PAIF (Pregnant after infertility) Check In

scostel2 · October 2021

Hi! I love the idea of having an IF check in. Maybe this week we could just do introductions (who you are, where you’re from, what type of ART you used, anything else you want to share about your IF journey) and any other questions/vents about the IF - early pregnancy transition?

scostel2 · October 2021

I can start 🙂

I’m very cautiously excited/nervous to be pregnant after trying for four years. I have a son who turns 5 this week, who was also conceived with ART. I was pregnant with my son after my 8th medicated cycle (IUI) and we started trying again when he was a year old. The Journey this time was much tougher. 9 failed IUIs, two uterine polypectomies, a retrieval with OHSS that only yielded one PGS normal embryo, then three failed FETs had us ready to quit. After a long break I went to a new RE (my 4th! Lucky to be in an area - NJ - where there are a lot of options !) who suspected endometriosis, I had a lap that found stage 2 and 3 endo throughout. After my endo surgery I did another IVF with only mild OHSS that yielded 7 normal embryos. And here I am… pregnant on my fourth FET.

It’s been such a long process it still feels surreal. My first ultrasound isn’t until the 18th because my RE is taking vacation next week and I feel like the wait is excruciating. But still very excited to be here.

Oh and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new type of PIO because I HS an allergic reaction to the one I’ve been taking. Very very ready to not have giant hives/welts all over my butt!!!

daisy0322 · October 2021

So after having my first child I wasn’t getting pregnant again and my period never came back. After some tests they told me they didn’t understand how I had my DS1 because I was in menopause at 25 years old. They said they were sorry but I wasn’t even a candidate for IVF and they could send me info on egg donors or adoption. So we started the adoption process and 2 months later I got pregnant with DS2! After DS 2 my period still never came back until TW **** I suddenly had bad cramping and bleeding and found out I was miscarrying before I found out I was pregnant. That was in March***** end TW now we are next on an embryo adoption waitlist. I’ve been on Hormone replacement therapy (I’ll be on it until I’m 50 I am 29 now) I have to take a pregnancy test before I discontinue progesterone each month because I have a 1-3% chance of pregnancy over the course of 10 years according to doctors. And this month I was expecting it to be negative like usual but I was pregnant! My AMH is 0.01 and my FSH is in the 100’s it’s truly astounding but we couldn’t be happier 💕
it’s hard to believe I’ve been to about 20 doctors begging them to help me get pregnant they all tell me the same thing, basically my ovaries are too far gone I should be happy with the kids I have because it’s a miracle. I guess I’m still a little stunned but in the best way possible! I’m hoping for a sticky little one this round. I get labs drawn today and Friday I think that’ll help me be less nervous and also believe this is really happening!

@scostel2 I totally get the surreal feeling! I hope you can stay busy until your u/s it’s so hard to wait! I can hardly sleep 😂 I’m so tired but I’m too excited! Is your husband excited too?

bender29 · October 2021

@scostel2 I’ll tell my story later, but add me to the itchy hive-covered butt club! 😩

idreamofginny · October 2021

@scostel2 @daisy0322 I'm amazed at your stories and perseverance! Your experiences make mine feel like a walk in the park, but I'll share anyway since I experienced secondary infertility and needed ART for two pregnancies. We previously tried for 2 years to conceive both naturally and via IUI, and ***** TW***** after 1 miscarriage *****END TW***** were able to conceive our daughter who was born in November 2018! We started trying again almost a year ago and decided to go the IUI route again since it worked for us previously. Given my body is ~4 years older, I required more medication this time and developed cysts, but we were eventually able to conceive again this cycle, our 2nd complete IUI after several canceled cycles this time around.

I'm not a member of the hive-covered butt club but I am a member of the bruise-covered belly club, if there is such a thing?? I have a blood clotting disorder and need to give myself shots in the stomach 1x/day when trying to conceive, throughout pregnancy and for 8-12 weeks postpartum.

mamachameleon · October 2021

We struggled with secondary infertility after conceiving our son really easily. I have pcos and my husband has developed some... issues after his hernia repair which I suspect was part of our problem. We started trying again when our son was a year old. We thought about going to a fertility clinic and were saving money, then after 2 years and ***TW 3 miscarriages **** I was feeling insanely tired and had a feeling I should test. Lo and behold it was positive. I'll be 6 weeks on Saturday with our little miracle.

daisy0322 · October 2021

@mamachameleon awe yay! Secondary infertility is so hard because you want that sibling relationship for them so bad. I’m so happy you’re here!

@idreamofginny awe thank you, however I just had a lot of being sad. Women going through all those treatments like yourself are much more impressive!

scostel2 · October 2021

@daisy0322. my husband is suuuuuper cautious but definitely excited. These years of fertility treatments were definitely hard on us and our relationship and I think he had kind of mentally given up. He thought I was nuts when I set up my consultation with my 4th RE and didn’t even come with me initially because he was sure they were going to tell me the same thing. So he is shocked but very excited!

daisy0322 · October 2021

@scostel2 that’s sweet, I understand. Mine is so excited and I’m more of the nervous one lol. But I’ve been really tired so far and a little nauseous today so I’m getting more excited.

romeoandjuliet146 · October 2021

Hi, everyone.

