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The Official TTC Thread!

Melanie, awesome news! Keeping my fingers crossed that they are good ones.

Swimmer - did you do that ride today? Good lord it''s hot. 2 restaurant-week meals for me today and no exercise.
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Your comment about DH is hilarioius. I hope mine can get to that point too, for all our sakes. Ok, countdown til the 30th. Did you take the kind of drugs that make POAS no good? I forget.

Blushing, Cara, LuLu, hope you''re all doing well!
 
Festy, did that ride yesterday, could be why i napped most of today. it is insane hot. just went to christina's in inman for ice cream. Yes, there really is a theme to my posts. I really only exercise so as to be able to eat cheese and ice cream.

Ugh, Drk, I can only imagine. that was my greatest fear about the iui, dh having a situational inability... glad you worked through it.

Beyond TMI, but for those about to do this or dreading it, it really wasn't that bad. re: DH, well, I was more nervous for him than for me. No pressure on me, yeah, like everyone here, we are all familiar with the stirrups. But apparently there was an exam room with a paper covered leather lounge chair, a dvd player, and a selection of materials... But the materials freaked him out so he just got it over with so as to get out. I thought he was coming back to the waiting room to tell me there was something wrong. But no, he was done. A friend going through this said that her DH had the same set up. They were not at Boston IVF, but somewhere in Bedford or Waltham?

So, my lower tummy is sticking out, NOT FROM ICECREAM, hmmm, perhaps from icecream. But it is just so swollen, this started a few days ago and is sort of tender, but no pain. When will this end? Last time on clomid ovidrel this didn't really happen. But gonal-f ovidrel i had more follicles and now just all swollen. I'm happy that it isn't jeans season, but wow, any thoughts on this?
 
Swimmer- When did you trigger? Bloating is a side effect of ovidrel, also a sign of hyperstimulation but there are many other symptoms to watch out for with that. I think you are at higher risk of hyperstimulation if your e2 level is high, and if I remember right yours was lower?

Melanie- great news on the retrieval!! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Regarding the specimen collection from your dh''s. We are lucky that we live close to the hospital and I can get it there within 20 minutes. Mine does ok at home but I don''t know how he would do if it had to be done at the office.
 
Anyone here heard of the new First Response Fertility test? I was just doing my morning elliptical (while watching Sister, Sister---brings back the good old days!!) and saw a commercial for this new product... what in the world? I wonder if that's a test that looks at your FSH? Sounds like a simple pee stick wouldn't let a woman know if she was capable of having babies or not.

Thinking of you all... take care of yourselves!

ETA: Yep, tests FSH on CD 3. Interesting. I wonder what number you have to have to warrant getting that second line... http://www.firstresponse.com/fertilityTest.asp
 
Hi All!

Swimmer, Melanie and Festy - still root''n for all you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Fisher - I took the FR Fertility Test, but only because one came free with a pack of OPK''s I bought a while back. I wasn''t concerned about the results since I already had my FSH levels checked TWICE, but since it was free, I though why the heck not?

Well, I started clomid on Sat. and haven''t had any side effects (knock on wood), except last night I woke up in the middle of the night sweaty and warm.

Looking forward to going to the doc on Thurs. to see what follies I have!
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BB, thanks and good luck!

Tiffany, good thinking. It went away, perhaps b/c of the progesterone inserts? Thanks. We live close by, but they still wanted DH to just come in, not sure about the reasoning there.

Fisher, I saw that commercial...it was sort of awk to me, but I am just defensive these days. NYTimes had an article on it pointing out that FSH could be great, but luteal state defect, tube, lining, and ute issues...oh and an otc SA would be fabu! ha, just thinking about it!

Thinking of Melz, Festy, Cara, DrK, April, hmg, pupp, LV, and thanks to littlelysser!
 
i am so. far. behind.

welcome
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new people. I''ve been around these parts for a while now and there''s no better place to find information/support!! Hope that your stays are ever so brief.

festy, swimmer and melanie: I''ve been thinking of you and wishing and hoping for your BFP!

blushing: I''m hoping that clomid is the missing piece! It sounds like you are under fantastic care - I''m actually pondering switching my RE. I hope that I don''t have to . . .

