fact, I felt great once ER was over (TMI--a little constipated but otherwise great.) So, if it's really that bad, it can't hurt to mention it to the nurses at your clinic.

jon's girl - IVF will curtail your traveling, no question about it. I've had several trips that I've had to back out on. One to India and one to Brazil (although they both got canceled after I backed out -- don't ask.) You can travel during BCPs (or probably Lupron, but I didn't take that so can't say). Then you'll largely be stuck for about three weeks. You'll have to go into your clinic for a baseline before you start stims. You have another short window between that and when the monitoring starts. Then you go in every other day from day 5 to ER. After ET, you'll be freed up again until the beta/betas.

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

As for me, I took my last BCP Tuesday night and AF just showed. I'm a little surprised. It usually takes her longer to show after I stop BCP, and I wasn't sure she'd make it before I started the stims tomorrow. But that's fine. No worries. Or at least no worries about AF. I'm back on the ol' emotional rollercoaster. And I feel like the only person left from the old WC thread that hasn't gotten pregnant. :( I know I'm not, but I'm the only one cycling right now and thus the only one posting regularly. <sigh> At least it's Friday!

[mrselle]

And I feel like the only person left from the old WC thread that hasn't gotten pregnant. :( I know I'm not, but I'm the only one cycling right now and thus the only one posting regularly. <sigh> At least it's Friday!

I wasn't a member of the old WC IVF support thread, but I know how you feel. I realized yesterday that some of the ladies that started TTC the same time I started either have TWO kids now or are pregnant with number 2. :eek:

[jon's girl]

LA Bride... that is interesting - no one mentioned this test... and we discussed my concern with this issue at length. I have just put a call into my RE to specifically ask him about this test. Thank you!

[jon's girl]

Mrselle and JAD - I am right there with you... approx 7 friends/family members have gotten pregnant in the time that we have been TTC. Also, I work part time in an OBGYN office... and there some patients walk in not even knowing they are pregnant, and others have only been TTC a few months !!!! It is tough. And all the baby showers, baptisms, etc... blech.

[Astro]

Jad you're not the only one from the old WC thread. I'm here, not officially yet as we're still mourning. I've got a meeting with my RE in October to just talk about our plans. We think we'll try IVF again in November. Hopefully you won't still be here by then (for you). :)

short update on us: Met with my OB earlier this week. The path reports were back on the placentas, and there was no infection. My OB is a bit stumped as to what happened and had a bunch of specialists look at all our ultrasounds, medical reports, etc. Everyone said it looked like a very healthy pregnancy (except we lost the boys at 16 weeks). My OB is now thinking I might have a clotting disorder and is going to check for that in the end of October. I wish they'd hurry up and find out what happened. I hate not knowing.

The boys funeral service was yesterday. It was very short, but exactly what we needed and wanted.

Back to lurking.

[Suzlywoozly]

Embryo transfer is now moved to Sunday :D. The RE called and said ten of them look fabulous and at this point they can't look any better. He thinks we will have plenty to freeze :D. I am feeling a lot better today. I asked the RE about it and he said it's not the PIO, but probably because my ovaries are so big from all the follicles. If it's not better, I need to call them tomorrow.

I am glad now that the ET got moved to Sunday, because I had to run our kitty to the vet this morning. He hasn't been peeing for like three days. I thought maybe they would give him some antibiotics and we'd be out of there. They made me leave him :(. I sobbed hysterically in front of a waiting room full of people. To make matters worse, when I got there, a couple came in with their dog who was dying. The poor lady was sobbing, then I started crying for them. What a cr*ppy thing to have to do when I am full of crazy hormones. The vet must think I am nuts! Hopefully if they can get him to pee by this afternoon I can go pick him up.

mrselle - Pedicures and retail therapy are the cure for anything! I hope things are looking up for you today! :)

Jad- Good luck starting the stims tomorrow.

Hi to Astro & la_bride - It's good to see you two.

Hope everyone else has a great weekend.

[Duncan1]

OK Jad none of this pity party stuff for you - I've been around here a while longer and I still ain't PG. What a great accomplishment huh.

Astro I was so sad and stunned to read about your boys. I am glad that the funeral service was what you and your DH needed and your docs are providing good support. Sounds like you have a very positive attitude and will be back cycling very soon.

Suzly that is great that you are going to a 5dt - all the best on Sunday!

Mrselle hope you are doing ok. It is so hard to feel 'normal' when you are dealing with all this crap. As I have realized, the sun will continue to shine and everyone else will continue about their business, so you just have to do what's best for you and keep on going.

Jon's girl welcome, sounds like you've already gotten lots of wonderful info. from the gang here.

Ann threadmistress extraordinaire, thank you for doing this. I hope to be a better thread member soon. HOw is the nursery decorating going?

ETA hi to labride. And also ETA to send hugs to Queen.

[Jad]

astro - I'm sure the service was beautiful. I hope there are lots of kids on the playground to keep your boys company. ((((hugs)))) (Glad to see you're still lurking. :) )

Jan - It wasn't a pity party, I've just missed you, and I knew you'd come visit me. ;) :D Is the MRI for the potential thyroid issue? When you do the FET will it be with the new doc that you just used or would you look around again?

suzly - Hope your kitty is ok -- I'm glad you got him to the vet. We've been giving one of our girls antibiotics for close to two months now for a kidney infection (she's had two urine samples so far), and since then I've heard tons about cats with similar problems. I had no idea cats have such delicate urinary systems. Good luck on Sunday! You'll do great.

[Duncan1]

Jad - ha! Didn't want you thinking you could take over my spot as queen of jabbing-oneself-with-a-huge-needle-daily-and-getting-nothing-out-of-it. Yes, some of my thyroid and adrenal levels are low so I believe they are hooking me up with a pituitary MRI. Part of me is glad the doc is pursuing this and wants there to be some issue which would explain my lack of success, but the other part just wants to get the show on the road again. And yes, I'll be with the same clinic, as I just did the one cycle with them (1st 2 cycles were in a diff. state). Happy stimming to you.

Also, I meant to say hi to Sidsou before and happy birthday to Kyle!

[la_bride_2004]

Originally Posted by Jad
And I feel like the only person left from the old WC thread that hasn't gotten pregnant. I know I'm not, but I'm the only one cycling right now and thus the only one posting regularly. <sigh> At least it's Friday!



I wasn't a member of the old WC IVF support thread, but I know how you feel. I realized yesterday that some of the ladies that started TTC the same time I started either have TWO kids now or are pregnant with number 2.


LOL I am right there with you ladies, never fear! It'll be more than two years TTC before we can start trying again. Sometimes it really eats at me, sometimes I am ok about it.

[la_bride_2004]

Hi Jan, Suzly, and Astro!!!


I still am cheering you ladies on :)

Mrselle- it took me a while to recover from my pity party, so take your time. All of this is rough stuff.

