TTC Over 35- weekly check-in 4/23

KLake42

Good morning y'all! I though I'd get this thread started.

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  

Rants/Raves: 

Questions for the group: 

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show?

KLake42

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  TWW !!!!!

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable):  6dp5dt

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  reciprocal IVF with my wife's eggs. We did a fresh transfer of two 5 day embabies (hatching), and tested and froze two. My beta is scheduled for Thursday, and we'll get the testing results for our snowflakes next week.

Rants/Raves:  I though the giant butt needles (PIO) was rough, but the TWW emotional roller coaster is worse. I'm a wreck, crying at all kinds of stuff multiple times a day.

This is my 10th TWW with ART. I know that some of you have had more TWWs, if you're TTC naturally, but 20 weeks of my life in limbo is really taking a toll on me.

GTKY: Bridesmaids. And I confess, I asked because I need funny stuff to distract me right now. I watched Office Christmas Party yesterday and loved it, too, though it was goofy.

Labluver2

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  Testing

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD2

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  Have appointment tomorrow CD3 for baseline blood and ultrasound hoping to start IUI this cycle. Will continue to take my supplements but not going to bbt this cycle. 

Rants/Raves: 

Questions for the group: how many IUIs is enough before you call it quits. We decided not to go on to IVF I was thinking 6.

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? Bridesmaids I could watch that movie over and over

harleyquinn0621

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  Benched- I still have a week and a half until I'm cleared to dtd 

Rants/Raves: non TTC Rave: yesterday DH and I had a great day...after he got off work we went to dinner....went to play mini golf and then around 9:30pm went for an evening (really tough) hike....I live in AZ so it's getting hot already and evenings are the best time to do things ....but I felt amazing afterwards- better than I've felt in a while

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? Bridesmaids is mine too!

@Labluver2  we are going to stop after 6 IUIs and are also not moving on to IVF

katekate628

@KLake42 FX for awesome betas!!! 
@Labluver2 & @harleyquinn0621 GL this cycle! 

AFM:

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  TWW 

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): 6dp trigger shot with timed intercourse. 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  Prenatal, Vitamin D therapy to get my levels up. No charting or temping this cycle is driving me a little crazy. 

Rants/Raves: I'm concerned our timing wasn't great. DH had to travel for work so we may have missed it. Guess we will see. Stupid work!

Questions for the group: I'm nervous to go to iui. Dr said 3 cycles of TI then move on to iui. Any advice or questions you would have asked prior to iui that you had after the fact? 

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? The Hangover, Bad Moms, Planes Trains & Automobiles. There are wayyy to many to name. Friends is my favorite funny tv show. 

vlagrl29

3rd cycle TTCAL and I'm probably starting TWW - not tracking 

the hangover was so funny!!

KLake42

@katekate628 I had a bunch of IUIs. I have learned to make my muscles relax and not squeeze the speculum when the cervix gets poked. It really is just like a Pap smear that goes on way longer than normal, not terrible but not awesome, and being prepared to breathe through it is really helpful.

@Labluver2 I think the rule of thumb is 6 IUIs. If you aren't planning to go to IVF, then it might make sense to do a few more than that, since you might experiment with different medications, but only if you also do the HSG (which you might have done, I'm sorry if I missed that). You might respond better to different medications. IUIs aren't cheap, but they're way cheaper than IVF. Still, I wish I'd saved the money from my 7 IUIs and applied it to IVF, but hindsight is 20/20 and all. 

SP128

@KLake42  fx crossed so hard for you
@harleyquinn0621 Sounds like an awesome date day!

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  wto  going to start estradiol on cd21, so treatment

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): cd13

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  treatment, bbt, prenatals, vitamin d

Rants/Raves: April vacay is over ;(

Questions for the group:  Anyone told by their doctors to use protection before starting estradiol?  My doctor didn't mention it and said "yes" to if we were on our own this cycle.  The nurse said to use protection when I asked.  It doesn't say in the stack of paperwork they gave me.  However, I just googled and it said to that people who think they may be pregnant should not use it.  DH and I have not been using protection.  