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

I''ve been so quiet around here lately. It''s due to a combination of being swamped at work and a bit tired of rehashing my TTC attempts. Last week I was off to Colorado on a very last minute business trip. I was excited because it was a state that I''d never been to, but my nephew was due to arrive at any moment. When my phone rang at 3:00 am Thurdsday morning, I was so thrilled that the little man was about to make his arrival, but disappointed that I was in a hotel room in Denver missing the entire thing. My husband, however, went up to the hospital and gave my nephew some kisses for me, walked their dog, trimmed their bushes, helped fix their a.c. There is no doubt that he is a good guy.

I finally got in my own visit this weekend and he is simply a doll.

My older brother just announced that they are expecting their second baby in March.

I''m truly thrilled to continue on in the role of aunt, but I''m really hoping this recent waive of baby is contagious, because I''d prefer the title of mom.

I''m at DPO 9, right in the midst of the "agony of the wait." We opted for another progesterone-only cycle. Hoping that it''s what is needed.


 
That''s excting news, Lovelylulu! Here''s hoping you''re next on the baby wave.
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Does anyone have a favorite/trusted at-home pregnancy test? Back when procreating wasn''t my goal, I used EPT and found it easy to use and simple to read (though how hard can peeing on a stick really be?). The at-home pregnancy tests all seem pretty similar to me, but perhaps I''m missing something. Are there better/worse at-home tests, or are they all pretty much the same?
 
Date: 8/15/2009 9:56:30 AM
Author: vespergirl
Hcg levels

Hi guys, this is a question that I have about hcg levels - I am not sure what''s normal, and my dr''s office has me freaking out. I went in and got my blood test to confirm my pregnancy at 14 dpo, and my hcg level came back at 147. The nurse called me back & told me to come in again 2 days later (16 dpo) to test again and make sure that the hcg level doubled. I went in yesterday, so I won''t get my test results back until Monday. They also said that they were testing my progesterone level to make sure that everything is OK with the endometrium. When I went back and asked if the levels were ''too'' low, they said that I shouldn''t ''really'' worry, but they were too low for an early ultrasound, so they couldn''t do an ultrasound until my levels hit 1,000. Then the nurse said she had someone else waiting for her and shooed my off
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I''m totally freaked out by this - do any of you know anything about the hcg levels, and whether mine are OK? She gave me a copy of the test results, and the lab result said that I was within normal range - is 147 normal for 14 dpo? Has anyone else been through this, and what has been the result?

The first result is going to be that I''m changing doctors. I got this doctor recently when I moved (different doc than my first baby) and I think that her nurses & staff suck. So, I spent all day Friday researching new OBs in my area, and I''m going to try to find a new dr on Monday.

Thanks for your feedback!
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Hey everyone, I just wanted to post an update, since my doctors really scared me last week by telling me that my levels were low. It turns out that from 14 dpo to 16 dpo my hcg doubled from 147 to 308 (yay!) They also tested my progesterone, because the nurse told me they were afraid I might miscarry since my levels were lower than they expected. As it turns out, my progesterone level at 16 dpo was 35, which is excellent (20 is about average). So, I could finally take a deep breath (I couldn''t sleep at all this weekend) and am now letting myself believe this is real after 10 long months of TTC.

Thanks again for all of your information and support!
 
Fisherofmengirly, Festy, Swimmer, Lulu, Blushingbride, Melanie, thank you so much for the warm welcome.
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I've just noticed I'm 3 pages behind, simply because I didn't visit all weekend. Sending good thoughts to Swimmer, Melanie, Festy, and Blushingbride!

I realize I'm going to have to brush up on some of my TTC terminology, as I'm having to google and read at the same time.
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I opted to not go off of my BC this month, and instead we've chosen December, or a bit before, as our target date to get off the Pill. I've never had a pregnancy scare, which really makes me proccupied with the fact that we may be TTCing for a while, and I'll wish we had started not preventing sooner.

So, to get ready, all I've done is get on some prenatals, modify my diet slightly (more protein, less bad fats) and start working out a bit more. Anything else that you ladies can advise as to prepare mentally, and physically for the next few months and beyond?
 
Congratulations Vesper! I loved how your story turned out
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Missed you lulu!

aprilcait, I got the cheapies from peeonastick.com I cannot swear to how they work for positives. I donno, they are fabu for negatives, very clear. A pack of 20 hpts with a ton of opks is around $20 instead of $13 for 2hpts alone. For those of us obsessed, it is a real savings.

