~~~August Tropical Ovaries Check-In!! 8/25~~~

AMShark

Welcome to the August Tropical Ovaries Check-In!!!  Check-ins will be every Monday (by AMShark) & Thursday (by gsancho).  

This is a check-in for those who are doing IVF/IVM or FET with an ER/ET scheduled for August. If you are interested in joining, please fill us in on your cycle below.  Please include what cycle number this is for you, where you are in the process, when you expect to start stims, and when you're planning on retrieval and transfer.  (Also, please update us along the way!)

Badge link: https://i61.tinypic.com/34zll06.jpg

It's been a rough week for a lot of us tropical ovaries, but we also have a few things to celebrate ~ Either way, I thought we could all use a hug.

QOTD:  What is your favorite movie to watch when you need a smile?

BFP  

AMShark IVF #2 

Canuck13 IVF#1

gsancho FET#1

LilyHarper IVF#1

BFN  

alicia1834 IVF #1 ((hugs))

alpCRNA IVF#1 ((hugs))

ashlee IVF#1 ((hugs))

Buttmonkey34 IVF#1 ((hugs))

calbiz IVF#1 ((hugs))

Cindal IVF#1 ((hugs))

CML11 IVF #1 ((hugs))

CRMhoney IVF#2 ((CPG - big hugs))

LeggyJeggy IVF#5 ((hugs))

ronniesgirl1981 IVF#2 (converted to IUI)

ShannonBeth77 IVF#1 ((hugs))

PUPO!

angjohns99 IVF#2

AshleyS131 IVF#1

Daggermouth IVF#2

daydreamernyc IVF#1

heatherrb23 IVF#1

kmmd13 IVF#1

ktabs IVF#1

LuBirdie IVF#3

MeatandBandP FET#1

TheNaijaGal FET#2

BETWEEN ER/ET

CaringCat IVF#3 (freeze-all)

Kinderteach78 IVF#1

 tifga IVF#1 (freeze-all)

FET Cycle

aethornb FET#1

Aimothy FET#1

LundleBean FET#1

Pintobean39 FET#1

sunshinedaisies000 FET#1

Stimming/Priming/Monitoring

Lesliem0901 IVF#1

blueeyes233 IVF#3

yvonne0001 IVF#1

AMShark

Ok, ladies - I know this post is a tiny bit early for most of you - but I'm leaving Amsterdam today, and it's totally Monday here (plus, this might be my last internet connection for the next 12 hours).

Update - I don't have much to update, because I'm so many miles away from my RE.  I've had no blood tests - but I'm driving up to the main office for my clinic after I land this afternoon, so I can finally have a blood draw.

I had a little bit of a scare last night.  I thought I saw some spotting, but it was very little, so I'm hoping its just my imagination.  

Amsterdam was really miserable at first, but my workload finally started to ease at the end of the week, and I finally go to see something outside of the convention center and access food that I'm actually allowed to eat on Saturday.  I'd love to see this place under different circumstances..... perhaps sometime that is not the "coldest and wettest August in the last 30 years."  I'll be home soon, and I'm very happy for that.

QOTD: Singing in the Rain will always bring a smile to my face.  Oh, Don Lockwood, you're so dreamy!

**** spelling is hard ****

gsancho

@AMShark Have a safe trip back!  Sounds like even if it was spotting, it was nothing major.  I'll update on beta tomorrow. 

QOTD: Probably Wake Me Up Before You Go Go  I can't even type it without smiling at the ridiculousness!

CaringCat

Hey girls -
DH and I got the best news we've had in four years, we made 2 blasts!!! This is a huge step in the right direction! One was a 3aa and the other a 5aa. Omg! We have 3 more still growing that we hope make it to blast tmrw. I'm so anxious to hear the final outcome. I've been thinking all day just maybe there's still a chance for us. >:D<

I love any musical and singing in the rain is one of my all time favs (@amshark we have similar taste! Must be all that tap!). I also love legally blonde and any movie like it (just watched it with DH last night!).

Hope to see some good news on here this week. Big hugs to those who need them.

@amshark FYI - this is ivf#3 for me on the list (wish it was only 2!).

