Infertility Testing & Treatment w/o 11/2

fitzfizz · November 2020

This is a place for those of us who have already started TTC, but have started infertility testing and/or treatments. You can express your thoughts, feelings, and frustrations on infertility. TTC can be a long journey naturally, then add in the difficulties associated with infertility, and it becomes a whole new ball game. The road to infertility can be lonely, frustrating, and complicated, so let's make this a place where we can vent, ask questions, and support one another. Feel free to resurrect this thread at any point in the week if you have something to say. Treat this as an ongoing conversation.

Diagnosis (if you've been):

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA):

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

How are things going?:

Any questions?:

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called?

misshelen86 · November 2020

Diagnosis (if you've been): MFI

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WFERA

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Mock transfer/ERA

How are things going?: We had a bit of a scare because Covid cases are going up here and surgeries/procedures are being cancelled. I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to go ahead with my ERA this month, but at this point I’m still set to go ahead. I started taking estrace yesterday and I’ll go for an ultrasound Nov 12th to check my lining. Otherwise, things are going well.. still focusing on eating healthy, exercising and meditating. It makes me feel better that I have something in my control!

Any questions?: No

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called? It would probably be about my IF journey.. maybe I would call it “IVF Is Very Fun” (I stole this from the Egg Whisperer).

gingermama29 · November 2020

@misshelen86 so glad your ERA isn't getting canceled! The way cases are exploding again is so crazy! I hope you don't get any more scares of canceled procedures.

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): O day today!!

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

How are things going?: I finally got a blazing positive OPK yesterday and some definite O pain. So yay for my body finally getting its act together!! I'm still planning to keep my doctor appointment follow up next week though. I figure it is good to still consult with my OB and see what the plan is going forward if I'm not KU this cycle. But of course it only took my making a doctor appointment for my body to finally do what it was supposed to do weeks ago!

Any questions?: I don't think so?

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called?
Confessions of an Elementary School Music Teacher? Theree just so much that happens and gets said that you just couldn't make up if you tried. I love it.

acleverusername · November 2020

@misshelen86 oh no; I really really hope that things don't get so bad that your ERA gets postponed. If I recall correctly, you're in Canada right? FX that things don't get so bad that it affects you. I love that you're focusing on your physical, mental and emotional being while you wait for the next steps. That is SOOOO important and will likely pay off big. I also just listened to the episode where TEW calls IVF "Is Very Fun." She's got so much relevant information in each of her episodes!

@gingermama29 I'm SO EXCITED for your O day! Definitely a good idea to keep your appointment with the OB. Hopefully lining up "next steps" will bring you luck this cycle. So, yee-haw lady! Giddy up! Also, I would watch your reality TV show as I have very little knowledge of your professional world.

Diagnosis (if you've been): AMA, MFI (oligazoospermia)

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Letrazole + IUI, including an advanced sperm freeze. Also doing some residual blood tests for MH (chromosome analysis; y-chormosome micro-deletion, Vitamin D, Cholesterol, and pre-diabetes). Once he's got those tests, he will have had a full (in)fertility workup as per The Egg Whisperer. Oh, and the sperm DNA frag test results should be in early this week. FX.

How are things going?: I'm feeling pretty great, all things considered. I have my Day 10 monitoring appointment tomorrow, so hopefully the IUI will be a few days later. I'm pretty encouraged about Friday's SA results. Hopefully the SA @ IUI will be equally as good (and morphology even better). Either way, with the way things are going, if this one's not successful, we're thinking that another IUI might not be a bad idea. We shall see.

I've been seeing a therapist who specializes in infertility since September, and today she's starting a new group therapy session so I will get to meet and talk (virtually) to others in my area who are on the infertility journey. I am really looking forward to that.

Otherwise, I spent the weekend listening to The Egg Whisperer, and filling out intake forms for Main Line Fertility in case we do end up being able to participate in clinical research that would give us free PGT testing and a free transfer.