Vesper, congratulations. So, with those numbers, could you be having multiples? Hopefully the pregnant ladies can give you answers. Many of us here in "Trying to Conceive" are better versed in miscarriage or negatives than on HcG levels just yet so we might not have the most up to date info for your pregnancy questions. Good luck and a happy 9 months to you!

lauren, not sure if there are other things to do to prepare...have you gone to your gyno for an annual lately? (you seem the sort to go) You can get a check for immunization status, and if you have any infections -I don't know what the standard is, but I got a nice note in the mail saying that I didn't have a variety of socially transmitted diseases. Yes, that was totally on the fridge till Mom came to visit. Finding out if you are a carrier for anything awful could be informative if you were just going to skip on to IVF in order to avoid. But these are sort of extreme situations. Even knowing I was going to have a hard time my gyno didn't do that panel, the RE guessed that we were jews, (which is funny, you know my real name, not really a hard guess) so we did that panel...can't think of anything else. A friend started swimming and yoga as her exercise instead of running as she figured that would be better for a preggo bod. Fish oil? Oh, you need massage. Tell your dh! regular massage is a must for ttc
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Oh man, wish it was.


ETA: ttc dictionary (randomly with some forum abbs too so not really that long!)
Sigh, I wish you were trying sooner so you would be here with us more. but soon enough is good too
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linky
 
well ladies, you can call me octomom! or the next jon and kate maybe. hahaha. not really. of the 12 eggs they retrieved on sunday, 8 fertilized! i didn''t get any more details, they left me a message so i''ve no info as to how they are doing otherwise. apparently they assign them grades based on how quickly they are dividing, and the degree to which they are fragmenting. not to make you google another thing lauren sorry! that gave me a laugh. but i dont even know what fragmenting means, except in pictures the ones that are fragmenting a lot look messy.

anyway, hopefully i''ll get another update tomorrow. going in to have them "planted" (as my future MIL says) at noon wednesday. also DF''s sister just announced pregnancy #2, very early yet. seeing as how "ovulation" for me occurred on sunday, the weird thing is i''ll be right behind her (knocking wood) if this works. two of the three siblings in DF''s family are pregnant right now.

another weird thing is that if this does work, i will know the exact date that life started. which makes me feel a little sad for the embryos that dont get chosen for implantation. we''ll freeze ''em, so maybe they''ll get their chance later ...

swimmer sending good vibes i would love to see this work for you! funny about DH and the room with the papered chair. ha. that was never offered as an option to us, but i guess they must have such a room. DF told me it would be harder for him to do it there. there should be a thread for guys to chat about this experience too, i''m guessing it would be hysterical!

festy, lulu thinking of you and hoping for BFPs for us all.

blushing that''s very exciting about the follicles. they didnt check mine when i was on clomid, they just had me come in for the insemination when my opk turned positive.
 
YAY MELANIE!
wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!

Those are some good odds lady. Why you are one fertile mertyle. Not sure if anyone has ever told you that before so wanted to get in there with that.

Oh lady I am pulling for you! Yes, plant a few of those suckers! You would make a way better reality show than any of those guys, but yes, you are right to keep the numbers down.

Very impressive ovaries Mel!
 
THat''s fabulous news Melanie!!
 
Wooohoooo, Melanie!! That''s awesome!! Here''s to hoping those little buggers keep dividing and stay strong and healthy!! Now, I don''t think we need any more octomom/johnandkate style reality shows, but twins would be fun, eh?? :) I''m gonna keep rooting for you!!

Lauren, maybe we''ll have our first cycle of actually "trying" together! I''m officially off BC (and on CD2 of my first off-BC cycle) but we are planning to avoid until at least December. Maybe December, maybe January for our first cycle of actually trying. Actually, who am I kidding, I probably won''t be able to wait until January cuz I''m so excited, so it''ll probably be December. :) I agree that the only other thing I can think of to do is go have either your annual gyn appointment or a "preconception" visit sometime in the next few mos to talk about vaccinations, any antibody titers or other pre-conception testing you need to have done, etc. Otherwise, get on those prenatals and continue the healthy lifestyle! That''s what I''m trying to do right now too.