daydreamernyc

Hi ladies! I had my transfer yesterday. It was the most stressful decision. You may have seen my questions earlier where I have been struggling with the decision of 1 vs 2. My RE clinic has a number of dr so monitoring hours it's always someone different.  So each appt I asked. 

1 dr said, you should transfer 2 based on your age. talked to DH and researchEd it. Found lots of Info about the high success rates with single transfer. 

Asked another dr who said, oh, I would definitely only transfer 1. She said if I had some embryos to freeze, it was worth it, FET has high success rate. 

Talked to my actual dr and he said, if you didn't ask and just walked in the day of the transfer, we would transfer 1. Single is now the standard. Now it depends on the quality though and if there are poor, we may recommend 2. 

So DH and I said we want 1 but we will follow the advice of the dr. the day of. 

Now comes yesterday. Didn't find out about the quality or results until 5 min before the transfer when the dr (new person I hadn't seen yet) comes in and states will certainty that we are transferring 2.  He went on and on about how that was the best option for us.  Went throughout the success rates:

Best embryo (4ab) - 38% chance

Best +2nd embryo (5ac) - 60% chance and 20% twin risk

My DH and I froze, he asked if we needed a min.  He left and then came back literally in 2 min and said ok, what are we doing.  Felt rushed but we went with 1. 

I've been feeling a bit uneasy about the decision because if we are not successful I feel like it will be our fault for not going with the recommendation. Geesh!  This is not easy!  Went through all of this, all the injections, monitoring, pricking and we might have made a decision that causes us to be unsuccessful 

heathereb23

@daydreamernyc‌ I'm sorry ET was so stressful for you. Ours was on Saturday and RE has told us all along that based on my age (36) the recommendation is 2. We never hesitated for a second, because aside from the risks of a twin pregnancy, which I am not too concerned about - I see people on here with great twin pregnancies every day! - we would love to have twins. We want 2 kids and would like them to graduate high school and hopefully college before DH retires (he just turned 44). If we could have them both now, we would be very happy. But if it doesn't work out that way, we will try again in a few years for a sibling.

ETA: I didn't mean to imply that our way was the right way! What I'm saying is that if you were not comfortable with the idea if twins, then I think you did the right thing for you.

daydreamernyc

@heathereb23‌ thanks, I agree that it's definitely a personal decision. I guess it comes down to having confidence in that personal decision and the confidence to go against another opinion and to second guess yourself. It's so hard because even with all the info available via lovely google, it still feels like we don't have enough info.

aliciafiggy

Hi all,

Just waiting for the nurse to call me back. The spotting I had last Friday has basically turned into a full blown period. I called the nurse to ask if I can come in earlier than Friday so that I don't have to go through the heartache of waiting for the inevitable. Had a sad weekend. I would say it would be a miracle if I get a positive beta. I'm totally prepared for the worse now.

kramiemom

@daydreamernyc I had a similar experience in that they told me they were going to do 1 if they were high quality and 2 if they weren't as great. I kinda left the decision up to the Dr. as he said that they are really trying to prevent multiples but then the day of the ET they told me they were doing 2. They never told me the numbers or anything but the ended up putting in 2. I didn't really get a choice so that was nice you got to chose! I'm kinda nervous about if they both stick! I'm a pretty petite person (5'1") so there isn't much room for twins to grow!

AFM: After my last update with the transfer the lab called and said that out of the 6 embies  only 2 were able to be frozen. So if this round doesn't work I only get one more shot with a FET then I'm done. i don't think I can go through a third round of stimming. I did have the craziest experience which could have been implantation or i'm a complete nut job. I had just finished eating dinner 2dp5dt and all of a sudden I got a hot flash, a wave of nausea and cramping and felt like I was going to be sick. I went to the bathroom and just found that I had spotted and that was all that came of it. I felt fine after and nothing else. I have been spotting almost every day but very light colored not dark like my period is going to start. My RE gave me this huge binder with FQA and such and they said not to worry that spotting is very normal and could be from implantation or irritation from the progesterone suppositories and no need to call unless I'm soaking 2 pads an hour for 2 hrs straight. So I guess I'm not going to worry. Which kinda stinks is that it is allergy season here and I can't take any anti-histamines!! sneeze-fest over here. 

GL to you all and ((hugs)) to the losses. 

