Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

The Official TTC for 6 Months or More Thread

Hey guys. Sorry for being away for a few days. I was trying to be zen & stay away from the Internet as much as possible. That didn't last long, did it? :rolleyes:

Thank you all so much for your thoughts & good wishes & sticky dust for me & my little bright spot. It means so much. Sorry for a big selfish post here, but I'm a bit short on time at the moment. I'll come back later & write to everyone.

So I'm finished with appointments for now, just taking my daily injections (progesterone in oil & lovenox blood thinner) & estrogen suppositories. I have my beta pregnancy blood test on Monday.

I had a small amount of red spotting (while wiping) on Monday. I can't tell if its origin was internal or external (the suppositories are mildly irritating) so I'm trying not to read too much into this. I still have a lot of activity restrictions (no exercise or lifting anything >10 lbs) & was getting a bit stir crazy at home so DH & I snuck away to the beach for a few days. I think I overdid it a bit packing, though, and was cramping yesterday, including a few sharp pains, which freaked me out a bit. I'm also getting mixed messages as to whether it's safe to swim.

I've had some weird side effects from the meds though, most notably knee pain & numbness in my left thigh (on top of headaches & gastrointestinal issues). My doc thinks the numbness might be from the progesterone injections, so I've been asked to switch to the (still) feeling side for injections. Hopefully it'll get better.

Other than that, I'm glad DH is back & trying to relax & enjoy the beach & not freak out too much. :sun:
 
Bright, thinking of you and sending you TONS of sticky vibes!!! Take it easy now!!
 
tbaus - Time will tell! That seems to be the trick with all of this. Waiting! Anyway, even if things do not go as you hoped, you will learn more about what your body needs this cycle, so that's the plus side. You are getting closer to where you want to be! Keep us posted!

Bright - So glad to hear you're at the beach! You definitely need and deserve some relaxation time! Fingers crossed!!

MP - It took a while to conceive my daughter. I took clomid, then follistim, had iuis, and one loss due to chromosomal abnormality. I had to take a cycle off because I had residual cysts on CD3 following a follistim cycle. No drugs or monitoring that cycle (though I was on my third month of acupuncture), and we conceived. My ob/gyn was suggesting that there might have been a residual effect to the follistim, but she did not know for sure. The new RE said absolutely no to this.

When I talked to my ob/gyn, she was like, yeah, you conceived on your own last time, but you're older now, so just go to an RE. We've been trying for 5 mos. She said I had some problems last time, so she thought it was time for me to move on. I just called her because I was hoping she'd just prescribe some clomid, and maybe that would be enough, but she didn't think that would be the best course.

I may switch back to my old practice. I am unsure what to do. Old practice is very experienced RE who I rarely talk to, but who makes all the decisions, and I have to talk to nurses all the time, and they do the IUIs vs. New practice which is a very inexperienced RE who I would speak with more frequently, dr or residents do IUIs. Sigh.

I hope you are pleasantly surprised and find that you do not need to see an RE this time around! I do not recall, had you tried clomid without an IUI?
 
Bright, what a great idea to get away for a bit. And do stay off the internet if you can. Dr. Google causes way too much unnecessary anxiety in situations like this. It is out of your control, so all you can do is relax as much as possible and hope for the best. I'll surely be thinking of you Monday (and the days leading up to it).

LV, what a great story. It's crazy how many people you hear about who got pregnant when they were taking a break from fertility treatment. I know it doesn't necessarily help you now, but at least you know it's possible for it to happen again. And hopefully, a little boost is all you're going to need this time. Tough call on which RE to see. I can see the pros and cons of each. Hands on/personal knowledge of your case versus more experienced RE making the decisions. I personally don't mind dealing with nurses, as long as they are knowledgeable and responsive. In my case, I never had to see an RE last time. My clinic has a nurse practitioner who specializes in fertility and used to work with an RE. She had me do two rounds of clomid that ended in BFNs. The next month I again took 50 mg of clomid, but added a trigger, IUI and prometrium, and that's the month I conceived. I'm tempted to try a cycle of clomid/trigger/prometrium to see if that would work on its own, and then add in an IUI if necessary. I dread getting back into that whole process, but I do know that is truly worth it in the end.
 
MP, Thank you for your post! It is super helpful to hear that you had a nurse practitioner and were ok with dealing with the nurses. You definitely talked me down a bit. I think I just need to settle a little, see what the test results are and then go from there. One day at a time, just like I tell everyone else, but never really adhere to myself!

