The Official TTC Thread!

[Pandora II]

Fisher, I totally don''t think that you are jumping the gun by seeking advice at this time. You have more patience and tenacity than most people I think!

Just out of interest have you tried Pre-Seed at all? DH and I used that - my meds have an effect on the amount of CM I produce or rather don''t - and I found the research on ph levels etc very interesting. Ebay sold it for a reasonable price.

LOL on the pineapple - I haven''t touched it since I got pregnant and yet I ate it daily for months and months. Just not on my ''I need to eat this right now'' list (unlike Mars ice-cream bars

).

Will definitely post pictures of Daisy once she arrives - the reason for lack of belly shots is that I have mislaid the cable that connects my dinky camera to the computer and DH''s camera is too heavy to hold with one hand. Lets just say that the bump is huge - although she''s been head-down in the same position now for nearly a week so she might drop early which would be a blessing for my ribs.

Peony - I''m thinking boy for you too. Funny about your DH - mine is one of 4 boys and wanted a boy because ''I don''t know anything about girls''. Now he knows it''s a girl he''s all protective over the bump (which he wasn''t before) and introduces it to people as ''this is my daughter'' - I don''t get introduced at all anymore.. nope, I am now merely a bump carrying device!

I know I''ve mentioned it in the past, but I was wondering if any of you tried acupuncture for conception purposes and found it had no effect?

 

[swimmer]

First of all, thank you so much to everyone''s well wishes. I''m just too scared to think much about my situation right now so will stick to discussing ice cream with Festy. So you live in Boston, and I can totally id you from your avatar, a really good likeness.

November, I TOTALLY understand about concern with seeing an RE, it does make it real seeing "reason for referral, female infertility." But despite mine''s brusqueness, the questions they ask and the info you get is just that much more in-depth. Make sure you get a copy of every test/lab report and see if you can get a referral. Not that time is a wastin'' as ignorant folks say, but there is just such a difference with seeing an RE, the nurses alone make a huge difference. There is zero chance that I would be pregnant without my RE''s insight, questions, and just the assurance I got by having him in place. Not that your gyno isn''t the bomb. But someone who specializes in this has a different perspective. Mine even codes things so that insurance covers even the things normally not covered. I found him off of a PCOS board on REs, but hormone.org or .com was super useful. I''m sure you are like me, going in with so many questions...hoping to get just a fraction answered. With my RE, he said "hush" and we got into things that I didn''t know were relevant. Did your grandmothers have diabetes? Did DH have a childhood groin injury? Detailing menstruation for the past decades was challenging, but got him started on the right path and eliminated some unnecessary tests.

Hugs and to anyone, I would suggest take the plunge and see a specialist, especially if you have been trying for some time, shouldn''t your gyno send you to them anyway? If your leg wasn''t working after months wouldn''t you go see an orthopedist? Is it that different for your ovaries?

 

[MaggieB]

I just want to HUGELY reiterate Swimmer''s point about how important it is to see a reproductive endocrinologist. A gyno removed one of my ovaries when I was 24 because it was cystic (I''m PCOS). Then I wasted four more years trying to get pregnant. When I finally got to an RE, the first question he asked was why I''d had my ovary removed. I told him that the doctor said it was in too bad shape to be saved and it had to be removed. He told me that I currently had more cysts on my remaining ovary than the one that had been removed. (I had my ultrasounds from the surgery for him to review.) Then he proceeded to tell me how all of my treatment thus far had been wrong, and then he got me pregnant.

I am certainly not trying to imply that gynos are not qualified doctors. But they aren''t fertility specialists.

 

[sunkist]

I got a positive on the digi this morning!!!

Everything is starting to sink in now. I''m still crossing fingers that it''s a sticky one though!

Fisher CD1 stinks. I''ll be sending you positive vibes to help cheer you up

I think it''s a great choice to see the doc and have some tests/ work whatever they do. Being proactive is a good thing. Only good can come of this, I think you''ll feel much better about seeing the doc when you get there. I think Festy said it very well. Good luck, dear Fishie!

