Fall IVF Thread: Let's hear it for the BFPs! - Page 22

[Silverbird]

Hello hope people don't mind if I just jump in without catching up.

I was really touched to see you still had me on the frount page, thanks for thinking of us.

Anyway if anyone would like an update about me:

Obviously thinks have been pretty rough but I'm doing my best taking each day at a time.

Fertility wise: I had my first consultation about being treated as a singel woman today.  I have low AMH 4.9 so I'm glad to be getting on with it before it gets worst.  I need keyhole sugery on my remaining ovary and a dye test to check my tubes are open before I can get anything underway so need to chase the hospital about that.

Anyway good luck to you all espcially blueeyze, rcr, renvanoo and others who remeber me from spring.

Silverbird

[auraleigh]

hi ladies,

so many of you are about to cycle! so exciting.  for everyone on stims, about to start stims, or getting ready for FETs, I've got my fingers crossed for you.  i said it before, and i'll say it again, we need more bfps!!

afm, i haven't called the RE yet.  i don't think about it until late afternoon when i have a slow moment in my day and by then it's too late.  i keep promising myself i will call tomorrow.  and then the next day i say i will call tomorrow.  i think it's the ostrich technique, just kind of pushing it aside as if it will get better or go away on its own.  i really need to call tomorrow.

i started ww last week as well, renavoo, and have lost 10lbs in one week.  i think a lot of it was hormone/AF weight dropping off.  but my pants button easily again and i don't feel so stuffed into my clothes anymore.  actually since i did two back to back ivf cycles, i think i forgot what it feels like to feel NORMAL again.  not over hormonal, not bloated, less cranky (sometimes), less weepy (slightly), no more hot flashes, no cramps, breast tenderness.  just normal body feelings.  and i'm not hyper analyzing every flutter my body makes.  i missed feeling normal.  i think that makes it even harder to know we have to do it again.  i am hoping that whatever the dr says we can start up as soon as af comes at the end of the month.  but who knows? 

[BellyBean]

Aura, I hope you decide to call tomorrow.  I think you would feel a lot better if you knew what the RE thought and when/how you will start again.  So cool you have already lost 10 lbs.  I did ww before our wedding and I LOVED it.  I lost about 20lbs and I didn't think I could lose more than 10!  I got down below my high school weight ;)  I should have been doing it this whole year, but I kept thinking I'd be pregnant and would have to stop.

Renavoo, yay for ww!  Has ww developed a pregnancy plan (they used to make you quit)?  I know people that "loosely" did ww when they were pregnant.  Obviously you don't want to lose weight when prego (unless a doctor recommends it), but I do think it helped me learn that I can eat anything I want, but the portions need to be smaller than I'd like :)

Silver, I am glad you stopped by.  I often wonder how you are doing.  How exciting that you are getting ready to TTC again.  Please keep us posted.

Blue, hope your baseline goes well tomorrow, of course there isn't too much that could go wrong ;)  Have you tried BBQ pulled pork in your crock pot?  It's so easy and really yummy.

Deborah, I am curious too about why you can't have any caffiene?  Neither of my RE's have ever mentioned it, and I always write on the "survey" that I have 1 cup a day and on rare occassions a soda with caffiene.  I'd be rather annoyed by her tone as well, but like blue I would probably just stick it out unless it gets worse.

rcr, I transfer in a little over 2 weeks, on 10/28.  Wow, I can't believe you are starting already!!!  So funny about leaving DS with DH.  I totally understand :)  What a great idea about surprises each day!!!!  I bet he'll love that!

AFM, I can't wait for my lining check on Friday.  I really hope it's 9-10, which is what my new clinic prefers.  That would be the thickest lining I have ever had.  Mine was only 8mm during my fresh cycle when my E2 was 6000+, but I am using different drugs so maybe that will help.  Of course I would settle for 8, but I think if it is under 9 they will have me come back for another u/s before transfer to make sure it plumped up more (cha ching - $300).  And it might delay the transfer.  I still have my hopes on getting a BFP and having the u/s for heartbeat before Thanksgiving so we can announce to our family then.  What a wonderful thing to be thankful for!

