~*~ Spring 2009 IVF Thread ~*~ - Page 2

[BellyBean]

Hi Everyone! I am so glad I found you all again! I also feel way more comfortable with you lovely ladies! Thanks for letting me stick around. My EDD 11/5 and I have my 1st u/s on March 12th at exactly 6 weeks. Most of you probably remember I over-stimmed E2 > 6000 and transferred 2 beautiful embies. Somehow my body has been managing really well. I am down 5 pounds from my peak and other than slight dehydration I haven't had any major problems. Not exactly sure how I have avoided severe OHSS, but I am not letting my guard down yet.

Julia's Mom - Thanks for starting this new thread. I am very excited for your cycle!

Poet - Great news today :

Lucky - I am SO HAPPY you are back! Are you still going to Dr. S?

B's Mom - We didn't have any insurance coverage on the meds and went through Ascend pharmacy in Portland, Maine. I am not sure what stim you are using, but I was on Bravelle and they offered a "discount card" annual fee was $20 or something and it saved me HALF on my meds. For everything it was *only* $1600.

Wtg - I am glad you are moving forward with IVF. With everything you have been through, it is great you are 1 step closer to your baby. I am very hopeful for your cycle!

Abeecharmer - I have been lurking on the FET boards...so I guess I finally get to say hi

Snowbell - Sounds like everything is going well with you!!

Mommielove - When is your beta? Keep us posted!!!!


Added: BTW, I am scared out of my mind that the baby(ies) aren't there anymore. Nothing has happened to make me think that, but I can't help but thinking that I am not sick enough with OHSS to actually be pregnant. The waiting for the u/s is way harder for me than the wait before the beta.

[Pearl1]

wtg - im veggie too : (sorry, couldn't resist the dancing fruits and veggies!) i ate lots of beans and tofu, and even bought a protein powder, which i've never done before, to stir into smoothies and yogurt.

belly - i've been lurking on the feb ivf board, so i guess i finally get to say "hi" too! congrats on your recent bfp, i was so happy for you when i saw you post it recently!

~sarah

[wtg4miracle]

abeecharmer--Oh my goodness, you made me laugh. I never even thought of using these men: Thanks for the tips on eating more beans and tofu. I have a fellow veggie tree root eating friend. Thats what alot of co-workers say about me. So I guess I am a :

Bellybean--congrats on your pregnancy. You are fine. Your mind is making you go nuts now thinking the worse. But I am happy that you willing to stick around to support us.

snowbell-congrats also in place for you to. You IVF vets give me hope.

[Julia'sMom]

Originally Posted by BellyBean

Added: BTW, I am scared out of my mind that the baby(ies) aren't there anymore. Nothing has happened to make me think that, but I can't help but thinking that I am not sick enough with OHSS to actually be pregnant. The waiting for the u/s is way harder for me than the wait before the beta.

With my DD I called the clinic one morning, practically in tears, because I was no longer nauseaus and my breasts weren't sore. I was so sure that something was wrong :. Thankfully, they didn't laugh at me (at least while I was on the phone). Needless to say, the pregnancy was fine. I think the stress is normal, especially after all you've been thru to get to this point. Here's some good vibes to keep you strong until the u/s. :

p.s. I'm a veggie too! Although, I do eat eggs & fish (rarely), so really it's just the meat that I avoid completely. I did have an Indian co-worker (no meat, fish, anything grown underground and I forget if she could have dairy). Anyway, she did ivf and had a successful twin pregnancy, although I do remember her dr prescribing a couple of "ensures" each day during the beginning of the pregnancy when protein is so important.

[luckyIVF]

HI Everyone!

JuliasMom - Thanks for starting this thread! Cant wait to be cycle buddies.

I'm waiting for to start my BCPs.

[luckyIVF]

HI Everyone!

(my last 2 posts didnt go so here's the rest)

Belly Bean - ::: Super happy for your BFP!! It's very inspiring to me for so many reasons (in case everyone else doesnt know, bellybean and i just happen to have the same RE - we found out on the Feb IVF thread, what are the odds?!) I can just imagine how you feel waiting for your US! Hang in there, stay positive!

Poet - : YAY STIMS! Glad you got thru the flow scare!