Totally off-topic, but I remember you wrote about potentially going part-time before. Did that work out? You may have updated in the other thread, but I didn't see it. I went through a spell of actively trying to spend less time on-line, but it appears I'm back now!
 
LV, chiming in to say that I also had a similar experience with my RE. I met with her for my first consultation and treatment plan. After that, everything including my IUI was done by one of the RNs and I had a "coordinator" that all of my questions ran through. It went just fine. :bigsmile: Good luck!!

Bright, thinking of you! Don't ever feel badly for taking a break from the internet while you're waiting. It's totally understandable, and a good idea. Your beach escape sounds wonderful too. :) Can't wait for your bloods on Monday!!
 
Bright, thinking of you. Have a great trip to the beach and try to relax and not worry. I know, easier said than done. Sending peace and embryo growing dust your way.
 
PT, thanks so much for the dust. I'm so sorry to hear about the spotting & that it doesn't look like this cycle was a success. I'm glad you seem at peace with the decision to stop TTC. I can imagine it's bittersweet indeed, but can also understand the idea of a weight lifting off your shoulders. It's just so difficult to have one heartbreaking cycle after another, especially when it causes you physical pain in addition to emotional pain. I hope going back on the pill alleviates your symptoms.
Also, It sounds like A is such an angel & that she has lots of close family & cousins to keep her company growing up. That and all of your & DH's love.

Tbaus, thanks for the good thoughts. Good luck with your clomid cycle! I don't know about the hormone levels (my docs always took mine, but never reported them to me), but I hope they go up into an appropriate range. How was your last blood test? That's definitely true that it can take a few cycles for the clomid to work. If this cycle doesn't work, maybe it will at least bring AF, so you can start clomid again at the beginning of your cycle. Next time. Wishing you lots of luck!

SS, thanks for the dust. How is the clomid going? I hope you're tolerating it well without side effects & that it's doing its thing! My RE once said that the ovaries typically alternate, but not always.

LV, good luck in your choice of RE. I think either choice could work well, depending on what's important to you & your comfort level with each office. And I don't necessarily think having the RN's do procedures would be an issue as long as they are talented & responsive.

You mentioned earlier how cool it was that I can email my RE. I agree & it was one of the reasons I chose him. (Though he's on vacation now & it's really taxing my self control not to be able to email him!)
I switched from a different office 2 cycles ago & the primary reason was that I like the scheduling & communication style of the new office better. And it has decreased my stress level a lot. So, of course, you want an office & doc/nurse who will be effective, but also don't discount the everyday experience in going to the practice.

MP, yeah, after I convinced myself I might have MS yesterday, I put my phone away for a while. (Note to self: never open a link titled "10 Symptoms that Might Mean MS.") While I was feeling zen a few days ago, the anxiety has kicked into high gear again. You're right that it's out of my control at this point. Thanks for the good thoughts! Where are you cycle-wise nowadays?

Tammy, JGator, Dani, S&I, NEL, pave, Bella, LC & thank you so much for the positive thoughts & for pulling for me! I keep reading everyone's posts & they make me smile.

Lizzy, thanks so much for checking in & for your advice. I really appreciate it. As for genetic testing, we were looking at doing it at the day 3 stage, but so few embryos were potential candidates for this that it didn't make financial sense. I'm not sure if there's something that can be done at this point or not. My guess is that egg quality is probably the issue, but I don't know for sure.

Ltl, thanks to you for your advice as well. I really appreciate it.

afm, the good news is that I got a return email from my RE (who is currently on vacation) assuring me it's ok to swim. (I'd gotten mixed feedback from the nurses in the office so was avoiding it.) Yay! That will make my day at the beach today much more relaxing. And I'm so glad to be on the beach & enjoy some relaxation (punctuated by anxiety, of course!)

The bad news is I'm SO uncomfortable. The numbness in my left thigh isn't better, but is now crazy itchy. And my poor right thigh is getting bombarded with daily injections so is very sore. And the gastrointestinal issues continue. I've also had cramps on & off, but that's the least of my worries now. The anxiety is really kicking up several notches now as well.

