The Official TTC Thread!

[dcgator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hey Ladies,

Just a quick note on what went down today. I will be sure to catch up with everyone later. So DH and I went to the Dr. today and the news was mostly good. I checked out almost perfect, except for a slightly elevated TSH (thryrod indicator) level, so they are going to run some more tests on that, since it can have an effect on fertility. Otherwise, DH has some seriously prolific men, (I think the expression was chewey, lol). The doc did say that he did have some lower morphology than they would like, so my doc suggested going ahead with the IUI. I am cool with that, but I am going to discuss with my DH about what he wants to do. Since I am CD1 today, we can start with baseline monitoring and Clomid on Monday and then I will come back in the following Monday to see where we are, and hopefully trigger on Tuesday the 12th and get the IUI on Wednesday the 13th. This is of course, if my DH and I decide to do it.

So, that is where we are at. All things considered, this is probably the best news we could get since DH's issue is not so bad as to need IVF right off the bat, but still significant enough to justify the insurance covering it. I think that I am pretty happy with the results thus far and I am ready to proceed with the IUI. I will let you all know what we decide, but hopefully we will be moving forward

Thanks for checking in on me ladies and good luck to all of you, wherever you may be in your cycles! Nighty night...

 

[dcgator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Uggh, I totally just wrote a long post and it got eaten

Long story short, the doc visit went pretty well. I am all good, except for a slighty elevated thyroid level, which they will do some more testing for and DH had prolific sperm (I think they term was chewey, lol) but has some lower than they would like morphology, so my doc recommned IUI. I am down with it, but I am going to talk more with DH about it this weekend. Since I am CD1, they can start it on Monday, or I can wait till next month, but I made the appts just in case we are good to go...

Thanks for checking in on me ladies and I will give you all the details manana. Nighty night!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

KTF_I am so sorry to hear that! hope that things are soon resolved, I know this is not ideal and for it to be dragging on like this! I hope that you get some resolution soon. huge hugs!

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Fisher: Of course your MIL is in my thoughts. I hope her treatment is gentle and efficient. Sometimes I wish I could have such a magnanimous attitude to this TTC business, I admire you for it. Keep on trucking! (For you) --->

Modern: How was the Dr? Did she/he ok you to go ahead?

Bella: Who doesn’t love AF to stay for even longer! For goodness sake can’t she take a hint? Sorry about the extra crappiness this month. April 15th? Wow. It will be you soon, I know it.

WON & Octavia: I was told to take the prenatals 3 months before TTC so I’ve been on them forever now. But ours are the over the counter type. My only issue is irradiated looking pee. I could give Rudolph a run for his money on the ‘it glows’ market.

KTF: You are so cute with your gummy nite-nite snack. You make it sound like so much fun! But I am so sorry about the surgery and even sorrier that you have to wait longer for CD1. How is your husband doing in all this, and you? It really is extra sad. The worst bit is perhaps that like Fisher says all you can do is keep on. Time will fix you back to rights and you will get there. I’m thinking about you. Do you have a surgery date yet?

CDN: Love the sig too. Getting old creeps up on you doesn’t it? Still I hope you bopped along at the concert all the same. You know I have never felt on the ‘right’ side of 25? Do you have anything interesting planned for your birthday pressie? Go on, dish!

Gaby: You have such a ‘feel good’ avatar. I love to see you posting that ring. Sorry about the bad mood – I hope you made up with your hubby. I’m glad you sister got better news and wish her the best of luck too. Happy CD8, right?

LTP: Wow, take me to NYC. I so want to go. Waaaaaaaah. DH promised me I could go for my next birthday, but hopefully we will be either with a newborn or knocked up so I’ll gladly give it up. Please, enjoy it even more, for me. Happy CD11. And early Happy Birthday! What ya getting?

Moo: Who knew BD’ing could suck the life out of ‘getting busy’? It really does though. Keep your spirits up, I know that as soon as I get down it affects my hubby and then we are up sh1t creek without a paddle. There is no baby if everybody has a headache.

DF: Nice to ‘see’ you.

DC: Thanks for updating the thread; you know, we all care about you two. Glad your DH has great spunk. Can I even say that about another woman’s husband? Can you share a little more about your insurance? Will they cover all of the treatment costs? If so, and I were you I would have a deep meaningful chat with your man, weigh it all up, do some pros and cons and then make that blessed call and confirm your IUI appointments. Do it! I can’t believe that this is it for you guys – this could be your cycle.

Hello to everybody else I missed – there were so many posts!

AFM:

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I am in a bad mood about this whole thing. Bah Humbug. For a couple of reasons.
No.1 : Seriously. Why am I not knocked up?
No. 2: I think I F*cked up my cycle with the Soya. I am a regular gal with lots of CM from about CD9 and EWCM usually O-2, with a fade in pos OPK. So I'm at O-1 and nada. Still infertile creamy CM, nothing on the OPK's. We are being good boys and girls with our EOD but, blah!!!!!!!!!
No. 3: I just know that we cannot afford infertility treatments, even if we do need them. Not at 4k a pop. No sir-ee.
No. 4: I hate my family. I really do. I don't know why they are, the way they are but, they are. Anybody have a flying house they need to land? "Ding dong..."
No. 5: I had to mind some kiddos recently and I hated them. I hate to admit that here.
No. 6: Anybody want to donate to the, 'I'm sick of hearing Steal (aka Cherry) moan about building her house so here is a collection so she can hire a builder' fund? Between upgrading the fireplace, paying the deposit for the automated door and a million other expenses last month - we are on a spending ban until November. Perhaps I could rob some trick or treaters and e-bay their loot? I've hear about this 'candy from a baby' lark, perhaps I should try it?

