@wishing-and-hoping Good luck!! I'll be using HCG also, I think it's called pregnyl. The thought of it being an intramuscular injection gives me anxiety! Let us know how yours goes!!
I had blood and ultrasound again this morning. They upped my dose of gonal f again. They said I had 12 follicles on each side, but the doctor only read out about 13-14 numbers of sizeable ones. They ranged from 8-14, but only 2 of them were above 10. I asked if she knew how many I'd realistically have, and she said they don't know, that until they reach 10 they don't know if the smaller ones will continue to grow or not. It made me a little worried and upset that there are only 2 above 10 right now. Tuesday I had all 7s, 8s, 9s...So I'm worried the majority didn't grow and are still at 8-9. I have to now wait until Saturday to go back in for another ultrasound
@mkr_0128 fx for Saturday--i'm cheering those follicles on!
@wishing-and-hoping I hope the trigger went well. hoping for an uneventful ER tomorrow for you.
Anyone have heartburn from STIMS? I don't think i've changed my diet, but the past two days i've had significant heartburn which is out of the normal for me.
@mkr_0128 - Hoping the extra Gonal-F will get those follies to catch up! I wouldn't lose hope on them yet. How much GF were you taking before, and what did they bump you up to? Just curious.
If anyone is curious about my sperm battle... I lost. I ponied over the $200. I was more angry about the principle of it. It just seems incredibly unreasonable to charge someone $200 to transport something 10 miles away but the item they're transporting is extremely precious and at this point, irreplaceable so I paid what they asked. I just hate that clinic. It's predatory to charge so much money for something they KNOW I can't do myself even though it's super easy for them to handle it. I need to let it go.
So my current clinic has 2 locations and I went to their satellite office on Monday for my baseline ultrasound. They told me to come back on the 4th for my next ultrasound after stimming. I thought that was weird because that seems like a long time to go between ultrasounds so I checked my original calendar and the timing was off. I called the main office and they were like "Oh! No, we definitely need to see you sooner than that. You should come on Sunday (the 2nd)." Whew. If there's anything I've learned from all my IF treatments it's be your own advocate and stay on top of what's going on. Too much at stake for errors but shit happens. I'm glad I spoke up.
@blackhottamales thank you! @wishiwaspreggo thanks it's hard not to over analyze everything you hear and everything they say at these appointments. I'd almost rather just not know until it's go time because I just upset myself and worry in between appointments! I was on 250 and they upped it to 300. Sorry you had to pay the money! That is absolutely ridiculous. sadly with all these IF costs they know they can get us to pay whatever they want and it is so irritating! -_- good thing you called! That does seem like too long in between appointments. I've heard people before say that you need to take things into your own hands with IF, and they are so right!
@wishiwaspreggo I'm sorry for all the sperm transportation costs and stress. That just sucks. The costs have a way of piling up. On the bladder question/transfer prep my clinic requires a mock transfer before the actual transfer. It sounds like you've had some trouble in the past with the speculum and so forth, so you might ask if you should have a mock transfer before the actual transfer. For one thing you can iron out the issue of how much liquid you need to drink, and two, they take measurements to take the guesswork out of the process.
Question for y'all: how close to your stim start date are you getting your meds? My nurse is encouraging me to have them delivered during the first day of stims. That seems silly to me, why not have them on hand a few days before, but I wasn't sure if this was atypical.
@zamora_spin - They did a mock transfer and scratch on me while I was in the office. It was pretty neat to see! The speculum was uncomfortable as always but I didn't even feel the catheter go in. I've had some rough IUIs in the past so that was nice. They let me use the restroom beforehand though. I asked if I should hold it but they said it wasn't necessary.
I ordered my meds to arrive roughly a week before I started stims. Yes, that seems odd to ask you to wait to get your medication because it's not going to do any harm keeping it in the fridge! It's nice to have your supplies ahead of time so you can get organized and feel more prepared. At least that's how I feel.
@wishiwaspreggo Oh good, I'm glad they did that for you already. I did have to have a full bladder for mine but I was not bursting and my RE said it was full enough. Mine was done in the afternoon, and I drink water all day long, so basically I stopped peeing about two hours before my appt and only had one glass of water after that and before the appt, she said it was full enough.
Thanks on the meds. That's what I thought. I've already complained about my IVF nurse directly to my RE. She does not do what she says she's going to do, and she also seems averse to any kind of advance planning. She is overly concerned about me "sitting" on the meds too long, but I think she is not concerned enough about me not getting them in time. As of today she had not ordered them yet, which I know my RE thought they had been ordered last Thursday because she told me to check with the pharmacy if they hadn't called by this Wednesday about payment and delivery.
My start date is still in flux, apparently. If AF starts before 9/3 I have to go on BCP for a week and start stims 9/14, but if AF comes 9/3 or after (it should be 9/3 based on O and my usual LP length) I can likely start stims on 9/6. So the nurse is proposing that the meds be delivered on my possible start date, 9/6. I'm hoping they call me soon after she calls them in and I can tell them to try to deliver on 9/4 or 9/5 at the latest.
She also was supposed to call in my BCP prescription (in case I need it) last week. Well, the pharmacy never got the order and when I asked the nurse about it she claimed it was the pharmacy's fault. I have NEVER had an issue with this pharmacy not getting a prescription before, and when she sent it in today ("re-sent" it per her) they notified me within two hours that the prescription had been filled.
@zamora_spin yeah, I ordered my medications to arrive today and I start stims next week. Honestly I think it’s good to order them a bit early for piece of mind. I’m sorry it seems like your nurse and RE aren’t on the same page.
@zamora_spin - Geez, I'm shaking my head at your nurse. I would definitely be advocating for a different nurse, too! There is no reason she shouldn't be ordering your medication in a timely manner. And we all know how crucial timing is when it comes to IVF! So sorry you're going through that. I hope your RE lets you work with another nurse.
@zamora_spin I'm with everyone else. I would be ordering them early too. Meds are pretty essential to this whole process and timing is important too.
@wishiwaspreggo i hear you. i would have paid the money too because in the end it's "just" $200. I know it all adds up but you do have some precious cargo.
AFM: BW & Ultrasound this morning. Nothing bad, but the 7 largest on each side were pretty small (largest was 8.7 on left and 7 on the right) The nurse said they would have expected them to be a little more like 12, but no change in meds and another BW & U on Sunday at 7:30. Grow follicles grow!
Big weekend with Taylor Swift concert tonight and Hamilton on Sunday! Nice distractions during this time where I tend to be a little obsessive.
