IF Testing & Treament w/o 7/13

bluetickgal

@avidlyuks36 welcome, I hope you have success with your IUI! There are many ladies here who have undergone IUI’s (myself included), so there is a great group of ladies here to compare treatment and to support each other. A  couple notes...*TW - the term “baby dust” is not used on the Bump as it can be hurtful to those that have suffered losses. - End TW* Also, this board operates a little differently than others. We do not mention losses or living children without a *TW* (trigger warning) and even a spoiler at times. There is a TFAS (trying for a sibling) thread where living children can be talked about freely; otherwise, talk should be kept out of or to a minimum in other threads (this one included) in an effort to not hurt/trigger those who have suffered losses or who do not have children yet. If you haven’t already, please introduce yourself in the Newbie thread for this week so we can all get to know a little more about you. I’d recommend lurking a bit to see how things go around here as well...that helped me a ton when I joined in. I hope I haven’t come across and unwelcoming...we have just fostered an environment that is comfortable and not triggering for the majority, and we try to keep it that way as much as possible.

@acleverusername thank you! That sounds like a great plan! We did several medicated/TI cycles with the OB before switching to an RE (after almost a year). Hopefully a medicated cycle is just what you need!! Are you going to keep the RE consults, or hold off on those now? 

@abarr723 thanks, lady!! I don’t mind at all to answer that. We have decided that we will not do IVF (although for the first time this week, DH mentioned it is actually tempting to consider). *TW - we had originally said that since we could get pregnant (although couldn’t keep a pregnancy), we didn’t think it would be helpful. Now that we are almost a year out from our second loss with no pregnancies, it seems like it could be helpful. The losses make us super hesitant to consider it though. - End TW* Overall, we’ve decided that we would rather put that money towards adoption, which is something that has been on our hearts/minds for a long time.

*Edited to clarify some acronyms.*

mvt2003

@bluetickgal Haha Gonal-F was his favorite because it was the easiest to administer - no mixing and air bubbles were minimal with the pen. Also, the needle is the smallest! And yes, at one point when we were having issues getting approvals to get started with IVF he literally told me "I just want to be able to stab you with needles, is that too much to ask?!" He's funny like that. 

@avidlyuks36 Welcome! I'm sorry you find yourself here, but hopefully this IUI will have a great result! 

kpearse99

@mvt2003 I feel like I remember you posting that a while back, about YH just wanting to stab you with needles hahahaha At least he's honest     I'm not doing Gonal-F (RE flat out told me NO haha) but I am curious for my gal @bluetickgal - since you said it's the smallest, would you say it's similar to the trigger? Cause that was pretty little and painless.

mvt2003

@kpearse99 Haha he's always honest like that! The Gonal-F needle was IMO even smaller than my Ovidrel trigger! Cetrotide was my least fave! 

bluetickgal

@mvt2003 sounds great! They mentioned Menopur as an option, but the nurse said that is more complicated with having to mix it...so I’m glad I’m be going with one of the other two! Bahaha to YH...sometimes you just need to stab things! 😂 I may have DH do some of these injections...he offered with the trigger, but I figured it would be easier myself for just one shot in the belly! @kpearse99 thanks for always looking out for me, friend! It’s hard to imagine a needle smaller than the trigger shot, but I’ll take it! 

legallykate

I wish they were all pens! The pens and dosing seem so user friendly, get on board other meds. @mvt2003 the Cetrotide gives me an itchy welt but my nurse said that's super common. I'm not sure whether I dislike that or the burning of the Menopur more though. Glad to hear the trigger shot isn't bad!

acleverusername

I need some advice... not sure if anyone here has thyroid issues. I recently got tested and it looks like I have Hashimoto's. Yesterday I had 1st of many fertility-related appointments booked for this month; this one with a specialist OB at my own OBGYN clinic. She is starting me off on thyroid meds right away (note: my TSH isn't bad yet @ 3.36, though I know for TTC it ought to be below 2.5) and has recommended I continue to be followed by an endocrinologist for it since it transcends TTC. She's also starting me on progesterone supplementation in luteal phase, given my low progesterone. Finally, since it's been 6 months, she is recommending that we try a few medicated cycles + timed intercourse before going down a more aggressive RE path. She even said that she could do IUI at the clinic (and I'm hoping doing this through her would cost less since my insurance doesn't cover an infertility treatments). So, where I am hesitating right now is going on 3 different medications all in one cycle: Prometrium, Levothyroxine + Letrazole (or Clomid). I'm wondering if I should get my thyroid under control first, and then go for Letrazole. This would likely mean August will be more of what we've been doing thus far, and starting medicated cycles in Sep. Any advice?

acleverusername

@bluetickgal that bit about putting money into adoption makes so much sense! I think I'm going to keep 1 RE appointment to get a "2nd opinion" but punt all others. Other than thyroid, other Day 3 hormones looked good as did a recent, CD12 u/s and FX that postponing these convos by 3-4 months won't change that. 

