*TGIF 11/18 *

TScalei

Happy Friday!

What's everyone up to the weekend before Thanksgiving?

TScalei

Im going to see the Fantastic Beasts movie tonight with a friend. Tomorrow DH and I have to do a bunch of yardwork and chores around the house. Sunday we are making chili and watching football and then have a friend's sons first birthday party- hoping I will do okay around all the kids and just have a good time. I feel like this weekend is the calm before the storm with all the holiday craziness.

brooklyngirl18

Happy Friday! 
I took a bit of a break around here the past week, trying to get my head back on straight. I had my first RE appointment Wednesday and got tons of information as well as a game plan. Turns out, the dr thinks I have mild pcos which is a total shock to me. He also thinks I have an ovulation disorder/hormone imbalance which is causing unpredictable O date. I have a whole bunch of bloodwork lined up and a saline sonogram next week so confirm pcos. The plan will be to start clomid and metformin and eventually iui. I am very overwhelmed but glad to have some answers and a plan. I'm totally clueless about all this stuff so any advice/info is much appreciated. today is CD 7 I think so I might start clomid after my ultrasound next week or next cycle depending what the ultrasound shows. Has anyone here had a saline ultrasound?

migdala

My parents are putting one of the family dogs down tomorrow, so I'm having a hard time.  This fall has been really tough.  DH and I will go over to their house tomorrow to be with him on his last day, but we can't stay the night because we have our dogs at home (we don't want to bring them, we think it would be an unwelcome distraction).  I'm sad and I'll probably spend the rest of the weekend cuddling with DH and crying.  I do want to see Fantastic Beasts though so maybe I will buy tickets for a Sunday matinee to take my mind off of things.

Mack2342

@brooklyngirl18. Sounds like a good plan.  I don't have any experience but I hope all goes well

@migdala.  That's horrible.  I have had to do that twice and it just sucks.  Sending you hugs

AFM,  best friend and her DH are coming to our house for the weekend. It will be good to see them. Baby shower Saturday which I'm actually excited about.  The couple are good friends and excited for them.  DH and I are going to an antique shop Saturday too. Really looking forward to that.  Sunday I'm working a couple of hours and then swim lessons.  At some point I need to go grocery shopping and clean the house. 

amberruka

I'm sorry for you and your family @migdala. 
@brooklyngirl18 can't help ya but glad you're getting some answers.

Driving up to Tacoma WA later to work, be home tomorrow night. Next Friday I fly to Texas to help my mom drive from TX to NY to move back home, was offered bump up to 1st class for around 70$--totally worth it for 2 flights, and since I'm testing 2 days before and if BFN ('cause I feel like I'm already out), I could drink rum and OJ alllllll the waaaaaaaaay to San Antonio, ha ha. The one-way I got was super cheap, surprising for the day after Thanksgiving!

TScalei

@brooklyngirl18 - I can't help you either but Im glad you got some answers even though it can be overwhelming.
@migdala - Im so sorry for you and your family - that is so hard! Sending you hugs this weekend.

RiverSong15

@brooklyngirl18 I had a saline sono in May as part of my RPL work up. It wasn't that big of a deal. I did take some ibuprofen beforehand, which I do recommend. Basically, they do a transvaginal ultrasound to make sure your uterus is clear (that is, to make sure you're not pregnant). Then they will insert a speculum just like a Pap smear. They'll put some iodine or antiseptic on your cervix to help prevent infection. They'll then insert a thin catheter through your cervix into your uterus. This was the most uncomfortable part for me, because they had trouble getting the speculum to stay in place on my cervix. I always have issues like this during paps though, so if paps are normally fine for you, you should be OK. They then inject saline solution l, which just felt like a weird internal tickle. They'll take the speculum out and do another transvaginal ultrasound. The saline basically helps them see more of your uterus. Bring a pad with you, because I leaked saline solution for a couple hours afterwards.

As an aside, how variable is your O date? I asked my RE about mild PCOS and she said no based on my bloodwork and cycle history. I'm curious though, why your RE said PCOS or hormone imbalance based on cycle history alone. I was told everything looks good and we just had bad luck.

EDit to add: I'm not sure how a saline sono helps diagnose PCOS. I had it to check for fibroids or structural issues with my uterus that could prevent a pregnancy from developing. For PCOS, they just need to look at your ovaries to see how many follicles you have ("string of pearls" appearance). Don't freak out if you see several follicles on the ultrasound, though, it's completely normal to have several follicles present early in your cycle. 

stephann85

Not a ton of plans for the week. I get to go in late to work today since I am over hours and I get to leave early. Kinda dragging my feet getting ready. But tomorrow I think DH and I are going to do some cleaning and maybe catch a movie. And Sunday I think maybe a bit of relaxing and trying to finish up a crocheting project. 

