Fall IVF Thread: Let's hear it for the BFPs! - Page 6

[blueyezz4]

Laggie - cute story.  Hopefully you will get your 'free baby' on your Birthday!!  There is some good yoga poses to increase fertility too.  I posted them somewhere but not sure where it was.

Tenzi - we have a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy.  She is just about 4 1/2 months old right now.  The whole summer thread got the enjoyment of us picking her out and then bringing her home for the first time.  She is so cute.  My profile picture is usually one of her.  Her name is Abby.  Yay for hopefully being cycle buddies!!!! 

Belly -  I'm wondering if these new supplements I've been taking this month is making AF late.  Who knows.  I just wish if she was going to show up she would come and stop playing games. 

April -  What a pain about the nurse messing up that order.  Grrrr!!!  Glad to hear your u/s and bw were good. Fingers crossed for you this time around. Praying this is your month!!!

AFM - still waiting... i did have one spot a bit ago, but nothing else today.  Weird.  Like i said above... maybe it's these new supplements or something.  Sure hope they are helping the egg quality.  Our puppy dog is so funny. I got up really early this morning and didn't get to go back to sleep, so i thought maybe i'll lay on the couch for like 15mins and get a little cat nap in and Abby was resting on the sm. couch at the time so once i got up to go lay down on the bigger couch she was wide awake and just wanted to play and by play that ment she had to chew her rope toy while laying on me so i had the fear of being accidentally bitten, so no nap for me.  I get back up and go back to sit on the sm couch to check my email since she won't let me take a little nap and then she decides to jump on the little couch with me and falls sound asleep and is snoring now.  What is up with that???  So not fair!!!  Hahaha.  It's a good thing she is cute... she gets away with murder b/c of it!! LOL

[auraleigh]

hi ladies! hope everyone is doing well.

my RE suggests that once you start a cycle (IVF, not sure if it applies to IUIs) you treat your body as if you were pregnant.  no alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, little to no caffeine, no ibuprofen (only acetaminophen).  i've also cut out things like soft cheeses and raw fish/eggs just because i figure it can't hurt.  maybe acting like i'm pregnant will make me pregnant?  if only!  in any case, once i start stims i consider that the start of the cycle.

i miss coffee.  and vodka.  but mostly coffee.  my RE feels very strongly that caffeine is detrimental to fertility.  i got her approval to drink decaf so i've purchased my favorite coffee in a decaf variety. i think the ritual of drinking it tricks me into feeling more awake.  but i've also gone back to my lunchtime naps.  i sneak out to my car, put the seat down, put sunglasses on, and sneak in twenty minutes of sleep.  my husband thinks it's silly but it really saves me.  

today my bw and us went great.  RE said i have a lot of eggs, but they are still too small to measure.  my estradiol level was 85, which is nuts considering last cycle, same day, it was 35!  i guess upping me from 225 of the gonal to 300 really speeds things up! i hope i trigger sooner than last time.  i also hope i have enough drugs to last.  i just do not want to order any more.  EVER!

[blueyezz4]

Well, still no AF!!!  Grrrr!!!  I actually broke down and POAS too this am which is big for me b/c I don't normally like to do that, but I did and it was a BFN.. white as can be.  Just spoke with the RE's nurse and she said it may be the new supplements since my body isn't used to them.  So now I'm on CD 31 today. Normally AF is here on CD 29 so who knows.  Here is the TMI part... DH and I DTD last night and normally if she is going to start she will start the next day, but she still isn't here. I had more spotting though after that, but nothing at all this morning.  So I continue to wait............  I was so hoping for a "free baby"!!!! LOL

[bungalowmama]

Hey ladies! Sorry it's been so long since I've checked in. My last semester of grad school is in session. That plus working full time has killed my free time. I'm 8w5d with the twins and they're doing great! I'm even thankful for the all-day sickness as a sign that they're growing, but man oh man I'm ready for the second trimester. I've lost 10 pounds so far and it's starting to worry me a bit (though I was well-padded to start). I'm trying to take it easy and just hired cleaning help since there is no way I can get it all done.