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? Blended !!

vlagrl29

What does estrodial do?
@SP128

@harleyquinn0621 I'm glad you had a great night. I sure do appreciate good times more than before.

@KLake42 Hoping this is your last tww ever.

vlagrl29

I did a quick google and it says not to use it when pregnant. @sp128
you know how my TTCAL brain works so it would make me anxious. Did you BD during FW?

SP128

@vlagrl29  It's estrogen

KLake42

For what it's worth, my protocol requires me to take estradiol throughout the first trimester, as well as progesterone in oil.   It's absolutely necessary to maintain the uterine lining if you're pregnant, but did not ovulate at all to get pregnant (donor embryo, or FET).  So it's not always bad for you if you're pregnant.

I suspect that if you're pregnant after ovulating (or after stimming your ovaries), your ovaries are expected to kick in the estrogen you need.  So if you take estradiol on top of active ovaries, you throw off your balance.

Labluver2

Waiting for RE to call back with baseline blood results if everything looks good I have scrips for femara which I would start tormorrow and we will do our first IUI cycle.

I'm excided,scared (what if it doesn't work) emotional you all get it!!! My AMH was 0.3 which is very low but he said I could still get preg and he's seen it happen. He made me feel very comforted by my decision not to do IVF. 

vlagrl29

GL @Labluver2 - I hope that's all you need to get PG.  How do they test AMH?

Labluver2

@vlagrl29 thanks. Its just a blood test. I'm just happy to finally being able to move forward after dealing with the other RE which got us nowhere. I love this place so much better. The other place seemed it was all about the money.

harleyquinn0621

@Labluver2 the right RE makes a huge difference... when I go back into mine i'm going to ask about Femara, i think she does Clomid by default but i've heard there is a lot of success with Femara

artemis618

@KLake42 Good luck!  You're almost there!  That is a lot of TWWs - especially with the added stress of ART (and the $$ we sink into it).  I was such a brat - the first cycle I temped/paid attention, I cried at 12DPO because I started spotting, but then I tested when I saw 16 high temps (not a believer in testing early for the most part) and was actually KU. It's all such a roller coaster. I don't think I have the constitution for this (but just take it a day at a time).  IVF has definitely been humbling with all of the waiting/hurdles.

@Labluver2  Do you have any insurance coverage for IUIs?  If we go "backwards" to IUIs (or maybe even try timed intercourse with injectables just to get thru a few more eggs at a time at my age), I have unlimited coverage on "all other IF services" (other than IVF), so I would probably just keep doing them in my situation since I'm less than $100 from my in network OOP max for the year.  I guess I figure it'll be an unpleasant two week wait either way, though I feel like more than say, six cycles on drugs may not be great for us (especially at AMA IVF doses).  Glad you like your new RE office better.

@harleyquinn0621  That does sound like a great day!  *TW* Last Monday was our EDD (as well as DH's birthday), so we took the day off and hiked up to our little girl's burial site (I hadn't been there yet - DH tricked me into hiking 8 miles when it turned out we could have driven most of the way there from the other side of the hill) in the morning and got lunch after.  I don't think I'd been hiking all year, so it was nice to get out.

I've never estrogen primed, but with testosterone priming at least we were told we couldn't try naturally - I suspect because of the way unnatural hormone balance balance @KLake42 noted.

Good luck to everyone ttc this cycle!

-----
Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  WTO, but not to BD - to start lupron for IVF #3, and will probably start testosterone priming again some time next week.