Any questions?: NATM

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called? It would probably be something along the lines of "When It's Time To Give Up." I don't like to quit what I start, which is generally a good character trait, but also tend to sink loads of energy into futile endeavors. Most of these have been failed relationships. It took me into my mid-30's to really understand this about myself.

optimisticoctopus · November 2020

@misshelen86 I’m glad that it doesn’t look like your ERA will be cancelled! Hopefully things don’t get that bad!

@gingermama29 I’m so so excited for your O day!! I guess your body was like, “oh shoot, guess I should do this thing now”. Hopefully this is your cycle and you won’t need any next steps, but I think it’s still good to have a hypothetical plan in place!

@acleverusername glad you’re feeling good! Hopefully those results come back quickly and are helpful! Enjoy the therapy group today...that sounds really nice!

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): IUI #2, discussing specifics at my baseline appointment tomorrow.

How are things going?: Good! I was obviously super bummed about IUI #1 not working, but I really bounced back faster than I expected to. Which is extra shocking considering all the extra progesterone symptoms I had this time around - I’m hoping that means that the Clomid/trigger helped me have a stronger O than I usually do. The sore boobs (that I literally never get) making me think I was KU were less than fun though. I’m hopeful for this cycle, and DH seems to be in good spirits about it too which is fun. He wouldn’t let himself get too excited for the last one, which in hindsight was probably good.

Any questions?: Nope

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called? Hmmm I wanna be boring and say it would probably be about the ridiculous things that the little ones on my caseload at work say. But realistically it would probably be about all the people I unknowingly offend by saying dumb things lol. Like a camera crew could just follow me around and then when I speak without thinking first they would just interview whoever I just confused or offended. This happens less now that I’m at home with just DH 😂

serendipity_5 · November 2020

Is there anyone here who has had a lysis of adhesions done? Im supposed to have a consult with a surgeon next week for a hysteroscopy and lysis of adhesions. What should I expect as far as the actual procedure and recovery. Thank you

misshelen86 · November 2020

@gingermama29 Yay for O! Glad your body finally got it’s act together. Sounds like a good idea to still follow up with your OB next week to start planning your next steps if this cycle doesn’t work out.

@acleverusername Yes I’m in Canada. I’ve watched a few of the Egg Whisperer’s videos on YouTube.. you’ve got me hooked now! So glad that you are feeling more hopeful with your H’s numbers.. I’m hoping this IUI is the one! That’s great that you have some extra group support now as well. It makes such a difference to have people to talk to that get what you’re going through.

@runningoncookies Glad to hear that you’ve bounced back and are ready to move on to the next IUI.. FX for you!

@serendipity_5 Welcome to the group.. hope your stay is short. I’ve never had a hysteroscopy so I can’t answer your question, but that is a really good question to ask your surgeon when you go for your consult. I always make a list of questions beforehand so I don’t forget what I want to ask. Good luck!

shoogapoff · November 2020

@runningoncookies I'm sorry you didn't have the results you wanted from IUI #1. FX for this one to be it!

@acleverusername You might have already explained this, but can you tell me more about advanced sperm freezing? I tried to google to figure out what that was, and all that came back was using banked sperm. Is that what you're doing? Again, sorry since I'm sure you explained this at one point when I was not active on the forum.

@gingermama29 Yay for O finally! Sorry it was such a frustrating wait, but I'm glad things are going the way they need to at last.

@misshelen86 I'm sorry you're worried about your ERA being cancelled. Is your clinic in a hospital or larger medical center? Mine is a freestanding clinic, and they told me that, because of that, they are exempt from all but the absolute strictest limitations on elective procedures. I'm hopeful that our REs will advocate for those of us who have been postponed a lot already, if it gets to that point again.