[la_bride_2004]

Jadcoreen - I hope the surgery did a *lot* of good. Will you check at three months and then again at six or just wait until six?


Yes, we will check at 3 months, but realistically the RU said we shouldn't see improvement until 6 months because there were so many veins! Somehow it seems safer to me to be optimistic on the cautious side, you know? I do have a GF whose husband had the exact same surgery and it took them 6 months too, but she was hoping and praying for good results at 3 months and was crushed when they came back not so good. They even started researching donor sperm. I just don't want to go through that unless we need to! :)

[CapeCod04]

I'm officially a pin cushion again! :) I forgot about the headaches. :(

[AusMarchBride]

Capecod Oh the headaches, you poor thing, they are just horrible. Take care of yourself and I hope they stop soon. But congrats on feeling happy about being a pincushion ;)

Coreen Yes, we will check at 3 months, but realistically the RU said we shouldn't see improvement until 6 months because there were so many veins! Somehow it seems safer to me to be optimistic on the cautious side, you know

Absolutely that seems like the smart thing to do, especially emotionally. You've had so many ups and downs with this, a little more "emotional cruising" for the extra 3 months is a great idea.

Jan1902 I believe they are hooking me up with a pituitary MRI Well that sounds like a barrel of fun, not. I hope that does turn out to be the problem though, it's always better to have a definite reason for what's been happening. It also sounds like it's relatively easily fixed with drugs. Much better than the "we don't know why it didn't work" :rolleyes:

Ann threadmistress extraordinaire, thank you for doing this. I hope to be a better thread member soon. HOw is the nursery decorating going

My pleasure, no need for thanks, just put cash in the mail! You are a good thread member now, this is meant to be here as support when and if we all need it. No need to feel like you HAVE to post to be a good member. Nursery decorating stalled, few other things on our plates but we'll get back to it soon. I also feel a bit silly doing things this early, I hardly look pregnant (just like I've packed on a few kilos) so I feel like an imposter in the baby shops :D

Suzly Hope your transfer went beautifully and you are resting up. I'm sorry about your kitty, hope he is doing better.

Astro The boys funeral service was yesterday. It was very short, but exactly what we needed and wanted. I'm so glad it was what you wanted and needed, that is so very important. You sound like you are doing as well as can be expected at this point. It must be so frustrating not having a reason why you lost the boys, I hope they find something definitive that can be treated easily. Look after yourself and DH.

jonsgirl Oh yes, as soon as you start having problems falling pregnant, everyone else seems to get pregnant by just talking about it :rolleyes:

Jad Congrats for being back on the stims. I wanted to ask if the model in your avatar is representative of you or not? Thanks also for those extra acronyms, I'll update the first page.

mrselle He is a very technical person, so he doesn't quite understand that I don't always ovulate on the same cycle day and he doesn't understand the toll these drugs can take on a woman's body. To him it seems logical that my body would go back to "normal" once I stop all the drugs and get AF

Aha, gotcha. You explained it all with the "technical person" part. If doing the charting makes him happy, keep doing it as long as it doesn't require getting up at 5 in the morning or something ;)

Yesterday I decided that my two week long pity party must come to an end. I'm going to start walking in the mornings again, clean out my closet to make room for some new clothes for the Fall/Winter, get a pedicure, and put a smile on my face Good for you, it's always nice to take some positive steps forward. But it's okay also to have a pity party, you need time to get over disappointments too. Enjoy your pedicure, I'm having one tomorrow and I can't wait :D

BTW, angelgirl where are you, Haven't seen you for a while.

Hi to anyone I've missed, hope you're all doing well. On Thursday I'm off interstate to catch up with some friends so that should be great. DH will come up on the Friday night after work and I'm looking forward to the break. We'll be back on Sun night.

[mrselle]

[QUOTE=AusMarchBride
Aha, gotcha. You explained it all with the "technical person" part. If doing the charting makes him happy, keep doing it as long as it doesn't require getting up at 5 in the morning or something ;)
[/QUOTE]

5am? Are you kidding me? At 5am I'm rolling over to get another good three hours of sleep. :D

[AusMarchBride]

Mrselle 5am? Are you kidding me? At 5am I'm rolling over to get another good three hours of sleep

Hehe, good thinking :D

[Sidsou]

Hi all!!

Jad I so hope you are feeling better now. I realized I may have been a bit too lighthearted in my remark about turning 34 :( I'm so sorry... Glad to hear you are back to stims again!!

Mrselle Rolling over to get 3 hours more of sleep - you lucky ducky!!

CapeCod I forgot about those too! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Suzly Just wanted you to know we are thinking about you and your wonderful little embryos!!

Aus You are doing a wonderful job as threadmistress! Hope you had a great weekend without any m/s. I do remember that awkward time when you just feel fat rather than looking pregnant. It'll pass quickly and soon you'll be woobling along :)

LA I was shocked when you posted how many veins there were! That just sounds like it will make such a substantial difference. Good thinking with the realistic 5 month approach - hopefully you'll have a pleasant surprise at the 3 month checkup.

JonsGirl We also have male factor. Although now I threw in a little FSH problem on my side too :) But with just the male factor, we did end up getting pregnant on my first IVF (we did ICSI) and have a healthy baby boy.

Jan Hi there! Glad to hear you are getting the MRI. I do hope they find something that's nice and easy to fix!! Thanks for the birthday wishes for Kyle.

Astro <<Hugs>> I'm so glad that the funeral service went well. I just pray for you and your DH that the doctors can find some answers for you.

Finding out my protocal today. I was supposed to find out last week, but my nurse said that the doctors were still debating between two different protocal so they wanted to discuss me again at Monday's meeting. Never knew I was so interesting :)

Question... I'm just curious to see if anyone else had/has this too. When I take the pill or any of the fertility drugs, I have the most bizarre dreams. Very vivid - even some violent (I'm always the good guy though fighting the evil doers). I wonder if it's the hormones or if it's just my anxiety coming out in my dreams. I remember going through all of this when I did my previous IVF, but had forgotten until I started the pill a little over a week ago and the goofy dreams started.

[Jad]

sidsou - Well, you know, *I've* always thought you were fascinating. :p No worries on the 34 thing -- I don't even remember you saying anything overly lighthearted. So clearly, no big deal. :D And now that you mention dreams, I hadn't dreamed for close to a year. The dreams started back up around the time my first cycle started. I hadn't thought to connect the two, but I wonder if you're right. Wierd!

Ann - Is my avatar representative? Well, yes and no. Yes, because I really like the color (and actually kind of the clothes, too.) I dyed my hair that color once in college. No, because I think the model looks a little sour in the pic and I don't tend to think of myself that way.

suzly - So how was the transfer? You resting up and giving those embies a nice place to latch on?

capecod - Congrats on starting the shots!

