WTH Is Going On This IUI Cycle!?

cxsimo08 · October 2018

Hey Ladies I feel like lately I've been one big saga of weirdness. Honestly having no explanation is taking its toll. I just did about 10 hours of research (so much for work today) and have no idea what's going on and my RE has no answers so thought I would post here in hopes that someone has had something similar or has any idea of what's happening.

I just had my second CP in 3 months- both after IUI w/ Stims. This last CP ended up being ectopic and scary but thankfully dissipated and I was cleared to start another cycle. Here's where it gets weird...

Baseline everything looked normal. Used the same dose I always do of Follistim. Follicles grew fast and my estrogen rose quickly. I ended up w/ a high E2 1400, LH 14 and about 8 mature follicles around CD 12. (Normally RE's would cancel but this is my 7th IUI with high follicle counts and have also done 2 IVF's with no embryos making it to blastocyst so she's fairly sure the problem is embryo quality and is more aggressive.). She didn't want to trigger with my E2 at 1400 for fear of OHSS and saw my LH was beginning to surge so she did the IUI on CD13 without trigger. I had MAJOR concerns w/ no trigger of delayed ovulation and of course, all weekend OPK's were negative so I called her and she had me come in today for blood and US. Horrible results. All my follicles still are there (and larger) between 17-28mm, my lining was more thin and my bloodwork shows my E2 is now dropped to 58, progesterone .2, LH 6 so basically she said it was a faulty cycle and I'm not going to ovulate and to wait 2 weeks for my AF. What is a faulty cycle- I don't even get it!

How does estrogen go from 1400 to 58 from CD 13- 17? It just doesn't make sense. It would add up if I ovulated but progesterone is basically 0 so it shows I didn't ovulate. I don't get it.

Does anyone have any ideas?!

wishing-and-hoping · October 2018

hey @cxsimo08 first of all let me say i am sorry for your losses. I don't know how exactly estradiol fluctuates in an anovulatory cycle, but that's a question you could ask your RE perhaps. One major frustrating part of IF is that there's always so much unknown. Things we don't know and things the doctors don't know. I hope you can get some answers but if you don't - there are many of us right there with you. GL with your next steps.

cxsimo08 · October 2018

Thanks @wishing-and-hoping I don't know much about anovulatory cycles. My doctor didn't mention it specifically but I guess no ovulation does mean anovulatory right? I just can't figure out if this was happening naturally or if its because my IUI without trigger. Thanks for your response

On a side note congratulations on your cycle and GDLK with your upcoming beta! I'll be thinking of you!

cxsimo08 · October 2018

Closing the loop in case this helps someone else one day. I ended up having a second spike in LH on CD21 from my OPK's and went in for blood work which confirmed surge. I then started bleeding over the weekend but it was very light, 6 days early, bright pink/red and with NO cramps which is so atypical for me. My RE considered this AF/"baseline" and said she does think I ovulated just not until that second surge/right before bleed. She explained that the high E2 with no trigger caused me to stop ovulating and created several cysts and basically a temporary luteal phase defect with very late ovulation. It still to me doesn't explain the weird bleed or how I'm feeling but she's saying its just a super off cycle.

I know its totally crazy- I mean they monitored HCG and it was 0 - but at this point I feel pregnant. My boobs are constantly aching an abnormal amount, I'm exhausted, starving, I have to pee all the time even though I'm drinking the same, and my nails are rock hard. I'm not sure to explain how I'm feeling but I just feel SO off still - it's very confusing.

Here are the cycle details:

CD3: E2 41, LH 8.2, P4 .35 - Follistim 91
CD7: E2 185, LH 1.9 - Follistim dropped to 83
CD10: E2 557, LH 4.3 - Follistim dropped to 58
CD12: E2 1426 LH 14.5 - 8 follicles, No Trigger - First BBT Increase <- First Surge?
CD13: IUI, 149.38m motile sperm
CD14-17: OPK Neg
CD17: E2 58, LH 6.2, P4 0.2 - 8 follicles still there and growing - OPK Neg
CD17-20: OPK Neg
CD19: Light Pos HPT (Wondfo)
CD20: OPK Neg, HPT BFN
CD21: E2 146, LH 13.4, P4 1.98 - OPK Pos, HPT BFN. <- Second Surge?
CD 23: Bleeding (but abnormal for me: Only 1 day- light "flow", no cramps, bright pink/red, 6 days early)
CD 24/1: E2 103, LH 7, P4 1.02, HCG 0 (BFN) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

cxsimo08 · October 2018

One more update here. There was a cyst when they monitored on CD 24 but it was smaller (30mm), my doctor put me on BCP for 2 weeks to shrink it. The BCP see seems to have exacerbated things because when I went in for monitoring this week, she found its now 52mm - non estrogen producing (E2 42). I have extreme back pain and ovulation type pain from it. Stopped BCP and hoping it shrinks but have been spotting and in pain. This cycle stinks.

northbeach3 · October 2018

Just read all your updates. Can’t offer any insight but just wanted to say you can’t seem to catch a break and I’m sorry. Hope your cyst clears up and you can carry on with your next cycle.

cxsimo08 · November 2018

@northbeach3 Thanks lady - hoping by posting it helps someone else have some answers one day. All the unknowns are so stressful. How are you feeling!? Have been following you on the other board and I'm so happy for you!

northbeach3 · November 2018

Aww thanks for asking. Just graduated from RE. Mostly slogging through the days with nausea. Still have a week and a half til first OB appt but unsure when next us will be. Past some milestones but still trepidatious about what’s next. Counting down the days until I cross the 12w threshold. Rooting for you on your next cycle!

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