IF Testing & Treatment w/o 1.17

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: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? 

optimistgardener

Diagnosis (if you've been): 1 ovary, wrinkly and graying

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): FET prep (although in the literature mosaic transfers are usually shortened as a MET, just fyi!)

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

How are things going?: still just dodging covid, stress-reading scientific studies, and hoping for the best! nothing particularly new here to report for the present except that i literally have read all the studies now and there are none left for me to read. am going to have to find myself another hobby. i do bloodwork on friday to see if i'm responding appropriately to the e. valerate shots and then a proliferation check next friday. fx
also my job app is in for the permanent version of this one-year job and so i'm minor-key stressing about how i'm going to manage my calendar if they call me in for 1st round or 2nd round interviews. i hope (and pray) that they will not clash with my various FET calendar stuff.

Any questions?: not really.

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? Oh jeez. Ok here's my 3 levels of vacation dreaming: 1) next time I have a few days in which I can take some time off I'm headed to the coast for some time in the family cabin, with or without other people around me; 2) next time I can afford to take a 6-hour drive and spend a few days, I'm headed to the Bay Area to see friends and eat at a gazillion restaurants I miss and drop by a couple of museums and maybe hike the East Bay hills because I miss them too; 3) the next time I'm like traveling internationally for weeks at a time just because I can (which, who knows when that will be) I am desperate to see the Central Asian cities of Bukhara and Samarqand.

shortstack930

@optimistgardener I really hope your interviews don’t end up interfering with your FET! That is super stressful not to be able to plan around it yet. I love your levels of vacation planning! 

Diagnosis (if you've been): Endometriosis 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

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

How are things going?: I feel like I’ve adjusted to the meds a bit more. I go for a lining check next Tuesday and hopefully FET will be a week or so after that! I’m hoping it ends up being 2/3 like I’m anticipating because I have 7 days off of work after that which will be nice. 

Any questions?: So I’m doing the estrogen patches on my belly and they are so itchy and totally irritate my skin. Like I have an itchy red circle on my stomach every time I remove one. Has anyone else dealt with this? I tried putting some aloe on it but it didn’t really do much. 

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? DH and I are hitting our ten year wedding anniversary this summer and we had always planned on doing a big trip like Hawaii or something. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen between covid and whatever ends up happening FET-wise but I’m hoping maybe we can do it next year!

bows22

Thinking of you today @kiki047 !!!

optimistgardener

i hope everything goes perfectly today @kiki047 and all the things crossed for it to sick!

optimistgardener

@shortstack930 i've never done the estrogen patches but it sort of sounds like maybe you're having a reaction to the adhesive glue rather than the estrogen in the patch itself? no answers here but sympathies. my skin freaks out like this to some kinds of band-aids.

tessiesmom26

*pokes head around the corner* Hey, Hi, Hello. Wanted to dip my toes in here a tiny bit as I am just now beginning IF testing. I know you all have a strong bond and I have lurked here a time or two but wanted to formally enter the chat. I met with my Dr last week and have CD21 testing scheduled for next Monday. I am a newb when it comes to all things IF so I am hoping to get to know more about it and learn from this incredible bunch. I am going to try to jump in as much as I can but ask for your patience with me as I try to learn the IF lingo. 

@optimistgardener I hope that your interviews don't interfere! Such a hard thing to try to coordinate, I hope if there are any snags the job isn't too hard to work with/flex.
@shortstack930 I agree that it might be the adhesive causing the irritation and not necessarily the patch itself. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): Working on that now

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): Waiting to confirm O

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): CD21 testing/bloodwork

How are things going?: Things are okay. I have been super busy so I have been able to distract myself from everything going on, but I am proud that I called when I did and I'm also happy that it didn't take too long to get into the Dr and work on a plan going forward. 

Any questions?: When you first started your journeys, were there any good resources that you found? Essentially looking for IF 101 or something similar. When I try that into the google, I get a lot of clinic specific information, not really general things. Also thinking I might need to see my bloodwork results before looking into anything more specific but want to start reading up on things. 