And speaking of shots, I think I forgot how to do them right. Or something. The last two nights I've noticed them more than I remembered. Of course, I remember feeling basically nothing with the sub-Q's last time, so perhaps that's a faulty memory. Either that or my preferred explanation. Which is that I've toned up enough in my belly that there's a little less fat and *that's* why I'm feeling it more. Ahh, I really like that explanation. :p

Anyway, I kind of feel like I'm going through the motions right now. I'm not excited, but I'm not depressed. I'm just kind of numb. Maybe Wednesday's u/s will perk me back up.

[Suzlywoozly]

Transfer went well. We put in two "perfect" blasts. 8 additional blasts went on ice as well as 6 embryos. The RE was very pleased with the entire cycle. I will be very pleased only when it actually works!

When they say "bedrest" for the first two days, does that mean I actually can't go out of the house? I really need to go to the post office today, but am afraid to screw things up. Also, how long after transfer do the blasts implant?

Be back later for replies.

[jon's girl]

Sidsou - so glad to hear IVF worked for you. That is inspirational. I love hearing these stories. How old is your baby boy?

LA Bride - Thank you so much for the information. I did ask my RE and he said that for us, we do not have to do that test ... we are doing some other genetic sperm testing but I am not exactly sure what that is... will get more info on what we are doing in case it can help any one else.

SuzlyWoozly - I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Sounds like good news so far.

Jad - Sounds a bit painful... but I would go with the tight Abs reason - That'll take the edge off a bit.

AusMarchBride - so happy you have a pregnancy ticker. :) It is so nice to see.

As for me - Today was my first "Monitoring" session... they did bloodwork and called me back a few hours later and said I am okay to start the bcp on day 5 of cycle. So... I was happy to get to start. Then, the IVF coordinator emailed me to say she mapped out my schedule for me... and I am going to have to cancel crucial business meetings in Atlanta, Texas, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Urg. I am debating pushing back IVF another month (because I could really really use the $ generated by going to these locations ) ... but then that is one month further away from my goal !!! (and I really want that goal !) and one month of more anticipation of the bloodwork, needles, etc... - the whole process... and I am afraid that the longer I anticipate it, the more scared/anxious I will become. I think I am leaning towards cancelling all business meetings out of New York in the end of October, despite this being peak season... b/c I want to attain our goal and I want to start soon. But ...Urg!!!

[Sidsou]

Suzly Yeah for the Perfect Blasts!! IMO, I always considered the bed rest to be a modified sort of bed rest. No cooking, cleaning, work, etc. But I still got out of bed, showered, threw the ball to the dogs, etc. I would think a quick trip to the post office would be fine. I just wouldn't do a big shopping trip to the mall or grocery store. You can always see if your DH might do it for you too.

Jon's Girl Kyle is just over a year now. He's the sweetest, cutest and smartest little boy around - I'm just a little biased :)

Jad Tight abs? These shots should be a piece of cake for me then :) That's funny about the dreams with you too.

I got my protocal. It's a bit different than last time. I think they changed it due to my "highish" FSH numbers now. I'm on the pill until next Tuesday and then I don't take anything for a few days. I get monitored a week from Sunday and will start stimulants then. No lupron this time, although they said I'll do a different similar drug after starting the stimulants. My ER is either October 12,13 or 14th with the transfer 3 or 5 days afterwards. I'm curious to see if I respond better with this protocal. With my last IVF, although it was successful, my numbers weren't great - 8 eggs retreived, but only 5 mature, and then only 3 fertilized and then only 2 lived to 3 days. But one of those was quite headstrong and determined and I guess that's all it takes!

[kat]

Just driving by to say hello, and to tell everyone that I still lurk here and root (silently, most of the time) for each of you as you go through your cycles. Sending positive vibes the way of this thread!!!

[AusMarchBride]

kat Hope all is going well for you. How are you feeling?

sidsou Nice that you have your protocol. And wow, Oct 13 isn't that far away. It's interesting how different clincis/docs have different ideas. My clinic would be very happy for a response of 8 eggs retrieved, they are very cautious about overstimulation. Although, when I had my retrievals I was extremely disappointed with my ER nos (6 and 2 both with non access to one ovary) and I so wanted to get 15 or so eggs. But as you said, it only takes one.

I do remember that awkward time when you just feel fat rather than looking pregnant. It'll pass quickly and soon you'll be woobling along
I hope so :D

jonsgirl Congrats on getting started, it's always nice to be atually doing something rather than just waiting. Tough call to make for you whether or not to postpone for a month. Whatever you decide, it'll be the best decision so try not to second-guess yourself.

Suzly Congrats, great results and glad to hear all went well with the transfer. Now the waiting, that's the easy part (... ouch, stop throwing things at me ;) ) About the bedrest, I was only instructed to rest for the afternoon of the ER, not even the ET. But I think it boils down to what you would prefer to do, and also, what you feel is better for you. If you feel happier resting for a couple of days, and staying off your feet, then do that.

Jad No, because I think the model looks a little sour in the pic and I don't tend to think of myself that way.

Neither do I, not a bit. And I LOVE your explanation for why the shots hurt more, that's gotta be the reason :D


Hope everyone else is well. Had another big scan today, all looks good. (I'm just pleased the baby was alive, I'd managed to convince myself that because I hadn't felt it yet, it was dead.) Fortunately, I was wrong. The worrying doesn't end :rolleyes:

I'm off interstate tomorrow for four days and won't be posting while I'm away. I hope you all have a good weekend, and take care of yourselves.

[CapeCod04]

Just popping in for a moment because I need a place to whine. Today was my first b/w, u/s after starting stims. I have always worried that I would forget to do my shots on the morning of an appt because my routine is thrown off since I have to leave an hour early. Well - today was the day. I got about 1/3 of the way there and remembered. So I call the RE office - co I go home and take them & be late for appt or come in anyway - they say come in anyway. I'm thinking that they'll give me the shots there, I won't have to drive all the way back home. I go in for the u/s and there's a little fluid still in my uterus - I have continued to spot lightly. Then he says well we won't see you producing follicles. He's right - lots of under 10s. I'm thinking this is not good. RE says it's okay, they prefer you to go slowly. I go back Friday. Hopefully we'll see something then. No mention of my shots other than "you are going to take them, right?" I then am ready to go, remember to give the nurse my consents - hoping she'll say something about the shots - but no - it's "you signed them already. You have to sign them in our presence. When will your husband be in." So - I'm just thrilled. Now I have to drive about 25 miles back home in freakin' rush hour traffic. I cried almost all the way back home. I'm trying to call DH - he's not picking up. When he finally does, he calms me down. Then I get home. Do my shots. While I'm doing them I'm thinking about the HCG which says "low dose" while my protocol says "high dose". I put meds back in the fridge - then start panicking. Did I give myself the HCG and not the lupron? I'm worrying about this all the way back on my drive to work. I finally conclude, based on where things were in the fridge, that I must have done the lupron, because it was in the fridge in front of the gonal and I could not have put the gonal back behind the lupron without having moved it if I did the HCG by mistake, so I must have done the lupron. Can you tell that I am at that stage in the stim cycle where my emotions are really running high? I sure hope it subsides soon. I can't take another morning like this.

