January Precious Penguins 1st Check-in! 15-Dec-14

SweetieShellieH · December 2014

Welcome to the January 2015 Precious Penguins Check-In!!! Check-ins will be every Monday & Thursday. Your check-in leaders are @SweetieShellieH (Monday) and @emmuffy (Thursday).

This is a check-in for those who are doing IVF/IVM or FET with an ER/ET scheduled for January. If you are interested in joining, please fill us in on your cycle below. Please include what cycle number this is for you, where you are in the process, when you expect to start stims, when you're planning on retrieval and transfer, and when your beta day is! Also, please update us along the way!

For those that don't have it yet, here is the link to our badge https://i57.tinypic.com/8ybc3m.jpg

Below is our list so far. Everyone is welcome, so please let us know if you would like to be added

BFP!!!!

BFN (((HUGS)))

PUPO!!!!

Between ER & ET

Stimming

Prep (BCP/Lupron/EPP)

@.Mrs.Matt. IVF #1

@apitts2 IVF#2

@bkam IVF#1

@BlueJell0 IVF#

@GoBucksOH IVF#1

@Kcheese IVF#1

@kristin1k IVF#1

@lemonliz IVF#1

@NariaDreaming IVF #1

@Mysh IVF#2

@sewfie IVF#1

@shadidynyc IVF#1 FET#1

@SmootiePie IVF#1

@Spring78 IVF#2

@SundayBrunch IVF#1

@tweetyknicks IVF#1 FET#1

@Twinkie0612 IVF#4 FET#1 w/ OE

@vballbaby IVF#1

Waiting to Cycle (No prep & waiting to prep)

@afsalinas IVF#1 FET#1

@BootsOrHearts IVF#1 FET#1

@crazycatlady4 IVF#1 FET#1

@Discouraged31 IVF #1 FET#1

@doves654 IVF#1 FET#1

@Dyork IVF#1

@emmuffy IVF#2

@K1111K IVF#2

@lilycakes78 IVF#1 FET#1

@MamaKakes611 IVF#3

@RG1979 IVF#3

@saysjess IVF#1

@ShortStuff IVF#1

@SweetieShellieH IVF#1 FET#1

@tifga IVF#1 FET#2

@wcasar IVF #1 FET#1

Cancelled/Delayed (((HUGS)))

@fizzashaudhary IVF#3 FET#1 - RI Protocol for 2 months

@Daashuriaa IVF#2 FET#1 - Moving to February

M.I.A. - Let us know how you’re doing!

@jro1602 IVF#1

@LilyHarper IVF#1 FET#1

@Sha259 IVF#1 FET#3?

@tbj1 IVF#2

QOTD: Since it's our 1st check-in, just let us know a little about you and where you are in the process, where you belong on our list, when you expect your ER/ET to be, etc.

SweetieShellieH · December 2014

sorry about the format i will have to fix it when I get home from work, gotta run, I'll post again later!

Kcheese · December 2014

@sheetieshellieh & @emmuffy Thanks for running the check-ins for us!

Hey ladies! Looks like we have a good size group! This is IVF #1 for me. Currently on BCPs for another week & start injects the 26th (merry Christmas to me lol). Our tentative retrieval is jan 6thish...

afsalinas · December 2014

Hi! Can I please be added to the group?

This is FET #1 for me. We are TTC #2. I start meds on 12/25. FET is scheduled for 1/27 and Beta day is 2/9! Looking forward to sharing this time with you ladies.

I tried putting our badge in my siggy and it only shows the link. I feel silly that I can't make it work. Any suggestions?

tifga · December 2014

Hello!

I am still on progesterone to push out my period while we wait for my biopsy results. If I pass my biopsy we will be ready for FET#2 around the 12th of Jan, according to my math.

If not I'll be delayed again.

emmuffy · December 2014

Hey group! I'm still waiting on AF so I can get this show on the road. It's all I want for Christmas this year. I will echo what @NariaDreaming said - guard your heart, this process is not for the faint of heart. Thankfully we all have each other to lean on for support. Welcome and good luck to everyone.

BootsOrHearts · December 2014

**Siggy warning**

Hey ladies! Good luck to everyone cycling in Jan!

