June IUI

rel_1987

@greenhillgirl I had a little brown tinge in my cm *sorry if tmi. I've had some cramping hoping its a good sign and not af on the way I'm 10dpiui. Fx that you get your bfp.

@tosh24

Bababatty

Welcome, @sunnynat2015! Sorry about the BFN, but happy to have you hear.

@greenhillgirl FX those are positive signs of impending pregnancy!

@tosh24 I'm sorry about the BFN.  Nice strategic use of the progesterone, though. I hope it works and you don't get AF on you anniversary, and that you have a wonderful day with your H!  Also lots of luck with the insurance. Is IVF something they normally cover but they've denied you for some reason? 

limeburst

@greenhillgirl FX for you!! 

So sorry  for the BFN @tosh24. Insurance companies can be the worst! I hope that 

AFM, I am working on getting my insurance to cover the Ovidrel. Apparently, they do cover it ($55 copay compared to $104 to just order it directly from the pharmacy) but they need a pre-authorization from the RE. So I have been playing phone tag with the RE's office for 2 days to see if they received the paperwork from the insurance company. But I was told it can take up to 5 business days to add the pre-authorization to my account, so I may get to a point where I just order the shot because I'm afraid of not getting it in time, and screw the $50 that I'll save by going through insurance. I go in Saturday for a follie check (which will be CD 9) and I'd like to have the medication by then *just in case* they tell me I'm ready to go. 

mockingjay1

Hi @sunnynat2015! FX June will be your month! 

@greenhillgirl - the TWW is so hard. I hope your work event goes well tonight! 

@tosh24 - I'm so sorry for the BFN. FX you can get insurance to cover IVF. Hope you and DH have a good anniversary! 

@Kim41313 - hopefully you can get your ovidrel sorted out before Saturday! 

AFM - I'm 2dpiui (and 3 days post trigger), but I'm not confident I've ovulated yet. I still track my BBT and it hasn't gone up yet (it goes up due to increases in progesterone after ovulation). I'm pretty confident I didn't ovulate until 3 days after my trigger last cycle either. Hopefully tomorrow morning my temp is up. I don't feel comfortable starting the progesterone until I know I've ovulated. This is so frustrating especially because the RE thinks I should move on to IVF if we aren't successful this cycle. 

tosh24

@Bababatty My insurance covers IVF fully but only at two specific clinics. I did not realize this when I first chose my clinic. I am appealing to them to cover IVF at my current clinic as I am comfortable with my doctor and he knows how my body responds, etc. and I do not have the luxury time-wise of starting over with a whole new clinic. And actually my clinic is slightly cheaper than at least one of the clinics they cover. I'm being realistic but hopeful. 

@dmo1371 Hopefully your temp goes up to confirm O tomorrow. It's so hard trying to guess timing. My RE usually has me start the progesterone on the 3rd day after trigger (so if I triggered Mon night, I'd start the supps on Thurs morning). Good luck this cycle! Hopefully you won't have to cross the IVF bridge.

Bababatty

@dmo1371 I'm sorry about your frustrations! This is actually why I stopped temping during IUIs. I've heard--but can't confirm--that medicated IUI cycles can really mess with your temps so it's not as accurate. When I did temp during IUI cycles, I had a slow rise that really stressed me out. Perhaps you could ask your RE to do a blood test to confirm an LH surge/progesterone now (instead of waiting for your progesterone test next week) for peace of mind. Mine did that last cycle when I got a +OPK much earlier than usual and wasn't sure if it was a fluke. The blood work showed I was ovulating right then, which was both nice to know and incredibly frustrating. I hadn't done a trigger and I had the test done the day after the +OPK so I have no idea if this would work in your situation, but it never hurts to bring it up with your RE. And if you're worried your timing was off with the last two cycles, I'd push back and tell your RE you want to do at least one more IUI and express your concerns about timing and confirming O. 

mockingjay1

Thanks @tosh24!

@Bababatty - RE starts all patients on progesterone 2 days after their IUI so I am supposed to start it tonight. They don't do 7dpo progesterone checks since they put all patients on it. My RE said since I didn't have any leftover cysts on CD 3 that means I ovulated last cycle. I hope that's true (I did get 1 high temp before I started the progesterone). I've thought about not taking the progesterone and having a 7dpo test but it makes me nervous to do that and then have low progesterone and possibly a CP because of it. I wonder if they can do an ultrasound to see that I've ovulated? My RE said I wouldn't have gotten my period if I didn't ovulate, but I keep saying to him but I was on progesterone so stopping that would induce a period right? That only makes sense since they give progesterone to induce a period for long anovulatory cycles. He still is adamant I ovulated so hopefully he's right. 

sunnynat2015

@greenhillgirl Thanks! Hoping this will be my month! Hopefully the spotting is due to implementation. The timing sounds right! Good luck! 