My first ultrasound was at 5w5d and we saw two heartbeats and heard baby A's. At that point A was measuring 5w5d and B was measuring 6 w.My second ultrasound was at 7w5d and that time the heartbeats were much faster and we could hear them both. I think baby A was measuring 7w3d and baby B was 7w5d, so right on schedule. That time you could kinda make out the arm buds, but it may have been wishful thinking! My next ultrasound is at 10w3d and they said they'll be able to see a lot more by then, like the placentas and maybe legs. The two babies seem stacked right on top of each other high in my uterus so I'm hoping for good placenta placement. I've been having pains on either side of my uterus that my RE assures me are round ligament pains, not cramps. He told me that a twin uterus is the size of a singleton uterus that's 8w further along. So it's like I'm 16w5d right now, hence the stretching.

I'm rooting for all of you! It was a long journey getting here with DH's testicular cancer and zero sperm count. After four years of being told it was likely impossible, I feel very grateful. If anyone is dealing with MFI please feel free to PM me and I'll share what I know.

[blueyezz4]

Bungalowmama - Soo good to get your update and I'm glad all is going well!!!    Keep us posted... can't wait to hear the sexes!  Are you guys finding out??

AFM - well, i think AF is on her way!!!  Figures all it takes is for me to call my RE's nurse for her to show up.  Just want to get her over and done with.  Also, My RE's nurse said that we are suppose to use protection this whole month so that will prevent our 'free baby'!

[julieven]

ok ladies - i should really be working since I am absolutely swamped right now, but...DH had his appointment with the urologist today and guess what? Varicocele! I am in a tizzy. This could change everything for us. Previously it was just poor morphology=MFI. Now an actual diagnosis that is treatable. I can't work at all, I just keep thinking this might be it. If DH has the suggested surgery, we may not need anymore ART. No IVF in January!?! A free baby?!? Absolutely in shock here. TTC since Dec 07, seeing RE since Apr 08, ART since Nov 09...holy moley!

[blueyezz4]

Julieven - Wow,  that is great!!  I mean, that sounds awful, but it is so good to have an answer.  How exactly did they find it?  Did he have to have an u/s or something? So what exactly does that mean w/ your fertility.  I'm not very aware about this issue.  I always wonder if my DH should get checked again b/c he saw a urologist at one point and he said his numbers weren't that bad but if we don't get pregnant in 6 months to come back and that was 2-3 yrs ago and he hasn't gone back.  Now you have me thinking.  I sure hope that this is your answer and you get your 'free baby'. Keep us posted.

[renavoo]

Blue, the story with your puppy had me smiling and chuckling. Ah, I wish I could have a puppy too...my apartment building doesn't allow for them but I looooove dogs!! hehe you should pay her back by using her as a pillow for your next nap. ;) my poor dog (I had a springer spaniel when I was younger) had to get used to me using him as a pillow. I swear, he would let out this loud sigh like "oh no, here we go again" every time I made him lie down. hahaha Now, I use DH as my pillow- so much so that DH frequently reminds me that he's not a puppy. I think your DH should go back and get checked out. It can't hurt and seriously, with all the tests you go through, he should be put through some as well. hehe

Aura, YAH to a great exam!!! I can't wait for ER and hopefully, you guys get a lot of embies! I'm with you about the caffeine...I actually don't drink much coffee anyway, but I like tea. And once I go through any type of medicated cycle, I stop drinking it completely. Luckily, most of the time, I basically only drink water and milk. I'm a little concerned about decaf because apparently, there are a lot of chemicals used to decaffeinate the coffee so I won't even drink that. As for alkie, I think I drank a glass of wine once during my last stim cycle but I'm going to cut it out completely in preparation for this FET. I also really want to start eating better but it's so difficult because I really just like the unhealthy foods!

Julieven, I'm so happy you have a diagnosis and hopefully, to be able to not have to deal with any fertility treatments anymore!! I'm hoping that you guys can have the surgery soon!!

Bungalow, It's so great to hear from you!! you provide so much hope for those of us who continue to try and hope. Keep us updated on your babies!!

Big hugs, everyone!

[julieven]

Blue - I found this online that sounds like what my DH told me this afternoon (from CMRM):

Treatment options to aid with fertility include surgical varicocele repair, angiographic embolization, intrauterine insemination, in-vitro fertilization and medical therapy with clomid. Surgical repair offers the best results. Semen improvement is expected in up to 70% of men and pregnancy in up to 60% of couples within the first two years after successful repair (study by Madagar et al. Fertility & Sterility, vol.63, no., 1995). Even in men with worst case scenarios who were not candidates for In Vitro Fertilization because they had no sperm in the ejaculate or they have sperm that are not moving, varicocele repair restored sperm or motility in 55-69% of patients. Twenty percent of these men were able to father children after varicocele repair without any other assistance.