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? We are going to visit my FL family in a few months. My Aunt/Godmother moved to FL 2 years ago, with my cousin and her kids. We used to spend every weekend together so I miss them and can't wait to go visit! We last visited in March of last year, and they were here over the summer, but it's been far too long. DH and I were going to try to plan a big 5 year anniversary trip with coming Oct, but that most likely won't happen, so that one is still a dream!

optimistgardener

welcome @tessiesmom26. sorry you feel like you need to join us here but we're happy to have you drop by anytime you like. Others will probably have better answers to your question, but for whatever this is worth, here's my take: infertility encompasses such a broad spectrum of possibilities that in order to find really meaningful resources, you need to first narrow things down a little bit. folks with PCOS, for example, may need to focus on a really different set of information than someone who's just decrepit, like me. the bloodwork is a great start. are you also going to do a cd2-3 round of bloodwork? I hope so! and along with it, an antral follicle count (via ultrasound)? the information you glean from those tests will help you to start to be able to figure out what kinds of questions you need to ask next. But while we're here, are there things you've noticed about your cycle recently that have you suspicious? short LP or a FP that is getting shorter, or by contrast that is unpredictable and long? More pain than you used to experience or heavier menses? Any of those things might help you to start pushing your doc to look at particular sets of possibilities. I have lurked the dailies and don't seem to remember anything that unusual about your cycle but admittedly I haven't taken notes!

acleverusername

@tessiesmom26 Hey there! I'm truly sorry that you find yourself here. As you mentioned, we are a tight-knit group but we welcome others with open arms and with information spewing from our heads because... as I like to say... what else are we going to do with all the information we've learned from reading all those PubMed articles? (amiright @optimistgardener??? *wink, wink*). While I'm not currently participating here (taking a 3-month break before starting my transfer prep), I've got excellent resources to share with you:

1) this TB thread was recommended to me when I first started frequenting here.
2) this blog article from Modern Fertility (I contributed to it as I am a moderator on their fertility forum)

^^ Based on above, my biggest recommendation is to start a list of questions you want to be asking. Put it somewhere visible so that both you and YH can contribute. As soon as you think of something, put it on there otherwise you'll forget. 

Good luck and... you're in good hands here! 

tessiesmom26

@optimistgardener Thank you for your insight. The dr did not mention CD2-3 testing, however he did schedule a follow up after the BW that is supposed to be 3-5 days after (so CD24-26), so I assume he could still want to do that. According to the notes from the appt, depending on the results of the CD21 BW, his next steps are SA and hysterosalpingogram (HSG?). As for cycles, They have been "off" in the grand scheme of things.
*TW MC*

After my MC/D&C I didn't resume cycles for 2 months. Since then, my LP has been varying more than is expected, per my tracking in FF. I also had the misfortune of three colds/sicknesses that have given me fevers right around O that have thrown a wrench in it as well, as far as pinpointing O and then measuring LP from that point out. 

@acleverusername Thank you, I am off to check those out! I feel like I would have so many questions if I had any idea what to ask. I will feel better once we get some tests run and get a better starting point. 

inthewoods23

*lurking*

@kiki047 wishing you the bestest luck ever for your transfer today!!!

@tessiesmom26 honestly, this group was my greatest resource because no one I knew had been through IF so I had absolutely no clue what I was about to get into. It's the whole reason I joined TB! Starting with CD21 (or really 7dpo progesterone testing is what it really should be) is always first assuming you don't have anything that is proof that you definitely are not ovulating. I did that for 2 cycles with my OB before we did the HSG and an SA. Based on the SA we got referred to a urologist to check DH for varicoceles as my OB felt his count was too low even though it was on the low end of normal. From there we got referred to an RE who did the CD3 testing and AFC. From there you'll likely decide your course of action based on your results. If you want a timeline - I first talked to my OB about our struggles around the 10 month mark (in May) simply because I happen to have my annual scheduled that month. June and July were spent having the CD21 test. August we had the SA and HSG done. Then it was about a month before we saw the urologist and another month after that before our first consultation with the RE. If the timing is right, you'll be able to do the CD3 testing soon after so consider that when you schedule that appointment. I must have just finished my period or something when we had ours so essentially we had to wait a whole cycle to have the testing done. So my CD3 testing wasn't until November with the decision at the end of the month/early December to start doing IUIs with my first IUI occurring just after Christmas.