@tosh24 sorry for your BFN! I hope you can get coverage from your insurance. It crazy how much they charge for IVF! 

kristimh80

@tosh24 so sorry for everything you are going thru! Let us know how the insurance deal works out. My insurance won't cover any fertility treatments either. We just talked to the Dr and financial counselor and it'll be almost 25k so idk yet how we are / would swing that. They also said we could do 2 IUIs again but I'm discouraged right now even though Dh would like to try another. 

Side note...have you guys seen those at home IUI kits? My girlfriend messaged me this morning about it and how it would be so much cheaper. I'm over here like hmm that seems sketchy! Lol

rel_1987

Good morning ladies. Have any of you heard of or tried the Paleo diet? I heard its really good for weight loss and just healthy eating overall.

Bababatty

@dmo1371 I do think an ultrasound would help you confirm you at least ovulated, but it wouldn't pinpoint the day. Last cycle we did an u/s the day I had that LH/progesterone test and I had no remaining mature follies. So you could definitely ask for one to just to reassure yourself there are no hangers on.

@kristimh80 Are you referring to "The Stork"? DH and I saw an ad for that the other week. Not quite the same as an IUI, but it gets the sperm right up against the opening of the cervix so I suppose it must help a little.

moni2016

@dmo1371 I had a chemical pregnancy last month and RE put me on progesterone, I've never been on it before and have always had mid cycle bleeding and spotting 4 days before AF. My boobs are really sore and I'm only 9 dpiui I want to test on Sunday but I think that might be too early. I had nausea this morning too you think it's from progesterone. What symptoms do you get?

mockingjay1

@Bababatty - I called today because I wanted someone to confirm ovulation for me (I did not have a temp rise this am). I talked to a nurse (my RE is out of town) and I wasn't exactly satisfied with her answers. I asked if they could do an u/s because from what I've read on the internet (including a study) they can usually tell if you ovulated by u/s. The nurse when I asked her said well you can't tell by u/s you may just see a collapsed follicle. I said doesn't that mean I ovulated then if it's collapsed? She said well there isn't a way to tell. Um ok. I think she's wrong. She also said plus you don't want anything "up there" that could mess things up (talking about the ultrasound wand). WTF?!?! An u/s is less "interruption" than intercourse is... She told me the only way to confirm O is a CD21 progesterone. I told her that's fine except I didn't ovulate on CD14 and said I thought it should be 7dpo. She said in this office we go by CDs. At that point I was pretty much done with her. She obviously isn't very educated about her freaking job. I did ask if the progesterone suppositories affected a 7dpo level because I had been told they would, but she said they didn't. From my google search it looks like she was at least right about that. Although when I take them my BBT is higher so it seems like it would affect blood levels? So confusing.

I was totally "that" patient and called back asking to verify some info with a different nurse. She said the only way to confirm ovulation is a 7dpo progesterone check and to start the endometrin because it shouldn't affect my progesterone blood level. We'll see how this goes. I like my doctor, and I so badly wish I could have asked him. If it turns out I didn't ovulate y'all shit is going to hit the fan (I have been concerned about this the 2/3 IUI cycles). It makes me very leary to do IVF with this clinic if we need to. Sorry for the long vent. 

@moni2016 - Did you do a trigger shot? If so the hcg from the shot can cause pregnancy symptoms until it's out of your system (and will also turn a hpt positive). Progesterone is also a hormone that causes pregnancy symptoms. This early there is no way to differentiate between pregnant vs not pregnant (other than a pregnancy test) because the symptoms are the same in the TWW due to the increase in progesterone. 

kristimh80

@Bababatty Not sure, it was called "cervical cap insemination". She saw it on her Ovia app. Guess after going thru IUI's at the doctor, it just seemed strange to try to get it at home without monitoring and knowing for sure you're about to ovulate.