To all you veggies, I'm in the : tribe, too! I was macrobiotic but have added fish and eggs on the rec of my acupuncturist. She said that trad chinese med fertility diets are rich in fish and eggs. I dont do any dairy at all, so I guess I do need those.

Here's to our SPRING BFPs!!!

[booja's mom]

Thank you all so much for the info ladies. looks like a have a lot of research in front of me. But what else is new with this process. My meds right now are around 4K so If I can get them for 1600 that would be great !!!!

Belly Bean - Congrats : Hope you feel better!

Poet: Congrats :

wtg4miracle: My IVf prep is a lot of acupuncture, Herbs, Flax, Multivitamins, D3, Extra Greens, Omega 3, OPC 100, and I have to try to eat as much protein as possible but not soy based because of the estrogen... Out of all your meditation Cd any that you can recommend?

Hope you are all keeping well. Happy Friday

[wtg4miracle]

We have a veggie movement going on here. I thought I was the only one around here. I just hope it doesn't mean anything, ykwim.

Well I just forked over $2k for my meds. Insurance refused to pay anything related to IVF.

So far what I know is that I will not be on bcp. I will start lupron on cd21. Still unknown until cd1 happens. It should be anyday now. The pharmacy called to confirm a few details and I asked which meds the doc put me on. Bravelle. I was shocked to hear this. I thought all along they would use Gonal-F. I feel kind of disappointed in this. I will be calling next week to the office what the reasoning behind Bravelle.

Has anyone used Bravelle before? Any info would be great.

Help:Any tidbits on how to appeal the process for my medication request. They sent a letter home today saying I can appeal their decision on the denial of the meds. How can I word it right so they should pay. They would have paid for 6 cycles of IUI with injs but since darn tubes are blocked I can only do IVF logically. (i didn' ask for my tubes to be blocked) My insurance will pay for me to have tubal surgery I beleive. This is stupid, why pay $15k for surgery with only 15% chance of success vs $2k IVF with 30% chance. Please help me word what I should say to these unept insurance people.


boojasmom--one of the cds I just started listening to is, I think its called Journeys Guided Meditations Help with Fertility from Belleruth Naparstek . It talks about the soul of the bay coming to you. Its great. I will let you know about the others once I get to them.

[BellyBean]

Wtg - I used Bravelle! I produced lots of follies and mature eggies, plus the best part is all the shots were sub-q. It was a relief for me since I could do all the shots myself (in the stomach) and they were relatively painless...but I started getting anxious and using ice towards the end.

Well after a total meltdown I called the clinic and asked for a Beta today. When I called to get the results, they put me on hold for like 5 min while they got the doctor. It made me really nervous since I thought the nurse would feel fine giving out "good" news, and having the doctor would mean "bad" news. Anyway, beta was 2158, which is a 51.6 hour doubling rate (just enough to make me slightly worried, but relatively much calmer). My RE was really nice though and said my thinking made perfect sense. I should be really sick from OHSS if I am pregnant. He can't explain why I am doing so well, but said to consider myself very lucky (for now anyway).

[wtg4miracle]

Bellybean--how many days dpo are you? I hope everything is alright. I am always thinking as long as the number is increasing you should be alright. Its good to know that your doc started you on bravelle. Just let us know how you are doing.

AFM- CD1, so I will start in 21 days for Lupron. March 27th I will begin the process unless some other stupid thing happens. I am not on bcp since they said I am regular.

[poetgirl]

Wtng, You asked what people did to prepare for the ivf...well this is going to sound like a ridiculous list, but um, apparently when getting pregnant is out of my control, I do things that are. A lot of these things I've done for longer than this prep. So, I am trying/tried to get 6-8 acup. visits in before the ER. I began meditating daily and doing breathing exercises (I get a bit short of breath on the injections, so this was important). When I wasn't told to avoid bending or twisting, I did yoga most days. I took my pre-natal, fish oil, Chlorella, royal jelly, extra vit D and E. I drank Kombucha every day, Kefir often and juiced some wheatgrass. I drank lots of nettle and red rasp. leaf tea. I did not drink caffeine or alcohol. When I found out my kidney meridians were weak, I added fresh ginger and ginger tea. I was concerned about my lack of circulation and the uterus feeling cold from a TCM perspective, so I took baths and rubbed castor oil on my abdomen after and sometimes used heat after that. Above all, I tried to let go (not force) of the whole "story" of how my fertility struggles have gone. Through meditation, I was catching myself repeating the story of it over and over, creating this deep negative groove. Becoming aware of that and gently trying to redirect it (and I was grateful for the long protocol here) were important steps in my feeling ready to start. It's not perfect but it's better. To this day, when I go into the fert. clinic my blood pressure is very high and about 30 pts. lower when I'm not there. We do our best.
I hope that helps.