And while I swore to myself I would wait for my blood test on Monday, I'm now fighting a crazy urge to test. I guess I'm the equivalent of 10dpo now. DH says it can cause nothing but ill to test now (either I get a bfn & am heartbroken, or a bfp & really want to rush back home to get a beta but can't until Monday.) I think he's probably right. And yet, here I sit, trying to think of ways in which I can test, but only tell myself the result if it's positive. Most of them seem to involve my cat, though, so I don't think they would be very successful. :rolleyes:
 
Aw bright! I hope that you can just relax and enjoy your time at the beach! As always, I am sending truckloads of sticky dust your way!
 
Bright, I think your husband has a very good point about waiting to test, but I know I would be dying to test earlier too if it were me, so I'm not much help. Would you still have any HCG in your system from any of your injections though? Or maybe you don't need to worry about that with IVF.... Anyway, I have everything crossed for you my dear. And regardless of what happens, you have so many people pulling for you. Now get in that ocean and swim! (To answer your question, I'm on about CD4 of a new cycle after having a long, probably anovulatory 45 day cycle. I have an appointment coming up a week from tomorrow with my OB/GYN, so I will probably bring up talking with the NP about fertility again).

LV, you have a good memory. Yes, I was talking about going part-time awhile back. At the time, I was also interviewing for another position (which I didn't end up getting), and then the head of our department resigned, and my group leader became the head of our department, and they decided to have a bunch of us switch floors and move offices. With all of that going on, there just hasn't been a good time to talk to my group leader about it. But I will bring it up again the next time we talk I think. I just can't cut the billable hour requirements anymore, and I'm not willing to give up time with my family to do so. And I need to stop being a chicken about it and just get it over with.
 
Bella, thanks, lady! :))

MP, yeah, my DH is probably right, though the waiting is killing me! Based on my past cycles using an hcg shot, it should be completely out of my system by now (when I tested in previous cycles, it was gone by 9dpo/11dp hcg shot & I'm 10dpo today.) I guess I'll try to hold out. We'll see if I'm successful or not. :wink2:

That's weird that you had such a long, anovulatory cycle. That's very unusual for you, right? Maybe your body is still resetting postpartum. Hoping that #2 is on the way soon for you!

Off to the beach! :sun:
 
Bright, I'm so glad you can enjoy the beach (and now swimming!)--I hope that helps a little with the anxiety. Or is at least a distraction. Or maybe having more time to think is worse, haha, I don't know! As a POAS addict, I definitely understand your desire to test, but I also completely understand your husband's logic. The key for me is to keep any tests out of the house. If I don't have access to them, I can't cave. It's just a few more days of waiting, but I know how long those days can be when you just want to know.

Still thinking of you and sending lots of dust!!
 
BrightSpot|1374169405|3485644 said:
That's weird that you had such a long, anovulatory cycle. That's very unusual for you, right? Maybe your body is still resetting postpartum. Hoping that #2 is on the way soon for you!
Click to expand...

Yep, super weird. I don't remember ever having a cycle that was longer that 28-30 days. Hoping that things go back to normal this time, so I at least have a fighting chance with TTC. But I want to see you get your sticky BFP first! All the dust in the world being sent your way.
 
dust dust dust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Bright, three more sleeps! Hang in there my friend and enjoy the beach while you're not dry heaving or unable to roll over in bed without help. :bigsmile: Positive thoughts and sticky prayers for you!
 
NEL, I didn't specifically pack tests but I found some in my bag. I almost threw them away the other day to avoid the temptation but I didn't want to be wasteful. The beach has been relaxing but you're right that just lying in the sand thinking can cause all sorts of trouble!

Asscherhalo, thanks!!

MP, you're so sweet. I hope your current cycle is back to normal. Did you have an unusually stressful month last month that could've caused the long anovulatory cycle?
Also, good luck talking to work about reducing your hours. Let us know how it goes!

Aw, Tammy! You make pregnancy sound so appealing. I can't believe how far along you are.
Yep, not much time left now. Still feeling a bit anxious on and off but less so than yesterday.

Also my numb leg is still itching & now hurting a bit too. (Perhaps because I keep hitting & scratching it to test the numbness?) Or maybe it could be a sign of feeling starting to return? I hope so as this is so bizarre.

We have company coming (DH's family) tomorrow & staying until we leave on Monday morning. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this but it might be a nice distraction. (Also it pretty much removes the temptation to test as I don't want to have a meltdown in front of the fam if I get a bfn.)
 