@mvt2003 seriously LOL'ing about the stabbing bit. MH is afraid of needles so I'm not sure I could ever count on him to do any kind of drug administration for me. Is the trigger shot the one that goes in the butt? 

@kpearse99 what was your protocol if not Gonal-f?

@legallykate agreed that the pen is super easy to use. 

emeraldduchess

@acleverusername welcome! I am so sorry that you find yourself here, but you couldn't ask for a more helpful and supportive group of ladies. My primary care doctor referred me to my RE, so choosing was pretty easy. I teach elementary school. It's tough to find open teaching positions at that level where I live, though.  

@inthewoods23 LOL at "breaking in the bed". And for a second I thought, "Oh nice, she got a new bed!" *facepalm* 

@mvt2003 I am so glad that you feel at peace after your transfer. I completely agree with you about not testing until the morning of your beta. That's what I plan to do too.

@shoogapoff we signed a form saying that we did NOT want to know the sex of our embryos along with the test results. We wanted something to be a surprise! Your consent forms for the PGS testing might have that option. 

@misshelen86 YAY for finally starting treatment!! I am so excited for you and your DH!

@legallykate hooray for growth and good numbers! 
@gingermama29 I hope the next two weeks FLY by so you can wave goodbye to those BCPs!

@bluetickgal I am so excited for you and your DH about getting started with the adoption process. Keep us updated! FX that switching your meds helps. 

@avidlyuks36 welcome! I only have 1 IUI experience (our second one was cancelled because my ovaries decided to be jerks). It was all pretty simple, but obviously it didn't work for us that time. 

@abarr723 congratulations on getting your RN! That is amazing! 

kpearse99

@acleverusername I did IUIs (5 of them previously before we decided to take a break from treatment and actively trying). I was on Letrozole for most of the IUI cycles, which I responded really well too once we found the right dose. My last IUI cycle I was on clomid, which I did not respond well too. I also did the ovidrel trigger.

My RE won't do Gonal-F for me because of the increased risk of multiples that it has.
TW** I had high blood pressure when I was pregnant with my son, and my RE wants to avoid from happening again as much as possible...having multiples would not be good! End TW***

emeraldduchess

All my IVF meds came in the mail yesterday. I knew it would be a lot, but I was NOT prepared for how many vials, needles, and Gonal-F pens there were. My RE put me on a very aggressive protocol, so I have Gonal-F, Menopur, Cetrotide, and Lupron. I got REALLY nervous when I saw the size of the needle on the Menopur syringe...then realized that's just for mixing and the injection needle was separate. Thank GOODNESS! It looks like I can do all the injections myself, too. Not that I don't trust DH. I just don't want to put that kind of pressure on him. I went to the RE for a blood draw this morning to check my LH levels. It did not go well. I got squeamish for the first time in a year, and almost passed out.  The nurses couldn't have been sweeter, though. 

On the job front, my second interview went pretty well, I sent them the best sample lesson plan and demo that I could come up with and the teachers I would be working with seemed to like me. I should hear by the end of the week, so FX! 

shoogapoff

@legallykate I got an itchy whelp from ganirelix too. That one is absolutely my least favorite so far. @bluetickgal @kpearse99 I agree with @mvt2003 that gonal-f is easier than the trigger. Side note,  one of the other clinical trials going on at my clinic is about pre-mixed menopur and whether or not it is as effective as the current method. That would be really nice! 

avidlyuks36

@acleverusername — thank you — good luck to you too!

@abarr723 — that's amazing — I feel like doctors downplay how often women in their 40’s can get pregnant.

bluetickgal — sorry about the post — I corrected it and will be more mindful of the rules in the future

mvt2003 — thank you for the welcome

keikilove

@avidlyuks36 Welcome! I’m also in the AMA group & focusing on how many DO get pregnant, instead of the opposite. Best of luck to you with the IUI!

