IF Testing & Treament w/o 7/13

mvt2003

This is a place for those of us who have already started TTC, but have started infertility testing and/or treatments. You can express your thoughts, feelings, and frustrations on infertility. TTC can be a long journey naturally, then add in the difficulties associated with infertility, and it becomes a whole new ball game. The road to infertility can be lonely, frustrating, and complicated, so let's make this a place where we can vent, ask questions, and support one another. Feel free to resurrect this thread at any point in the week if you have something to say. Treat this as an ongoing conversation. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):

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

How are things going?: 

Any questions?:

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you?

emeraldduchess

@shoogapoff @legallykate good luck at your monitoring appointments today!! Grow, follies, grow!!

Diagnosis (if you've been): Unexplain IF, unexplained RPL, AMA, and my ovaries are jerks

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): OPKs to test for my LH surge. When that happens, I wear an estrogen patch for 2 weeks until AF shows up, then I go for a baseline u/s and hopefully can start injections. 

How are things going?: I am feeling better than I did last week, but I still have my moments of doubt. I just want to get the show on the road. It's been exactly 2 years this week since we started TTC. I'm done waiting! Still have the job hunt to distract me, which helps. I have a few promising leads on that front, so hopefully that will be all set and I can avoid the last-minute panic in late August. 

Any questions?: No, I'm good. 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? I don't know designers at all! I won't watch HGTV because it makes me hate everything about my house. LOL

mvt2003

Diagnosis (if you've been): MFI

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): TWW

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Transfer #3 was yesterday 

How are things going?: I feel pretty at peace today, last transfer felt much more fraught afterwards. The actual procedure went well, and I'm really focusing hard on resting now. I've kind of resumed most of my daily life afterwards the last two times, so this time I'm trying to keep myself quieter. I'm a very active person, for example according to my Apple Watch on a normal day I do around 30 flights of stairs , so giving myself some more down time feels right. MH took most of my nightly "stuff" on last night for me, which was a big help. 

As of right now, I'm not planning on testing early, I'm thinking I'll do a FRER on the morning of beta, but overall I just can't see another pink line fade away.  

Any questions?: Nope

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? I've heard some gossip recently that makes me a little hesitant to say this, but I love the Property Brothers' designs so I would absolutely choose them. I've heard that they actually outsource a lot of the work (including design work) and take credit for it though, so that's a bummer. 

inthewoods23

@emeraldduchess yay for some promising leads! Now would be a great time for that job offer so then you can be happily distracted with planning for the new school year - whatever that ends up being. Who doesn't love looking forward to new things  I came across a Twitter thread yesterday that showed a $2M home listing in California that basically looked like a shack on the tiniest lot. People were replying with what you could get for $2M in other areas (like mansions basically!!). Man was I getting jealous and had to force myself to stop looking because I would love nothing more than a brand new house.

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained, low morph

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO, but should be in TWW later this week

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): breaking in the bed, some supplements, the usual with trying natural conception

How are things going?: things are just dandy, although I'm mad I haven't ovulated yet so my cycle is going to be longer than it has been in a while. First world problems lol. I think max for a while (excluding funky cycles post-meds) has been 30 days. This one may end up at 33.

Any questions?: nope

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? I've enjoyed what the Property Brothers create on their show. I love modern and minimalist design, but I have no idea who does that. There is an architect in Maine who does some really cool modern designs

I like that these GTKYs are just extensions from previous weeks 

inthewoods23

@mvt2003 glad you're at peace today! Chatting once with my friend on her experiences she said she felt as peace before finding out. But so did I last cycle so... I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the weather, day of the week, and other things going on at work or in our personal lives. What day is your beta?

acleverusername

@emeraldduchess Wow 2 years ☹️. I am so sorry this journey has been so long for you. FX that treatments will do the trick. Also good luck with job search! What do you teach?

@mvt2003 FX and sending all the positive vibes that this transfer does the trick. Will you be joining the TWW thread? When is your beta?

@inthewoods23 lol at your analogies for HIO and BD. 

*******************

I’ve been dipping the toe (aka lurking) here for the past few weeks but jumping in with both feet now. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): haven’t been officially diagnosed but working with MFI issues, PCOS (a 2009 diagnosis that’s up for debate now), and most recently thyroid drama (suspected Hashimoto’s) 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): TWW as of today 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): this was our last month of trying naturally (6 months after 35) so I’ve got a bunch of RE appointments lined up for 7/21, 7/23 and 7/27. I’ve already had Day 3 labs done this cycle (and discovered thyroid issue) and also DH had an SA done in June and that wasn’t excellent. I also l have an appointment with a specialist OB at my own clinic tomorrow 7/14 who might suggest trying a few medicated cycles and hopefully will give me drugs for my thyroid. I’m hoping/praying she won’t bench us until thyroid is under control. Finally, I also booked an appointment with a new OB who is certified in NaPro. I have no idea what to expect but my understanding is that I can get more diagnostics testing done through her that insurance would cover (I.e. saline sonogram, HSG). Sadly, my insurance doesn’t cover any infertility treatments. 