LV- I agree with MP, I love hearing stories of people conceiving on their own despite fertility troubles! It gives me hope. I'm no help in suggesting which practice you should go with since I've just started this journey and the clinic I am with atm has a very experienced nurse who I deal with, although the RE (who I have met once) is the one who makes all the decisions. So I don't know any different really!

Bright- I hope you are managing to relax at the beach. At the start of this clomid cycle I went away for one night to see a friend who live a few hours away, and I really think it did me the world of good. She knows about everything we are going through so it was nice to not have to keep it all in. It was only a one night trip but as the hours ticked by I could feel myself slowly de-stressing. I hope something similar happens for you. The numbness in your leg sounds weird, but then there are so many side- effects with all these drugs I'm sure it is nothing to worry about. Sending lots of sticky dust your way!

Hello to everyone else and hope you are all doing ok, wherever you are in your journey!

AFM, after taking my last dose of clomid last Saturday I have been in for blood tests every.single.morning. It is school holidays here in Western Australia, so at least the the blood tests haven't disrupted work, but it would have been nice to have a sleep in at least once! Since my last post my estrogen levels did go up again, but unfortunately over the last few days the LH surge that we were expecting hasn't come. :nono: I spoke to the RN this afternoon and she passed on the message from the RE, who wants us to just go ahead and BD tonight and tomorrow just in case I do ovulate between now and Monday. I'll have another blood test on Monday and if I still haven't O'd then they will talk to me about possibly adding a trigger next cycle.

I kind of expected it, but I'm still disappointed. I got the call from the RN while we were out with some friends who have an 18 month old boy, and I was actually in the playground going down the slide and practicing throwing the ball with him. After I finished the call he just gave me the biggest smile....an all I wanted to do was cry! We're home now and I put myself in the shower and told DH I needed some time to myself. So I have put myself to bed and am giving myself an hour to write this out and have a cry. And then I am going out to enjoy the rest of my Saturday night with my beautiful DH. Especially since we are meant to BD tonight. I don't think it will be much fun for him if I am crying! Haha :tongue:
 
Tbaus, I'm sorry that you haven't had the LH surge yet. (Also sorry about the daily blood tests. Those aren't fun!) The good news is that, with a trigger shot, the odds of ovulation are 98%! Do you have ovulation predictor tests in Australia? They do a pretty good job of detecting the LH surge & are less invasive than blood tests.
Still wishing you lots of luck! I hope you're feeling a bit better & enjoy your time with your DH! Big hugs to you.

Hi to everyone else!

Afm, I'm 12 DPO today. This would be my normal cd1 or test day. I had so many anxiety dreams last night about failing tests (gee, wonder
what that could be about.) I don't feel great today (cramps & headache) & am terrified AF is on the way. I'm not sure if I could get it while still on PIO injections & estrogen suppositories or not. Still trying to hold out until my beta on Monday.

The company is here. Hopefully it'll be a good distraction.
 
Just tested against my better judgement...BFN.
 
Bright, I'm not trying to give you false hope, but I had a BFN around 12 dpo and then a bfp...try to enjoy your weekend and see what the betas say Monday. Huge hugs!!!!
 
Thanks, Bella. I guess since I got my first bfp at 12dpo for both pregnancies (neither of which worked out), I'm pretty much counting myself out now. I'll still do the beta on Monday but I'm not very hopeful. :blackeye:

I think I'm done.
 
BrightSpot - I'm so sorry to read your update. I hope it was just a matter of testing too early. Big big hugs!!
 
Thanks, LV. I hope you're right...but...

BFN again today with FMU. :((
 
Darnit Bright, I was so going to see a different update. Still holding out hope but i know you would like to have seen a BFP by now. You'll be in my thoughts.
 
I'm so sorry, Bright. It's not fair! :(sad big hugs and I'm still holding out hope for you too.
 
Aw, Bright, just checking back in after a few days away and I was keeping my fingers crossed for good news from you. Hugs - I'm so sorry. Hope that you are holding up ok (the hormones make it so much worse!)
 
Aww Bright, I'm so sorry about your BFN. I'm still holding out hope that maybe your blood tests will show a surprise.
I'm sorry you're feeling down though! Hugs lady!
 
((((((((((((((Bright))))))))))))))) I hope tomorrow brings better news!
 
Bright, crossing my fingers for better news tomorrow sister! We are all rooting for you and are here for support either way.
 
Bright, sorry to hear about the BFNs. I am still holding out hope for you with tomorrow's blood test. Hugs to you, my friend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top