IF Testing & Treatment w/o 1.3

keikilove · January 2022

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: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year?

walkawaynee · January 2022

Thanks @keikilove for starting the thread, I was stuck on finding a GTKY question and got sidetracked.

Diagnosis (if you've been): AMA, DOR, low morphology. Ornery immune system.

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): benched

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): prep for Egg retrieval #2

How are things going?: I have a follow up with the RE tomorrow to go over the last ER and next steps. I already got my calendar for February retrieval and it looks like he is adding Femara and Dexamethasone to my protocol this time.

Any questions?: Anything you ladies suggest to ask about/for?

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? We have a big family trip to Orlando to celebrate a graduation and we are starting wedding planning. I like the idea of something else to focus on. Not sure if we will actually get married this year or not though.

bows22 · January 2022

@walkawaynee good luck with your follow up tomorrow! I’m glad they are tweaking your protocol a little. Will you spend any time at Disney when you are in Orlando?

Diagnosis (if you've been): unexplained,AMA,endometrial polyps/thickening

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO (I think)

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?) SHG, trying on our own

How are things going? I took my first OPK on CD10 (I’m CD13 now) and it was like halfway to positive, definitely darker than what I normally see. Every one after has been very negative so I don’t know if I had some weird false surge or what. I’m going to give it until CD 18 or so.

I also had my follow up with my RE today. Unfortunately she has no interest in pursuing the cause of my thick lining further because there is “nothing that it could be that we could do anything about” 🙄 okay. I know that no one is going to like this but I’m dropping it for now. We are going to do another clomid IUI, this time with monitoring so that I can see how I’m responding. If we’re not successful I’m going to ask to switch to letrozole for 2 cycles so that I don’t use up my lifetime max of clomid. She said that the most they will do is 6 IUIs so that will be the 6 (even though my insurance covers unlimited but whatever). Then after that I will seek out a second opinion. I’m going into my busy time at work and it’s just not the time to add something else into the mix so I’m going to just take the 6 IUIs they will give me and then be done with them if they won’t do anything else for me. But hopefully I just get pregnant obviously.

Any questions? Nope

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? Nothing specific. Halloween - New Years is an insanely busy time for us between holidays & birthdays and I love it but I’m exhausted and am looking forward to a slower pace for awhile.

gingermama29 · January 2022

@walkawaynee good luck at your follow up appointment tomorrow! Your trip sounds so fun!

@bows22 that’s frustrating that they’ll only do 6 IUIs. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward (though hopefully you’ll get KU before hitting 6 and not have to worry about a second opinion).

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Letrozole, metformin, myo-inositol, PNV, and TI

How are things going? Things are okay. I’m finishing Letrozole tomorrow and have a monitoring US scheduled for Friday. Hoping this higher dose of Letrozole will have me O sooner. In the meantime, I’m still working hard on my fitness. I’ve lost 30 pounds since May which I’m hoping will help with my PCOS.

Any questions?: nope

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? We’re going to Colorado in June for my brother’s wedding and then depending on timing and whether or not I’m successful in ttc, possibly going back to Italy in October for my other brother’s wedding.

optimistgardener · January 2022

@keikilove more hugs and thanks for starting the thread this week.

@walkawaynee like @bows22 said i'm glad your doc is thinking on ways to improve your next round. did you ever get any news about what happened with that endometrioma blocking access to your (right or was it left?) ovary?

@bows22 right there with you on life being too complicated to wrangle with the docs. I hope IUI#6 is what it takes. if not, you got this whole team here raring to dream up some good questions for the 2nd opinion appt.