Vesper, those numbers are fantastic!! I''m so glad everything is going well. :) Did you find a new doc that you like yet??

Hi Lulu!! I''ll keep my fingers crossed for you during your 2ww....and here''s to hoping that you catch the babywave that''s going around your family!! :)
 
Thanks guys! swimmer lol, my FMIL called me a "furtle turtle" when she found out about the 12 eggs retrieved, but you are indeed the first to call me a fertile mertyle. I suspect it''s your version that is the correct one ... gotta love my FMIL.
 
Awesome news Melanie!
 
Melanie, congrats!!! That is fantastic news!!!

HouMedGal, thanks for asking - I did find a new doctor yesterday who came highly recommended from a friend, so I''m looking forward to a better dr''s office experience.

Swimmer, since I was on Clomid, and my numbers are slightly high, there is definitely a possibility of twins - however, since I only did 2 cycles of 50 mg Clomid, the dr. said my risk shouldn''t be too high (around 7% vs. 3% without Clomid) - she thought I would have had a better chance of multiples at 200 mg Clomid. Since we are only aiming for a singleton, I hope that''s what we get, but if it''s twins, the more the merrier, I guess
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melanie! those are outstanding numbers
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and your FMIL''s fertile turtle comment is too funny! Hope that all goes well with the "planting"

vesper -
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twins - when will you find out for sure? glad that you were able to find a doctor that you feel comfortable with.

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

as for me, it''s DPO 10 and despite telling myself I''d wait, I pee''d.

negative.

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I loathe those sticks.

If this is indeed another negative cycle, we''re going to reassess the need for an IUI. But, I''m concerned that the issue lies with the implantation portion of things-- so I''m not certain how that will help. Must talk with Dr.
 
Melanie, that is fantastic news! So excited for Wednesday!

LuLu - I''m sorry about the BFN.

Swimmer - yes, those internet cheapies are great for BFNs aren''t they! That made me laugh.

CD 8 and nothing going on here. I think the Clomid made me mildly crampy, but that''s about it. Then, I''m prone to feeling crampy, so it figures. Start POAopkS on Friday. Thankfully our RE''s office does IUIs 7 days a week! I''m in my best friend''s wedding in October and just learned that I''ll most likely be wearing a strapless dress. This is not ideal b/c I don''t have the chest to hold one up, so I''m really hoping maybe I''ll get KTFU and my boobs will get bigger in time for the wedding!
 
Date: 8/18/2009 9:38:50 AM
Author: lovelylulu
melanie! those are outstanding numbers
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and your FMIL''s fertile turtle comment is too funny! Hope that all goes well with the ''planting''

vesper -
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twins - when will you find out for sure? glad that you were able to find a doctor that you feel comfortable with.

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

as for me, it''s DPO 10 and despite telling myself I''d wait, I pee''d.

negative.

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I loathe those sticks.

If this is indeed another negative cycle, we''re going to reassess the need for an IUI. But, I''m concerned that the issue lies with the implantation portion of things-- so I''m not certain how that will help. Must talk with Dr.
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Lovelylulu, I have my first ultrasound in 2 weeks, so I should know how many are in there then. We''re really hoping for just one.

Regarding your negative pregnancy test, I took my first test during this last cycle at 10 dpo, and it was a resounding negative. I tested 3 days later, and I got a "faint" positive line. I know that fertilityfriend.com recommends waiting until days 14-16 to test, because at day 10 it could show up negative even if you are pregnant. So, wait a few days and test again - I am pulling for you guys!
 
Lulu! I''ve missed ya around here. Sorry to hear about the BFP, although it''s still rather early so, there''s still hope. Definitely take some time to revaluate things and speak to your doctor. How many cycles of clomid were you on? BTW - congratulations on being an Aunt!
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Melanie - such exciting news!!! You must have a permenant smile on your face.
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Good luck!!!

Swimmer and Festy - still root''n for you both!
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I''m anxious to see what my ovaries are doing this cycle - looking forward to my Dr. appt. on Thurs. I figure the sooner I start clomid, the sooner I''ll get pregnant (if not by this, but maybe another way). I''m nervous about another miscarriage too, but I must keep the faith and move ahead!
 
thanks for the thoughts! I know that it''s early . . .

