IF Testing & Treatment w/o 4/11

bearmomma1 · April 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 ballgame. 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: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song?

mambo5-2 · April 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): RPL, MFI post vasectomy, Protein C and S deficiency

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): IDK

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Was testing now I think I'm waiting on AF.

How are things going?: UGH they retested my blood which makes sense right, well originally my protein C was super low, as was my Protein S. Now... they are coming back normal. I was weirdly excited for a reason for what happened to me to have happened but now, IDK. The hematologist is supposed to call me back today. I am so frustrated.

Any questions?: What is the likelihood that my Protein C and Protein S are just fluctuating? I know you don't know what answer but I am so anxious about it.

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song?

It used to be Teardrops on my Guitar by Taylor Swift, I haven't sang Karaoke in forever.

anniemarie887 · April 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): uncooperative uterus... RPL/tbd

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): purgatory

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): well i just did my HCG draw for the 5th monday in a row... i would be shocked if it was at 0. **TW for CP** i stll have not bled the way i did back in sept **end TW** MH also went and did his labwork Saturday, so we should have all the karyotyping back done via Shady Grove before we switch to the other RE in May

How are things going?: some days i'm totally fine, and other days i find myself being really envious of others. and i'm tired, trying to be good about exercising and doing things to treat myself so i'm not so burned out.

Any questions?: natm

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? oh god, the last thing you want is me to sing... once upon a time it was Starship - Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now

@mambo5-2 that's really frustrating and confusing. is this the kind of diagnosis where they want a repeat lab to truly dx? that's how my BFF was with getting her APS dx that was causing RPL.

mambo5-2 · April 2022

@anniemarie887
they didn't think they initially needed to rerun it because of how low it was but to get exact typing hematology reran it because I guess there are several types of Protein C and S deficiency, who knew.

thankfullyamama · April 2022

@mambo5-2 I’m sorry you’re going through so much waiting and confusion with your labs. Hopefully you get some clarity soon!

@anniemarie887 I’m sorry you’re still in purgatory! Are you likely going to be starting up again in May with the new RE!? And good for you for keeping up your exercise despite being tired that can be really difficult to do but also prob helps out in the long run! I find when I’m just exhausted instead of working out I just try and take my dog for a walk or do some yoga so it’s atleast something but not so much that it’ll make me more tired lol

thankfullyamama · April 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): BCP to induce a withdrawal bleed followed by 50mg clomid CD3-7 and then doing OPKs! Taking a PNV, iron, PCOS sense sup, and now that I think I’m in a TWW I’m eating pineapple and Brazil nuts and drinking lots of tea because google said it helps haha

How are things going?: honestly despite being unsure if I ovulated (even though im pretty sure and just trying to go along like I did) im doing pretty good this cycle. I had a really good interview this morning for my “dream job” and I’ll hear back by the end of next week if I got it so fingers crossed! That gave me a nice pick me up and distraction from the whole TTC journey. I like being busy while TTC otherwise it’s all I think of

Any questions?: so I called my clinic and asked about the progesterone test to confirm ovulation and they said even if I ovulated on CD19, it’ll still show as I ovulated/ positive by CD 21/22 and to still do it then 🤷🏻‍♀️ A quick google tells me this is accurate but I’m still missing the progesterone surge 5-10days after O that would indefinitely tell me if I ovulated. What’s your take on this? Would you challenge the clinic or just do your blood draw CD22?

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song?

Omg I’m awful at singing so just no haha

anniemarie887 · April 2022

@mambo5-2 keep us posted. i hope the hematologist calls you asap
@tryingktogku yea, i'm hoping i'm not still in limbo by may? at this point shady grove doesn't want to even do the hsg until my hcg is at 0, so i'm assuming the RE that my OBGYN prefers will be the same. and yes, i have to work out to quell the rage. when i'm stressed i get extremely short tempered. i actually tend to get a huge energy boost from a 20-30 min peloton ride, like to the point i can't do them at night or i won't sleep. that's so exciting about the job interview, bravo! keep us posted!!

kiki047 · April 2022

@mambo5-2 uhh yeah that's weird, I'd ask them to do a third test to triple check if the first two contradict each other. So frustrating.
@anniemarie887 blarg, FX for a good drop today... I'm also at a point where I'm just super bitter and envious of others and it's such a shitty feeling. Like how is it that every single newbie that has intro'd lately had an oopsie last cycle and now finds themselves here TTC "4 realz this time". // I need to get back into the Peloton groove, I stopped riding leading up to my last transfer, then haven't really been back on now that I'm on stims. Maybe after this retrieval I'll try to ease back into it.
@tryingktogku I'm shaking my fist at your clinic. Ideally the CD21 bloodwork should be approx. 7dpo and I don't understand why they're so adamant about fighting you on that. Like, what difference does it make to them? Frustrating.