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD7, but again kinda moot.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  Have to start the OPKs again CD10, so I figured I may as well temp thru spike while I'm at it (they will bring me in to test my progesterone for ovulation anyway).  Oh the supplements...Life Extension Mitochondrial Energy Optimizer, NAC, L-Acetyl Carnitine, vitex between IVF cycles, PNV, ubiquinol, extra vit C, D, E, fish oil, inositol, magnesium, upping the melatonin to 3mg nightly during stims.  This third cycle will be the first after three full months on this stuff, so I hope it helps!  (I had only been on most of it for 6.5 weeks before stimming for my last cycle, but I suspect that the change in protocol is primarily what made the difference between the first and the second).

Rants/Raves: Rave - Can't remember if I mentioned that I got one PGS normal from 6 blasts of 8 fertilized last round (as compared to one day 7 morula from my first cycle).  Of course we'd hoped for more, but we're grateful for our one.

Rant - Sitting here eavesdropping on my pregnant coworker's conversation in which she's whining about having to give up sugar and soda and caffeine in her last couple of months...

More neutrally, DH and I spoke with the RE with whom I froze a few eggs this past Friday afternoon, and he sort of made us feel like babies, clarifying (I paraphrase), "wait, you had one *TW* miscarriage and you went straight to IVF?"  Yup.  Turned out that I had insurance coverage for the first two cycles, and we thought we'd give it a go for the prospect of PGS testing to try to reduce the risk of another loss, and optimistically for banking.  So he thinks we should see what we get from one more cycle (not even with him), then go back to trying naturally (or with medicated cycles if we want to be more aggressive).  DH agrees although the one normal of 6 biopsied last round concerns me, but as @liljoy pointed out, PGS isn't perfect.  So now I'm trying to get more information from my insurance co about what the penalty is if I *don't* transfer within 90 days of the second retrieval (a condition of IVF cycle coverage, since our embryos don't appear to like IVF very well anyway), and the only way that I can ask specific questions is via a lame snail mail form since the people on the phone can't answer these questions.  So many decisions to make with this stuff.

Questions for the group:  None that I can think of

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show?   I think perhaps I just have weird taste.  I found parts of The Lobster really amusing, but it's a little dark over all, so maybe not the best for this week.  We don't really watch a lot of TV - I remember enjoying Big Bang Theory when I'd catch it, and I like Silicon Valley on HBO (maybe coincidence that they're both nerdy? ).

Labluver2

@artemis618 our insurance pays for the monitoring cycle we pay IUI out of pocket which is 350 and for the medications trigger shot and the femera.

The last RE put me on clomid and told me everything was great failed to mention it thinned my lining my new Re picked it up and told me that he wouldn't feel comfortable using that on me.

I'm going to give it 6 cycles and then reevaluate. I'll see what they can do as far as financing the IVF but I dont really want to go into that much debt. We will see one day at a time. 

vlagrl29

@Labluver2 - I had heard that people are supposed to use clomid for only X cycles in their life time.  Does Femera do that to or not?  I have a friend that did Femera and she ended up in the ER with a busted cyst on her ovary.

Momifbysea

@KLake42 best of luck on your beta, and thanks for starting this week's thread. How are your symptoms?

@Labluver2 I didn't find the IUI any worse than an annual exam. I was so nervous for the Femara (and then had no side effects except felt ovulation more) and nervous for the procedure which was so fast! So fast that I thought, wait a minute, did they really do it or are they banking on my $ from a future IUI too! I've read that if someone's going to get pregnant from IUI it will happen by the 3rd or 4th. There are cumulative success rates in the literature and I remember the % with success after the 4th was barely higher than the % success after 3.

@vlagrl29  I'm with you, except you have a better idea of where you are in your cycle than me, I'm at a total loss! They did tell me no unprotected sex for 2 weeks so maybe that's a clue...

@harleyquinn0621 I heard Femara had less side effects than Clomid which was my experience but also my RE said much less chance for multiples with it.

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  Waiting for ER 5-day results

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD5 post-ER (if that's a thing?) And have no clue when to expect AF after a retrieval 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  IVF, waiting for PGS and then June transfer, prenatal, vitamin D

Rants/Raves: I wish my clinic called at 3 days like I've seen some clinics do. It's a long wait since last Wednesday until tomorrow! Trying to stay busy but failing at distraction!