[deborahbgkelly]

It was a phone message, not email, so the tone is unmistakable. The Doppler ultrasound is to check a certain artery in the uterus. I don't quite follow it, but my understanding is you don't want it to be too active or something. That is why I couldn't have caffeine for 72 hours.

[GaleTX]

So wow, this is a super HUGE thread, but I'm just going to jump in here on page 22!  We have been waiting and waiting and finally got word today that the research study we've been waiting on has more openings for IVF! I go on Oct. 21 for the screening appointment and as long as I meet the requirements, I'll start the process right away.  This is HUGE for us, as there was no way my DH was willing to pay the $19k we were quoted by our current RE.  I meet most of the requirements, I'll just have to have a serum anti mullerian to check my ovarian reserve.  I had to pass on IUI this month as I have to be off Clomid for 30 days, but it's a chance we're willing to take.  Fingers crossed the appointment goes well!

[TenzinsMama]

Wow, lot's happening on the thread the past couple of days, I've been reading but not posting (well, that's not exactly true, I had a bunch written but then when I went to go check out someone's post on a page other than the one I was currently on, I lost it all... and I was too tired to re-type everything).

Kewpie, how are things?  Haven't heard from you since day before yesterday, was it?  I've been thinking about you lots, and hoping all is well with you and the babes.

Deborah, I have never heard about caffeine affecting levels.  One thing I did want to say about caffeine is that there is a new study out that says there's a good chance that caffeine can affect fertility-- something about it causing small spasms in the fallopian tubes or something like that--but I don't think they said how much caffeine will do that, and if it is in all women or those with pre-existing conditions.  I'm not even sure if they did actual studies on women, or they did it on mice (poor creatures!)... However, I know that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, some acupuncturists tell you to stay away from it as much as possible.  One of the ladies I was seeing, she told me not just to cut down but go right off it.  Well, I couldn't give up my chocolate entirely, but I did do away with the 1 cup of java I had per day.  I don't know if that helped me conceive this last cycle, or what. 

Renavoo, Blue and Belly, good luck with all your stuff going on this week!  I hope baselines, news about transfer, and lining checks all turn out super well.  I'm so excited for you all! 

Aura, here's hoping that when you do get a hold of your RE, that you find some answers and come up with a plan.  Sometimes getting a new plan in place, although it takes a lot of energy after going through what you and your DH experienced, can really help. 

I'm sorry if I've missed anybody-- I hope all is well with everyone else!

AFM, I've got a lot of bloating happening, which I'm fine with, I was just surprised.  I guess after reading Renavoo's post I can assume that so much of it is the estrogen and progesterone I'm taking.  I've got an appointment with my family doc tomorrow, since it is about time for an annual check and I'm going to do the pre-natal stuff with him to start.  I don't see someone from my midwifery team until Novembe 25th.  On the advice of my wonderful current acupuncturist, who I saw last Friday, I'm just taking things day by day, and looking forward to crossing off the different upcoming things and reaching the different milestones.  So, the doc's appointment tomorrow, another acupuncture session Friday, and then on Sunday I will have reached the 6 week mark.  Then I start another week... This approach seems to be helping me get through the day without disabling worry.  I'm sad that my best friend isn't able to provide me with any emotional support right now... It's too long of a story to tell at the moment (I'm heading off to watch some Dancing with the Stars, and rest with my feet up), but basically, it comes down to either waiting for her to get in touch with me since having shared the news of my bfp with her, or, assuming that she meant it when she said that she was perfectly fine with my news and so I just carry on and do my regular 'friend' thing with her--texting, calling to get caught up, make plans for lunch, etc.  The thing is, we both have recently experienced a pregnancy loss, and we supported one another during those times... and during the past few months, both of us have been ttc'ing.  I know she is happy for us, but... KWIM?  So on the one hand, I'm being really sensitive to the other feelings she might be having (but just not acknowledging to me) and thinking that she needs some space, and on the other, maybe I should just go with what she told me... and if it turns out that she isn't that okay with things, then it is her responsiblity to tell me and we can talk about.  I wasn't going to share news of the bfp with anyone else--we are waiting to tell our families because we want to make sure we see the heartbeat on u/s at the end of the month-- but I did end up telling a friend who I recently re-connected with after a number of years, who is very dear to me.  That was a good thing for me to do, because it's very isolating for me not to have any network of support and encouragement.  But as for *L*, I just don't know what to do.  Any insight from you ladies?