So I'm definitely late to the game, but I wasn't allowed to post for a few days after joining! Reading through everyone's posts has helped reduce my anxiety immensely throughout this process, and FX for lots of BFP's after this
After TTC for ~5 months (and a previous ectopic many years ago), we found out that I had a bad blockage in my fallopian tube, and at the beginning of July, I had surgery to close off that tube. Our RE recommended that we go straight to IVF due to the increased risk of another ectopic "/
I was on BCP for 3 weeks, and started stims last Friday (8/25) with an expected ER on 9/4. I started out with Gonal F 225 for 5 nights, and then reduced to Gonal F 75 and added in Menopur 75 and Cetrotide on Wednesday. Today I was told to continue with the same dosages until my next ultrasound on Sunday. Has anyone else had experience with this protocol?
I had blood and ultrasound this morning, and my estrogen level went from 1,174 on Wednesday to 2,586 today! The nurse told me that she saw over 20 follicles, but only one 18, two 16s four 15s, and then a bunch under 13. The nurse told me to not expect my retrieval to be on Tuesday (as she felt I had too many small follicles), but then my IVF coordinator called me and told me to come back in for blood and ultrasound on Sunday and I would hopefully be ready to trigger Sunday night! They are thinking I will probably need a Lupron trigger and FET due to my high levels of estrogen and risk of OHSS. Anyone else thinking they will need a FET? I am super bummed because I did not realize that would add basically another 6-8 weeks into this whole shebang!
This whole process has been so stressful, especially trying to plan around the holiday weekend. It is so frustrating to go back and forth with my work schedule just depending on where things are at with the ER, but we are trying very hard to keep our eyes on the prize (BFP!).
@wishing-and-hoping I hope everything went well today, fx for you! How did you go about making the decision of how many to fertilize?
@blackhottamales Fx for your follies, grow grow grow! Good for you for self distracting. You got another week before ER and from what I've heard other ladies say, they can always add more stims if necessary.
@zamora_spin Gah, so sorry that's still happening with this nurse. Hugs.
Afm, I'm still waiting for the coordinator to respond to my inquiries about when I will come in for labs and for which ones. When I didn't hear anything for 6 days, I emailed her. She didn't reply so I emailed my RE a day later letting him know when my next cycle would be starting about and asked him to tell me if I'm being pushy. He cc'd her to please check on this and told me that I'm not being pushy at all, that he would rather I be proactive. It has been two days since and the coordinator has not reached out to me.
I'm not really sure what to do. "You're paying me to do the worrying" is starting to seem like it was too good to be true. We had planned for an ER when my next cycle starts. If my thyroid is not in a normal range, that will mean that we might not be able to start until October. I have to make travel plans that month to conduct interviews for my documentary. I need to figure out a way to assert myself without pissing anyone off. Why though? I'm paying a lot of freaking money for this. Why don't they just do their jobs? I don't get it.
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@suzycupcake - can you switch clinics or do you really like this doctor/practice otherwise? That's just crazy. I don't know if I'd put up with that. If they're being unresponsive before you start your cycle how will you feel if they're not getting back to you or answering your questions when you're mid-cycle? My RE's office staff is kind of batty and unprofessional but they at least return my calls and follow up on things when I ask them. If I were you I'd be assertive and let them know you're disappointed that they're not meeting your expectations.
@laurenc52 welcome and i'm sorry this is the path you had to find yourself on but glad that you guys figured things out seemingly quickly. It sounds like you are on the antagonist protocol (I think) which is a very common protocol. i was on a mid-luteal lupron protocol but did have to convert from a fresh transfer to an FET because my progesterone level went too during stims. It does really suck having to get delayed but if it's in the best interest of your health and giving you the best chance for a pregnancy, it's one of those bitter pills we have to swallow....i'm telling myself the same thing lol
@suzycupcake so sorry you're having to deal with an unresponsive care team. that sucks. i definitely had times where i felt like i was being "too pushy" or calling too much (even with a pretty responsive team) but there are times when you have to do that in order to stay on track. i totally get how you're feeling - riding the line between being assertive and having them hate you (hah!)
We decided on fertilizing 3 because we hope to end up with 1 embryo... we based our decision on the clinic's rates of 80% fertilization and ~40-50% making it to day 5.
AFM, ER went fine yesterday. I was surprised I only had 10 eggs retrieved. I guess a lot of the follicles that showed up on the US were actually empty (now calling those the b*tch follicles). 7 of the 10 were mature. We fertilized 3 as planned and got the call this AM that all 3 fertilized! We were super thrilled to hear that. Now we wait for the call tomorrow to see if they are growing as expected. fingers so crossed and prayers out the wazoo
TTC History in Spoiler
Me: 29 DH:34 TTC 21 cycles All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium) Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3 IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26 IUI #2 March 14, BFN IUI #3 April 11, BFN IUI #4 May 11, BFN July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast! October 2018 FET-BFN November 2018 FET-TBD
@wishing-and-hoping Yasss, I hope that all 3 turn into perfect embryos. You did it!
I didn't know you could ask about fertilization rates, thank you. Do they freeze the rest of the eggs they took out?
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
I did call the clinic yesterday to speak to the coordinator directly. She apologized for such a late response time and assured me that it doesn't mean I cannot start an ER cycle when af comes. She said that I can do ER if my tsh is high, but not a transfer. I'm not sure why my RE said, "If it isn't level, I won't treat you.", but whatever. That makes me feel so much better! Hopefully this will not affect ER: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25975563
*googling stopped* promise!
She sent me a list of what labs I will need to redo gonorrhea and chlamydia (not done since 2017), tsh, free t4, a pap smear, cbc, and prolactin.
I'm not really sure why a pap smear is required or a redo of those infectious diseases since I only have one partner but whatever. And why do I need to check prolactin again when I just had that checked last year and it was normal? I've decided I'm not gonna put up a fight with this crap anymore and just do what they say.
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@wishing-and-hoping that's great that you had 7 mature eggs. I have the same question--what are you doing with the 4 extra eggs?
@suzycupcake I know exactly how you feel--it's such a lack of control and trust given to the clinic. At the same time we all have learned we have to be our own advocates. Great job calling and confirming with the coordinator. Our clinic also requires those tests every 6 months. I was told it's because they can't keep (have?) "contaminated" eggs in their lab so they have to test. But I agree...I've been with my husband for over 8 years so it's odd to have STD tests.
@blackhottamales Thanks. I'm trying very hard to trust. It's the only way I will be able to reduce stress for this lol I'm like a mama bear when it comes to anything health related for myself and others. I gotta cut down on it.
I decided to email the clinic and ask them these questions now that I know a little bit more....so we can get a better idea of what's going on. I don't want to be overwhelmed by any of it during my cycle. Tried to put it in a spoiler, but it's not working.
Hi Perla,
I have a few questions for you for our IVF cycle and I hope that these make sense:
1. Does your clinic have # limits for embryo/egg freezing? Like, the payment plan fee sheet you gave us says embryo freezing and one year storage is $800. I'm trying to determine three things: A. if 20 eggs are taken out, do we fertilize them all or do they grade the eggs and select which to fertilize and throw the rest of the eggs away/freeze them? and B. If it is decided to fertilize 10 eggs, are all 10 embryos frozen for the $800 price tag?