@serendipity_5 I had a hysteroscopy, but mine was non-surgical. When I discussed my options with my RE, they said I could choose to have a surgical hysteroscopy, so that, if they found anything during the procedure, they could go ahead and remove it. Anyway, all that to say that they told me if I chose the surgical option I would need someone to drive me home that day, but should be able to resume normal activities the next day.

Diagnosis (if you've been): AMA, blocked tube

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): Waiting for FET

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Planning to transfer our 1 embryo! I have my first monitoring appointment on Friday. Right now I'm just taking estradiol, and I should start PIO soon after that scan, if things look good.

How are things going?: I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered.

Any questions?: Not that I can think of right now.

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called? Probably something about how my house is a zoo.

acleverusername · November 2020

@runningoncookies the sore boobs from progesterone is the absolutely WORST in terms of tricking you to think you're KU'ed; it's gotten me every time these last 2 cycles, especially since I continued to temp and progesterone causes a pretty substantial temp bump. I'm not temping any more for that exact reason. I hope your monitoring appointment today went well!

@serendipity_5 Welcome to the group. I can't answer your questions as I haven't had a hysteroscopy. However, we'd love it if you introduced yourself and answered a few of the questions suggested at the top of the thread. This is a really great community as you're going through your IF struggle. It's been great help for me.

@shoogapoff How are you doing on the estradiol? Any side effects? Hopefully the monitoring appointment on Friday will have only good news. FX. And, yep... the advanced sperm freeze is just sperm banking. The RE recommended we do that in case on day of IUI (more on that later) MH's sperm count/quality wasn't sufficient.

AFM,

Welp... we're not doing an IUI any more this cycle. Will do a trigger plus timed intercourse instead, and then move on to IVF. ☹️ I had my monitoring appointment this morning and on Day 10 (today), I had 1 follicle at 24mm. The doctor (she actually did my u/s) said that when follicles grow so quickly (i.e. usually means short natural cycles), it's indicative of poor egg quality. My eggs are likely to be "post-mature" or "dysmature" and therefore incapable of being fertilized (just read this article from Dr. Sher on this topic; it's all so new to me, so I'm still in the early learning phase). However, this brought to mind something @legallykate mentioned in her TTGP grad announcements (about how her having short cycles led her down that path as well). So, like... this is not the news I wanted to hear for sure and it really sucks. But I also really appreciated that the Dr doesn't want us to waste money on doing an IUI that has low chance of success.

I was also really happy that MH was able to come in with me (this wasn't possible at the old clinic b/c it was a large hospital and their Covid protocols were much stricter) because I broke down after getting these news.

Anyway... feeling bummed, but also feeling like I have closure. Although I had similar results at my ultrasounds for the past 2 cycles, NO ONE at the other clinic mentioned the possibility that my eggs were over maturing. So, I'm very happy that we changed clinics.

optimisticoctopus · November 2020

@shoogapoff good luck at your appointment on Friday!

@acleverusername ohhh I’m so sorry. I’m glad that your doctor was straightforward with you and isn’t wasting your money, but that totally sucks. I’m glad you had YH with you for support!

My baseline went well, but I apparently have a cyst on my left ovary? My RE is not concerned at all and says it’s super common. All my bloodwork came back normal too. He is keeping me on Clomid (ughhh starting it tonight), and said that he likes to try each treatment for 3 cycles before trying something new. So here we go again! Hopefully I at least won’t have to take the Clomid twice this cycle!

And846 · November 2020

Will come back for tags - too hard on my phone ☺️

Diagnosis (if you've been): testing

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): testing. CD3 done. Sonohysterogram later this month.

How are things going?: the CD 3 results uploaded to my patient portal before my OB has called so I’ve been Dr.Google all over it 🧐

Any questions?: not at the moment...

GTKY: If there was a reality show of your life, what would it be about? Or what would it be called? Ohhh tough one...it would be about the tales from retail management...

acleverusername · November 2020

@runningoncookies oh man, that sucks. I honestly would advocate switching to Letrazole. Many many REs don't do Clomid because of all the nasty side-effects. But, obviously, it's whatever you're comfortable with. Are you on 100mg this time at least? Good luck! (And good luck to YH!