[deborahbgkelly]

I think the small spasms is what they were talking about, but it is a particular artery, not the fallopian tubes. My fertility issues are well identified. I do drink caffeine, but not every day.

[renavoo]

Deborah, ugh to the nurses bad attitude!! I am with the other girls who have heard that caffeine in moderation is fine. I hear that we can drink up to 3 small coffees although I know that less is better. I'm lucky that I rarely drink coffee (although i love the smell and the taste) and soda (although once in a while, I love the bubbly!) I can't stay away from the chocolate though!! That's pretty impossible for me. :o) Anyway, I hope that the next interaction you have with this nurse is better. Hopefully, she was just having a bad day. On the off chance that she's affecting you so much because you feel guilty about having a piece of chocolate, please DON'T!!! Having a piece of chocolate is a woman's right...it's silly and improbable that it would affect your test at all!!!

Belly, my fingers and toes are crossed for you!! i am waiting anxiously for your lining report and I hope that it's now nice and thick. The injection is supposed to work much better than the oral estrogen and possibly even the suppository...and you seemed to respond quite well to the suppository! So I feel like you're going to be getting a good report.

Blue, YAH to the US this morning...let us know how it goes. Ah, It begins again...it's so exciting! haha i don't cook so i don't know anything about crockpotting but i'm sure the food you cooked was great...and appreciated. We are always our own worst critic!

Gale, YAH for getting free (?) IVF! That's huge!! What kind of study is it? it's really wonderful that you were able to take advantage of this opportunity and i hope you fit the criteria! What is the criteria, anyway?

Silverbird, it's fantastic to hear from you and I'm so happy you signed on to give us an update. Are you going to be getting IVF? Or are you aiming to try an IUI first? I hope that your tests and surgery go well. I've never heard of keyhole surgery (not that I've heard of any of these other terms either prior to starting the process) but i hope it's not too major!! I'll be thinking of you and looking forward to your next update!

Laggie, I actually was on weightwatchers before and i loved it. i'm not too much of a fan of the new weight watchers...it's all about changing your diet while the previous plan really allowed you to eat what you wanted. They fixed up the plan because they realized that too many people were not eating healthily. So, this transition has been really difficult for me and it's only day 3. Honestly, I've already screwed up on the plan...hehe but I am loosely following it and not stressing too much. I find that the plan usually works for me just because it makes me acknowledge what I eat as opposed to anything else. In the last couple of days, I've been eating more fruit and less snacks so that, in and of itself, is worth its price...I think ;o) In just a couple of weeks, you're going to begin!! How long are you taking lupron for?

Aura, I'm so jealous of your weight loss!! :o) You have a lot more dedication and will power than I do, that's for sure! Anyway, I hope you speak with your RE soon and that he gives you some good options! Do you and DH have an idea of what you would like to do in the future? Did you put some questions together?

Anyway, ladies, I hope everyone is doing well and I just wanted to give everyone all around. I'm pretty much just biding my time. Have a client meeting today so i think today will go by quickly. We're going to leave nyc tomorrow afternoon (sniff, I won't be getting my iphone delivery tomorrow then. darn timing!) and then the transfer will be sometime on Friday. I'll stay overnight in bed and on Saturday, it's back home! YAH! haha

[Kewpie80]

Silver - It's great seeing you here again.  I think of you often.

