IF Testing & Treatment w/o 6.7

acleverusername

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: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? 

acleverusername

Diagnosis (if you've been): sperm-driven fertilization issues with a touch of AMA

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WFAF so desperately.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): IVF retrieval cycle #1 starting any day now.

How are things going?: Things are going well! I got my genetic testing results back yesterday and I don’t have the same gene mutation as MH so we’re full steam ahead just as soon as AF arrives, which should be soon since I’ve already started spotting. I’ve never been so happy for spotting in my life lol. It does look like I have a different cancer-related mutuation but it’s classified as VUS (variant unknown significance), so there’s nothing to be done there. 

Also started going down the rabbit hole of reading “is your body baby friendly?” (Thanks @keikilove). I’m currently waiting for MH to wake up so I can go and get my NK cell blood test.

Finally, my appointment with the functional medicine doctor is tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to what she’ll have to say about getting my TPO antibodies in check. And just in general how to best prepare for the next few months of my life. All in all, things are looking good!

Any questions?: Nah.

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? Yes, I’m hoping to take a 3-4 week trip back to Canada to visit my friends, family, and also to attend my friend’s wedding (I’m in the bridal party). She has been planning to get married last year, but obviously that didn’t happen. 

keikilove

@acleverusernake Woohoo!! So glad you got those results back quickly and that you’re in the all-clear. So exciting that you can finally get this IVF show on the road! P.S. I think I might remember you asking how others got their TPO antibodies down, and the only thing I recall is reading about LDN having a good effect. You’re already taking that so no other advice here, but hopefully the functional medicine doc has lots of good insight for you. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): It’s all in the Oldies Re-Introd thread this week😉

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO! Hopefully that becomes Waiting for Egg Retrieval.🤞🏽

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  On my way to my baseline appointment now. Will update after I leave there and know what the plan is. 

How are things going?:  I feel like a broken record lately, but things are very stressful! I’m working two summer contracts that are high-intensity due to their shortened nature. It’s very long hours and many meetings, but it’s paying for this DuoStim so I’m trying to remain mindful of that and grateful. Also, having to coordinate this travel while juggling many meetings and presentations is extremely challenging. This week it’s really hitting me how much easier all of this would feel if I didn’t have to fly for every single appointment. It’s shocking that I can’t even get monitoring on my own island. 

Any questions?:  Shoot! I had one over the weekend but can’t remember it now. 

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? Yep. We just bought tickets to a close friend’s wedding at the end of August. We will be in New York City and Washington DC to visit family and good friends. 

kiki047

@acleverusername woooo hooo, c'mon AF, let's get this show on the road. That's great news that your genetic screening came back without any (major) concerns with regards to how it'll affect IVF and PGT so fx that means you're all good to go. Also read your update about your sister the other day - so sorry for all that drama. I hope you're able to take some time to process that however you need to, and she figures out how to manage her FOMO in a more appropriate way. 

AFM, unfortunately we got some pretty crushing news at our WTF appt on Friday. I took some time over the weekend to digest it all but I'm still left feeling pretty defeated. 

Diagnosis (if you've been):  PCOS, RPL/RIF, mild MFI 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  ... more IVF limbo 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  Well, long story short, we got our PGT-A results back from the 4 embryos we tested and of those 4, 3 were abnormal and 1 was low level mosaic. We have one more Day 6 embryo that is frozen without PGT but my RE is recommending we start over with another ER before we consider transferring that or the mosaic. As you know, I love my RE, he has always done right by us as far as I'm concerned. He admitted on Friday that he thinks this is about as far as he can take us and is recommending we try another doctor. He referred us to an REI downtown who he described as "the most aggressive in the city", meaning he'll do whatever it takes to get the job done. He said he's perfectly willing and able to keep doing what we're doing and maybe it'll eventually work, but the goal is to get me pregnant and he thinks the REI has more resources to get me there. It isn't through Markham Fertility who, despite having good ratings and reviews, my RE claimed are just more of the same, he figures his colleagues there are about as conservative as he is. So now we have to wait for the referral, and god knows how long that'll take/how long before we can try again. For now I'm reading the book @keikilove recommended and am reading up more on RI. My RPL tests came back without anything noteworthy - I don't have any blood clotting disorders, doesn't look like I have any AI at first glance, so I have to wait to see if the new Dr can test for NKCs but my uterus is being labelled "inhospitable". Which about describes my mood these days too. 