2. Dr. Sahakian says he will probably start me on Menopur and FSH for my stims meds. Do we know what is the cost of those medications specifically?
3. Since the preimplantation genetic testing is excluded, A. What is the true cost of it under the payment plan?, B. Does the doctor think that he will want to test our embryos?, and C. If the doctor does want us to do this, is there a # limit under the price as to how many we can test?
4. For ICSI and Assisted Hatching, I know that these things are included in the payment plan pricing. I'm curious to know how it is determined if we will need these items. Is this the kind of thing that the Doctor decides during the cycle if he thinks we should do them or not?
5. What is your fertilization % rate?
6. What is your % of how many embryos that make it to 5 days?
7. What is the name of your clinic's embryologist?
Thank you so much!
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@suzycupcake From what I know most RE’s recommend to try to fertilize all eggs retrieved. Some eggs will be immature and some will not fertilize. The only time they will not fertilize all is if you specifically ask not to, usually people do this because, for religious reasons or other personl reasons, they do not want more embryos than they will transfer. But keep in mind that (1) every step will usually result in losing 50%, so it’s not unusual to have only half fertilize, only 50% or that make it to blast, etc. (2) depending on your age and other factors that are not well understood, only a portion of the embryos that do make it will be healthy.
Usually your AFC is a good indicator of how many eggs (max) you will get. And your RE should be able to estimate what percent of your embryos are likely to be good. For example, my RE expects we’d get 11-13 eggs, and we will lose half at every step, so she expects we may have 3-4 blasts. She predicts based on my age, bottom line, we’ll get 1 PGS normal per cycle. Maybe we’ll get more, maybe we’ll get zero. Your RE should be able to give educated guesses on thus, is my point, and you will, most likely, have a lot that don’t make it, so usually they do fertilize all.
Oh wow. All of this time, I could not understand why on earth someone would want to take out 20 eggs, but now I get it. I was thinking I'd be a ss and that all of my eggs would be amazing and that they would all make embryos Thank you.
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
Hey guys. I'm on day 4 of stims here, and I've had so many headaches. I've always been prone to headaches, but these ones are more frequent and painful than usual, and not related to any of my usual triggers, like lack of sleep of dehydration. Not sure if anyone else is getting headaches?
Hoping they are a sign that I am responding! I go in Monday for bloodwork.
In terms of the IVF rollercoaster, this morning I was feeling very peaceful about the whole thing. I think this will be my last time trying with my own eggs, and while last year/the year before, that thought made me so sad and panicked, now I feel very at peace with it. I feel confident that I have tried everything I can to make this happen - I've thrown everything at it. We're ready to pay the bill on Monday, and I feel like: "Yep, I've done this." I've found the money, I've paid for the 2 rounds, I've given myself the injections, I've taken the supplements and stopped painting my nails, I've done all the tests and made all the appointments. If this doesn't work, it won't have been because I wasn't looking at it dead-on and trying my very hardest. At this point, all I can do is just keep showing up and keep injecting. The actual results in terms of how many are retrieved or fertilize, that's all out of my control. I can hope and pray, but it's not in my hands. I feel fatalistic and calm.
@mkr_0128 - how was the ultrasound today? I totally agree - the ultrasound updates can be worrying. IVF is very stressful.
@wishing-and-hoping - Awesome news re: your retrieval! Congratulations on the 3 embryos! FX that they multiply!!
@wishiwaspreggo - incontinence does suck balls, lol. Also, glad you caught that with the ultrasound date! I've caught a couple of little minor things with my clinic like that. You really do need to keep on top of all of this! Good luck tomorrow, I can't wait to hear your update!
@zamora_spin - I had my meds a couple of weeks before I started stimming. For me as well, I wanted to have them sooner so I could spread out the financial hit a little bit. It seems unusual to get them the first day; I'd definitely want to have them at least a week before. I'd also want just one less thing to worry about during this process.
@laurenc52 - welcome. Sorry you find yourself here, but I'm glad you've found us! I haven't had experience with that specific protocol, but sounds like you are responding really well! Keep us posted on your ultrasound tomorrow! I will have an FET because we are doing PGS testing.
@suzycupcake - Yeah, I would have a hard time with it if my coordinator were that unresponsive. Good for you for standing up for yourself.
For me, I actually found about the first 6-8 months of fertility treatments really difficult, in terms of advocating for myself with the clinic. I think because, on some level, I found the whole thing so personal, ie. talking about my flow or the consistency of my cervical mucus. Sometimes, I would read about something and wonder why they weren't doing it, but I didn't always ask. It took me a while to start speaking up, and I've got to say, it's really benefitted me in other areas of my life, too. Not just with my clinic! I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the silver linings of IF - I can now have a medical conversation with just about anyone without being squeamish. I'm also not afraid to tackle any uncomfortable conversations at work.
It's really tough though, especially when you are in a vulnerable position (which being a patient is, almost by definition).
I had to re-do all my infectious disease tests recently, and so did my husband. I think it's pretty standard to re-do them every 1-2 years. I joked with my husband that if I had a new infectious disease, I'd know if he'd been up to any funny business. I heard a story about a woman once who found out her husband was cheating when she tested positive for syphilis! Hahaha! Imagine that conversation!
@suzycupcake those all seem like good questions. also i feel like someone said the infectious disease panels were a federal mandate so probably out of their control if that's the case.
@zamora_spin you have probably worked this out already but, yeah, definitely get your meds early. my IVF nurse had us check everything once we received it because she had patients in the past who received menopur vials that were totally empty. you would NOT want that surprise at the last minute!!
@funkykey i had horrible headaches, but I think mainly just from the bcps/lupron. I can't remember if you did suppression before stims but my RE said that when your estrogen gets low that can cause headaches and it should get better as your estrogen rises. Mine went away around the 5th day of stims I think - I also got a massage which helped a LOT (I get tension/trigger point headaches)
TTC History in Spoiler
Me: 29 DH:34 TTC 21 cycles All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium) Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3 IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26 IUI #2 March 14, BFN IUI #3 April 11, BFN IUI #4 May 11, BFN July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast! October 2018 FET-BFN November 2018 FET-TBD
@funkykey yay you're moving right along with those stims! I'm sorry you're having headaches, I can't say I've had any since starting, but I do get them frequently otherwise! It's even more annoying when you're not supposed to be taking much to help them that's awesome that you're feeling so calm about everything, that makes me feel like I should be too you're right, it is basically out of our control! I've been worried about how many eggs they will retrieve and how many will make it to day 5, and from there the big worry comes in if this all actually worked or not. But I've been trying to take it as it comes and keep telling myself there's actually nothing I can do about it that I'm not already doing. Venting to you ladies in here helps me though
My ultrasound this morning went well I think. He again said I had about 12 on each side. I counted in my head the ones that were 11+ as he read out numbers... And I counted 9 out of 12 on each side, with the majority being 12s and 13s. He kept me on my same doses and I go back in on Monday. Im assuming I'll either trigger Monday if enough of them grow to the 16-20 range, or possibly Tuesday. Hopefully it won't drag out to Wednesday, but I will do whatever they tell me!