Belly - I'm sending you thick lining thoughts!

Gale - Welcome to the group! How awesome that you get to be part of a study!  I'm assuming this means a discounted rate?  Good luck to you.

Tenszins - Yeah, I've been really tired, so I haven't been on here much the last few days.  Being in the hospital = no sleep and I've been trying to get back to feeling normal again.

AFM - I got home from the hospital on Monday, early evening.  I started spotting just walking up the stairs to my apartment, so I'm definitely staying low and not going anywhere or doing anything except dr appts.  The babies seem to be completely unfazed by all of this and have been just as active as ever which is really reassuring.  DH has taken over all the house stuff and I'm doing anything I can do from bed... bills, grocery planning, etc.  DH is being SO supportive and it really helps.  It's hard for me to step back and accept help.  I'm one of those people who does it all and prefers to do it alone, so this is an adjustment.  If i can make it till Halloween, things will look decent.  My goal is to make it to at least Thanksgiving.  I have my next OB appt in the morning and my next perinatal appt in about a week.

[Tear78]

Kewpie, isn't that ridiculous how much they keep you awake in the hospital? When we were in for a week DH and I both started to feel twitchy, angry, and abused. I'm glad you're home, and that the babies are doing well. You ARE doing it all right now for those little ones, so try to look at it that way. I hope those babies stay put for you until at least Thanksgiving!

Thanks to everybody for making me feel like my presence is still welcome and appreciated. Thinking of you all!

ps - Tenzin, I would have felt sad if my best friend stopped reaching out to me because she was afraid of hurting me. (We had different situation, but similarly hurtful to me. She got pregnant while I was struggling to get pregnant). I think if you reach out to her and just let her instigate the pregnancy talk if she wants to, that she would probably appreciate having her friend in her life. Just my 2cents.

[blueyezz4]

Tear - it's always great to have graduate's insight and we want everyone to feel welcome!!! 

Kewpie - Glad you are home and relaxing.  Fingers crossed you get to Thanksgiving!!!  You will have a lot to be thankful for this year!!! Keep us posted.

Renavoo - good luck with your trip and i hope all goes well with the ET.  Fingers crossed for you.  The crockpot meal was not so good.  Pretty dry and not much flavor but DH and i ate it and had to pitch the rest (hate wasting food but I just couldn't see us eating it again).  The other meal i took them was a hit though so that was good.

Deborah - Interesting about that test.  Never heard of it unless I've had it done and they didn't tell me and didn't say anything about the caffeine part who knows.

Tenzi - I'm sorry to hear about your BFF.  I'm sure it has to be a little difficult but maybe if you just keep being her friend and not talk about the pregnancy stuff she will come around and ask you about it.  I guess you just have to put yourself in her shoes and think about how you would feel if the tables were turned.  That is probably what i would do.  I don't have a problem when my friends that get pregnant and I always want to be a part of it since I'm everyones "aunt", but if i had any IRL friends who had IF I'm sure it would be a little more difficult situation.  Good luck.

Gale - welcome!!  Hope your stay here is short.  Awesome that you got into that program.  Keep us posted.

Belly & rcr - how are you both doing??

Aura - i hope you got ahold of your RE.  I know i always feel better after talking to mine and getting a plan.

Silver - so good to see your name show up again.  What is up with the surgery???  Fill us in there?  Hope all goes well for you and always sending you hugs!!

Hi to everyone else too that i missed.

AFM - had my U/S this morning and all went well, i guess.  They were measuring all the follies which i don't think they were suppose to do.... i think it was just suppose to be to make sure I didn't have any cyst.   So supposedly there were 10 less than 10 on the Left and one 5x11 and 5 less than 10 on the Right. They didn't say anything about cyst, so i guess i didn't have any.  Kinda weird though... shouldn't i not really have many follies at all with being on suppression, No?? I've never seen the baseline report before so maybe it is totally normal at this point.  So now i will either have my next u/s on Monday in MI or Tues in MI, that is still to be determined.  I'd assume I'd start meds (fsh) on Sat maybe and hopefully can drop down to 5 units of Lupron tonight, but we'll see what the nurse says when she calls me this afternoon - that is my guess from past experience.