How are things going?:  Not even putting this in a spoiler. #sorrynotsorry 

Any questions?:  Only angry, rhetorical ones. 

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? Still in the daydreaming phase. Canada's vaccine rollout plan includes a huge gap between 1st and 2nd doses because of supply issues so I won't get my 2nd until August. We have no plans to travel before then, but the first place we want to go (besides to see family in Vancouver or Newfoundland) is back to Hawaii, which ironically was also the last place we went before shit hit the fan. Not entirely comfortable going anywhere else just yet. Maybe the Caribbean, but is Zika still a thing? Our current clinic initially wouldn't treat us if we had traveled outside of Canada or the US in the last 6 months because of Zika so there's that to think about too. 

keikilove

@kiki047 Your gif is on point: you have every right to drown yourself in liquor/wine at this point. I am so so sorry for this news about your embryos.😢 Your RE sounds wonderful, as always. Is there any way to get pushed up to the front of the line for the RE he is sending you on to? I truly hope you don’t have to wait too long after everything you’ve been through. Sending you hugs and lots of empathy. 

kiki047

@keikilove thank you dear friend. My RE said he'll call in whatever personal favours he has with this guy and basically tell them I'm prepped and ready to go with a new cycle. Hoping that bodes well in our favour that he's not taking on some noob with no clue. And if my entire file goes with me, he should have my whole history to refer to and we don't have to re-run too many tests. I have a follow up with my RE next Thursday so at least I'll know by then. 

optimistgardener

@acleverusername such great news that your genetic test came back with basically positive news. I wouldn't let that "unknown significance" + get you worried--we all have a few of those, no doubt. Hopefully you bleed soon and can finally kick things off!

@keikilove (and everyone else) thanks for your re-intro in the other thread... it's so helpful to get people's back stories. fingers crossed for this cycle, and sympathies on the busy summer. it's such a challenge to balance everything, and IF treatment takes over every little patch of open space it finds in your calendar, and then creeps into everything else, also.

@kiki047 Oh sh*t that really sucks, I'm so sorry. Bottles of wine and whatever else feels necessary are all totally reasonable right now!

AFM:

Diagnosis (if you've been):  AMA, DOR, one ovary, etc.

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  BC cycle

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

How are things going?:  Meh. I shouldn't complain so I'm putting it all in a spoiler:

I'm annoyed because my clinic just sent my cycle calendar and treatment isn't scheduled to start until the beginning of July. I sent a note begging them to find a spot for me in late June but no luck. I am not a saint and my patience is feeling very frayed. It's not this clinic's fault. Just, like, the last 3 years of so much waiting. I'll get over it. July is sooner than I think. Also re: Nuva Ring: I'm really liking that I don't have to remember to take a pill everyday, but apart from that... I can't tell if it's making me grumpy or no? I do not like to admit that these things affect my mood, but I'm... questioning. Also trying not to let myself fall into a useless anxiety/symptom-spot spiral re: Nuva Ring's reputation for causing blood clots in some women. This is a totally standard anxiety pattern I am familiar with in myself (I used to convince myself on the regular as a grad student that I was imminently dying because blood clots/couldn't breathe/heart attack/whatever). Of course, I am not imminently dying now nor was I then. I am a relatively healthy woman without risk factors (apart from being basically geriatric). Obviously I need better ways to manage my anxiety, hah.

Any questions?:  Not at the present, unless you've got some hot tips on how to chill out.

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to?