Diagnosis (if you've been): elderly and associated symptoms of fertility decrepitude

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): bcp/lupron limbo while waiting for FET

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

How are things going?: just fine so far. I've got a headache today which could be the lupron talking, or it could just be the stress of being back in high gear for the new term.

aimless thoughts on mosaics in spoiler. this is total bellybutton lint-picking stuff so skip unless you're in the mood for an "Optimist pretends she does science" tour:

so there are several ways in which it's possible for a mosaic embryo to go. 1) the abnormal cells found in the biopsy of the trophectoderm do not reflect the inner cell mass that will become the fetus, and the embryo itself turns out to actually be euploid/the biopsied abnormal cells are anomalies; 2) the ICM turns out to be abnormal and it's the normal cells that are anomalous; and 3) the entire embryo including trophectoderm and ICM is a "true" mosaic. It is in this latter case that the possibility arises for a mosaic to "self correct" through a process of rapid duplication of good cells overwhelming the bad cell lines, which is what people talk about a lot in online forums all the time.
Studies show it's basically a tossup as to which of these 3 options it might be, although percentage of abnormal cells found makes option 1 or 2 more plausible, depending. Anyway, if it turns out to be option 1 or 2, then it's not really a mosaic embryo after all. in which case, transfer success chances are either pretty dang good (euploid) or close to nil (aneup.). and if it's a #3, true mosaic embryo, then who knows but maybe somewhere in the middle.
Of course, we can't ever know which of these 3 an embryo truly is unless the embryo gets destroyed for science. But the thing that's tripping me up for some dumb reason this week is that, somewhere way down deep inside that tiny embryo i have on ice right now is a reality that I can't get at: euploid? aneuploid? true mosaic?
Sigh.

Any questions?: no. somebody maybe slap me though so i stop it with all this thinking?

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? ooh golly. well for starters, i'm really looking forward to the early spring when i can start planning my garden and putting seeds in the ground. also, this may be dumb, but i always look forward to my first ice cream cone on a hot day? these are small, every-year-is-the-same type things, but i look forward to them nonetheless. also, i dunno, a post-covid normalcy in which i can sit around in a bar/cafe and people-watch without stress.

optimistgardener · January 2022

oops @gingermama29 i missed you while doing my update which took for-freaking ever because i got distracted halfway through. anyway, i look forward to hearing how the monitoring appt goes on Friday! Congrats on the fitness wins!

walkawaynee · January 2022

@bows22 yes, we are doing 5 days at WDW (with a group of 19 ppl)! I am with you on taking the path of least resistance while getting through a busy time and having insurance cover!

@gingermama29 congrats on the 30 lbs! I hope it does help with some of the PCOS effects!

@optimistgardener my endometrioma is assumed to still be there and slightly in the way. I wish I knew how to help distract you (without slapping you)!

Update from RE follow up today: adding Femara and Dexamethasone. Upping the Gonal-F to 375 and having me do injections in my shoulder this time. The best part of the follow up was when my RE couldn't remember what type of cyst I had and warned me that we may have to cancel the cycle if it's producing hormones. This did not do great things for my confidence in him. So, I have an ultrasound scheduled in a couple weeks to check in on the cyst (at this point I feel like it needs a name like Sir Charles the endometrioma cyst) and make sure it is in fact an endometrioma. I have a consult scheduled with a different RE in 2 weeks for funsies.

acleverusername · January 2022

*lurking* @walkawaynee given your RE's "amnesia" I think a second onion is a good call. Remind me... is it you who's going to CNY?

optimistgardener · January 2022

@walkawaynee Sir Charles the Endometrioma is a great name for yr lil buddy! Also smh about the RE's lapse there re: what kind of cyst it is. I can see why you'd want to get a 2nd opinion. Hopefully it will prove informative! Please do let us know what they say.

@acleverusername lol at "second onion." But also (and I don't think I'm overstepping my authority here) I don't feel you need to qualify your posts here as lurk-posts. You're part of the fam, even if you're dabbling in the weeklies!

acleverusername · January 2022

I'm just going to leave that as "onion". Cause it's FUNNY. :P

optimistgardener · January 2022

@walkawaynee what's the logic with the shoulder shot? i've not heard of that before.

walkawaynee · January 2022

@optimistgardener He said that it has a better absorption rate there and that is how they used to do it "back in the old days". He advised (at least) 2 other girls who are doing a 2nd retrieval to do the same. He seems to think I was a poor responder but I am not sure that I agree.