Feel free to reach out. I've just about everything you could possibly do. And one thing to keep in mind is that clinics will operate differently from others. When we moved on to IVF I had to wait 3 months until it was our embryo transfer day. Then did additional testing before even considering transferring another when the first one failed. Other clinics will do straight back to back transfers almost like you can do with IUIs without investigating possible causes for why it failed because your hormones are all controlled anyway.

kiki047

Thanks ladies. I’m here and checked in, such a different process from my last clinic. I didn’t even change out of my street clothes there, other than to obviously take off my bottoms. Here I’m fully decked out in gown, booties, hairnet, etc. MH is allowed to come into the OR with me but isn’t allowed to sit and wait with me so he’s in another section of the clinic. It’s a little bizarre but I guess it is what it is. I get the feeling this was a pre-pandemic rule too. Just glad he can come in with me, we are putting our baby in there after all. ❤️

I’ll be back later with a proper check in if it’s still ok that I hang out for a few days post transfer. 

acleverusername

Thinking of you today @kiki047!!! 

shortstack930

@kiki047 hope everything goes well today!!!

@optimistgardener yeah it definitely makes sense that it's the adhesive. I'm annoyed because I have to use this mail order pharmacy to get my meds (it's a pharmacy through the hospital system I work for) and they switched to this kind of patch. The patches I used to get through the regular pharmacy didn't cause as much irritation.

@tessiesmom26 I'm sorry you find yourself here but welcome! You've gotten a lot of really great advice so far but if you're into podcasts at all I would check out Beat Infertility. They have specific episodes based on different parts of IF and I believe there's one about your first RE visit and what to expect/ask.

bumblebee0210

*lurking*

@tessiesmom26. *tw mc, lc*

I had a very wonky cycle after my first MC. I didn't get my period for 3 months (it took forever or my HCG to go back down), and then had super short luteal phases for a few months afterward. Happily, I conceived my daughter about 6 months after getting my cycle back. But it did take a while to return to normalcy. 

Head's up: I'm not totally sure what your timeline has been, but since you are young and have conceived twice (and carried one to term, I am guessing from your signature? Apologies if i'm wrong on that), a regular ob is likely going to give you the old "bad luck" diagnosis. Even after my second miscarriage (after my daughter was born), I got a lot of that. Luckily the RE was much more sympathetic and gave we the full workup. 

Others have given you the basic rundown, but here is my version: if you don't have a clear diagnosis (PCOS, endometriosis, an autoimmune disorder) predating your IF issues, you get the "standard workup". The first thing are the blood tests which test for ovarian reserve. This was the issue with me-- even though I was conceiving I had "borderline diminished ovarian reserve", high-ish FSH and very low AMH, which likely led to my increased miscarriage rate.  They will typically also test your thyroid, and maybe a few other easy things. Then, you can get the "structural" tests-- which are a bit more invasive (but still fine) that check if your uterus looks ok and your tubes are open. They skipped those with me since I had already conceived so often, but they did check my uterus to see if there was any scarring from the D&C, or polyps. After that there are more exotic tests, but often if they don't find anything (or even if they do) they put you on the standard track of medicated cycles, IUI, and then IVF. Given your luteal phase issues they may offer progesterone supplementation as a first step also.  

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to chat about the process.

fantasyflyte

@kiki047 thinking of you today!

keikilove

@kiki047💗🙂💗🙂💗🙂

Sending you all the good juju and baby glitter!

walkawaynee

@optimistgardener fx all goes smooth with your interviews/scheduling and everything else.

@shortstack930 I get reactions like that to adhesive too, super annoying.

@kiki047 Best wishes today! Weird about DH having to wait in the other room before going into the OR!

@tessiesmom26 glad you are coming out of lurkdome to participate. I haven't been around long but this group is great and welcoming!

Diagnosis (if you've been):  AMA, DOR, giant cyst in the way, low morph, Hashimotos

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  prepping for Egg retrieval #2. 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Stims start in 2 weeks, got my meds today! 

