Hi everyone!
Hi all! I wanted to introduce myself to the board. My wife and I are just starting the ttc process (well, starting for a second time...we did 2 cycles of medicated IUI and a few at home inseminations a few years ago without success). This time I am working with an RE, and my wife and I are in a much better place in our relationship, so I feel very hopeful. I have my first RE appointment on Friday and am super excited!
A few questions for you ladies:
1) What are some good blogs and/or books to be reading (I have the Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception)?
2) Do any of you have experiences to share about acupuncture?
3) We are going to be using donor sperm from a cryobank. Last time around we used California Cryobank, but this time I'm thinking we may use Fairfax instead. What cryobank do you all think is best?
Thanks for all your help!
Re: Hi everyone!
Welcome--best wishes on this journey!
My wife (the pregnant one) swears by the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." We did the in-home process and she followed her body's cues based on what she learned in it instead of the fertility monitor the month that she got pregnant...so, it worked for us. Not that I'm suggesting that for anyone else, but it is a useful tool to understanding your own body.
She also started getting accupuncture for TTC twice a week the month both she conceived, and had very good things to say about it. She found a place that followed a "community accupuncture" format (IE. several people in a spa-like room at once getting accupuncture)...which basically meant it was $25 a session instead of $75+...if you're on a budget, that is something to look into, if you're comfortable with it.
good luck!
1) What are some good blogs and/or books to be reading (I have the Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception)?
There are some good book references in the FAQ section above.
2) Do any of you have experiences to share about acupuncture?
I did it for my last 3 cycles. Don't know if it what got it to finally work (since I also added injectibles during the last 2), but it didn't hurt (literally or figuratively.)
3) We are going to be using donor sperm from a cryobank. Last time around we used California Cryobank, but this time I'm thinking we may use Fairfax instead. What cryobank do you all think is best?
We used Fairfax and were happy. We chose them since they were close and we didn't have to pay for shipping so I have nothing to compare them to. But our kids are awesome, so I'll call it a win.
Good luck!
Like PP, I swear by Taking Charge of Your Fertility, though if you're doing medicated cycles with an RE, a lot of what you learn will go out the window a bit. I also liked The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians by Pepper.
3) We are going to be using donor sperm from a cryobank. Last time around we used California Cryobank, but this time I'm thinking we may use Fairfax instead. What cryobank do you all think is best?
I don't necessarily think there's one best cryobank...I think we've used quite a few amongst the group and most people seem happy with their choices. Like PP, I thought the selection at California Cryobank was the better than others, so we use them and have been very happy with their service. If I decided to switch donors, I would probably look at all the big banks to make sure I wasn't missing anyone good.
Good luck!!
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*
Welcome!
My impression is that most of the major cryobanks are pretty similar. The feedback I've seen online has been almost uniformly positive. For us it was all about finding the donor who matched our (fairly picky) criteria, and we would have gone with whatever bank he was at.
IVF Oct/Nov 2012
Beta #1 = 77, Beta #2 = 190, Beta #3 = 1044
Cautiously optimistic.
Welcome
1. The only book i read was The Lesbian Parenting second edition
2. We didn't do any acupuncture.
Welcome!
Book recommendations include all of the above, especially TCOYF, Brill and Pepper.
Our donor is from California Cryobank based on match to our (very) picky (mainly ethnic) criteria.
I do acupuncture twice a month in general and weekly during ttc. I love it! It's relaxing, has positively impacted other aspects of my health and my acupuncturist can tell me things about my body that are pretty impressive.