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS, RPL/RIF, mild MFI

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): Stims on stims on stims!

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): IVF # 4

How are things going?: Pretty good. As of my last check everything is still looking good, follies are behaving and growing at an even rate so I don't have any runaways and hopefully won't have too many stragglers either. Physically I'm tired and feeling very "full", but other than that I'm grateful my body seems to have taking all of this in stride. Last monitoring appt is tomorrow morning, will find out when I trigger - hoping for a Friday ER but could also be moved up to Thursday.
I told MH his homework these past 2 weeks is to *ahem* clear the pipes

a few times to recruit the freshest spermies and he's all weird about masturbation so he'll only do it if I help him along. He's been too tired the last few days so today he sends me a text, "I didn't finish my homework on the weekend... will you help me later?" It took me a minute but then I cackled out loud at my desk.

Any questions?: NATM.

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? Anything by the Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls.

gingermama29 · April 2022

@mambo5-2 ugh that’s so frustrating. I’d probably request another test to see why there was a discrepancy between the first two.

@anniemarie887 sorry you’re still stuck in limbo. Crossing everything that your HCG is back down to 0 (or at least much closer!). It’s awesome that you’re still staying active despite everything.

@tryingktogku good luck!! Hopefully you’ll get the job!! I feel like I’d push back at the clinic. It’s so frustrating that they’re basing it off a “typical” length cycle instead of what you’re actually experiencing. I literally have never had a 28 day cycle off of birth control until this last one and that was only because I triggered.

@kiki047 glad everything was looking good at your monitoring! FX for a Thursday ER! and good luck to YH with his homework 😂. Love that phrasing.

Diagnosis (if you've been): PCOS

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

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

How are things going? Things are good. I have my CD 10 US scheduled for tomorrow and assuming it goes like last cycle, my guess is I’ll be triggering tomorrow too. Not much else to update on that front. I’m off this week and decided to rip up all the carpet in my finished attic (my cats ruined a part of it and I couldn’t get the stain or smell out). We’re planning to put down vinyl flooring. I started that carpet tearing process this afternoon. I’ll be turning that space into my craft/sewing room!

Any questions?: nada

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? Oooh that’s gonna have to be “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. Can’t resist throwing some Celine Dion in there too.

optimistgardener · April 2022

@mambo5-2 what a pain about your labs. I hope the doctor is able to clarify things for you soon. For all the difficulty of actually having a diagnosis, it can also be reassuring to have one--since there is finally something that can be addressed.

@anniemarie887 i hope the HCG drops for you. keep us in the loop.

@kiki047 YH's drama always cracks me up. Also I'm so glad your retrieval is going well, and that the "crop" seems to be developing all together on schedule for a good harvest. I know you told us recently but remind me again what your doses are? thx.

@gingermama29 i've got my fingers crossed for this cycle for you.

Diagnosis (if you've been): old, crappy eggs.

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): benched and waiting to bleed so I can start BC

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): collecting my IVF drugs, wrestling with the clinic and with the insurance, trying to psych myself up for doing this whole thing over again.

How are things going?: Lining up all my ducks in a row for retrieval is exhausting. Ostensibly, my insurance will cover these rounds @50%, but I've noticed a line in the coverage "manual" that says they don't cover age-related infertility, as determined by FSH. I am terrified to ask what the cut-off is. I should check though because I have bloodwork that makes my FSH look "good" and that makes my FSH look "bad." Maybe the clinic can use my "good" labs.

Any questions?: naah

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? No one is gonna drag me on stage to sing karaoke. No one.

anniemarie887 · April 2022

dear god, might be the worst drop of them all - 43 to 39 (so that makes 127 - 82 - 57 - 43 - 39). i felt pretty crampy this morning, which of course has now gone away.