How are things going?: for now, I am looking forward to hopefully getting more answers in the next 2 weeks!

Any questions?: how do I pick an RE? Without insurance to consider, and with benefit of being in a bigger city, I have my pick. I’ve heard SART stats is one I should look at but any new clinics won’t have that information. And even on SART, the information presented is so dense that I feel like I need a medical degree to understand it. 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? We only have streaming service and I don’t watch any decorating shows. Also we rent (cause in SF you can’t afford to own) so it’s a moot point. I call DH the “chief decorator” since he cares about that stuff way more than I do. 🤣

mvt2003

@emeraldduchess EEEEE!!!! I am so freaking excited for your cycle to start!!!!!! Bring on the LH surge!!!!! 

@inthewoods23 Beta is next Wednesday, I'm just grateful I feel so much more peaceful right now. Last transfer, I had some terrible dreams/nightmares (didn't share this at the time, but I woke up screaming at least once, and woke up literally saying "it didn't work" the morning after transfer). MH never sleeps all the way through the night, and he told me this morning that I seemed peaceful and sleeping deeply. Also, if you looked at what house prices are in my area, it's worth crying haha. MA real estate is wild. 

@acleverusername I'm so sorry you find yourself in this thread, but we're always here for questions and support. In terms of picking a RE, my recommendation would be to find some practices conveniently located to you (for monitoring/treatment purposes, it does matter IMO. I see some girls on instagram driving 2 hours for monitoring appointments and that feels like it adds unnecessary stress to me if you can avoid it.) and then research doctor reviews. Fertility IQ has a section of their website that's devoted to clinic/individual RE reviews and that was really helpful for me in choosing my doctor. I got a referral from my OB-GYN for my practice, and several RE names, and I picked using Fertility IQ's reviews. You'll want to research both your physician AND the clinic, because sometimes you can love your doctor but not the practice or vice versa. Hope that helps!

shoogapoff

@emeraldduchess Thank you so much! I'm sorry for the 2 year anniversary. I am not *quite* there yet, but it's been weird to think about what we were doing a year ago, and realize that, oh, we've been seeing an RE for over a year now. Milestones like that are hard. FX that the next few weeks fly by for you! 

@inthewoods23 Sorry your cycle is being funky. I know some people struggle with cycles that are all over the place, but I can relate to having a hard time when it's off by just a few days, especially when you're waiting for O! 

@acleverusername Welcome! I'm sorry you find yourself here. As far as picking and RE goes, I agree 100% with Fertility IQ. I went with a clinic in our area (a large city) that had really good statistics, and was sooo frustrated with the terrible communication and mistakes they made. We were fortunate enough to be accepted into a clinical trial at another clinic, so we aren't with that center anymore. But it's so important to find a place that treats you well. Obviously the goal is pregnancy, but if the journey along the way is traumatizing because your clinic isn't doing their part to make it stress-free, then to me, it's not worth it. 

@mvt2003 I'm glad things went well for you and that you are feeling peaceful! Sending you all the good vibes!!

Diagnosis (if you've been): AMA, blocked tube

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): IVF!

How are things going?: I had my first monitoring appointment this morning. I guess things looked good. She counted 12 follicles. They want me to start Ganirelix tonight to prevent ovulation, which I have been worried about, since my follicular phase is a little on the short side anyway. Otherwise, I am waiting on my E2 results to determine what other medication changes they will make. 

Any questions?: I thought of a random question last night: @inthewoods23 (or anyone else who has done IVF and did PGT). I know you found out your embryos' sex, but I really, really don't want to know ahead of time. I'm a little worried that they will just tell us the sexes when they tell us the PGT results. Do you have any memory of how that was for you and if they asked you if you wanted to know or not? 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? No idea! All I can think of is Chip and Joanna. I'm not a fan of shiplap, but I have liked some of their less farmhouse-ish renovations, so I think I could work with them if I could make my desires really clear. 

inthewoods23

@acleverusername my pick in RE was what the urologist gave us within the same medical group. You could also look on your insurance's website for the list in your area.

