IF Testing and Treatment Week of 7/6

bows22

@kiki047 it’s okay! It kind of came out of nowhere for me too haha. I’m so so happy you guys had an amazing trip and I’m also happy that you are able to still try while you wait for your next steps! Did you have your follow up with your old RE? I have kind of been all over the place so I may have missed an update somewhere. 

@k@keikilove it definitely came & went fast for me too! I’m kind of in this weird mental place where I’m excited for the next steps but not wanting to get ahead of myself in case something comes back funny with the pathology report - even though I know there’s a very small chance of that - I just don’t think I’ll feel fully excited until I get that all clear! Also I am thrilled that you were able to take advantage of being in CA and go to Disney! I hope you were able to enjoy yourself even if the mask situation was a little stressful. And hooray for YH’s sperm! I wanted to jump out of my chair and cheer when I saw that. Is there a timeline for your transfer?

inthewoods23

@gingermama29 my temp did bump back up yesterday so maybe it was the room temp. I've also just been feeling cold lately. Idk. No point in focusing on a single temperature.

@laura-kay ha last year I'm pretty sure I had to hide the progesterone suppositories that were in our fridge. So awkward

@acleverusername lmao a book sleeve idea. Reading on this vacation might feel like I'm wasting my precious time. For me I'll be working through my sudoku book instead of reading

@daisy0322 it has been so many years now, but I'm pretty sure my initial bloodwork with the RE was 14. Or perhaps it was 9? Or 9 was what was drawn at the other clinic where I was getting a second opinion? I wonder how close that many vials compares to the amount you give when donating blood. I guess not as much, I didn't get a cookie for my time haha. I'm confused about not getting your AFC.... was the idea that your body may increase the initial follicle count from the hormone therapy? Very interesting. I'd almost want to have it done twice to see if it does actually change.

@bumblebee0210 looks like things are moving along swimmingly for you. FX this ER yields a good batch!

@kiki047 woot to summer weddings! I've never been to Niagara Falls. Maybe I can convince DH to go there sometime. Glad you had a great trip despite the crowd!

@keikilove that's great that YH's sperm is getting back to normal. Do you get a fertilization report? Or nothing until day 3? I feel that I ask this every time. My brain refuses to store this information haha

@kiwi2628 that's a great lining!

gingermama29

So I just heard back from my OB’s office. He’s going to have me do Clomid this cycle. I’m curious to hear from anyone that’s taken Clomid here? I was surprised he switched me after one cycle of Letrozole.

daisy0322

Okay so I’m getting HRT and Femara which first of all I’m just so happy someone is giving me a chance...

But second of all... I’m a little nervous I’ve never taken anything like this before and I’m not sure how I’ll react. Have any of you taken it before? 

gingermama29

@daisy0322 are you asking about HRT or Femara? If it’s Femara, several of us have taken it, myself included. Letrozole is the generic version of Femara. I just finished a cycle using it.

optimistgardener

@daisy0322 I don't know anything about HRT but like gingermama said, lots of us have taken Femara/Letrozole. I didn't mind it. It lengthened my luteal phase by a couple of days (probably not an issue in your case!) and (I am guessing) substantially upped my progesterone levels in that half of things because I had all the "am I pregnant or is that just luteal phase weirdness" stuff but way more than usual.

@gingermama29 I took clomid for only one month... I didn't have any really noticeable side effects but my IUI was cancelled that cycle because I ovulated early and my lining was too thin. Everyone will warn you that the lining thing is a possibility, so make sure your clinic keeps an eye on that.

daisy0322

@optimistgardener @gingermama29 i was curious about the fermara. I was just curious if there were side effects 

inthewoods23

@daisy0322 I personally had no major (or really any) side effects during the 3 cycles I used letrozole. It's typically only taken for 5 days, not long at all. I'm a bit of an outlier when it comes to symptoms as I never felt horrible from IVF meds or from progesterone suppositories/injections. For me, I didn't feel any different than any other month of TTC.

Edit - you might find some other experiences with femara/letrozole on the Infertility board if you keyword search. Or even looking back at older IF weekly threads here.

shortstack930

@daisy0322 I took Femara for 3 months last time around and didn’t have any side effects at all!

daisy0322

Thanks ladies! 

mokay19

@bumblebee0210  I don’t know if the roller coaster of TTC/infertility ever gets easier!  Happy to hear that it seems like some more follies got on the right page for growth! Also, I like the sound of “extremely juicy summer-tastic books” so I’m making a note of those two!