[deborahbgkelly]

So, apparently the test is to see what blood flow to the uterus is like. Seems pretty important to me. They said mine wasn't quite what they like to see. They didn't think the chocolate was particularly significant, but there's no way to really know. So, I will start a regimen of Viagra (vaginal suppository); yes you read that right, baby aspirin and vitamin E. If I am not responsive enough we may have to delay the cycle, but hopefully that won't happen. Additionally, in terms of the issue with the nurse, a different nurse called and I mentioned the concern to her in as benign a way as possible.

Edited by deborahbgkelly - 10/12/11 at 11:30am

[GaleTX]

Thanks for the welcome!  I am slowly but surely catching up on the group reading (ha!) and hope to do catch-ups like the rest of you soon.  I lurk every so often, so I'm familiar with some of your stories.  I definitely need to start back at the beginning, though, so I can see how the story properly progresses!

The study is for Menopur and Bravelle to be used in conjunction in a single syringe.  I'm told by the RE that this has been done for years already, but the pharmaceutical company wants to market the combo drug instead of the doctor/patient having to mix the two, thus the need for a study for a label change.  The company gives $2500 towards the cost of IVF, pays for all the required labs/testing, etc and covers the costs of all medications.  So, it will cost us $6500 to do it.

Criteria is age 18-42, diagnosis of tubal or unexplained infertility, male partner with adequate semen analysis, eligible for IVF and a BMI between 18-32. The nurse I spoke to said the big one catching a lot of people is the anti-mullerian hormone test to check for ovarian reserve because they want it above a certain level.

How long does an average cycle take? I know it depends on how well the eggs mature, etc., but is there an average timeframe?  When I go to my appointment on the 21, I will hopefully be on CD 2-3 (with the help of bcp) so they can draw all the labs they need. I'm just trying to get an idea of what we are in for if we meet the criteria.

[BellyBean]

Deborah, I had a blood flow u/s down this cycle at my new clinic.  Did they "measure" the sound waves of the blood.  It kind of sounded like a heart beat :)  I wasn't told to abstain from caffiene though, so maybe it was a different test or perhaps different clinics have different procedures.  They told me if there wasn't enough blood flow to the uterus it might explain my lining issues.  My measurements were fine, but they said if it was low they would recommend a certain type of accupuncture.

Gale, I hope you can get in the trial, sounds like a great deal and very promising.  I used bravelle with my fresh cycle. 

Blue, I love that you are basically an RE (minus the official training!).  It's funny how much you learn through a couple cycles!  I hope this is your cycle!!!

Kewpie, ugh to more spotting.  Glad you are taking it easy and DH is being so wonderful!

Tear, love it when you stop by and visit with us!  Thanks for always cheering us on :)

Renavoo, I haven't looked at the "new" ww at all, but I have heard a lot of people say it isn't as good as the old program...of course I like that fruit is "free" now!  Only a couple days till transfer!!!!!  YAY!!!!!!!

Tenzi, I am catching up on DWTS right now :)  I love my DVR!  Can't wait to hear how your u/s goes! 

AFM, nothing new here.  A little worried about my lining since I have less CM than I have in the past...guess I'll find out on Friday.

[deborahbgkelly]

I was about to post that I forgot they also want me to do acupuncture. Good timing BellyBean.