@funkykey haha! I understand your you being skeptical but I can assure you I am really an embryologist! I've been one for a few years now but there's always more for me to learn. That's part of the reason I come on here to answer questions. In fact I'm in the process of putting a blog together where I can put answers to common questions I've been getting. Your question is awesome. I've been digging around for the past couple of days to try to do my best to answer it.
Referring to the "first 3 days of an embryo's development is due to the egg while afterwards it's a combination of the sperm and the egg" . I've heard this before but decided to do some fact checking.
So why do people say this?
For the first three days, an embryo is using factors that have been stockpiled in the egg for its development rather than "transcribing" messages from its genome. These factors are created as the egg matures and are maternally derived and presumably are responsible for the quality of the embryo until day 3. These factors are mostly RNA transcripts (DNA "messages") that are turned into proteins to help the egg develop to the 4-8 cell stage. Once day 3 hits, the stockpile is reduced, and the newly formed embryo genome turns on and its DNA is used to further the embryo's development to start to form a blastula. So yes the embryo's development is due to the egg for the first 3 days.
The genome that is created when the egg DNA and sperm DNA meet is really a combination of both their DNA, so after Day 3 it's a combination of both the egg and sperm that dictate the embryo's performance.
So suppose the embryo develops well over the first three days (when the egg is in charge) and then does poorly after day 3 (when the sperm and egg are in charge). Does this mean that the sperm is to blame?
If the sperm has major issues (that wouldn't be corrected by having the egg's second set of chromosomes), then I would say yes, definitely. But the look of an embryo often doesn't indicate its potential to create a pregnancy. Remember we're just judging them on how they look under a microscope. Imagine looking at the planet Earth and never seeing what goes on down on the land, in the seas, etc and all you see is a spinning blue ball. How much could you tell me about that planet just from looking at it? Probably not a lot. It's the same thing. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING. lol
To be fair, if you transfer embryos that are graded well vs embryos that are graded poor, more people will get pregnant from the embryos that look better. So there is some foundation to this.
To answer your other questions, I think it is possible to produce blasts with abnormal sperm. Definitely. What makes humans work so well is that we're diploid. We have two copies of every chromosome (23 x 2 = 46), one from mom and one from dad. If dad has some nasty stuff to pass along, you may have mom to thank for correcting it.
Good looking embryos can be PGS abnormal. I see it all the time. And poor looking embryos are normal. Grades don't always predict ploidy.
Egg issues are more common the older we get. Eggs pause their development between ~20 weeks gestational age to puberty and then an egg is matured once a month. The proteins and molecular machinery in the egg is paused also. As women age, it's thought that some of the molecular machinery that is responsible for pulling apart chromosomes (to "unpause" and mature the egg) doesn't work as well. This can result in pulling the wrong number of chromosomes, or pieces getting mixed up, which causes aneuploidy. Sperm is made fresh every few of months, using fresh proteins to do so, so there's less error here. So I would say egg quality is often the determining factor.
Wow that's long! Sorry for the rambling!
I am Embryoman - your friendly neighborhood embryologist! **Removed for TOU violation**
got the call from embryologist, all 3 embryos at 4-cell stage and looking good trying to enjoy this happy news and not worry constantly about what will happen next.... how will I make it to wednesday?
TTC History in Spoiler
Me: 29 DH:34 TTC 21 cycles All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium) Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3 IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26 IUI #2 March 14, BFN IUI #3 April 11, BFN IUI #4 May 11, BFN July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast! October 2018 FET-BFN November 2018 FET-TBD
@funkykey Have the headaches subsided at all? Good luck tomorrow. I hope all lab work is tip top. I agree that a certain degree of fatalism with IF does bring a sense of calm. It's a very practical way to look at things. Thanks for the reminder. @ 'funny business'.
@wishing-and-hoping Yayyyyy! Wednesday is the blast day or? When is transfer? I'm trying not to add to the bsc sorry lol
@wishiwaspreggo I'm dying to know details of this morning beyond pm, suspense brain
@Bonniebonsall How did your baseline and blood work go? Set to stim tomorrow?
@mkr_0128 I hope all of your follies cooperate come Tuesday. Hang in there!
Is the save draft feature messing up for anyone else?
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@suzycupcake yes wednesday will be day 5 so hopefully we will have one or more to freeze then. we have to do FET because my progesterone got too high during stims. not 100% sure on timing of transfer - initially RE had said week of Oct 22. I had concerns about waiting and about being on bcps/suppressors and when I was doing ER, DH talked to RE about the possibility of doing a natural FET and thus accelerating the timeline. Need to follow up but it seemed like that was an option if AF comes within a certain window (based on their clinic schedule) and if that works out, I could have FET the first week of October. So, sometime in October - either beginning or end.
@funkykey hoping for great progress at your checkup tomorrow!!! fx
TTC History in Spoiler
Me: 29 DH:34 TTC 21 cycles All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium) Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3 IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26 IUI #2 March 14, BFN IUI #3 April 11, BFN IUI #4 May 11, BFN July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast! October 2018 FET-BFN November 2018 FET-TBD
@wishing-and-hoping I hope that witch shows up for you so you can do it the way you want. Hugs.
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
First ultrasound was great! 12 follicles, 7 on the right and 5 on the left 2 of them are 12 mm, 3 are 10, 4 are 9, and 3 are 8. I stay on the Gonal-F tonight and tomorrow, and take my first dose of cetrotide tomorrow night. Then another ultrasound on Tuesday to see how the follies are doing and then I’ll know what day I do ER. It’s looking like Friday!! I’m pleased with the report. I told my parents and they panicked thinking I’d make 12 embryos. I had to explain how it works lol...
Hope everyone else is doing well! Thanks for the shout out @suzycupcake!