@mvt2003 I’m so happy to hear how good you feel after this transfer!! FX the peace you’re feeling is because everything aligned perfectly.🤞🏽💗

@emeraldduchess Woohoo! Things are really happening for you, sooo exciting! Every time one of you mentions how big the box of meds is, it makes me wonder if you feel giddy like on Xmas when it arrives, haha. Glad to hear the second interview went well too—sounds promising. 

@abarr723 Congratulations in getting your RN!!! That’s huge. You’re finally done, hooray! Now you can focus 100% on this crazy TTC ride. 

@inthewoods23 Glad that going the natural route is feeling good for you this week. You seem to be in great spirits overall! And I feel you on that house comparison stuff: the houses in Hawai’i start around $750,000 for a regular average normal small-ish home. My husband & I see shows on TV & just stare at each other in disbelief. I tell everyone I know that Texas is where it’s at: huge affordable homes, low cost of living, great place to raise kids. But no way we’d go there now with COVID ravaging the place. 

@acleverusername Welcome to the most supportive corner of TB! You sound like you’ve gotten super organized with pursuing next steps! Personally, my advice to you is to keep all of your appointments. You may learn so much from the NaPro doc, on top of what your OB & specialist RE may find. I had the exact same issues as you with the thyroid and low progesterone, etc. my specialist RE days the thyroid numbers should be around 1 for conception. Mine was just above 2.5 and they still put me on Levothyroxine. It immediately came down to around 1; you may not have to postpone or delay anything if your level drops right away with the meds. I don’t have any side effects from the thyroid meds now. At first it made my hair fall out. The progesterone made me very sleepy at first, with hot flashes, but the sleepiness went away fairly quickly. I had no side effects whatsoever from the Letrozole. Can you start one or two meds a couple days apart, then add the progesterone after ovulation so you don’t have to delay a cycle? That’s what I would do. 

@shoogapoff I LOL-ed when I read your shiplap comment!😆 “Chip & Joanna, go easy on the shiplap!!! That’s so 2018” hahaha. Anyway, so thrilled for you that your follie count is looking so good! I can’t believe how much good stuff is happening in this thread this week! 

@misshelen86 Woohoo, you’re moving to IUI treatment!!!! Girl, you have been down a looooong road! I’m so happy for you that there is finally some forward movement in the direction you want to go. FX for a successful 1st IUI! (Sorry, no advice on the Letrazole question. I didn’t have side effects that I recall. Hope the headache eases up!)

@legallykate So excited for you!! It sounds like the cycle is going like clockwork. FX that it all continues perfectly.🤞🏽 Too funny about stalking Joanna Gaines in Waco.😄

@gingermama29 YESSSS, you’re almost done with the BCP! I hope you’re feeling ok & not suffering the side effects anymore. Almost time for you to move forward!

@bluetickgal I’m sorry the increased dosing didn’t pan out. Hopefully the injectable will get the job done! And how exciting about the adoption appointment!!! Good luck with that.💓 Love your choice of designers. Home Town is such a good show—they
do beautiful designs! 

Edited for typos. Did I mentioned that I hate my phone’s autocorrect? 

shoogapoff

Update from my monitoring appointment today: 17 follicles right now.  The biggest one is 16 mm, and they want there to be at least a few that are 17+. I asked my nurse what she thought about ER, and she said that based on my follie size, she would guess I need 2-3 more days of meds. But that is dependent on my E2 results as well. So FX still that ER will be this weekend! 

keikilove

Well, friends, I can finally return to being an active & regular participant here. The big work project is over, thank gawd!! And thanks again to everyone who responded to my long saga post about 10 days ago—your input helped me a lot! Y’all are truly the best.❤️ I am SO excited to see all the treatment plans happening here! I hope we have another mass exodus soon.💗💗💗

Diagnosis (if you've been): RPL, AMA, Elevated Natural Killer Cells & Activity, Blood-clotting mutations. 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): Egg retrieval & IVF! It only took two long years to get here!