 

@kiwi2628 yay for the FET!  So glad to hear that things are progressing for you and hoping the appointment on Saturday brings more good news!

 

@optimistgardener I’m not IVF, but my 2 most recent starting estradiol levels were 22.75 and 34.51 and I don’t have DOR so if that could make it slightly higher, then I would say it seems normal (I’m in no way a doctor though haha).  I hope that higher dosage gets more follicles like you said and doesn’t make them go faster!

 

@gingermama29 I felt that same disappoint after the first cycle.  And logically, I know the chances of the first cycle working, but I wanted to be a special unicorn just once!   Have you watched His Dark Materials?  I’m curious how well they followed or if the books are better because then I want to read those!

Also, RE: Clomid.  I have taken both Clomid and Letrozole.  I also have PCOS and have always responded better to Letrozole than Clomid.  Most recently, we actually did Clomid with Letrozole.  The Clomid didn’t give me any new side effects, but my lining didn’t thicken up as much as it usually does; which my doctor said could be because of the Clomid.

 

@acleverusername thank you for the good luck!  Every holiday is always loaded with PG announcements so I agree that avoiding social media around those times is great for mental health to avoid seeing them!  Also, I’ll ask you the same question that I did to gingermama… “Have you watched His Dark Materials?  I’m curious how well they followed or if the books are better because then I want to read those!”

 

@inthewoods23 I’m glad your vacation plans leveled out and you’ll be able to get your prep done like you wanted!

 

@bows22 hope your recovery is still going well!  I’m jealous that your post-op is the 19th… my clinic wasn’t available until the 28th! Did they give you pictures of your procedure?  My doctor gave me a print out showing my polyps and my tube openings.  I’m a nerd so I think it’s cool haha

 

@daisy0322 it’s good to hear that they’re checking a lot of stuff to get started and hopefully give some good answers and directions for moving forward!  I didn’t have side effects from Letrozole until like the 8th cycle taking it!

 

@kiki047 glad to hear that you were able to enjoy your vacation overall! 

 

@keikilove getting 5 eggs and good sperm is great!  Fingers crossed for good results on Day 3 and 5!

And846

Yikes! Friday and I am just now jumping on due to my work week. Better late than never, I guess. 

@bumblebee0210 so happy that you are on ER#4 and things have been progressing nicely. 

@kiwi2628 whoop whoop on the FET cycle! 

@optimistgardener GL with stims for the ER! that is some dedication to your reading for classes! I'm impressed. 

@gingermama29 I feel ya on the feeling on being bummed about a cycle not working out after being optimistic. I totally thought last month was "it" and was so crushed when it wasn't. Was there a reason you started letrozole first vs clomid? Will they do estrace vaginally to thicken lining as you are on climid?

@acleverusername FX that ER attempt this cycle is successful! Likewise on all the pg announcements on social media. Like, kick to the gut when I see them announcing #2, #3 or #4 and then immediately change all their content to baby this or baby that. I'm pretty quick to mute their account at that point. 

@inthewoods23 how is the antihistamine regimen going so far? your vacation mode sounds like mine; I have to temp, I have to keep HIO through Sunday, I have to remember to pack the progesterone. ugh. 

@bows22 yay for a successful procedure and some good rest time now before it's go time. you'll enjoy the Holly Madison book. I read that years ago when I wanted a book where I didn't have to think. 

@daisy0322 understandable to be nervous but the more eyes and the more testing for clear answers is always a win in the end so you have a clear path and can build a good plan around it. I know that doesn't take away the nerves but sometimes talking reason behind the nerves helps me. 

AFM...

Diagnosis (if you've been):  Unexplained Secondary

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  WTO/TWW ~ aka, O day.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  Letrozole, estrace, and progesterone. Was going to to a TI last night if I didn't get a peak yesterday morning on an OPK - but got the peak.

How are things going?:  They are going. Been one heck of a work week and JUST now sitting down to lurk, post and generally take care of myself. Packing for vacation today and finally enjoying a much needed time at the beach. There is something about the beach that is so good for my soul so I'm hoping to come back a little more relaxed and at peace with how things have been going.

Any questions?: 

GTKY: Do you have a book you're looking forward to reading this summer by the pool/beach/patio? I've been making my way through the Reese Book club recommendations ~ I have 2 picked out currently that are in my beach bag that I hope to read. Typically, I have certain authors/genres I stick to so this is making my expand my mind and taste. 

inthewoods23

@mokay19 how did your surgery go? All set to move forward?