[mrselle]

CapeCod04, I just want to give you a big ((((((((((hug))))))))). You sound like me when I'm upset. Its kind of weird that they wouldn't give you the shot while you were there. Seems like they would have a small supply of the drugs in their office at the very least. ((((((hugs))))))

[Jad]

Well, as I feared, this cycle is starting off worse than the last one. My E2 is only 373 and I only have 5 measurable follies (2@11, 5@10). They don't even want to see me again until Saturday. At this point last cycle, I would have been triggering on Saturday. <sigh> I keep trying to tell myself that different isn't necessarily bad (especially considering the last one didn't work), but I still feel resigned to failure again this time and having "worse" response doesn't help.

jon's girl - Sorry you're having to trade-off IVF vs. $$$. It's already such a hard process that to feel like you're giving up even more is tough to take. Sadly, I have no good advice.

sidsou - Sounds pretty similar to the protocol I'm on. I don't know much about the rational behind different protocols, but I think my clinic uses this one for most people. Go figure.

Ann - Congrats on the scan. I'm sure it must be hard to relax. Maybe once you hit full term? A girl can always wish!

[jon's girl]

Thanks every one for your support.
I decided that I could not postpone the cycle. It has taken all my strength just to get here, that I am not sure I have it in me to wait ... sounds silly, I know , because one month is well... just one month - but I can't help it.. that is how I feel... and Jon is making decent money now, so it isn't terrible if I loose a bit of business... (I can't believe, me, the workaholic, is saying that... but .... I guess I really really want to be a mommy, and it is really my priority - sounds good to write that.)

Aus - have a nice time - hope you are going somewhere fun??

Today I started the pill and next week is our IVF class and another appointment for me with my RE. Jon has to do some urologist stuff too next week .... we are moving right along. At least I feel like even though this process is trying and emotional.... I am doing something proactive.

Did any of you guys have an IVF class that was a requirement?

And.. what is with all these consent forms?!?!....

CapeCod -
I am with you - you have to sign it in front of them, and there are like a hundred forms.... so you have to take them home, read them, and then come back and sign them... my RE has me signing 5 forms and then Jon signs one too. Crazy.

Also, do you guys have Journals here? If so, how do you start one - do you do it by starting a "thread"?

[CapeCod04]

Jon'sgirl - we had to go to a class on how to do the shots - that's all.

[kat]

Ann: Do you want the truth, or do you want the answer I give everyone when they ask how I'm feeling? :D Seriously, not too bad -- so much better than a month ago that I''m a bit high on life. Well, except I have a huge work deadline (grading students' work) next week and that is not making me so high on life....

How are YOU feeling? And yes, I want the truth. :D

Jad, you know, you went *really* quickly last time. I know you had excellent results all the way through, but I don't think that sounds bad at all for a first appointment. Did the nurse make you think it was? Sometimes those nurses (Jad and I used the same clinic, for those of you who don't know) are unbelievably insensitive to how the slightest tone of voice can make you feel like the whole thing's gonna fail.....but I'll bet that things are normal as heck.

Aren't you only a few days into the stims? I think I had the same experience you did -- went in early, then didn't come back for several days. Hang in there, cuz I think what you're experiencing NOW is a little more "normal" than the overachiever experience you had last time. :)

CapeCod, hugs to you, too. I think ALL IVF personnel need a refresher course in dealing with patients....or maybe *they* should all have to go through the IVF process in order to be qualified for their jobs. It's such a hugely emotional time and yet so many of them are so blase about it that it makes it even MORE emotional -- they need to remember that stress + hormones makes you very vulnerable and that they should do EVERYTHING to make your life easier!!!

jon's girl: I don't blame you for not postponing the cycle -- I know I couldn't have (even though I probably should've, given that these kids are now due at a terrible time for me, career-wise. I'll probably have to take the whole semester off, which means no $$$$).

And yes, at our clinic we had to take a class (which was mostly about the drug protocol and how to administer shots). We also had to sit down with a psychologist (who is on staff and works almost exclusively with IVF patients) to discuss some of the trickier ethical questions that we might've faced.

*******
Still rooting hard for everyone, from the sidelines!!

[Duncan1]

Jad please don't feel negavtive about this cycle - a slow, steady response is much better than a quick, out-of-control one! How many days did you stim for last time? I have been told 8 is a minimum and a lot of women go as far as 12. Anyway, you definitely don't want to get overstimmed so I think your progress sounds perfect.

Waving hi to everyone else - -
still in a state of thyroid/pituitary issue confusion here and not looking forward to having a brain MRI, but such is life! Speaking of which - kat did your RE ever mention that your thyroid stuff could have contributed to/caused infertility (I think your cause was unknown, right?). Just wondering if dealing with this possible 'sub-clinical hyperthyroidism' really is going to help us get to IVF success one day.

[kat]

Jan,

Speaking of which - kat did your RE ever mention that your thyroid stuff could have contributed to/caused infertility (I think your cause was unknown, right?). Just wondering if dealing with this possible 'sub-clinical hyperthyroidism' really is going to help us get to IVF success one day.

No, they didn't consider it a cause -- I wasn't subclinical (I was clinical :D). Since I was being treated, my thyroid functioning was within the same range as a normal woman's, so it apparently wasn't an issue. My RE told me that if hypothyroidism was contributing to my infertility, it would've shown up as problems with my cycle (and I was about as regular as you could get).

If I remember correctly, there is more of an infertility problem with hyperthyroidism than hypothyroidism, but I'm not sure where I "learned" that or whether I'm remembering it right.

Now, I *do* have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an extremely common autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. And as you probably know, Hashimoto's antibodies can cause repeat pregnancy loss. And I was very afraid about that....but since I only had one m/c we didn't go down the reproductive immunology route.

Anyway, I hope treating you does the trick!!!! <fingers crossed>

Oh, and you are right that they never figured out what was wrong with us -- my guess is that it's something tubal, because we know from my response to IVF that there's no obvious problem with eggs, sperm, or uterus or my response to stimulation. My RE guessed that it was tubal, too -- according to him, even if the tubes look clear on an HSG, there can still be tons of problems, including cillia problems that would keep the egg from moving well into the uterus.

Of course, we could all be wrong -- and it could be egg, sperm, or uterus problems....but that's why it's just a guess. :)

(Interestingly enough, my endocrinologist told me that there is a link between people who don't have a sense of smell (and I don't) and infertility....but the link is for people who have NEVER had a sense of smell (and I did, until I was about 15). Apparently, the link is a problem with the cillia all over the body, both in the fallopian tubes and in the nasal/sinus passages. I can't blame that, though, since my smell was fine until I was older!)