)

@And846 feel free to share your results here and we can weigh in.

And846 · November 2020

@acleverusername ...here they are.

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Me: 1.04 uIU/mL

Normal range: 0.45-5.33

Estradiol

Me: 26.4 pg/mL

Range/non-pregnant early follicular:

22.4-115 pg/mL

Prolactin

Me: 6 ng/mL

Normal range: 3.34-26.72 ng/mL

Follicular Stimulating Hormone

Me: 6 mIU/mL

Range mid-follicular: 3.9-8.8 mIU/mL

acleverusername · November 2020

Hmmm @And846 did they test your AMH? (Anti-mullerian hormone)

And846 · November 2020

That was listed on the paper order i brought with me. Wouldn’t that be the FSH result?

acleverusername · November 2020

No, those are 2 different hormones. AMH is the best indicator of your egg reserve. FSH is how hard your brain needs to work to stimulate ovulation. More info here: https://www.verywellfamily.com/day-3-fsh-levels-test-1960172

And846 · November 2020

i looked it i looked it up after i did more Dr. Google. I have a lot to learn in addition to CM. I’ll call today to see if it’s a delayed result as it didn’t upload with the rest. I’m *that* patient.

acleverusername · November 2020

Hahaha @And846 I'm in the "that patient" camp as well... in moderation. I'm honestly really shocked just how much I've had to advocate for myself. It's like I'm driving my own care plan. I didn't go to school to do that, so it's exhausting to have to double-check everything the doctor says, and do my own side research.

kiki047 · November 2020

*lurking*
@misshelen86 how did I not know this whole time that you're a fellow Canuck? lol my mind is blown right now. I really hope your ERA isn't cancelled!! Glad you're going ahead with that. I'm definitely of the mindset that I'd rather have all the information (if possible) that will hopefully save you some added heartbreak when it comes to the FET.

@shoogapoff yay for FET! I'm excited for you.
@acleverusername I'm sorry the news wasn't what you were hoping at your appt. Did you get YH's DNA frag results yet?

acleverusername · November 2020

@kiki047 Yes! The DNA frag results were Excellent to Good (whatever that means). But basically, it was 13%. This is definitely good as we move into IVF land. He’s got a few more blood tests to do, and that would complete his infertility work up. But for now, it’s looking like he’s not the issue in our equation.

Edited to correct "your" to "our".

And846 · November 2020

@acleverusername yes, that’s exactly how i feel. Always doing so much homework before/after appts and procedures. Labs came back normal and next appt is the tubes. My DH isn’t keen on doing a SA just yet (ego??!).

optimisticoctopus · November 2020

@acleverusername yep they put me on 100mg right from the beginning this time, so I’m hopeful that it will work! It’s tough because although I get tons of side effects from the Clomid, I do like and trust my RE. I keep telling myself that the side effects are worth it if it works!!

@And846 I’m glad that your bw is all coming back within normal ranges...I would def talk to YH again about doing a SA! I think I’m lucky because MH is science-minded and wanted all the data, but I know if can be hard to convince men to suck it up and get it done. Maybe explain to him that it’s just information that is good to have, and not because you think anything is “wrong”?

keikilove · November 2020

This is super random, but I finally had some downtime and got curious about past TTGPers possibly dealing with DQ Alpha Match issues. My search turned up this interesting post below, which is the simplest & most straightforward explanation of the issue that I’ve seen so far.

I had my first sort of second opinion consult last night when I was able to talk to the head RE at the clinic (my doctor is an attending physician, he has his own practice and then uses the clinic for his IVF cycles). She was really nice and we talked about her feelins on our failed cycles and what she would recommend for us moving forward. She didn't say much about my poor response to stims or the fact that I always end up with fewer eggs than we expect, but she did say that she didn't think my poor embryo quality was protocol related (which I think was a nice way of saying that my eggs are crappy since for embryo quality 80% is egg and 20% is from the sperm). Since my husband's SAs have always been normal, there is probably only a small chance that our quality issues are from a sperm issue.