@And846 the Benadryl in the morning makes me feel so tired but it's going good so far. Maybe I'm also tired from the PM dose of Benadryl too haha. Have fun at the beach! I'll be out on a lake for my vacation. Let the relaxation commence!

mokay19

Okay I'm late to the party this week!  We were out of town until Tuesday night.  Then my hysteroscopy was supposed to be on Wednesday, but at 4pm on Tuesday I got a call that they had an issue with the anesthesiologist and had to push it to Thursday in Chicago.  So I worked on Wednesday and then on Thursday we had to drive the almost 2 hours into the West Loop for the procedure!

Diagnosis (if you've been):  PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  healing from hysteroscopy

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?):  just had polyps removed!

How are things going?:  Good now that the procedure is over.  The doctor removed 2 polyps and cleaned out my uterus.  At the baseline appt a few weeks ago, the RE had noted that my lining was still pretty thick (~7.5mm) even after a day of heavy bleeding, but the doctor that did the surgery said it didn't look abnormal or super thick so I don't know!
Now I'm working from home today because I'm quite crampy and my stomach isn't super calm.  I have a follow-up with my doctor on 7/28.  I'm hoping to jump right into a cycle after that, which will most likely mean taking Provera before starting the treatment cycle.  I also wanted to ask them about the meds.  We planned to do 10mg Letrozole and 100mg Clomid combined, but when I did that last cycle I only made 1 follie and had a semi-thin lining.  
Good news!  DH did his SA while at the clinic for my procedure and his numbers were good and better than his 2 in 2019.  Still reduced from his SA's that he did in 2016, but all within normal range.  I'm still going to continue to push him on his vitamins so things don't fluctuate too far down again (hopefully).

Volume: 3.7 mL
Concentration: 43 million/mL
Progressive motility: 44%
Morphology: 4% (this was down around 2.3% in 2019 so I'm happy to see it not trending further down even though it's right on the brink of low)

Any questions?:  Recommendations for male vitamins?

GTKY: Do you have a book you're looking forward to reading this summer by the pool/beach/patio? I only do Audiobooks on my commute so I don't usually enjoy books outside.  But I'm just about to start Recursion by Blake Crouch for my book club

daisy0322

@And846 enjoy the beach! How have to lined the books you’ve read so far from the book club? 

mokay19

So I just talked to my doctor office for the day-after check-in and I asked her some questions about the upcoming cycle plan... I asked when we would consider using injectables with TI or IUI since the double oral dosage only made one follie and very slowly.  She said that the practice has stopped using injectables for TI or IUI cycles due to the risk of high-order multiples.  And then she checked my chart and said because my AFC is >30 on each ovary, the doctor would be more inclined to not give me injectables unless doing IVF.  I totally understand what they're saying, but my emotional side is just annoyed.  There's such a fine line between "it takes more meds to stimulate my ovaries" and "we can't risk giving you too many meds because of your ovaries."  End rant.

[Deleted User]

@Daisy0322 YGPM

optimistgardener

hey y'all! wow, busy day on the board!

@mokay19 I'm glad you're through your procedure and looking forward, but I'm sorry it's so frustrating trying to pin down a good plan for next cycle. I'm sure it must be really annoying trying to straddle that line between too little/too much with PCOS.

@inthewoods23 I am impressed that you're even functional taking benadryl. it totally kills me. i just lie around on the couch in a puddle of drool.

@And846 it sounds like you've had a really busy week! good luck with this cycle.

AFM:

I just had my first check-in since stims started on Monday, and so far, so good!

At baseline I had 7 follicles. All seven of those seem to have recruited and one more, still less than 10mm, is now bringing up the rear! The largest is 16mm, with a 15 right behind it, and a cluster of follicles in the 12-13 range.

My E2 level is at 477 (stim day 5), which the clinician seems to think is in the ballpark of where it ought to be. I guess I'd hoped that considering how far along my follicles are, it would be a bit more, but I will not complain.

So, fingers firmly crossed things nothing goes haywire. If there is a downside to my update today, it is that the follicles are a couple of days ahead of schedule in their growth pattern (I pretty much expected this. as my doc started the u/s he started narrating what he was hoping to find. He said "hopefully we'll see that all those antral follicles have recruited, and they should all be in the 10-12mm range." I replied, "I'm willing to bet that if they've recruited, they're further along than that." And so it was. It's totally what my ovary did during my first medicated IUI, as well). I asked whether it was concerning to him that my stimulation is progressing so quickly, and whether this has any effect on the egg quality, and he said if I did not have DOR, it would be a bad sign, but that the studies done on DOR patients suggest that slow vs fast stimulation appears to make little difference in terms of IVF outcomes for us. My fast response means that they're going to start me on cetrotide tonight, and (like @bumblebee0210) they are moving up my egg retrieval by a couple of days. Hopefully Tuesday!

