IF Testing & Treatment w/o 08/08

optimistgardener

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 ballgame. 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 (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): 

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

How are things going?: 

Any questions?: 

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you?

gingermama29

Kicking things off. Thanks for starting the threads optimist!

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): TI

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

How are things going?: things are good. I O’d SUPER early this cycle (CD 11) and didn’t end up needing my trigger shot. I’m just hoping my follicle grew more and lining thickened because they weren’t great at my US last week which was the day before I O’d. 

I had a bit of an eye roll message from my cousin. I’ve talked about my fertility issues with her because I know she also struggled with infertility. She sent me some prayer that she found in church with this message:

“Hey! So after our conversation that we had at Rebecca’s shower, we went to 6 o’clock mass at church. Sitting in the pew was this novena. I instantly thought of you. Just has taking me a few weeks to get it to you🤦🏻‍♀️when I read the words, “ it has never been known to fail,” that’s when I thought of you and how you guys are struggling to get pregnant. Now I know your views on the Catholic Church, but what if this is what you need to help you get pregnant? I’ll be saying it as well. Just thought I’d send it your way and you can decide if you want to say it or not. Love you”

On one hand, it’s sweet that she thought of me but I’m not religious AT ALL and thought the “it’s never been known to fail” sentence was ridiculous. I’m pretty sure if just praying worked, none of us would struggle with infertility. I know her intentions were good and I responded kindly.

Any questions?: nah

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you? Hahaha I’ve told my students that my super power is being able to tell if they’re really singing or not just by looking at them. Otherwise, I can turn anything into a dirty joke and I constantly make up songs (and can usually rhyme them really well).

anniemarie887

@gingermama29 shit, man all i need to do is pray? sorry, i mean no disrespect to the ppl here who are religious but that is in the same realm as telling people not to stress about it and you'll just magically get pregnant. grinds my gears, and as someone who is not religious at all that would super annoy me to be sent that.

Diagnosis (if you've been): uncooperative uterus/RPL, tbd?

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): benched for eternity 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): hysterscopy with goal to remove whatever is in my uterus that should not be on 8/30, i have a pre op visit on 8/25. i'm curious what the recovery will be like and how much longer i'll be benched tbh. i can't believe it's basically been 6 mos. since the 2nd d&c my cycles have shortened a little 25/26 days, so i need to remember to bring that up with the RE.

How are things going?: fine. it's my birthday sunday, i'm turning 35. we already took our big trip as my quasi celebration to myself, so it just kind of feels like another day? *tw MC* my due date from the MMC in Jan was 8/24/22, which has kind of crept up on me without realizing it tbh i'm sure there are some emotions simmering at the surface that i'm just trying to ignore, which i know isn't the best way to deal *end TW*

Any questions?: NATM

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you? oh man, ummm... b/c of my love of music i'm quite good at name that tune type games/trivia... the invention of heardle has been a delight for me. 

kiki047

Thank you ladies for your well wishes last week. I have not tested yet, so I hope it's ok that I linger here just a little while longer... 

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS, RPL/RIF, some MFI, not-so-honourable mention to The Fibroid

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): FET TWW, 9dp5dt 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): All the things. Transfer went well, we ended up only transferring a single embryo so let's hope this is a really sticky one. 

How are things going?: .... That's a really loaded question but ok, all things considered. 

*TW* PG announcement mentioned. TLDR: The thing I was dreading about my cousin getting married in May came true. 

Remember how I was dreading my cousin getting married in May because it meant they were immediately going to start TTC? Well guess who got KU on her honeymoon? And who told me the morning of my 8th FET? Yup. FML.  I had a biiiiig cry on Saturday morning, then sucked it up and prepped for our own procedure. 
We were supposed to spend part of the week at the cottage with our entire family and she told them while they were all up there together (before we joined them) so she respectfully gave me a heads up and was very gracious about it when I took over 72hrs to even acknowledge or respond to her text. Thank god for anti-depressants is all I can say because they really help me manage the physical extremes of my emotional rollercoaster, so it's just my brain and broken heart I have to reason with. 

AFM, I'm operating under the assumption that I am also hopefully KU, even though I have yet to test and am trying to hold out as long as humanly possible because I'm petrified of bad news. My beta is Thursday, so the earliest I might have results is like Thurs late afternoon. SS in full force. Just dull, crampy, achy feeling in my lower abdomen and the most extreme hot flashes. Like sweat pouring down my face and neck kind of hot flashes. I've been on this exact protocol 4 times now, the only difference this time is no estradiol, and have never had anything like this happen before so it's been interesting. That, plus a heat wave and no AC at the cottage = a very sweaty, miserable Kiki. But I'll take it, I'll take it all if it means good things. 

