IF testing/treatment w/o 11/23

gingermama29 · 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:

gingermama29 · November 2020

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

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

How are things going?: Things are good. I finished my last dose of Letrozole yesterday. My doctor has us starting TI on Friday this week which is good cause I imagine we'll be too full on Thanksgiving to start HIO 🤣. My only complaint was that I felt nauseated most of this weekend which I saw is a possible side effect of Letrozole. I'm hoping it's just that and not me getting sick.

Any questions?: Dr. Google says O happens between 4-7 days after your last dose of Letrozole. When would you start OPKs? I was thinking Wednesday or Thursday.

GTKY: Definitely the cranberry sauce 🤮🤮

optimisticoctopus · November 2020

@gingermama29 I feel like Wednesday or Thursday makes sense to start OPKs! Definitely nice that you won’t have to worry about TI on Thanksgiving when you’re in a good coma lol

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): TWW

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): IUI #2 was last week

How are things going?: Great! I am in such a good place mentally right now. I feel minimally stressed about TTC things (which is weird for me). We have a ton of fun stuff going on this week, so for sure this first week of the TWW is going to go by quickly. I started with my progesterone today, and my RE wants me taking it in the morning and at night (previously I was just taking it at night). So that’s not fun but other than that things are allll good haha.

Any questions?: Nope!

GTKY: bye bye sweet potatoes! I love roasted sweet potatoes, but just can’t get behind the mashed ones.

krash_ · November 2020

@gingermama29 that's interesting that O happens 4-7 days after stopping the letrozole. My RE didn't mention that but that makes sense why they had me on 10 days so I wouldn't ovulate early. I haven't seen anything on my OPK's but I just stopped letrozole on Saturday so that makes sense. Tomorrow or Wednesday would be my vote for OPk's
@runningoncookies I am so happy to hear you are feeling good about TTC! I hope that this is your cycle!

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained, secondary IF, blocked tube(maybe)

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

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

How are things going?: Had my second u/s this morning and I have an 18mm and 14mm follie on the right. Trigger tomorrow, starting estradiol 3x daily and progesterone 2x daily, then unlike @gingermama29 our TI will be on Thanksgiving. Happy Turkey Day!

Any questions?: NATM

GTKY: mashed potatoes. Sorry. I can have them like any other day of the year they just aren't special enough on Thanksgiving. I also I don't really consider cranberry sauce a side, it's more of a garnish/sauce.

laura-kay · November 2020

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): not sure what these acronyms mean?

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): gonal-f, Ovidril and IUI

How are things going?: I’m nervous. It’s almost the start of my first cycle of this treatment - probably tomorrow or the day after. It seems pretty intense and emotionally I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. We also are stressed with the finances...nothing covered by our insurance apparently!

Any questions?: not right now

GTKY: cranberry (relish). I love the cranberry jelly but not so much for the relish.

acleverusername · November 2020

@gingermama29 I'm sorry to hear that you might be having Letrazole effects. Having negative side effects is possible w/ Letrazole, but they're less likely than with Clomid. That said, some ppl do better on Clomid! Also, I wanted to caution that _hopefully_ your O is like Dr. Google said, but that all depends on whether you're a fast or slow responder. And you can't really know for sure w/o a monitoring u/s. So, don't be discouraged if it takes a few days longer. FX that it'll be coming up this weekend!

@runningoncookies your lightness of spirit transcends your update! I hope that the next week flies by for you, and then you'll be in good range to test if you dare. Keep up the positive attitude; it's put me in a good mood.

@krash_ those are really decent sized follies! Hopefully both will bear fruit and your functioning tube can reach out and grab 'em. FX! Good luck with PTTI (post-turkey, TI).

@laura-kay Welcome to the IF thread! Quickly, WTO - waiting to ovulate; TWW - two-week wait; TTA - trying to avoid. You'll find a full list of acronyms we use here and in other threads in the Ultimate Guide. Good luck with your injectables cycle. I can totally relate with paying out pocket. I complain about that all the time on this thread and am always looking for creative ways to save money. Have you looked at getting your meds through ivfmeds.com or getting a compassionate care discount?