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

And so, a little humour:

80-year-old Sperm Sample
An 80-year-old couple went to the doctor to find out if it was too late for them to have kids. The doctor told them that it would be best if the husband gave a sperm sample, as he could then check his count and see if it was possible for him to father a child.
He gave them a jar and sent them into a side room to get a sample. After much groaning and grunting and even a little screaming the couple came and gave the jar back to the doctor. On checking the doctor found it to be empty and asked the couple to explain.
Well, said the old man, I tried with my left hand, then I tried with my right hand, then with both hands. Then my wife tried with her right hand, then with her left hand, then with both hands. Then my wife tried with her mouth, first with her teeth in, then with her teeth out, but no matter how we tried we couldnt get the lid off the jar.

Why do male basketball players have trouble getting their spouses pregnant?
All they do is dribble.

Getting the Mechanics
There was an RE who decided he no longer wanted to practice. Instead he wanted to restore old cars. To prepare himself for this career change, he signed up for a mechanics course in engine repair. He studied really hard, and the day arrived for the final exam. The task was to find out what was wrong with the engine and repair it. The RE took a little longer than the rest of the class, but he got the job done. A couple of days later he went to see how he did. Up on the wall, beside his name he saw a mark of 150%. He was really puzzled so he went to the instructor. "How can this be?" he asked. The instructor replied, "Well, I gave you 50 points for figuring out the problem, and 50 points more for solving the problem. BUT I had to give you an extra 50 points for doing all the work through the exhaust pipe!"

Carry on.

Jokes taken from fertilityplus

 

[modernsparkler]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just popping in to say

KTF: So sorry about the retained tisssue and the delayed reset of your cycle. Glad you have an answer though and hopefully the repeat procedure will reset the clock for good.

DC: Glad the RE appt went well and you have a plan to move forward should you choose to do so! I guess it works out well that you could start things this cycle right away. Hopefully this will be the lil boost you need to get your BFP!!!!

Gaby: Hope you have a better weekend! Glad things went well for your sister.

LTP: Have fun in NYC this weekend!

Moxie: Hope you got your pos OPK and you and DH could clear your schedules for the weeekend

AFM: Had a great appt with the doc yesterday. She was really encouraging and offered some good TTC advice as far as using OPK's, esp recommending the clear blue 30 day supply of smiley ones which are around $30/month, and also seemed to be well educated about temping, CM, etc which I was pleasantly surprised about. She also said that if we were getting frustrated at the 6 month mark she would be happy to get baseline CD 3 FSH/LH levels and later cycle progesterone levels. I like that she gets my very Type A personality!

On another note, I am on CD 23 and still no clear O date. But, I was reading a lot about OPK's online and I think I missed it b/c I was obsessing about the line being super dark on the wondfo OPK tests. I have had darkish lines on CD 17 and 18 which would fit with my EWCM and probable O last month on CD 19. I think this b/c I tested today just for fun and the line was super faint, nothing like what i had early last week. Could it just be that my urine was dilute? Either way, I am thinking about graduating to OPK's so I can spare my eyes the obsessive comparing!

Hope everyone else is doing well.

ETA: Steal, please keep the jokes coming!!! Love the laughs!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Yay Modern! Glad your Dr's appt went well! Hope that the smiley face OPKs do it for you

DC-Glad your appt was good too!!!! Sounds like IUI might be a great option, esp. if your insurance covers it! Hope you and your DH are doing well and keeping your spirits up through all this!

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

To ModernS and and other ladies interested in the OPK's.

Me: This is from the one of my favourite sites, pee on a stick dot com:

1. Should I use first morning urine (FMU) with OPK's?

No. LH is synthesized early in the day, and is not metabolized into your urine until later. So, as a rule, you are more likely to catch your surge later in the day. ("They" say you should test sometime around 2-4 p.m., but I've had fine luck at 10 p.m.-midnight.) Using FMU may not be a problem for you, but if you do not detect a surge during the cycle you use FMU, try testing later during the next cycle.

Note: the Clearblue Fertility Monitor is the exception. The FM Monitor does require FMU.

Me: I tend to test after 11am all the way up to bed-time and twice in the day if I think I am gonna miss the strong positive.


2. I never get a positive OPK. Does this mean I'm not ovulating?

No, not necessarily. It can depend on how often you test. Most OPK's say to test once a day, around the same time each day. However, it is possible for your LH to surge and dissipate in less time than that, so testing only once daily may result in missing the surge. Here is an example of my OPK's for one cycle: GOTTO WEBSITE FOR PICS

On Day 14 of my cycle, I tested at 11:30 p.m. The test was negative (the result line is fairly dark, but not as dark as the test line.)

On Day 15, I tested at 10:00 a.m., only 10.5 hours after my previous test. By this time, the test was positive, and my LH surge had been detected.

Again that same day, I tested at 4:30 p.m, only 17 hours after the previous day's negative test. This test was positive; I was still surging.

And once again that day, I tested, this time at 8:00 p.m. The test was now negative, indicating my LH surge had ended-- and this was still only 20.5 hours after the previous day's test. Therefore, my entire surge lasted less than 24 hours. If I had not taken the additional tests, but followed the instruction to test "every day around the same time," I would have taken a test later that night and missed my surge altogether.