@kiki047 i think i've said this before, but my emotions lean more rage than sadness... and i find the peloton to be really helpful when i am teetering on the edge of wanting to scream. even doing just a recovery ride can help. fx for your monitoring appt this morning

@gingermama29 also fx for your appt this morning

oh and i love a good house project!! that's cool you have a finished attic space, we can only stand in the middle of ours and use it storage. i would kill for more liveable sq ft. the housing market here (like many places) is bananas. to go from a 3 to 4 bedroom house is pretty much doubling what we spent buying our home.

eta to add @optimistgardener we posted at the same time. i get the need to psych yourself up, happy to be a hype team for you! it's always harder to do it for ourselves

mambo5-2 · April 2022

Hematology called last night and I am completely normal. He doesn't think I have Protein C and S deficiency, I shouldn't need blood thinners for IVF. He thinks the original result was a lab error. He did say once I am pregnant they should recheck my levels to just make sure that I don't have like hormone induced protein C and S deficiency. Welp there goes my one answer that I had. Now I am waiting for the RE to call and see if maybe we can start the BCP cycle this month and move forward.

abjm0325 · April 2022

Diagnosis (if you've been): TBD (some cocktail of losses, age, and low progesterone)

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Another cycle of letrozole, sitting tight for the May RE appointment

How are things going?: Going okay today. I had a nice distraction of a weekend away with some friends (which fortunately fell at a good time in my cycle). Now psyching myself up for FW to get rolling this weekend.

Any questions?: I will likely start my next cycle (if this one is unsuccessful) before my RE appointment. Would you go ahead and continue to take letrozole next cycle? Or hold off (basically skipping medicating that cycle) to see what the RE says? If patterns hold, my RE appointment will fall about CD 7.

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? Absolutely not a fan of karaoke. I do love singing a good Disney song in the shower though.

abjm0325 · April 2022

@mambo5-2 I’m sorry for all of the emotional confusion surrounding your bloodwork. I guess it’s a good thing that they determined you don’t have an issue, but I understand the deep desire to be able to identify a problem.

@anniemarie887 Hugs, lady. Is there a reason they are having you draw so frequently? My provider suggested spacing them two weeks apart so maybe that would be an option if the slow number drop is frustrating you? I know, nothing actually makes the situation better.

@tryingtogku Good luck with the job! Sounds like you are in a good headspace right now which is awesome. I would probably push to do the draw later unless the clinic has a compelling reason not to. Seems silly that they would care at all, let alone that they would push you to get less accurate data.

@kiki047 Your H is so cute! I’m so glad your body is responding well and that everything seems on track for you this cycle. Hopefully his homework does the trick. 😉

@gingermama29 Yay for working on your new space! It’s always so satisfying to work on a project when it’s something you’re really excited about. Hopefully all is smooth sailing at the ultrasound tomorrow!

@optimistgardener I hate insurance with a passion. Why should they get to pick an arbitrary “old” cutoff for FSH?! So frustrating. I’ll join you in the back of the room to heckle all of the other karaoke singers.

anniemarie887 · April 2022

@abjm0325 glad you had a great weekend! honestly, spreading it out 2 weeks would drive me more insane. as much as it is frustrating how slow it is going, i would be way more deranged waiting that long for any data.

mambo5-2 · April 2022

I guess the good news is I got to schedule my injection class. My RE is out of town so the plan is still to do a cold start IVF unless she changes her mind when she gets back.

gingermama29 · April 2022

Brief update: US went great! My lining is at 6.6 and I have a 20mm follicle so I’ll be triggering tonight!

gingermama29 · April 2022

Updated too soon. I had a different US tech than normal today so she couldn’t specify if my follicle was an active one or a cluster of cysts. So my RE sent me for blood work to check my estradiol, LH, and progesterone levels and are having me hold off on triggering tonight just in case. TI starts tonight though.

mambo5-2 · April 2022

@gingermama29
yay for good lining, boo for not being sure about the follicle, FX that its just a beautiful follicle!

kiki047 · April 2022

@gingermama29 aww boo, I was all excited when I saw your first update. Better safe than sorry though, right?
@optimistgardener he won't admit it but he's so dramatic about all of this lol. He was all in his own head last night about somehow messing up his part and I pointed out that as long as he doesn't miss the cup, there's not much he can do wrong. He gave me a grumpy look and muttered something about me not being supportive then I had to suck up to him a little bit to reassure him that it's all going to be ok and it's not his fault.
WTAF to your insurance and the arbitrary "old age" cutoff - that's bullshit. I hope your clinic can work with you to try to get around that.

Re: doses -

Day 1-3:
- Gonal-F 262.5 + Menopur 75

Day 4-6
- Gonal-F 262.5 + Menopur 150 + Cetrotide .25

Day 7-10
- Gonal-F 262.5 + Menopur 225 + Cetrotide .25

Stimmed for 10 days total, I trigger tonight at 2am, they just give me a pre-filled syringe so I think it's 40 units of Lupron.

