Winter IVF

[MOMTOALEXIS]

Hi everyone. Just wondering if anyone else wants to join in on a Winter IVF. I see a lot of people on Fall IVF who are just beginning and I figured this would be a good time to start a new one for the winter. I just went back to my RE for the first time in 7 months since our FET which was a chemical.. It felt strange being back but I am so ready to move on. Everything looked great, no cysts. Will be starting birth control today and moving on from there. We are staying really hopeful and praying for a 2010 little one. Look forward to meeting everyone and hoping we all graduate soon.

Winter IVF

Suppression
msgoodbuns (FET)
MOMTOALEXIS

On Stims

Egg Retrieval
5terre 1/6/10
FtMPapa 1/12/10
MOMTOALEXIS 1/21/10
wtg4miracle 2/6/10
Paytonsmommy 2/18/10
5terre 3/2/10
New Mama 3/4/10
laura-belle 3/7/10
ratgrl 3/8/10
KellyTTC#1 3/10/10

Embryo Transfer
5terre 1/11/10
FtMPapa 1/15/10
MOMTOALEXIS-No embryos to transfer
wtg4miracle 2/9/10
Paytonsmommy 2/23/10
New Mama 3/9/10
laura-belle 3/10/10
ratgrl 3/11/10
KellyTTC#1 3/13/10

Test Date
5terre 1/21/10
FtMPapa 1/26/10
Wahine5 1/28/10 ( converted to IUI)
Wahine5 2/19/10 (converted to IUI)
Paytonsmommy 3/3/10
New Mama 3/19/10
ratgrl 3/22/10
laura-belle 3/22/10
KellyTTC#1 3/27/10

[laura-belle]

I'm watching for now and hoping to be joining soon. The RE thinks our issues are mostly male factor.

Why timeline a bit unknown? I have an arcuate (sp?) uterus that my RE doesn't think has anything to do with our lack of pregnancy but that we're checking out and possibly correcting before going for the IVF. I can't sign up for a timeline until after that is done. My Day 1 should be in the next few days, so hopefully I'll have a better idea in a week or so.

[FtMPapa]

Thanks for starting the thread, Momtoalexis! Great idea.

Laurabelle - I think it makes sense to fix whatever you can. that you get some good information soon.

Momtoalexis - please put me under "stims."

I'm pulling my head up out of an insurance nightmare - long story short, I've been struggling to get infertility/IVF coverage since October, even though I live in MA which has one of the strongest infertility mandates, my insurance has been yanking me around in any way they possibly can.

Three days ago, I finished my BCP suppression, now I'm waiting for CD 1, which is expected today or so, and I woke up to some spotting this morning.

It's a little bit weird to be excited about starting to bleed.


Backstory: no known issues, I am 29, I have the dreaded "unexplained infertility" though technically, my doc calls it "subfertility" since I do ovulate, I have a decent LP, just my cycles are really long, my ovulation really late, and my E2 levels really low. I did respond well to stims in the past for IUI. I'm taking the same drug this time around, Gonal-F for stims, Menopur and Ganirelix, hcG trigger, and then the progesterone suppositories.

I've done 3 clomid + IUI, 1 unmedicated IUI, 1 cycle with frozen anonymous donor sperm at home, DIY, and a year of cycles with sperm from a known donor. I don't even want to do the math anymore. I've had one confirmed early, early miscarriage, two more highly suspected, for a total of three.

I am a single parent by choice, my partner (in baby making) (AKA Known Donor) isn't my romantic or intimate or domestic partner, and he will not be parenting the baby, he's going to be like an uncle or friend of the family, something like that. We're open to the relationship evolving. He has great sperm counts, everything, truly amazing numbers, motility, and morphology. No signs of any male factors.

[MOMTOALEXIS]

Laura- Glad to see your moving forward, Iv'e been following everyone just staying quiet since we were on a break and not much to tell. So I remember almost everyone. Hope you get your answers quickly and can move on. As much as I wish none of us have to be here it is nice to have you here with us. Keep us posted.

FtMPapa- I am so glad your starting soon, I've read about all your insurance problems and it's bad enough to go through what we go through that we shouldn't have to deal with problems from insurance. Hopefully when you have your baby in your arms you'll forget all about those jerks. I added you to stims. Hope to join soon. BCP till the 6th and suppression checj 1/11/09. I had very bad OHSS last cycle and I told Re we need to stim much slower. He seems confident that i won't overstim again, it was a nightmare which is why it took so long for us to start another IVF. Good luck with stims and let us know how it goes.

[FtMPapa]

Thanks, MomtoAlexis.

I ordered my meds today. I'm still just spotting, so they said call back tomorrow when you have official CD 1. I think what I think is spotting is what other people might consider CD 1. I dunno.