QOTD: Father of the Bride both 1 and 2 are hands down my all time favorite good-feeling movie. Even though the second one is about babies I still love it 

Kinderteach78

My RE called this morning to check on me and give me my day 3 updates (love her!) we have 11 embryos that are 6-8 cell and doing great. Still watching the others also. Wednesday will be our transfer day and we decided to go with 1. I don't think my body could handle a twin pregnancy if we were to get preg with 2! Still taking PIO every night- not a fan! They don't hurt but it's a process to get ready and then massage/heating pad! Talk about a pain in the butt! Is anyone else a mess on progesterone? I feel like it makes me sooooo moody and weepy!

kmmd13

@daydreamernyc We had a similar experience with our transfer on Thursday. We had been told throughout the cycle that a single embryo would be the recommendation, but on the day of the ET, the attending doctor said we should transfer two. It was all based on their algorithm of overall egg/embryo quality, and basically we only had two embryos left after the 7 that had fertilized. We were a little hesitant about it bringing the possibility of twins, but we ultimately agreed and transferred the two and are still waiting. Have no way of knowing whether it was the right decision or not! The 2ww is SO hard! I can't stop thinking about it! 

ronniesgirl1981

@gsancho Did I miss an update?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Lesliem0901

Hi ladies,

I just wanted to say that I'm so glad we have the check-in. It makes going through IVF a little less scary. For those with BFNs, I'm so sorry. Big hugs to all of you. And congrats to those who are proceeding. You get hugs too.

AFM: CD13 today. The RE increased my Gonal to 425 for yesterday and today. I'm still taking 2 vials of Menopur and added Ganirelix to the mix. I think I had about seven almost mature follies and quite a few under ten still. FX for tomorrow's appointment!

QOTD: Willy Wonka and the Wizard of Oz make me smile. Favorite childhood movies.

gsancho

Beta came in at 445.  I'm so happy and relieved!!!  Even though I tested yesterday (and this morning), I'm still in disbelief.  I'll go back again Wednesday.  

Aimothy

Congrats @gsancho! That's a lovely strong first beta. Fx for doubling numbers!

I did my first PIO shot last night and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Definitely sore and I'm definitely not looking forward to 10 more weeks of this!  Transfer is all set for Friday. I can't believe it's already here. 

Today was my first day at back to school teacher workshops and I'm exhaaaaaaausted.  Hopefully this will help keep my mind on other things besides worrying about whether the embryos will survive the thaw. 

Pintobean39

Congrats @gsancho‌!

Big hugs to all the BFN's, it makes me sad to see so many.


AFM: I went for my lining check today and it was 9.2 so my Dr wants me to start estrace along with the vivelle and come back for a lining check on 9-2, because all my cycles my lining always gets to 11. So I will not be having a FET in august, the soonest I'd have one would be prob 9-8. So I'm not sure if I should drop out of august now and join sept because I won't have betas until the mid or end of sept.

CaringCat

Hi ladies,
Just got the update on our other 3 embies and amazingly they all made it to freeze!! I've never been able to say I have frosties and now I have 5. Feeling pretty good today.

Canuck13

Hi everyone. Well I'm just plugging along now waiting for my viability u/s, but it's still 2 weeks away! My clinic doesn't do a second beta if your first number is good (mine was 414 at 12dp5dt), which I find very strange since it seems like everyone on here has a 2nd beta. Anyway, more of the waiting game for me.

I'm so sorry to hear about all the TO bfn's hugs to those who need them. And GL to the ladies still in the middle of things.

QOTD: I'm not a big movie buff but some tv shows are guaranteed to make me smile, like "Modern Family"...such a funny show!

daydreamernyc

@Buttmonkey34‌ & @aliciafiggy‌ noooooo! Boo! So sorry hang in there

@Kinderteach78‌ so jealous that you get updates along the way. That is definitely nice, gives you some time to think about and digest the info 

@kmmd13‌ I feel like this 2ww will be the most difficult yet. The good thing is that the first 5 days already happened! (5dt). Fx! 

@gsancho‌ & @Canuck13‌ congrats!!!! 