[TenzinsMama]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Blue and Tear, on the BFF situation.  I'm not sure if I explained it well earlier, but, the reason I've been struggling is that my acupuncturist (who is pretty much like a counselor, just short of having a degree, and her acupuncuture is focused on IVF and reproductive issues-- she herself has personal experience with things and she has seen a lot of women going who are ttc'ing, IF stuff, loss, etc.) has suggested that I might want to wait for her to approach me, in order to give her time and space to process my news, and sort out any feelings of loss that this may be reactivating in her from a m/c she had a few months ago.  This was my first plan of action, because, when I told my friend my news, I could tell by her reaction that she was having some mixed feelings about it.  (A couple months ago, she reacted the same way when a mutual friend of ours announced her pregnancy, and when I could see that happening I checked in with her and at first she told me she wasn't upset by it but that she was happy for her, but then a few weeks later she confided in me that she hadn't been 'okay' upon hearing the news.  So, I'm just sensing that some of this is happening again.)  So I've definitely put myself in her shoes throughout all these months with everything that has happened, asked her if there was anything she needed from me-- all the things that I had found helpful when I had my losses-- but she kept insisting she was fine, until later on she tells me that she isn't.  And it's not been difficult at all to have empathy, because I know what I felt like when months ago she was the one pregnant and I wasn't.  So I was particularly careful in how I told her and openly acknowledged that I thought it could elicit painful emotions upon hearing my news... but I tried not to assume anything, or project my feelings onto her, either.  But again, she tells me she is fine with it, she's over things...  So I don't know what to think... Sometimes I think that I shouldn't even be on this thread anymore, because I don't want to cause anyone else any pain inadvertently-- after all, I didn't even finish IVF, and so if there is any 'impostering' then that would have to be me!

[TenzinsMama]

Kewpie, wanted to say, YAY for getting out of the hospital and for you and the babes having such resolve!

And, Blue, I know what you mean about crockpots-- sometimes things turn out really well for me, and others, not so much.  I've got a recipe for Butter Chicken that is a great 'take-over' meal, I don't do it in a crockpot... but it's super easy.  And delicious.  A friend of mine brought it over to me during a time of need, and I HAD to get the recipe from her.  I'd be happy to share it!

[renavoo]

Hi Ladies,

I'm so happy the day is winding down! Had a client meeting today and while it was actually a lot of fun (I love these particular clients) it was also exhausting! And I feel more and more tired everyday, since starting the endometrin.

Belly, I had days with and days without the CM, even on vaginal estrogen. It was really surprising because some days, it was so comparatively dry that I was worried something was wrong. I wiped multiple times and even tried bearing down! I was worried that my lining would be insufficient too. And, as you know, my lining is nice and thick. haha I was actually worried when they told me it was 13mm that it was TOO thick! So, I'm thinking you're going to be fine and you're going to have nice fluffy lining, all ready for the transfer and implantation!

Gale, good for you! haha I'm a little jealous because I wish I found a clinical trial center around me then! That's a significantly lower cost for IVF! Let us know how everything goes. I hope you get into the study without any trouble whatsoever. Generally, the stimulation phase of IVF is about 8-12 days, depending on how quickly you progress. I ended up needing to go all the way out to 13 days and generally, I haven't seen mention of an 8 day cycle yet but I think 9-10 days is pretty good.

Blue, yah to having a good report! I wonder if they were looking at the follies the same way that they would look to get the AFC? Maybe it just tells you how likely you are to respond to stim treatment? And with a number like you've received today, you're looking really good!!! That's really quite amazing. After BCPs, they also counted my follies but I only had like 7 or so...I was a little worried about that because i was concerned that that was my AFC and I didn't want to think what that meant if I had to do another cycle...but I decided to put it to the back of my mind for now! By the way, I just want to HUG your puppy!!

Kewpie, please feel better soon and I'm so happy that DH is being so supportive! Soon, hopefully, you'll be used to being taken care of hand and foot! Enjoy it!!

Tenzin, I forgot to reply that I'm so sorry that your friend is treating you so badly. I know we all wish we could get pregnant more easily and quickly but to be so mean to someone who did get pregnant is just not fair. It's not YOUR fault that you got pregnant before her!! I guess you need to just give her some time to get used to the idea and become happy for you. You have us to talk to then and listen in!! We're here for you!