I had been thinking about going out to Iowa to visit my best friend who is teaching there, but now that I am preparing three syllabi for classes I've never taught before and trying to finish an article 😬 I am pretty sure that will not fit in the summer calendar. That said, I have probably done a bit more (short-range) traveling than some during this pandemic (while trying to keep my risk levels as low as possible). Mostly back and forth to see my mom who lives in a different city a few hours away, plus regular trips to the coast, so I do not feel quite as cooped up as I otherwise might. But I have not missed flying!

gingermama29

Jumping back in over here since I’ve started treatment again. I’ll be back for tags later!

Diagnosis (if you've been):  PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  Letrozole and TI!

How are things going?: Great! I’m so happy to be able to try another medicated cycle, particularly when I was initially told a couple weeks ago my A1Cs were in the diabetes range and we wouldn’t be able to go forward with this cycle. I’ve been busting my butt making dietary and lifestyle changes over the last month and am determined to keep it going. I took my last two Letrozole pills today and then we start TI on Sunday.

Any questions?: nope 

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? 

Yes, Italy!!! We leave in less than 2 weeks!! 

acleverusername

@keikilove I am so sorry about your workload; it sounds like you've juggling SO MANY plates. I know you're very good about meditating, walks/runs on the beach, so I hope you can keep sneaking in those moments for yourself amongst all the meetings, and presentations, and travel plans. I'm honestly really upset for you that you're not able to get the care you need on your own island. This shit is hard enough as it is. Sending you all the hugs I can muster.

@kiki047 I am so so so sorry to hear that your PGT testing results were so unfavorable. That really really really sucks. And the fact that you have to wait for so long for a referral is shitty beyond anything. On the other hand, it's so nice that your RE is humble enough to admit when he feels that he's beyond his comfort level in what he can do for you. I hope he can pull those strings and get you in with the REI downtown sooner rather than later. Gah, healthcare system is great because - no matter how much money you have - you have access to it. But this creates such huge demand on the system that results in such huge wait times; it's borderline unethical. There's got to be a better way to do healthcare. PS: I'm actually going to Newfoundland in August for my friend's wedding since I went to uni there, and she's a bestie from uni. I've also postponed a trip to Maui twice in the last year, so I'm gonna eventually have to use up those airline credits. 

@optimistgardener I totally get the frustrations of waiting for July; but you're right... focus on your syllabi writing, and July will be here in literally 21 days! And hopefully we can be cycle buddies for my 2nd ER. I'm glad that you've been able to make safe, short-distance trips to see your mom. MH and I have made a couple of similar trips, but only a handful in the last 1.5 years. 

@gingermama29 hooray for being back on the treatment train! And congrats on giving your lifestyle a shakeup in order to get you A1C levels in check. And wow... Italy! That's amazing. I hope you'll have a fabulous trip and that you get some good news while there. 🤞🏻

optimistgardener

thanks @acleverusername. Sorry for my anxiety-ridden/jumpy/grumpy update. Some days it just kinda catches up. But my mood has been improving ever since I decided to eat a gloriously buttery and gluteny toasted cheese bagel for lunch.

kiwi2628

Diagnosis (if you've been):  unexplained

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  WFAF

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  nada. This coming cycle is my
last waiting cycle and then FET!

How are things going?:  Well. I’m nervous and excited and nervous and excited. Also annoyed because my period is late. I usually have a 12 day literal phase and no signs of anything and I’m at the end of day 13. Come onnnnn. Let’s get this show on the road. 

Any questions?:  

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to?  Yup! Two weeks ago my H and I went on a long weekend to Newport and in August we are going up to Lake George for a week. Possibly up tot the cape or Nantucket in August also. 

@acleverusername congrats on starting soon!!!! 

@keikilove have you ever been to NYC? It’s my stomping ground and I adore my city. I hope you have fun!

@kiki047 I’m so sorry for the news. I know a couple people that had to switch to more aggressive REs and while it sucks to feel the feelings that come with it, they were happy for the move. 

@optimistgardener I totally get it. In IF world a month can feel like an ETERNITY. 

daisy0322

I hope it’s okay if I jump in... I’ve been avoiding it because I’d be admitting it. But it’s time - plus if anyone is doing FET I should probably start learning about that. 