Good luck with the MRI! I hate those -- staying still for so long really sucks. But I hope they find some easily-treatable news for you!

[CapeCod04]

Quick update today. Went for b/w & u/s. I have one at 11 and the rest under 10 - I think something like 7. The RE (not my Dr, but his partner) wasn't too thrilled. I went back to the old IVF folder and checked what I had posted around this time in the cycle last time. At the same point last cycle, I was about at the same place, so I'm quite hopeful. And if we don't get enough for IVF, he said they'll do an IUI. Now - DH and I are off to the city tonight to celebrate our first anniversary. It's really on Sunday, but he has to work that night, so we're celebrating tonight.

[jon's girl]

Kat - so you know what i was feeling... but i hope that the "no $, loss of business" situation will be worth it, b/c i'll end up pregnant (like you!!!!)

[Suzlywoozly]

Help!! I am totally cramping like AF is going to show! Beta isn't until Tuesday. Is it entirely possible that she could show this early? I am not spotting just tons of clear watery CM. I haven't had any cramping whatsoever since the ER/ET.


Cape- Happy Anniversary! Hope you guys have lots of fun :)

Jon's Girl- We had to sign an a*s load of paperwork and even have it notarized. It was almost like buying a house! We didn't have to do an IVF class, even though it was offered. I think our case nurse knew that I had done my research before and didn't even mention it to me. We were required to do the injections class though.

Hi to everyone else! Have a great weekend :)

[Astro]

Suzlywoozly I'd like to say don't worry, cramping may or may not indicate aunt flow.... but I know you'll worry. Some women experience cramping prior to Aunt Flo, some experience it prior to a positive beta, some don't experience it.... so unfortunately the only way to know what's going on is to wait until the betas. sorry I don't have a definitive answer.

(back to lurking)

[Bella213]

Hi Ladies,

I just wanted to stop by and wish you all Much Success with your journey of becoming mothers. Some of you may know me from the WC and those of you who do, know I totally understand what you are all going through. I have been lurking from time to time to check on you all. I hope and pray that each and everyone one of you is blessed with a child. The whole IVF process can be very stressful but all I can say is that it's worth it. ;) I am glad that one by one, you are beating the odds.

Hugs to you all!

Bella213

[Jude]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to chatting and to all the abbreviations used! I live in Australia and in July had my first IVF cycle, which wasn't successful in terms of the embryo inplanting. But, we got heaps of embryos, so many in fact that they decided to take them all to day 5 instead of 3, and all but two died (we'll never do day 5 again!). Now we have the last one ready for transfer, but there's a problem... AF has disappeared. Gone. Vamooshed. Has this happened to anyone else? I'm drinking a herbal tea with Chasteberry which I've heard can help restore balance to the menstrual cycle. It hasn't helped yet! I can't believe we can't even start another IVF cycle - how infertile can you get!!! Would love to hear if anyone else had this problem after the cycle involving all the drugs - and whether there are any other remedy ideas.

[Jad]

Seriously, I've forgotten how to give myself shots. How could I have forgotten in three months? Unbelievable. After four days of doing it poorly, I got a couple of good ones in on Wednesday and Thursday. Last night was back to being not so good. And the antagon that I just gave myself? Took me three times. And left a big ol' red welt as it is wont to do.

I'm still worried about my results from this morning, despite valiant efforts on the part of my wonderful thread-mates here. My E2 continues to be a lot lower than last time. Only 1300 after six days of stims as compared to 2500 after five days of stims. Sounds like I may have fewer maturing follies, too. (according to the nurse's message, 1 mature plus 8-10 "on their way" vs. 14 last time) So they're bringing me in tomorrow morning again, which means I'm probably close to triggering. But why would they do that if my E2 is so low? Makes me really worried that we won't be getting many mature eggs this time.

Jude - Was AF regular before your cycle? Or is her disappearance a new phenomenon? Either way, I will say that Ann does a remarkable AF dance that has worked for several of us. And since she's closer to you, maybe it'll be even more potent. ;)

Bella - Thanks. :) Reminders of why I'm doing this are often the only thing that makes it easy to keep going.

suzly - I had some AF type cramping. I agree with astro that it's so hard to read anything into it right now. But I hope your beta arrives as quickly as possible. Waiting is miserable!

cape - Hope you had a great anniversary celebration!

Jan - I know, I know. You and kat are right. I shouldn't worry. I've just heard too many stories of increasingly bad cycles. It's one of the bad things about the internet. It's great for gathering helpful information but it's also great for gathering scare-the-crap-out-of-you information. :rolleyes:

kat - As I mentioned, the nurse I talked to on Wednesday was actually ok. Today's nurse? I'm not so fond of. I really kind of hate the weekend nurses. She never did call me at home, so all I have is a message on my cell phone. On the bright side, this one actually remembered to tell me accurate directions, as opposed to last time. So gold star for her! :rolleyes:

[Jude]

Thanks Jad, yes AF was regular before the first IVF cycle, and my first cycle the following month was a couple of days longer than usual but AF still came. Don't know why she's gone. Am intrigued by what an AF dance is!

[Jad]

Triggering tonight. Today's nurse estimated 10-15 follies, so I guess that's *almost* the same as last time. But E2 is only 1800 -- about 1000 less than last time. So we'll see what we get in terms of egg maturity. Oh, and I have a doc I've never heard of for the retrieval. Another thing to be nervous about. :rolleyes: I really wish I'd actually have *my* RE at some point.

On the bright side, by the time this cycle is over, I'll get rid of that awful "Too Cool to Care" tag line under my name. I'd much rather be "Way Too Cool." :p

[Astro]

Jad Good luck. I'll be thinking of you.

[CapeCod04]

Good Luck Jad!

[kat]

Yay for trigger shots!! Good luck, Jad....DH and I are both rooting hard for the two of you!!!

(I wish I didn't have a grading deadline on Tuesday that I am INCREDIBLY far from meeting (the worst EVER)....cuz if I didn't, I'd try to sort through the mounds of paperwork in my office to see if I could find out my E2 levels from our cycle. Something tells me they were around those numbers, but I'd have to see my notes to confirm. Anyway, who says getting a few less mature eggs is a bad thing? Maybe you'd be catching the mature ones at their peak? I know we were INCREDIBLY disappointed when only a percentage of ours were mature. But how many of the women on this thread (and on the WC's version of it) had less-than-perfect results at some point along the way, and are now either pregnant or taking care of IVF babies? I think one of the downsides of our internet information age is that we get too caught up in the numbers sometimes. You're gonna have a great cycle, I can feel it! :D ).

[CapeCod04]

Did any of you take more than 10 days of stims? I'm progressing very slowly. This morning they said that as long as my estrogen is going up, they are okay with it. The RE thinks I may need 15-18 days! Yikes!