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): On BCP right now—dear geesus, I have been sick as a dog on these pills!! Raging weeklong headache that Tylenol can’t touch, horrible cramps, diarrhea, waking up in the night to throw up. @gingermama29 It made me feel that much more empathy for you & your 3 months of BCP. After 1 week of hell I called the RE office begging to get me off of these devilish pills. No can do, but I switched to taking it at night & side effects don’t seem nearly as bad today. I can survive just one more week of this.🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽 I start meds in 10 days, retrieval isn’t until the first week of August. 

How are things going?: See above.🥴 I did decide to move forward with the retrieval with my current local RE. I am going to focus on this first cycle working, and not give too much energy to thinking about the backup clinic that was so harsh with me last convo. However, I also found a second back-up clinic that has great success with older AMA clients and is very affordable when paying out-of-pocket, so I am reaching out to them this week. It feels reassuring to have another backup option just in case. I’d stick with my beloved local RE If this first attempt doesn’t work, but my insurance only covers one lifetime IVF, and after that it would cost us $20K to do another cycle with her. Not an option. 

Any questions?: You guys, this is so ridiculous, but I’m not clear on the egg retrieval process. Is everyone put under anesthesia? Anesthesia has been the scariest part for me out of everything I’ve done so far. (I love my RE but her IVF nurse could be better in the communication department. I feel like I have to ask a million questions to understand the process and treatment plan.) 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? I’m not too into what I see most designers do. I saw one great designer on a competition show recently but can’t remember her name. Her aesthetic was modern and cozy at the same time: uncluttered, clean lines, furniture that actually looked comfy to sit on, light, bright, and breezy, with lots of green plants in the home. That’s my ideal. 

shoogapoff

@emeraldduchess The box of IVF meds IS really intimidating. It helped for me to sort everything out. And as I have gone on, it's felt like the boxes have disappeared rather quickly, so I feel less overwhelmed by all of it. I'm so glad to hear that the job situation is looking good! FX for you! 

mvt2003

@keikilove I am SO ecstatic that you're moving forward!!! I agree, BCP was the DEVIL and I despised every minute of it. So, in terms of Egg Retrieval, this was how it worked at my clinic:

I arrived early to my appointment, and was brought in back to change and have my IV placed. I hung out with MH and waited, was sent to the bathroom for one last pee, then walked to the OR. (This is when I started my freak out ). The table was very much like a transfer table, with full leg stirrups, I got on and they started my anesthesia drip - it's twilight anesthesia so not a full knock-out but you are still asleep. The whole procedure is very quick, it only takes about 15-20 minutes and you're in the recovery room before you know it. I woke up covered in warm blankets with a heating pack on my stomach already and discussed chicken fingers with my nurse.  

keikilove

@mvt2003 Thank you so much! Your description has put my mind at ease a little bit. Especially laughing at you discussing chicken fingers with your nurse!😄

@shoogapoff I missed your update. Congrats on that great number of follies! Hoping right along with you that everything stays on track for a weekend retrieval!🤞🏽

bluetickgal

@acleverusername thanks, that’s just what seems right for us! I think keeping one RE consult as a second opinion sounds like a good idea. No real insight on the thyroid issue and getting that in check before starting a medicated cycle, but that doesn’t sound like a bad idea if you think that could be done within a cycle or less. I have had minimal side-effects with Letrozole (some headaches & night sweats/hot flashes, but nothing too severe), so hopefully you have a good experience if that’s at you go with! Did your OB have any opinions on waiting or just going through with all the meds now? 

@emeraldduchess thanks, friend! We are so excited too, and I’ll definitely keep you all updated! So sorry all the meds seems really overwhelming...you’ve got this though, just take it one injection at a time! That stinks about your squeamish incident with the blood draw, so glad the nurses were sweet about it though! Fingers crossed so hard that you get good news about the job this week!! 

@shoogapoff awesome, so great to hear that the gonal-F should be a breeze! That is interesting about the Menopur clinical trial! That sounds like wonderful progress on follicles!! Fingers crossed so hard for an ER this weekend for you!! 

@avidlyuks36 thank you, that is definitely appreciated! This is such a wonderful community, the rules/practices in place help protect each other and make this a safe space for everyone! Your follicle sizes sound good, hopefully they are the perfect size for trigger on Friday and IUI Saturday! 