Very nice @wishiwaspreggo!!! Being ready Friday would be awesome
I had blood and ultrasound this morning. I MAY be ready to trigger tonight, they just want to see what my levels come back. So if I get a call, I trigger... If I don't get a call, I go back in tomorrow for another ultrasound. Today I had 9 follicles that were 16+, and still a few 15s. I asked the doctor if doing one more day of stims would get some of the 15s to 16s, and he said they mostly base it off the bloodwork. So they will be checking to see if my E2 is still rising or if it has slowed/stopped (which he said is an indicator they are basically done growing). So we will see. I'm happy with 9 (hoping that almost all of those 9 are mature and the majority fertilize!), but I wouldn't be upset waiting another day to maybe have 2-3 more
@mkr_0128 I hope all your eggs are mature! That's exciting, let us know if you get to trigger. @wishiwaspreggo Sounds like a great update! @wishing-and-hoping So glad all three have fertilized and are dividing. I'm sorry you don't get to do the fresh transfer you were hoping for. I hope you are able to get started on your transfer cycle soon. Do you know how many you will transfer if you have more than one? @laurenc52 Welcome and gl tomorrow for your retrieval! @suzycupcake Yes, there is usually a big fall off from egg to embryo. Also it's common to have some eggs retrieved that are not quite mature, sometimes they mature over night and are able to be fertilized. Of course some people will lose fewer and some will lose more depending on the cause of IF - for example couples who have MFI issues may have lower fertilization rates. Your dr is the best person to tell you whether they recommend PGS, but from what I know it's likely to be recommended for (1) RPL patients (really PGS is the only reason we are doing IVF, for example) (2) patients who are AMA (3) patients who are likely to produce a lot of embryos and so need a prioritization tool (4) patients with known genetic issues (PGD is performed instead of PGS). For example there is a recent AMA TTGP grad who got I think 20+ eggs, ended up with five embryos, and only one of those five was PGS normal. If she hadn't tested those embryos she could have had, worst case scenario, five failed transfers before success. At the same time the lab does need to be very good to do the biopsy, and some RE's (and people in general) are skeptical of PGS. There are usually two sets of costs - the biopsy cost and the testing cost. Usually there are packages available for the testing costs and if you go above it's a certain dollar amount per embryo.
AFM AF started yesterday - one day too early to start stims this week, so I started my BCP as the lazy IVF nurse had instructed and I will be starting stims 9/14 or thereabouts. I thought that would be more upsetting because we've been waiting for three months already to start IVF, but it's actually just a relief to know when we'll start. It's been tough at work to keep my calendar open not having any sense of when ER will be and not wanting to schedule stuff that can't be moved. It also means I should be able to get my meds this week and start next week, as opposed to possibly not getting them until too late.
@wishiwaspreggo sounding good! if your ER is friday will you still have to attend that work event? i will say - i definitely felt worse than i had expected to. I was really nauseated and i was suuuuper sleepy for the rest of the day. the soreness is real and sitting upright was one of my worst positions (felt like it put a lot of pressure on the still-large ovaries). i haven't had abdominal surgery before but this was certainly worse than my hysteroscopy. my ER was friday, it's monday and i'm just now feeling like i can do normal things like wash dishes (i'm typically not a baby about this stuff - again it surprised me how poorly i've felt) - i'd recommend getting a dr's note and sit this one out!
@mkr_0128 that's exciting! you're getting so close!
Me: 29 DH:34 TTC 21 cycles All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium) Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3 IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26 IUI #2 March 14, BFN IUI #3 April 11, BFN IUI #4 May 11, BFN July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast! October 2018 FET-BFN November 2018 FET-TBD
@zamora_spin Having to keep waiting is annoying, but yay you have a date! And it's not too far off at all! I know how the work stress is and never knowing when you need off and for how many days... Like we don't already have enough to worry about!
So no call today.. I think they are only there til 4 so I imagine they would have called by now. I guess it's stims tonight and go back tomorrow morning for an update!
Thanks everyone for the positive thoughts and well wishes for tomorrow's retrieval! I am super nervous about the pain post ER, although I did have the laparoscopic surgery two months ago, so hoping that at will at least slightly prepare me. I triggered last night with both Lupron and Novarel (Lupron again this morning),and I also had to start Cabergoline for 8 days due to my high estrogen level. It went from 2,500 on Friday to 5,200 at yesterday's ultrasound/bloodwork (fresh transfer is out for me now). I guess they think I have a very high risk for developing OHSS, so I am really trying hard not to think about that going into tomorrow's ER. The Novarel shot was intramuscular, and the first time DH has had to inject me with any of the needles (I am quite the control freak). It was definitely chaotic, but we'll have to get used to it with the FET progesterone shots, which I am dreading.
@funkykey I had sporadic headaches throughout stimming, so annoying. I also ended up with a very sore throat, which they said could have been a side effect of the Gonal F. I found that drinking a TON of gatorade and coconut water helped with the headaches and negative side effects in general.
@wishing-and-hoping that is so exciting about the three embryos! FX for Wednesday's call!
I will catch up more later, but a quick update from me. All was fine today, and my appointment will be Thursday morning. Then we will do a follicle count and have an idea as to when the retrieval will be.
Last I posted, I was feeling very calm about the whole thing. Well, that passed for me today. **TW** My sister told me that she is pregnant with her second this morning, and as soon as she said it, it took the wind right out of my sails. I felt so deflated. Not because she meant it to be - not at all! - but it was so easy for her to conceive this time (and last time), and I just again realized how hard and lonely this road has been. She and I originally started to TTC around the same time. We used to talk about how nice it would be if we had babies the same age. She went on to conceive her first, who is now walking and saying words and so precious, and I went on to IVF and three failed transfers. My sister is a lovely person, and has been so sensitive and supportive of me throughout this. I am happy for her, but I'm sad for me - I'm sad at how hard this has been.
It just felt like: "Wow, this really is so much easier for some people." And also: "God, I really, really want this for myself." **end TW**
People think we become mothers when we give birth but the truth is we become mothers the moment we start calling our babies to us in our thoughts, dreams and prayers. Some paths are short and some are so long that you can easily forget where you were headed.
How I feel all of the time. My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI Back on Levothyroxine FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt, 1st Beta on 7dpt 93 2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule. Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017 New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
Re: September 2018 IVF ER
@wishing-and-hoping I hope the trigger went well. hoping for an uneventful ER tomorrow for you.
Anyone have heartburn from STIMS? I don't think i've changed my diet, but the past two days i've had significant heartburn which is out of the normal for me.
@wishiwaspreggo thanks
Question for y'all: how close to your stim start date are you getting your meds? My nurse is encouraging me to have them delivered during the first day of stims. That seems silly to me, why not have them on hand a few days before, but I wasn't sure if this was atypical.
Thanks on the meds. That's what I thought. I've already complained about my IVF nurse directly to my RE. She does not do what she says she's going to do, and she also seems averse to any kind of advance planning. She is overly concerned about me "sitting" on the meds too long, but I think she is not concerned enough about me not getting them in time. As of today she had not ordered them yet, which I know my RE thought they had been ordered last Thursday because she told me to check with the pharmacy if they hadn't called by this Wednesday about payment and delivery.
My start date is still in flux, apparently. If AF starts before 9/3 I have to go on BCP for a week and start stims 9/14, but if AF comes 9/3 or after (it should be 9/3 based on O and my usual LP length) I can likely start stims on 9/6. So the nurse is proposing that the meds be delivered on my possible start date, 9/6. I'm hoping they call me soon after she calls them in and I can tell them to try to deliver on 9/4 or 9/5 at the latest.