Of possible interest for the medication regimen/dosage nerds in the room @bumblebee0210 and @acleverusername. I asked whether the doc wanted to reduce my dosage, and he said he did not. he said he used to reduce dosages on cases like mine, but that all too often when they returned 2 or 3 days later for the next ultrasound he would discover all their follicles had stalled out. I guess the trouble is they can't really be certain what the flipping point is on the hormone receptors, and that even a small decrease in dosage could drop a patient below that flipping point. I guess he figures it is better to ride the wave in whatever form it takes than to try to alter its course.

bumblebee0210

@optimistgardener. That all sounds great! It's funny to me because I am always *so slow* which the doctor thought might be negatively affecting my quality so like who knows. I think if I hadn't had the bad cycle last time, they would have waited another day to trigger me since I had a few follicles in the 10-12 range, but they wanted to trigger before my e2 rise stalled out. All that is to say--- who knows what any of this means. I think it's all so individual. The good news is-- they are in there and they are growing.

And also to answer your earlier question-- I am a little uncomfortable. I think with so few eggs I don't get the major bloat some women do (I def do not look 4 months preg), but I am always a little bloated like the day or two before ER.

optimistgardener

thanks @bumblebee0210. I was curious because (so far, at least) I am not getting major bloat, either. Lots of weird tweakiness and some extra pressure on my bladder (hello, 2-3 times a night bathroom visits) but nothing beyond that. I figured since our follicle counts are somewhat comparable it wouldn't be unreasonable if our symptoms were ballpark, as well.

Edit: re: your doctors worrying about your stim response being slow. You're right, it is funny. We're always somewhere in this dance... hurry up now slow down. Who even knows what actually makes a difference. Even if they can identify a few trends, it seems like so much of it is chance as to whether our particular reason for matching or not matching the trends meshes or makes any sense as to whether it is a "good" or "bad" sign. A more pious version of me would be sighing right now and leaving it all up to God. Instead I fret.

keikilove

Heading home now, catching up with tags.

@mokay19 Glad to hear that the surgery went well. Sorry for the mixed messaging you’ve been dealing with about the plan for injectables. Hopefully you all can land on a happy medium that you feel confident about. 

@inthewoods23 Thanks! Yes, my clinic gives a daily report on embryo progress in the late afternoons when they are done seeing patients. They called yesterday to say of the 5 eggs retrieved, we have 4 embryos that made it overnight. Yippee! Now of course we have days to go but I’m hoping that each day they call or text me with an update and don’t forget. And that the reports remain positive! 

@And846 Enjoy your beach vacation! 

@daisy0322 Glad you’re getting some thorough testing & concern from your new doc! Chiming in with the other responses: I’ve also taken Femara the last few months with no side effects. I’m just curious: why does your doc want you to start it but he’s not doing an AFC U/S? How is he going to determine whether it’s working for you if he isn’t going to check follicles for several months? 

@gingermama29 Did you get any explanation for the quick switch from letrozole to Clomid? Do you have a preference for one over the other? 

@bows22 Thanks! I definitely thought of you at Disney😊 and then wondered if that would be weird to tell you later hahaha. As far as transfer timing, that’s a bit tricky. I will add details in my update below because it might get a bit long. 

@kiki047 Just wanted to add that it sounds like such a good choice you’ve made to take the Letrozole again. As you said, as much as for your mental health as for your fertility. I’m truly hoping that this could somehow be the gentle nudge your body needs to just get into perfect alignment. They say “third time’s a charm” so triple that to 9 times on Letrozole and hopefully it means 3 times the luck!🍀🤞🏽

@kiwi2628 Woohoo, it’s finally transfer time! That lining sounds great, FX everything goes perfectly this weekend/in the coming week. 

@bumblebee0210 This cycle seems to have improved for you! Hoping you have a great retrieval and that you feel satisfied with the results. Please refresh my memory: are you doing any more banking cycles after this round of retrieval? 

@bows22 Also just coming back to you to say GND was so addicting! Holly was so sweet &….mysterious? I never could understand those girls’ attraction to Heff. (💰??)  

@inthewoods23 So glad that your vacay start date got pushed back to the original. Doing all the sneaky TTC stuff around other people is no fun. Best of luck with testing on Sunday!!