Was just reading everyone's stories. Infertility sucks. It's difficult when we have to go through so much just to get pregnant.

Here is my journey:

4 iuis then invocell (mini ivf) fresh transfer, got pregnant

*TW*

but that ended in a loss

Another FET which didn't work then IVF, frozen FET which resulted in my DD.

Got delayed on the second FET because of the pandemic. Kept meaning to do it before my daughter's third birthday then I lost my Mom, which makes me regret waiting for that FET.

Started the process for the FET but got delayed to remove some polyps then started the cycle but my estradiol level, on pills, was too low, so that cycle got canceled.

Started another cycle but this time with injectable estradiol which worked.

@scostel2 Thanks for starting this thread.

scostel2 · October 2021

Fiiiiiiinally got a new PIO so fingers crossed my hives start going away!!!

bender29 · October 2021

I’m back to tell my IF story.
We spent 3 years trying to conceive on our own. I had went in once to an OB to discuss our troubles and she basically dismissed me and told me that if I just lost weight that I’d be sure to get pregnant. At the time I was certainly overweight, but not obese. She didn’t even do a blood panel. I felt defeated and like everything was my fault, and it kind of sent me into a spiral of eating for comfort and REALLY gaining weight.

After 3 years, my husband suggested that he see someone, and it turned out that his sperm was less than ideal. A normal semen sample should have millions of sperm, his had 7-10 total. We were told that IVF was going to be our only option, and we may need to look into donor sperm.
We took a year to figure out finances and come to terms with it. We were going to start the IVF process in Sept 2018, but in August of 2018 MH was diagnosed with testicular cancer. One of my best friends worked on the urology surgical team at one of the best local hospitals, and she managed to get him in for surgery to remove his testicle within 4 days of diagnosis, and since we had already been working up to an IVF protocol he had already frozen sperm and we didn’t have that as an obstacle to slow us down.
That fall during open enrollment we found out that MH’s company picked up Progyny insurance and we had an entire round of IVF that would be covered, but we had to switch clinics. We met with the clinic in January, and were set to start the ER process in February. But February 1st I slipped on the ice and broke my ankle. We had to wait until I was off all meds from that before we could start the ER protocol, and they wanted me walking with no restrictions. We finally got to start the process in April and had a retrieval in May.

They retrieved 27 eggs, 11 were mature, 7 were fertilized (with MH sperm) and 6 made it to the 5 day blast stage.
In August 2019, after begging them to transfer 2 embryos because we wanted twins so bad, they transferred 1 embryo. At our first ultrasound we learned that the embryo had split, and we were getting our twins. They were born in April 2020 and they are the light of our lives.

This time around we started meds in July for an FET but at my hysteroscopy they found polyps with I needed to have removed before proceeding.

I finally had my FET in mid September, and now here I am. I have my first ultrasound next Wednesday, and even though I know the odds, I am convinced it’s twins again which would DEFINITELY make things interesting in our house, but we thrive on chaos and will make it work no matter what.

LJ623 · October 2021

Hi all,

We have been trying for baby #2 since 2018 (when my daughter was approx 18 months); this is after 3 years of trying to get pregnant with her. While it took time to get pregnant with my daughter, we actually ended up with a spontaneous pregnancy after getting some of my PCOS symptoms under control, and having a uterine septum resected. We waited until she was 18 months before trying again, and in hindsight, I wish we would have started earlier. My OB prescribed two rounds of low dose Clomid that didn't work, and then referred me to a well-known fertility clinic in my area. Unfortunately, that doctor took one look at my weight and basically refused to do anything to help me. This was just before COVID hit, so we were just trying on our own through most of the pandemic. This past May, I got a recommendation for a different RE and when we met with him, he couldn't believe the other clinic wouldn't help at all. After some testing, he recommended jumping right into Letrozole and IUI. This was our second IUI, and last Friday, I got the call that my bloodwork had come back positive!! I had Beta HCGs of 27.8 on 10/1, 164.7 on 10/4 & 328.7 on 10/6. At that point, they told me to come back next Wednesday for more bloodwork and they've scheduled an ultrasound for me for the 21st.

I'm so excited, and also SO nervous. I know it's really early so I'm trying to keep myself from going too crazy LOL! I'm looking forward to chatting with you all more as our pregnancies progress!!

newadventures2022 · October 2021

Hi everyone,

So glad to have this community. My journey has been a little different than most stories I’m reading. I applaud all of you who have been working at it so long. Even my relatively short journey this far has been an emotional rollercoaster. My husband was diagnosed with cancer last summer, resulting in male factor fertility complications. After trying for some time after his surgery, IVF was determined to be the best option. We’ve been in the process since mid summer.We got pregnant with our first transfer, and I’m cautiously optimistic the pregnancy will stick. I’m ready for the progesterone injections to be done, my upper bum is so sore.

romeoandjuliet146 · October 2021

@newadventures2022 The heating pad helps after the injections but still so sore.