She also was supposed to call in my BCP prescription (in case I need it) last week. Well, the pharmacy never got the order and when I asked the nurse about it she claimed it was the pharmacy's fault. I have NEVER had an issue with this pharmacy not getting a prescription before, and when she sent it in today ("re-sent" it per her) they notified me within two hours that the prescription had been filled.
@wishiwaspreggo i hear you. i would have paid the money too because in the end it's "just" $200. I know it all adds up but you do have some precious cargo.
AFM:
BW & Ultrasound this morning. Nothing bad, but the 7 largest on each side were pretty small (largest was 8.7 on left and 7 on the right) The nurse said they would have expected them to be a little more like 12, but no change in meds and another BW & U on Sunday at 7:30. Grow follicles grow!
Big weekend with Taylor Swift concert tonight and Hamilton on Sunday! Nice distractions during this time where I tend to be a little obsessive.
After TTC for ~5 months (and a previous ectopic many years ago), we found out that I had a bad blockage in my fallopian tube, and at the beginning of July, I had surgery to close off that tube. Our RE recommended that we go straight to IVF due to the increased risk of another ectopic "/
I was on BCP for 3 weeks, and started stims last Friday (8/25) with an expected ER on 9/4. I started out with Gonal F 225 for 5 nights, and then reduced to Gonal F 75 and added in Menopur 75 and Cetrotide on Wednesday. Today I was told to continue with the same dosages until my next ultrasound on Sunday. Has anyone else had experience with this protocol?
I had blood and ultrasound this morning, and my estrogen level went from 1,174 on Wednesday to 2,586 today! The nurse told me that she saw over 20 follicles, but only one 18, two 16s four 15s, and then a bunch under 13. The nurse told me to not expect my retrieval to be on Tuesday (as she felt I had too many small follicles), but then my IVF coordinator called me and told me to come back in for blood and ultrasound on Sunday and I would hopefully be ready to trigger Sunday night! They are thinking I will probably need a Lupron trigger and FET due to my high levels of estrogen and risk of OHSS. Anyone else thinking they will need a FET? I am super bummed because I did not realize that would add basically another 6-8 weeks into this whole shebang!
This whole process has been so stressful, especially trying to plan around the holiday weekend. It is so frustrating to go back and forth with my work schedule just depending on where things are at with the ER, but we are trying very hard to keep our eyes on the prize (BFP!).
@blackhottamales Fx for your follies, grow grow grow! Good for you for self distracting. You got another week before ER and from what I've heard other ladies say, they can always add more stims if necessary.
@zamora_spin Gah, so sorry that's still happening with this nurse. Hugs.
Afm, I'm still waiting for the coordinator to respond to my inquiries about when I will come in for labs and for which ones. When I didn't hear anything for 6 days, I emailed her. She didn't reply so I emailed my RE a day later letting him know when my next cycle would be starting about and asked him to tell me if I'm being pushy. He cc'd her to please check on this and told me that I'm not being pushy at all, that he would rather I be proactive. It has been two days since and the coordinator has not reached out to me.
I'm not really sure what to do. "You're paying me to do the worrying" is starting to seem like it was too good to be true. We had planned for an ER when my next cycle starts. If my thyroid is not in a normal range, that will mean that we might not be able to start until October. I have to make travel plans that month to conduct interviews for my documentary. I need to figure out a way to assert myself without pissing anyone off. Why though? I'm paying a lot of freaking money for this. Why don't they just do their jobs? I don't get it.
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@suzycupcake so sorry you're having to deal with an unresponsive care team. that sucks. i definitely had times where i felt like i was being "too pushy" or calling too much (even with a pretty responsive team) but there are times when you have to do that in order to stay on track. i totally get how you're feeling - riding the line between being assertive and having them hate you (hah!)
We decided on fertilizing 3 because we hope to end up with 1 embryo... we based our decision on the clinic's rates of 80% fertilization and ~40-50% making it to day 5.
AFM, ER went fine yesterday. I was surprised I only had 10 eggs retrieved. I guess a lot of the follicles that showed up on the US were actually empty (now calling those the b*tch follicles). 7 of the 10 were mature. We fertilized 3 as planned and got the call this AM that all 3 fertilized! We were super thrilled to hear that. Now we wait for the call tomorrow to see if they are growing as expected. fingers so crossed and prayers out the wazoo
TTC 21 cycles
All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium)
Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3
IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26
IUI #2 March 14, BFN
IUI #3 April 11, BFN
IUI #4 May 11, BFN
July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN
August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast!
October 2018 FET-BFN
November 2018 FET-TBD
I didn't know you could ask about fertilization rates, thank you. Do they freeze the rest of the eggs they took out?
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
*googling stopped* promise!
She sent me a list of what labs I will need to redo gonorrhea and chlamydia (not done since 2017), tsh, free t4, a pap smear, cbc, and prolactin.
I'm not really sure why a pap smear is required or a redo of those infectious diseases since I only have one partner but whatever. And why do I need to check prolactin again when I just had that checked last year and it was normal? I've decided I'm not gonna put up a fight with this crap anymore and just do what they say.
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@suzycupcake I know exactly how you feel--it's such a lack of control and trust given to the clinic. At the same time we all have learned we have to be our own advocates. Great job calling and confirming with the coordinator. Our clinic also requires those tests every 6 months. I was told it's because they can't keep (have?) "contaminated" eggs in their lab so they have to test. But I agree...I've been with my husband for over 8 years so it's odd to have STD tests.
I decided to email the clinic and ask them these questions now that I know a little bit more....so we can get a better idea of what's going on. I don't want to be overwhelmed by any of it during my cycle. Tried to put it in a spoiler, but it's not working.
Hi Perla,
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
Usually your AFC is a good indicator of how many eggs (max) you will get. And your RE should be able to estimate what percent of your embryos are likely to be good. For example, my RE expects we’d get 11-13 eggs, and we will lose half at every step, so she expects we may have 3-4 blasts. She predicts based on my age, bottom line, we’ll get 1 PGS normal per cycle. Maybe we’ll get more, maybe we’ll get zero. Your RE should be able to give educated guesses on thus, is my point, and you will, most likely, have a lot that don’t make it, so usually they do fertilize all.
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
Hoping they are a sign that I am responding! I go in Monday for bloodwork.
In terms of the IVF rollercoaster, this morning I was feeling very peaceful about the whole thing. I think this will be my last time trying with my own eggs, and while last year/the year before, that thought made me so sad and panicked, now I feel very at peace with it. I feel confident that I have tried everything I can to make this happen - I've thrown everything at it. We're ready to pay the bill on Monday, and I feel like: "Yep, I've done this." I've found the money, I've paid for the 2 rounds, I've given myself the injections, I've taken the supplements and stopped painting my nails, I've done all the tests and made all the appointments. If this doesn't work, it won't have been because I wasn't looking at it dead-on and trying my very hardest. At this point, all I can do is just keep showing up and keep injecting. The actual results in terms of how many are retrieved or fertilize, that's all out of my control. I can hope and pray, but it's not in my hands. I feel fatalistic and calm.