Diagnosis (if you've been):  POI genetic cause

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  ?

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  waiting to see NaPro

How are things going?:  I don’t really know what’s going on but I am trying to be hopeful that there will be some ideas at my upcoming doctors appointments.

Any questions?:  

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? 
We are visiting Santa Claus IN in July and Tybee Island in October. I’m thinking about squeezing one more little weekend trip in for August. 

@acleverusername it’s so cool your from Canada! I’ve never been, what are your favorite things to do there? 

@keikilove i don’t know about you but it just feels so good to be doing normal things again like going to weddings. I hope you have a great time!

@Kiki047 oh no I’m so sorry about your hard news. I know that’s not easy to hear. The gif did make me giggle though 

@optimisticgardener I have no chill either and no advice 😅 just wanted to say yes I felt that in my soul 

@Kiwi2628 I’ve always wanted to go to Nantucket! What is it like there? 

The tagging function was acting weird so I’m sort of i didn’t get everyone tagged properly 

bows22

@daisy0322 have you ever been seen by an RE? I can’t remember 

daisy0322

@bows22 oh yes - many 

bows22

@daisy0322 oh okay I was just remembering you saying about calling your doctor (I thought was an OB) and they mentioned a medicated cycle. I was just curious why you wouldn’t try some other kind of treatment if that’s an option before jumping to embryo adoption. Did your REs just say there is nothing they can do for you?

daisy0322

@bows22 REs will not do anything but egg or embryo donor for me I’ve met with so many in different areas they all say the same thing. My OBGYN is open to “experimenting” because in her words it may be my only chance and she willing to try if she monitors me really closely. And the NaPro is a catholic thing I thing which is cool because I’m catholic and they do get great results in a lot of things but I’m not sure there is much anyone can do for me.

bows22

@daisy0322 TW LC

Do they know you’ve gotten pregnant (twice I think?) in the last 2 years? I thought I saw you said that you have normal fertility when you ovulate, so I don’t know why a medicated cycle + triggering ovulation wouldn’t be an option for you? Is that what your OB wants to experiment with?  

I’m sorry if I’m being extremely annoying I just feel like there ARE things that you can do, if embryo adoption isn’t ultimately what you want to do. You definitely don’t owe us any explanation but if you want help advocating for yourself with your doctors you are in the right place. 

Edit spacing 

daisy0322

@bows22 TW just all kind of stuff 

no your okay i get it i don’t understand either why they won’t give me a chance. They do know and they tell me basically that it’s a miracle they’ve only seen women get pregnant rarely and definitely only once and I’ve actually been pregnant 4 times I have 2 children 3 & 1 They all say that they have no idea how it keeps happening and actually I’ve been described as a medically anomaly a few times. Honestly the REs have been zero help. I think I’ve been to 6 different ones some rude some very kind but they ALL say the same thing then I cry in their bathroom because I do t make it to the car and charge me an arm and a leg about two weeks later in the mail with a cute little note and egg and embryo donors. Sometimes I get a follow up call about how they’re super sorry they can’t help more. I actually believe that if someone would do something I might have a chance. It looks like the OBGYN is will with close monitoring and the NaPro nurse thinks The dr will give me a try. FET is kind of a back up plan right now but honestly genetics isn’t that important to me and this process is really hard on me because I feel like doctors never listen to me which is extremely triggering for me because of my childhood but my husband really wants to try a few other things first.  So maybe I didn’t explain that well but we are trying a few other things first!  And I really apologize if any of that came across snippy at all I definitely didn’t mean for it to. I still do t feel great and Im on a bit of a time crunch while responding ❤️

optimistgardener

@daisy0322: what @bows22 said about advocating for yourself with doctors.

i know it ended in a mc, but you did get ku just a few months ago. to my mind, that suggests there is hope. your body is pumping out eggs and sperm is reaching them, and this has happened recently! i realize that's not the whole story, but it's not nothin', either.