So, if you are unable to detect your LH surge, try testing twice a day! It is possible that you are not ovulating, of course, but this is not a conclusion you should draw based only on a lack of positive OPK's. If you still have concerns, talk to your doctor.

Incidentally, the length of your LH surge may vary from cycle to cycle. If you visit the OPK Odyssey, you can see pictures of my OPK's from several cycles prior to the one above-- in that case, my surge lasted longer than 24 hours, and I had positive OPK's for two days.

As a footnote, some ovulating women simply just don't get positive OPK's, like some pregnant women don't get positive HPT's (though both scenarios are rare.) The mysteries of the female body!

Me: I found this info very helpful.


3. My test line looks "half positive"-- only one side of the line is dark. What does it mean?

Most of the time, OPK results are easy to read; the "result" line is one uniform color/darkness. Sometimes, however, you may get a result that looks "half positive," like this:

GO TO WEBSITE FOR PICS
"result" line on left
"control" line on right

When this happened to me, I contacted the distributor (in this case, BabyWishes.org)-- I even e-mailed them the above photo. I was told that the darkest part of the "result" line should be compared with the test line, and that this applies to all brands of OPK's.

This month I purchased some Answer brand OPK's, which I had never personally used before. After my LH surge appeared to last 6 days (going by the above rule of thumb), I made the unsettling discovery that my tap water was also ovulating. So I called Answer's 800# and asked the same question. This time I was told that the dark part of the line must be at least 50% of the total width to be considered positive. Going by THAT, the picture above would be considered negative. (And, in retrospect, my LH surge actually lasted a common 2 days-- and my kitchen faucet is not currently fertile.)

So, it appears that my information from BabyWishes was incorrect; it does, in fact, depend on the brand of OPK.

Me: I found this interesting too as I don't think I have gotten a full darker than the control, all the way through line on my OPK's and if I waited for it I would miss my opportunity.


Me: Finally just this info,

OPK's measure LH, which a hormone that is always present in the female body in some quantity. This hormone surges 12-48 hours before ovulation. In women of normal fertility, a "surge" (indicating ovulation is near) means at least 20 mIU/mL of LH is present. The vast majority of women experience a surge of 40 or more mIU/mL. Since a surge builds very quickly, a woman may go from an insignificant amount of LH to 40 mIU literally within an hour or so.

I have taken all these from the website and I found the info very helpful. If anybody thinks differently please post, I certainly won't be offended.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DCgator, good to hear your appointment went well. LOL @ chewy!

When you say elevated thyroid level, are they thinking you may be borderline hypo or hyper?

I was just at my endocrinologist's yesterday to get my levels checked and to see if they would need to adjust my levels. I was diagnosed hyperthyroidal (Grave's Disease) at age 19, and at age 23 underwent a radioactive iodine treatment to force me into a hypothyroidal and more easily treatable state. For the past 12 years, I've been on synthroid and have only needed to have my dosage adjusted slightly when I was pregnant. I do know that left untreated, it can make it more difficult to conceive, so I hope this will be the step you need to get you to your BFP!

Steal - Thanks for the birthday wishes! I wish you could come, too, to kick your cycle back into normal gear, if only for a weekend. (((hugs))) But, I'll make sure I bring my camera and take some pics to post here after I'm back. As for what I'm getting for my birthday, I'm not sure. I haven't asked for anything, and W isn't really much of a planner, so because the only thing I've said I've wanted lately is to build a permanent island in our kitchen with big pot drawers and trash hole in the counter top, I doubt I'll be getting anything I expect. But, I do like surprises.

Modern - Thank you also for the birthday wishes! So glad to hear you have a supportive doctor and it sounds like a great match with her education on temping, etc.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

AFM, it's gorgeous here in Dallas, so we're going to be working in the garden all day; buying shelves for the greenhouse, getting the drip system set up, hopefully going to buy our fairytale pumpkins for the Fall, and going to the Farmer's Market. Hope everyone's Saturday is chock full of happy fun!

 

[moxie.moo]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DCG- Looking forward to hearing what you and your husband decide--I'm glad you guys got some good news and have some solid options for how to proceed.

 

[modernsparkler]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Wow Steal that info about OPK's is super helpful!!! Thanks! So much to learn and so many sticks to pee on

 

[WhatsOldisNew]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Good morning all!
I'm having a hard time keeping track of everyone, but I wanted to say thank you for the info re: prenatal vitamins. I will pick up a bottle today, even though it is only about a month prior to our plan to TTC. Better late than never, right?

DCGator, I'm glad things are moving forward for you and your husband. Sometimes it's helpful just to have a plan or to know what your precise options are. Good luck to you!

Steal, thanks for the humor and the info about OPKs. I must confess I bought some very cheap ovulation prediction tests and they are driving me a little batty. The technology is not that complicated, but interpreting the results seems to be!

Modern, I'm glad your appointment went well too! The smiley OPKs sound like more fun anyway, so I think you should make the leap.

KTF, I'm so sorry about your surgery and your AF delay. But, hopefully this time will be the last, and your body will begin to heal and grow even stronger. I know the waiting is so hard, but it will be that much more wonderful for you when you're pregnant someday in the future!

I know I have forgotten most of you, but please know that I am thinking about you all as I read your posts, and hoping to hear good news from everyone.

