IF Testing and Treatment - week of 05/21

nitnat007

@beachbunnyxo123 It was done on 3DPO. I tried to find some info online but couldn't really find anything useful that gave a progression of sorts. Just that it should be 8-11mm for transfer. I will be going to an OB in June, this was just with my regular family doctor who did not even mention it. But also has limited to no expertise in the area. I have been driving the bus on testing etc thus far. OB I am sure will have more insight, but figured if that is one of my issues and I can start working on it now, then it couldn't hurt. 

Avrilmai

@emmasemm Hope you're feeling a bit better today. Glad you've had the time to rest when you're feeling so wiped. Hope AF shows quickly. 
@jrm_14 hoping this tww is flying by for you. 
@beachbunnyxo123 I'm so excited for you to move forward. Sorry the biopsy was so painful. How are you feeling today?
@KristoKekerooni I know others have already said this, but I'm adding my voice too. you're allowed to feel your feelings whatever they may be; being sad and feeling down is just as valid as being happy and joyful. You're doing all you can do. As for exercise. I've always heard nothing too strenuous or that may cause uterine contractions. I think swimming would be fine as long as you're not trying to break a world record. Also, sending all of the good vibes your way. 
@rallykat14 hoping the retrieval goes well next week. Pardon my ignorance, any specific reason that the number is set at 6 DE?
@darkstar42 I'm glad you had a chance to talk with the doc and your DH and that everyone is on the same page. GL with your IUI! 
@AlohaKumu I am so frustrated for you. I hope things go well today. 
@50Wife I hope you have some distraction from the wait. FX all looks good.
@nitnat007 ugh, sorry to hear last week was so rough. I think you had a great plan for coping. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained, AMA
Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): Benched 
What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  nada
How are things going?: floating along...
Any questions?:
GTKY: What’s your most embarrassing wardrobe fail? can't think of anything good...

Thanks for all of the feedback over the last few weeks!

rallykat14

@Avrilmai that's what my clinic does for the packages. 

beachbunnyxo123

@nitnat007 ideally that’s where it should be. But I know plenty of women who have had success with an FET with a lining under 8mm. There are medications and other options to help with endo thickness though if your doctor felt it was an issue. You’re still waiting for an RE too right?

KristoKekerooni

Ya'll rock my world. Thank you for the love, I truly feel it to my bones.

QUESTION. 
I need advice on Zoloft... Currently I am taking 100 mg daily, and I think it really, really helps me. My doctor says they want people off by third tri at the LATEST, but it's up to me if I want to wean off now or later. 
And I don't know what to do. On one hand, I Want to give this everything I have, since it's our last embryos. On the other hand, if I start weaning now, the post-med crash will coincide with betas. Which is definitely not preferable. And then if something goes poorly, it'll take a while to build back up in my system to help me get through it. 
But then again, will I blame the Zoloft if it does go poorly? I don't know. 
Thoughts? Opinions? 

jrm_14

@KristoKekerooni YGPM

suzycupcake

@KristoKekerooni Ugh I cannot believe he says it like that. Has he done all of the screenings to try and determine a cause? Also, about Zoloft, if you are having a crash after weaning, it's possible they aren't weaning you slowly enough. Many many people follow taper methods but then add an extra step in the in between. What I mean is, say your doctor says cut it in half and do that for two weeks, then cut that in half. Many find it very helpful to cut in quarters instead and step down much slower. There is always going to be a few day adjustment period but nothing like an after crash, like before. I'm no stranger to this and I wish you all of the best!

@nitnat007 Are you going to do treatment or surgery for that? What I don't get is with that condition, reading online " The presence of estrogen in the body causes vasodilation, which can result in the accumulation of blood in the veins in the pelvic area. Estrogen can weaken the vein walls, leading to the changes that cause varicosities." We know that estrogen thickens the lining. Are your estrogen levels in good shape?

This might be interesting to you: https://fertility.ca/my-diagnosis/list-of-diagnoses/thin-uterine-lining/ I know for a fact that there are studies that prove CoQ10 and acupuncture help with blood flow and lining, as well as increased pregnancy rates. I began taking CoQ10 and vitaminc 500 early in my cycle, and my temps are steadier than they have ever been. I also have more energy. 

@beachbunnyxo123 That's messed up they still made you pay for that. I'm so sorry! 

Avrilmai

@KristoKekerooni there are some great articles (research based) on Mass General's Center for Women's Mental Health site that address SSRIs and IVF as well as depression and IF.  One article ends with this line: "I do think we can tell our patients that antidepressants do not appear to negatively affect IVF outcomes."
Opinion wise, I think it would be good to have a discussion with your prescribing physician and your ob/gyn or RE and find out the reasoning behind the off meds by 3rd tri, as dealing with mental health and medications is not a one-size fits all kind of thing. You said that it "really, really helps" and I think that is a very important thing to consider.

auntieleelee78

Hey everyone I think I belong to this group... just wanted to introduce myself here too! Been lurking for a few days and thought I'd jump in!