 

[NovemberBride]

Swimmer and Maggie,

Thanks so much for your insight into seeing an RE. My doctor''s current plan is to try 3 months with the Clomid and if it doesn''t work, to see an RE. To give a little background, prior to going on BC I had clockwork 28 day cycles. I don''t have PCOS and have never had any other issues, such as cysts or an irregular pap. Basically no reason to suspect I''d have difficulty TTC. I am about to turn 30 and have been TTC since Sept. Based on this, would you suggest I see an RE now rather than wait the additional 2 cycles? Maybe I should just make an appt now, I am sure it takes 2 months to get in to see a good RE. Luckily I have really great insurance, so I am pretty confident they''ll cover an appt whenever I want. It''s great to talk to people who have had success with fertiltiy treatment so thanks!

 

[swimmer]

Maggie, I just giggled, "then he got me pregnant." What did your ex think of that? (you know I kid.) I was trying SO HARD not to write that in my post so no one would ask me what my RE and I were up to. Yes, my RE totally got me knocked up. And after years of well meaning gynos saying hurtful and wildly inaccurate things.

Pandora, I have been getting weekly acupuncture for several months. A friend is newly certified so very cheap/free and it is good stuff, even if you aren't certain about eastern medicine, it sure is relaxing, which can't be bad.


ETA: November, call now so that you can get in within 2 months. hugs! Awesome you have fabu insurance!

 

[MaggieB]

Swimmer - it''s okay. I giggled when I typed it

 

[MaggieB]

Date: 3/11/2009 2:41:03 PM
Author: NovemberBride
Swimmer and Maggie,

Thanks so much for your insight into seeing an RE. My doctor''s current plan is to try 3 months with the Clomid and if it doesn''t work, to see an RE. To give a little background, prior to going on BC I had clockwork 28 day cycles. I don''t have PCOS and have never had any other issues, such as cysts or an irregular pap. Basically no reason to suspect I''d have difficulty TTC. I am about to turn 30 and have been TTC since Sept. Based on this, would you suggest I see an RE now rather than wait the additional 2 cycles? Maybe I should just make an appt now, I am sure it takes 2 months to get in to see a good RE. Luckily I have really great insurance, so I am pretty confident they''ll cover an appt whenever I want. It''s great to talk to people who have had success with fertiltiy treatment so thanks!

November - I wasn''t directing my response specifically at you. I just meant to EVERYONE, please don''t delay meeting with an RE unnecessarily. I was referencing my own personal history, where I put off seeing the RE for four years. It sounds like you are seeking a prudent course of treatment.

If it makes you feel any more proactive, why don''t you start researching the REs in your area and calling to see if they have long waits for appointments. Fertility clinics report their IVF success rates to the CDC, so you can see who is getting the best results. You will probably find that you DON''T need to make an appointment right now, but it will reassure you that you''re ready for your next step if it comes to it.

 

[swimmer]

Date: 3/11/2009 2:56:38 PM
Author: MaggieB
Swimmer - it''s okay. I giggled when I typed it

And Maggie, did you have pain when the cysts ruptured? Why would a gyno take one out? A gyno told me once that I would need to get them taken out but I said I wasn''t done with them yet and found another Dr. the next year for my yearly. Ah, can you remember just going in yearly? Cannot believe a person can get so accustomed to trans-vag ultrasounds. I just don''t care, even when there are a ton of med students in there too. I just look at them to make sure none are former students.

My only other PSA is to anyone, you can have cystic ovaries without having any outward symptoms, and you can be diagnosed with PCOS and not have cystic ovaries! It is mostly a catch-all for female infertility, which in itself doesn''t mean infertile. Could we get some precision into this field?

Gah, this is what we get for a tradition of the female body being seen as a deviation from the norm. WE are the norm, more than 52% of the world, its not that I want men to get sub-par treatment, but if men got treated as shoddily as women, things would be different. As mom says, if men needed tampons, they would be given away on every street corner. Peony, have you considered going into the field? You would be awesome!