She also said that if we plan on cycling again, we should do some alloimmune testing since we have had a few failed cycles. I didn't know much about alloimmune testing (DQ alpha match) so I read up a little on it last night and it is kind of depressing. In a nutshell everyone has two DQ alpha genes, one from your mother and one from your father. If you and your husband have one gene that is the same that is a partial DQ alpha match, if both of your genes are the same that is a complete DQ alpha match. What happens when an embryo that has the same DQ alpha genes as you enteres the uterus, it triggers an autoimmune response and activates NK (natural killer) cells. These cells attack the embryo causing implantation dysfunction and has a higher incidence of miscarriage. With a partial DQ alpha match half of your embryos will be a match, which effectively lowers your success rate by 50%. With a total DQ alpha match, your only options are either donor sperm or a gestational carrier, because every embryo will be a match. Donor egg doesn't help because the sperm will still match your uterus, so every embryo will still cause implantation dysfunction.

The best course of treatment for a partial match is a single embryo transfer (transferring more than one increases your risk of transferring a matching embryo and causing implantation issues with all embryos) and CGH testing on the embryos so that you only tranfer normal embryos. Other than that you do intralipids for the NK cell activation and hope that the embryo sticks. The best odds of success is to have lots of blasts because you will lose some to CGH testing and then statistically half of the normals will be a DQ alpha match. Not very feasible if you only get 1-2 blasts per cycle.

So yeah DQ alpha match would definitely kill our odds of ever having biological children. Since right now we are leaning towards moving on to donor embryos anyway, we don't plan on doing the testing. If we did decide to pursue IVF again (or donor eggs) we will probably have it done.

I have another consult Wednesday with R.MA NJ and my consult with FI.RM about their donor embryos on Monday. This definitely gives me more to discuss with R.MA NJ. I also have my first appointment with a therapist that specializes in infertility on Thursday.

QOTW: Coffee hands down. I really like lattes and all of the fancy coffee drinks, but most days I just have plain old regular coffee.

Also, reading the TTGP and IF check-ins from back then is interesting. I can’t quite understand how they set it up. Also seems like we have come a lot further in understanding in just a few years than their understanding of some of the IF stuff. (Has anyone heard of “hostile CM” as an IF diagnosis? This was new to me.) I pulled the above infofrom this thread for anyone who is curious:
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12270764/ttgp-if-check-in

inthewoods23 · November 2020

@keikilove I have heard of hostile CM before. If I remember correctly, our CM (or vag) are acidic in PH for most of our cycle. The PH level changes in your FW up to around 7-8 which is the PH level for sperm. So hostile CM would be CM that doesn't have the proper PH level to be friendly to sperm and allow it to survive.

Back when I had a yeast infection a few months ago, I had bought PH testing strips to see if it was a yeast infection or BV. From reviews and other research I read that you could possibly check your PH as part of TTC.

That info on DQ Alpha Match is very interesting.

chichiphin · November 2020

Hi! **lurky** My RE mentioned that my CM could be hostile based on post-coital swabbing performed before my IUI. We were instructed to have sex the night prior or morning of the swab and then they swabbed outside of my cervix and looked at the material under the microscope. Essentially MH’s sperm was DOA and not swimming AT ALL in the CM when some of it should have been. They basically said no biggie bc the IUI would overcome it. I’ve since read it’s questionable science at best, but thought I’d provide my experience with it!

ETA: Aetna def does NOT consider it an IF diagnosis for insurance coverage lol

acleverusername · November 2020

@runningoncookies I do hope that your body responds to this higher single dose and that you don't have to go through a second dose. I totally understand about trusting in your RE; if you feel like he's looking out for you, then best to do as he prescribes.