@mvt2003 I think our housing market is pretty reasonable in terms of price (Midwest), but man, in some areas the price of our house would be like a third less. Or out in CA it'd probably be well over $1M just because of it's size and the size of our lot (3k sq ft and a nearly acre lot). We got the house with the intent to fill it with children  so sad lol. I just want to get KU so we can replace the railing in our foyer for the basement stairs. It's original with the house (1969) so the gaps in the bars is enough even for a 10 year old to crawl through. We did fix the "death waiting to happen" deck that had bench seats as a railing so you could crawl under it and fall right off and down a story below 

@shoogapoff My cycle is probably not actually being funky, but it sure feels that way when I'm used to the slightly shorter cycles. I don't recall exactly how the call went with the embryologist, but I know I was asked if I wanted to know the sex. I think they started with telling me of the 6 blasts, 5 were normal and then went into the question of finding out the sex. My RE may have asked us prior to the retrieval as well. I have no idea if we were to choose not to find out if that would even be noted in our file. It wouldn't hurt when you get the call to start off with letting them know you don't want the sex, just number that are normal. It might be standard protocol to ask because I know some people still find it taboo/whatever to do gender selection.

mvt2003

@acleverusername Just piggybacking too on @inthewoods23 if you're dealing with MFI, you'll want to confirm the practice has a urologist on staff or if YH is currently seeing a urologist, that he will work with the clinic. MH sees his urologist in his private practice, but the urologist also specializes in reproductive urology and is on staff at my RE's clinic. 

@shoogapoff That's a great count!!! Awesome! And totally agreed about the clinic. I was grateful that we had read Fertility IQ reviews of our clinic, so we knew what to expect. I'm in a big assembly-line clinic, which I knew going in and was prepared for. I like most of the lab and ultrasound staff, and both of my nurses, which is what I think is important. I also appreciate that my calls get returned same-day. 

@inthewoods23 it was SO depressing last year when we were in Virginia on vacation to look at local real estate prices and to see what kind of house we could get for cheaper than our current house. Your house would be in the $1m range in my market as well!! Also, IMO get cracking on those stairs!!!! Think of it this way - you'd rather that be done before you're KU anyway, right? 

acleverusername

Thank you for your support all! Of course that it sucks that it's come to this, but given all the underlying issues we've discovered on our journey thus far, I'm not surprised. We've also known about DH's sperm issues since last year (after an at-home SA test) and with my previous PCOS diagnosis + age factors, I had been mentally preparing myself for this path (I'm also a project manager so not preparing == great deal of anxiety). 

Thanks all for your advice re: picking an RE and information re: SART scores aren't everything. I hadn't considered looking at the clinic reviews on FertilityIQ. Great tip! For now, all of the RE's I have lined up appointments with have a REALLY high rating / great reviews on FertilityIQ. Will check for clinic info now. 

@shoogapoff 12 follicles is great! I'm guessing you're half-way through your stim cycle? Anyway, good luck with the rest of it. FX hard for you!!! 

@mvt2003 It's good that you've been sleeping well! Hopefully that's a positive sign. *hugs* 🤗 

inthewoods23

@mvt2003 I think in Texas things are pretty cheap so our house would be like, half the price. It's so sad what I've seen that you can get for like $300k (granted this is what I recall from watching all those HGTV shows). And good luck finding anywhere new that has large lots these days. Also all the new neighborhoods have like NO trees. 

mvt2003

@acleverusername Thanks!! If you ever have any MFI questions, feel free to reach out. We did an at-home test too, but we were lucky that it was only low count, quality was decent. MH has a varicocele that we're delaying fixing until we're done with IVF because that benches him for 6-12 months, and low T that he's on an rx for. 

acleverusername

@mvt2003 oh interesting; DH has low count + low motility (when he did at at-home test, the motility was near the bottom; it was kind of scary; when he did a proper SA, it was still below reference range, but much better). What kind of Rx is YH taking for T? Also, DH won't go to a doctor unless he's made to so we don't even know if he's got low T. Is it correct to assume that an RE will have him do some sort of blood tests? Or should I really push him to see a PCP or urologist to figure out root cause on his side? He says that if RE tell him he needs to do something, he will. That's what I get for marrying an Aries. 

misshelen86

@emeraldduchess So happy to hear that you are doing better and that you are finally getting this show on the road! I know it’s been a long journey for you. GL with the job hunt!

@mvt2003 Glad the transfer went well and that you are going to take it easy for now. I hear you on not wanting to see any more BFN’s. I’m hoping this TWW flies by for you. I’m rooting so hard for you!!

@inthewoods23 Ugh sorry your body isn’t cooperating this cycle. Late O’s are so frustrating!! 

@acleverusername Welcome but sorry you find yourself here! GL with your appointment tomorrow. We are dealing with MFI as well. I recommend asking for a referral to a urologist who specializes in fertility issues if that’s an option.. My DH had varicoceles that didn’t get diagnosed until his referral, despite being examined and having an ultrasound! Feel free to PM me if you have questions. 