Questions for the group: 

GTKY: What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? The Big Bang Theory makes me lol.

vlagrl29

oh wow @Momifbysea - I had no idea your transfer wouldn't be until June!!  Hopefully we will both be pregnant then.

Momifbysea

@vlagrl29 yes, if we do PGS then they make you do BCP for a cycle in between, ugh, like we need more waiting! So they estimate 2nd or 3rd week of June. But maybe with all these drugs it's a good thing to give a break. Btw, we are likely moving in July, isn't that crazy?

vlagrl29

oh my gosh @Momifbysea - that's a lot all at once!


I forgot about the R/R part of the check in.  No rants really.  There is a possibility of another violin teacher renting my music room for lessons on a night I don't teach.  DH built his studio with a music room because I've always taught 1 day a week at his place.  One of our goals was to rent it out on the days I don't teach for extra money.  I got an inquiry today from a violin student.  My schedule doesn't work for him but hers probably does.  Working on getting a signed lease from her and then hopefully we will officially have our first renter for it.  I also got our biggest wedding music booking in June. Quartet for an hour of ceremony music plus travel fee, dress rehearsal and 6 composed songs - it's about $1400 just spent on ceremony music.  Life is looking good and slowly turning around.

artemis618

@Momifbysea Ugh, waiting is the worst - day 5 is tomorrow (Tuesday) for you or ?  Almost there!  I wouldn't have gotten a day 3 report this last time either except that my first cycle went so poorly we decided to consider a day 3 transfer just in case.  And this time, I still didn't have any blasts as of day 5, so I didn't find out what was biopsied & frozen till day 6 anyway.  Hang in there!  

I got AF 11 and 10 days after ER - I think 10-14 days is normal.  I think if we wanted to transfer our normal, my RE said we'd have to wait until my period came, then maybe bc for a few days for scheduling (they like to do transfers Friday afternoons, I guess), then estrace for three weeks before.  Is the bc before your transfer a whole 3 weeks on it and another period before?

Labluver2

@vlagrl29 I heard you shouldn't use clomid more than 6 cycles. I'm not sure if its the same with femera.

On a good note I was freaking out a bit BC I heard that femera was expensive it was 160 for 10 pills thankfully it was covered so I ended up paying 1.99 the clomid wasn't cover that was 79 . My Dr said I could use the trigger that I got from the other place and never used its still good thru October so we dont have to pay for that this month. 

vlagrl29

@Labluver2 I've heard clomid isn't covered because it's for fertility and femera is covered because it's used for something else besides fertility. Can't remember what.

harleyquinn0621

@Labluver2 @vlagrl29  Femara is a breast cancer drug, so generally it's covered even when the insurance does not cover fertility meds... glad to hear it was cheaper for you! 

SP128

@Momifbysea  fx crossed for good 5 day results.  It is annoying that they don't give you updates.  It's not like they don't have the info.  I felt like they withheld DH's SA until we went to the follow up appointment.  Crazy that you'll be moving in July.  FX for no heavy lifting for you!

@KLake42   Thanks. The nurse said ppl who do FET take estrogen too.  She said no biggie about the unprotected sex.

@artemis618   Gl with getting info from your insurance company. 

Rant:  
My RE office dropped the ball I think. I'm hoping I can still get IVF this cycle.  I put in my consent on 4/14 with the Dr's treatment plan.  I called to check the status of insurance authorization and was informed that the data entry still needed to be done before the can put in request.  Nurse tells me that she will write a note to expedite my authorization.  She explained that the data entry person hasn't been here so that was why my auth hasn't been sent yet.  WHAT?!!  No worries, not time sensitive or anything.  I also know that they are asking for auth for a freeze all cycle, but I know my insurance company will reject.  Then the Dr has to amend the treatment plan to do a fresh transfer and freeze and PGS the rest.  
The nurse said for me to start estradiol tonight.  Maybe I would've if she called in the prescription like she said she would.  