@optimistgardener WooHOOOO that you’re finally in your stim cycle! How are you feeling so far? (I’m typing in flight without WiFi so not sure if you’ve posted an update to your Friday appointment yet.) Did you get a good result so far with the larger dose of meds? To take a guess at your questions: I think there are 2 schools of thought about those who are AMA/DOR: blast us with lots of meds first to see if that recruits the most follicles, and if that doesn’t work then go down to very low doses to see how the patient responds. You seem to be aware that many with DOR have a better response to lower doses of stims, but since every body is different, I guess your clinic wants to go with their tried and true first? Also re: estradiol: I’m almost certain that the level should be below 100 to start stims, and the lower the better. I do recall that I’ve been around 23 at the start of the last couple of stim cycles. Your level of 40 seems like a really good number to start with as well. I’m hoping SO HARD for you that this is an amazing cycle with fantastic results! 

@gingermama29 Sorry that the previous cycle wasn’t it. It’s ok to have been hopeful: how else is any of this going to work if we don’t have hope?  Hang in there! And Yes, how was your trip to Italy? Also, Yes to Outlander! I’m so ready for the new season.

@laura-kay So sorry about those insensitive comments. People mean well but don’t realize how insulting they can be with their good intentions. Sometimes I think they just don’t think at all. 

@acleverusername I can relate to SO much of what you wrote earlier in the week. It is hard to see repeat TTGPers come back and lap us, that’s for sure. I don’t mind as much when it’s for #2, but when the numbers start to get up to #4 and higher I always seriously wonder “How do you have TIME to be checking in here?” And “If you’re so fertile, why bother coming back here for 3-6 weeks and make the rest of us feel terrible? Why not just wait those few weeks and go straight to your BMB?” Also, I seriously hope that you have more peeps to be cycle buddies with. It’s awesome that you are exactly on track with your co-moderator. It would be awesome if we somehow wind up transferring at the same time.💕 Also, right there with you on the “no reading novels because all I read is fertility-related stuff”. Story of my life for the last 2.5 years. Ah well, it will be great when this chapter is over! Everyone on this plane is reading “The People You Meet On Vacation” so maybe I will check that out sometime in the future…

optimistgardener

@daisy0322 can i be +1 (or is it +2, i think someone else had a similar Q) re: @keikilove's question about why the doctor doesn't want to do a baseline follicle count? I feel like it would be useful to know where you start so it is easier to see how much of an effect the treatment is having. Also I lurked in WTO and see you're starting treatment so... fx for you!

I'm sorry I'm so chatty but I promise this will my last post of the day.

Firstly, the cetrotide shot suuuucks. I've got a nasty rashy hot spot from my first shot and am sure I'll get a bruise, plus the nurse warned me that the needle would feel a little blunt and... it did.

Secondly, it appears that my strategy this cycle for managing my anxiety is to worry about all the things, but worry about them all sequentially. So now that I'm done worrying about cancelling my cycle because of a cyst, e2 levels at baseline, and blowing all my follicles up with too many drugs, i am now on track to start worrying about whether i will prematurely ovulate after the trigger shot and before they do retrieval. I gather that this happens occasionally, and a casual search of bump board history suggests plenty of other women have worried about it before me... but does anyone have any actual #s on how often this happens? I brought it up with the nurse at the clinic today when she was showing me how to use the cetrotide and i can just tell she is Completely. Over. Dealing. With. Anxious. Fertility. Patients. Her reply was a very casual and not at all reassuring, "oh yeah that just happened to one of our patients here last month, but 36 hours usually works pretty well and I'm sure it will for you too." I need to remember to not ask her questions but always ask either of the two REs in the clinic, both of whom are happy to chat about the ins and outs of IVF protocol theory.

kiwi2628

So this AM- lining is 10 mm and I have a 20 mm follicle so we are triggering tonight! BUT I DONT HAVE MY TRIGGER SHOT DELIVERED YET! I’m only CD 8 so it went way faster than expected. It is supposed to be delivered today but if it’s not we may miss this cycle. COOL COOL COOL

mokay19

@kiwi2628 wishing you all the fast deliveries to get that trigger shot to you!! 

optimistgardener

@kiwi2628 omg!! sending all the miracle/delivered just on time vibes. i'll be checking in to see how it goes. eep.

laura-kay

@kiwi2628 I hope it gets there in time!!!

kiwi2628

Meds just arrived! Tonight at 8 it’s on!

acleverusername

I have been keeping abreast with all the happenings this week but haven’t had a chance to input because it was a short weeks and MH and I are traveling this weekend… just took Fri and Mon off, but that’s just what I need right now. Anyways, I hope I don’t miss anyone in my tags but if I do, it’s not intentional!