This will be FET 1.5 for us. My best guess about transfer date is Jan. 22. We are going to (attempt) a natural FET cycle so I don't really know what to expect, but they warned us lots and lots of ultrasounds and bloodwork to make sure they can pinpoint ovulation. I had to take provera to start my cycles back up after we cancelled our medicated FET last month and of course this cycle is wacky, tons and tons of spotting. We are trying on our own this cycle FWIW.

We have 2 'so-so' quality (I wish I knew the exact ratings, I may ask my RE over email) 5-day old embryos on ice. We will probably put in both given my age and their quality.

Edit: I guess I am IVF #1, FET #1 (or 1.5 if you include the cycle that I started but never finished)

Smootiepie · December 2014

First off, yay for our first check-in!!

Second, holy crapballs there are so many January ladies!

We are on IVF #1. I've been on BCP for a week and a half, no crazy symptoms quite yet. I had my SIS/mock transfer on Friday, and all went well. I stop BCP Dec 30th, have my baseline Jan 2nd, and start stims Jan 4th. ER is set for Jan 13-15 depending on how I react to stims (they are starting me at a lower dose than normal, so I would bet on the 15th). ET will be 3-5 days after ER (my RE is huge on letting the circumstances determine the dates, which really is awesome, but sucks for my OCD planning). Beta is 2 weeks after ER.

lilycakes78 · December 2014

Morning Ladies!

Yay! So excited to get to know you all better

And good luck to everyone this cycle!

I'm gearing up for my first FET! I had my ER in October, which came with lots of surprises. I found out I'm a pretty poor responder to stims, I found out a had a small fibroid in a terrible spot, and I found out that my hormones were so out of whack that I had to cancel my fresh transfer. It was a lot to take in, but I'm feeling much more positive now. I have two good embryos on ice and I will be transferring both. I can't wait to actually complete one cycle! I just had surgery to remove the fibroid a week ago and I have my follow up appointment on Friday. After that, I begin prepping for the FET!

@SweetieShellieH and @emmuffy....thank you so much for running the check ins!

crazycatlady4 · December 2014

Wow, there are so many of us in January which means lots of support. I just finished stimming and had my ER last Thursday. Out of the 24 retrieved, 16 fertilized and all are still growing from my day 3 report yesterday. Tomorrow is when I find out how many can be frozen since I was unable to do a fresh transfer due to his risk for OHSS. Other than that, I am just waiting for AF to arrive to get the ball rolling on FET #1, which should arrive right around Christmas.

saysjess · December 2014

Hey everyone! Our appointment with our RE got pushed to January 2nd, then hopefully we'll start BCP and get this show on the road!!!

I'm trying to guard my heart like @NariaDreaming‌ & @emmuffy‌ said, but it's tough! Fx for everyone in the group!

BootsOrHearts · December 2014

Ugh, my siggy got deleted again. Well at least no need for a siggy warning.

(

Twinkie0612 · December 2014

Hi Penguins! A big thank you to @SweetieShellieH and @emmuffy for running the check-ins!

Right now I am on BCP, prednisone, and a bunch of supplements to prep for my FET. I start lupron a week from today, baseline is 2 weeks from tomorrow, and my FET is tentatively 1/20.

QOTD: For those that don't know me I am what you might call an IVF vet. This is our 6th IVF/FET cycle. I've done 4 fresh IVFs (1st was a cancelled transfer due to all of our embryos arresting, 2nd was a c/p, 3rd BFN, 4th a freeze all due to lining issues) and this is our 2nd FET overall (1st was a donor embryo FET between IVF #3 and 4, this one is with our 2 frozen blasts from IVF #4). My diagnosis started as "unexplained," but has gotten more complicated since moving on to IVF and adding an RI to the mix last August. My dx includes CF carrier, poor responder to stims, seem to have poor egg/embryo quality, hostile CM, high NKC, high TNFa, heterozygous factor XIII v34l mutation (genetic clotting issue), APA+, and poor blood flow to my uterus and maybe left ovary. My husbands last SA showed slightly low morph, but his first was normal. His SCSA testing we did a few months ago was also normal.