@shoogapoff Yay for 12 follies! Amazing! Do you have a potential retrieval date yet? FX for you!

Diagnosis (if you've been): MFI

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Guys!! After a long 2 years... we are finally starting treatment!!! We are doing IUI with letrozole 5 mg CD 3-7 and I am also on a low dose steroid (for a slightly elevated DHEA level). First monitoring appointment is next Monday morning! Our RE recommended 2-3 medicated IUI’s and if they don’t work, to go ahead with IVF.

How are things going?: So excited to be finally moving ahead with the IUI. I had a really bad headache this morning after starting letrozole last night, but after such a long wait I will put up with whatever side effects come along. 

Any questions?: For those who took letrozole, did you find the side effects went away after you stopped taking it? 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you?I don’t watch a lot of design shows so I’m not sure!

mvt2003

@acleverusername Interesting - the at home test we got only said whether the count was low or not, nothing about motility. It was quite a saga at the time, as part of the IF workup from my OB-GYN we had to get MH a SA, our PCP ordered it for us but we had issues with communicating what lab to go to, etc. so finally my OB-GYN wrote the SA orders and we took it to the hospital lab (not that it matters, but our PCP is located by our old house and has admitting/lab rights at different hospitals so there was a lot of confusion). When she got the results, she called us and recommended we see the urologist that he now sees.

We saw the urologist, and he did some further testing to confirm a varicocele (warning - MH did not realize that there would be a physical examination at our preliminary appointment ) and due to our age, he recommended we move directly to IVF. The urologist had also run blood work on MH, and it came back as low T, which he put him on Clomid for, and to also potentially help boost his count. MH feels much better on Clomid and will probably stay on it for a while, which has been confirmed as a safe option. MH hates doctors, but has been good and proactive about this one, which has been helpful. 

In my opinion, your RE *should* recommend he see a urologist, since he has not already, although I'm not sure every RE does. This is where having a reproductive urologist on staff at a clinic might come in handy. If you don't mind me asking, what was his count range? MH was between 3 and 5 million, so pretty low but still candidates for ICSI. When you have your preliminary RE appointment, I'm sure there will be blood work ordered, but I don't think they'll test his T, the male partner's tests are less intensive. At our first RE appointment I had 9 vials of blood taken, and he had like 1 taken.  

shoogapoff

@misshelen86 Thank you! I am just 5 days into stims, so I am supposed to go back on Wednesday morning, most likely, for another scan. I am still waiting on the call today to tell me officially what's next. The follies I had weren't huge, so I'm sure I need some more time. 
As far as letrozole goes, I didn't notice side-effects after I was off of it. Honestly, I think most side-effects for any fertility med are worse in the beginning, and go down as your body adjusts, but maybe that's just me. So excited for you to be starting treatment! 

acleverusername

@misshelen86 Oooh! Good luck with IUI! I am probably heading down same route, but will know more by end of July. Thanks also for the suggestion re: urologist. 

@mvt2003 thanks for that excellent walkthrough of your experience. I will definitely bring up the urologist question at our appointment next week. When you say YH feels good on Clomid, what does that mean? Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one w/ a husband that hates doctors. 

Putting the DH's SA results & context in spoiler. 

So, last year he did the Dadi kit which looks a lot of factors when it comes to sperm: volume, concentration, count and motility. They also freeze your sperm sample. It's a bit on the expensive side ($200) but it was worth it for us to know at the time since it influenced a major life decision for me (freezing my eggs; a path I had started down in 2018, when we still pretty early in our relationship, but had been dragging my feet on). 

Dadi kit results (Jun 2019) were: concentration = 31.4MIL/ml, volume = 2.5ml; motility = 4.8% 😱
SA results (Jun 2020) were: concentration = 48MIL/ml (just below the normal range for 50-150MIL/ml), volume = 3ml; motility 48% (normal is 60% and above). 

So, his sperm definitely improved and is probably _not_ the reason for our issues?! But I guess it could be. We really cut back on HIO this cycle to allow time for his sperm to build up. 

mvt2003

@acleverusername I had no idea that kit even existed, MH actually found his kit at Walgreens by himself At those numbers, I actually don't know if a urology consult would be 100% necessary. I'm not an expert, but I believe urology comes in when there are issues where there can be physical obstructions etc. so going straight to the RE might be the way to go. Is YH on supplements? There are some on the market specifically to help with motility and morphology, I would get him on those ASAP because I know some others on here have seen improvements in SA from supplements. In terms of Clomid, it's helped MH have more energy and sleep better - two of the symptoms of low T that he had been having for several years without realizing it. Overall, it's worth it to him to keep on Clomid, and he's planning on staying on it indefinitely. 

misshelen86

@acleverusername My RE (and probably most clinics) would consider those results normal. The initial sample motility is quite low, but on the repeat seems fine. I wonder how accurate that kit would be in terms of the motility.. if it’s not analyzed within 1 hour it may not be accurate. My RE wanted to see a concentration >15 mil/mL and a motility >40%. 