@acleverusername thanks for your support of my second onion! I just did not get a good vibe with this appointment. The only reason to stay is that I prepaid pgs Testing with them but if it comes down to it, I will still switch and pay again for testing.

Edited to add: I am not at CNY

I was telling DH that I felt like he had a "It doesn't matter what we do because you are too old" attitude.

optimistgardener · January 2022

@walkawaynee so do they become intramuscular shots, then?

walkawaynee · January 2022

@optimistgardener yes but he said to only use my deltoid, not butt or thigh. I am worried that my arms are going to get really sore!

kiki047 · January 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS, RPL/RIF, MFI, but mostly just a cantankerous, uncooperative uterus that my old RE referred to as "inhospitable".

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): ......

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Well I'm supposed to be on BCP prepping for a FET but more on how that's going below.

How are things going?: HA. Ok ladies, get this. Remember how AF has evaded me for 9 weeks, despite taking the provera to lure her out and still nothing? Well I convinced my RE to put me on BCP because my lining was so dismally thin at my biopsy on the 21st of Dec and I really didn't trust my body to just regulate itself on its own. So I'm 13 days into the pack and don't I start f***ing spotting 2 days ago. I emailed my clinic to ask if my biopsy results have come back yet (they haven't), and to ask WTF to do about the spotting - like do I keep taking them or assume this is a period? - and they gave me some bullshit robotic response of "Continue taking any pills as prescribed by your doctor". It was mostly brown spotting/discharge until yesterday but today it has turned dark red and is very clotty and getting heavier so it's beyond just spotting. I have most of my other AF symptoms too (CM changes, sore boobs, irritability, headache, acne) so this is just freaking wonderful. I thought I was being so nice to my body. We drank wine together, we ate what we wanted, we slept, we exercised (ok there was a lot of bitching that went with the exercise, but it is/was good for both of us).

Any questions?: Now what?! I was going to email them back and argue my case about how this feels like more than just breakthrough bleeding, but either way this feels like a bad omen going into a FET cycle. I don't want to push it back any longer, but then again I also don't want to waste a perfectly good embryo on my defunct uterus that has gone rogue, again. Not to mention we can't really proceed without the biopsy results. <<Update, I wrote all of this yesterday and apparently didn't post it so as of this morning it had tapered off a little, so I'll continue taking the pills for now>>

But I'm pretty sure I brought this on myself by stressing myself out these last 2 weeks. Spoilering for length. TLDR: holidays are stressful, and I'm heartbroken for our friend MVT.

The holidays are stressful as it is, then add Covid into the mix, and the fact that some of MH's family insisted on still attending Christmas even though they were super sick and made 95% of the rest of the family sick in the process (they tested negative for Covid but have basically all the symptoms so we've been going on the assumption that it might as well be). Plus with the news of MVT's husband's passing, my heart is heavy with grief and sadness. I consider myself lucky to have made lifelong, soul sisters through TB but the caveat is we're spread out across North America (and sometimes beyond) and times like this really wish we were closer.

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? Hopefully being able to travel again, and spend more time with friends and family that we've dearly missed. Here in Canada restrictions have been much more strict throughout the pandemic, plus MH and I have been overly, obsessively cautious because of IVF and the fact that he works with Seniors, so we really walled ourselves off from the outside world. We're hoping we'll feel better about emerging from our cave soon... We have ONE trip booked so far in June, but that's it.

kiki047 · January 2022

@walkawaynee interesting about changing up the shot location to do IM instead of SC. Hopefully your arm isn't too sore, IM shots suck. Make sure you do lots of arm circles and massage the area really well after each shot so it doesn't get too stiff. Good luck! FX the addition of the femara and dexamethasone helps this time around.
@bows22 still keeping everything crossed for you that maybe monitoring will give you some more insights and one of those IUIs will work. I've never heard of anyone having lining that was too thick, unless something else was at play, so in theory it should be a good thing.
@gingermama29 that's awesome about the weight loss, I'm trying to do the same. I don't so much care about the scale (I mean I do, but I'm saying I don't) but I do want to turn some of my excess fat into muscle because I know it'll be better for my PCOS. Sounds like an exciting year for your family, lots of weddings, and hopefully a baby for you!!