In addition to my normal FET protocol (BCPs, Lupron, delestrogen, PIO, and E2V/Progesterone suppositories) my RE has also added viagra suppusitories to help build my lining. My RI has also added meds to treat my immune issues. I am on prednisone and will have an IVIG infusion for my NKC and TNFa. I will also be on lovenox and baby aspirin for my APA and clotting issue. She also prescribes additional progesterone. My RE prescribes 2ml of PIO (100mg) and E2V/Progesterone supps (100mg), my RI is also adding 200mg of prometrium.

We have decided that this will be our last shot at biological children. We will move on to either donor egg or give donor embryos another shot if this cycle is a bust.

tweetyknicks · December 2014

Today is my last day of BCP. Baseline is Friday and I'll probably start estrace then. FET#1 is scheduled for Jan. 8, barring anything screwy. Oral estrogen is evil. Then again, so is oral progesterone.

Background and advice: IVF#1 was in October. Two embryos transferred, BFN (clearly). I was pretty devastated from that. Along similar lines to @nariadreaming's advice, I decided I don't want to see the embryos when they do the transfer unless I have to see them to confirm that there are two (but DH volunteered to do that

). Seeing the embryos and having the doctor say I had a 70-75% chance made it much more difficult when I knew the test would come back negative. I'm also not telling several people who were in the loop on IVF#1 because some of them just don't know they should not ask about it (or mention it repeatedly).

lilycakes78 · December 2014

@tifga
GL with your biopsy results. Hopefully you won't be delayed.

BlueJell0 · December 2014

Hi everyone! I am currently on BCPs, just waiting for my baseline on Jan 9th with ER estimated the week of Jan 18-24. This is IVF #1 for us.

@SweetieShellieH and @emmuffy, thanks for running this check-in!

vballbaby · December 2014

Hi fellow precious penguins:) This will be IVF#1 for me, I am on my second week of BC (thanks for the 5 lb gain grrr) and I start stimming Jan 2nd with Gonal-F and Menopur. I suppose ER will be around the 12th and ET 3-5 days after that assuming all goes well. So Beta would be close to end of Jan. I am a little nervous as this will be the first "real" look at my eggs. I produced two good follies for my first IUI last month but DH has 1% morphology so I'm hoping that's been the issue so with ICSI we'll get that sucker where it needs to be. Already did my trial transfer and sono and Dr. said my uterus was "excellent" lol (being 42 I took that as a strange compliment). I've started acupuncture and trying all the "keep warm" methods my Dr. recommended (ginger tea, lots of warm water etc). I'm nervous....and not looking forward to not being able to exercise the whole month of Jan. aside from walking. Trying to think of a good excuse to give my volleyball friends who will be prying as to why I'm not playing! Some of the girls know, but I'm trying to keep it private for reasons that I'm sure you're all familiar with. Good luck to all the ladies and I'm thankful for this board!

doves654 · December 2014

Woohoo for our first check in! What a big group! I look forward to getting to know everyone even better and supporting each other. Being a Tiny Turkey in November for IVF #1 helped me so much.

FX for a good mock transfer tomorrow, @lemonliz!

I'm thrilled with your day 3 report, @crazycatlady4! FX for tons of embryos on day 5 to freeze!

AFM, My husband and I did our first IVF cycle in November with one three day embryo and got a BFN. We got one frosty from that cycle, and have been driving ourselves crazy debating whether to do a FET with that one now, or another fresh cycle now and have more embryos to work with/for any future potential second children. We talked to our doctor a ton, and to each other even more and due to finances and my husband's feeling that he would prefer one child, we finally decided yesterday to continue with our plan to do the FET and if it doesn't work, we will go right into another fresh cycle in February. I hope we're making the right decision. My gut isn't telling me one path feels better than the other.

BootsOrHearts · December 2014

@doves654 I had this debate/discussion after our first failed IVF too, which resulted in 2 frosties. We knew we wanted more than 1 child and the odds of those two making even 1 kid was low so we thought maybe it's best to do another fresh cycle. My RE's advice was sort of hey, you've got these frozens and an FET cycle is way easier and cheaper than another fresh IVF, so try that first before you do something more risky, costly, complicated. In your case if you only want one, that one could be it and you could never have to do another IVF cycle again (yay!) so that makes sense to me.

doves654 · December 2014

@BootsOfHearts thanks for your reassurance. You prompted me to breathe a sigh of relief!