 

[Festy]

November, I''ll ditto everyone else and suggest looking for an RE and making an appointment. I think I waited about 6-8 weeks for mine. It''s interesting that your doc put you on Clomid even though you had no other diagnosed problems. I guess you needed it, though, if your progesterone was low even with it? And I also ditto what others have said about the experience of going to an RE. My RE''s office is so super sensitive and helpful. The good news is that you''re young and have plenty of time to get this sorted out.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/11/2009 2:42:27 PM
Author: swimmer
Maggie, I just giggled, ''then he got me pregnant.'' What did your ex think of that? (you know I kid.) I was trying SO HARD not to write that in my post so no one would ask me what my RE and I were up to. Yes, my RE totally got me knocked up. And after years of well meaning gynos saying hurtful and wildly inaccurate things.

Pandora, I have been getting weekly acupuncture for several months. A friend is newly certified so very cheap/free and it is good stuff, even if you aren''t certain about eastern medicine, it sure is relaxing, which can''t be bad.


ETA: November, call now so that you can get in within 2 months. hugs! Awesome you have fabu insurance!

I''m a big fan of acupuncture (and I am VERY orthodox on the whole) and use it a lot for my back pain.

Reason I asked was that my father used to use it on women in his practice who were having difficulty conceiving and yet there didn''t seem to be an obvious cause. The results were pretty impressive (oh, and he used to get ''Thank you for getting me pregnant'' cards - my mother raised an eyebrow I can tell you

)

My previous next-door-neighbour also had it for a few months before TTC. She is 38, pretty overweight and was convinced she''d take ages to get KTFU... ended up pg first cycle.

 

[NovemberBride]

Festy,

She put me on Clomid because I did not ovulate or get a period once in the first 5 months I was off the pill, even after taking progesterone to "kick things off" again. I have taken all your advice and made an appt with an RE who is consistently ranked as the best in my city. He happened to have an appt opening next week (but then nothing for several months) so off we go. He may tell me to just stick with what I have been doing for now, but at least I''ll have gotten a second opinion and gotten in to see him. DH will be coming with me. He is very nervous because they want both of our insurance info (DH is not a fan of going to the doctor). I tried to reassure him that at this point the issues seem to be on my end (lucky me), that they just want to make sure they take his insurance too (we are not on the same plan), in case we end up going the IUI or IVF route which require his participation.

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 3/11/2009 2:41:03 PM
Author: NovemberBride
Swimmer and Maggie,

Thanks so much for your insight into seeing an RE. My doctor''s current plan is to try 3 months with the Clomid and if it doesn''t work, to see an RE. To give a little background, prior to going on BC I had clockwork 28 day cycles. I don''t have PCOS and have never had any other issues, such as cysts or an irregular pap. Basically no reason to suspect I''d have difficulty TTC. I am about to turn 30 and have been TTC since Sept. Based on this, would you suggest I see an RE now rather than wait the additional 2 cycles? Maybe I should just make an appt now, I am sure it takes 2 months to get in to see a good RE. Luckily I have really great insurance, so I am pretty confident they''ll cover an appt whenever I want. It''s great to talk to people who have had success with fertiltiy treatment so thanks!

NovemberBride - I''m in a similar situation. My gyno told me back in Dec. when I went for my anual that she might put me on clomid to make me "ovulate harder" (I''m sure some of you ladies remember me posting about this). I don''t have PCOS and never had any issues such as cysts, etc. I had a colposcopy done about 6 years ago when they noticed some pre-cancerous cells, but those were removed and I''ve been having normal paps since. I''ve always had normal paps and I ovulated every month. If it turns out I am not pregnant this cycle, I will need to consider what my next steps will be.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

So, just talked to Paul. And this is how I''m feeling now. I''d like to go to the Dr. tomorrow and see if I can be "established" as a patient by meeting with the Dr. and not doing the ultrasound yet (I''m on my flippin period and that''s disgusting to me), and I really want Paul to be there with me if any *scary* results were realized. I don''t know if I can be "established" as a patient by just meeting with the Dr. to go over my charts, past medical history and records and things of that nature, but it''s too late to ask now and my appt. is for 7:30am tomorrow. Paul is finishing up quarter finals at school and cannot take the morning off work to be there with me, and maybe I''m a pansy baby, but I want him there with me. So, if I can be "established" (I quote that since I don''t know what it means or entails, really) by just meeting with the Dr., I could do the CD3 blood draw (FSH, and a few other things they test for at that time, the receptionist said) on Friday and schedule for the ultrasound first week of April, when Paul is on Spring Break.