Diagnosis (if you've been): hypoandrogenic PCOS, AMA, minor MFI

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Our plans changed AGAIN! More on that below. Basically, we've decided to do a combo IUI cycle (Clomid + low-dose injectables [Menopur] + Ovidrel + IUI). Goal is to grow 3-4 follies instead of just 1-2 with just a Clomid/Letrazole cycle. Statistically speaking, that would give me 1-2 genetically normal eggs that could be fertilized.

How are things going?: You guys must have whiplash given the 180 degree flip from the last couple of weeks. Bottom line though, MH and I sat down and discussed the costs/benefits of traveling to PA to be part of the study and ultimately decided that – while there would be some financial advantage to doing so – it's hard to put a price on the risk/stress of traveling out of state in the current climate; we're just not comfortable with that. Alas, so we went back to the drawing board and decided that we're not ready to give up on IUIs yet, but we want to be a bit more aggressive than before, hence the combo cycle.

So, a few things are changing this cycle: I'm going back to Clomid as I had a better response on it than on Letrazole, and didn't really have any side-effects with either. However, I'll be taking a 50mg dose instead of 100mg. Since I'm a quick responder, the 50mg dose should do the same work, but also keep my lining from getting too thin. I'll take Clomid on Days 3-7. Then, on Day 6, I will start injections of 75IU of Menopur and will continue those until my trigger shot sometime next week. My monitoring ultrasound will be on Day 9 this time, which I'm really happy about since last time we had a run-away follie on Day 10; we want to prevent that from happening again which might lead to another IUI cancellation. Worst case is that they'll have me come back for an additional ultrasound a few days later if I all of a sudden turn into a slow responder.

Any questions?: Instead of eating pineapple+core (because it contains bromelain, which supposedly helps with implantation), is it possible to just take bromelain supplements? I've never seen bromelain mentioned in any TTC. supplement list.

GTKY: Stuffing; I don't like anything about it. Green bean casserole would be the next to go.

krash_ · November 2020

@acleverusername I love so much about your update! I'll start with PTTI

Second, a runaway follie lol I'm so glad you have a plan moving forward that you are excited about. I agree the travel and stress of the trial in PA certainly wouldn't lend itself to TTGP. I hope this is the magic you need! I don't know anything about Bromelain so I'll leave that to someone else.

laura-kay · November 2020

@acleverusername do you mind sharing what the trial is in PA? Is it something open to the public or specifically from your REI offering it?

acleverusername · November 2020

@laura-kay no problem sharing; this was a trial at Main Line Fertility clinic that would cover costs of genetic testing of embryos and embryo transfer. They were testing 2 different medications, both already in use, to see if one is more effective than other (PIO vs. Crinone). One caveat was that you need to have genetically normal embryos to be admitted into the study, which starts in Jan. I have previously frozen eggs that we were looking into getting fertilized, but ultimately, since we decided not to travel for this, I'll be leaving those eggs on ice for a while longer. Happy to share more details via a PM.

kiki047 · November 2020

*lurking*
@acleverusername it seemed like the Drs in the articles I read about pineapple core actually recommended bromelain supplements instead because it's a more reliable source. But I didn't dig into it much further than that.

optimisticoctopus · November 2020

@krash_ yay for trigger day! I hope it goes (or went) well! Your follies are a great size...GL with the TI!

@laura-kay good luck with your first round of injectables! Sorry that you’re feeling overwhelmed, and feeling stressed about finances doesn’t help that I’m sure. Hopefully once you get started with the meds that stress can decrease!

@acleverusername wow! This sounds like a good combo cycle for you. I so so so hope it works!! It definitely sounds like traveling to PA for treatment would be very stressful. I’m so jealous that you don’t have any of the Clomid side effects haha. Also. Stuffing is my number one favorite Thanksgiving food!!! I would have just a plate full of stuffing if it was socially acceptable 😂

keikilove · November 2020

Hey friends, I hope everyone is having a good week! I know it's been fairly quiet lately. Hopefully after U.S. Thanksgiving we will pick back up again.

@gingermama29 So glad to hear that you're feeling good about things! I really laughed when you mentioned the good timing of TI falling after the holiday meal. Have fun working off the calories! With OPKs, I always start sooner rather than later just to minimize risk. Wednesday should be great.

@runningoncookies Also happy to hear that you are feeling really good about things! Glad you are busy and not stressing. How do you feel on the progesterone in the morning? It always makes me so sleepy and drunk feeling, I can't imaging taking it early.