I sometimes feel like my husband and I are in a unique situation where he is pretty sure he only wants one child, and that's so unusual in my experience on the board. I am less sure I only want one child, but my husband has always been pretty sure of that and with that in mind, his decision will be our decision because he's so easygoing and happy to do whatever I like in just about every other area of our life. I worry that this one will work, and then we'll want another and it'll be even harder for us, but it also seems crazy to take on that risk and expense (our FET is already covered other than meds due to a pricing package we did) on an if that he is currently pretty sure he won't want to pursue, not to mention the difficulty of what to do with unused embryos. I feel so attached to the one I have, I can't imagine not trying with any additional ones we were able to get, even if my husband didn't want to, and I don't to invite undue stress into our marriage later if I can avoid it. My doctor also reassured me that while yes it'd be harder later, my ovarian reserve is ok so not impossible. It's so scary though.

Discouraged31 · December 2014

Hi all, so excited to start these check ins, I feel like Dec has been going soo slow!!

IVF#1 for us! We had ER 11/23, but due to the clinic being closed for the holidays we were delayed until Jan. Currently not on any medication and hoping AF comes on time first week of Jan so we can start progesterone and have FET by end of Jan. Very nervous but trying to be cautiously optimistic!

lilycakes78 · December 2014

@doves654 and others....I feel the same way. I couldn't do a fresh transfer in October and only have 2 embryos on ice. I'm 36 and was struggling with what to do as well. If this FET works (fingers crossed) then I will be really excited, but I will also know that if I want another one I'd have to go through IVF again in a year or two and I worry that my egg quality will have decreased. But because of costs, we are not doing another retrieval right now. We are just going to go for it and transfer both embryos. At this point, if we only have one, I'll be grateful...and if we wind up with twins, I'm ok with that as well. Hope this is the month for all of us!

kristin1k · December 2014

Hello everyone! So nice to know I have so many people to lean on for support and guidance during such a crazy, overwhelming, exciting, and unknown time in my life. It's been a long 2 1/2 years and my fingers are crossed that January brings us all good health and good luck! This is IVF #1 for me and my hubby. I just got my period today so I start BCP on 12/17. Because of the holidays, my RE has me taking them until 1/4, with my baseline exam on the 8th followed by the beginning of the countless meds I'll be injecting into my body. Never given myself a shot before, so that'll be interesting. I know this is going to go by so fast yet so slow at the same time! It's hard to be positive and optimistic after so many letdowns but I'm doing my best!

doves654 · December 2014

Thanks so much @lemonliz, @NarniaDreaming and @lilycakes78 for the reassurance. I feel much less alone now! I think if we end up doing fresh again, we'll be more likely to try multiple embryos and take on the risk of twins. I hope this FET works though!

Welcome, @RG1979! I'm glad to have you joining us in January after being in November together!

@kristin1k I was super nervous about the shots when I did IVF #1 and what everyone says is true: they really get easier and honestly when you stop you almost miss it a little (at least I did). You'll do great.

Spring78 · December 2014

Hi all! Yay for the start of check ins. :-) Looks like we'll have a great group this time around.

I am still on BCPs, prepping for IVF#2. I am at the stage I really hate in this process -- I have been on BCP long enough that I am really starting to feel the effects of reduced thyroid levels (the pill reduces thyroid med absorption - not enough that my Endo feels it is worth upping my dose short term, but enough to make me feel like crap) and I still have better than 2 weeks to go! I am so tired all the time! This round on the Pill has been especially fun because I spent the last week with AF style bleeding starting only 2 weeks into active pills. Nothing quite like 2 "periods" in a month's time. My nurse is not concerned and doesn't think it means much. Sometimes these things just happen. :-(

We're looking at starting Lupron after Christmas. Projected ER will be 1/23. We still have 7 frosties, but we have already been through half our IVF#1 embryos with nothing to show for it, so we are getting pessimistic and want to bank more embryos before I get any older. We are probably going to do PGS this time around. Given my age, our previous Trisomy 21 loss and 5 transferred embryos that didn't take at all, it seems like a good thing to get more info on what we are dealing with embryo-wise. We'll see what we get in terms of regular embryos from this before we come back to the frozen ones.