Diagnosis (if you've been): Low AMH and AMA 40

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): waiting phase/ testing

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Still in the testing phases

How are things going?: I'm happy to have finally found a place to come to and be able to talk to people who are in situations similar to mine I just turned 40 on Valentines day and found out last fall that my AMH is .3 my doctor thinks I'm pre menopausal .  I spent most of my 20s/30s focusing on a career and now I got engaged last Dec and am really regretting not looking into my fertility at a younger age as if I had known this was going to happen I would have began trying earlier or freeze my eggs, ugh i can go on all day about regrets.

Any questions?: I'm curious if any other ladies out there with Low AMH and AMA what supplements are you taking?

GTKY: What’s your most embarrassing wardrobe fail? OMG, I was out at a bar with these extremely tight pants on... i was out on the dance floor and felt a brisk breeze on my tush  WELL MY FREAKIN PANTS SPLIT! Thankfully my girlfriend had a sweater on and we wrapped it around me and made our escape.

nitnat007

@beachbunnyxo123 Thank you. Yes, we are still waiting to get in to the RE (maybe July if we are lucky). Will see if adding some supplements will help at all before then. At least better my chances anyway. 

@suzycupcake At this point they have no given me a definitive diagnosis. There was a lot of "could be" "possibly" blah blah on both of my reports so will have to wait to see the OB to see how he wants to proceed. From my blood work done a few months back, my estrogen seemed fine (46.04 pg/ml) and did not raise any flags. 
I started taking Ubiquinol (200 mg/day) pretty much from the start as well, but will look at upping that as well as adding Vit C. Maybe even bring back acupuncture too since I gave that up a while back.
Thank you for that link, it was helpful! 

@julieanncosta1978 Welcome! Sorry that you find yourself here, but hope that your stay is short. The ladies here are a wealth of knowledge and extremely supportive so you are in good company. Do not beat yourself up over should have's or what if's, we all have regrets, I know that made similar choices. We are where we are and we move forward one step at a time. You got this!
In regards to supplements, Ubiquionol or CoQ10 as well as a good prenatal is a good start. I am sure that some of the other ladies will have some other tips to add as well. 

rallykat14

Ugh. I have to wait until Friday to find out my donor status

AlohaKumu

@rallykat14 Duuude, that's brutal! I hope the news is very well worth the wait.

50Wife

 @rallykat14 ugghhhhh I hope this week flies!!!

auntieleelee78

@nitnat007 Thank you! This has been a hard pill to swallow.

Avrilmai

@rallykat14 damn, you've had to wait long enough. Hoping Friday brings only very good news.

beachbunnyxo123

@rallykat14 ugh I’m so sorry for the wait friend. Is the ER still projected around the 30th?

suzycupcake

@rallykat14 I too hope it's worth the wait and hugs  

@julieanncosta1978 what nitnat said and plus, you would benefit tremendously by reading It Starts With The Egg. I'm sorry that you find yourself here. I hope your journey will be short! 

madspunk

@nitnat007 Some things I've heard improve uterine lining (and seem to be working for me): acupuncture, vitamin E, and L-arginine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19200982 > This study saw improvement in endometrial thickness in 52% of women who added vitamin E and 67% who added L-arginine.

suzycupcake

Thanks @madspunk !!!! 

nitnat007

@madspunk Thanks for that! 

@rallykat14 Ugh....how frustrating. FX for good news on Friday!

rallykat14

@beachbunnyxo123 Still the 30th..she has an appointment Friday and Monday and I'm "welcome to check back Friday". I have to say I'm a little annoyed that they aren't providing info.  Driving 3+hours to the office for the sperm sample, first thing in the morning takes a little planning. I know they don't know for sure now, but why do I have to follow up!!!

beachbunnyxo123

@rallykat14 ugh that’s really annoying. Like don’t they realize that not only does this take planning for your commute but this is a process that people make a huge financial and emotional investment in and they like to know what’s going on. I’m sorry they’re being such sticklers about things. 

suzycupcake

@rallykat14 Check back Friday for what?

rallykat14

suzycupcake said:

@rallykat14 Check back Friday for what?

To find out when the donors ER is.   We have to be there day of for the sperm sample.

suzycupcake

I'm sorry if you've already said that. It just seems to be very unethical for them to act this way unless that's how this process is? I don't know a lot about it. I mean, I get that it's a donor, but you are paying a lot of money for it and it's not right for them to not tell you what is going on. It's not a job interview. I'm curious, is there some kind of a document the donor signs off on so that you may be privy to certain private health information to know what's going on?

rallykat14

suzycupcake said:

I'm sorry if you've already said that. It just seems to be very unethical for them to act this way unless that's how this process is? I don't know a lot about it. I mean, I get that it's a donor, but you are paying a lot of money for it and it's not right for them to not tell you what is going on. It's not a job interview. I'm curious, is there some kind of a document the donor signs off on so that you may be privy to certain private health information to know what's going on?