How are things going?: I had an awful cold that last close to 2 weeks. ( 99% sure it was *just* a cold, tested negative twice)

Any questions?:  my Dr. Never responded to my message about adding omnitrope. I have an appointment this week do you think it's too late to ask about it for this cycle? 

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)?  I just bought concert tickets for shows in March and April. Each is 4-5 hour drive so we will make them into weekend getaways!

Edited because mobile bumping and my phone autocorrect is whack. 

acleverusername

@walkawaynee definitely not to late to ask! Although there are different protocols for omnitrope, generally you start it at the same time as the other stims. 

fantasyflyte

@optimistgardener fingers crossed both for this transfer cycle and that you get the permanent position without any clashes with your FET appointments!

@shortstack930 sorry about the itching, I second the thought that maybe it's the adhesive you're reacting to? I had a similar reaction to the bandaids and paper tape on my stomach after my gallbladder surgery. Can you try hydrocortisone or benadryl cream to help with the itch? An oral antihistamine might help as well (just don't do benadryl orally AND benadryl cream lol).

@tessiesmom26 sounds weird out of context, but I'm sorry to see you here, but welcome at the same time? Don't hesitate to jump in with both feet, this thread is such a great supportive space. I'm glad you're able to get in with the doctor and get the ball rolling!

@walkawaynee boo having a cold, glad it was just a cold though! Fingers crossed you get lots of eggs in this one!

AFM:

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

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): letrozole and IUI if insurance gets preauth in in time, TI otherwise

How are things going?: not bad. I'm glad to be into this cycle after covid threw a wrench in last cycle. I'm hoping I ovulate by CD17 because I have 7 sticks for my CBAD and don't want to buy more lol.

Any questions?: nope

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? We go to the beach with my husband's family every year. This past year was fantastic, especially after having to cancel 2020 because of covid. I don't know if we'll be able to go this year, depends on if I get the internship I applied for, but we'll see!

kiki047

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

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): TWW, 1dp5dt

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): FET #5 (technically FET #4 plus 1 fresh tsf)

How are things going?: Good! Thank you everyone for your well-wishes yesterday. Everything went really well. My normally gruff, all-business RE was sing-songy and jokey and it really helped set the mood because I was stressed and MH was terrified. This clinic is much more high-tech than our last one, so we got to actually see the embryo on the screen, watched them suck it up with the syringe, then watched on the screen as he transferred it into my ute. Of course you can't actually see the embryo on the ultrasound but you can see the fluid, and that was super cool. He did an HCG wash about 5 mins prior to the transfer itself, also something I had never done (@keikilove I feel like you've done this before maybe?), and I was given a blood thinner (Fragmin, the Canadian version of Lovenox) to add to my protocol post-transfer. 

Any questions?: Two questions this time:
1) This sounds dumb in my head even as I'm typing it but I'm going to ask it anyway - the HCG wash was just an injection into my ute a few mins prior to my transfer. It won't show up on a FRER, will it? I'm not planning on testing for a while still but I'm wondering if it's possible for my body to absorb any of that HCG and thus create a false positive? 
2) Anyone else on blood thinners, e.g. Lovenox? Any tips/tricks/words of advice? I read it might bruise less if you pull the skin taught instead of pinching, and to try your lovehandle area on your hips instead of belly (but that's where I have my estrogen patches). It also burns like a mofo, so much worse than menopur or cetrotide. 

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? The only thing we are committed to is Vegas at the end of June. MH is a competitive bowler and always goes to the USBCs, but hasn't for the last 2 years for obvious reasons. He was paid for 2020 though so unless he wants to forfeit several hundred $$ he's pretty committed to going this year. I like Vegas well enough but it's not exactly somewhere I want to be in pandemic times so I'll probably chill at the AirBnB and try to find some outdoor stuff to do in the area instead of hanging out on the strip like we usually do. So while I'm anxious about traveling still, I am looking forward to getting away somewhere. 