In DH's case, his Dr thought the repair would improve IVF-ICSI chances by 30%. Since my chances now are 50-60% (no female factor, under 35), that would be really high. He also thought it would bring him up to "normal" for a natural conception or IUI.

We also got our karyotype results back and we are both normal (chromosomally at least) 

[BellyBean]

Julie, that's great news about your DH!  It sounds like that might really help!  My DH has a varicocele also, and poor morphology.  For some reason though we didn't need ICSI when we did our IVF, he did the hampster test (sperm penetration) and I guess enough were normal to fertilize well.  How exciting for you guys!  I hope he can get in for surgery soon, but if he is like every other man I know, he probably isn't super excited about surgery "down there" :)

Renavoo, your positive attitude is unreal!  How many days left of BCP?

Bungalow, so glad everything is going well!  I am so excited for you!

Blue, bummer you have to use protection and can't even try for the freebie :) 

Aura, yay for a great start!!  Glad your numbers are looking good already.  Please remind me, do you have a tentative ER/ET date? 

How is everyone else doing?!?

AFM, well surprisingly my old RE didn't return my call today either.  This makes 3 calls not returned over the past week.  DH says I should just go down with the tank and wait there until he has time...it really might come to that next week.  I need to have them and my cycle deposit at the new clinic by Thursday.  Other than that not much going on...I wish there was something more I could be doing.  I go in for all my "tests" on Monday, it's going to be $1125 for a 30 minute (3 test) appointment.  That's $37.50 per minute!  Wait, Wait, Wait...seems like the story of my life :)

[auraleigh]

julie- this is amazing news!! i would give anything for a free baby! you and your husband must be elated.

renavoo- ugh, decaf is bad too?! my RE said it was fine so i didn't dare research any further.  i can't imagine a morning without coffee.  it may be my one pleasure i allow myself, considering i'm already pumping myself full of synthetic hormones. i've been trying to really eat healthy, which normally isn't an issue since i love fruits and veggies... but tonight i made turkey enchiladas and that probably wasn't as healthy as i could have made it.  oh and the banana pudding i'm making tonight (magnolia bakery recipe, better than any cupcake they've ever produced) is probably not quite fat free either.... but it's for a friend who is five months pregnant who specifically requested it.  i'm going to see her tomorrow and she promised to rub her belly on my belly for good luck.  i'll take anything at this point!

blue- maybe your husband should get checked out again?  it can't hurt, right?  let him feel some of the discomfort we go through with all of our visits! my dh had the nerve to complain about the urologist man handling him.  seriously?  as if i enjoy cold lube at a 7am ultrasound every day?  or the 50 people that have seen my lady parts in the last two months?  i say share the wealth!  plus if there is a 1 in a million chance you can be cured of infertility, go for it!  also, you should dance around in white pants.  that's bound to make af come faster.

bungalow- everything sounds so amazing! congrats! i love the updates, it gives me such hope.  

afm- day 6 of stims.  started the cetrotide tonight and stupidly put both shots on the same side, probably in about the same spot.  OW! lesson learned.  i also went for acupuncture today and looked like the guy from the hellraiser movies.  she put a million needles in my forehead because i told her i've been having really vice like headaches.  so far they've receded.  she mentioned how my whole attitude seems different this cycle, and it's true.  i'm much more mellow.  living life as if it wasn't happening, instead of last cycle where i let myself completely get lost in the stress and anxiety and panic of it all.   i wonder if this will make a difference in my result?  i'm sure a relaxed and happy body is a much better host for an embryo.  fingers crossed!

[ItsMeSri]

Hi All,

Last Beta was done Thursday. Hcg level are good. results was 95 expected 85. They are doing one more on monday after that they will Sonogram on 09/21/20111. I am just waiting for Sonogram to see how many babies grawing 1 or 2. I will keep posted here.

[renavoo]

Belly, UGH to not getting the call back from your old RE. I hope that he's just been busy and he's not upset that you decided not to go with him for the next cycle. It's just silly! i hope you reach him soon!! As for playing the waiting game, sigh, isn't IF just all about waiting. And I'm a really impatient person.

Aura, I love that you're so much more mellow this time around. If I have to do another cycle, I hope that that's how i'll be too. I was just telling one of my friends here that the process for IVF wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. it was a little inconvenient and sticking needle after needle in me wasn't fun by any stretch of the imagination but it really wasn't too bad. It would have been better if we could all get a baby without going through this though i don't know that decaf is bad. i just know that some people mentioned that they use chemicals to decaffeinate so it probably isn't great for you. I'm really lucky because I don't drink much coffee or soda. I looooove mint tea too so I'll just get a lot of mint tea bags and drink a lot of that. Hmmm can I drink raspberry leaf tea during my FET prep? Did any of you ladies drink that during the process?