@shoogapoff GL Hope your appointment goes well on Wednesday and those follies grow more! 

inthewoods23

@misshelen86 yay!! so glad you're back in the game and having IUIs done!!

@acleverusername YH's second SA are fairly close to what DH has (or hopefully HAD). His count was good between 50-70MIL/ml and motility around 60%. Having him go on a multivitamin for our 3 IUIs showed that his motility greatly improved just on the multivitamin. Can't speak to the morphology though that our SA showed (1%), but I would assume more motile sperm is also better in shape/less defects. My OB had DH go to the urologist to check for the vericocele since he was on the low end of normal but that turned up to be fine as well.

I'm super tempted to do an at home one just to see what kind of improvements we have with DH on both a multivitamin and CoQ10.

acleverusername

This is all really good advice! I am honestly so grateful to have a place where I can ask all these questions 🙏🏻. We'll see what the OB / RE say this week and next. And yes, DH started taking these supplements in May(?). At my urging, he'll also start taking Ubiquinol; we just got another order in. I wonder if the RE will have him do another SA. 

@misshelen86 Yeah, I'm about 85% certain that DH is not the problem. My OB, who ordered the SA for him, said she's be concerned about MFI if count & motility were both below 40MIL/40% or if there was a 3rd factor below reference range.

@inthewoods23 there is a relatively cheap at-home one you can get; it's called YO sperm. It's $65 and good for 2 tests. I _think_ it shows count & motility. 

legallykate

I will come back in a bit for tags, it's been a hectic day.

Diagnosis (if you've been): AMA, DOR

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Egg retrieval 

How are things going?: Good! I went in today for my second monitoring appointment and had really good growth and a lot more follies and my E2 was really good too, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high but I'm feeling way better than I did on Friday and like this might actually work for us. My RE seemed really optimistic too which was nice to see. I also started on my antagonist (Cetrotide) today and it's looking like the retrieval is on for Sunday unless things change dramatically. 

Any questions?: No specific ones I can think of, but if anyone has any good ER preparation/recovery advice I'd be happy to hear it. 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? Definitely Joanna Gaines, I love her! MH used to live in Waco and I would try to stalk her when I visited him there. 

legallykate

@emeraldduchess Glad you are feeling better this week and have some good job leads! Sorry about the anniversary, but at least hopefully the wait is almost over!

@mvt2003 So glad the transfer went well and you are feeling good about it, resting is a great plan! I am not as physically active but am definitely a high stress person and a bit of a workaholic so I have to force myself to relax too.

@inthewoods23 Sorry for the annoyingly long cycle, hurry up O!

@acleverusername This is probably not the greatest answer but my OB referred me to my RE, and the clinic is super close to my house so I liked the convenience factor, and also he and the clinic both had great reviews online.

@shoogapoff Hey hey cycle buddy, glad things are going well – 12 follies is awesome! I had 11 today after 6 days of stims and was thrilled (I only had 3 measurable ones Friday). When do they think your retrieval will be?

@misshelen86 Yay for starting treatment! Hope the headaches subside as you get used to the meds.

acleverusername

@legallykate 11 follies is great! May more grow in the next several days.

shoogapoff

@legallykate Yay! So glad things are looking good for you! They haven't said when mine will be yet. I am guessing Monday, but I guess it could be this weekend too. I'm sure I will know more on Wednesday. I'm selfishly hoping for a weekend ER so I don't have to worry about missing work!

abarr723

@emeraldduchess I hope you get your surge soon!' 

@mvt2003 I'm so glad everything seems to be better over all this time around. REST! Park thay booty on the couch and binge some shows on Netflix girl!  

@inthewoods23 i had the same problem with my last cycle, mine is usually around 30 days and AF decided to make her arrival on day 33. I was like oh, nice of you to join us b*tch. But I think the hysteroscopy through my body off a little bit. 

@acleverusername Welcome to the group! The ladies here are amazing, and don't be afraid to ever ask questions/vent. We're always going to listen! I'm sorry that the testing brought upon some not welcomed news for you and DH, but it's nice to finally have some answers as well as be able to get a plan on motion hopefully! 

@shoogapoff I'm so glad you're beginning your IVF treatment! Hooray for next steps!! 