@dmo1371 So sorry you had to deal with all that today!! I'd be aggravated too! Is there an option to look into another RE's office? I wouldn't feel comfortable there either from what all you've said. 

mockingjay1

@kristimh80 - that's crazy they make home insemination kits. Since they only bring the sperm to the cervix it doesn't seem like it would be any better than intercourse. Who knows?! There is only one RE outside of the clinic I go to in my city. I'll ask around as I haven't heard much about her other than the person who does my hair liked her.

Norms463

Hi everyone!
I joined a few days back but it wouldn't let me post for a few days. I have been keeping up with the feed, thank you all for sharing your stories and for the back and forth support. I am excited to join in as well.

IUI number: 1st
Date of planned IUI: B2B on 6/11 and 6/12
Any other background/details of your journey: My husband and I have been TTC for over a year. We have low motility and low sperm count. During this first IUI our count was 15.7 and 13.3. I was on clomid for a few days and trigger shot was on 6/10. 

For a break from all the fertility talk, if you could take a trip right now where would you go and why? Greek Islands!

I am new to all the acronyms, trying to learn it all.

@greenhillgirl thank you for starting this discussion board! I have also been doing acupuncture for a few months. I found that it helped me with stress and to feel more relaxed. I started before getting tests so we did not know about our low motility/count. What benefits have you found?

@dmo1371 Fx for you!

moni2016

@Norms463 welcome! Are you going to test out your trigger? I did and it kept me sane, my RE doesn't do B2B IUI mine was on 6-7 my beta is Tuesday. 
I wish I could have done acupuncture but wasn't in our budget due to having to pay out of pocket

@dmo1371 yes I did trigger 36 hours before IUI. I tested out my trigger and it was out of my system by 7dpiui 9dpt.  I was upset the other day and stopped the progesterone because I felt like I was out this month and wanted aunt flow to just come. I tested this morning and got a faint positive. My beta is Tuesday but wonder if they will take me tomorrow so I know if I should keep taking the progesterone. 

Norms463

@moni2016 this sound like exciting news for you!!! I felt excited reading your message! Fx for Tuesday!!! 

I actually didn't know about testing out the trigger. I feel so elementary with this process since its all new to u me. I do think it would be helpful during the TWW. I am 6 dpiui 8dpt today, would it be too late now? 

J1006

@Norms463. I also test out my trigger and I feel like it makes the first week of the TWW go faster. It usually takes about a week for my trigger to get out of my system. I just use cheapies I got from Amazon. Since you are only 6dpiui, I would say if you use a cheap test now and it's positive it's most likely your trigger. 

rel_1987

Well af showed up with  avengeance yesterday so on to iui 4 which will probably be in of June or early July. Have baseline appt on Weds. Gl to the rest of you ladies.

mockingjay1

Welcome & good luck @Norms463! 6dpiui is too early for a positive pregnancy test, so you can still test out your trigger. If you get a positive today/tomorrow it's very likely your trigger and if you get a negative then that means it's out of your system and you don't have to worry about wondering what a positive pregnancy test means in a few days. I just use cheap hpts from amazon to test it out. 

@moni2016 - I would continue with your progesterone especially if you got a BFP. 

@rel_1987 - I'm sorry about AF.

tosh24

@rel_1987 Sorry about AF The witch showed up for me today so we're in the same boat. I will also be moving on to my 4th IUI cycle either end of June/early July. Hopefully #4 will be lucky for both of us.

Norms463

@moni2016 @J1006 @dmo1371 thank you all for the suggestions! I did buy cheap hpt at the dollar store and had a faint line so the trigger must be almost out of my system. 

@rel_1987 and @tosh24 sorry about AF.. Hoping that the 4th time is the lucky one for you both! 

rel_1987

Thanks ladies  fx this is your month

@tosh24 we may end up being cycle buddies this month. When is your baseline appointment?

greenhillgirl

Hi ladies,

Sorry about AF @rel_1987 and congrats & good luck @moni2016 !

I've really been struggling the last week or so. At about 8dpo I started having lots of symptoms and of course am super skeptical after 2 years of symptom spotting and being disappointed. This weekend it got worse- especially hot flashes/fever, nausea, diarrhea. The nausea and diarrhea have been going since about 8dpo and I'm now 13 dpo. I broke down and took a test last night even though my doctor told me not to test until Wednesday. But I know I shouldn't have because it was super watered down evening urine. It was negative. I feel like I have a bug but I'm going on 5 days now and I really can't do anything except work and sleep. It's making me depressed, especially knowing that I could very well be disappointed again. I have been having little appetite, bloating, sore breasts, nipples that are sticking out all the time, headaches, stomach aches gas, a lot of watery cm. Does anyone think this could be OHSS?  I just don't know what is wrong with me and of course would love to think I'm pregnant but it seems too much too fast. Between the femara and the ovidrel side effects I've been feeling like s@*t for about a month now and I don't know how I'll go through this again.