Any questions?: NATM. 

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you? Right now it's the ability to sweat through my clothes while doing absolutely nothing, lying in a cold room, but can my IRL super power be the ability to get a knot out of almost anything? I love detangling things. Cords, string, yarn... it's soothing bringing order to chaos. 

abjm0325

@gingermama29 Even as someone (at least moderately) religious, that comment is offensive. That was very sweet of you to respond kindly. 

@anniemarie887 Sending you happy hugs for your birthday and understanding hugs for your upcoming due date. So glad your procedure is coming up soon so you can move forward!

@kiki047 Keeping everything crossed for you that those symptoms are a good sign! Did you ever read Maniac Magee as a child? Your knotting untying ability definitely reminds me of that book. 

abjm0325

Diagnosis (if you've been): RPL, age, unknown

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): TI

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): 2nd clomid cycle (along with all the other medications and vitamins)

How are things going?: I have had miserable cramping the last 24 hours which lead me to test this morning even though it's early (only 9 DPO). BFN, of course. So now I'm salty that I don't feel well and there's no foreseeable reason for it. Otherwise just already thinking out to next cycle and wondering how long we should try Clomid before consulting the RE about next steps. 

Any questions?: Not today, other than my musings above. 

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you? I have pretty handwriting. Not really useful, but it makes me happy.

optimistgardener

@gingermama29 omg i am eye-rolling about the cousin's note/prayer. love the "i know your views on this but what if this is the thing you've been neglecting that could solve all your problems" line. ugh.

@anniemarie887 i'm super curious what happens w/ the hysteroscopy and also the mystery thing in your uterus. do you happen to know whether it's the follicular phase or the luteal phase of your cycle that is shortening?

@kiki047 i hope so hard that your hot flashes are a good sign.

Diagnosis (if you've been): elderly ovary

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): IVF

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): on the nuvaring till the end of the month, then my final final final ER. super ready to not be doing this anymore, whatever the outcome.

How are things going?: like i said, i'm kinda just feeling over this process. i think my bad attitude about this is also contributing to my poor participation on the board of late. but at least the end (of this part of the process) is in sight. fingers crossed i'll have a euploid embryo or two that will keep me contributing here after my retrievals are done, but at least it will be a different phase of things.

Any questions?: naah

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you?

like kiki, i can untangle a knot with the greatest of patience. it's a thing i got from my mom. i'm also excellent at deciphering terrible handwriting. i'm pretty sure this is in part because my handwriting is awful, but my skills in this realm have been amplified by my chosen career as a historian (reading archival sources can be a real PITA).

kiki047

@gingermama29 you're a better person than I am to have been able to respond kindly to that message. We brush stuff like that off because they "mean well" but at the end of the day it is still offensive. I'm also not a religious person whatsoever but I've sure done my share of praying anyway. 
@anniemarie887 I'm so sorry for that impending empty due date and all that comes with it. I hope you're able to celebrate your 35th this weekend on your terms, whatever that looks like.  
@abjm0325 oh man, that's a blast from the past, I had all but forgotten about that book. // I'm so sorry for the BFN, I hope it's just a case of being too early and that the cramping isn't for nothing. 

kiki047

@optimistgardener x-posted when I was doing my tags so I missed yours. I feel you on just being over this whole thing. It's not unfamiliar 'round these parts, and I don't blame you one bit for just wanting to get it over with and move on. I am holding out so much hope for you that you will get that opportunity to switch gears to transfer prep. // Historians, Teachers and Pharmacists must all be really good at reading terrible handwriting. I'm good at deciphering texts with non-sensical autocorrects but chicken scratch is my nemesis. 

anniemarie887

@abjm0325 i'm sorry about the BFN, it's not fun when our bodies play tricks on us.
@kiki047 your will power not to test is admirable, i am crossing every finger and toe over here for you. i'm sorry about the announcement, i know how much of a gut punch that can feel like. 
@optimistgardener i totally, albeit in a different way, get where you are coming from about participating. for me, it's the bit of the never ending groundhog day feeling. but i am also crossing all of my fingers and toes for an excellent ER for you later this month. eta: so June i used OPKs and lost a day luteal (9 days), this month i only temped bc why waste OPKs when benched, but based on temps it's pointing toward a shorter luteal as well. 

optimistgardener

sorry at @abjm0325 i missed your post! i used to get terrible cramps during my LP and they always tricked me. at the risk of sounding awfully close to the rhetoric on those *other sites* at 9DPO you're still not out of the game, by a long shot. but you know that.