Anyone taking Luveris? I'm down for Gonal-F and ten days worth of Luveris, but last time on Gonal-F we did my IUI on CD 11, so I'm thinking that I probably won't use all the Luveris, or my instructions were wrong and I'm supposed to start it with the Gonal-F on Saturday. I'll talk to the nurses tomorrow and find out.

My schedule so far has me down for four days of Gonal-F and then an ultrasound and bloodwork, my clinic is weird in that they don't do a CD 3 scan.

[quelindo]

Thank you for starting a new thread! I'm so excited to be here. Just a few weeks ago I thought I'd never be doing this again, and then my mom surprised us by offering to pay for IVF. Crazy!

I guess you can put me under "suppression" -- I guess that's what it's called when your RE has you on estrogen/progesterone to mimic a cycle, right?

We had our initial consult with the new RE today and were pretty impressed with him. He wants me to have a hysterosonogram. Has anyone had this done? I had a hysterosalpingogram done years ago and remember it being VERY painful, even though they told me it wasn't going to be. So even though this is a different clinic and a different procedure I'm a bit freaked out.

He also wants me to do two cycles of estrogen/progesterone, so we won't start injectables until the end of February. I was really hoping to be starting the IVF cycle at the end of January, but oh well.

And also -- he's not a fan of PGD. He told us that there's a 10% rate of PGD being wrong, not only identifying embryos with chromosomal disorders as being fine but with identifying embryos that are fine as having chromosomal disorders. Our last RE never said ANYTHING about this. DH and I have a lot of thinking to do. I guess I'll do some more research.

Oh, and 5terre, my husband and his ex-wife had karyotyping done and nothing showed up that would indicate that either of them "caused" my stepdaughter's Down syndrome.

[MOMTOALEXIS]

Happy New Year to All. Stuck at work today for 12 hours so I'm going to try and make the best of the new year.

New Mama- Welcome. So glad your getting the opportunity at another cycle, that was so nice of your mom. I'm not sure about the pgd we haven't done that, but I always assumed that it was very accurate. I had the HSG done last year and had no pain at all. I took 2 Motrin right before I left the house and continued Motrin throughout the day and was fine. I've heard of some people complain of pain but the majority of people seem to have little to no pain at all. My suggestion would be to just do the Motrin thing in case.

FtMPapa-I took Luveris during my fresh cycle last January, I took it about 3 days before retrieval, total of like 3 Luveris shots. No side effects from it at all. I think it's suppose to stop the follicles at the size they are, basically just hold them at a certain size until ready to trigger. I'm not sure what meds I have this cycle. I go through Freedom Fertility and they left a message yesterday that they have my order but I was working yest and today so I'll call over the weekend. Re said it will basically be same meds just lower doses cause I have healthy ovaries and am at such a high risk for OHSS, duh obviously since I got it last time. Just taking one day at a time this time around.

Venting: So I love my Re and only dislike 1 nurse in the office. So this one nurse puts me in a room and then comes in and says "oh I need this room because it's a special OB room with a special ultrasound machine and your not OB." Gee thanks I know that already didn't need you to remind me. Dh and I always pray we don't get her when we go in. I'm a nurse also and I work in the ER, I wouldn't tell one of my patients I'm gonna move your room cause we got a dead guy coming in, well thats just me. lol. Just had to get that out. Feeling better now.

[5terre]

Momtoalexis Sorry to hear about your chemical.

laura Hi!

Newmama Does the 'sonogram' part in the word mean it's just an ultrasound? Glad your appointment went well. I've read different stats on PGD, at least in terms of false negative. The geneticist at the lab we're using in NJ gave us different stats than that (their own stats though). They are very careful to point out that PGD is not a definitive testing, that they still recommend CVS/amnio etc. I think when you have a known genetic problem it's different than when you don't. They are coming up with new things, it will be interested to see how much better it gets in the future.

Ftmpapa My clinic considers 'full flow before 12pm' to be day 1.

I'm stimming right now for IVF#3 with PGD. DH has severe MFI and a Robertsonian Translocation (which causes 2/3 our embryos to have the wrong number of chromosomes). I am 32 and we have learned through the first two IVFs that I have DOR. So I don't get a ton of eggs and unfortunately we need a lot of them to have any normal embryos to put back, and sadly we have not had enough to make it to PGD biopsy yet. We do have 5 embryos frozen from our second cycle, which we will add to any we get this time and pool them together for PGD. So I have high hopes for this cycle!! I expect my ER to be around Wednesday. Somehow we conceived a miracle 6 years ago and have a 5-year-old healthy DD. I know how lucky we are, but we are still trying for a sibling for her.