@anniemarie887 oh gosh girl, yup, same. Once tax season is over I'm hoping I'll have more time when I get home from work to pedal out some of my frustrations.
@abjm0325 tbh I think I'd just take the letrozole. Even if they do have you do some testing right away, they'll likely want to start with CD3 BW/US so it'll be too late by CD7 anyway.
@mambo5-2 what a rollercoaster. Glad you're able to move ahead with the RE, despite whatever the heck is going on with your bloodwork.

My update: I trigger tonight for a Thursday ER. Follies were looking super juicy in there, there are 10 over 24mm and he doesn't even bother measuring all of them just wants to see what the biggest are doing. E2 was around 11k pmol/L (4900 ng/ml). They've also started me on cabergoline for OHSS proactively this time instead of waiting until after ER.

Also, gingermama's Italy trip this fall inspired me to book a vacation in September so I think we're going to go for it. The nice nurse at the clinic joked that I'm going to have "mad air miles" from my $22k payment today (BARF) and I said I'm putting that towards our baby-less baby-moon in Sept and she was like "YES GIRL! DO IT! Even if this does work, you'll still be in 2nd tri, it's perfect!" So that's where we're at.

anniemarie887 · April 2022

@gingermama29 gah! hope you get a resolution asap!
@kiki047 yeaaaaa girl get those miles! but also, major barf. excited for your ER thurs!

afm, waiting on more clarity from my OB, but our emailing back and forth so far is continue monitoring, with a side of if it stops dropping the possible need for another d&c and concern it is a molar. i had a long chat w/a friend today who had a total molar, and i def don't think that's what i'm dealing with. but never the less, feeling upset, confused, and frustrated.

gingermama29 · April 2022

@optimistgardener hopefully you’re under the age threshold. That’s such a BS limitation.

@abjm0325 I think I’d do the Letrozole. As Kiki said, you’d be past when they’d want to do any blood work so may as well do something in the meantime.

@kiki047 yay!! Glad my trip has inspired you to travel as well! Where are you thinking of going? And double yay for a Thursday ER! Glad everything is progressing as it should! FX for lots of good eggs!!

Just waiting on my results from the blood work now. This was what my US write up said:

abjm0325 · April 2022

@anniemarie887 I'm sorry for the added stress and the continued frustration with those numbers. Hopefully they take a nosedive this week and you can get out of this purgatory.

@kiki047 Where are you all going? You all absolutely deserve a trip and the timing sounds great!

@gingermama29 Are you expecting the lab results today? If it's a cyst, will you just be medicating longer before the trigger?

gingermama29 · April 2022

@abjm0325 yes I’m expecting results today. If it’s a cyst, they’ll do follow up US in a few days to give the medication more time to take effect. Hopefully I’ll be able to trigger tonight.

optimistgardener · April 2022

@abjm0325 as others have said, i'd go ahead and take the letrozole. it's a pretty low-stakes intervention and won't get in the way of anything that I can think of that your doc might want to do right off the bat.

@kiki047

about just making sure he doesn't miss the cup! i have said this before, but the dudes' part of this whole enterprise is NOT DIFFICULT. good luck with the time after your trigger shot and waiting for the retrieval. it's so weird to suddenly find yourself in limbo, not injecting anything at all and just waiting for the retrieval.

@anniemarie887 i'm so sorry about the stubborn numbers. you don't deserve that at all.

@gingermama29 let us know how the whole thing resolves re: whether that thing is a cyst or a follicle. so frustrating to encounter this now in your cycle.

AFM it's been neverending phone calls with pharmacies and the fertility center. the nurse who does all the scheduling and prescriptions is great but she's way too busy and it's nearly impossible to actually get ahold of her. meanwhile, time is ticking by. On the plus side, my worries yesterday about age-related limitations in the insurance plan, according at least to the financial person at my clinic, are overblown. she says that in practice the insurance co has not been looking for the fertility center to provide lab results on FSH and have just been covering everyone's IVF as a blanket policy. FX that holds true for me as well. Also I bought the 3 vials of sperm I'm assuming I'll need for three retrievals, and I am freaking out ever so slightly about doing three retrievals. They will not be true back-to-back retrievals because my clinic doesn't do that, but still so much time spent on the road, so many injections in the belly, ugh. Final piece of good news though, it looks like my fancy new insurance might actually cover the price of donor sperm(!?!?!). The sperm bank i work with was like, we don't work directly with insurance companies but sometimes the companies will do a direct reimbursement to patients. I didn't have time to figure it all out so i went ahead and purchased anyway, but will as soon as I can be calling the insurance company to ask whether they might reimburse me.

mambo5-2 · April 2022

@optimistgardener
I really, really hope your fancy insurance will reimburse you! That would be awesome.