@anniemarie887 you said it re: groundhog day, that's exactly right.

@kiki047 i can't make sense of autocorrects at all. i always read the damn thing totally literally and am like, what

optimistgardener

@anniemarie887 i'd definitely mention a shorter LP to your RE. I was curious whether you're getting a shorter pre-O phase because that is one of the **joys** of being 35+ is your body getting all like "let's hurry this rodeo up already i wanna get back to the bleeding again ASAP" but a shorter LP is actually something your RE can help you with.

abjm0325

@optimistgardener You have been on a a marathon journey so it is definitely understandable that you're ready to move to the next stage. I hope so much that this ER yields some excellent eggs to close this chapter for you!

anniemarie887

@optimistgardener got it, thanks for the insight! i believe taking progesterone will solve this typically? and that was def on the "to do" list from the initial visit with the RE

bearmomma1

@gingermama29 that reminds of me of those chain emails saying you need to forward to 10 people or you’ll Have bad luck for the rest of your lives! Ugh. Fingers crossed your early O just meant your eggie was super excited to pop out and get Fertilized.
@anniemarie887 wow, 6 months is a really long time to be benched! I hope it’s for not much longer. I feel you on dealing with August as the due date approaching. I’ve been super emotional already this month. Not handling it well.
@kiki047 You’re welcome here as long as you need to be, though hope this is you last update here.
@abjm0325 sorry for the bfn. But 9 dpo is still super early. I hope all the cramping will lead to positive things!
@optimistgardener I forget, did you get the final results of your last retrieval? I can only imagine the complexity of your feelings of heading into your last retrieval cycle. 

Diagnosis (if you've been): DOR, LPD, unexplained 

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): IUI

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): 7.5 mg letrozole, trigger, IUI, progesterone. Been taking CoQ10 and just got the green light to add l-arginine to my regimen (thanks for the advice @kiki047)

How are things going?: eh. They’re going. It’s taken me a lot longer to get over the failure of last cycle. I’ve been in a funk for sure. I think the due date of my last MC is approaching and I can’t believe I’m not pregnant again yet. And then starting September I get to relive hell on earth for 5 1/2 weeks. I used to enjoy the beginning of fall. Now I just dread it. 

But, I’ve also made a re-consult for IVF with my RE (not until Sept 20) My last actual IVF consult was in 2017. We’ve been trying to just do minimal assistance, but after 19 months I think it’s time to step it up. 

Any questions?: what’s the approx timeline of ivf if you’re only planning on one retrieval? Like from starting stims to transfer?

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you? I’m really handy around the house. My dad was a general contractor so I’ve learned to be pretty hands on. 

bearmomma1

Welp, looks like I'll be doing 5 mg of letrozole instead of 7.5. my insurance won't cover 7.5 as it's flagged for infertility use, and I don't have infertility coverage. 5 mg doesn't get flagged as such. I did 5 mg last cycle and it did result in 2-3 follicles, and my RE said it should be fine sticking with 5. I think if this cycle is a fail, I'll probably just pay out of pocket for the 7.5 mg, because why the heck not give it all we can before possibly jumping into IVF.

optimistgardener

@bearmomma1 even though it's disappointing to only be able to do the 5mg letrazole it sounds like you respond really well to that dosage. so i wouldn't consider it a substandard option by any stretch.
As for your Q about my last retrieval cycles, my last 2 cycles were frozen as soon as they fertilized at day 1, so i now have 12 fertilized embryos on ice (8 from the first, 4 from the 2nd). These will be thawed and grown out alongside whatever fertilizes from the third round, and I will then have any blastocysts that result from all three cycles biopsied and sent for testing together. So the aftermath of this third round is gonna be a real nail biter, i tell you what.

elle-0409

@gingermama29 Oh my gosh, what a major eye roll moment. That's some "Pass this on to ten people and a windfall will come your way" kind of BS.

@anniemarie887 Happy (early) birthday! I've never heard of Heardle, but I'll have to check it out.

@kiki047 Oh man, I have so many things crossed for you. Sending you all of the hugs and love.

@abjm0325 Sorry about the cramping and the BFN, but it's still early. Also, I'm super jealous of your beautiful handwriting. Mine is trash.