I have another question/concern that I'm not sure if anyone will know the answer to. Before I went on HBC a doctor of mine -- a dermatologist -- gave me a blood test and determined my LH/FSH levels were high. I did not realize the implications of these hormone levels at the time, as the doctor simply reported to me that I had "high levels of male hormone," and I was never diagnosed with PCOS. Does high LH/FSH always indicate PCOS? Is this something I should mention to my gyn before TTC? Should I wait to see how TTC goes? Assuming I still have high LH, will this affect OPK results? Is there a book I can read that will answer my endless string of questions? Should I stop overthinking everything...? Thanks ladies!

 

[dcgator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Happy Monday ladies (ok, so as happy as one can be on a Monday, lol),

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I know we got some beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday, but alas, the rain and cold have caught up with us here. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted...

Bella - Thanks for checking up on me. I appreciate the love That is pretty interesting about AF evening out. Hopefully it means good things. And that's amazing news about your SIL. Congrats to you aunty . I wish her a very happy and healthy pregnancy.

Modern - Thanks for the happy Dr. visit thoughts. It sounds like you got some really good answers from your doc and that she is pretty understanding. Glad to hear it! I also hope that if you did O already, that you were able to catch your eggie. And if you are in the 2WW already, good luck!

WOIN - I haven't heard anything bad about being on prenatals for too long. I think you are just fine to start them up now. Besides, you get the most benefit from the Folic Acid and other nutrients in the first few weeks of pregnancy, so essenitally before you would know you were KU. I second taking them at night after dinner though, to avoid the upset tummy. I would also def mention the elevated LH/FSH levels to your doc. It's really easy to check, just a blood test at CD3. That would indeed be something to look out for before TTC. Good luck!

Gaby - Thanks for checking in with me. I am sorry to hear that you sis had to have surgery, but it sounds like the best outcome. I wish her a swift recovery so she can get back to TTC. And I also hope that your cycle evens out this month so you can get busy with TTC too

LTP - Ah, thanks for the love. And my pleasure to keep it going. I need you ladies as well, so its win-win I hope this cycle is a productive one for you and you can retain that jerkstore status. As for your question about the TSH, I think I may be on the hypo level, which could account for the possible Luteul Phase Defect (LPD) thus the spotting at the end of the cycle and short LP's. My level is not super low, I think close to 3, but because the thyroid can be an underlying issue with TTC, my Dr. is erring on the side of caution/thoroughness. I was actually reading online that they recently lowered the generally accecptable level of TSH from the 5 range to the 3 range. And even more interesting, some RE's suggest your TSH should be around the 1-1.5 level for optimal TTC conditions, so yeah for my RE being proactive about that. Btw, have a blast in NYC and hopefully you will get to meet up with some of the NYC PS'ers!

Moxie - Sorry about the wacky schedules. Yes, TTC can be a bit of a hassle sometimes, but hopefully it will give the desired results And it only takes one time, so do what you can and try not to stress too much if you can't hit every day or even EOD. I hope you were able to catch your eggie!

CDN - Thanks for keeping an eye out for me. And happy birthday! (whenever it may be)

Dreamer D - Thanks for the shout out too. How are you doing these days?

Steal - Thanks for the continued comic relief, you crack me up hun ! And yes, you can say that about my DH, I'm sure he would be thrilled to hear his swimmers are great, hehe. As for the insurance thing, in the US, insurance companies and even different plans within the same company cover different things. My plan covers all the testing for infertility as well as IUI. However, it has a lifetime limit of $5000 and will NOT cover IVF. So, based on the costs, we will probably only get 3 IUI's from insurance, and then we are on our own cost wise. When you are quoting the $4k price tag, what is that for, IUI or IVF? If that is for IUI, that's insane. You might want to save yourself the cost and fly over to my clinic and get it done for cheaper, lol. However, if that's the cost for IVF, dang that's good. Mine is more than double that...Sorry about the annoying family and bratty kids and continued house drama. Maybe you can hire Homes on Homes from HGTV to come fix your place up How about your little eggie, did she make her appearance yet? Good luck catching her!

RyanC. - How did you visit go, are they starting you up on another IUI cycle? If so, we can be IUI buddies, yeah!

LAJenn - What did you end up deciding to do? Will you be RC and my IUI buddy too

*****
AFM - So DH and I have decided...is the anticipation built yet, lol...to go ahead and do the IUI this month. Yeah for moving forward . At the end of the weekend, my DH and I agreed that there is not much point in holding off on the IUI, and we both really want a baby, so let's get on it! I am trying to get not to excited about it, since I know its only a 15-20% chance of getting KU, but it sure as heck beats the 2-3% chance the doc thinks we have otherwise. Plus, the doc advised us to still DTD on the day of and after the IUI, to increase our odds. So, I went in for a baseline check this morning, and will begin 5 days of Clomid tonight. I will go back in next Monday for monitoring and should everything be good, I will get triggered on Tuesday, woohoo. Obviously this is exciting for us, as it's a new start to hopefully successful months. Now, I just need to remain calm, hehe.

I hope everyone has a great day and thanks again for all the love and happy thoughts!

 

[charbie]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Yay dc! Of course I wish you nothing but positive vibes and good luck with your steps forward!

Question for all you temp/hormone pros!
My basal temp has been really low...usually less than 96.5 . I read this could mean I have a low metabolism. It went up to around 96.8 or so post O. Any words/suggestions?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DCG - Yay for deciding on the IUI! I hope you have a successful pregnancy on your first IUI!! Did your dr say that you have a 2-3% chance of conceiving on your own? That seems awfully low, and it doesn't seem to jive with the findings from your diagnostics, but I am not a doctor!! It just seemed oddly low to me. I never knew what to think about the statistics anyway, and on my second IUI, I remember trying to negotiate a higher percentage chance with my RE, based on my follie count, but he wouldn't bite. Haha. Let's see, I always call IUI'ers attention to this: http://www.ivillage.com/laying-stil...emination-success/4-a-114432?ice=iv:mb:msg:mm Anything to help improve our odds. My RE's office was very accomodating. They would dim the lights for me and told me I could stay as long as I wanted. I'm sure I stayed for closer to 30 minutes.