Any kind words or ideas are appreciated! 

mockingjay1

@tosh24 - I'm sorry for AF. 

limeburst

@dmo1371 ugh! that is so frustrating! Can you talk to your RE about a few more IUI cycles, maybe with the IUI a little longer after the trigger? Although, some people have a slow rise, and I agree with @Bababatty, I have also heard that the meds can mess with your temps. I decided to not temp this cycle, and to just trust that the doctor had it under control. Its so hard to do, especially when you are thinking that he may have not gotten the timing correct. Sounds to me like that nurse doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm pretty sure a collapsed follicle means you ovulated? And how will an u/s wand mess up anything "up there" .. you're right! That's less of an interruption than intercourse. I feel frustrated for you!

@rel_1987 I have heard of the Paleo diet, but I haven't tried it. It seemed too intense for me lol. if you are going to try it out, good luck! I hope it works for you!  And so sorry for AF! 

@Norms463 welcome!!

@tosh24 sorry for AF

@greenhillgirl I'm sorry for the BFN Are you going to try to test again with FMU? Can you remind me how many follicles you had?  I don't know a whole lot about OHSS, but from what I do know I am surprised by what I have been reading about some of you ladies getting it from an IUI cycle. I thought it was much more common from IVF when women had 15-20 follicles. If you are concerned you can call your doctor. I believe they can measure your ovaries to see if they are enlarged to help diagnose possible OHSS. Of course, I hope that is not the case!  Hoping you feel better soon!

AFM, I had a follie check Saturday morning and another today. I have 2 nice follies that are ready to go! Trigger tonight and IUI Wednesday morning!! I'm trying to decide if I should test out the trigger... I might just take one test so I can finally see a positive. How sad is that? 

mockingjay1

@greenhillgirl - Have you gained weight? I don't know a ton about OHSS, but I know weight gain is a sign due to the excess fluid. I'd call your RE and give them your symptoms just in case. There is always a risk for infection with IUIs since they are putting a catheter in your body. 

@Kim41313 - Great news! Good luck Wednesday with your IUI! Regarding what you said above, I'm not super concerned if the IUI is off by a day or two because the sperm lives for a few days right? Plus DH's SA was normal... My insurance has a $20k lifetime max for infertility coverage so the more IUIs we do the less likely we'll be able to afford IVF. 

greenhillgirl

Thanks @Kim41313 and @dmo1371 I finally called the RE and am awaiting a call back from the nurse. It's so hard to sort out because sometimes I have abdominal swelling from mild endometriosis and also have some mild stress-related IBS. My abdomen is definitely swollen and doesn't feel great but I'm not sure about weight as I don't own a scale.  I just had 2 large follicles when I triggered.

All I know is that I don't feel right, so thank you for the encouragement to call them.

@Kim41313 that's exciting that you're about to start your cycle. I would try testing out the trigger if you have the cheap tests for something to do as well as knowing when your symptoms are no longer from the trigger. I wish I had.

limeburst

@dmo1371 that definitely makes sense about the IF coverage, and that the sperms lives for a few days! 

@greenhillgirl I'm glad you called the doctor. Even though it's hard to sort out, I say better safe than sorry! Thanks for the input on testing out the trigger. I think it may give me some peace of mind so I might try it out. 

tosh24

@rel_1987 I just got a call back from the nurse. My baseline is tomorrow. When is yours? 

Contrary to what my RE said a month ago,  he now wants to add injects to the protocol (he didn't want to before since I am a good responder and he was worried about too many follies). So, I will take my femara tomorrow and then I will also start Gonal-F injections and go back in on the weekend for follow up u/s and b/w. Now, how to tell my husband about 1) the cost,  and 2) our weekend away possibly being cancelled due to monitoring. I don't think he is going to be very happy

rel_1987

@tosh24 my baseline is Weds morning. It will be day 5 when I start femara. I hope your dh isn't too upset about your plans possibly changing.