[alo]

Well, I'm back. Been gone for a few months, don't know if you remember me.

Here are my stats again. The only thing that has changed is my age and status line.

alo
Age: 30
DH: 32
Married: 10/01
TTC: 2003
Dx: balanced translocation on chromosomes 1 and 4
4 m/c (3 chemical pgs, and 1 loss at 10 weeks of triplets)
Status: IVF with PGD #2 October 2005; IVF with PGD #1 unsuccessful due to genetically abnormal embryos


We had to wait for a while to try again. So we go for bloodwork and ultrasound next week, and if all is well then we move forward. I'm scared out of my mind that try #2 will fail, and we are left with very few options. I'm trying not to think too hard about it. I'm on a new protocol this time - Ganirelex Acetate. The goal is to produce as many eggs as possible so that we have a chance of increasing our odds with getting a healthy embryo. It's a total crapshoot and I know it, but the doctors are promising me that we won't have the same results as the first time. Whatever.

So here I am. Back again.

[angelgirl8]

just stopping in from lurking...

jad...good luck! i wanted to let you know my E2 numbers from my cycles, just so you're not too worried about yours.

after 6 days of stims on my first cycle, E2 was 1197 and after 7 days on my second cycle they were 831. they were much happier with the second set of numbers.

hope the trigger went well! thinking of you.

suzly...hang in there!

hope everyone is doing well! i'm always reading along.

[amychris03]

Suzlywoozly
Any news yet?

Jad
I know my dr was MUCH happier to see my slow rise in Estrogen vs my
super fast rise the cycle I did injectables so I am thinking good thoughts
for you! Good luck with the trigger!

Capecod
I only took 10 days, but my friend took longer and they pretty
much said the same thing that your dr said...

Alotius
Welcome back! :)

[jon's girl]

Did any one here catch that show inconceivable? thought it was interesting... but then i had scary nightmares at night.... what did you all think of it? My RE was like - don't watch it!!! But, I felt like I had to...

[AusMarchBride]

Driveby from me, I'll be back later on today to do shoutouts.

Just wanted to say to Capecod I had 12 days of stims (and that was at 450iu per day) on my second cycle which worked. As previous posters have said, the docs would rather see a slow (controllable) rise than one which gets too high too quick which they cannot control. Hang in there :D

[Suzlywoozly]

Angel & Amy- :( No news yet... I'll post about it over on LJ when I get a chance tonight. Thanks for thinking about me.

[AusMarchBride]

Suzly Your beta is Tuesday methinks, and it's not quite Tuesday there yet I guess. I have my fingers crossed for you

BTW, I used to be able (I think) to get into your LJ, but not any more. I'm yibada over there. I don't have a journal, am too lazy :) If you want to friend me, up to you.

Capecod I don't have any E2 numbers for comparison, I never asked for them. As long as the docs are ok with how you are responding, that's the important thing.

alo Hi there and welcome back, nice to see you. I'll update your stats in a minute. I hope no 2 is the winner for you.

amychris How you doing (I sound like Joey from Friends :D )

angelgirl How's that fab twinbelly of yours going?

kat But how many of the women on this thread (and on the WC's version of it) had less-than-perfect results at some point along the way, and are now either pregnant or taking care of IVF babies? I think one of the downsides of our internet information age is that we get too caught up in the numbers sometimes

Oh that is so so true, and a good thing to remember. Thanks.

Astro How are you getting along?

Jad Hope your trigger was uneventful and I think you;ve probably had ER by now. Hope they got lots of lovely eggs :D

Jude Welcome. Whereabouts in Australia are you from? Can't give you any advice about AF having gone walkabout, she always arrived for me absolutely on time, but am happy to send you AF vibes from here.

Jan I'm sorry you have to have a brain MRI, sounds yucko.

kat Ann: Do you want the truth, or do you want the answer I give everyone when they ask how I'm feeling?

I want the truth, and I CAN handle it (Jack Nicholson doesn't know what he's talking about ;) )

jon'sgirl I decided that I could not postpone the cycle. It has taken all my strength just to get here, that I am not sure I have it in me to wait ... sounds silly, I know

Not silly at all. The decision you make is the right one for you. You get all the advice you need from everyone here and elsewhere, sift through it and decide what's applicable to you. We're all in our own unique situation and what applies to me won't necessarily be right for you. But the idea is to use this thread as a starting point for info and ideas.

You also asked about starting a journal here, I've not done it but I just read the help threads about it. I think if you go to the main page of CC, go down to the journals section, pick the J's and start a new thread in there. Only proviso is that the journal title must start with "JOURNAL" and then you can put afetr that whatever you want. Example "JOURNAL - Ann's Pitiful Attempt at Helping" . Then a moderator must approve the thread, takes up to 24 hrs.
If you have further probs, PM a moderator over there, I'm sure someone will help you out.

Hi to everyone else. All well here, had a nice break interstate for four days but exhaused myself. Interesting that at 19 weeks, I tire much more easily than in the past. Ultrasound last week confirms all is well with bub. I'm just rolling along, starting finally to look pregnant rather than just like I've stacked on some kilos which is nice :D

And now I will shut the heck up and stop hogging the thread ;)

[IVFIVF]

I've put my threadmistress hat on for a moment :)

Jude and jonsgirl

If you'd like me to put up your stats on the first page, just post on here.

As an example, here's a made up stat:

USERID
Me: Mary (39)
DH: John (41)
TTC: March 2003
DX: Unexplained IF
IVF#1: Jan 05, unsuccessful
IVF#2: Sometime in October 2005

You don't have to include first names if you don't wish to. Also, if you don't want your stats put up there, that's ok, but just let me know so I don't keep asking you :D

[IVFIVF]

alo Your stats are updated :D

[Suzlywoozly]

Ann- Thanks for crossing your fingers for me... I need all I can get right now! I will befriend you over on LJ

[AusMarchBride]

Consider legs, arms, toes and eyes crossed also ;)

[Suzlywoozly]

Don't really know what to say right no except that the beta was negative (1.5) :(

[CapeCod04]

Suzly - I'm so sorry

[kat]

Oh, Suzly....I'm so sorry. Sending huge cyberhugs your way.....

[Astro]

Ann I'm doing ok, thanks for asking. I think often about you and Angelgirl and hope you're doing well. I'm glad you both pop into here and update us every now and then. I just can't go into the February thread.

Angelgirl I hope you're doing well and the ultrasound helped calm your fears.

suzlywoozly sending you hugs, gumbo, and chocolate chip cookies. (for some reason, gumbo = comfort food to me; and chocolate chip cookies make all things a tiny bit better)

[Suzlywoozly]

Thanks guys. I have finally stopped sobbing, but that can change at a moments notice. I just can't figure out where I went wrong or what I did wrong.

I was thinking about cracking open a bottle of wine, but then I realized that it's only 12:30 and DH would flip if he came home to a drunk wife (alcohol & I don't mix very well!).