And if I can''t be "established" by just meeting with the Dr., then I guess I''ll just have to decide at that point if I want to wait until April to meet with the Dr. and then do CD3 testing next cycle, if needed.

One thing, though, that the receptionist said was if the CD3 testing came back showing that I could benefit from something like Clomid, I could be started on it this cycle. She said the results come back in a day or two and I''d not be too late to get started on it for cycle 7. That is, if I were to be able to take the CD3 test on Friday.

Then I get to thinking, if we did just take this cycle as a low key attempt at getting pregnant because we''re waiting for the Dr. appt. for the following cycle, maybe just maybe it would be what we need to keep the whole pressure thing away and we could just go ahead and get knocked. Haha. Wishful thinking, but you never know.

Does anyone know what all is needed to deem a patient established?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Forgot to add that the Dr.''s office said that the Dr. is always very happy when the patient has BBT charts to bring in.

Yay!!

Someone wants to see my charts!

I''m kinda proud of them!!

 

[swimmer]

Fisher I''m confused. If they don''t have your CD3 results in and you don''t want an ultrasound, well, there is no info they can give you. Well, pulse, temp? I would go in to get a face to face discussion about where you are at and what you have been doing so far. You have a ton of info to share about your body and your efforts thus far.
I probably misunderstood, but I don''t think there is any bad or good news for the dr to share. (?)

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/11/2009 6:26:42 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly

Does anyone know what all is needed to deem a patient established?

fisher- I''m a bit confused by this "established" thing (and I''m a doctor!) It seems to me that I can only recall hearing established used in the sense that this is not your first visit to this physician, so you already have "established" a relationship. So I would say anyone who is currently under that doc''s care would be established. So if you see the doc tomorrow, I''d say that counts as established to me!

And if I get a vote

, I think you should see the doctor regardless of whether Paul is able to accompany you. Understandably this TTC business is beginning to cause more stress and worry! So I think getting a few basic tests would either put your mind at ease, or help to determine that there is something that might be helped along with a little intervention.

 

[peonygirl]

November, I''m happy to help sweetie! Thanks so much for your nice comments. I think that it''s great that you''re seeing the RE. Most ob/gyns only have a few months of training on TTC, but an RE has three additional years. I wanted to see an RE a few months ago SO badly, but my insurance wouldn''t cover it unless I''d been trying at least a year or had three miscarriages. Please let us know how it goes!

Sunkist, congrats on the positive digi! I''m sure your DH was excited. It just occured to me that you got your birthday wish too.

Swimmer, I''d just love to be an RE. It would be fun to problem solve and educate people. Only 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency, and 3 years of fellowship. That''s nothing, right?

But maybe it''s just because everything in my mind is TTC and pregnancy related now!

Fisher, I''m glad you''re having the appointment just for piece of mind! Probably nothing will be wrong, but it will be good to have some answers, right?

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I think my last post was confusing. Sorry. I''m good at that.

I haven''t been to this Dr. before, but this is the women''s specialist center where I''m hoping to be monitored throughout pregnancy. My Dr. is in NC, a state I no longer live in. I know I can''t keep going to this Dr. when I''m pregnant, so I''ve had multiple phone conversations with this new center, but I''ve never been in. I have my records from my previous Dr. to share and I have my BBT charts to share.

I called today to see if I could come in on Friday for my CD3 testing and was told I''d have to establish myself as a patient first. When I explained my situation (how long we''ve been TTC, that my cycles tend to be long and/or irregular, etc.) I was told that I would need to have a consult with the Dr. (the only Dr. in the facility; the rest are RNs, CPNs, or midwives---which is why I like this practice; they have 5 midwives!!) and an ultrasound to see what''s up with my uterus. I''m fine with that, if I''m comfortable with that tomorrow. I have anxiety issues at times and Paul being with me helps tremendously in that area. So, I now wonder if just meeting with the Dr. and not doing the ultrasound would suffice as establishing that I''m a patient so I can get my CD3 testing, then have an ultrasound/exam/whatever in a couple weeks when Paul is off on Spring Break and he can come with me, for moral support.