SoonToBeMommaHowe

Happy Friday everyone! 

DH is still out of town so today me and the pup cleaned inside and out to prepare for guests. After lunch I'm hitting the gym and then volunteering at the animal shelter for a couple hours.

Saturday I'm heading to watch some of the players from my old team while DH stays home and does yard work. And then Sunday we're hosting our pastor and his wife for lunch and football, we're making grilled pizza, one three cheese, spinach, pesto and one hamburger, bacon...I'm drooling! 

@migdala I'm so sorry to hear about your family pup My family went through the same thing last Christmas, we decided we were going to have our dog put down at the beginning of the year but the  day after Christmas he passed away on his own while playing fetch with my dad. It's never an easy decision when you love them so much. 

brooklyngirl18

@RiverSong15 good to know thanks! My O date the past few cycles has been anywhere from cd14-cd23 and the Dr brought up PCOS when he did a transvagnal ultrasound and looked at my ovaries. The dr said the saline sonogram is being done to check on the follicle to see if it looks normal or not. If not then we will start clomid and metformin. He thinks that while I do ovulate, it isn't very strong or there is an imbalance that's leading me to not get pregnant. does that make sense? i could very well be confusing some of the information but that's what I gathered for now. 

RiverSong15

@brooklyngirl18 That's really interesting. My O dates range from CD15 to CD20, and my RE was not at all concerned. I even asked about mild PCOS, and she said "your cycles are regular and testing looks good". It'll be interesting to see what your doctor says after the sono and the bloodwork. My DHEA and testosterone levels were high side of normal, but still normal. Maybe that's a difference. I've always read that PCOS is a "2 out of 3 diagnosis": irregular or long cycles (like consistently greater than 35 days), high androgen levels, and polycystic ovaries. It's a pretty "catch all" diagnosis with widely varying symptoms, though, so what one person experiences is really different from another's. Do you have insulin resistance? I've never seen someone on TB on metformin who didn't have insulin resistance. 

With PCOS and Clomid though, you should make sure he monitors you correctly (multiple ultrasounds before trigger or IUI). With PCOS, you're more likely to get ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and your ovaries could overrespond putting you at risk of higher order multiples. I just wanted to throw that out there in case you end up going that route. 

brooklyngirl18

@RiverSong15 I'm not sure yet about the insulin, I'm getting bloodwork done this weekend that covers a slew of tests. Hopefully between that and ultrasound we already did, we'll have more answers. I guess between seeing the cysts on my ovaries and my cycle history he said pcos would be the issue. 

brooklyngirl18

@RiverSong15 ok dumb question- do all clomid users get a trigger or iui or do some women just take clomid alone?

RiverSong15

@brooklyngirl18 it's totally possible to do Clomid and timed intercourse. You'll still need monitoring to make sure you're responding appropriately, but you could still just have sex. I've seen Clomid change when people ovulate or mess with OPKs and temps though, so your normal tracking methods may not be good choices (another reason for monitoring). I'd ask your RE for success rates for all your options. Clomid plus TI may not have much of an improvement over natural odds for women with IF, but it's certainly cheaper than IUI, depending on whether you have insurance coverage or not. Also, it depends on your comfort level with interventions and how aggressive you want to be with treatment. I'm sorry you're in this position at all. It certainly sucks.

ETA: Clomid has a maximum lifetime usage of 6 cycles though, so it depends on how you want to use those cycles before moving on to other meds.

brooklyngirl18

@RiverSong15 thanks so much for the info. This does suck but I'm feeling much more optimistic than I have in a while.

sierrafoxtrot-2

@brooklyngirl18 Glad you have a plan, hope things go smoothly.

@migdala I'm so sorry about your family dog. I love my animals and it hurts that they can only be with us for what feels like a short time. Thinking of you and your family.

AFM I'm at work tonight and Sunday but I have tomorrow off. I have a going away party for a friend who is moving to Colorado and then a wedding shower for a coworker to go to. Busy weekend and I probably wont get too much sleep but it will be worth it.

SP128

@migdala  : ( So sorry about your parents' dog.  Pets are so much part of our family.  

Just came back from a Zumba and Wine event.  I haven't seen some of the people for a few years since I moved out of town.  Kinda proud of myself for not losing it when my friend's daughter is due the month I was supposed to.  At least I knew she is pregnant since another friend let me know via text.  

Tomorrow I have a facial scheduled and raking leaves.

Sunday, I have a date with my friend and her kids.  She broke her toe so we need to find something to do that has minimal walking and oh yeah probably rake some more leaves.