@misshelen86 omg yay! I'm so glad you're able to finally begin treatments! it's such a relief when you start putting plans into motion! I know I felt so much relief when we did! As for the letrozole, the headaches should subside. Wait until you can feel your ovaries at work haha It's kind of cool!

@legallykate I'm not sure we've met yet, but I'm glad that things went well at your appointment! I can't wait to hear more about your story!!

AFM:
Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): CD1

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  2.5mg Letrozole with follicle monitoring, trigger shot and IUI

How are things going?: Things have been going so well! I disappeared yet again for a few weeks on you ladies, school was insane, however, I now present to you, ABarr723, RN! 😁😁 it feels amazing to finally be done! Such a weight has been lifted now that I've graduated! And I am so incredibly happy! DH is doing well, I know I had mentioned last time how things were crazy and how he was on riot control duty, but that has calmed down and he's back to his normal day to day, thank God. We are looking forward to being able to spend more time together enjoying summer and focus on making little baby Bub. (I call DH Bub, so that's what he's been referring to baby as haha). Anywho, I had my hysteroscopy a few weeks and they removed the polyps, so we are good to go. I start letrozole and follie monitoring on Wednesday. FX that with the polyps gone the little Bean sticks! I'm glad to be back with you ladies! And I can't wait to see what else is going on! 😘😘 

Any questions?: no questions! 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you?

Ummmm i feel like the only one I know is Nate Berkus lmao and I have his bedding set, so I think I would trust hIm! Haha 

legallykate

@abarr723 Congrats on your RN and yay for getting rid of the polyps! And so glad YH is off of riot duty, that must have been so scary. I jumped in here pretty quickly over the last month, my RE strongly suggested that IVF was the way to go for us with my low AMH (1.07), high FSH (13.7) and age (36), and he is traveling at the end of the month so we just kind of jumped in when I started this cycle. 

@shoogapoff Yes, I feel the exact same, we are tentatively aiming for Sunday and that would be such a life saver for me work-wise if I can do it Sunday morning and spend the day recuperating and not have to take Monday or Tuesday off last minute.

legallykate

Quick Q for those who have done IVF (or maybe this happens with IUI too?): my next blood work (tomorrow, which will be day 9 of stims) includes a CBC as well as Estradiol, does anyone know why? Is this just to make sure I don't have any type of virus or anything in the days leading up to the retrieval?

gingermama29

@emeraldduchess I'm sorry you hit the 2 year milestone. I can't imagine how difficult that must be. Sending hugs. And crossing fingers for you in your job hunt! I'm glad you have some promising leads!

@mvt2003 I'm crossing everything for good news for you!! And that's super disappointing about the Property Brothers. They were my answer too.

@inthewoods23 hopefully your cycle won't be too long. Jumping in on your Twitter thread conversation, DH any I have talked about that a million times, especially when we watched Flip or Flop. The sizes of the houses that they're selling for 500k+ blow my mind. I'm pretty sure if our house was in one of those California neighborhoods, it would be worth 5 times what we paid for it, which is crazy to me!

@acleverusername I'm sorry you find yourself in this thread but it's a wonderful place for support. I don't have any advice for choosing a RE but I wish you the best of luck with the process!

@shoogapoff yay for 12 follies!! FX for good growth and a possible weekend ER for you!

@misshelen86 yay for getting to go ahead with IUI!!! Crossing everything for you!

@legallykate yay for ER on Sunday!!! Things really started moving with this! So exciting! Sending all the good vibes your way.

@abarr723 congratulations!! That is such an amazing accomplishment and has to feel so great to be finished! FX for your monitoring appointment. 

gingermama29

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): benched until August

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Taking BCP to balance hormones

How are things going?: 2 weeks of BC left!! So excited to be getting off the bench soon!! I'll have to get back into the habit of temping soon, but it's definitely been a nice break from that.

Any questions?: Nope

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you?
The Property Brothers! I love their show and their design style.

bluetickgal

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS and Unexplained RPL 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WFAF (starting Provera today)

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Provera (starting tonight for 10 days) and then doing injectables with IUI next cycle. 

How are things going?: Doing surprisingly well, all things considered! Monitoring appointment yesterday showed no growth of follicles, which was very disappointing! My RE said that my body may be starting to become resistant to Letrozole. Still seems weird with the dose increasing, but DH and I have talked and we decided we are comfortable with moving forward with injectables for an IUI or two. We will be getting meds from Mandells, so I have to work with them to figure out insurance and whatnot...looks like I’ll be doing Follistim or Gonal-F, depending on which one ends up being cheaper. Hopefully changing meds completely will give us good results! I am excited to try something new, but still trying not to get my hopes up too high! Also called the adoption agency yesterday and we have an informational meeting (via Zoom) scheduled for this coming Monday! We are excited to get things moving with that too! I’m feeling like things are moving forward for a change, so hopefully something good comes from it!! 