They've given us a tentative date of the 30th but obviously with work/travel it is helpful to know as early as possible.  After Friday they will have a better idea but I'm just annoyed that I have to reach out for the info.  I'd like it if they would reach out to let me know where we stand.  I fear if we wait they will only call us once it is confirmed.  There are varying suggestionssug how many days before a sperm sample should men abstain. So it all plays into that as well.  I'd like the freshest sample but if we don't know until 2 days before there's not much that can be done. 

Speaking of ...what did everyone's clinic recommend for abstaining before the sperm sample? 

suzycupcake

We were told two days, but we didn't ever follow that because we don't have a mfi. And plus, mh always makes sure he has fresh sperm in there. 

beachbunnyxo123

@rallykat14 we were told 2-4 days but that if things moved quicker than thought for ER cycle that trigger day is fine. My clinic now does an IUI cycle with two back to back days of inseminations. One IUI the morning after trigger and one 36 hours after trigger. The second day IUI the count was always lower due to producing a sample the day before. I just say all this to show some variability as well. Are they doing ICSI? 

rallykat14

@beachbunnyxo123 yup ICSI. To date everything is in a normal range for my husband.  We just haven't been having much sex so I basically told him he needed to make sure to clear the pipes.  I'm sure it will have no impact but at this point I'm willing to do anything if it could potentially help.  Too bad he couldn't still to his diet/exercise plan.

50Wife

@rallykat14 I hope you hear something soon!!! We're dealing with MFI so I usually had him clear the pipes 2 days before a sample was needed.

Avrilmai

@rallykat14 like the other ladies our clinic said 2 days. (this was for IUI) it was 2 days before the monitoring appt so it was actually 3 and 4 days before the actual IUI. 

AlohaKumu

@rallykat14 I think the general rule is 2 days.

suzycupcake said:

We were told two days, but we didn't ever follow that because we don't have a mfi. And plus, mh always makes sure he has fresh sperm in there. 

@suzycupcake Wait... what? I can understand that you and your H decided to ignore the doctor's recommendation to abstain in this case, which probably isn't a good idea, but exactly how would your H "make sure he has fresh sperm in there"? As part of an MFI couple, I find that statement to be misinformed at best and horribly insulting.

suzycupcake

Meaning he made sure to masturbate if it had been awhile. I was beating around the bush. No pun intended We haven't always had the greatest sex life. I'm not sure which part you found to be insulting. Is it because I didn't say, "he made sure to masturbate if it had been awhile"?

AlohaKumu

There was no indication that you were referring to his masturbation prior to the SA rather than copulation, which is why that statement read as if you two were not abstaining from having sex for the recommended amount of time (rather than not having sex at all) and your DH would just know he had an adequate count prior to testing.

suzycupcake

Wait...I thought rallykat and I were talking about abstaining from sex before a procedure and a fresh sperm sample. Not masturbation vs copulation. 

She said, " how many days before a sperm sample should men abstain. So it all plays into that as well.  I'd like the freshest sample but if we don't know until 2 days before there's not much that can be done. Speaking of ...what did everyone's clinic recommend for abstaining before the sperm sample?"

and then I said, "We were told two days, but we didn't ever follow that because we don't have a mfi. And plus, mh always makes sure he has fresh sperm in there." 

She said to beachbunny, "To date everything is in a normal range for my husband.  We just haven't been having much sex so I basically told him he needed to make sure to clear the pipes.  I'm sure it will have no impact but at this point I'm willing to do anything if it could potentially help."

How is my comment about fresh sperm in there different from her comment about telling her husband to make sure to clear the pipes? Making sure he has fresh sperm in there isn't the same thing as him just magically knowing he has an adequate count in there. Is it because I mentioned that we don't have an mfi? Is it insulting to those with mfi to mention that we don't have that as an issue in our infertility journey? Because I have infertility. I'm confused. 

Don't be mad at me. I want to understand. If mentioning that we don't have mfi is insulting to the ladies who do, I will absolutely apologize for that because I don't want anyone to be upset by what I say nor do I want any ladies in here to feel like I'm rubbing something in their faces. I care a lot about each of your struggles and only want to help, not hurt  

AlohaKumu

It seems that some elements got lost in translation among the comments here. I better understand what you were trying to communicate. Having the explanation about preparing for the SA, whether that be through waiting to have sex for two days prior to the procedure or having your H "clear the pipes" two days in advance, does the job either way. I don't think you intended to be insulting to anyone dealing with MFI as part of their diagnosis.

suzycupcake

Thank you @AlohaKumu Still though, I am so sorry.