@krash_ Hooray for two good-sized follies! As everyone has said, FX that the good tube helps out to make this happen! Wishing you luck with TI after turkey!

@laura-kay Sorry you are feeling bit stressed with your protocol. Hopefully once you do it the first time it will all become easy and no big deal. Good luck! *I'm with you on the cranberry jelly--so good!

@acleverusername Wow, what a turn of events! FWIW, I feel very good about your new plans. Something about reading it just gives me the feeling you're going to be successful. FX! As far as bromelain, I've heard some doctors completely dismiss it as not really helping with implantation. Others have mentioned that the supplement form could be more effective than eating all that pineapple core. I figure it can't hurt, so why not? P.S. That definitely makes sense about changing your plans due to the current state of COVID right now. We are traveling again this week for my second retrieval and we are very nervous about it. We wear double masks on the plane, change our clothes right after the flight, shower as soon as we get to the hotel, etc, but it still feels very risky. I completely get why you would preemptively change plans.

@kiki047 Glad to see you here! I had a follow-up consult with a different doctor the other day, and he mentioned that he prescribes vaginal Viagra to thicken the uterine lining. I thought of you and your question last week. Hope this helps!

Diagnosis (if you've been): RPL, AMA, DOR, DQ Alpha Match, blood-clotting disorders, implantation issues

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO/Second egg retrieval next week

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): I am stimming again this week. Dr. will tell me on Saturday how many more days of meds before the next retrieval.

How are things going?: Fine. I did hear yesterday that our two embryos made it to Day 5, which I was thrilled about! So then I asked about what is the process for them to get PGT testing--the doctor-in-training was unsure, he had to check with my main dr. When he called me back he relayed that my Dr. said that we have to wait till today to biopsy them for testing, as they were at the morula stage yesterday, a bit slower than making it to blast. So I am waiting today to hear if they survived to Day 6 and can be biopsied. It' a weird feeling to just be super busy today with work, knowing that I will get the call whenever they are free to call me, and whatever the outcome is, I have no control over it.

Any questions?: My abdomen/uterus has felt sore since the first egg retrieval last week Wednesday. It was tender until yesterday. It still hurts a bit when I pee, like a weird pressure or pinch deep in my cervix/cervical canal. I had absolutely no side effects from my first-ever egg retrieval back in September, so I don't know if this is normal. Anyone else experience this after retrieval?

GTKY: Mashed potatoes can go!

misshelen86 · November 2020

@keikilove YAY for both of your embryos making it to day 5!!! Hope they keep on growing so you can do PGT!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/j8/f6371md4c0al.gif

gingermama29 · November 2020

@runningoncookies I'm so glad you're in a good place mentally and minimally stressed about TTC. I'm actually feeling the same way (at least this cycle).

@krash_ hahaha sorry your first day of TI is Thanksgiving. I wish you luck! Sounds like you've got good sized follies! Crossing fingers for you!

@laura-kay I'm sorry you're dealing with no insurance coverage. IF is already so unfair and dealing with insurance just makes it so much more difficult.

@acleverusername oh that's good to know! Here's hoping I'm a quick responder. And I definitely don't blame you for not feeling confident traveling out of state right now. I hope this cycle of IUI is the one for you! FX!

@keikilove I'm so glad to hear 2 of your embryos made it to day 5!! Here's hoping you get even more day 5 embabies with this next retrieval! I hope the tenderness in your abdomen goes away quickly.

kiki047 · November 2020

@keikilove oh goodness friend, I did a little jump for joy reading that your two embies made it to day 5. Hopefully you get more good news today to be able to do the biopsy for PGT. FWIW I also felt very uncomfortable after my ER, similar to what you’re describing. Was just generally very bloated and tender, and felt pressure - not necessarily painful, but it was there - when I went pee.

And that’s good to know about the viagra. My RE also mentioned that with both my previous transfers but he dismissed it at the time, saying he wanted to go with proven-and-true methods, not experimental protocols. But I think this time we’re going to pull out all the stops. My follow up with him is this afternoon so hopefully I’ll have more to report on soon. *TW* thankfully my HCG finally went back to 0 this week.

acleverusername · November 2020

@keikilove a real hooray for those 2 embabies! Here's to hoping they've made it to blast today and can be biopsied and sent off for PGT testing! Crossing all my fingers and toes for you!!! It sounds like you're taking all the precautions you can while traveling. It still very much sucks that you have to go so far for this. Hopefully the results will be worth all the risks! Thanks, also, for your thoughts on bromelain; I also don't think it can hurt. And your thoughts are worth A LOT to me! I too hope that this cycle is just the special sauce that we need. Funny enough... I had no idea this combo-cycle was an option; I only learned about it by listening to Egg Whisperer.