@optimistgardener Hugs for the fatigue. At least your final ER is in sight.

@bearmomma1 Sorry about the insurance issues. As if there aren't enough things to deal with.

Diagnosis (if you've been): Old, LPD, RPL, MTHFR, Positive ANA

Status (TI/ICI/IUI/IVF/FET/benched): Benched for all of time.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): I went in today for my thyroid, B vitamins, and progesterone labs. I know that I have a short LP (7 days), but I've never had the CD 21 blood test before, so I'm curious as to what the results will be. (In a weird turn of events I didn't even ovulate until CD 24, which is quite late for me. Maybe stress?)

How are things going?: Pretty good. My appointment with the rheumatologist is in three weeks, which doesn't seem so bad. We just started watching The Sandman on Netflix and it's really good. Has anyone else seen it?

Any questions?: NATM

GTKY: We may have done some version of this GTKY before, but what is your real life secret super power? What talent/skill/ability do you possess, but which is not adequately appreciated by others around you?

I might be annoyingly optimistic.

anniemarie887

@elle-0409 i am not nearly as knowledgeable as the other ladies around here... but if you didn't O until cd24 i'm fairly certain your RE will want to repeat that CD21 bw. the point is to capture roughly 7 days post O progesterone levels to confirm O. 

kiki047

Just poking my head in here before I disappear so nobody gets the wrong idea ... BFN this morning on a FRER so I'm out. This feels like the beginning of the end for us. Not sure where we go from here but my heart is irreparably broken and any next step is going to add years, not months, to our journey. 

abjm0325

@kiki047 Sending you so much love today. Big gigantic hugs as you start navigating your next steps. 

anniemarie887

@kiki047 sending you the biggest, creepy, internet hug. i'm so sorry, here for you in any way that you need.

bearmomma1

@kiki047 I'm so so sorry Kiki. I was hoping so hard for you. I know nothing we can say will make it easier, but just take it 1 day, hour, minute at a time and get extra snuggs from your kitty. Big big hugs friend. 

elle-0409

Oh, @kiki047 I'm so sorry. Please be gentle with yourself. There are no words that can make this better, but we love you so much and are here if/when you ever need anything. Hugs to you.

@anniemarie887 Oops! I don't think I wrote that well. I went in for the blood test 7 dpo, so CD 31. Thanks for checking! 

anniemarie887

oh good! then not pointless bloodwork @elle-0409! 

abjm0325

@elle-0409 I hope your blood work provides you with some good/useful information! The Sandman isn't really my kind of show, but the previews made it look really well done. 

elle-0409

I got my progesterone test back and it's 6.75, which means that I ovulated, but it's still a low number. I'm hoping that my RE will take my concern of LPD seriously and have me supplement with a higher dose once I'm no longer benched.

Anyone have a number similar to this?

mamanbebe

*lurking*

@elle-0409

 I have a similar issue with short luteal phase defect and had a 7dpo progesterone of 7 a few years back. It will not necessarily (as you know) be preventative of getting ku but going on progesterone suppositories at even a vvvf bfp is probably a good idea. I would be happy to talk over pm anytime about my experience specifically related to all this if you would like. 

acleverusername

*lurking*

@elle-0409 I consistently had very low progesterone, similar to your levels, even when supplementing with progesterone. Hopefully your RE will listen. One thing to remember though is that LPD is not a cause of infertility; it's a symptom. I read a good article a while back about what causes LPD. Linking it here. This is something that's frustrated me a lot during our journey so I researched it extensively. 

anniemarie887

random but anybody know what happened to mambo??

optimistgardener

@anniemarie887 i do not. i was also thinking of our recent new friend @rockstarmomma152 and wondering how she's doing

optimistgardener

a question for anyone/lurkers too who have done IVF rounds and have any theories about birth control suppression before a retrieval.

here's the deal: after my last retrieval i got my CD1 on the 25th of july and inserted my nuvaring a couple of days later. i've now been on BC for 15 days. according to my calendar, i'm supposed to stay on birth control until the day before i go in for my baseline on the 4th of september, for a total of 39 days, which seems like a lot. Looking at my calendar, it seems like i could sneak in a quick withdrawal bleed if i came off the nuvaring this week or thereabouts and then got back on it next week. it'd still have like a good 3 weeks back on the nuvaring before stims started. i've called my clinic to ask the nurse what she thinks about this, but am more than willing to go rogue with this kind of thing at this point. Any thoughts? Is BCP "over-suppression" a thing?

kiki047

Semi-lurking for now as I process next steps. Decided not to fight traffic and drive all the way into the city for my beta today and just had them send me a requisition to get it done locally. Results will take a few hours longer but for a BFN, who cares? Thank you all for your kind words and support.  