@optimistgardener I LOL'd at your description of your musings as "bellybutton lint-picking". I think it's in our nature to be perpetually curious and to always consider every possible outcome. But like you said, other than destroying the embryo for science, the only real way to know is to transfer it. Statistically, the odds are on your side there.
@acleverusername LOL, second onion.

bows22 · January 2022

@gingermama29 I’m glad you got to visit your brother in Italy already because I’m hoping you will not be able to attend his wedding! That’s awesome about the weight loss, I know you’ve said before that has made a difference for you so I hope that happens again!

@optimistgardener i take what you are doing as hoping for the best and mentally preparing for the worst. Which I see nothing wrong with! But it’s probably also nice to know you can’t do anything else to affect the outcome right now.

@kiki047 lol @ how well you were treating your body. And then the ungrateful b goes and turns her back on you! I hope you get answers soon as to what is happening and that whatever it is means that all systems are go for your FET

optimistgardener · January 2022

@kiki047 oh man i'm sorry that your body seems committed to not cooperating with the plan. What's happening now? still bleeding?

@bows22 thanks for framing my obsessive habits in such a healthy way ("hoping for the best and mentally preparing for the worst")!

kiki047 · January 2022

In a surprising turn of events, I went in today for monitoring and my RE figures we'll just roll right into a FET. So here we are!

Protocol is quite different from last time:

- 4mg lupin-estradiol 3x day
- 2x 100mg estradiol patches every 2 days
- baby aspirin
- 5mg prednisone 1x day
- PNV with extra 500mg folate
- intralipid infusion 7 days prior to FET
- HCG uterine wash
- and lastly something called PRP, which is Platelet Rich Plasma, that is also done as a uterine wash at 7 and again at 3 days prior to FET, and if my lining still isn't improving, I think they might do it again right before transfer

Also taking Keflex and Flagyl (both antibiotics) for some minor inflammation found in the biopsy, and will be on doxycycline right before transfer too. So I guess I'll need to take extra probiotics because my gut is going to be angry with me for all of this.

I go back on the 11th for a lining check and first PRP infusion, and if things look good my transfer could be as early as the 16th or onwards (which means I'll also do intralipids on the 11th as well). I was not expecting this, but apparently my BW came back relatively normal and my biopsy results weren't dire enough to need to push it back any further.

bows22 · January 2022

@kiki047 the 16th?! That’s so soon. I’m SO excited for you and I just read your PRP link and that makes me even more excited for you

keikilove · January 2022

@kiki047 Wow, this is so exciting! That is a very different protocol for you! It's encouraging to see what your doctor is trying, as that is a combination of several different immune protocol approaches. I am just curious: if the PRP wash is 3 days before transfer, when is the hcg wash? At transfer? Just wondering how that all works... You're right about the antibiotics--those are some SUPER strong ones and may wreck your stomach. You are smart to be prepared with the probiotics. I'm wishing you SO MUCH LUCK with this protocol! FX

!

@walkawaynee How did the consult go with your RE? Have you tried the Femara before? I hope it gives you great results. I can't remember your age right now, but sometimes Omnitrope is something else to ask about to improve egg quality (moreso in older moms-to-be). Sorry that I can't recall if you're in this group or not... Also, good luck with your shoulder injections! I've heard of injecting IVF meds into the buttocks instead of the stomach for more even absorption, but the shoulder is new to me. I feel so bad for you and that arm

And also sad for you about Sir Charles the endometrioma. Hopefully it's actually nothing and you get to move right ahead with things. Also glad to hear you have a new RE consult coming up.// Your start to wedding planning sounds exciting! That's one of my favorite things.