kiki047

@optimistgardener I really hope your interviews don't end up interfering with your FET at all, and that the universe will throw you a bone and have everything line up just perfectly in the end. 
@shortstack930 I'm surprised my skin isn't more irritated from the patches. These ones are massive too, the last time I used patches they were like 1"x1", these are easily 3.5"x2". I agree that it's likely the adhesive, and if that's the case I don't know how to help you with that. I'd say it's worth a mention to the clinic to see if they can switch it out for something else? Or can you put it somewhere less sensitive? I've got mine on my love handles right now because I need belly space for injections. 
@tessiesmom26 hi, welcome! Sorry you find yourself dabbling here in IF-land, but you're in good company. I agree with what PPs have already mentioned. I follow a lot of IF-specific accounts on instagram that I find to be helpful. Of course I'm drawing a blank right now to be able to send you any but if I come across a particularly useful account I'll send it to you.
@walkawaynee there you are! Sorry to hear you were sick, seems like there's a nasty flu going around that isn't Covid, but might as well be for how contagious and awful it is (MH's whole family got it at Christmas, also negative for C19). I'll agree that it's not too late to ask again about the omnitrope, you still have time before you start stims! 

shortstack930

@fantasyflyte I hope everything lines up and you don't have to buy more CBAD strips! When will you find out if the preauthorization will be through in time?

@kiki047 so glad everything went well yesterday!! I can't believe your other RE never let you watch the ultrasound before! They've always done that at my RE and I feel like it makes it a little bit more special to watch it. Not sure about the answers to your questions other than that as an RN I've always administered Lovenox in the belly subcutaneous, so pinching the belly fat and then injecting it. Maybe try icing the area beforehand to see if that helps the burning?

fantasyflyte

@shortstack930 unless the office calls me this week, I'm going to call the RE Saturday to see if I should still go to my monitoring ultrasound Sunday morning. Or maybe I'll call Friday just to be safe since it's probably a skeleton crew on the weekend.

optimistgardener

ok so this definitely feels a bit like oversharing (what is this board without oversharing, though?) but i'm super happy about it. my pap came back normal! this is my first normal pap smear in 3 years, which feels like a big deal and also i hope bodes well for the general well-being of my uterus. my last 2 paps have come back not only positive for hpv, but also with notes about chronic and acute inflammation. all is apparently quiet this time around.

acleverusername

@optimistgardener Wooo! That's incredibly good news! And also some good juju for your upcoming transfer, me thinks! You go ute! 

keikilove

@optimistgardener Woohoooooo!!! What a relief! I am so happy for you that you won’t have that weighing your mind down as you approach the MET!😉 From one major oversharer to you, I’m so glad you decided to share.😄

fantasyflyte

@optimistgardener woooo, and excellent timing for a normal pap, hopefully it's a good omen for this round!

walkawaynee

@optimistgardener I love a good overshare! Congrats on the normal pap!

@kiki047 I love that you got to watch the process this time!

@fantasyflyte FX for insurance and O to get their acts together in time.

AFM:
Met with a new RE today which snuck up on me post illness. The meeting was nothing short of awesome. He was very thorough, explained a lot and gave me tons of options. I really liked him so DH and I are going to sit down and discuss if we want to cancel the cycle at the current clinic (lose $500) and go with the new doc for a March retrevial. 
He wants to try lower doses and add Femara and omnitrope. Plus having me prime with something to hopefully shrink the cyst which he says is not an endometrioma. It was like night and day from my current clinic. Plus, they have a changing closet in the ultrasound room which my current clinic does not. 

optimistgardener

@walkawaynee that's wonderful about having such a good meeting with the new RE! also super interesting that he thinks your endometrioma is not really an endometrioma. whaaaat.

acleverusername

@walkawaynee oh yay! I'm so happy when I hear ppl getting blown away with second opinion consults. Good luck with this new doc! *Fingers crossed*

acleverusername

Random question for @inthewoods23: can you remember what test your RI did when he took the biopsy that revealed that your ute was inhospitable? TIA. 

inthewoods23

*I have been summoned 😂*

It's called the decidualization score 😊

caseys02

Diagnosis (if you've been):  - partner has really crappy sperm and I'm "old" 

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):  WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): started him on some new meds to improve his guys, but I know it takes 3 months. Took clomid this month. Timed intercourse this week

How are things going?: It's going, trying not to think about it because it's been 2 years and one loss and just tired of being hopeful at this point. He's in between jobs, so once he gets his new health insurance next week we can do an FET or IVF in February or March

Any questions?: Trying to determine which route I want to go, fet or straight ivf. New insurance actually covers a portion of both so that eases my mind a bit. 