@keikilove thanks so much, friend!! Eek, I’m so excited you are moving forward with your IVF cycle very soon! So sorry that the BCP side-effects are so rough! Hope the next week goes by quickly for you!! That is wonderful that you found another back-up clinic and you can hopefully forget about the other one! Fingers crossed so hard that you won’t even need the backup though!! 

avidlyuks36

Before I deep-dive on google -- I was wondering how do you test out the trigger shot. I have a pack of cheap pregnancy tests (the little strips) and I was wondering what day do I start testing?

kpearse99

@avidlyuks36 You just start POAS starting the day after you do the trigger shot until the line is totally faded to blank (or fades and then starts getting darker again... which of course is wonderful news!)

kiki047

@acleverusername my turn to be the lurker here (I'm a veteran of TB, been here for 2+ years now but have been taking a break lately, I'm still around tho!). I noticed we have similar stats - also met MH in '09 but didn't start dating until '17, married in '19, also have PCOS and MFI, and MH is also a stubborn Aries (though he thankfully will do whatever I push him to do, like take 158374 vitamins and supplements ). That's interesting that your clinic considers that count to be on the low end of normal. Our RE considers anything below 20mil to be considered "low", and we've had several SAs that were only in the 11-17mil range. 
@emeraldduchess yayyyy for getting to start soon!! That's wonderful news my friend! I'll be lurking lots to check in on you! 
@mvt2003 you know I'll always be in your corner girl. I'm glad you're feeling less edgy and discouraged by this cycle. Your embies are warm and safe and will hopefully stay in there for the next 9 mos!! Re: YH, we both had to have like 9 vials of blood taken at our first appt, then again after a year, and now it's every 6mos. It's a full HIV/STD panel plus all sorts of other stuff. But I agree on pushing for the referral to the urologist. MH's count is o the low end (under 20mil) but he was never really concerned by that, just kept telling us to take our supplements. I feel like we should eventually have MH tested more. 
*TW*  LC mentioned

The further into this journey we go, the more convinced we are that it's his sperm that may be causing the issues. He tried for 6 years with 3 IUI and 3 rounds of IVF with his ex-wife, where she only produced a single egg out of all 3 rounds, but somehow she's had 2 babies in the last 2 years with her new partner, both oopsies. The newest one is 4 days old and she's already talking about a 3rd. Like f*** off lady. I want to be encouraged by the fact that she was declared DOR (by the same clinic where we're doing our FET) and somehow had two miracle babies but holy shit who do I have to pay for just one? Please? 

@inthewoods23 I agree with mvt, if you can do it now I'd fix those railings sooner than later. You'll have plenty of other things to be thinking about when you finally do get KU so that's a good place to start! 
@shoogapoff woo hoo, hope those follies keep growing! So excited for you! We were asked up front when we filled out the paperwork for the PGT if we wanted to know the sex. We said no right off the bat so that was the end of that discussion. 
@misshelen86 Yes girl yes!! Finally! FX the IUI does the trick for you. I had minor headaches and wild hot flashes while on letrozole but yes it stopped after I finished the pills (until I started progesterone, that was a whole diff ballgame). I took it right before I went to bed with a full glass of water and that helped. 
@legallykate glad things are moving forward for you! GL with your ER this weekend. Make sure you have some gatorade or coconut water on hand and definitely take it easy after if you can (*ahem* since we all know you're a workaholic). It was a full week and a bit before I felt normal again, and I didn't even have OHSS. As for your Q about the CBC, we have to do ours every 6 months to check for routine stuff, which includes STD screening, blood sugars (for my PCOS), and to test for other random diseases. I also take a broad spectrum antibiotic before any retrieval, SHG or FET because they don't want any risk of infection from the procedure AND apparently studies have shown that even a low grade infection anywhere in your blood can be counterproductive to implantation/etc. 
@abarr723 CONGRATS friend!! Exciting news on multiple fronts. Glad YH is back on his regular duties and that you can move forward after your hysteroscopy. FX FX!
@gingermama29 ohhh I hope those last 2 weeks of BCP fly by for you! 
@bluetickgal so many good things going for you this month friend, I hope the trend continues! Sucks your body isn't cooperating with the letrozole but hopefully you'll respond well to the injectables if it comes to that. Gonal-F really isn't that bad at all, the needle is TINY and it was definitely the easiest of all the injections I've done so far. 
@avidlyuks36 Hi there! Welcome! We did 2 IUIs before moving on to IVF. I think it's a totally personal preference but I feel like we needed to do it just to know that we tried that before we did anything more invasive. LOTS of people have success with IUI and don't end up needing IVF, and at a relatively lower cost it's often worth trying. Then again, my RE doesn't think it's that much more effective than just properly timed intercourse, providing there are no barriers for either partner that could be preventing conception. 
@kpearse99 yes gonal-f was still better than the trigger, which was already pretty small. My lupron needle was itty bitty too, but was still a pain having to get the air bubbles out, etc. @mvt2003 MH also wants to stab me, especially for PIO, but he will faint and/or puke even looking at most of the needles so that's a big hell NO to him coming near me with it. And I never did cetrotide but menopur burns like a bitch, it was awful. Those pics I sent you before were my menopur welts. 
@keikilove hi hi hi hi hi friend!! I am also emerging from the depths of quarantine... here in Canada we're still only on phase 2 of re-opening, which still doesn't include things like dining at restaurants (outdoor patios only), gatherings of more than 10 people, gyms, etc. So I'm still WFH and busier than ever. But my ER was a lot like mvt, putting it in a spoiler because this post is already way too long. 