@optimistgardener woohoo for such fantastic first u/s results. Hopefully the good news keep on rolling in. And I totally understand the sequential anxiety. I think that’s natural. If it REALLY bothers you, you should discuss with your doctor if taking 2 Cetrotide shots a day is a good idea. Anyways… 🤞🏻

@kiki047 echoing what Keiki said about triple three luck. It sounds like you’re mentally in a great place and that’s so powerful! Also nice that you’re rediscovering your sexy groove with YH. That’s so important. And 💯 on anxiety when so many ppl are around you. That was how MH and I felt earlier this year when we went to Carmel (before mass vaccination was open to everyone) and saw crowds + ppl not wearing masks. 

@keikilove 4 embryos! So wonderful! 😍😍😍 I am praying the good news keeps on coming. Also the bit about repeaters coming here for 3-6 weeks only to move on to a BMB is definitely a slap in the face. Like you said.. just wait and go straight to a BMB. And I shouldn’t even be that bitter…How was the anniversary dinner in San Diego?

@mokay19 yay for surgery going well! I too would have asked the doc for photos of my innards. Haha. (I did that when I had my endoscopy/colonoscopy earlier this year). Hopefully the time between now and Jul 28 fliiiiiiiieeees! Re: dark materials, actually watched the HBO shows before getting into the books (only read book 1 for now). The show (at least season 1) follows book 1 pretty well. It does take a lot of concentration to understand what’s happening so I’m not sure if reading the books before watching or vice versa is a better idea.

@daisy0322 I only had a negative physiological response to Clomid in that my lining thinned right out after 3 cycles. From 8.13mm first cycle to 6mm the following and then down to 4.11mm in my final Clomid cycle. Note: the effects are cumulative so that last cycle included a break of 1 or 2 cycles. 

@and846 hopefully you got some DTD action this week! 🤞🏻🤞🏻 As for that feeling the beach gives you… OMG 10000000%. I can walk the beach for hours. I just convinced MH to go to San Diego for Labor Day weekend. I need to swim in the ocean NOW! 

@kiwi2628 I hope you got your trigger shot!

@inthewoods23 argh… hats off to you for doing the Benadryl. I was taking a Melatonin in the AM and PM during my aborted IVF cycle and I was a sleepy mess. Although that could have been the stim meds. Anyways, I’m about to do that as well! 

AFM… it’s CD 15 and OPKs show no signs of Sergio arriving. CBAD is stubbornly low as are the Wondfos. I also had a new high/low in my TTC journey yesterday… peeing in a cup / doing an OPK in the airport bathroom. Lol. I’m sure you veterans have had to do worse. I think there are more “places to pee in a cup in” coming up this weekend. Will keep y’all entertained / posted.

optimistgardener

@acleverusername dude, OPK tests in airports are the worst. "yes, i know i've been sitting in here making suspicious crackling noises for the last 4 minutes, and yes i know you need to pee and have to catch your flight. leave me alone!" my most stressful airport pee test was coming back from a job interview that was cancelled after(!) I flew in for the full-day interview because of an unexpected blizzard--the big one that hit seattle in feb '19. got stuck on the return as all the flights were cancelled. meanwhile, i was hoping that i might still be able to get back home to pick up frozen sperm from the sperm bank before it closed the day before i ovulated. of course, i got a peak reading while sitting in the airport in seattle, but then by a miracle my flight got clearance to leave and by the skin of my teeth i managed it! it felt heroic. of course, this was before i knew i had two mondo fibroids getting in the way of things but it was still epic.

keikilove

@optimistgardener Your update is so exciting!! So good to hear that all those antral follicles recruited for this round! What you said about having sequential anxiety makes total sense—I am experiencing it right now—and your worry about ovulating early is legit too. I have had 5 retrievals so far and have felt certain that I must be ovulating just before it was retrieval time. The doctors have never said that I have, but they’ve always retrieved fewer eggs than they saw in the days prior to retrieval. And they’ve never mentioned that I ever had empty follicles so… 🤷‍♀️ Now I  have finally reassured myself that the cramping I always feel is just the maturation process brought on by the trigger, and the cramps that signal the impending release of the eggs. (And I still wonder if I lost an egg or two just before the retrieval surgery.) I share this just for insight for you, especially if you start to get the cramps feelings after trigger & get worried. I hope I haven’t added to your anxiety!!! Also, just to add that it seems very common to not feel any bloating or discomfort until a day or two before retrieval.// Your airport OPK story!😬 It does sound heroic! That would have been so sweet if that was the lucky cycle.🍀
 