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by MOMTOALEXIS

Venting: So I love my Re and only dislike 1 nurse in the office. So this one nurse puts me in a room and then comes in and says "oh I need this room because it's a special OB room with a special ultrasound machine and your not OB." Gee thanks I know that already didn't need you to remind me. Dh and I always pray we don't get her when we go in. I'm a nurse also and I work in the ER, I wouldn't tell one of my patients I'm gonna move your room cause we got a dead guy coming in, well thats just me. lol. Just had to get that out. Feeling better now.

I would be annoyed, too. I would think they would get sensitivity training. Maybe they don't, but they should! One of the RE's at my clinic (not my regular doctor) did an ultrasound during my third IUI and said, just casually, "It looks like we're going to have to cancel this cycle" as if he were saying, "I could really use some coffee." I cried all the way home. Ugh.

Originally Posted by 5terre

Newmama Does the 'sonogram' part in the word mean it's just an ultrasound?

Yes, that's what it means. I guess they insert a catheter in the uterus and fill it with water so it expands like a balloon. Then they use a vaginal ultrasound to see if they see any polyps or fibroids. It sounds like this RE does this as a matter of course -- our last RE did not -- because I don't think I have any symptoms that make him think I might have a problem in this area. The nurse said that if there are polyps or fibroids they can impede implantation, since they're taking up part of the uterus wall.

[quelindo]

Oh, and I did a separate post about this but never got a response, so I thought I'd ask here: Are you guys doing anything special to prepare for IVF?

I have two months of suppression ahead of me, so while I would definitely NOT diet during stims, I'm dieting now (on my fourth day). I only have about ten pounds to lose -- though even five would be good! My jeans are all a little tight and I just want to be more comfortable in my clothes. Not to mention I'd love to start a pregnancy at a better weight.

I'm also taking TONS of supplements. I have the MTHFR thing so I'm taking Folapro and B12 (my son was born with a sacral dimple, so I'm kind of worried about that). I just added Co10, L-arginine and DHEA to the mix, too. And I'm trying to be aware of eating enough fat and protein -- particularly closer to the IVF cycle.

I'd also like to do some ab exercises. I have a bad back and I'm thinking I need to strengthen my core. But then I wonder if it's a bad idea to mess around with that area of my body. Anyone know?

[wahine5]

Hi All....
I just posted this in Fall IVF cyclers.. I'm not sure how this works. This is the 1st forum I've ever been on. Do we post on both just pick one?

Happy New Year Ladies !!!!!
I wish for all of us to have a happy healthy pregnancy and baby this year

Thanks for the info on PGD. We'll talk to the doctor about it. I don't think we will opt for it though. The cost of the ivf is already so high. I pray it goes well and the selection will be the right ones. But if doc suggests it, then we will somehow work it out.

I had my first lupron shot 5 minutes ago. Not at bad as I thought it was going to be. I am soooooo relieved. I'm glad to know how it is, instead of anticipating the worst. I thought anything with the shots are the stims. Sorry... I will start the gonalF on Sunday night.

Momtoalexis: Thanks for letting us know.

To a wonderful year !!!!!!!

[msgoodbuns]

MomtoAlexis, please add me to your winter IVF list. I'm planning to do an FET in February.

Thanks for starting the new thread.
Good luck to everyone in 2010. May we all have our fertility dreams come true!

[crazyrunningmama]

Hi I'm crashing, but I lived on this board for several years and can't seem to keep away. I wanted to wish you all the very best of luck and give you my standard spiel..... One of the things they often don't tell you about doing an IVF cycle is how very, very constipated it often makes you. You are probably now thinking: that never happens to me. Well, it never happened to me either until all the wacky drugs, inactivity, huge ovaries snuck up on me and I had a terrible experience with it. Being badly constipated during ER is horrible. So start now and do everything you can to avoid it - lots of fluids, piles of lightly steamed veggies, prune juice, whatever it takes. For me, problems start as soon as I start messing with my hormones, so even bcps and suppression drugs get me. Take my word on this one.

New Mama - in terms of preparing for IVF, I wanted to suggest that you might want to see an accupuncturist or naturopath/Traditional Chinese Medicine practioner. Accupuncture can be very helpful as can some changes to your diet. Fertility friendly diets include lots of beans, omega oils, switching saturated fats for pumpkin, hemp or flax oils, high quality proteins, lots of lightly steamed veggies (apparently eating them raw makes your chi "cold" or something, for the same reason you are only supposed to drink room temp water, not ice water).

Anyway, again good luck, I'll keep stalking in case you need a (very) experienced mama to answer questions. (3 IVF's with ICSI and 4 FET's)

for 2010!!!!!

[MOMTOALEXIS]

Ive updated everyone on top so far.