Julie, YAH for great results!! When are you thinking for DH to have the surgery? I really hope that this helps and that you no longer have to worry about IF!

Sri, hope all goes well with the next beta and sonogram!

afm, Well, 7 more days left. ONE MORE WEEK! haha it is soooo long away! Oh well. Right now, I'm not really even thinking about it because I have some pretty annoying jaw pain and i also found a lump in my ear lobe. I just had it checked out by a couple of friends (one is a doctor and one is a nurse) and they think the lump is cystic, which makes sense because it's a little painful and kind of feels like a cystic pimple. My jaw hurting is a really annoying thing though. I'm wondering if it pain from the cystic pimple radiating out and impacting my jaw or if it is actually because I grind my teeth. I'll set up an appointment with my derm on Monday and hopefully, she can see me soon. And, I bought a kit to help prevent me from grinding my teeth when I sleep. hehe poor DH...this will be sooooo sexy when I go to sleep with a mouth guard in. Well, he likes football and those people wear mouth guards so it'll just be an extension of that. hehe

[auraleigh]

renavoo- i laughed out loud about your sexy comment!  there is nothing sexy about ivf, and even less sexy about pregnancy!  i visited a friend today who is five months pregnant and her symptoms are hilarious.  she has these weird hiccup/burps that sound like dinosaur screeches.  her husband calls her the pterodactyl.  and she said he claims that her gas keeps him up at night! what else do you do when a baby is hanging out on your internal organs?  in comparison, a mouth guard is so minor.  let's hope we all get to torture our partners with pregnancy side effects!

[blueyezz4]

Renavoo - I have to wear a night guard too!  I totally grind my teeth and had a cheap one and I ground through, so then I had to pay the big bucks to have one made from the dentist office.  Man,  our insurance really does suck now that I think about it.  I sure hope my DH's new job has better insurance even though they won't cover our IF stuff still!!!  I know my jaw bothers me sometimes too with the grinding so I hope the bite guard helps and the thing with your ear is something easy to fix.  Always something, isn't it?  I also have a weird spot i need to have checked out and when i called to make an appt with the dermatologist they said I can't get in until Dec.... nice.  So don't worry, you aren't the only piece of work out there Renavoo. LOL

ItsMe - Good news!  Keep us posted. I'm guessing one, but you never know.

Belly - Agggghhh!  What is up with that!! I would call them on Monday or just show up at the office since he never called.  Good luck with your test on Monday - keep us posted!

Aura - i told my Dh all about it and he said that can't be his problem b/c his numbers aren't that bad and some other reason.  I don't think it could hurt to get checked but i'm sure he will never go so i'll give it up.  Just getting him to take his vitamins and give his "sample" for "game-day" is hard enough.  LOL... j/k he isn't too bad but I always hear something about it!!!

Julie - glad to hear you both are "normal".  Do you have a surgery date set or what is going to happen next?  Also how did the Dr. find it just with an exam or did he do like an U/S?

[BellyBean]

So I had a HUGE post earlier that got eaten up :(   Looks like Blue channeled what I had to say though :)

Renavoo, I say get a cute little jersey and call it a sexy set :)  I have an expensive one from my dentist, but I don't wear it enough and now I get headaches when I wear it since my teeth have moved a little.  My DH always makes me say things when I have it in because he thinks it's funny!

Itsme, great news!  Sounds like 1 to me, but you never know till the ultrasound.

Aura, glad you are more relaxed this time around.  I think it helps!  I know with my first FET I was super relaxed, it was an ectopic, but the closest I have had to a positive!  Keep up with the acupuncture and calm vibes!  Send some my way if you have any extra, haha!

Glad things finally got busy around here today...slow weekends are the worst on these boards.  Maybe we should have a 2 post minimum, hehe, just kidding!  Hopefully everyone is just busy enjoying thier weekend!

AFM, bored and axious at the same time.  Transfer is in a little less than 7 weeks.  Luckily we have a trip planned to California to visit family and my DD's birthday in October...maybe time will start going a little quicker (not that I want her to get any older!).  I really need to focus on living one day at a time and enjoying it!  I hate it when I wish the days away. 