ModernSparkler - I'm a big fan of smiley face OPKs all the way! So much easier to read. The month I got my smiley face, I was so so so so happy! I felt like I won a great prize! I didn't think I would ovulate that cycle, so getting that smiley meant a lot to me, and then, that was the month I got my BFP, so the smiley face opks do hold a special place in my heart.

Steal - Sorry to hear you've been having a rough go of it lately, but it's nice that you have jokes to share with the ladies here! It's hard to keep the mood light, for sure. How long have you been TTC'g for? You mentioned inferitlity treatments being too expensive. For this, I'd suggest taking things one day at a time. Perhaps there is some testing that can be done by your regular ob/gyn just to see if there are any issues. I have no idea to what extent diagnostics might be covered?? Often times, doctors here (regular ob/gyn's) will prescribe Clomid, and it works on the first cycle. Sometimes after a few. In these cases, doctors often do not monitor via ultrasound, so costs are minimal. I only say all of this to give you an idea that there may be some treatment options available, but not to suggest in any way that you might be in need of them. Sometimes it just takes time. It can be endlessly frustrating though, I KNOW this. You have a wonderful group here who will support you along the way. I found the PS ladies to be just priceless during my struggles, which now seem like a world away. Keep on keepin' on and chin up!!

Gaby - I've beeen meaning to get back to you on your acupuncture question!!! I tend to write long posts and so it takes me a while. Do I recommend it? Well, it really depends on what you are looking for. I think it's important if you do go to find a practioner that is GOOD, and to keep your expectations reasonable. I am going to ramble about my experience for a while and hopefully you find something helpful. I went to an acupuncturist for the first time in November 2009. She was lovely. Her office was lovely in a very comfy zen sort of way. Each patient had a separate and very private room. She was on my RE's list of recommended acupuncturists. Despite the fact that I was very comfortable there, I knew I wouldn't continue, mostly because of the distance from my home. In comparison to the acupuncturist that I later found on my own, I do not think I had as much confidence in this first acupuncturist. Everything about my experience was lovely and relaxing, but would she have helped me get pregnant? I don't know. My impression was that she trained in acupuncture later in life and maybe did not have so much experience with it.

After conceiving through IUI and having a miscarriage, I decided to try acupuncture again. My friend's mother goes to an acupuncturist for pain management and highly recommended her. Turns out, she specializes in fertility issues. She grew up in China, trained and practiced there under several very talented acupuncturists, and has convenient Saturday morning hours. Everything fell into place. Her office is the exact opposite of the first I went to. Cold, white sheets (some with burn marks from moxa treatments!), three patients in a room with shoji screens as dividers. I really did not like this in the beginning, but began to appreciate that my practioner was focused on me as a patient and helping my body to find balance again. She also let me receive treatments on a bed she had set up in her office so I had some privacy too.

She told me that it usually takes about 3 months to see improvement. I began seeing improvement after my first month of treatment. I did not have my typical AF symptoms. No back pain, no cramping, which I had since my first AF and every one thereafter and which I HAD TO take ibuprofen for or else the suffering was unbearable. Honestly, I do not recall a cycle where I did not take ibuprofen. If I ran out, I would HAVE to go to the store to get some. It was unbearable. And, after the treatments, this was just gone. The next month, I had my second IUI, which didn't work. The following month I had no fertility treatments and no drugs, and amazingly, I got pregnant. So that month, I had acupuncture, smiley face OPKs, preseed, instead cups and BD 2X following the smiley face!

Do I think the acupuncture helped me get pregnant? To some extent, yes. Can I say that I would not have gotten pregnant without acupuncutre? No, I can't. I can say that it helped me relax a great deal. I am anxious by nature, so the change after a treatment was very noticeable for me. It didn't last me a whole week though. I did feel really good about doing something extra though. If we decide to have another child, I would more likely seek acupuncture treatments to start.

The other component is cost. If I recall correctly, treatments were $100, none of which was covered by insurance. I would not have continued with the acupuncture forever, but maybe for 4 or 5 months total.

Questions?

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Modern: Welcomes!

LTP: Aren’t you a multi-faceted dark horse? I love that you have and work in your greenhouse. We are just setting up our 1st poly-tunnel for next year and DH is beyond excited. I love to hear that my PS buddies have other talents. I hope it was rewarding work.

WON: I use the Amazon cheap tests too and they are a bit annoying but better than nothing and I certainly refuse to pay for the clearblue tests at this stage in the game. What I do (shhh guilty secret behaviour alert) is keep all the old tests and line them up to see the old fade in pattern each month. If I get extra nutty I number them and sellotape them together. I know that you can’t read them after the time limit but the fade in is still there and lets me know the pattern leading up to and after the peak. Otherwise I have to remember how *much* darker the previous strip was. The sad news is that DH knows about my used POAS stash – I have no shame.
Absolutely I would tell your GYN; all information is essential as far as I am concerned, it is up to the professionals to tell US otherwise.