scostel2 · October 2021

I’m still reacting really poorly to the injections, I have huge welts/hives all over my core even with taking Benadryl. My doctor wants me to switch to suppositories but I’m super nervous about making the change - has anyone been using suppositories instead of injections for progesterone?

bender29 · October 2021

@scostel2 I hear you! My poor butt is one giant hive at this point. I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m actually using the suppositories and the injections.

mamachameleon · October 2021

Is anyone else dissociating like crazy or just me? I don't feel like I have fully accepted the reality of being pregnant or feel like I can get attached to baby. Every time I say out loud that I am pregnant it's like I'm surprising myself. I'm so scared of something happening I don't know how to ease that.

ournextadventure · October 2021

@mamachameleon I feel the same way. I also felt the same way with my first. I think really what helps me is seeing the heartbeat and then when you do feel movement it then becomes even more real. It's just such a hard concept to grasp at the beginning.

mamachameleon · October 2021

@ournextadventure I didn't with my first. I think because I got pregnant so easily with him. This go around I've had 3 losses before him and we've been trying for almost 2 years. It's like I won't let myself get attached. Just in case.

scostel2 · October 2021

I am definitely feeling this way. I am afraid to get attached to the idea until at least I have an ultrasound. My bff keeps reminding me that non-IF people consider themselves pregnant and celebrate it when they pee on a stick. Even with multiple betas, I feel like it's not real til there's something on the screen, so I've just been kinda ignoring it.

Tulips29 · October 2021

Hi everyone! Would love to join you all here. You are all warriors and IF truly sucks!
Here's my story - I've had PCOS since I was a teenager and always knew I'd have trouble getting pregnant. Hubby and I started trying after we got married and I had an OB at the time who said to me "don't worry, I have a little pill that will help you get pregnant in no time." She was referring to chlomid. I was on it for months with no luck. Then I was referred to a local RE practice and they suggested I start with an IUI. The doctor I saw there said "my patients typically get pregnant within 3 IUI cycles." I had high hopes, but 3 IUI cycles later, we had no luck. I transferred to another RE and started IVF. Our first cycle, we were lucky to get pregnant with our son who is now almost 5. We went for baby #2 a year later with our remaining embryo and that cycle failed. I felt my RE didn't tailor the process to me, it felt like a factory in a way, and everyone was getting the same medicated protocol. So I switched to another RE once again, who I absolutely love. I went through 2 more retrievals with him and was lucky to get pregnant with my daughter in 2019. We went back to him over the summer and started the process for baby #3 and are now cautiously optimistic/nervous/excited that we're pregnant. I've only had 2 beta tests so far and have my first ultrasound on Monday, so fingers crossed it's all going well in there.

Like many of you, I can't accept the fact that I'm pregnant. Part of it I think I'm still in denial we actually went through with this even though we both want this...also because when my house is a chaos I can't imagine it being an even bigger chaos with a third baby. And also, I don't really feel any symptoms to make me believe this is happening. And I didn't feel much with my first 2, so I keep telling myself this is normal, but I also try to symptom spot constantly and think to myself "my boobs feel sore...I feel a cramp" to convince myself. I agree, don't think it'll feel real until those ultrasounds.

scostel2 · October 2021

I officially graduated from my RE yesterday! I still feel like I am in such shock I couldn't believe it. I'm not ready for a regular doctor, I need the special one still lol

Tulips29 · October 2021

Congrats @scostel2! I'm sure you're probably filled with such mixed emotions. But it's all good things! When do you see your regular doc?

scostel2 · October 2021

@Tulips29 Thank you!!! That is definitely how I feel. next Friday Nov 5th!

Tulips29 · October 2021

I have my appointment on Monday to check for heartbeat and I'm SO nervous. I keep imagining the worst

and I don't know how to push these thoughts out. My RE said if all looks good, I'd be graduating unless I want to come see him once more. I know I'll be too paranoid to leave him so soon.

isabellamommy2016 · November 2021

Mine is secondary fertility as well. We had DD in 2016, and then a miscarriage in 2018 and hadn't been able to get pregnant again until the BFP 3 weeks ago! First ultrasound is a week from today and hoping this pregnancy is super sticky!

Tulips29 · November 2021

Welcome @isabellamommy2016! Hoping for all the good news for you at your appointment next week!

I had my ultrasound yesterday and everything was looking good. We heard the heartbeat so I'm thrilled. I go back next Friday and it may be my last appointment with the RE before I get discharged. FX it goes well!

romeoandjuliet146 · November 2021

@Tulips29 Yay, I'm glad your appointment went well. I graduated from my clinic on Monday and will be done with the injections soon!

Tulips29 · November 2021

@romeoandjuliet146 at what week are they having you stop injections (assuming you mean PIO?). I'm on suppositories and my doctor said I may be able to stop next Friday, but it seems so early, I'll only be 8 weeks by then and I feel like I stopped around 10 weeks last time.

romeoandjuliet146 · November 2021

@Tulips29 I am 8 weeks and stop the PIO next week. I take my last estrogen injection on Saturday.

scostel2 · November 2021

@Tulips29 @romeoandjuliet146 it's so weird how it varies! My doc wants me doing them for 10 weeks 6 days - exactly 2 more weeks to go for me!

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