GTKY: What's the next vacation you've got planning/are looking forward to (even if it's not planned)? We have our annual ADK February weekends for snow shoeing and hiking with the dogs but in March going to Florida, Gulf Coast, to fish with my dad and I cannot wait. 

optimistgardener

welcome @caseys02! glad to have you here although i'm sorry that you have to be here.

So if you're trying to decide between FET and IVF, that must mean you've got some embryos on ice somewhere? How many? Are they tested? There are a few of us lining up for FETs in early Feb, and at least 1 person right now is lining her ducks up for an IVF soon.

walkawaynee

@optimistgardener @acleverusername Thanks for the support! I am low key freaking out about canceling this cycle with current RE and making the switch. I know it's the right thing but change and (more) waiting is difficult and scary.

fantasyflyte

@caseys02 like @optimistgardener said, welcome, and also sorry you have to be here.

AFM, the insurance website still shows the preauth as processing, so I think I need to cancel the ultrasound and just do OPKs. But my nurse is out of the office today so I think I'm going to try calling tomorrow to cancel the appointment if the insurance website still shows as processing by tonight.

tessiesmom26

@inthewoods23 That you for sharing your timeline. This is very helpful in knowing what to expect both with possible tests and also just a general timeframe. I really appreciate you sharing your journey.

@shortstack930 Thank you for the podcast rec! I do listen to a lot of podcasts so I will be sure to check that one out!

@bumblebee0210 Thank you for sharing your journey as well. 

Many of the things you listed were brought up. The dr said he didn't want to rush to check for any blockages because I have conceived twice with no help. All other assumptions were also correct, in what the dr mentioned as far as testing and how he would conduct it. I am hoping that I have a better idea of what our next steps will be after the BW on Monday. I appreciate you offering your help and I will most likely be taking you up on that once I see what the results say.

@walkawaynee I hear you on the everlasting cold. I had one back in November that seemed to last forever. I had tested negative 3/4 times. I did end up getting Covid in January and it was milder than the forever cold.

@fantasyflyte I'm still crossing everything for you that insurance gets their act together and you can go through with your IUI!

@kiki047 I'm glad everything went well for you! How cool that you got to watch the whole thing! I had to have Lovenox after my gastric bypass but I had it in the hospital, not self administered. The first few times it did sting, but I got used to it quickly. The bruises were brutal. Sorry I don't have advice, but I can commiserate. 

@optimistgardener Yay for a normal pap! 

caseys02

@optimistgardener Thanks for the welcome. No, I don't have any eggs on ice bc it's not covered by my insurance, only putting embryos on ice while we try for a few more months then FET or straight IVF.  I know the main difference is waiting but is there anything else thats a big difference that would sway a person one way to the other? 

acleverusername

@caseys02 hi and welcome! It would be great if you can intro yourself in the weekly Newbie Thread so that we can get to know you better. Also recommend reading the Newbie Guide since it’ll give you an idea of what each of our daily/weekly threads are for and what you can/cannot say in each of the thread. (I.e. we generally discourage mentions of losses unless it's extremely pertinent to the discussion and it needs to be preceded by a TW = trigger warning). There's also a list of acronyms that we actively use that will help you understand some of the mumble jumble. 

To answer your question, I think you're confusing FET (frozen embryo transfer) and IUI (intra-uterine insemination). FET is the 2nd phase of IVF (in-vitro fertilization). The first phase of IVF is egg retrieval; the 2nd is the frozen (or fresh) embryo transfer). For IUI, you would normally take some medication at the beginning of your cycle to induce ovulation sooner and/or ovulate more than 1 egg. Then you would have sperm inserted into your uterus at the entrance to your fallopian tubes, which cuts down their time / obstacles to their intended destination. 

With that in mind, would you like our opinion on IUI versus IVF? 

acleverusername

@keikilove not sure if you missed my tag last week, or just too busy... but YGPM!