Any questions?: None right now. May once we start this next cycle. 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? Oh, this is a tough one...but I’d have to say Ben & Erin Napier from Home Town! They seem like the sweetest couple, and I love their designs!! I also really like Chip & Jo, but I agree with @shoogapoff on the not loving shiplap! 

@emeraldduches I feel ya...my ovaries are jerks too! 😒 I hope your LH surge happens soon, so you can get started with your IVF protocol!! So sorry you hit the 2 year trying milestone...it sucks!! It’s so unfair to be waiting for so long, but I hope the waiting is almost over!! I hope you get great news about a job very soon! 

@mvt2003 so glad your transfer went well, and you feel at peace! Good for you with taking it easier...30 flights a day is a lot (impressive though)! I hadn’t heard that about the Property Brother’s...that is a bummer! I’ve always liked their shows & their designs too! 

@inthewoods23 sorry O is taking its sweet time, but hopefully it happens in the next couple of days! Are you feeling better this week? You still planning on your getaway this weekend? 

@acleverusername welcome...but I’m so sorry you find yourself here! Wow, you have lots of appointments coming up! I hope your appointment with the OB goes well today! I don’t really have any advice beyond what has already been said, but I hope you feel good going with one of the RE’s you meet with later this month! 

@shoogapoff so glad your monitoring appointment went well...12 follies sounds great! So excited for you, can’t wait to hear how they continue to progress! 

@misshelen86 yay, so happy you are moving forward with an IUI this cycle! Everything crossed for great results at monitoring on Monday! As far as Letrozole side-effects go, mine have always been minimal...some headaches and some night sweats or hot flashes, and that goes away shortly after stopping meds. I used to get a headache the day or two after stopping, but I haven’t had that the past few cycles. I hope the headaches aren’t too bad for you and that they go away quickly! 

@legallykate yay, so glad your second monitoring appointment went well and showed more follies!! Hope things keep progressing and you’ll be able to have your ER on Sunday! It’ll be here before you know it! 

@abarr723 congratulations on officially becoming an RN! That is so exciting!! Glad things have calmed down for YH too...hope you can enjoy some good quality time together now!! Hope your monitoring appointment goes well on Wednesday! 

@gingermama29 I’m so happy you are almost finished with BC and will be off the bench so soon! Ready for you to be able to get back in the game! ☺️

mvt2003

@legallykate YAYY!!!!!!! Here we go Sunday!!!! I was besties with my extra large heating pad after my retrieval, so definitely recommend that. I also had gatorade zero in the house for electrolytes, and I had a salty dinner that night. I didn't have too terrible of a recovery overall, just keep hydrating and keep your electrolytes up. Also, I was told to start on stool softeners before retrieval and keep up with them afterwards, because anesthesia constipates you, which was great advice. I didn't have a CBC before my ER, but I believe some clinics do them in case of infection. 

@abarr723 GL starting monitoring!!! And congrats on your RN!!

@misshelen86 Glad you're in the game, friend!!!! Here's hoping IUI is quick and easy and your ticket to a BFP!  

@gingermama29 HOORAY for almost being done with BC!!!!!! It's going to feel amazing to be done!!!!  

@bluetickgal Here's hoping injectables help next cycle!! I haven't done Follistim, but the Gonal-F pen was MH's fave to administer  

inthewoods23

@legallykate #1 is to rest and just be comfortable the rest of the day after your ER. Wear something loose and comfortable to the ER. I'm not sure you know, but after my ER last year I actually went to Red Robin for a delicious burger with my dad and sister for dinner YMMV so keep it low key and chill if you need to. I sort of went just to keep up appearances, but I was just very lucky in that I was feeling pretty close to 100% by dinnertime. Stock up on Gatorade/electrolytes. Hope all goes well for you! Not sure about the CBC test, but estradiol I think helps them see if you're at risk for OHSS. Maybe the CBC is standard as part of having an operation?

@abarr723 congrats on the RN! Happy to see you back in the game. Good luck with your IUI! I'm just mad when cycles deviate even the littlest bit 

@gingermama29 I used to watch that show all the time. I remember one house they bought sight unseen for like $500k and as it turns out, whoever last owned it poured CONCRETE into all the sinks and toilets!! Yikes! 2 more weeks yay!!! Getting so close!

@bluetickgal sounds like you have lots of exciting things going on multiple fronts! We're just going to do some (or a) day trips. My goal is just to kinda detox from my phone for at least a day.