Blushing - I only took clomid for one cycle and it completely eliminated my CM. However, that same cycle, I also took progesterone supplements and all of my mid-cycle spotting issues resolved. After that cycle, DH and I decided that since I seemed to be ovulating just fine, that we''d skip the clomid and keep the progesterone. This current cycle is the second attempt with the progesterone-only approach.

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

as a mid-morning treat - please meet my nephew. there is just something so sweet about a baby yawn.

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OMG - Lovely - he''s so precious!!!
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swoon
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!!!!

I like your approach - like my doctor told me, focus on what you can see is wrong first, then focus on the other possibilities. In your case it was spotting and in my case it was my short luteal phase. I''m worried about my CM too on clomid...I closely monitoring it so, we''ll see what happens. Ugh...so much to think and worry about and this is BEFORE getting KTFU!
 
thanks blushing. he can''t do much, but what he does is ridiculously adorable.
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I hope that you don''t have any CM issues - a lot of ladies don''t. I was taking the ''tussin, but to no relief. I wish that I had your doctor. I''m researching some other options in my area, and if I''m still unhappy with my current RE, I may switch in the hopes of finding one that can explain my "unexplained" status.
 
Lulu I can only echo what others have said .... 10dpo much too early! Those darn negatives do sting though, however predictable and explainable.

Festy and Swimmer still routing you on! Festy, my boobs have gotten huge since I've started this process. I think it must be the drugs they are giving me. But yes, a BFP is a much better solution to your bridesmaid conundrum!

Blushing that's a great attitude. There's enough happy endings out there to give us all hope. Onward and upward.

So I called today to check on my embryos (apparently they don't normally call on day 2, which is not right!) and was told that one "slow starter" caught up - so now there's 9! I am definitely getting my own reality show, no one has 9! Wish I could look at them through a microscope.

ETA: Swimmer I can't believe I let that earlier "Melz" go by! You are one troublemaker!
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All right Melanie! 8 embryos is a good number - I bet most will still be there for your day3 transfer tomorrow, and you should have some to freeze too (for the future sibilings, of course!). I wish more people had the correct terminology for IVF stuff sometimes. When there''s someone doing IVF on a TV show, or when it''s mentioned in the papers, inevitably someone will say they''re going to "implant" x embryos. Nope, you _transfer_ x embryos, and hope that 1 or 2 implant a few days later. Anyhow. Great news, and I hope you''re feeling good by this point after retrieval. May the transfer go smoothly tomorrow! I didn''t even get to see pics of my blasts, but they did give me the petrie dish they''d been in to take home as a souvenir. :)

Hi to everyone else. It''s (sadly) kind of nice that there''s a group of long-timers who are in different stages of fertility treatments right now. I felt very alone the last couple years when I was going through all the clomid/femara/injects/IUI/IVF stuff. You''re a darn good support group for each other! And can provide lots of good advice on the basics of TTC to the more fertile ones who pop up on here.

My NT scan is tomorrow morning. If all goes well, I''ll finally be able to be a little more confident that things might really work out this time around. Please God let it be a good one!
Kate
 
Date: 8/18/2009 12:34:37 PM
Author: lovelylulu
thanks blushing. he can''t do much, but what he does is ridiculously adorable.
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I hope that you don''t have any CM issues - a lot of ladies don''t. I was taking the ''tussin, but to no relief. I wish that I had your doctor. I''m researching some other options in my area, and if I''m still unhappy with my current RE, I may switch in the hopes of finding one that can explain my ''unexplained'' status.
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I can only imagine what a proud Auntie you must be! I''m sure you''ll learn so much from him (which will be good practice when it''s your turn)!
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You should definitely do some research on other doctors if that''s what your gut is telling you. I was getting so frustrated with my OBGYN (and I know they treat you differently than RE). She was going to recommend an RE around the time I was supposed to get my HSG test done. That whole screw up with my appt. was the last straw so, I researched an RE on my own. Try and find who''s the best in your area by googling different searches and then pray they take your insurance. Also, find out about how the monitor their patients - I feel like that''s key because we all want to know what''s going on down there! Anyway, the way I''ve always looked at this whole process is that nobody is going to care more about your body than you are so, do whatever you can to get the treatment you deserve and the answers you''re looking for.
 
Thanks Kate! And thanks for the terminology, that makes sense. Be thinking of you tomorrow ... so the NT scan is to test for Down''s?
 
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