@kiwi2628 What a relief that the delivery arrived! Now go get trigger happy😉

@acleverusername Let’s hope Sergio shows up on your long weekend getaway! Is this the trip back to Carmel-by-the-Sea? Enjoy your down time! And thank you for the cheerleading regarding my embryos.💗 Our anniversary dinner was… interesting.😆 We had enjoyed the San Diego Safari Park all day and were rushing to get cleaned up at the hotel to make it to our dinner res on time. So MH dropped me off at the restaurant while he parked the rental. The place was quite fancy & pricey, and totally worth it for my amazing oysters and grilled octopus and sea bass dish. But MH’s food was overly seasoned with a spice so strong & fiery that he couldn’t even eat it. He re-ordered something else. We both had a glass of wine to toast the special occasion and then (since we don’t drink anymore) MH had trouble recalling which direction he had parked the car. So we had a ‘romantic’ and tipsy stroll through the Gaslamp Quarter before finally locating our vehicle. It made for a pretty comical end to the night.
 

@acleverusername & @inthewoods23 This is random, but since Clever mentioned going to SD this Labor Day and ITW23 mentioned loving zoos & maybe checking them out in SD one day, I just wanted to share this tip we just learned: There is something called the Go San Diego pass that you can buy online for a seriously discounted price. It gets you into over 55 attractions throughout the city, including the Zoo & Safari Park, SeaWorld, Knotts Berry Farm, other amusement parks, tons of museums, tours, etc. It seems like the only one not included is Disneyland. If we’d known about this pass before our trip it would’ve saved us hundreds of dollars on entry fees to various attractions. https://gocity.com/san-diego/en-us/products/all-inclusive

Edited for spacing. It’s always the spacing on TB!!!

optimistgardener

@keikilove you have no idea how reassuring your comments are re: your experience of feeling like you were ovulating before the retrieval. I will do my best to keep it in mind when I am freaking out (probably sometime Monday evening, if the schedule holds). Sending good vibes in the direction of your embryos.

acleverusername

@optimistgardener omg your airport OPK story is amazing! You are definitely a heroine! Unrelated fun fact… I was in Seattle / driving through Seattle during that storm! I was in Whistler skiing with friends and I had deliberately flown in/from Seattle because one of my friends (fellow Canuck) lives in Seattle so we drove from Seattle to Whistler. Well on our return trip, it started snowing in Vancouver and didn’t stop until we got to Seattle. It was “comical” to see how unprepared Seattle was for snow. Anyway I digress. When’s your next monitoring appointment?

@keikilove love your anniversary story. Haha. The tipsy wondering through Gaslight district sounds amazing TBH. Glad that you got to enjoy a bit of wine. AFU, we’re in Seattle this weekend! (Carmel was last weekend.) We’re actually seriously considering moving here in the Fall. 😮 So this is a scouting trip. MH lived here for 5 years previously and he’s weirdly/wildly excited about the prospect. Thanks for the tip re: Go SD pass! I will definitely pick one up!

@kiwi2628 glad that meds got there! GL!

optimistgardener

@acleverusername that's wild that you were also in seattle for the same storm! a separate part of the adventure was that i had to make my way from bellingham (where the interview would have taken place, had it happened) to seattle to catch my flight, which involved like 5 hours of sitting on a bus at a snail's crawl and then watching seattle drivers slide all over the place when we finally entered the city. To continue the drama, my BFN that month was in a bathroom attached to the ICU where my mom was recovering from a huge surgery for her cancer treatment. I had really, desperately hoped to be able to deliver some good news while she was in the hospital bed, but my BFN turned out to be totally no big deal compared with the elation our family felt that my mom's surgery had been successful. The weird thing about TTC is that it is never just its own journey, it is always a journey that is so intimately bound up with all the other stuff going on in your life.

next monitoring appointment is tomorrow am!

keikilove

Eeee! We just got our daily update on our embryos: all 4 made it to Day 3!💗💗💗 Now I’m not sure if they are trying to grow any to Day 5 and I forgot to ask if they are freezing them all today, but I’m just happy in this moment! 

optimistgardener

@keikilove yippee!!!!

gingermama29

@mokay19 I’ve seen season 1 of His Dark Materials but haven’t watched the most recent one yet. It’s on my to watch list. I haven’t ever taken Clomid before. I did a cycle of Letrozole in November *TW* that ended in a loss. This past cycle was my second try with Letrozole, and obviously wasn’t successful. Glad YH’s SA looked good. I hope you’re able to jump right in on your cycle after your appointment at the end of the month! FX!