We showed up early (6am, I was the first one of the day), sat down for 15 mins with our RE to go through all the details and sign any last forms. They let me go pee and showed us the procedure room (with a window directly into the embryology lab), the "special" room for MH to provide his sample, and the recovery room. The OR itself was basically just a fancy exam room with a table with stirrups and lots of lights/monitors. They use the same room for transfers too, so it was basically the same setup as our IUIs. I went in, stripped from the waist down and put on a gown, gave MH a kiss because he was allowed to sit in the corner and watch (he played on his phone lol), and lay on the table. They put in the IV at that point and I was also put under twilight anaesthesia. I was "awake" but have ZERO recollection of what happened between then and when I woke up in recovery. Apparently halfway through I raised my arms in the air like I wanted to ask a question, and MH said I was making some faces and squirming a bit so they increased my dose partway through. But I woke up with pants and socks on so MH said when it was done I flashed my RE to show him my awful welts and bruises from the menopur and the nurses helped me get dressed so I was able to stand and do stuff, I just have no memory of it. It wasn't painful and other than throwing up in the car ride home because it was a freaking blizzard and took 5x longer than normal, the procedure itself was no big deal. I just felt like a sack of shit after because he couldn't reach the follies on my left side that are blocked by my fibroid so they turned into cysts. We'll be here to walk you through every step of the way!! 

acleverusername

@keikilove thanks for the welcome, description of what you'd gone through and the advice on what to do with all these meds and appointments! This is very helpful and I 100% feel/know that I have indeed found "the most supportive corner of TB."

In terms of anesthesia, I've done egg retrieval for freezing before and there _is_ an alternative to general anesthesia, however I've never heard of anyone doing it in any of the forums I frequent... well, except for 1 other person. I'll add more details & my experience with it in spoiler.

So, this alternative is called "oral conscious sedation". A research article about it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5586085/. They basically inject fentanyl into your uterus/vaginal wall, so you don't feel the needle going in. So, I had this type of sedation and... well, it's not the most comfortable. But bear with me when I say this... it's actually kind of cool to be able to see the needle sucking up your eggs. (There was a monitor in the OR so I could see everything happening). And I also got to hear them call out as each egg was discovered. That said, they did have to give me 2 doses of fentanyl cause I started to get pretty uncomfortable after 10 minutes. Anyway, it's definitely not for the queasy stomach. If you're interested, I'd ask your RE about it. Like I said, I've only ever heard of one other person having had this kind of anesthesia.

kiki047

Ok friends, let's see if I can keep up this time... 

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS, MFI 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): TWW I think? 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Kinda sorta benched this cycle because we did a repeat SHG and other testing in preparation for our 2nd FET next month. 

How are things going?: Better. To recap, our 1st FET in March didn't work and we were devasted by that. It happened basically on the day Canada went into lockdown (March 16th) so everything was chaotic and scary, but we've used the time to enjoy all the extra time together, do some work around the house and just generally try to embrace our life as it is now, before kids come into the picture. Our clinic only recently re-opened and my RE is only allowed to do one FET every 2 weeks because of scheduling with the other REs at the clinic and the procedures they have in place at the embryology lab, so I'm feeling very grateful to have been picked to be one of only 2 people he picked to start back up. My cycles returned to normal in the meantime, which is a full 5-6 months post-retrieval so I'm feeling a lot more confident going into the FET. Last time everything was still so out of whack, I had tons of spotting before/after the FET even while on estradiol, and it really felt like everything was working against us. We have a plan this time to have increased monitoring of my E2 levels throughout and because he's only doing 2 FETs next month we'll have a lot more of his attention. 