Ok, so I'm going to dinner today and then tomorrow, we'll be on our way to MD! I'm so excited but nervous. My nurse was supposed to get back to me about what time I am getting the transfer on Friday (she promised she would email me the time today) but she didn't. When I wrote to inquire, I got an out of office email saying she's been out all week. Nice to have promised something when she was going to be out!

Oh well!

[blueyezz4]

Tenzi - yes, do share that recipe.  Is it like the Indian Butter chicken if so I'm in big trouble b/c I love Butter chicken from Indian restaurants!!!  Feel free to either post it or PM me with it whichever is fine by me.  Also, don't feel like you don't belong here.  You were on the path to IVF and understand IF for sure, so for sure you are welcome here.

Belly - Yep, I feel like i have gotten an education for sure over these last 5 yrs.  Too bad I don't have the credentials to put behind my name for it and can give out large bills they they give me!  That would be a great way to make extra money!! LOL.  I'm sure you will have days where there is more CM than others so i bet that is totally normal.  Let us know how it goes on Friday for sure.

Gale - That program sounds great!!!  It is kinda hard to say b/c you don't know what exact protocol your RE will put you on, but this protocol I'm on now is the Long Lupron protocol and from like start to finish for me (everyone is different depending on how fast and strong their eggs stim) will probably be like 30-31 days from the first shot of Lupron - to start suppression to the possible Egg transfer.

Deborah - glad to hear they got you started on something to increase your blood flow.

Renavoo- bummer about that nurse.  what is up with that!!!  Did you call or maybe you can call tomorrow.  Abby would love to give you kisses when you give her that hug!!!!

AFM - Talked to the nurse and she dropped my Lupron down to 5 units and Sat night I start Gonal F and Menupor and then my next U/S in MI will be on Tues morning.  So the puppy and I will be driving up after my pap on Monday morning probably will leave after lunch time.  I feel like I have so much to pack and get done, but i'm glad i have the extra day to get things organized for these two weeks.  Yeah!!!  Lets get this ball rolling!!!

[Kewpie80]

Tear - Yeah, it's crazy. At one point, I kept track and I was woken up every 20-30 minutes between 2am and 5am.  By monday, I was almost in tears cause I was just so dang tired and just wanted to go home so I could sleep.  I feel like I've caught back up and I'm feeling pretty good today.

Blue - If I'm remembering correctly, they would count follies when I was on supression too.  I think he called them early follicles??? I may just be remembering wrong, though.  I'm so glad you're getting going!!

Deborah - I hope you respond well!!

Gale - Wow! That is such a great deal on IVF.  I hope it works for you!!  My first cycle was a really long one and I stimmed for about 15 days.  They had trouble getting my dosage just right to make me respond quick enough.  My second cycle went better and I stimmed for about 10 days, which is pretty average, I believe.

Belly - I'm still sending you thick thoughts! 

Tenszins - I'm sorry you're having a difficult time with your friend.  I've found that even after going through IVF and loss, that I feel awkward around those whom I know are struggling and either don't know my story or are bothered that I'm currently pregnant.  It would be so much easier if we all could just get pregnant like everyone else.  Being in your friend's situaltion before, I would be willing to bet that she is probably happy for you, but just feeling sad that she can't join you. She might even feel a little jealous.  It's a hard spot to be in. I would give her some time to get used to the idea and she may come around in time...unless she decides to be immature about it.   

As far as hanging out here with us, we'd love to keep you.  We've got people who pop in who did IUIs and some who aren't doing anything.  The support is nice and we'd love to hear how your pregnancy progresses.  It doesn't matter HOW your baby came to be. Please stay!

AFM - I'll be heading to my follow up with the OB today from my hospital visit in such a little bit.  I really don't know what to expect, but hopefully it will go smoothly.