@And846 no idea why we did Letrozole first; it’s just what my doctor chose. Not sure about the estrace? I honestly didn’t know that was a thing until you asked. Have so much fun on vacation!! The beach sounds wonderful!

@optimistgardner sounds like things are moving in a good direction! Keeping everything crossed for you! And OMG that airport story! That must have been so stressful at the time!

@keikilove nope, no explanation. I actually didn’t even talk to my doctor directly. Ask the information came from the nurse on the nurse’s line, but she’s consistently been the one with whom I’ve been speaking. No idea for preference yet since this is my first cycle on Clomid. Italy was amazing!! We ate so much delicious food and really enjoyed exploring the ruins. Pompeii and the Colosseum were definitely trip highlights!! Yay for your embryos!! ❤️❤️❤️ 

laura-kay

CD2 here for me.  Apparently I wasn’t lucky during my break from treatments   

TW family member pregnancy

So my sister called me today.  At some point in the conversation she said “I know this isn’t hard for you…” and told me that she is pregnant, with her fourth child.  I’m thinking….I just would like a child….I would be thrilled with even one.  She is pregnant when her son is just a bit over a year old.  As soon as they try, they get pregnant!

Of course I am very happy for her, but I also am kind of sad at the same time for us.

acleverusername

@optimistgardener you make an interesting point about TTC and the other life stuff that gets interwoven into it. And makes some of the TTC moments stand out like your Mom’s successful breast cancer surgery and bfn that cycle that didn’t actually matter. I’ve got a bit of that going on now too, except mine is not good (tl;dr maybe I’ll get into it one day but I’m basically halting all comms with my parents indefinitely.) Good luck at tomorrow’s appointment!

@keikilove OMGGGGGGGG!!! I feel like this is the best results you’ve had in all of the treatments you’ve done. Am I right or am I imagining in?! But that freaking fantastic and I am OH SO HAPPY for you. 

@laura-kay it’s especially hard to hear those announcements especially when they come from a sibling. Like you can’t feel sad because it’s your sister; but you want to feel sad because, like you said, they just look at one another and fall pregnant. *many hugs*
I’m sorry the “break” didn’t help. Have you decided what’s next for you?

AFM, OPKs at a beer garden today (I cheated and had a 5oz glass of wine). Nothing too scandalous though. Also learned that hemp milk it a diuretic the hard way… barely made it to a bathroom at Starbucks. And also can definitely say that turmeric latte with hemp milk tastes like a$$. 

bumblebee0210

Just a quick update— ER went well. They got 5 eggs, which was about what I expected since my last check-in had seven measurable, but two were only 10-12. The lab called today and 4 were mature and 3 fertilized, so that is the *exact* same amount of fertilized eggs we got on our first two cycles. So in a sense the quality/quantity tradeoff may have worked, but in another sense it doesn’t really matter? If we end up with 3 day-5 blasts then perhaps I will be more convinced. Anyway— mostly just happy this cycle wasn’t a complete bust yet.

@keikilove GURLLL you are drowning in embryos. I don’t know what you did this cycle but I hope your uterus/immune system will let one of those lovely embryos in to set up camp for 9 months!! At least you will be going into the transfer phase with a *lot* of chances. 

Also to answer your question we are probably doing at least one more. We will probably have to give up on the pipe dream of having 5-6 PGT-A normal embryos, but I would like to give myself the best chance possible to have more than 2 kids, and if the retrievals are working (even slowly), I will keep doing them. I am thinking I will want to transfer before the end of 2021, but who knows. If we get one more normal from this cycle we will also probably start trying in the off/priming cycles too. 

@optimistgardener  Dude its probably just best to accept that you will be anxious this entire time. If you get pregnant you may get a reprieve for like 6 weeks in the second tri, but it’s best just to get comfortable living with it! I like to call IVF “anxiety boot camp”

daisy0322

@optimistgardener @keikilove so my hormones were so low there’s probably not any developing. They aren’t expecting me to ovulate thing round they think they may help shock my body into doing something the next time so when I get an U/S after this cycle it will be more baseline. This doctor in particular has worked with women like me before. It’s not really textbook like how you would handle other cases it’s not really comparable. The RE in the office agreed. In a few more cycles they may add injectable gandotropines