Any questions?: Did you do acupuncture with your FETs? I did with the ER and the FET, but my RE thinks it's all a bunch of voodoo and that comedy is just as effective at getting the blood flowing. My naturopathic clinic juuust opened back up and I have yet to even reach out to them so I'm feeling a little bit like maybe I don't want the added exposure, but then I also feel like I want to throw everything we have at this FET so it'll work. 

GTKY: Piggybacking off last week, what celebrity/well-known designer would you have redecorate/renovate your house for you? Our good family friends were on the Property Brothers a few years ago so can confirm that some of the rumours are true and 100% of it is staged and/or scripted, but in the end their house is stunning and they said the guys were super nice and easy to work with. So I still think I like Jonathan's style, I just wouldn't want all the BS that comes with having to televise the entire reno. 

emeraldduchess

@kiki047 hi, friend! Welcome back! 

@keikilove I'm so happy you're done with that huge work project! You must feel fantastic to have that overwith. 

The RE just called and I am THISCLOSE to surging (FSH was 20.1). Perhaps my ovaries are getting their act together?? I have to go back tomorrow for another blood draw. I thanked them again for being so patient with me and my near-fainting. She told me my reaction is actually a legit medical condition called vasovagal syncope. I've experienced this so much in my life (tunnel vision, nausea, sudden drop in blood pressure, sweating) and I always thought it was me overreacting. Nope! It's my nerves misfiring when triggered by things like blood, needles, etc. Who knew??

inthewoods23

@emeraldduchess what's that?? no nonsense?

emeraldduchess

@inthewoods23 this is why I nicknamed my ovaries "Jim and Dwight". 

legallykate

@emeraldduchess I was super intimidated by the giant box of meds, but likely you won’t start them all at the same time, so once you organize by what you need each day it is much less intimidating. FX on the job, and come on surge!

@shoogapoff Yay for a good appointment! Sounds like you are on track for the weekend! That’s so interesting about the Menopur trial, I can’t imagine the results would be different with it pre-mixed but I am definitely not a scientist.

@keikilove So sorry you are struggling on the BCP, I hope that goes away soon. Yay for finding another potential backup (that you hopefully won’t need anyway)! For my ER I will be under twilight sedation but not anesthesia, I think the main difference is breathing on your own versus being on oxygen?

@kiki047 Thanks for the helpful info re the retrieval and the CBC! So glad you are getting to start back up, and that is great you will have extra attention on you.

My update: my monitoring appointment today was only okay, my E2 is awesome and my right ovary is doing great and a bunch of the follies on that side are about ready to go, but my left ovary is being a lazy b for some reason    My doc said there is no way to know whether lefty always sucks or whether on another cycle both my ovaries would be doing great, so he said we could either consider canceling and seeing if we could do better next time or we could plow forward and probably expect to get 4-7 eggs mostly from the right. Since I have a diminished reserve, I wasn't necessarily expecting more than that number anyway, and I would imagine things are only going to get worse over time, so we are going to go ahead and move forward with the ER (probably still Sunday). MH and I already decided we will do another ER if this one doesn't work, so it doesn't feel like we are losing anything by moving forward with this one, but would love everyone's thoughts! 

acleverusername

@kiki047 - thank you for the warm welcome and you're right we do have a lot in common!!! Here's one more thing: I'm from Canada, although I moved to the US 2 years ago; needed a break from Canada winters. During my convo with the OB yesterday, she did explain that she didn't think DH is the issue here; she said anything below 40mil/ml would worth doing something about; however, on the motility side of things, she said she likes to see things 60% or higher. MH's sperm is about as motile as he is 🤣. That said, I have convinced him to take a supplements, and even ubiquinol and those 2 things should improve his situation. Oh, and I'm also doing acupuncture, even if it's voodoo. It's relaxing and it could only be a good thing. 

I am sorry the first FET was so traumatic. Such bad timing. But it sounds like this time everything is lining up much more nicely. FX for you. 

acleverusername

@emeraldduchess does this mean you're almost ready for your estrogen priming to start?! That's so exciting!