Not looking forward to doing this again, but I figure I do not see us taking on more debt than one more round will give us, so might as well do it before advancing age reduces our chances further... Besides, I have $650 worth of unused meds about to expire that I can use toward this now, but not later.

wcasar · December 2014

Yay! First check in. Had my WTF appt today from my BFN IVF #1 cycle. We will be doing FET #1 in January. I'll begin when I start my period in about 2 weeks with the transfer around the middle to end of January. We have one good frozen egg we will be using.

sundaybrunch · December 2014

Hello Everyone! This is IVF #1 for us. I have to admit, we're right on the cusp and may push into February for ER/ET so I hope it's ok that I join this group. I'm on BCPs now and won't be starting stims until 1/18. Seems so far away but I know it will be here before I know it. Like @vballbaby I'm really nervous about my egg quality due to my age and the fact that I used to smoke (I know, I know) but I'm trying hard to be optimistic.

SweetieShellieH · December 2014

Oh boy, trying to fix the formatting on the original post was not fun! Nothing wanted to stay where I put it :P But I think it finally looks ok now! Yay for first check-in!!!

Please let me know if I forgot to put you on our list, or if you're in the wrong spot!

On Wednesday we are going in to sign our consent forms for the FET. This will be our first FET, and also our first transfer since our fresh transfer for IVF#1 in November got cancelled because I developed OHSS (despite their attempts and preventing it).

I am soooooooo not patiently waiting for this cycle to progress so we can get started. It's CD 13 for me, so by my calculations, the absolute latest day I can get AF and still have a January ET is January 5th. Meaning I NEED to ovulate by Monday or Tuesday of next week assuming my LP is still around 12 days and IVF didn't mess that up. I do have a fair amount of ovulation type pains around my right ovary, but I don't have any CM so I really don't think I am anytime soon. I had some pains like this while stimming last month, so maybe my ovaries are still pretty "tender".

I've seriously debated with myself going to a walk-in and getting BCPs just so I can make sure I get AF when I want to lol.

Twinkie0612 · December 2014

lilycakes78 said:

@doves654 and others....I feel the same way. I couldn't do a fresh transfer in October and only have 2 embryos on ice. I'm 36 and was struggling with what to do as well. If this FET works (fingers crossed) then I will be really excited, but I will also know that if I want another one I'd have to go through IVF again in a year or two and I worry that my egg quality will have decreased. But because of costs, we are not doing another retrieval right now. We are just going to go for it and transfer both embryos. At this point, if we only have one, I'll be grateful...and if we wind up with twins, I'm ok with that as well. Hope this is the month for all of us!

I am in a similar position in that I had to do a freeze all and only have 2 frosties. What's different for us is that we have already decided that this is our last try for biological children. If this cycle fails we'll move on to either donor egg or give donor embryos another shot (we did a donor embryo FET last May), if it works we'll probably look into donor embryos in the future. I don't see us taking on the financial burden of donor egg ($25,000-$30,000) if we already have children. Unfortunately I think we have already passed the point that we will be able to help our children much with college (We've done 4 IUIs, 4 fresh IVFs, and 2 FETs all OOP, the finances probably won't be there).

SweetieShellieH · December 2014

I just realized my "calculations" are totally off ... Sigh ... how embarrassing $:\$ ">

Soo OK, Assuming ET is around CD 20, AF needs to arrive by Jan 12th for a Jan ET. Does that make more sense?

doves654 · December 2014

@Twinkie0612 you guys have been through so much. I really, really hope that this is it for you. It would make me so happy!

lilycakes78 · December 2014

@Twinkie0612
I'm sorry that you have been through so much. I really hope this cycle is a success for you. Hopefully, addressing the immune issues will make all the difference. (I tested positive for Sjogren's antibodies earlier this year and although the doc says that shouldn't affect TTC I still have it in the back of my mind.)

bkam · December 2014

Hoping to do my first Ivf in January. Currently on OCPs until my new insurance starts and they approve the cycle. I got my new insurance card over the weekend, but they won't start the approval process until after the first

.Mrs.Matt. · December 2014

Hi ladies! I'm soo excited for our first check in!! I'm currently on BCP and will have a scan on 12/29. Since I'm switching insurance on January 1 - I'm hoping the billing specialists can get everything worked out quickly. So right now planning on starting stims the 2nd week of January.