Dc: Whoot Whoot Whoot Whooooooooot.
I am so excited for you taking this next step. May you be elevated to IUI jerkstore status. The very best of luck honey. Buy all the walnuts, rabbit feet and pineapple you can get your pretty little hands on and go all out this month. Ooooooh!
(***clapping with excitement***)
That 4K is in euro so almost US$5k and is for IVF. I have not seen a printed cost for the IUI. The $5k limit is sucky, I thought ‘you guys’ got free infertility treatments the same as we would get free hospital emergency treatment. It seems not but it doesn’t make me feel like our system is any less sucky. DH has agreed that he is open to us both getting tested in the future which is a relief to me, but we will cross that bridge next year sometime. I bet by then you will be nudging into your 2nd trimester, God willing.

Charbie: Dreamer is your gal there, I don’t understanding all this temping, sorry.

LV: Thank you so much for replying to my moaning. It is nice to have somebody to ‘listen’. I have to pay for every possible test or treatment so it is not an option for the moment – I have at least 30k left of construction cost on this house to find out of our monthly income which means our discretionary expenditure is taken up to about retirement age. I was on the contraceptive implant for eight years (the pill before then) and had it removed about January 2009 and we very lamely were (ahem) preventing pregnancy but in retrospect that was laughable as we had no clue what we were doing. So we were fully risky since Jan 09 and actively charting and trying since May 10. I suppose I thought we would have been pregnant in that year and a half and definitely since and including May. My age puts me in the 9mths to conceive category so technically I just have my knickers in a twist – but let me tell you; they are well and truly twisted. Especially when I look back at this thread and see so many ladies pregnant in the first cycle or two – why them and not the rest of us? Which leads me to feel that I am gonna be in the technical infertility percentage. Thanks for the encouragement, but more so for letting me vent my worries.


AFM:

I am in the 1st month of 30 day & night lenses since my month's trial. And 3 days in I am sure they gave me a different lens because they are very dry at night - when I woke up to turn or push a cat over in the bed I had to put drops in. So I planned to call the optician to ask their advice but before I do I had to put some drops in one eye as it was so dry, then my vision blurred and I went to the mirror to check the lens but it had disappeared. Poof. I called the optician and they asked me to come in asap to check the eye. I did and they said it was weird to just flow out of the eye without me knowing ( I wore daily lenses for years before this) but said I shouldn't wear the lenses for a week or two anyhoo as I have an eye infection. Great.

On other more interesting news, I'm surging as of last night. So I should be popping an egg last night, today or tonight. We were busy EOD up to Saturday and since then we have BD every day. Which taking tonight as O day - I can confirm that when AF visits (ha - deadpan laughter ) means O, O-1, O-2, O-4, etc. If the surge is gone tomorrow would you continue tomorrow night and would you bother after that? I know that DH would love a little sexy-time siesta. He feels used , oh no, thats me.

Positive thoughts and dusty dust to all TTC'ing. Lets make some babies!

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

So what do we think of these OPK's?

I started testing about Tuesday (CD11) or Wednesday (CD12) and there are more than one test for some days once the line came through. The 7th ish test down from the top is for Saturday (CD 14) and my 'usual' O date, this for sure was the only day I have had lots of EWCM and I normally have lots of the stuff for days. I wonder did the Soya dry it up, because every other cycle I have it from about CD9-15. Anyhoo, the last test is from today and it looks like perhaps I am surging yesterday and today rather than Saturday. What do you guys think? I suppose I will just keep testing anyway. I had hoped that the test today would have faded out - but it was not to be. This could mean I am O'ing very late this cycle - very very late.

Am I right to 'blame' the soya. Or am I having a freaky cycle blimp. Last cycle if you recall was an odd 26 days with usual LP of 14, meaning I O'd 2 days earlier than expected.

Can I have your input please?

The corollary to all of this is that my EOD is out of the window. We BD'ed for this cycle CD8, CD10, CD12, CD14, Then reading the OPK's as about to O, we went for CD15 and yesterday CD16. So what do we do now. If we keep BD'ing today and tomorrow etc then the EOD is right out of the window.....

 

[parrot tulips]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DCG - Keeping my fingers crossed that your first IUI is a successful one! One word of advice - bring a liner with you (I had light spotting almost every time).

Steal - Thanks for the laughs...I know we could all use them.

I'm now 11 DPO. Fertility friend has given me Thursday as my test date, but I think I may wait until the weekend (unless AF shows up before then). My doc never pushed having an HSG before, although he put it out there as a suggestion. I've avoided it to this point (no reason other than being tired of all the doctor's visits and wanting to avoid another one), but he strongly urged me to have one if I'm not successful this cycle. If it doesn't help me get knocked up the cycle afterward (in conjunction with the Clomid & IUI's), he'll refer me to an RE who can be a little more aggressive than a regular OB.

 

[modernsparkler]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DC: So glad you and DH decided to go ahead with the IUI. The odds do seem lower than they should be, however if you consider that the supposed chance of getting KU on you first month trying is 25%, your odds seem good. You know we would all LOVE to see you be an IUI Jerkstore. Keep us posted!

Charbie: Your temp of 96.5 is on the lower end of normal, but usually temps 95 and less may suggest a sluggish thyroid. Do you ever budge from that number? A thought could be to talk to your doc about getting your thyroid checked just in case.

LV: Thanks for sharing your story about acupuncture. Sounds like you were really lucked out with your acupuncturist. Can I ask, did you ask her for specifically help getting KU or did you ask for help relaxing and centering, etc? I just wonder b/c I am a bit high stress and have started yoga which is helping but I would be interested in acupuncture.