@legallykate how many follies on each ovary? You had 11 at last check-in, where they mostly on the right? When I did ER for freezing, my left ovary only produced 4 follicles; whereas my right was on fire with 10. I called my ovary "social loafer". Either way, hopefully more will grow between now and Friday/Saturday so that you get a good crop on Sunday. 

emeraldduchess

@acleverusername I think so! As soon as I surge, I put the patch on and wear it until AF shows up. I responded really well to Letrozole the 4 cycles that I was on it, so even though my last AMH was really low, I am hoping that I respond really well to the IVF meds. As tough as it was to put everything on hold due to COVID, I'm actually glad now that I'll be doing meds before school starts again (assuming we'll be in the school and not doing remote learning). That way if I have any really unpleasant side effects I'll be able to deal with them at home. 

legallykate

@acleverusername He said I still just had 11 measurable follies, 7 on the right (4 15-16s, 2 12-13s, and one smaller one) and 4 on the left but all 11 or smaller. So he thinks the 15/16s will be good for retrieval by Sunday or early next week and also hopefully the 12/13s and maybe the 11 from the left. It's so confusing, the measurements seem so imprecise to me and he said he was having trouble measuring them yesterday because my bladder seemed fuller. So just going to hope for some last minute growth/additions!

mvt2003

@legallykate I think you're making the correct decision to go ahead with this retrieval - the numbers are always approximate anyhow - sometimes follies can have more than one egg, etc. No follicle count ends up exactly equalling what's retrieved. Sending allllll good vibes to Sunday!!!!

@emeraldduchess Hooray!!!!! Hope this morning's blood draw wasn't bad!! Here's hoping you can get this party started! 

@kiki047 Hiiiiii friend! I am hoping so hard that everything in the universe cooperates for this FET! I know both of our failed FETs eat at us a bit, but I'm trying to remember that even "normal" embryos sometimes just don't implant and no one knows why, it doesn't mean we're never going to have it happen.  

@keikilove Discussing chicken fingers post-retrieval is very on-brand for me haha!!! My nurse recommended a restaurant up in NH that apparently does amazing chicken fingers and is known for them. I still have the name in my phone just waiting for the chance to take a road trip!  

AFM, I just wanted to share the ridiculousness that is my life sometimes. You all know I adore MH, he can be irritating just like any other H, but he does a lot to be supportive, and a lot that can just be ridiculous. When we started the IVF process, he didn't do a lot of independent research, he depended on me to synthesize stuff for him. He's started talking more to his brother about all of this the deeper we go into IF, which I understand because he also needs support somewhere and he doesn't have TB like I do! Last night, I was feeling a little overwhelmed about it all and mentioned it to him, and he busts out with "Well, BIL told me that he was doing some research and on average it can take 3 cycles for IVF to work." I was almost on the damn floor at that point. I told him that that number actually refers to three full cycles (ER and transfer, ER and transfer, ER and transfer) and the number gets a bit more complex when you add in FETs, but I see the point. It's like Lloyd and Harry learn about IVF sometimes...  

kpearse99

@mvt2003 oh boy!!! At least Lloyd and Harry are fashionable!

legallykate

@mvt2003 I almost prefer it that MH doesn't do any independent research/know much beyond what I tell him, he can be an overthinker (not unlike me), I think the two of us overthinking and obsessing would be way too much! 

mvt2003

@legallykate Don't get me wrong, I was happy to be the point of information for him, it's 100% his brother driving this research boat because *he* doesn't have me explaining stuff to him and my SiL is utterly in the dark about IVF despite one of her closest friends having multiple failed cycles. His brother also asked him a ton of questions about his low T when that got diagnosed and then specifically asked him what medication he's on so he could research that.  

@kpearse99 I actually think they'd like the comparison, they both love the movie  

kpearse99

@mvt2003 What's not to love about that movie?!?! 

emeraldduchess

@mvt2003 that reminds me of the time DH said he wished he could take the progesterone for me because it was making me so miserable. Then I told him that they're suppositories and reminded him where they'd go.  You bet once I start injections I will be playing the "all YOU have to do is masturbate" card! 

acleverusername

@mvt2003 that is truly hilarious; but it's good that YH has a support system. Guys often don't take the time to get one going and I can only imagine how isolating this experience can be for them. I can visualize your reaction though; that would have been me too. 🤣