I can't remember if you've had a full workup done recently (bloodwork, HSG, AFC, and the like)? I would be really curious about test results reflecting your ovarian potential, especially considering your diagnosis (amh, fsh, afc...). When is your napro appointment?

gingermama29

@acleverusername glad the test results were good and you’re able to get going on the ER soon!

@keikilove I hope everything went well at your baseline appointment and you’re able to jump into ER!

@kiki047 sending so many hugs friend. I’m so sorry about your embryos and having to be referred to an REI. It is so crazy unfair how difficult ttc can be. 

@optimistgardener ugh having to wait to start treatment is so frustrating. I’m sorry you have to wait until July but hopefully the time will fly by quickly!

@kiwi2628 so exciting that you’re so close to your FET! I hope this cycle flies by for you!

@daisy0322 I hope you can get some answers from your appointments. I agree with the others any advocating for yourself with your doctors.

daisy0322

@optimistgardener TW 

So I had a full work up before my youngest child and my FSH was 112 then I got pregnant a month later. Everything else was mostly normal except my estrogen was low. They were all floored when I called and told them. I went to the #1 RE in my area that everyone raves about and he said there was no point in redoing my labs And (I’m going to paraphrase but) the rules are made up and the points don’t matter for me. I see NaPro July 7th! I’m stupidly excited because that just how I am but realistically I’m not sure what they’ll say. 

optimistgardener

thanks @daisy0322

at your appointment, i would insist that all your bloodwork be redone. be sure that the doctor is aware of your entire reproductive history

including your demonstrated ability to get pregnant recently

if the doctor seems to be pushing you towards one treatment option, be sure to ask whether there are other options also available, which perhaps the doctor doesn't prefer. get them to talk about why they prefer one option over another. don't assume those other, less preferred options, are off the table.

ask your doctor whether they have experience working with patients who are dealing with POI, and if not, ask them to recommend a doctor who does work with patients like you. one doctor's bread and butter is another doctor's weird outlier. you want to be with the doctor who sees other patients like you on the regular and has a comfort level about making treatment recommendations accordingly, not with the one who has never seen anyone like you before. if that doctor is based a long distance from you, it might be worth finding out whether they would be willing to do a long-distance consult (again, super important to get recent bloodwork and other workup so that kind of information can be shared with another clinic).

daisy0322

@optimistgardener thank you so much I really never know what to do I just kind of freeze and get upset then I cant articulate anything but I think that really will help. Also the NaPro nurse sounded shockingly optimistic on the phone and I know for a fact he has seen women like me before so I’m hoping that helps it just go smoother. 

zwink1

@acleverusername, so happy to hear the great news on your genetic screening!  Good luck with your ER!!!

@kiki047, I'm so sorry for your PGT results.  That kind of news is so hard to hear.  Drink all of the wine!

Diagnosis (if you've been):  primarily MFI (OAT) with a few complicating factors on my end.  

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  technically WTO I guess.  AF finally put me out of my misery at day 45 and showed up yesterday.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  Waiting for treatment to get rolling.  

How are things going?:  Better now.  I'm starting to feel human again.  We went over to my ILs on Sun to swim in their pool for the first time this summer, and I somehow always forget how bloated/swollen PMS makes me until it's over.  I felt like a puffer fish.  

GTKY: With Covid situation seemingly getting under control, have you started planning any travel? If so, where to? 
Not really.  We may do a long weekend trip somewhere, but no distance travels planned.  

optimistgardener

@daisy0322 i should have said this before but i would call your napro's office and ask whether they can get the ball rolling earlier by ordering your bloodwork so it's all done and ready for review in time for your appointment.