@CaringCat‌ wahoo to options! Having a few to fall back on is a great feeling

LilyHarper

Hi all! I just went for my blood draw (I did it the night before I would have done it, if my clinic had hours I could go to)! I'm more than a bit terrified, and feeling kind of down about it. But I did manage to go beta or bust! Although I wouldn't have if we'd had a test in the house on Saturday...We'll see I guess, but my bloating has been back for 2 days and some of my symptoms I've had in prior cycles that worked til they didn't haven't appeared. I'm trying to stay positive...and hope it is ok! Tomorrow's also the first day I have students so that should be a great distraction. It was nice reading about the good news a lot of people had today! And congrats @gsancho. That's a great beta.

Canuck13

@Daashuriaa‌ Welcome to TO! I'm so sorry to hear about your disappointing news and I have my FX that you get at least one fertilized embie tomorrow!!

AuroraP725

@Daashuriaa‌ I'm so sorry you had to get bad news. I was in almost the exact same situation this last cycle. They were able to retrieve 9 eggs, but only 4 were mature and none of them fertilized. I'm hoping that some of your eggs are late fertilizers and you get some better news tomorrow. ((Hugs))

daydreamernyc

@LilyHarper Good luck! Looks like you and I are in a similar situation (first IVF, SET, 6 frosties) Please let us know the results!

aliciafiggy

Well it's official...BFN. At least I've had a good 4 days to get used to the idea. It wasn't as heartbreaking as if I had no clue.

Best of luck to everyone! I guess we just keep going and moving forward.

gsancho

@Daashuriaa Welcome and Happy Birthday!  I'm so sorry for the bad news.  I hope you get a better update today and can enjoy your birthday.

@MeatandBandP Yay for PUPO!

@aliciafiggy  I'm so sorry about your BFN

@AMShark I hope you are nicely recovered from jet lag b/c you need to update us on your beta!

AMShark

@CaringCat - Congrats on your blasts & frosties.  If it's ok with you, we can just share Don Lockwood as our tap dancing boyfriend.    Also - I just updated you to IVF#3 & I'm hoping the saying "The 3rd time's the charm" holds true for you.

@daydreamernyc - Congrats on being PUPO!  I'm sorry you were given unnecessary extra stress on your ET day.

@heathereb23 - Congrats on being PUPO!

@Buttmonkey34 - ((Hugs))  I'm sorry to see you leaving TO.  The Sweet Peas will be lucky to get you.  GL.

@sunshinedaisies000 - GL - Thursday is just around the corner.

@angjohns99 - I can see how you might be a little disappointed, but two frosties isn't bad at all.  FX you get a nice beta, and you can save your frosties for future siblings.

@Kinderteach78 - Congrats on the nice day 3 report!  I think Progesterone makes me more prone to weepyness too.

@gsancho - Congratulations!  That is a solid, solid beta.  

@Aimothy - Good luck with your transfer on Friday!

@Pintobean39 - I'll leave it up to you.  I can keep you on the OT's update list, but don't let that stop you from joining the September Sweet Peas if that's where you think you're heading.

@LilyHarper - FX for good news on your beta.

@Daashuriaa - Welcome. I've added you to the group as "Between ER/ET" and got my FX that some late fertilization will push you forward on this cycle.  (Is it correct that this is IVF#1 for you?)

@MeatandBandP - Congrats on being PUPO!

@aliciafiggy - ((Hugs)) I'm so sorry.  Even with the warning, its not easy news to hear.

AMShark

No beta update from me, as of yet.  My plane arrived on time yesterday, but there was only one customs officer at Newark for the first 20 minutes I was on-line at the reception hall (well done, EWR, always striving to keep your place as one of the lowest rated airports in the country).  

By the time I got home, it didn't matter if I got blood drawn that day, since the tests wouldn't be processed until today either way.  I'm waiting for a call sometime after 1 pm for the update.

There were no more signs of spotting, which has been a huge relief.... but I'm still a little nervous about the call.

*** Beta Update ***

My RE called, and my 2nd beta is 4976.  It's exactly 1 week past my first beta.  I looked it up, and this seems pretty on target.  (Big sigh of relief).  My first u/s will be next Tuesday.

LilyHarper

@AMShark‌ that's a good doubling rate. @daydreamernyc‌ I hadn't realized how close our cycles paralleled like that! We were supposed to be called 3 hours before ET so we would be able to make up our minds, and we didn't get a call until half an hour before. We felt rushed, so I can only imagine how you felt! To be honest, it wasn't the fear of twins that made us go the way of eset, it was the fear that one would split and we'd get triplets, which I personally found terrifying.