Clara, My favorite meditation cds are: ***Rod Stryker "Meditations for Life" (I love this one so much--even got DH to do them with me), Andrew Weil "Meditation for Optimal Health," Andrew Weil "Breathing," and from anji: General Health, Meditations for a Fertile Soul and tonight I start the anji IVF meditations.

p.s. All that said, there is no one way to prepare and for some, being normal and not doing so many "things" is the most soothing. This was just what I needed.

[wtg4miracle]

Thanks Poet for taking the time listing all the things you are doing to prepare. I feel like I am not doing enough to get ready. Its been a whirlwind lately. One minute I am so anxious and happy to start IVF and then the next moment I am upset and mad why this is happening to me.

I have to make an appt for AP. I feel like I should have started long time ago. I will try to get a few sessions in if I can. Already its going to be a nightmare scheduling my work life with IVF.

[poetgirl]

Originally Posted by wtg4miracle

Thanks Poet for taking the time listing all the things you are doing to prepare. I feel like I am not doing enough to get ready. Its been a whirlwind lately. One minute I am so anxious and happy to start IVF and then the next moment I am upset and mad why this is happening to me.

I have to make an appt for AP. I feel like I should have started long time ago. I will try to get a few sessions in if I can. Already its going to be a nightmare scheduling my work life with IVF.

Honestly, I think a lot of my "preparation" has more mental effects than physical. For us, not really knowing the reason why this is happening makes me feel more blindsighted and helpless, so all this stuff is my way of trying to address that mystery.
I suspect you would not have this problem if it were not for the blocked tubes and hope you will feel a lot better after your AP appt. I always feel very supported by AP and we really need that. Since things have been nuts for you lately and because ivf sort of seems like the curve ball that was thrown at you, just try to make as much time for yourself as possible and do whatever your version of nurturing yourself is. I know I spent some time thinking I should be doing this or that and that wasn't necessarily helpful. Deep breathing, meditation...you are totally on the right track.

[wtg4miracle]

Poet--you got that right, a curve ball twisted and turned aimed right at me. In my lifetime I had many curveballs coming right straight at me. In my life nothing had come easy. Throughout my life I had so many struggles and obstacles in my way that tried to hinder my goals in life. Most of the time I succeed but its heartbreaking to know that I was chosen to deal with so many issues. I just wish in life I would get a break.

I know how you feel, its the unknown that makes your mind boggle. You gave me a different perspective on this and I guess I can look at the positive and know why its happening to me. I think its harder to not know what the heck is going on. I feel for you and wish there was some explanation for you. I think you will know soon once they get your eggos out. Are you doing ICSI? I was told this helps if our eggs have a hard shell around them. I was told once we do IVF they will know "somewhat" is happening. I hope this is it for both of us and everyone else who is cycling with us.

[Julia'sMom]

Poet - You're preparation sounds fabulous! I would concur with what you are saying about mental. Even my RE said the hardest part of the process is the mind games, and he is sssooo right. All the meds, hormones, shots, mood swings, constipation, etc. is really peanuts compared to the mental stress and roller coaster.

Oh, I use follistim and repronex, so I can't give advice on Bravelle.

Thanks for the heads up on lupron storage. I realized I reversed the directions last time, refrigerating before opening and room temp afterwards. Duh. Now I need to ask my doc if that could have affected the outcome.

As for me, it has begun. My first lupron shot was yesterday and my last bcp is tomorrow. Sigh.