Wahine5- Glad you did well with your shots. I don't find them bad at all, the SQ ones in the belly are small, only the IM ones are big, I was doing the PIO shots last year and my butt is still sore if I bang it or something. I was gonna talk to RE to see if I could do suppositories this time around. Usually since we have a new thread the other one would retire since everyone in the fall cycle has finished it's easier to pick up on here and start fresh. It gets confusing I know, sorry.

CRM- Glad your here with us, pretty sure we cycled together somewhere. Hope your feeling well.

msgoodbuns-Glad to see your moving on quickly. I am very sorry about your BFN, I've been there and it's devistating, always be good to yourself cause no one will ever understand us unless they go through it. Just curios, do you have to fly to California again or will the FET be close to your home?

[msgoodbuns]

MomtoAlexis, I haven't decided whether I'm going back to CA or going to ship my embies to MA and do the FET here. There are pros and cons to both. I'm concerned that I may need to save $$ to do a 2nd FET (trying to be realistic here) and so want to stretch my insurance dollars out as far as I can. It's probably 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

As for constipation, I've found that a very small bowl of All Bran cereal and 1/2 container of Activia yogurt help tremendously. Actually, it's probably the All Bran that does the trick, but I mix in some light vanilla Activia and water (no milk...weird, I know) and it works every time! Just be sure to drink lots of fluids (my drink of choice is decaf).

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.

[msgoodbuns]

OMG, I don't know if any of you have experienced this post IVF attempt, but I have just suffered the most debilitating cramps of my life! I spent nearly 3 hours on the couch after taking 2 Aleve's, using a heat pack, and felt so green I thought I would lose my cookies. I can't believe how awful these cramps were (and still are, although now they're more manageable...I can actually sit up for a bit). Usually, one Aleve and I'm fine in less than 20 minutes. Not today. Not even close. So much for my plans for the day! I think I'm staying put until I feel human again.

[FtMPapa]

msgoodbuns - That sounds so miserable. I'm so sorry. Are you feeling any better?

I'm starting stims tonight...wish me luck! I feel a profound sense of despair about this cycle. Maybe once I get some good news from the ultrasound or bloodwork or something I will feel better, but right now, I just feel like poo about it. I want to feel like it's going to work, but I just don't. I've gotta figure out how to snap out of this funk, and start eating some better food and taking better care of myself in the lead up to the retrieval.

Crazyrunningmama - thanks for the tip. It's happened to me each medicated cycle post-o, so I'm starting now on the veggies-water-bran program.

[msgoodbuns]

FtMPapa, thanks, yes, I am feeling better, but still have low level cramps. Too much progesterone, too plump of a lining. It all has to shed, and this is what that feels like!

I understand about not getting pumped up about the next try. It's really hard when you've been disappointed to such a deep level so many times. I wasn't even thinking my IVF DE wouldn't work, so when I realized I wasn't getting BFP's, my whole world was affected. Just digging my head out of the sand now, taking baby steps in all areas of my life.

Just hand in there and follow directions. The rest will come.

[wahine5]

msgoodbuns: I'm glad you're feeling better. That sounded pretty awful. How soon do you think you'll do the 2nd FET? I'm sure it's kind of hard to think of that now. Thanks for the tip on all bran. I think I should start preparing for the constipation. I start stims tomorrow night. At first I thought any injectables were stims. I'm learning thanks to this board

FtMPapa: How are you doing? I was the 1st shot tonight? I hope you get real good news after the u/s. Its hard enough to do this, let alone not have good feelings about it. But I totally understand the feeling....
I take my first stim shot tomorrow. Lupron hasn't been so bad. I had a dull headache and insomnia yesterday. No headache today. I hope I sleep tonight. Anybody else have these side effects from lupron? It's the microdose: 40 mcg 20 units twice a day.

MOMTOALEXIS: My RE uses the progesterone suppositories. I think for the 1st trimester. Does this sound right? Thats pretty long.

So tomorrow night I take the gonalF and the lupron. Should I wait in between shots or can I take one after the other?

[5terre]

Wahine You can (and should for convenience) give them both at the same time, in different spots. I find the stomach to be the most comfortable, and I read some speculation that it may be better absorbed there, so I always give the most important one (Gonal-F) there.

Msgoodbuns Hope you are feeling better.

Ftmpapa Hope you start to feel more positive as the cycle progresses.

Momtoalexis I haven't had to do the PIO yet (never made it that far in my cycles). It sounds awful. I can't believe you're still sore!! Yikes. But statistically they say it's better than the suppositories, so it must be worth it.

Had US/BW yesterday and I am really down. Only 4 maturing follicles, there may be a 5th, and E2 is not that high. I go back tomorrow, praying for a few more to squeeze past the 10mm mark, you never know. I really thought I'd at least get as many as last time, which isn't that much to ask for seeing as it wasn't even enough to proceed with PGD. I feel like I can't get a grip this week, and feeling pretty blue and emotional, partly that's due to the meds, right?