Tomorrow, I get to call my insurance company and ask if I can even start the estradiol before auth.  I need to call clinic again to make sure they actually get auth.  

Beyond frustrated with incompetence.  

vlagrl29

wow that must be so frustrating @SP128 - I didn't realize you were going straight to IVF this cycle.  GL to you.

PoeMasque

Hey ladies, I'm still lurking! Anxious to hear @Momifbysea's 5 day results!! That wait is SO hard! 

@harleyquinn0621 femara is actually the recommended first line treatment for fertility issues. Recent studies showed it was more successful than clomid with less side effects. I would point my provider toward Uptodate on this issue, many of them just "do what they've always done", which is infuriating to me because their job is to stay up on IF research and apply it to their practice. Uptodate is the gold standard for evidence-based practice in medicine. 

Momifbysea

I can't sleep, ugh. This wait is so hard!

KLake42

For anyone looking at taking femara-- my insurance did not cover it, perhaps because the script came from a fertility doctor.  However, I was able to shop around using goodRx.com, and I was usually able to get what I needed for about $30 to $40, using the coupons.  Some pharmacies charged $200.  There really was a broad spectrum of prices, but it's such a common medication, most pharmacies have it.  

Momifbysea

Update: My RE called today, he gave a big sigh so I already knew what was coming. Both embryos arrested. Only one made it to morula stage. I'm having a hard time staying composed at work.

SP128

@Momifbysea I'm so sorry lady. Hugs. So many of them. 

KLake42

@Momifbysea I'm so sorry to hear that.  Can you take the rest of the day off?
Or maybe diving into work can help. I hope you can find a way to practice self care today, find some good food to eat, have some wine, and breathe. I have no advice really, but I'm feeling for you.

Momifbysea

Thank you. To top off my morning, right after I heard the news my office roommate comes in and asks how I'm feeling after having been out with a "stomach thing" Wednesday and Thursday for the retrieval. I said better, just tired. She smiled and said "you're not pregnant, are you?" I said nope, unfortunately not (holding back tears). She then whips out an ISU (campus where I work) colored blanket she's knitted for me and said she was thinking if I was then I could use it for the baby but otherwise DD can use it with her dolls. Why did that have to come a few minutes after the call? Trying to hold it together here...

katekate628

@Momifbysea I am so very sorry. I'm sending you hugs & prayers. 

Labluver2

@Momifbysea I'm so sorry. Sending prayers and a hug. 

harleyquinn0621

@Momifbysea i'm so sorry.... be good to yourself today and take time off work if you can

artemis618

@Momifbysea I'm so sorry to hear your news  Please take care of yourself today.

If I recall correctly, I *think* that you were looking at this as your one shot with IVF?  (And i think I may have mentioned before that first cycles are fairly frequently awful).  When you're ready to think about it, protocol change can make a difference.  With my first antagonist cycle I only ended up with one morula on day 7 (from 12 eggs retrieved, 3 of 7 mature fertilized).  But on luteal lupron, I had 6 blasts to test (from 10 retrieved, 8 of 8 mature fertilized).  I think REs could generally do a better job of managing our expectations - of course they want to be optimistic as no one knows how these cycles will go, and even my RE said (when I was super freaked out about how my second cycle would go based on how my first one went) that regardless of if you're optimistic or pessimistic, cycles that don't go well are still crushing.  She actually told me it was okay if I didn't choose optimism, oddly.

if you're done with IVF, I get it. Had my second cycle gone like my first, I would have been too. But if you can can somehow swing another cycle - yes, it could go better, worse, or the same - but I think protocol can make a difference.

*hugs*

harleyquinn0621

@PoeMasque that's good to know! I have an appointment with her next week so I will push to use Femara instead of Clomid... thank you!