daisy0322

@optimistgardener that’s a good idea I’ll call thanks 

kiki047

@optimistgardener whoa, clever just pointed out that July is only *21 days away* and my brain just clued in that it's already June. I hope these next few weeks fly by for you, and it certainly sounds like you have more than enough on your plate to keep you busy and occupied during that time. Re: your nuva ring concerns, it's totally plausible that it can be messing with your hormones, and therefore your mood. You have every right to be feeling the stress of your workload plus impending IVF worries, it's a wonder how any of us still function (or do we?). 
@keikilove apparently I didn't refresh my screen enough because I saw your response to me but not your actual update. Sorry! Didn't mean to completely gloss over you. I'm stressed for you for all the travel coordination you have to do. My goodness! But your upcoming fun travel for wedding/family visits sounds like just what you need. I love and miss NYC - had been planning on taking MH there last year before we knew Covid would be more than just a 2 week lockdown. 
@gingermama29 thanks friend. I'm happy to see you move back over here because it means you're resuming treatment! Good luck!! and good for you for committing to the dietary/lifestyle changes to get your A1C level under control. I've been there, it's NOT easy. 
@acleverusername Ooh Newfoundland! My aunt and uncle live in St John's so I've been quite a few times. I took MH for the first time a few years ago and we had the best time driving around the island staying at little B&Bs. And you're so right about the healthcare system. I am grateful for it, but it is so flawed. This is going to sound pretty bratty and I'm fully aware of it but I do sometimes wish there was an option to just be able to buy my way in... like we're fully prepared to pay whatever it costs because it's going to be OOP anyway so take my money and let me in dammit! 
@kiwi2628 oh I hope this last cycle goes by quickly for you. Why is it that AF always seems to take her sweet time when we want her to just do her thing and be done with it?! I swear I have been regular as can be until I need to predict exactly when my next period will be, and then it doesn't happen. 
@daisy0322 I was wondering if/when you'd make your way over here. I've been trying to lurk to follow your updates so I'm also a little confused by your history and supposed "diagnosis". You've seen so many different doctors, it seems to me like what you think you have is just one doctor's opinion since your actual medical history disproves that theory. And if this statement is true as of 3-4 years ago - "I had a full work up [...] and my FSH was 112 [...] Everything else was mostly normal except my estrogen was low" - I don't see how that points to POI other than the fact that you don't consistently ovulate. There are many other conditions or reasons why someone might not ovulate consistently. I don't know what kind of Reproductive Endocrinologist you've seen, let alone 6 of them, but POI doesn't equal zero eggs, especially if you ovulate spontaneously and that has resulted in multiple pregnancies in recent history. We have had lots of women come through here, some who are still here, with DOR (diminished ovarian reserve) who have gone on to try IVF with their own eggs before jumping right to egg or embryo donation. It feels like you're getting bad information from your doctors. To have an RE tell you that you have no other options but you're going to try NaPro are, IMO, two very contradictory things because NaPro will use methods that are going to assume you have the ability to conceive naturally. I'm not trying to discredit you, I'm questioning the advice you've received because as a veteran of ART and IF, it's not adding up. 
@zwink1 ugh, PMS + bathing suits... I hope the swim was still refreshing. I mean, puffer fish do still live in the water so my theory is that even when I feel like a whale, I'm still in my natural habitat in the water.   

daisy0322

@kiki047 the actual dx was confirmed to be a genetic cause with a genetics doctor. I’m also a fragile X permutation carrier although my person odds of have a child with it are 12% for boys and 6% or less for girls. NaPro is preferred personally to IVF. I struggle with it and I’m not sure if I’d actually go that route. I just don’t know if it’s right for us.  I always ask them if it’s a possibility though because I like to know the options. What Im hoping is that they will let me try ovulation trigger meds  and I’m guessing they are going to start with biomatch HRT though. I have had one RE tell me taking in women like me would mess up his success rates. I don’t remember exact numbers to be fair I just know they called and only talked about those two as being a problem with my blood work 

daisy0322

@kiki047 @optimistgardener @bows22  Okay so I’m not very good at relaying information but this is ultimately what I’m hoping to start with 

kiki047

@daisy0322 that makes a little more sense, thank you for the clarification. Honestly, given your history, it does sound like you have a fighting chance using something to induce ovulation, whether it is BHRT or something like clomid or letrozole (or both). It certainly doesn't sound like egg donation or embryo adoption are your only options so like @optimistgardener said, definitely push to have your labs re-run before you start again. My RE checks mine at a minimum of every 12 months but sometimes sooner if we're starting something new so we have an established current baseline. 