J1006

@greenhillgirl. Definitely call the doctor if you don't feel well. You never know if it's something more serious than just side effects. If it is just side effects from the Femara, here's a little hope for you....my symptoms were the worst for my first cycle. I was luckily off of work because I don't think I could have gone in. I had major, um, GI problems. My past two cycles it hasn't been bad. A couple hot flashes last cycle and nothing much this cycle. 

Norms463

@greenhillgirl I don't know much about OHSS but with anything else, it is always better to consult with RE so I am glad you called. Also, in my experience, not knowing why we are experiencing the symptoms can create a lot of anxiety but by the unknown so hopefully they can provide you some answers! Hoping you feel better!

@tosh24 I hope telling your husband was smooth and that maybe your weekend get away can still happen as I know being away can help with relaxing in preparation for your next cycle!

@rel_1987 DH and I did the paleo diet about 2.5 years ago before our wedding and we lost weight! We both felt it was an easy diet to follow since you can eat a lot of protein that helps keep you full. I believe I lost 15-20 lbs in 3 months with mostly the diet and limited exercise. We continue to follow it although not 100%- we were motivated for the wedding so that helped! You got me thinking that maybe we should get back to it...

Today I am 7/8 dpiui (B2B) and today I noticed light pink discharge - have never noticed this before.. anyone else experienced this? I am not usually someone who spots and the RE did mention I might be spotting with the progesterone but I was expecting more of a red/brown spotting.

moni2016

@greenhillgirl I developed OHSS right after my IUI within like 8 hours. It was so uncomfortable. I work dresses to work cause my stomach was so huge I was embarrassed. I called RE said it can last up to a week. Said because I had 7 follicles. I read online that lots of Gatorade and high sodium work. So I stocked up on Gatorade and sun flower seeds and in 2 days I felt so much relief. I know everyone's body is different but doesn't hurt to try.
 @tosh24  your cancelled weekend trip will be for a good reason! You will have plenty of time to take another weekend trip. 


Well i had my beta today at 12dpiui and it came back 51! They want me to come in Wednesday and Friday to make sure the numbers go up. I'm having cramping now so I hope this sticks since I had a chemical last month. 

Norms463

@moni2016 Fx for your numbers to keep increasing!

greenhillgirl

Thanks for the advice and support @moni2016 @Norms463 @J1006 @Kim41313 . 

@moni2016 thats exciting good luck for it to keep increasing and keep us posted!! sorry about the cp last month. It seems like the earlier we know the more loss there can be but that doesn't mean this month can't be your month!!

@Norms463 that is an exciting symptom! I had some spotting this cycle too, although mine was brown. From what I read, any spotting that is different than your normal cycle and at that timing could be a possible sign of implantation. Fingers crossed!

@tosh24 hopefully your husband will understand that it is for a good reason and be supportive. It's hard when you can't do the things you planned to distract yourself with and have to focus more on the timing, the meds, and the procedures.

I had my blood and urine taken this morning at monitoring hours so they will let me know both if my blood or kidney function indicates any serious OHSS and also if I am pregnant or not. I just hope they don't say everything looks normal and that I'm not pregnant because then I will feel like this is all in my head and I hate that feeling. If I can't be pregnant this time at least let me find a reason for my misery so I don't feel like I'm making stuff up.

On a lighter note, I treated myself to a breakfast sandwich near my doctor's office on the way to work. I live in NYC so of course everything is expensive. Every now and then I get a breakfast sandwich near my job at the coffee cart and it is $2.50 to 3.50 depending on what is on it.  I asked for a special sandwich today near the doctor that had ham and egg on bread because they all had cheese. I have been dairy free (just no milk and cheese) since a while after my endo diagnosis and it really helps. I also got a bottle of water.  The total was $10!  I got to work and opened it up and it was a cold egg and ham on a stale baguette of wheat bread. Only in NYC hahaha.

mockingjay1

@Norms463 - FX you get good news in a few days! 

@greenhillgirl - I hope you get some answers! 

@moni2016 - That's great, congratulations! FX for doubling betas!

tosh24

@moni2016  Congrats!!! FX for doubling numbers on Wednesday!

@greenhillgirl Glad you went in to get checked out. Hopefully you get some answers quickly and feel better soon. This process gives me so much health anxiety so I feel you there.

greenhillgirl

Just got a call with my BFP and no blood work back yet. Probably just a combination of stress, endometriosis, and hormones. My period should start tomorrow or Thursday and then we have planned to start another IUI cycle. I hope the meds don't bother me as much this month- especially the femara.