As for getting any scary news, I meant if the ultrasound showed something like cysts or anything of concern. It would be very difficult to handle that (for me) without my husband there, too, for support.

So, I wonder if they''ll let me just show my charts and get my CD 3 testing on Friday, or if I''ll have to do the exam and or/ultrasound. I''m just not sure. I''m chickening out. I do this a lot. If I go tomorrow and feel comfortable (and I hope I do; I''ve heard so many good things about this facility!!), it will be a moot point. But I won''t know until I get there.

Worst case scenario, I go in and just reschedule for 4/6, when Paul can be there, too.

****
Sunkist,

Yay for the word printed out on your stick girly!! Is Cliff excited now??? I can only imagine!!

****
November,

Happy you were able to get an appt. so soon. That''s fabulous.

 

[sunkist]

Peony, yes I got my birthday wish!

AND I actually conceived then on my birthday, how wierd is that?? AND how even more weird would it be if the baby was born on hubby's b-day? I showed Cliff the digi this morning and he looked at me and said, 'I changed my mind, I don't want twins!' I told him that it's too late, he already put his request in and we'll just have to wait and find out what's in there.

Fisher it sounds like you have a good plan. I hope you can get testing on Friday. I would want results sooner rather than later, personally. Like a bandaid

I hope it helps you feel better about everything though.

eta: yes Cliff is excited

He told me that Monday night he was still in sort of shock (he has no idea what having a baby really means) but yesterday he was getting excited and wanted to tell everybody. After seeing the digi, it's more real to him now.

I told my family today too!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Sunkist,

"I changed my mind, I don''t want twins." That''s too funny.

Are you going to find out the gender, or be surprised? Or have you thought that far ahead yet?

PS-I''m glad you''re ahead of me in the prego thing, now when I get there, I can just post, "Hey Sunkist, did this happen to you at week so and so...." and you can be my prego mentor.

You and Peony both. I''ve become pretty reliant on Peony''s knowledge in TTC and I''m sure by the time I''m over there, she''ll be full of prego info, too! Yay!!

 

[sunkist]

Date: 3/11/2009 10:56:16 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Sunkist,


''I changed my mind, I don''t want twins.'' That''s too funny.


Are you going to find out the gender, or be surprised? Or have you thought that far ahead yet?


PS-I''m glad you''re ahead of me in the prego thing, now when I get there, I can just post, ''Hey Sunkist, did this happen to you at week so and so....'' and you can be my prego mentor.

You and Peony both. I''ve become pretty reliant on Peony''s knowledge in TTC and I''m sure by the time I''m over there, she''ll be full of prego info, too! Yay!!

Ya, we''ll find out the gender. I could not wait and have it be a surprise. Plus, I''ve been dying to sew a baby quilt, so then I could make it cute for a boy or a girl.

We will definitely be there and waiting for you Fisher!!! We''ll be here too I''m sure till you come over

 

[swimmer]

Fisher,
I am so glad you are going to the appt! Have you printed out all your charts? You have enough to discuss to take up your entire appt without even taking off any clothes. Generally speaking, once you have had an appt with a Dr. in a practice you are their patient and their practice has a folder for you. Then you can go in for your tests Friday rather than miss a month of having that information.
You are braver than you think, you can do it!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Fisher,
I think you should go to the appointment. Take your charts, talk with the doctor. Couldn''t you do the CD3 testing and reschedule the ultrasound for another day? Good luck today, I''ll be thinking about you. I''m really proud of you for making this appointment. You are going to need to meet with this doctor sometime anyway if that''s where you''ll be going when you are pregnant, right?

 

[lovelylulu]

Fisher:

I can tell you about my experience visiting the RE, which happened very recently.