@bows22 Totally get why you would drop the thick lining investigation right now with your doctor, especially with your busy time at work gearing up. Can you remind us how thick is "thick"? I remember reading that anything up to 13mm is still considered perfectly normal. I hope you're in that range or close to it. Using Clomid for the next IUI sounds really smart too, since you don't have to worry about it thinning your lining too much. Your whole approach to the "6 IUIs package" sounds logical and level-headed. FX that you don't have to think about any of that beyond this next IUI!

@gingermama29 Congrats on all of your hard work and that impressive weight loss! I hope all of those things combined with the Letrozole keep you on track to ovulate sooner. Your upcoming travel plans sound fantastic. It's so nice to have things like that to look forward to. But like others have said, hopefully you have to skip your brother's wedding for other pressing reasons.

@optimistgardener All the long-distance hugs accepted, thanks! I LOL-ed at your diagnosis description--what creativity you have. I appreciated your musings on the mosaics. The way I see it, two of the three scenarios have a likely positive outcome, and those are pretty good odds. Maybe my interpretation isn't exactly scientific or statistics-based, but this is called "ART" and not "science" of IF for a reason. So much of it is still unknown and is just plain luck. So like Bows said, "Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst". Positivity has a distinct yet unquantifiable effect on the whole process as well, so I say err on the side of hope.

Kiki's mention of PRP reminded me that I think @acleverusername asked me and someone else once about PRP but I don't remember if either of us ever responded. @acleverusername You are probably aware, but you can do the PRP uterine wash to increase lining, as @kiki047 is doing with her upcoming FET, or it can be used to "rejuvenate the ovaries" which is a much more involved process overall. I haven't done ovarian rejuvenation PRP because my AFC has never been low enough to warrant it. Also, I've heard so many women who've tried ovarian rejuvenation report that they either see no difference at all or it messes up their cycle for months at a time before they (potentially) see improvement. It seems like those that have benefitted from ovarian rejuvenation PRP are the exception instead of the norm, so I have chosen to skip it. All that being said, my RE in MX does uterine wash PRP and said we could try it if I ever had a thin lining again. I haven't needed it since that one time but would totally do it in the future. It's much less involved and less invasive than PRP for ovarian rejuvenation.

keikilove · January 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): All kinds of crap

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO but also self-benched

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): I have a phone appointment tomorrow with my RI's nurse. I am going to ask her about a couple of ideas I have. My local RE has said many times that she suspects I have adenomyosis, but my MRI with her didn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. My RE in MX says I have no signs of it on my endometrial biopsies or hysteroscopies. So I am considering not only repeating the endometrial biopsy this month to see whether the implantation meds are helping my uterus be more receptive, but I also want to check for things they might not have checked for before.

How are things going?: Things are slightly better than they have been the last few weeks. I want to sincerely thank you all for your support and kind words as I shared all that was going on in my world. Things are looking up slightly on all fronts, and that is no doubt because you guys gave me permission to air things here and get some of it off my shoulders. So

THANK YOU

, my dears, for all of your warm support! I appreciate each and every one of you. // Of course, I am second-guessing taking this month off because I am only getting older by the second and I can't believe I opted to not do any treatment this month. But that's just the crazy TTC-brain talking. I know it's best to take time off in the midst of all the personal stress, the huge work project I have due at the end of this month, and to explore the medical questions I have. Just talking myself off the ledge every other hour about not doing a retrieval or transfer this month....

Any questions?: NATM.