[luckyIVF]

HELP, nerves are getting to me!

agree with all of you... the mind games are awful. 'm trying to get psyched up for stim cycle #3. (first with BD was BFN, second canceled due to low E2 response) I didnt take my BCP yesterday on CD#1 - i just got so anxious and started doubting the whole thing.: I talked it over with DH (and some wine) and we decided to start this AM.

I feel like even on negative thought goes through my mind, I'm going to jinx myself. Then, that gets me even more stressed. :How do you go on after BFNs and canceled cycles? We've been with our RE since July and I still havent gotten to IVF.

I know nearly everyone on this board has been through the same if not worse so I'm sorry if I'm being a baby about it!

JuliasM - can you add me to BCPs

Thanks!

[wtg4miracle]

juliasmom--It looks like you are on a roll now. The mental thing is worse for me than anything. I can handle the meds, injecting myself and side effects. Its just this mental state of my mind right now.

Luckyivf-- I am sorry for all the cancelled cycles you had before. Maybe this will do it. They say preseverance pays off. Like I mention above the mind games we do to ourselves is alot worse than the physical side effects from the meds. I am happy you are going foward on this. Its good to know that you can move on and believe me I am feeling the same way.

AFM: This is really concerning me. I even hate to mention it. My period that started yesterday is done this am. It was not even that much of a flow yesterday. I usually have light AF, like 2-3 days, tops. But this is scary. I know I had surgery this cycle plus I noticed I ovulated cd 10 which is way to early for me. So I know that my lining is crap. I am so worried that when I start stimming next cycle I will not have enough e2 levels and subsequently my lining. I am thinking I should ask them to put me on estrogen pills or patches. I am making my self sick worrying again.

[crazyrunningmama]

Originally Posted by luckyIVF

I know nearly everyone on this board has been through the same if not worse so I'm sorry if I'm being a baby about it!

Here is where you get to "be a baby about it". We get it, we know how you feel and we all have good days and harder days.

Originally Posted by wtg4miracle

AFM: This is really concerning me. I even hate to mention it. My period that started yesterday is done this am. It was not even that much of a flow yesterday. I usually have light AF, like 2-3 days, tops. But this is scary. I know I had surgery this cycle plus I noticed I ovulated cd 10 which is way to early for me. So I know that my lining is crap. I am so worried that when I start stimming next cycle I will not have enough e2 levels and subsequently my lining. I am thinking I should ask them to put me on estrogen pills or patches. I am making my self sick worrying again.

It sounds like you are worried that your lining won't be good enough? Accupuncture really helped me with this. Maybe it's a good time to use some sick days or vacation days? I've sure been burning through mine, but my priority right now is my health and getting and staying pg. Good luck to you and :good vibes to all.

Oh, and like on every IVF thread:
Don't let yourself get constipated!!!
Eat prunes, drink lots of water, eat big piles of steamed veggies every night. Do whatever it takes to prevent it or you will be so sorry. Constipation can get worse than I have ever imagined and it is really common during IVF. Which my nurse told me after it had already happened to me :, hence my mission to inform others.

[luckyIVF]

Thanks!

Thanks W4M! It's probably just a down day for me.


To any one else who's feeling blue today.

[ladylaura]

Hi all,

I introduced myself here a few months ago, but got delayed for a few cycles. (Long story short: husband has a 13;14 Robertsonian translocation, and extremely low sperm count ~300,000, so we need ICSI and PGD).

If all goes to plan, I will be starting Lupron on 3/19.

This is IVF #1 and I've been to hell and back with my insurance company regarding authorization and coverage and blah blah blah. I have already received all of my meds but since I don't trust them to get things right, I thought I'd ask you ladies - what should I already have with me? I have already received the Lupron (actually, Leuprolide) (1 bottle), Novarel (1 bottle), Progesterone oil (6 bottles) and Azithromycin tablets (8). I am not 100% sure of what everything is for exactly, though of course I know I'm starting with the Leuprolide, the Novarel is for stims and the progesterone is after the ER. Am I really supposed to have 6 bottles of progesterone? And what about the trigger shot - should I have that already, too?

Just trying to get ahead of the curveballs - every time I get comfortable and think this is actually happening, some other problem comes my way. If I'm missing something, it would definitely be good to know sooner rather than later!

Thanks for your help, good luck to all of you!