optimistgardener

@daisy0322 I hear you on struggling to relay information. it's especially hard given that none of us are trained specialists in this area and have instead had to teach ourselves a lot of things. so it is not surprising that we often scramble to express our meaning or to remember the correct terminology. i would take that snippet with you to your appointment and ask the doctor to comment on it.

acleverusername

@daisy0322 I'm really sorry that you've gotten such shit treatment from previous REs. You're right; some RE's are so concerned with their SART stats, that they will not take on difficult cases such as yours. Have you heard of The Egg Whisperer? (Usually referred to here as TEW.) If you're interested, I would encourage you to send her an email with some of your details and see if she could recommend an RE in your area. She does that all the time on her show. Also, in terms of IVF, I know it's a purely personal decision if you do it or not. Not sure if you've talked to others about it. Perhaps reaching out to @BusinessWife might be an option given that they're also Catholic/have struggled with that decision before ultimately proceeding with it. I recently posted about a documentary that was released on PBS's Nova called "Fighting for Fertility." It featured a (Baptist?) minister who underwent IVF. One thing that I really appreciated her saying was "God invented science too." Anyways, I'll leave those thoughts with you. 

@kiwi2628 did your period arrive finally? I've been to Cape Code once and loved it; would love to go back one day. 

@zwink1 remind me: what's your treatment plan? and what are the complicating factors on your end? Lol. 

AFM, had my baseline appointment today (even though no full flow yet) and we're getting things started tonight! Woohoo! I can't believe that it's finally here after so many months of maybes and wheres and whens. I'll have a blood draw (e2 only) on Friday, and my first monitoring appointment will be on Monday. My RE and I both at the same time exclaimed "Let's Do This!" It was great. *TW Stats in Spoiler*

I'm starting out with 12 antral follicles: 5 on the right, 7 on the left. My left ovary is usually my lazy one, so excited to see it bringing its A game. I'm hoping for 1 or 2 genetically normal embryos from this based on the IVF pyramid I'd discussed with my RE during our intake visit. 

optimistgardener

yo nice numbers, @acleverusername!

inthewoods23

@acleverusername I don't think there's a better feeling than "this is it, we're finally doing this!". I was more excited than afraid going into IVF and my FET even though it was new territory for me. My first day of stims meds was done in a tent at a Relay for Life event 😳. Jesus how has all the time passed to get you to this point!? Did you ever figure out what you're going to do with the frozen eggs you have? Will you be using them with what you collect this round?



Hi ladies 👋👋👋 I miss this thread

zwink1

@daisy0322, trying to decide what path to go down is always rough.  The best you can do is just try to get as much info as you can about your options and then pick a path and try not to worry about the what ifs for the option(s) you didn't pick.  Much easier said than done though.  I agree with @acleverusername about reaching out to businesswife if you want to chat with someone who went through the decision making process from a religious perspective.  She would be a great resource for a more in depth discussion on that front.  

@keikilove I'm hoping you got good baseline news earlier this week and can get rolling with your ER!  Flying for every appointment has to be beyond stressful.   

@optimistgardener, I absolutely think you get to complain, waiting sucks whether it's a day, a week, a month, or longer!

@gingermama29, Italy sounds amazing!  Where are you going?

@acleverusername, treatment plan is unofficial until I can get to my initial consult with our new RE, but I'm hoping (because realistically nothing else makes a ton of sense) that she'll just let us jump right into an FET.  I just don't want to get too ahead of myself and be disappointed if we run into roadblocks.  More on that and my complicating factors in the spoiler so that I don't clog this post!

My ER was in 2017 and I haven't had any more recent IF related blood work or other testing done, and since the new RE obviously wasn't the one who did my ER, I'm not sure where that's going to leave us timeline wise.  There's also a slight additional issue in that I didn't have IF coverage with my prior insurance but now do, so I'm not sure what sort of hoops to expect insurance to make us jump through (despite our diagnosis, prior IF history, and approx 5+ yrs total of no prevention with no successful, natural pregnancies).