GTKY: Besides a take-home baby, is there anything you’re really looking forward to in this new year? I want to plan some type of travel that isn't TTC-related. I want to have something amazing to look forward to. Obviously, COVID is worse than ever, so this may be a pipe dream. But there is also so much talk recently of "learning to live with the virus" that I may just indulge in some daydreaming/trip planning.

bows22 · January 2022

@keikilove it was 17 mm on CD8. That’s consistent with other the SHGs I’ve had. It was 10 mm when I had CD3 testing done so if your 13 mm is based on baseline, then I’m in the clear!

and I hear you about taking the month off. I don’t think 1 month is a big deal in the grand scheme of things though, and if it helps you mentally it may help you in the long run anyway. So try not to stress about that! Otherwise I’m glad things are looking up. You deserve a break! Good luck with your nurse appointment tomorrow! Let us know how it goes!

bows22 · January 2022

Help me look like I know what I’m talking about- I asked my RE’s office if I could have bloodwork to see if I’ve ovulated yet (my first OPK on CD10 was definitely darker than my normal “negative” but never got darker, I’m CD16 now without even any CM so Im thinking I may have missed the surge) and they agreed but wanted me to get it at an outside lab versus coming into the office. Fine, I give them the location I wanted to go to by saying it is “on X road” and they replied and said they sent the order to “X road.” Yay! A couple of hours later I go and of course they have nothing. But, the lab has another location on X road that no testing is done out of, so I assume it was sent there. They agreed to take my blood anyway and hold it until tomorrow when they get the script.

Which brings me to my question - I panicked and only asked for progesterone. I’m assuming they ordered other things to cover all bases, but if I either haven’t ovulated yet or I’m 6 DPO, is progesterone alone enough to tell which one of the 2 I am? Because I don’t want to go back if I don’t have to.

keikilove · January 2022

@bows22 Gah, I hate stuff like this! Sorry you’ve had to deal with it. Definitely been there with the orders not being at the lab upon arrival. Sucks! Anyway, YES, technically the progesterone alone should be enough to tell you. If it’s above 2.0 then you’ve ovulated. However, the catch is that you should know your general baseline levels to use this as a guarantee. For example, do you have any prior bloodwork from before ovulation in any previous cycles that you can compare your current progesterone levels to? Those previous levels should show that you were below 2.0 before ovulation, like .79 or 1.2 or even 1.7 would be ok. And after ovulation your levels could be anywhere from 2-20, depending on how far after ovulation you actually are. I hope I’m making sense here!😬 Hopefully others can chime in too.

bows22 · January 2022

@keikilove so I have it from the day after a positive OPK at 0.9, my LH level was through the roof so I was still surging at the time, and then they took it again 5 days later and it was 7.2

keikilove · January 2022

@bows22 Oh good! That's great info to have because it indicates that your progesterone levels are in the normal ranges both before and after ovulation. So, you should be able to feel pretty confident in whatever the number comes back at this week: if it's above 2.0 you know you've ovulated.
**You may want to dig up any other prior results just to make sure that you don't have any other cycles where your progesterone was unusually high before ovulation. If you have other cycles that confirm that you consistently stay below 1.8 or below 2.0 before ovulation then you can really trust whatever results comes back from your bloodwork this week.

bows22 · January 2022

@keikilove that’s the only one I have I think, but thank you so much for your help!! I feel confident enough to push back a little if they try to make me go back