[~queen~]

Hi ladies!

I just decided to stop by to see the progress on this thread. I'm doing OK. Have good days and bad days. Not decided on what to do next - instead focusing on finding a new job and getting my overall health back on track with no meds being pumped in me :)

Suzly: I'm so sorry to hear about your bfn. There are not always answers to if it doesn't work, but don't blame yourself. Sometime its just God keeping things aligned in the universe (so I tell myself). ((Hugs))

Jad: I hope your ER went really well and you got lots of eggies!

Hello to everyone else as well!

[jon's girl]

IVF IVF - here are my stats:

me: 29
DH: 31
married: 5/02
Dx: male factor
IVF: currently doing our first IVF cycle.

[jon's girl]

AusBride - thank you for your kind words.... still doubting my decision a bit, especially when I am having such bad side effects from the pill that I can't keep my head on straight... but, I know in my heart it is the right choice.

Thanks also for the info on the journal.

[AusMarchBride]

Suzly Ohhh sweetie, I'm so sorry. This IVF stuff just sucks sometimes. But YOU did nothing wrong, absolutely nothing. This cycle just didn't work; you had no control over that. If you were trying to fall pregnant the old fashioned natural way and it didn't work one month, you wouldn't blame yourself. Doing IVF, you have less control over the whole procedure. I'm sending you great big hugs and I hope you had some wine with DH when he got home.

Astro I just can't go into the February thread. I completely understand this. But it's great to "see" you and hear that you're doing ok. For me, comfort food is mashed potatoes, but chocolate runs a close second ;)

queen It's lovely to "see" you too. Ahhhh, the no meds, it's wonderful to take a break from all the drugs. I hope you find a fabulous new job soon.

jonsgirl What side effects are you having from the pill? Maybe someone here can help you out. I find the best thing once I've made a difficult decision (whatever it's about) is to try not to second guess myself and revisit the decision over and over. Make the decision and move on. It's the right decision for you.

I, under my alter ego of IVFIVF, will update your stats in a minute.

And please, call me Ann, it's quicker to type than any derivative of my userid :D That goes for everyone, just call me Ann ( or threadmistress extraordinaire as someone else so kindly but delusionally ;) put it).

[IVFIVF]

updated to here

[Jad]

suzly - I'm so sorry. IVF BFN's are the worst type. I know there's nothing any of us can say except that you're not alone.

alo - Welcome back! I don't know the names of the various protocols, but I hope you get tons of eggs on the new one.

queen - Ah, a new job! That sounds right up my alley. :) And even though there are still bad days, I'm really glad there are some good days, too.

angel - Thanks for the E2 numbers. It's good to know that the nurses weren't just feeding me a line when they said my levels were ok. ;)

amychris - ditto what I said to angel. Always nice to know the office isn't smoking crack. (Well, I suppose they could be smoking the *same* crack as all the other offices. Hmmmm.) :p

capecod - Sorry I don't have any good info about longer stimming. Does your RE seem concerned about it? Any thoughts about why it's taking longer this time? (Although, perhaps it's normal? Sounds like several of us took longer the 2nd cycle.)

astro - Thanks! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to doing the same for you in a couple of months. :)

kat - a grading deadline on Tuesday that I am INCREDIBLY far from meeting (the worst EVER)
Oh, my. :D (But, I'm *sure* you made it.)

jon's girl - Hang tight. The side effects suck, but you'll make it through! I just keep my mind on the goal and it helps.

ann - Trigger was in fact uneventful. DH hasn't forgotten how to give shots like I did. :rolleyes:

Phew. Did I miss anyone? Hope not!

So. My news. ER was, as you know, yesterday. We got 13 eggs (2 more than last time.) The embryologist decided to try and scare me again, saying only three of the follies were really large. But this time, I've got her number, so I didn't freak. Turns out 11 were mature and 9 fertilized. So I'm at exactly the same point I was last cycle. No more, no less. But I'm ok with that. More would have been nice. But I'm really glad it's not less.

[islandgirlsj]

Just popping my head in.... and wanted to give a heartfelt ((hug)) to Suzly. :(
I am keeping you in my thoughts.

Jad... you did great, and I have my fingers and toes crossed for your transfer, and hope this is your lucky cycle. :o

Sending my love and support to you all, and I hope you preggers are doing great! :p

[kat]

Jad: Yay!! That's a wonderful result. They're going to have to rent extra storage space for all of your frozen embies. :)

Last time, you were nice enough to plan your cycle so that your trigger, ER, ET and beta days were all on the same day of the week as ours were (so it was easy for me to figure out when the next step was, without counting). I guess now you're gonna make me do the math. :D

Seriously, I'm so excited for you. And I will be more than happy to try to keep you occupied during your 2ww....now that my grading is over (for a couple of weeks, at least). Will email you soon re: gettin' togetha.

-K

P.S. I'm so glad you posted an update: P keeps asking me about how your cycle is going and I'm glad I can finally shut him up (well,for two weeks :) ) by telling him the good news.

[CapeCod04]

Jad - great results from the ER! Good luck with the transfer.

Jon's girl - hang in there! I know it's easier said than done.

I'm now on day 11 of stims. I have enough follicles - four - that we can go to an IVF cycle. This morning the RE said that this is the type of response that they expect from a 44 year old - as opposed to my response last cycle which resulted in 15 eggs retrieved.
So it looks like we'll be going ahead with an IVF cycle. My RE prefers that to the IUI even though I don't have a lot of eggs, because I have never gotten pregnant naturally or with insemination. I'm not feeling defeated, but I don't feel terribly optimistic. I know the old "it only takes one" bit - but last time, I only ended up with 4 implanted, none frozen out of 13 fertilized. That's about 1/3 - so if I end up with the same odds, they'll only have one to implant. So - here's hoping the "it only takes one" bit applies to me this time! :)

[Sidsou]

Hi all! Just checking in with everyone.

Suzly <<Hugs>> I'm so sorry.

Jad Great results from your retreival! Sending all sorts of growth vibes out to the little embryos....

Cape Cod We have several examples of the "it only takes one" club out here. We're certainly accepting new members ;) Fingers, toes and everything crossed for you!!

I stopped the pill last night so waiting for AF. Start monitoring and stims on Sunday.

[Jad]

Blech. I'm feeling much worse than I remember after my last ER. I'm still tired and there's a little discomfort and queasiness. And the bloating hasn't gone away yet. I'm vaguely worried about mild OHSS except that my E2 was so much lower this time. Who knows. You'd think I would learn to stop second guessing things. :rolleyes: Anyway, I won't be at a computer until later tomorrow, but I will check back in with news of how the ET goes.

islandgirl - Hi! Please can you take me to Hawaii with you? Please?