@keikilove this is super interesting about DQ Alpha Match. It's so good to have documentation from TTGPers of the past. Have you gotten your DQ Alpha Match testing done? Does this info impact your treatment / path? I also definitely heard about hostile CM in passing but @chichiphin definitely has most comprehensive information. I did find this somewhat interesting scientific paper that talks about it. Also this one. Most of research is small studies and old.

acleverusername · November 2020

Question for those who've gone through ER cycles (whether current or lurking members): if you don't have DOR (as diagnosed by low AMH), did your protocol include estrogen priming? I've been doing some reading on this and it appears that estrogen priming is primarily used in AMA + DOR scenarios. This topic came up during our "next steps" consult with the RE, and I brought up the fact that when I did my egg retrieval in 2019, they had me do estrogen priming. She was surprised about this because I didn't have DOR then either. Anyway, just trying to figure out if estrogen priming is something I need to do. TIA!

Edited to fix spelling mistakes.

And846 · November 2020

That is so interesting to read about hostile CM. That seems like something so simple to check and rule out early in the IF process.

chichiphin · November 2020

@and846 it would certainly help someone decide between TI & moving on to IUI for sure!

kiki047 · November 2020

@acleverusername no, that's not something we did for our ER. I was on incredibly high doses of estradiol for the FET but not the retrieval.

@keikilove that's really interesting about the DQ Alpha match. I don't have the exact specifics but that sounds basically like what my former colleague's sibling's problem was. She didn't fully understand it when she was telling me so it's possible she got it wrong but from what you described, it sounds familiar.

misshelen86 · November 2020

@shoogapoff Mine is also a freestanding clinic so won’t be shut down unless absolutely necessary.. but our cases are so out of control here that it could happen. I’m so excited for your upcoming transfer! Hope things went well with your monitoring appointment!

@acleverusername So sorry to hear your news that they are worried about your egg quality. It’s never easy when you get to that point where you need to move on to the next step. But remember, IVF will be your best chance at having your THB.. I liked the idea of having a more tangible outcome with making our embryos rather than wasting time and money with IUI’s that weren’t likely to work. Sounds like you made the right decision to switch clinics! My understanding is that estrogen priming is usually only done with DOR. I did a natural start IVF cycle because my RE didn’t want to risk over-suppressing me.

@runningoncookies Glad you trust your RE and that you have a plan you are comfortable with. I hope you don’t have to take clomid twice this cycle!

@And846 Glad your labs came back normal.. now just to get through the SHG!

@kiki047 haha I know I’ve mentioned I’m Canadian a couple times but I don’t talk about it much out of paranoia that someone will be able to identify me! I agree that I want all the info to give each embryo the best possible chance.

@keikilove Yes, I’ve heard of “hostile CM” but I know my clinic doesn’t do postcoital tests because of lack of good evidence for it as @chichiphin said

shoogapoff · November 2020

Well, I have been a massive failure in keeping up with this thread this week. Blame it on the election.

I had my lining scan yesterday, and they gave me the green light to go ahead with FET. My lining was trilaminar, which is of course a good thing. And my uterus had "excellent" blood flow. But my lining was a little thin- 6.74 mm. My dr wasn't worried at all. He said it was "proportionate for my uterus". And I'm not starting PIO until Sunday, so I have 2 more days for the lining to grow more. When he scanned, he didn't say the number out loud, and was just really positive. Afterward, I looked at the screen and saw the number. The study coordinator could tell I was worried, and she said that since I had 2 more days of estradiol, that I would be totally fine by then. But of course, I've been googling like crazy and seeing how my lining is considered really thin.

Does anyone have any insight into this?