@blackhottamales - no heartburn for me, just the headaches.
@mkr_0128 - how was the ultrasound today? I totally agree - the ultrasound updates can be worrying. IVF is very stressful.
@wishing-and-hoping - Awesome news re: your retrieval! Congratulations on the 3 embryos! FX that they multiply!!
@wishiwaspreggo - incontinence does suck balls, lol. Also, glad you caught that with the ultrasound date! I've caught a couple of little minor things with my clinic like that. You really do need to keep on top of all of this! Good luck tomorrow, I can't wait to hear your update!
@zamora_spin - I had my meds a couple of weeks before I started stimming. For me as well, I wanted to have them sooner so I could spread out the financial hit a little bit. It seems unusual to get them the first day; I'd definitely want to have them at least a week before. I'd also want just one less thing to worry about during this process.
@laurenc52 - welcome. Sorry you find yourself here, but I'm glad you've found us! I haven't had experience with that specific protocol, but sounds like you are responding really well! Keep us posted on your ultrasound tomorrow! I will have an FET because we are doing PGS testing.
@suzycupcake - Yeah, I would have a hard time with it if my coordinator were that unresponsive. Good for you for standing up for yourself.
For me, I actually found about the first 6-8 months of fertility treatments really difficult, in terms of advocating for myself with the clinic. I think because, on some level, I found the whole thing so personal, ie. talking about my flow or the consistency of my cervical mucus. Sometimes, I would read about something and wonder why they weren't doing it, but I didn't always ask. It took me a while to start speaking up, and I've got to say, it's really benefitted me in other areas of my life, too. Not just with my clinic! I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the silver linings of IF - I can now have a medical conversation with just about anyone without being squeamish. I'm also not afraid to tackle any uncomfortable conversations at work.
It's really tough though, especially when you are in a vulnerable position (which being a patient is, almost by definition).
I had to re-do all my infectious disease tests recently, and so did my husband. I think it's pretty standard to re-do them every 1-2 years. I joked with my husband that if I had a new infectious disease, I'd know if he'd been up to any funny business. I heard a story about a woman once who found out her husband was cheating when she tested positive for syphilis! Hahaha! Imagine that conversation!
@suzycupcake those all seem like good questions. also i feel like someone said the infectious disease panels were a federal mandate so probably out of their control if that's the case.
@zamora_spin you have probably worked this out already but, yeah, definitely get your meds early. my IVF nurse had us check everything once we received it because she had patients in the past who received menopur vials that were totally empty. you would NOT want that surprise at the last minute!!
@funkykey i had horrible headaches, but I think mainly just from the bcps/lupron. I can't remember if you did suppression before stims but my RE said that when your estrogen gets low that can cause headaches and it should get better as your estrogen rises. Mine went away around the 5th day of stims I think - I also got a massage which helped a LOT (I get tension/trigger point headaches)
TTC 21 cycles
All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium)
Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3
IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26
IUI #2 March 14, BFN
IUI #3 April 11, BFN
IUI #4 May 11, BFN
July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN
August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast!
October 2018 FET-BFN
November 2018 FET-TBD
My ultrasound this morning went well I think. He again said I had about 12 on each side. I counted in my head the ones that were 11+ as he read out numbers... And I counted 9 out of 12 on each side, with the majority being 12s and 13s. He kept me on my same doses and I go back in on Monday. Im assuming I'll either trigger Monday if enough of them grow to the 16-20 range, or possibly Tuesday. Hopefully it won't drag out to Wednesday, but I will do whatever they tell me!
Referring to the "first 3 days of an embryo's development is due to the egg while afterwards it's a combination of the sperm and the egg" . I've heard this before but decided to do some fact checking.
So why do people say this?
For the first three days, an embryo is using factors that have been stockpiled in the egg for its development rather than "transcribing" messages from its genome. These factors are created as the egg matures and are maternally derived and presumably are responsible for the quality of the embryo until day 3. These factors are mostly RNA transcripts (DNA "messages") that are turned into proteins to help the egg develop to the 4-8 cell stage. Once day 3 hits, the stockpile is reduced, and the newly formed embryo genome turns on and its DNA is used to further the embryo's development to start to form a blastula. So yes the embryo's development is due to the egg for the first 3 days.
The genome that is created when the egg DNA and sperm DNA meet is really a combination of both their DNA, so after Day 3 it's a combination of both the egg and sperm that dictate the embryo's performance.
So suppose the embryo develops well over the first three days (when the egg is in charge) and then does poorly after day 3 (when the sperm and egg are in charge). Does this mean that the sperm is to blame?
If the sperm has major issues (that wouldn't be corrected by having the egg's second set of chromosomes), then I would say yes, definitely. But the look of an embryo often doesn't indicate its potential to create a pregnancy. Remember we're just judging them on how they look under a microscope. Imagine looking at the planet Earth and never seeing what goes on down on the land, in the seas, etc and all you see is a spinning blue ball. How much could you tell me about that planet just from looking at it? Probably not a lot. It's the same thing. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING. lol
To be fair, if you transfer embryos that are graded well vs embryos that are graded poor, more people will get pregnant from the embryos that look better. So there is some foundation to this.
To answer your other questions, I think it is possible to produce blasts with abnormal sperm. Definitely. What makes humans work so well is that we're diploid. We have two copies of every chromosome (23 x 2 = 46), one from mom and one from dad. If dad has some nasty stuff to pass along, you may have mom to thank for correcting it.
Good looking embryos can be PGS abnormal. I see it all the time. And poor looking embryos are normal. Grades don't always predict ploidy.
Egg issues are more common the older we get. Eggs pause their development between ~20 weeks gestational age to puberty and then an egg is matured once a month. The proteins and molecular machinery in the egg is paused also. As women age, it's thought that some of the molecular machinery that is responsible for pulling apart chromosomes (to "unpause" and mature the egg) doesn't work as well. This can result in pulling the wrong number of chromosomes, or pieces getting mixed up, which causes aneuploidy. Sperm is made fresh every few of months, using fresh proteins to do so, so there's less error here. So I would say egg quality is often the determining factor.
Wow that's long! Sorry for the rambling!
**Removed for TOU violation**
Not rambling at all, much appreciated!!! I also love the spinning blue ball analogy.
What a miracle life is!
trying to enjoy this happy news and not worry constantly about what will happen next....
how will I make it to wednesday?