I called and explained that I was monitoring my cycles - I think at that time I might have been on 6 or 7 - without success. I was booked for an "initial" appointment and told to check my insurance benefits. The office mailed me a set of paperwork which basically required both my DH and I to fill out our past medical history with an emphasis on fertility-related things. At my first appointment, I kept all my clothes on

. It was a chance to meet the doctor, to discuss our medicial history (my husband didn''t go and that didn''t matter) and at that time I was told that I didn''t technically meet the *definition of infertility*, but that I was perfectly able to proceed with testing to determine whether there was a problem. I also explained that, at this point, if the testing revealed any issues, that my DH and I are not certain that we would want to undergo any fertility treatments. The dr. respected our feelings and was very supportive of getting the initial screening.

I postponed actually going to the take-your-clothes-off appointment for two cycles - why? I suppose I''d been too afraid, too much didn''t really want to know the answer, too much didn''t really want to hear that there might not be an answer, too much of I didn''t want to feel like a failure, too much of won''t this just all go away, . . .

but then it was time for me to go in. i felt comfortable with the decision. i accepted the fact that i needed to know what was going on in there.

I had the CD3 bloodwork (normal) and the ultrasound. It was a bit crushing to have my very first ultrasound be for an undeniably, uninhabited uterus. I always pictured being one of those lucky ladies that squints at the monitor, perfectly perplexed by the image, and hears her doctor say, "that''s the foot and there is the head. do you see the heart beating? I always thought I would see a brand new life, albeit with some assistance from the technician. Like you, I was also rather put off at the timing of the ultrasound, but the dr. need to have a baseline by which to go by.

Remember, even though we might not have control over when we get pregnant, you have control over these choices. I know that the other ladies have encouraged you to go to your appointment, and I do too, but I also know that these things need to happen at a pace you are comfortable with.

for me I went in when I decided that this information will help us decide how to move forward. I don''t want to give up hope, but I also don''t want to keep on waiting for something that may never happen. and there are other options, like adoption which we''ve been researching. honestly, my dh was a little lukewarm with the idea at first, but he''s realized that most of all he wants to be a father and that while blood may be thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood.

i really hope that you get KTFU and avoid all of the above

 

[blushingbride]

Well said Lovely!

Now I have a question about all this - I had all my bloodwork done through my gyno as well as DH''s SA (actually, my gyno recommended a place for him to do his SA). So she has all my paperwork/charts on file. *IF* we had to start going to an RE, would we have to take all these tests over again or would they use the results taken w/ my gyno? Also, how did you ladies find your RE''s? I don''t know of any off hand here in NYC so, I was just assuming I would get a recommendation from my gyno.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I'm back from the Dr. And I'm a big girl who put on her big girl panties and went alone and did everything I needed to do! And I didn't have to have an exam because I did the ultrasound.

*By the way, a trans-vaginal ultrasound is NOTHING. Seriously, way freaked out over nothing. The wand looks much like a dildo (can't believe I typed that!!!) with a camera lense. Nothing to it. Glad I got it out of my system (the freaking out part) before I go in to see my baby for the first time!!*

Anyway, my uterus, to quote Lulu (or was it November?) is "perfect." I have no fibroids, no irregular shaping, my lining is great, my ovaries are great and I have follicles getting bigger on the right side now, which means I'll be ovulating from that side next cycle. My blood pressure's great, my heart beat's great.

And then I saw the Dr. And he said my charts were (and I qoute), "Really nice, other than you ovulate way too late, even in the earlier cycles. We have to fix that."

He said that he still wants me to take the CD 3 blood test tomorrow, but nothing appears to be an issue other than my body is not ovulating early enough, although I'm clearly ovulating, based on my charts. He said he doesn't see any need for a referral to an ER at this time, or even for Paul to have an SA (he will be ELATED!!!), but that he'd like me to start on the lowest dose of Clomid, asap.

He said that he expects that everything is being timed right on our parts and it's just a matter of my body gearing up for ovulation, then putting it off a week or more (sometimes three weeks), creating and "older egg" that is more resistent to fertilization, even once it's dropped.