Bottom line, my FET is scheduled for Friday the 13th, like I thought. So I'm hoping that's a good omen.

shoogapoff · November 2020

@acleverusername Thanks! I haven't had any noticeable side-effects of estradiol, except increased CM, which isn't a bad thing at all. I'm sorry your plan changed. Hopefully TI does the trick for you, but if not, that the IVF process goes smoothly for you! Also, to answer your question about estradiol for ER, I do not have a DOR diagnosis, and they did not have me on estradiol for my ER cycle.

acleverusername · November 2020

@shoogapoff how did your lining check go yesterday?!

@misshelen86 LOL @ "out of paranoia that someone will be able to identify me!" I think you're safe; Canada is a big country. 😉I 100% feel this way: "I liked the idea of having a more tangible outcome with making our embryos rather than wasting time and money with IUI’s that weren’t likely to work."

@keikilove missing an update from you this week...

shoogapoff · November 2020

@acleverusername I *think* it went well....I posted a separate update above my comment to you, so you can see the details.

acleverusername · November 2020

Woops! @shoogapoff I missed your update as I was typing my message! 6.74mm is good IMHO though I know clinics consider 8mm to be "gold standard". However, @legallykate and @kiki047 both had thinner linings; they can give you more details.

keikilove · November 2020

@acleverusername Thanks for thinking of me. Having an intense week (election & work) plus another whirlwind trip to the multiple doctors. Will update later tonight or tomorrow when we are done.

misshelen86 · November 2020

@acleverusername You’re right, Canada is a big country. I guess I meant that I avoid talking about where in Canada I live

@shoogapoff Your lining does sound a bit thin based on what I’ve read. It seems like most clinics aim for at least 8-9 mm but it’s not just about the thickness.. so maybe they are okay with your lining being a bit thinner since it’s trilaminar. What dose of estradiol are you on? If you’re really worried, you could always ask if they would be willing to increase the dose of estradiol and re-check the lining next week to see if it improves before starting progesterone.

kiki047 · November 2020

@shoogapoff that's right about where my lining was leading up to my FET, and my RE said basically the same thing as yours. That yes, they'd like to see it above 7mm but that maybe that was as thick as mine would get even on sky-high doses of estradiol, and that it doesn't mean it can't still work. Do you do acupuncture? Drink red raspberry leaf tea? I'm going down the rabbit hole of things that can help develop a thicker lining before our next FET, but even with my lining worries, we went into our last one with a sense of peace and acceptance that we were right where we needed to be at that time. And I truly believed that it helped.

*TW*

We did get pregnant from that FET, but developed a subchorionic hematoma which my RE believed was the main contributor to my MMC. The SCH has nothing to do with my lining being thin, and is one of those flukey things that just happens sometimes so there's no way to know whether we might have carried this baby to term otherwise. Don't give up hope!!

acleverusername · November 2020

@shoogapoff @kiki047

Apologies, ladies, but here I go again peddling Dr. Aimee (The Egg Whisperer) content. I just listened (literally just finished listening) to her chat w/ Dr. John Norion where they walked through all possible IVF challenges (from 0 egg retrieval) to transfer. And he spoke at length about lining thickness (optimal, etc.) and methods he uses to thicken the lining. I'm linking to when he starts talking about it in spoiler, but the whole chat is fascinating / worth a listen.

https://youtu.be/7jjLSYdXGY4?t=1639

legallykate · November 2020

*lurking* @shoogapoff My lining was only 6.4, and my RE said if I wanted to cancel he would try a cycle with Gonal-F instead since it clearly wasn't going to get any thicker on estradiol (I was doing pills orally and vaginally, injections, and patches), and it had been 7.5 right before my ER from the Gonal, he said some uteruses seem to prefer to get estrogen "from the ovaries and not from the pharmacy." But he also gave me the option to transfer since the success rates are only negligibly lower between 6-7 (they get a lot lower below 6).

*TW*

Once the embryo had successfully implanted, I asked if I should still be nervous about my thinner lining for the pregnancy, and he said "nope, you are now every bit as pregnant as anyone with any lining thickness."

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