AFM, my OPK at night yesterday was an instant positive! Finally! I'm so used to O'ing on CD17 that it's weird to not even get the first positive until CD18. Ok not really, as a 33 day cycle would mean an O date of CD19 so this isn't abnormal by any means. Just glad DH and I have good timing again this month 

gingermama29

@bluetickgal I'm sorry there wasn't any growth at your monitoring appointment. That's so frustrating. But that's so exciting that things are moving forward with the adoption process! 

@inthewoods23 I remember that episode!! So crazy! 

acleverusername

@abarr723 WOW congrats on getting your RN! What a great accomplishment. And happy to hear that YH is off riot duty. That must have been scary for both of you. It sounds like the conditions are now perfect for your to get working on baby Bub. 

@gingermama29 you're so close to being back in the game! Hopefully you won't find getting back into temping too overwhelming. 

@bluetickgal I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have any follies. How many Letrozole cycles have you done? Hopefully the change in meds does the trick, though Gonal-F is so freaking expensive. Is there anything special about Mandell's? Also, it's exciting to hear that you're moving forward with the adoption as an option! Between everything you're doing, you will be a mom soon! 

shoogapoff

@gingermama29 Yay for being so close to the end of BCP! Hopefully you'll get back into the TTC game feeling refreshed and ready to go! 

@bluetickgal I'm so sorry for the disappointing scan. I think I have heard of diminished response to letrozole, but I am definitely no expert. Hopefully Gonal-f will be just what you need. I know it's pricey, but it usually works really well. I'm glad you're moving forward with adoption talks as well. 

bluetickgal

@mvt2003 thanks, friend! Haha, oh goodness...why was it his favorite?! Was it you...or maybe @nitnat007 that said your husband was oddly excited to stab you? DH hasn’t gotten that chance yet with only doing the trigger shot so far! 

@inthewoods23 that sounds like a great plan to detox from your phone...it’s amazing what unplugging for a bit can do! So glad O really was right around the corner and you ended up with good timing! Fingers crossed so hard for you!

@gingermama29 thanks, friend! It feels good to be moving forward...and in a couple different directions at this point! 

@acleverusername whew, just counted it up...16 cycles on Letrozole! *TW - 2 were successful, but ended in losses. - End TW* Yeah, gonal-F is quite expensive, but we won’t have to pay full price (can at least get a discount even if insurance doesn’t cover it)...and it will hopefully be worth it in the end! Mandell’s is just the pharmacy that my RE is used to working with, and apparently they are really good with overnighting meds if needed! Thank you, I so hope that’s true!! 

@shoogapoff it definitely makes sense that it could happen with as long as I’ve been on it...just seemed odd with it happening the first cycle that I did the increased dose! That’s so good to hear...I’m hopeful that I’ll respond well too! 

avidlyuks36

Hi ladies! 

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained

Status :WTO

What are you doing this cycle? IUI with clomid 

How are things going?: things are going good so far. this is my first IUI -- I did IVF in the past and this seems so lowfi that i'm spacing on monitoring sessions and there are only 2. I have two 12/14 follicles on the right ovary and he expects us to have the IUI on Saturday. I go in Friday for the trigger shot and last US. 

Any questions?: Have any of you done IUIs before -- I'm having a hard time getting excited about it or believing it will work since I'm older (42).  Because of COVID we are waiting till we return to work to do another round of IVF (we have to pay out of pocket).

GTKY: I actually like Sarah Jessica Parker's house and thought it looked awesome in her 72 questions episode so I would have her or whoever did her house do mine. I would love Victoria Beckham to restyle my closet. I love her clothing line and my closet needs to be redecorated too.

acleverusername

@bluetickgal 16 cycles... oh wow. FX that Gonal-f gives you a sticky one! I had a follow-up w/ a specialist OB at my own clinic today, and she's suggesting we move forward with trying a few medicated cycles before seeing an RE. 

@avidlyuks36 Hi and welcome. I'm new on this thread too. Those follicle sizes look good. Good luck with the IUI on Saturday. 

abarr723

Thank you everyone for the congratulations!! It does truly feel so good to be done and to finally close that chapter of my book. 

@bluetickgal I am hoping that the change in Meds is helpful! Sometimes what is good for others, doesn't work for you! And there is nothing wrong with that! And kudos to looking into another option jic, I give you a lot of credit for taking that step! May I ask if IVF Is an option for you guys? Please don't feel obligated to answer if you're uncomfortable, I just can't recall if you had discussed it before. 

@gingermama29 2 weeks left!! YAYYYY! How exciting! Get off that bench girl, we need you in the game! 

@avidlyuks36 welcome!I am currently doing medicated IUI. Don't let your age deter you, I work in a maternity hospital and see women all the time who get pregnant from IUI in their 40s! You never know! FX for you!!!