@kiki047 thanks for weighing in on bromelain; I feel like it doesn't hurt to add it in luteal phase since I've got some on hand anyways. "Glad" to hear about your HCG; good luck at your appointment today! Keep us posted.

@krash_ how did the trigger shot go yesterday? Good luck with PTTI tomorrow! 🦃

@runningoncookies haha, yeah I feel so bad announcing that I have no side effects considering you suffer so greatly while on Clomid. I am feeling _really_ good about this cycle; but then again, I was feeling really good about last cycle too until our IUI got unexpectedly cancelled. I'm really hoping that going back to Clomid and having an earlier ultrasound will prevent that from happening. Then I'll just need to worry about MH's sperm. But... one thing at a time! Also, you can eat all of my stuffing.

@gingermama29 so happy to hear you're feeling positive about this cycle! Hopefully you'll respond quickly to Letrazole.

krash_ · November 2020

@acleverusername it went well! I did it myself and it didn't even hurt. I currently have more painful hang nails. You were right it doesn't require much hype.

Is anyone else saving all their syringes and empty pill bottles?

laura-kay · November 2020

@acleverusername Thanks for the info on the trial!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope all goes well with this cycle!

kiki047 · November 2020

@krash_ I kept almost everything. I threw out a couple of my early pill bottles back when I naively thought maybe one or two medicated cycles would do the trick for us. But I've been saving everything else.

acleverusername · November 2020

@krash_ @kiki047 do you mean like as trophies?

kiki047 · November 2020

@acleverusername yes, kinda. We won't use it for our announcement (like the pics in the spoiler) but I did plan to do something meaningful with them because I think it tells a story. Making babies isn't always just about sex and hope, and someday when I'm not neck-deep in this reality anymore, I plan on using it to paint a picture of how our baby(ies) came to be.

Image: https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5733a3e8130000f004381589.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

Image: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c9/6e/97/c96e97b4356f2bfcd4ce1a6d49ac485a.jpg

krash_ · November 2020

@acleverusername yeah. I don’t know that I’ll ever do anything with them and I’ll probably toss it all at some point but for now I’m just stashing it all in a little bag.

chindimples04 · November 2020

This is all a bit overwhelming for me, and I honestly am not sure if this is even where I would post, so please let me know if this would fit in a better place. Even after 6 months here, I still question if I’m doing things “right”. 🤣

Diagnosis (if you've been): Starting to do some testing

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WFAF/WTO (I haven’t gotten out of bed but pretty sure AF will be here when I get up.

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): We will do Cad3 blood work. I’m also going to ask for 7dpo bloodwork, but will wait for CD3 bloodwork to come back first.

How are things going?: I mean, I’m starting this journey, so I’m not feeling great right now.

Any questions?: Too many. 🤣 I’ve been lurking but still trying to learn and understand everything. I probably won’t reply to everyone’s journey this week just because I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the new acronyms and such, but I’ll do better next week! ❤️

GTKY: Cranberry. 🤢 All the others are my favorite!

acleverusername · November 2020

Ugh @chindimples04 I am so sorry you find yourself on this thread. This is definitely the right thread for you to participate in. When I first joined, someone called this the most supportive corner of TB and it has lived up to that! As for cranberry, I can see how it’s not a fan favorite; I did happen to make home made cranberry sauce yesterday which was to die for. But, I mean, it’s still cranberry!

acleverusername · November 2020

@kiki047 what you shared in spoiler is 😍. Such a good idea and it’s so true... there’s so much to making babies and we live in a world where IF is taboo and a burden that many must bear on their own. When I had my specialist RE consult a few weeks back, he said that we “still have a chance at spontaneous pregnancy” and I laughed inside (maybe a bit bitterly) thinking “dude... there’s nothing spontaneous about getting KUed. NOTHING.”