My issues have never really fully been explored because our OAT factor severely limited our options to things that generally address my issues anyway, so I try to ignore them and they just throw in nice little curve balls from time to time.  What we did pin down is that I have issues with thin uterine lining and an ovulatory dysfunction (which is probably unsurprising based on the fact that I'm just coming off a 45 day cycle  ).  Both my prior OB and RE suspected - though I have not had a lap to confirm - endometriosis as well based on a variety of things that have come up during testing/treatment.   

acleverusername

@optimistgardener Thanks friend! 

@inthewoods23 💯to that feeling. I don't even know where the time went. Except when I look back, we really only decided in April that IVF is next (we had to do that one cycle with TEW; and if she hadn't told MH that ours is likely a sperm-driven fert issue, he'd have wanted to try 2 more superovulation rounds). And then between April and now, it's just been establishing care with a new RE, "bonus" genetic testing, and cycle timing.

And yo, we miss you here too! Are you thinking of rejoining us? 

acleverusername

Oh, and re: my frozen eggs, the plan is to see how this cycle goes / what and if we need to tweak anything vis-a-vis fertilization. If no tweaks, then I'll have the frozen eggs shipped here for July's ER and we'll thaw/fertilize/grow/test them with my 2nd ER batch. 

inthewoods23

@acleverusername maybe I've been skimming poorly while lurking, if your ER is in July, what are you doing this cycle? Are you doing 2 rounds of IVF back-to-back? I must have missed that news lol.

I suppose I could come back here, it just feels weird to be an active participant when I'm not working with an RE or anything right now. Might just stick to chiming in from time to time 🤷‍♀️ idk we'll see as I need to get back into reading "is your body baby friendly" too. I'm obviously not at the point of doing testing, but I am trying to learn why going gluten and dairy free helped and if there's more I could do.

acleverusername

@inthewoods23 Haha; yeah, I might have mentioned briefly that I'll do 2 back-to-back ERs (you know, unless it turns out that I'm a reproductive medical miracle and get like 6 genetically normal embryos from one cycle). Given that I've time and time again have proven to be "average", I am trying to be conservative and "hope" for 2 embryos from each cycle, but really expect only 1. 

I ALSO started reading that book! And promptly ordered the NK test on my own (didn't want to bother trying to convince my RE I needed it; it was available at Quest for $150.) With @kiki047
also reading it, maybe we should have a book discussion after! :P Hehe @keikilove look at what you've done! 

inthewoods23

@acleverusername totally makes sense! I get wanting to do back-to-back given age and such. I feel I need to finish the book before I would consider getting any test done, but my engineer brain wants answers to all the why's now lol. *TW* I do have 1 failed FET and a MC under my belt, but it's entirely possible we just had bad luck last year and/or getting the MMR shot that month did end up causing problems with development *end TW* so I don't want to jump too far ahead convinced I have an immune problem. Although if the diet reduced inflammation, that is immune system related no?

lickastick

@acleverusername lurking 

Re: TPO antibodies/hashimotos

There’s a good book you can read called: “why do i still have thyroid symptoms when my lab tests are normal.” The title is misleading because it’s really about understanding thyroid problems and how to fix them. I’m a fertility acupuncturist and endocrine/thyroid+supplements are my specialty. The core supplements he recommends can all be taken through stims/FET and pregnancy. The supplements are: 1000mg epa, topical oxicell cream and emulsified vit d(+k). You can buy the Oxicell on the fullscript website (I’ll write you a px if you need one) the listings for Oxicell on Amazon report a lot of fakes. Most re’s are ok with those supplements throughout the entirety of your treatment. The book also tells you the diet and lifestyle changes needed to get the thyroid in check. Good luck! 

The book is: https://www.amazon.com/Still-Thyroid-Symptoms-Tests-Normal/dp/0985690402/ref=nodl_