***beta results warning***

So my re called and asked me how I was doing. And I said I felt bloated. And he asked if I felt pregnant and I said no. And he said, well you are. My response? "No shit?" Beta was 140, which is way higher than I've ever had at this point. Next beta test is Wednesday night. I'm still in shock. I'm also trying not to get too excited, RPL has a way of beating that out if you, but I'm pretty damn happy right now.

gsancho

@LilyHarper That's great!  Congratulations!! 

AMShark

@LilyHarper - Congrats!!!!  That is awesome.   <:-P

LilyHarper

@Daashuriaa‌ I'm so sorry.

AuroraP725

@LilyHarper‌ Congratulations! I wish you a happy and uneventful pregnancy.

@Daashuriaa‌ I'm so sorry you didn't get any fertilized eggs. I hope your RE can find some answers and come up with a better plan for IVF #2. I would also very much like to cycle again right away. Hope to see you in September with the Sweet Peas!

LeggyJeggy

Congrats on the new BFPs! And big hugs to those that need them. This is crap is for the birds.

AFM, my first beta last Friday was 1.55, they seriously made me come back on Monday and it was 1.34. Since they want it UNDER 1, I have to go back on Thursday again! I thought most clinics stopped at less than 5?!? I've never ever had a "positive" so this is new to me. Officially beta hell. For next steps, we have our appt on 9/10 and will be discussing donor egg. I also want to get SCSA, karyotyping and a few other tests done now that we've had a couple of decent cycles and since some would affect donor egg too. I'm also putting all our records together to see if we could get an appt with Dr. KK. I guess we won't be cycling until January again. Time to lose all this IVF weight!!

ShannonBeth77

Beta test today, I've been trying to keep busy not to stress...please say prayers and good mojo meditations for us today and hope Mother Nature passes her blessings along....

daydreamernyc

@LeggyJeggy‌ so sorry you have to continuously get pricked for blood work! Never fun, especially in your situation. (Virtual hug). Just wanted to let you know that it must be common for some clinics to go to below 1 as mine did when I had my ectopic.

LilyHarper

@LeggyJeggy‌ most places give results of BFN's as less than 2, so it must be frustrating to have to go down to 1! Sorry I don't have any answers but waiting for betas to drop, and drop slowly is its own form of torture. With my cp it took weeks, I finally refused to go in twice a week and just waited a week and that time it was gone. *hugs*

AMShark

@Daashuriaa - I'm sorry to hear about the bad fert report.  I had low fertilization rates for my first cycle, and one of the things that my RE suggested was CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplements, and Human Growth Hormone (HGH).  I don't know if it would help in your situation, but maybe that's something you want to your RE about during your WTF appointment.

((Hugs)) I hope you'll be able to start again in time for the September group.

gsancho

Beta went from 445 to 1048, but my E2 is awful - from over 1400 to 106 in two days.  I'm devastated and terrified it's the first sign of a loss...Why can't my body handle estrogen??  I already have 6 patches and one (now two) estradiol I take daily.  Not quite beta hell, but I still feel just as hopeless and I have to wait until Friday afternoon to see if it improves.

Daggermouth

@gsancho: of course every bit of good news just HAS to come with a potentially negative caveat b/c that is just our special awesome treat when dealing with IF. sux. that said, and i KNOW it's easier said than done, that's for sure, but i wouldn't sweat this too much. beta is fantastic and right where you want it to be. what does re say about the e2?

@daashuriaa and @leggyjeggy: hang in there. so tough to handle these issues. there are no words. 

afm nothing to report!

ShannonBeth77

Just an update for everyone...BFN on our beta. I'll wait for AF to come, start BCPs again and then get ready for FET. We only have one frostie from first IVF so keep up the prayers. Good luck to everyone else waiting for their miracle.

gsancho

@ShannonBeth77 I'm sorry about the BFN

@Daggermouth E2 is not as vital as the HCG or progesterone number, but it's still important to maintain the pregnancy.  A dip isn't really concerning as long as it can go back up, they are just a little worried b/c it's such a big dip.  I'm just praying that the only reason it went down is b/c they had be stop the E2 suppository after the 1st beta, and my body just doesn't absorb much from these patches alone.  I don't think I could have shoved that suppository up my vagina any faster.