@krash_ how did PTTI go?! Good idea to save the bottles as evidence of your conception efforts; I didn’t think to start doing that when we started back I’m August so no point now. I did take a photo of all the needles and vials from when I did my ER in 2019.

chindimples04 · November 2020

I have a stupid question. If my regular flow starts later today, is today still CD1? If I’m only spotting today and flow starts tomorrow is tomorrow CD1? I just want to make sure I’m actually going in on CD3.

acleverusername · November 2020

@chindimples04 firstly, nothing is a stupid question! We're all learning here. Now, to answer your question, spotting doesn't count as CD1; it's when you actually get drops of blood into the toilet ... and as long as it happens before 5pm... that you can count it as CD1. So, for e.g. if your flow starts today at 6pm, CD1 is still tomorrow. But if your flow starts at 3pm tomorrow, CD1 is also tomorrow. I hope that makes sense.

(Btw, at work, I often have to fight the urge to pre-pone "I have a dumb question... " when I'm asking something of my team.)

acleverusername · November 2020

@kiki047 how was your RE appointment yesterday?
Also, YGPM.

bows22 · November 2020

@chindimples04 my RE office considers CD1 to be full flow before noon. Definitely not a stupid question and worth a call to see what your doc’s protocol is.

chindimples04 · November 2020

@bows22 @acleverusername thank you! I feel like it would definitely vary some. I’ve never asked because it’s never been important. 🤣 I’ll work on the “stupid question”.

acleverusername · November 2020

@chindimples04 I now go with just "I have a question" or if I really think it's something I should know and feel sheepish asking, I go with "I have a newbie/naive question." If it's really dumb, I let ppl judge me privately 😂and then they can just🖕🏻.

kiki047 · November 2020

@chindimples04 I agree with what PPs have said about what constitutes CD1. I will sometimes count it if it turns really heavy in the evening on the first day, but otherwise I'd count the following day as CD1. and FWIW, my clinic calls it "CD3" bloodwork but really that could be anywhere between CD2-4. Sometimes due to scheduling it just can't happen ON day 3 so they give us a window. You'll still get the info you need if the testing is done within that window.
@acleverusername They told me my RE would call sometime between 1-4 and he called at 4:25 lol. I should have more to update next week but he agreed to let me spend the next 6 weeks doing a mock transfer cycle, with my exact protocol TBD. Since my cycles are so wildly unpredictable even on a good day, instead of making me WFAF he said to start BCP tonight for 2-3 weeks. He'll follow up with me on Wednesday to determine my exact protocol and we'll go from there! That makes me happy because at least I feel like I'm doing something while we wait.

*TW* MC and other unrelated death in family

Just to add to the reasons why I love my RE, he was also THE most sympathetic about my recent losses, both the MC and for the deaths of my uncle and his dad in the past week. He first asked if I was ok, and if I needed/wanted to speak to someone like a therapist. He recognizes that it's near impossible for most people to get ahold of their GP/PCP these days, so even though he's a specialist he has been quarterbacking basically all of their care as much as he can because of how often he checks in with us.

He then proceeded to take the time to ask what my Uncle's name was, and said "what kind of man was he? Was he a good guy?" I sobbed as I told him, and he said the most profound, refreshing thing any doctor has ever said in a moment of loss - he reminded me to hold on to those memories because in death and grief, people only ever want to focus on the end of a life but life is not defined by its last moments, a life is celebrated for the way it was lived. It sounded a lot less corny through my blubbering but that was the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a time of mourning and it was everything I needed in that moment.

chindimples04 · November 2020

@kiki047 that is so beautiful! I would have blubbered through the whole thing!

I’m thankful my clinic has a 7 day a week 8 am-10 pm lab that I can go to. The clinic I go to has a million departments from dental, OB, REs, orthopedics, and everything in between, so they have their own labs and and hospital all in one place. I have found that this isn’t super common. 🤷🏻‍♀️

acleverusername · November 2020

@kiki047 okay lady, give me the details of “priming the pump.” I told DH about it and God bless him he’s willing to give it a go. When do we do it vis-a-via IUI?

ETA: your RE sounds like a gem. What beautiful advice he had for you. I will try to remember it. If Covid wasn’t an issue, I would seriously be thinking of coming to Canada to do IVF and your guy would be my go to.

IF testing/treatment w/o 11/23

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