CapeCod - That's *great* that there are enough follies to do the retrieval. I'm so very relieved for you! Keeping my fingers crossed for quality over quantity!!

kat - Know what's sad? I think your P is more aware of my cycle than mine is! I think he remembers that we're doing it now, but last week he kept doing the "Oh! Right!" when I mentioned the cycle. :rolleyes: (p.s. Math sucks -- beta on Monday the 10th)

sidsou - Very exciting that you're starting on Sunday! You'll have to give us all the scoop on what it's like to do this once you're already a mom. Hope it's a great cycle!

[Astro]

Ann I'm doing ok, thanks. I'm getting very nervous about starting the process over again. I've been having oodles of nightmares the past week about not being able to carry a baby to term. I just wish the Dr's would hurry up and figure out what happened. So far all they know is the boys were healthy and doing great, I appeared to be doing great (except for the bleeding), everything looked healthy. They're thinking I might have a clotting disorder, but can't check it for another 4 weeks (until my blood gets back to normal).

I'll probably be back next week with some info. I'm meeting with my RE to discuss what our game plan is for next time.

[jon's girl]

hi every one!

Sidsou - good luck with the stims .... let me know how they are.... would really like the feed back. I am rooting for you.

Ann - my side effects are subsiding a bit now and the RE said that it will take several weeks for my body to aclamate to the pill (yasmin) and then as soon as my body gets used to it, i'll be off the pill and on to stims which will have their own set of side effects ... (well, at least he's honest!) I had terrible nauseau and lethargy and now they are subsiding a bit... thank g-d!

Jad & Cape Cod - thanks for the support.

We had our IVF mandatory class the other day (I wanted to write that day but I felt soooo sick) and they taught us about all the stims etc... and the side effects that we will be facing to each one, and the best way to try to help yourself during this time, and they also showed the DHs in the class How to administer the injections... and they talked about the whole procedure .... it was really helpful, and overhwelming at the same time... but at least I feel a bit more "prepared" at least more knowledgeable... it really is so hard to start IVF with out really knowing much about it.

I am a bit scared, of all the medicine, the injections, the side effects, the way I will feel, if it will be successful after all this work... , the anastesia... but I keep hoping for the best, as Jad said, and I know Jon will be very supportive. Though he isn't home all that much during the week, Jon promises to try his best to be home to administer the injections, and if he can't .... we may look into hiring a nurse (RMA has some local nurses that are supposedly relatively inexpensive) since I don't think I will be able to do them myself.

With the amount of injections they told me that I would be on, we are thinking of pulling my old, old college fridge out of my parent's basement to put all the injections in there and label them in tupperware boxes and the antibiotics can go right on top of the fridge. The kitchen fridge just won't fit that and the food and I'm afraid we might mix up the injections....

Anyway, I wish you all a great evening and I'll be back....

[Duncan1]

Wow, lots going on in here.

Suzly I am so sorry this cycle did not work for you. As a vet of 3 supposedly 'perfect' cycles with 5dt's and BFN's, you just have to remember that there was nothing you could have done to change the outcome, just like Ann said (she always says everything in the best way, doesn't she). Are you thinking of cycling again?

Queen glad you are getting some time to be med-free and look after yourself.

Kat thank you for all your thoughts on the thyroid stuff. I hope to find out next week what my deal is. The pituitary MRI was so fun (not). :-)

Jad YAY for great ER results! I hope your transfer kicks some a-- (stupid embryologist, btw!) and the 2ww goes by super fast.

Islandgirl hello!

And hello to you Sidsou, great that they got your protocol sorted out (isn't it neat how our docs 'debate' about us in committee?) and are raring to go.

Astro good to see you, I hope the docs are able to provide you with some answers after the testing in 4 weeks.

CapeCod04 that is great that your follies are cooperating and you can move forward!

Alo hello, hope this protocol does the trick for you.

And Ann how was your trip? When you say you went interstate, what does that mean? Or am I just a moron?!

jon's girl obviously you may not be interested in this advice, but I find that making a bigger deal (i.e. having a nurse come in to do them) about the shots makes it harder and makes IVF take over your life even more than it already does anyway. Maybe after you try it once you will feel more at ease? I was horribly scared to do any injections on my own, but DH was away so much that there was no choice. Now it's second nature. Anyway, I'm not trying to belittle your concerns, it's just my two cents. Which stims will you be on? I think everyone is scared and apprehensive while doing this so you are not alone.

[Suzlywoozly]

Gotta post quickly...
The Re called this morning. Supposedly I had an appt. with him this morning and somebody failed to call me and tell me they set one up. So we did a phone consult. He is puzzled why this cycle didn't work. He thinks it may be progesterone issues since I was spotting early. So the next time I will do the PIO and suppositories 2x per day. He also said we defintely needed to do ICSI and that DH's count was pretty bad.

So next cycle we will start up again to do FET. ET will be sometime in the middle of November. Only problem with that is that the beta will be on or right around Thanksgiving. What a cr*ppy day to get a BFN.

[AusMarchBride]

Suzlywoozly So the next time I will do the PIO and suppositories 2x per day. He also said we defintely needed to do ICSI and that DH's count was pretty bad Sounds like a plan to me. It also sounds like your doc is being proactive and not just saying, oh well, try again.

Only problem with that is that the beta will be on or right around Thanksgiving. What a cr*ppy day to get a BFN. And from the thinking positive, glass half full camp, what a great time to get a BFP :)

Jan1902 just like Ann said (she always says everything in the best way, doesn't she). Aw shucks, that's sweet of you to say so. Maybe the typing thing helps because in real life, I quite often say the wrong thing :rolleyes:

Thanks for asking about my trip. When I said I went interstate, I meant I went from the state I live in to another state. Tricky stuff eh ;) Like going from Illinois to Wisconsin. It was great, caught up with lots of friends up there, ate in some nice restaurants and had a good time.

Sorry to hear your MRI was yucky, but good that it is over and hopefully it'll give you some answers.

jonsgirl I am a bit scared, of all the medicine, the injections, the side effects, the way I will feel, if it will be successful after all this work... , the anastesia This is so so normal. For me, it was the fear of the unknown and once I actually started and got through each step, it got much easier. And seriously, we've all had the fear of doing the injections ourselves. My first one, I stood there for 10 minutes with my brain going "Noooo, you're not going to deliberately stick a needle into your stomach". Then I just realised I was being silly, if a diabetic or whatever can do it daily, why can't I. And after I did the first one, it was fine, and I did the rest of them myself.

A suggestion, get jon to do the first few shots until you get used to them. Then, while he's still around, try to do the next few shots yourself. I promise you'll be able to do them. That way, you don't have to freak yourself out by doing the first one yourself without support and backup. Once you've done them yourself, you'll be fine if jon's not around.

I also second what Jan said, try not to make the IVF stuff a bigger part of your life than it will be. You need to keep some of life to be NOT about IVF while you're cycling otherwise you'll go nuts.