So, he said he is not going to even put in my charts that there is a need to rule out infertility, as he doesn't think it's an issue, but rather, I've been labeled (purely for insurance purposes) as having "irregular periods."

I go back in June (with Paul

) to see if the medication needs to be upped, and he said he'd be very happy if I was pregnant by then. I said I would be, too!!

He also wants me to call in to have an earlier visit if I don't see "substantially earlier ovulation" this cycle.

And, this is different from what I've read and heard about from my friends here on Clomid; he wants me to start tomorrow (after my blood test, of course) on CD 3. He said he likes to do cycle days 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 as opposed to the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 because it will help my body to ovulate closer to the 14/15 mark that is the "goal" as far as ovulation goes.

So now the challenge will be seeing if Paul is okay with Clomid. I have a feeling that if I tell him if we get pregnant on it, he won't have to the SA might help!

And I told the Dr. I really didn't want to do any treatments at this point, and he said I always have the option of doing the Clomid or not, but it's not so much a treatment for infertility for me as much as an incentive for my egg to drop sooner. He said that since my charts are showing clear ovulation, the Clomid is really only going to be moving the ovulations sooner, making the eggs "riper" when they drop.

So, I'm willing to give it a go.

He did give the list of the "side effects," but I was aware of them from reviewing here and a little internet researching, and by all accounts, they appear minor (*other than TWINS*).

So, all in all, I'm so happy I went in. I don't have cysts or fibroids and that was what I was so scared about. I feel so, so, so *so* much better!!

Off to work for me... but I did want to thank you all for being so helpful and informative and for the support in my actually going to the Dr. I feel so much better now! I really, really do!!

Thanks, a hundred times, thanks!!

ETA: The Dr. did comment that our timing was good, and we should have more "down time" on Clomid, since we were going for weeks at a time, sometimes, never knowing when we'd ovulate. Haha. Made me laugh. This Dr. was very personable and nice, and if anyone's in the North Metro area of Atlanta, geesh, I totally recommend this facility, based solely on today's experience. I was *so* nervous and they explained everything and were very nice without acting like I was crazy for being so nervous, answered all of my questions (mostly related to, "Is it going to hurt?") and were awesome. If anyone's in my area (and I don't think anyone is, but just in case), let me know and I'll totally provide the information for this place. It's awesome.

And the lobby is clean and tidy. I *detest* Dr. offices that are a hot mess and just dirty. Makes me think the Dr. is dirty, and I don't want a dirty Dr. dealing with my hoo-ha, or anything else!!

Okay, seriously, off to work for me!!

 

[lovelylulu]

thanks blushing - except for the multitude of typos

(it was early)

I''m not sure if you''d have to undergo the tests for a second time. It would seem to me that your RE should be able to use the information that has already been gathered? but, perhaps, you can talk about it with your current dr. and discuss it when you call to make your appointment with the RE. I had a recommendation from a friend who had been struggling to get pregnant (who has since become pregnant with a bouncing baby boy

, but through interventions). I think that your gyno would be a valuable resource and then you can be your own private detective because there is lots of info out there on the web, etc. I''m sure if there are great doctors anywhere, they''d be in NYC.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 3/12/2009 9:16:30 AM
Author: blushingbride
Well said Lovely!

Now I have a question about all this - I had all my bloodwork done through my gyno as well as DH''s SA (actually, my gyno recommended a place for him to do his SA). So she has all my paperwork/charts on file. *IF* we had to start going to an RE, would we have to take all these tests over again or would they use the results taken w/ my gyno? Also, how did you ladies find your RE''s? I don''t know of any off hand here in NYC so, I was just assuming I would get a recommendation from my gyno.

Blushing,

I think the records would transfer, mostly because I doubt the info. would have changed if they were taken recently, and also because I don''t think insurance would cover the testing twice.

My Dr. said today that if we needed an RE, he would refer us to a few, to choose from. So, I think maybe if you called your Dr. and asked, they could help you out??

 

[lovelylulu]

fisher

That sounds like a fantastic appointment and really what you needed!!

I''m proud of your uterus too!