TTC 21 cycles
All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium)
Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3
IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26
IUI #2 March 14, BFN
IUI #3 April 11, BFN
IUI #4 May 11, BFN
July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN
August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast!
October 2018 FET-BFN
November 2018 FET-TBD
@wishing-and-hoping Yayyyyy! Wednesday is the blast day or? When is transfer? I'm trying not to add to the bsc sorry lol
@wishiwaspreggo I'm dying to know details of this morning beyond pm, suspense brain
@Bonniebonsall How did your baseline and blood work go? Set to stim tomorrow?
@mkr_0128 I hope all of your follies cooperate come Tuesday. Hang in there!
Is the save draft feature messing up for anyone else?
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
@funkykey hoping for great progress at your checkup tomorrow!!! fx
TTC 21 cycles
All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium)
Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3
IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26
IUI #2 March 14, BFN
IUI #3 April 11, BFN
IUI #4 May 11, BFN
July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN
August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast!
October 2018 FET-BFN
November 2018 FET-TBD
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN
Hope everyone else is doing well! Thanks for the shout out @suzycupcake!
I had blood and ultrasound this morning. I MAY be ready to trigger tonight, they just want to see what my levels come back. So if I get a call, I trigger... If I don't get a call, I go back in tomorrow for another ultrasound. Today I had 9 follicles that were 16+, and still a few 15s. I asked the doctor if doing one more day of stims would get some of the 15s to 16s, and he said they mostly base it off the bloodwork. So they will be checking to see if my E2 is still rising or if it has slowed/stopped (which he said is an indicator they are basically done growing). So we will see. I'm happy with 9 (hoping that almost all of those 9 are mature and the majority fertilize!), but I wouldn't be upset waiting another day to maybe have 2-3 more
@wishiwaspreggo Sounds like a great update!
@wishing-and-hoping So glad all three have fertilized and are dividing. I'm sorry you don't get to do the fresh transfer you were hoping for. I hope you are able to get started on your transfer cycle soon. Do you know how many you will transfer if you have more than one?
@laurenc52 Welcome and gl tomorrow for your retrieval!
@suzycupcake Yes, there is usually a big fall off from egg to embryo. Also it's common to have some eggs retrieved that are not quite mature, sometimes they mature over night and are able to be fertilized. Of course some people will lose fewer and some will lose more depending on the cause of IF - for example couples who have MFI issues may have lower fertilization rates. Your dr is the best person to tell you whether they recommend PGS, but from what I know it's likely to be recommended for (1) RPL patients (really PGS is the only reason we are doing IVF, for example) (2) patients who are AMA (3) patients who are likely to produce a lot of embryos and so need a prioritization tool (4) patients with known genetic issues (PGD is performed instead of PGS). For example there is a recent AMA TTGP grad who got I think 20+ eggs, ended up with five embryos, and only one of those five was PGS normal. If she hadn't tested those embryos she could have had, worst case scenario, five failed transfers before success. At the same time the lab does need to be very good to do the biopsy, and some RE's (and people in general) are skeptical of PGS. There are usually two sets of costs - the biopsy cost and the testing cost. Usually there are packages available for the testing costs and if you go above it's a certain dollar amount per embryo.
AFM AF started yesterday - one day too early to start stims this week, so I started my BCP as the lazy IVF nurse had instructed and I will be starting stims 9/14 or thereabouts. I thought that would be more upsetting because we've been waiting for three months already to start IVF, but it's actually just a relief to know when we'll start. It's been tough at work to keep my calendar open not having any sense of when ER will be and not wanting to schedule stuff that can't be moved. It also means I should be able to get my meds this week and start next week, as opposed to possibly not getting them until too late.
Good luck ladies, you are all doing awesome!
@mkr_0128 that's exciting! you're getting so close!
@funkykey how did your appointment go?
TTC 21 cycles
All TI cycles BFN (with letrozole, ovidrel, prometrium)
Hysteroscopy + Polypectomy + D&C on 1/3
IUI #1 February 6, BFP 2/21, CP 2/26
IUI #2 March 14, BFN
IUI #3 April 11, BFN
IUI #4 May 11, BFN
July 2018 IVF, developed lead follicle, converted to TI, BFN
August/September 2018 IVF converted to freeze-all: 7 mature eggs; we fertilized 3 and froze 4. 3/3 fertilized and 1 blast!
October 2018 FET-BFN
November 2018 FET-TBD
So no call today.. I think they are only there til 4 so I imagine they would have called by now. I guess it's stims tonight and go back tomorrow morning for an update!
@funkykey I had sporadic headaches throughout stimming, so annoying. I also ended up with a very sore throat, which they said could have been a side effect of the Gonal F. I found that drinking a TON of gatorade and coconut water helped with the headaches and negative side effects in general.
@wishing-and-hoping that is so exciting about the three embryos! FX for Wednesday's call!
I will catch up more later, but a quick update from me. All was fine today, and my appointment will be Thursday morning. Then we will do a follicle count and have an idea as to when the retrieval will be.
Last I posted, I was feeling very calm about the whole thing. Well, that passed for me today. **TW** My sister told me that she is pregnant with her second this morning, and as soon as she said it, it took the wind right out of my sails. I felt so deflated. Not because she meant it to be - not at all! - but it was so easy for her to conceive this time (and last time), and I just again realized how hard and lonely this road has been. She and I originally started to TTC around the same time. We used to talk about how nice it would be if we had babies the same age. She went on to conceive her first, who is now walking and saying words and so precious, and I went on to IVF and three failed transfers. My sister is a lovely person, and has been so sensitive and supportive of me throughout this. I am happy for her, but I'm sad for me - I'm sad at how hard this has been.
It just felt like: "Wow, this really is so much easier for some people." And also: "God, I really, really want this for myself." **end TW**
Anyway, keeping FX for us all!
My 7 Year Journey ***Tw in spoiler***
IVF #1 - September 2018; Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide & Lupron/HCG combo trigger; PGS; ICSI
Back on Levothyroxine
FET #1 - October 2018; cancelled, all PGS aneuploid
FET #1 - November 30th, transferred anyway
Wondfo BFP 5dp5dt, CB Digi 6dpt,
1st Beta on 7dpt 93
2nd Beta on 10dpt 510!
TTC #1 since 2011. Tried for 5 years before we knew there was a one year rule.
Diag w/MS 2016; w/PCOS & IF 2017
New RE 2018; PCOS diagnosis taken away, IF due to ovary adhesions, but prev. RE insists PCOS IF
IUI
IUI #1 July 2017 w/100mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #2 October 2017 w/50mg Clo+trigger; BFN; benched w/big cysts
IUI #3 February 2018 w/5mg Femara+trigger; low P
BFP February; mc March; Subclinical hypothyroid started Levothyroxine
IUI #4 March 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Medicated cycle & TI April 2018 w/7.5mg Femara+trigger; BFN
Tried several cycles on our own; all BFN