[Kewpie80]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but my DH has varicocele and had the surgery in 2009.  I really hope it helps your husband.  It didn't help in our case other than stop the ache that he constantly had.  His SAs were just as bad as before the surgery and he's repeated the SAs every 6 months since.  That's NOT the case for everybody, but we both went into a huge depression after we found out it didn't help.  I was set to believe that it would fix everything too and the urologist told us we would be able to avoid IVF and just do IUIs or maybe clomid. Just don't put all your faith in it in case it doesn't help. 
 

Originally Posted by julieven 

ok ladies - i should really be working since I am absolutely swamped right now, but...DH had his appointment with the urologist today and guess what? Varicocele! I am in a tizzy. This could change everything for us. Previously it was just poor morphology=MFI. Now an actual diagnosis that is treatable. I can't work at all, I just keep thinking this might be it. If DH has the suggested surgery, we may not need anymore ART. No IVF in January!?! A free baby?!? Absolutely in shock here. TTC since Dec 07, seeing RE since Apr 08, ART since Nov 09...holy moley!

[renavoo]

i think all this stress is making us all grind out teeth!! I hope the amazon mouth guard works out because I don't know whether my insurance covers a dentist made one!! But today, my jaw hurts a little less and is more sore and stiff. sigh. What a weekend! And now I'm going to go torture my body some more and go to the gym. It's a beautiful day outside though!

Aura, hahaha to your friend's experience! it's so funny because i feel like women overall tend to be a little more cautious about their bodies and the noises that come out of them. My DH, on the other hand, absolutely has no compulsion with his bodily functions and sounds; he's very open to letting out air any which way. his excuse is that it helps him feel better when he lets it out. Most days, i think it's a hoot (hoot- hehe) but on certain days, the noise gets to me. I just made my DH watch the Notebook yesterday. He's been trying to get out of it for so long but he actually thought it was a great movie although "really really depressing" as he says. I still think that it's one of the most beautiful love stories.

Belly, i'm SO with you about wishing for time to go faster and then regretting the thought. Time already flies so fast...I don't know where the summer has gone! But i really want to enjoy each day not wish that our days would speed by. i wish I knew the secret. Honestly, I try to fill up my days with fun stuff but every day is such a chore because I'm just trying to get through the different regimens to reach October 14th. The weekends are days to savor though...the weekdays are the worst...not only do I want the days to go by because of the IF thing but also, I want them to go by because of work. Can't win!

Blue, UNFAIR! We have to always be in such uncomfortable, awkward positions that our DHs should be happy to go get checked out (ok not happy but still! ) My DH also gets uncomfortable when he has to give his "game day sample" (love that terminology, especially during football season!) so he always makes me get a cup so he can do it at home. The one time we went to the clinic to give a sample, he really really did not enjoy that. And since i don't want to make him more uncomfy than he needs to be, I'm more than happy that he is able to get it at home. He always feels so much pressure to perform. Not that he shouldn't! but I always feel bad about it.

Kewpie, hope all is going well with you!! How is everything? Also, it's good to have the proper perspective about each of our procedures so thanks for giving your experience. Too many times, I feel like we all get our hopes up and then feel extra defeated when things don't go well (For instance, many of my friends got pregnant off of the first IVF cycle. When we didn't, both DH and I were extremely devastated probably because we didn't set ourselves up with the right expectations.)

Regardless, here's still hoping Julie and her DH get the results that they are hoping for!!!

[julieven]

Hi all - So I am realizing that I may have went a teeny bit overboard with DH's new diagnosis. It was so exciting to actually have an identified thing that perhaps could be fixed. The plan is for DH to get a newer SA and meet with the urologist again in three weeks. Those results will determine if surgery would be worth it. DH said he wants to get the surgery, but there is a chance that his results will be close to normal enough that the Dr won't offer the surgery since he has no physical symptoms to resolve. So more waiting...

[BellyBean]

Julie, I just realized I forgot to re-type my response to you when I lost my post yesterday.  Sorry!  My DH has a vacicocele also.  He didn't/doesn't have any symptoms but he does have poor morphology that they attributed to it.  He hasn't had any type of surgery for it, since his sperm penetration test was good and we were going with IVF anyway.  We didn't end up needing ICSI (since he past the penetration/hampster tests), so perhaps his morphology wasn't as bad as they made it seem after his first SA.  However, I do think the morphology (caused by the varicocele) played a role in us not being able to concieve naturally.  I really hope it's the answer for you guys!!!