Steal: I am certainly not the expert, but to me the 9th stick from the top (according to the light in my living room, and outside on the deck just to be sure) looks the darkest. That would put O around Sunday which should have you covered, right? Based on what I learned from you and the site you suggested, looks like the true dark lines fade into stick #9 and out from there. Yes it gets darker later, but not as dark as #9 so might just be residual LH. Are you going to keep testing? Either way, I might BD today just to be sure but seems like with a modified EOD method you still likely caught the eggie!


AFM: CD 25 and half heartedly in the 2WW. Thanks to you guys, I realize that my OPK's were trending positive, but I never caught the true surge and I think I o'd on day 18 or 19 which would be consistent with my last cycle. However, our pre O BD was day 16 and not again til day 19 so I think we were just off. Hoping for better luck next cycle with a smiley!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DC I am so excited for your IUI this month! Yah for moving forward! AFM not much to report. We are supposed to start TTC next month but I am getting cold feet

Steal I dunno, they all look the same to me I don't like OPKs for this reason, most women seem to have a heck of a time with them. I would keep DTD as much as you want until you feel certain O has passed. Trust your fertile signs. There is no reason not to DTD every day if you can manage it, the more the better in terms of upping your odds (assuming no swimmer issues). If I were you we would keep DTD until I was suuuuure I had ovulated.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Yay dc! Of course I wish you nothing but positive vibes and good luck with your steps forward!

Question for all you temp/hormone pros!
My basal temp has been really low...usually less than 96.5 . I read this could mean I have a low metabolism. It went up to around 96.8 or so post O. Any words/suggestions?

There was some talk about this back in the day. I think unless you have other symptoms it is not an issue. I would mention it if you have a checkup, but would not worry about it. You have conceived before so it is most likely not an issue seems to me

 

[Steel]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

PT: Very best of luck to you for a BFP! Well done for holding out. It is good that you have a 'plan' for testing, should you want to go that way. In the meantime ***dust****.

ModernS: Hopefully you had some great CM which kept the swimmers alive and well. Still, I'm sorry O was cryptic this cycle.
Thanks for yoru input - Saturday makes sense to me too, but then why is is darker again? (Sulking)
I am currently looking a OPK pics on FF - they really are a PITA to read. Hear that OPK's, a P.I.T.A. .
Happy 2WWW'ing. and good luck for a BFP. ***Dust***

Steal I dunno, they all look the same to me I don't like OPKs for this reason, most women seem to have a heck of a time with them. I would keep DTD as much as you want until you feel certain O has passed. Trust your fertile signs. There is no reason not to DTD every day if you can manage it, the more the better in terms of upping your odds (assuming no swimmer issues). If I were you we would keep DTD until I was suuuuure I had ovulated.

Dreamer: What the hell kind of answer is that? Tell me when dammnit. Get out your crystal ball and give it a good shake.....
Seriously though, I posted because Saturday and today/yesterday look the same to me too. Rats!
On to more exciting news - you slipped that in quietly. TTC are we ? I was looking at TGal's thread and wondering if we would ever have a little mini Hunter, so I am surprised that you are giving the green light! Just don't go posting your OPK pictures because I won't be supportive either. Bwwahhhhhhh ha ha ha (**cough**) ha ha.

***Dust*** to all.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

LV: Thanks for sharing your story about acupuncture. Sounds like you were really lucked out with your acupuncturist. Can I ask, did you ask her for specifically help getting KU or did you ask for help relaxing and centering, etc? I just wonder b/c I am a bit high stress and have started yoga which is helping but I would be interested in acupuncture.

modernsparkler - The sole purpose of the acupuncture was to get pregnant. The relaxation was just an added benefit. It's hard to say that the acupuncture works for fertility, because how would I know I wouldn't have gotten pregnant without it? The relaxation was definitely measureable, as was the nature of my AF and typical AF symptoms. I just remembered another measurable experience. I went in one morning with a terrible headache. She asked me some questions and put in a few extra needles, including one at the site of the pain. I felt like that needle was drawing the pain out of my body. It was wonderful. I also recall being extremely tired after that appointment.

So, I had acupuncture. I experienced some measurable changes. I still can't say that my pregnancy would not have occured but for the acupuncture. I really believe something magical and inexplicable has to happen. The month prior I had every possible factor in my favor for pregnancy, but it didn't work. It was maddening and so disappointing, but it just wasn't the right time.

I know everyone here is waiting for that something magical to happen, and I truly hope it happens for each of you soon.

 

[brightlight]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Hi everyone! Some of the keys on my laptop stopped working, and I have to copy and paste letters. So, I've just been lurking.

Just a quick post to wish DC luck with her IUI.

Steal, I also had less ewcm the months I took soy. I've read it's supposed to increase your ewcm, but I definitely had less. I definitely ovulated earlier than I normally did though. Re: OPKs, I got three days of positives and ovulated on the second or third day. I used the FROPKs.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Steal I dunno, they all look the same to me I don't like OPKs for this reason, most women seem to have a heck of a time with them. I would keep DTD as much as you want until you feel certain O has passed. Trust your fertile signs. There is no reason not to DTD every day if you can manage it, the more the better in terms of upping your odds (assuming no swimmer issues). If I were you we would keep DTD until I was suuuuure I had ovulated.

Dreamer: What the hell kind of answer is that? Tell me when dammnit. Get out your crystal ball and give it a good shake.....
Seriously though, I posted because Saturday and today/yesterday look the same to me too. Rats!
On to more exciting news - you slipped that in quietly. TTC are we ? I was looking at TGal's thread and wondering if we would ever have a little mini Hunter, so I am surprised that you are giving the green light! Just don't go posting your OPK pictures because I won't be supportive either. Bwwahhhhhhh ha ha ha (**cough**) ha ha.