Unfortunately I have to post and run, but looking forward to reading through the intros!

Sewfie · December 2014

Hi everybody! We're on IVF #1. We've signed our consent and did the mock transfer and SIS on 12/1. Our RE found a polyp during the SIS, and today I had hysterscopic surgery to get it out. They ended up seeing another (smaller polyp), so that went too. It was a super easy procedure (at least, to me). I've had a little cramping, but nothing too bad.
Still on bcps. I don't have any dates yet for ER or ET, but we're getting a calendar this Thursday, when we go in for injection training.

Dyork · December 2014

I'm here, I'm here!

This is IVF #1 for me. Right now I'm waiting for the insurance to push the meds through approval. As long as that goes okay I'll start Lupron injections the 26th.

I should be able to start stims around the 3rd, and my retrieval and transfer will be the week of the 11th-17th (my RE does a 5 day blast).

SweetieShellieH · December 2014

@lemonliz‌ before I did any IUIs it was usually around CD 20. But usually I'd have some signs of it by now but it don't look like it. So I figure this cycle is going to be long :P Just better not be tooo long!

MamaKakes611 · December 2014

Hi Penguins.

I've been with the Turkeys and the Sugar Plums but will be with the Penguins in the New Year.

We will look to start stimming around the 5th or so depending on when I get AF.

I am only headed to an ER as we are banking embryos right now as we prep to send a bunch of embies for PGD (I am a Fragile X carrier with high repeats looking to eliminate it from our genetic line).

QOTD: This will technically be our 3rd cycle. IVF 1 we had 4 embies but 3 were positive for Fragile X. The last one was not thriving and couldn't be transferred. After a WTF appt with our RE we decided the best bet was to bank embies and send them all to be tested at once and decide what to do from there on. We are hoping for 15-20 embies but for a low egg reserver like me, it will take a while. We had 3 from IVF 2 so that was a good start. Also received some sort of weird news that our insurance is covering our IVF 3... We don't ask questions just say thank you!

I'm away from the end of this week until the New Year but wish you all a happy holiday and best of luck with your cycles. I will try to check in while I'm away.

Twinkie0612 · December 2014

lilycakes78 said:

@Twinkie0612
I'm sorry that you have been through so much. I really hope this cycle is a success for you. Hopefully, addressing the immune issues will make all the difference. (I tested positive for Sjogren's antibodies earlier this year and although the doc says that shouldn't affect TTC I still have it in the back of my mind.)

@lilycakes78 One thing to think about with auto immune disease is that if you have one issue, you have a greater chance of having other issues. I have a friend with Sjogren's who sees the same RI as I do. The RI is prescribing prednisone and IVIG for her because of her high ANA titer (she also has high NKC). She is having IVIG infusions weekly during her pregnancy. According to my RI, I think there is a small chance that Sjogren's can cross the placenta and affect the fetus.

If you are ever interested in looking into reproductive immunology let me know and I can point you to some good sources.

ShortStuff · December 2014

Hi Everyone!

I'm getting my name off the MIA list!

I am currently on BCP, started them in November. I take them until 12/26 and start my injections on 1/1.

After almost 7 (out of the last 10) years of TTC, this is FINALLY my 1st IVF. We're going to Czech Republic for our treatment. I have an US on 1/6 and then I'm on my way on 1/7.

We have MFI and I have very high AMH and low progesterone... and very high hopes.

lilycakes78 · December 2014

@Twinkie0612 Thanks so much! I might take you up on that if my FET is a bust. My insurance covers 2 IVF cycles at 70%, which is great, but I want to make sure before I move on to the next and final one that I've covered all my bases in terms of immune issues. My ANA is a clear positive, but a low number (1:160). Same with my SSA antibodies, so at this time the doc doesn't think it's an issue. The bigger concern from my doctors is issues that may occur if I get pregnant (as you mentioned), such as fetal heart block or neonatal lupus. I haven't had any testing done for NKC or APA, so that will probably be my next step. I was tested for the main lupus antibody (DsDNA) and it was negative. Thanks again!

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