kiki047 · January 2022

@bows22 I assume it's not actually going to happen on the 16th, my lining has never responded quickly to any kind of intervention, but then again we're also drastically changing the protocol so who knows, maybe it'll work. // I think keiki gave you better advice than I did on the progesterone, so either way you should be able to get some answers that way. At this point, are you hoping/assuming you've already O'd?
@keikilove thank you, friend! I knew you would be most familiar with those protocols so it's comforting to have that added reassurance that we're on the right track. He doesn't have a patient portal so I don't actually have any of my test results to know what we're working with here but he said nothing was wildly out of range to be able to pinpoint any one thing which is why I think we're using the kitchen sink approach. Which I'm perfectly fine with for now, tbh. My clinic is weirdly compartmentalized so they only give me instructions and dispense meds to get me from one appointment to the next so I'm also unclear on the timing of the PRP and the HCG wash. All I know is the intralipids need to be done around 7 days prior, and only once, whereas the PRP will be done at least twice starting on the 11th and may need to be repeated several times. They didn't mention the HCG wash at all other than to point it out on my bill, lol. They're also using embryo glue, which I know is a controversial add-on but I will literally try anything at this point. // I'm really glad to hear things are feeling less heavy for you these days, other than the internal battle with your biological clock and feeling like time is slipping away. I do agree with bows and hope that the mental breather is healing in other ways, and gives you time to re-group and plan for what comes next.

My biggest struggle right now is trying to figure out timing to take all of these pills. Everything, including my PNV, says to take it with food because all of it could/will upset my stomach. The estrace hasn't bothered me in the past so I've spaced that out at non-meal times, but the antibiotics for sure need to be taken with food, the pred suggests it, and my PNV says to take 3x day also with food but 2 hrs before or after other meds. I feel like I eat fairly regularly but not every 2 hours, 6-8x a day lol. I think I'm just going to have to play around with it and see what works and what does/doesn't upset my stomach. I did a deep dive in the RI FB group on the antibiotics and I hear the last 4-5 days of it are the worst. And even though it says to take the PNV 3x a day with meals, is that usually just for optimal absorption? Because ain't nobody got time for that, I'm taking them all at once. I've been on a hunt for a better PNV that I like that isn't 3-6 pills/day or $100/bottle but have yet to find the "perfect" one.

keikilove · January 2022

@kiki047 OMG, I hear you on the spacing out of vitamins and meds. It seems impossible, honestly. Your plan to just take the PNVs all at the same seems completely reasonable. Like you said, “ain’t nobody got time for that” hahaha. The pred you want to take as early in the day as possible, and no later than lunchtime because it causes insomnia. (I take it with my morning decaf or tea, food not required).

Re: your PNV: have you ever tried Rainbow Light Prenatal One? That one has always been my favorite (makes me feel great, and it’s just one pill a day) but I had to switch due to those having a combo of folate and folic acid and I need the ones with just folate. If you ever try Rainbow Light, just be warned that it will turn your pee fluorescent yellow-green. I also like Naturelo (has folate) but they are 3 pills a day. Good luck finding the one “perfect” prenatal!☺️

@bows22 Happy to help!🙂 After seeing your progesterone level 5 days after ovulation, I’m wondering if anyone has ever suggested that you supplement progesterone after O? Sorry I can’t remember. I believe most docs want our level above 10 after O when in a conception cycle, and many prefer it to be around 20. Hope I’m not being too nosy with this question! // And thank you & @kiki047 very much for the words of affirmation about taking this month off. I feel a bit less stressed about it today. Que será será.🤷‍♀️

bows22 · January 2022

@kiki047 yes I think and hope that I already ovulated. We had sex the nignt of that half-positive OPK which might have been too late, but an early O means an early AF and on to the next cycle. But that’s why I think the progesterone test will be enough because I think it’s going to come back high.

@keikilove no they never mentioned my progesterone being an issue. I knew that 10 was the magic number but I guess I thought it kept increasing so by 15 DPO or whenever they would usually check, the 7 would be a higher number. But if that’s not the case then maybe it is an issue. However, I was on progesterone for the past 3 IUIs so if it is an issue it’s likely not my only one.

acleverusername · January 2022

@bows22 what Keiki said re: progesterone levels is 100% (not that there was any doubt there! but I figure a confirmation won't hurt). That's really the only way to tell if you've ovulated. Unless... ute goggles. ;-)

@kiki047 +1 to supplement / med timing, and I'm not taking anything close to what you're taking! Good luck with this protocol. Rooting for you HARD CORE!