***Dust*** to all.

OK, then, NOW! You should do it right this moment! Are you at work? So what. Go find your hubby and drag him off somewhere.

And nooooo not TTC right at this moment! Though DH has been bugging me, but I think he has motives others than procreation in mind But supposedly very very soon. Like, 6 weeks until D-Day . Or BD-Day. Dh does not want a baby born during golf season if you can believe it , so there is a "not until" date. I have doubts like I said in TGal's thread, but they are not real doubts. We would really like one more kiddo (and sometimes when I am feeling a little mental we think two more, but I think that is crazy talk).

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just want to chime in on the whole OPK's are unecessarily evil discussion. I can't fathom who decided to make a test where you have to compare two lines that are always inconsistent even on a good day. I think that's why CBE has scored big points with their smiley face tests - pretty easy to read those suckers!

DC - So happy that you are moving forward. I am crossing my fingers for your first IUI.

Steal - If you get ahold of that crystal ball would ya give it shake or two and let all of us know when we are gonna hit the baby jackpot? I don't think I am asking for too much there

Everyone else...I'm thinking of you and sending baby dust your way!!
_______________________________________________________________________
This girl is headed into surgery tomorrow AM. Hopefully this is it and hopefully when my cycle returns (c'mon 4 week cycle, c'mon 4 week cycle) I will get one of those rumored super fertile cycles and hit a home run stright out of the park! Of course...before all that talk picks up again, I am seriously considering changing OB's. It's not that I blame my OB for anything that has happened...it's just that my faith has been a bit shaken. Not only am I disappointed that we are back to square one, I am disappointed that my OB's office didn't even have the courtesy to call me and tell me about my surgery being scheduled tomorrow. I had to learn about it when the surgical intake nurse called me. Then I called my OB's office to confirm at about 10 AM and by 4 PM I still hadn't heard. Um, I have a job. I can't just call out in the AM saying "oh by the way I am having surgery". Sheesh! Thus I am at the crossroads of contemplating switching practices. Knowing my concerns now I can only imagine how heightened they will be if we do get pregnant again. I'm not sure if I can feel well taken care of knowing they can't even call me about scheduled surgery! BUT during this chapter of my TTC journey, I am careful to recognize that I have a zillion wayward hormones shooting through me so I feel almost unable to make rational decisions right now. If you talked to me on Friday I would have sobbed that DH and I can't try anymore, that I can't go through this again, that I just can't do this anymore...and here we are at Tuesday where I'm back to my "we just won't prevent" frame of mind and in a week I bet I will be begging for AF so I can get back to trying. Even I am amazed at just how crazy my emotions have been - I can only imagine the rumors people who actually have to deal with me are spreading

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

KTF I am so sorry you have been given a bit of a run around. I admit when you were writing about your spotting and bleeding after the first surgery, I suspected that you might need another one. I think it is not at all uncommon, unfortunately. My close friend also had to have surgery after her m/c and needed follow-up surgery as well! I am surprised they did not know sooner that it was required given your symptoms But this will be it, I feel confident, and you will be KU very soon I am sure!

 

[dcgator]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

I will write more tomorrow to the peanut gallery, but I wanted to send a quick note to KTF

KTF - I really hope that everything goes well tomorrow. I am sorry to hear that your OB office is slacking, but hopefully when all of this is safely in the rearview, you will be able to pick a better one. Good luck tomorrow, and once you are feeling better, please post and let us know how it went.

 

[Ryan Claire]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

Just deleted my whole long post and am too frustrated to retype

But I wanted to wish KTF lots of luck for surgery. You have been through so much and I hope this gets everything back on track! Thinking of you.

DC - sorry you are joining the world of ART, but welcome. I started my shots Monday, so I am on artifical CD5. I will probably take me another week or two of stimming before the IUI, but we are definitely in this one together. Lots of luck and dust. I am pulling for you. I love the idea of you being an IUI jerkstore

Steal - I admire your stick collection! I heard you were supposed to stop after your first positive to avoid the mind games, but I was never good at that either. I think it might be time to invest in some smiley faces.

Bella - hi Hope you are hanging in there.

Sorry to miss everyone else... I HATE computers right now.

dust dust dust

 

[dragonfly411]

Re: The Official TTC Thread!

DC - GOOD LUCK with IUI!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope this is it for you!

Steal - I know nothing about nothing about OPK's though I'm using them, I'd love to hear more from others so I know I'm doing things right. The half of the time I don't think I use them right b/c my control lines take half a day to show up .

Modern - Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you think you o'd on CD18 or 19 and you BD on 16 and 19. To me it seems like you have one heck of a chance there! You would have BD two days before hand and possibly day of or day after?


Today should be CD1 for me (waiting for full starting) and I wanted to make a note. Remember how last month the entire week before hand (pretty much DPO10 on I think) I had spotting/light bleeding? This month, nothing. I also have not had the weird stuff like lower stomach cramps, back aches, that I had last month. Wierd eh? Everything has been right back to the normal schedule. Which is great and all, but it makes me wonder what that was last month.

Also I wanted to ask you guys (which I may just post it in Family but thought I'd throw it in here too since some ladies were talking about acupuncture) have any of you had luck in finding a general practitioner that does both Eastern AND Western medicine practices? If so what were your experiences?