@optimistgardener yes, BCP can over-suppress the ovaries, especially in a DOR situation. Now I don't know how it works/differs if you were to come off of it to force a withdrawal bleed then go back on and whether that would make any difference in your results than if you were to just stay on it continuously. 

@anniemarie887 I was wondering the same thing about mambo the other day. When I checked her profile she hasn't been active since the 2nd week of July. 

optimistgardener

thanks, @kiki047. i think you made the right decision for the beta. traffic sucks and moreso just to confirm sh***y news. i don't really think this needs to be said but you're welcome here as much as you want to be. i've definitely taken time off now and again from posting when it feels like too much, but we're here if and when you want to talk about things as you think through next steps, regardless of what those steps might be.

bearmomma1

I was wondering about mambo as well. 

@kiki047 I was thinking about you too for your beta today. definitely good call to not waste your time (and gas!) with traffic. I know the sting of the finality of getting that negative beta result. We’re here giving you so many virtual hugs today.

bumblebee0210

*lurking*

@elle-0409. I would take any one progesterone reading with a grain of salt. Blood progesterone is constantly fluctuating, so the same woman in the same cycle could get really different reads from one time of day to another.

*tw lc*

My progesterone was 9 on day 21 of the cycle I naturally conceived my (now 3 year old) daughter. That is somewhat "low" (<10), but my doctor was not concerned because of the fluctuations mentioned above, and she was correct! I did not supplement progesterone or anything during that luteal phase or pregnancy, and it was perfectly fine. 

@optimistgardener. My experience is maybe atypical, but I actually had the best AFC and IVF results after being on birth control (vs. going directly from a natural start or another stim cycle). I did 2 cycles that started with birth control that together yielded 3 normal and 2 mosaic embryos (plus some abnormals), and 4 non-BC cycles that together yielded 1 normal embryo (plus some abnormals). I'm not sure that is causal (low N!) but I also don't see any evidence I was over-suppressed by BC (and remember I was low AMH-- 0.4, so it's not like I had great ovaries to start with). That being said, both stints on BC were short-- 2 or 3 weeks, so I'm not sure it's exactly relevant to your situation. But I would not over-game the system. I am of the belief that stim cycles (esp for those of us with old ovaries) are more like playing roulette than poker. You just get a good crop or you don't...

optimistgardener

thanks for the lurk @bumblebee0210! all my retrievals have been preceded by BC but most commonly they're just 2-3 weeks worth of the stuff. this time around i think they were trying to bridge a particularly long stretch for me. but it just seems like an awfully long time to be on the stuff. but you're right that this is roulette not poker.

editing to add: and man am i looking forward to getting off this ride soon.

anniemarie887

@optimistgardener @kiki047 looks like they both went MIA mid July. Hmm. Hope they’re ok. 

Love a knowledgeable lurk from
@bumblebee0210 (edit bc my comment to you wasn’t posted? So weird!!)

@optimistgardener FWIW my OBGYN took continual BC pills herself for years, we had an amusing chat about hormonal mood swings and she confessed her husband had no idea about the wrath of them for a good decade. 

@kiki047 I think that was a wise choice, have you thought about doing something nice for yourself? A massage? Golfing day?

acleverusername

*lurking*

@optimistgardener you absolutely can get over suppressed leading to not many ovaries responding to stims. I'm curious about why the clinic wanted you on bcp for so long. FWIW, I was always very sensitive to any suppression. Even 8 days on Aygestin over suppressed me. 

optimistgardener

thanks @acleverusername. i haven't had a problem with oversuppression in the past, and in fact i've even had my RE comment that in some cases for folks with diminished reserve, BC can (perversely) increase follicular activity, albeit not obviously resulting in mature eggs as long as you're on it. but this is a very long stretch of time, and it am a little worried about it. I think maybe i'll go ahead and do a withdrawal bleed and then get back on it again. it doesn't seem like it would hurt, esp. since i'll still have nearly 3 weeks on it before my cycle starts, anyway.

annanbby

Hi ladies! Am I okay to ask a question about my HSG in here? I’m not sure if I’m technically able to post here yet, though this month will officially mark one year of trying and we have now started some testing.