@keikilove thanks for your 2 cents on PRP ovarian rejuvenation. I honestly don't know much about it. Like I didn't even know that it was for quantity of eggs; not quality. Anyways, your sharing what you've seen on the forums is good info. Thanks! Of course today I saw TEW share an IG story about someone having success with it.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/zl/1kgyeit8tlu3.png

bows22 · January 2022

So the nurse responded and told me I should have LH and estradiol also, and I replied that I think the progesterone alone will be enough since I either haven’t ovulated yet or I’m 6 DPO. I threw in there that I had to wait 1.5 hours because they have no appointments and I really don’t want to go back because of covid. That did the trick and the lab called me that they got the OK to send it through. I usually get the results from them the next day so hopefully my peeing on OPKs is coming to an end.

bows22 · January 2022

Me again - progesterone was 10.6! I’d say that’s pretty definitive. I can’t believe I ovulated on or before CD 10, I guess this was a good lesson for me on not slacking to start my OPKs/having sex. And I’m thankful to know what my body is doing so that when I inevitably take a test early next week I know that it’s at least the appropriate time to test haha.

kiki047 · January 2022

@bows22 umm hey there keener, that's like crazy early O but *high five* for your intuition. Glad you advocated to get the testing done, and now you have more clarity.
@keikilove thank you for the tips on the prednisone. I did hear it can cause insomnia. And do you find it makes your mouth crazy super dry? Or maybe that's just because I have the sniffles and have been mouth breathing more than usual lately. Also big thanks for the heads up on the PNVs. We have really limited selection here in Canada but I'm thinking I might just start ordering from the US and paying the FX/shipping/duty/taxes. It might still work out to be less than anything I'd pay for here, especially if I can get a really good quality PNV that works for me.
@acleverusername thank you friend! It's a weird feeling to actually allow myself to get my hopes up a little. Hope feels entirely foreign to me these days, and while I'm also effing terrified, I'm also trying to manifest a positive outcome by doing things like putting my Christmas wine gifts away because I'm "not going to be able to drink it for at least another 9 months". I even catch MH saying cute things like asking if we should have sushi this week in case it's the last time for a while, which is huge for him. FX!

Other than feeling like a raging psycho on all these hormones (and the PIO hasn't even started yet!), still feeling pretty good. Anxious to see how things are looking on Tuesday. AF is still lingering so I can't imagine my lining is very thick yet.

optimistgardener · January 2022

@bows22 i have pretty early Os on the regular (often CD 11-12, 13 is a "late" O for me and I think my last CD 14 was in like 2019 or something). My only CD10 O, though, was the cycle right after I finished my 1st egg retrieval and I think maybe my ovary was already recruiting some follicles waaay early on because of all the hormones floating around. What's your usual CD for O?

@kiki047 i'm crossing all my fingers and toes hard for you! i know the feeling of trying to figure out how to let in a little hope, and also being like uhh, is this a good idea to let my self feel this? i'm right there with ya on that right now.

AFM: I came off my BCPs on Wednesday and now am just on the daily lupron injection till they do a suppression check next friday when, assuming all looks good, i add in estradiol valerate. I've been steeling myself for the onset of some epic side effects but as far as I can figure the only things I could possibly blame on the lupron have been 1 night of horrible sleep because i felt like my legs were achy and cramping all night long for no discernible reason; and a minor sensation of ongoing dizziness. Hoping it stays this way! Also I'm waiting for a withdrawal bleed that should start today but no signs so far.

bows22 · January 2022

@optimistgardener that’s wonderful you aren’t feeling any crazy side effects so far (but the sleep disruption was not appreciated I’m sure). I’m typically more of a CD 15-18 ovulator. I think once I ovulated on CD12 and I’ve had the occasional CD14. When I had my follow up on Monday I brought up that I thought I may have ovulated on CD10 and she said it was probably just a weird fluke cycle. I hope she is right, because my mind immediately goes to my age when stuff like this happens.

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