I am currently in the looking at programs to help pay for IVF meds, that shall be fun.

acleverusername · April 2022

*lurking* okay now I can finally commend @gingermama29 on your choice of Celine Dion for karaoke. YES! Same here. (Not that I do it well, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

optimistgardener · April 2022

@kiki047 good luck with retrieval today! fx for a simple procedure, lots of eggs, and a good fert rate.

anniemarie887 · April 2022

@kiki047 i hope today goes perfectly!

abjm0325 · April 2022

@kiki047 Sending you good vibes for the retrieval today!

mambo5-2 · April 2022

@kiki047
Thinking of you love!

gingermama29 · April 2022

@kiki047 sending you all the positive vibes today!!

bearmomma1 · April 2022

@kiki047 Good luck today!!

I go here now. I hope I'm not intruding.

Diagnosis (if you've been): DOR, Luteal phase defect

Status (WTO/TWW/TTA): WTO

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment?): Clomid, ultrasound monitoring, trigger, TI, progesterone

How are things going?: They're going ok. Happy to be back with a plan with my RE again. I was hoping to not have to see her again, but I'm glad she's being very supportive and is happy to go along with any plan I want to go with. I might be crazy to not want to jump straight back into IUI again right away, but after the last loss I'm a little hesitant.

Any questions?: I have a question/thought. Is it possible for the trigger shot to prematurely trigger the egg before it's ready? I'm slow egg grower/late ovulater, and I'm curious if doing the trigger might rush the whole process for some, like the egg isn't finished developing properly before the trigger comes along and says GTFO. I dunno, just a weird thought.

GTKY: What's your favorite go-to Karaoke song? I don't have a favorite, but I tried rapping "Regulators" before, a song I know by heart, but with too many drink and a wonky teleprompter, I failed miserably.

bearmomma1 · April 2022

@anniemarie887 I really hope your HCG goes back to 0 soon.

@tryingktogku let us know how your progesterone test goes. When will you have the results?

@gingermama29 I hope that's not a cyst! Did you get the results yesterday and did you get to trigger?

@optimistgardener I know it's an extra step, but I hope your insurance will reimburse you after the fact!

gingermama29 · April 2022

@bearmomma1 I had the same thought about triggering. I usually O around CD 20 with medicated cycles but they have you wait until the follicle is a certain size before triggering so my guess is it won’t release before it’s mature enough. And ugh no, STILL waiting on my blood work results so no trigger yet. My lab is in the hospital and they had to send out my blood work but it’s been nearly 48 hours sooooo 🤷‍♀️

gingermama29 · April 2022

Update: I FINALLY got my blood work results back this morning. My RE wants me to come in for a repeat US since it’s been 3 days since I had my blood drawn. I usually get my USs done locally so today I’ll be doing the hour drive to the my actual RE’s clinic. So hopefully I’ll have more answers in a few hours.

optimistgardener · April 2022

hey @bearmomma1 you're welcome on this thread, although we're sorry you have to be here. Like @gingermama29 said, the ultrasound monitoring will tell you when the follicles are "ready." In IVF world (which is a little different, because nuclear-grade hormones), anything over 16mm is usually considered pretty likely to contain a mature egg, although smaller follicles sometimes also have mature egg. With a lighter touch as with clomid, I believe my memory is that they like follicles to get a bit bigger (into the 20s), but anything in that ballpark is still very likely to be ready for trigger.

ETA that it's a delicate dance, because if they wait too long for a trigger, then your body's own ovulatory process may kick in and then timing becomes anyone's guess.

@gingermama29 please update us what you learn. I'm so sorry this cycle has become a complicated thing about a possible cyst. My first ivf cycle got delayed because of one and I remember very well how frustrating it is.

acleverusername · April 2022

*lurking*

Jumping in to add that if the egg isn’t mature, it cannot be fertilized. Also, from my IVF cycles, I’ve had mature egg from as small as 11mm follicle (morning of trigger) to as big as 24mm.

mambo5-2 · April 2022

I am so nervous about having mature eggs during my upcoming IVF cycle, big fear.

thankfullyamama · April 2022

My progesterone came back at. 0.5nmol/L

now this was done CD 22 (so only 3 days after ovulation according to my OPKs)

I am going to go on CD26 to get it rechecked which would be 7dpo if I did ovulate just in case

Edited to add I believe this translates to roughly 17 ng/ml

gingermama29 · April 2022

Update #2: just finished my US. It is 2 lg follicles and not a cyst. One was 31 mm and the other is 25mm. I’m triggering when I get home since my OPK was negative and am good to go!

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