New Year, More Bajingo Juice! TTC#1 in our 30s - January 2012 - Page 10

[lilacvioletiris]

Yeah, we will see TeamViddy.  Busy month and it is almost half through. 

As for privacy, you should know this forum is public, so if you post a link here to your chart, it would be publically "findable" even if FF had more stringent privacy controls.  I know I don't post anything I wouldn't want my mother-in-law or my boss to read.  I think the privacy on FF is awesome and basically unless you click " to share" no one can see your chart.  I find the sharing the most useful though since it is where I get feedback about whether my chart is "normal" or not.  Because of sharing my chart, someone suggested I was hypothyroid so I think it makes a difference.

[nemrac917]

PUH - He prescribed it based on my charts (and 8 day LP) alone.  

My cyst seems to be acting up a bit.  The last two nights at work, it's been somewhere between achy and crampy right in the area of my right ovary (where the cyst is).  It's hard to explain in words, but the feeling is localized to about a golf-ball sized area and I only feel it when I'm walking and my right foot strikes the ground.  It's a bit stronger when my bladder is full.  It's a very different pain than I had when it originally showed up and ruptured and I don't have any of the overly bloated feeling I had, either, so I'm not too concerned about it but it's enough to have my attention.  I'm wondering if it has to do with ovulation approaching... hopefully something in the next week or so will be O-day.

I have to say I love having a place I can share these thoughts, feelings, and happenings as not many people in my area are really in-tune with their bodies or really care to be.

[TeamViddy]

OK, I did it:  http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/3b37ed

Now I have to remember to temp every morning. I fell out of the habit a few months ago.

[doularebekah]

TeamViddy - Hooray, now we can all chart stalk :)

nemrac - I'm sorry to hear that your cyst is playing up, but I'm glad you're able to unload a bit when things are getting to you :) I'm sure we all feel the same way! Now that you mention the 'achy' feeling, I'm wondering if I might have a small cyst or something, too. I often get a dull but definitely there ache on my left side near my ovary but it sometimes almost feels as if its in my hip. It's weird, but aside from PCOS I've had a few cysts before and had meant to talk to my Dr about it so might when I see her next. Hope you're well!

Lilac - I totally vote for being lazy :) We can wait until March!

AFM - Ok, I have a potentially embarrassing story. I've been temping a bit during the my because my husband keeps mentioning that I feel warm and I wanted to see if it was because of the heat here at the moment or if my temp is up. So the other day I went to temp but my flatmate was right outside my window playing with his son. I felt weird about shutting the curtains so obviously, so I went into the bathroom to temp. I temp vaginally and without even thinking inserted it and let go.....then splash! My first thought was 'I think it's waterproof!' but when I looked for it, it wasn't there! I looked all around but I think it had just slipped too far back for me to see or something, and I wasn't about to go reaching for it so had to flush it away :( Such a bummer! I'd bought another BBT the other day but it wasn't working and I hadn't had a chance to exchange it, thankfully when I put a new battery in it today I realised that was all it was so really I just missed out on today's temp. Which isn't that much of a big deal but now is the time when every temp shift carries SO much meaning it's killing me to have to wait until tomorrow!

Aside from that, CD11 and no spotting yet! Hooray! No other AF signs, no cramping and my cervix isn't low yet so I'm trying not to get too excited. I tested yesterday (too early, I know) and it was negative so I told my husband not to let me even by another test until tomorrow if AF doesn't come. Does anyone know if your daytime temp has any relation to our cycle/pregnancy? Mine is definitely higher than normal and just wondering if that means anything.

[lilacvioletiris]

Funny to hear about the splash of the BBT thermometer.  I don't think the daytime temps can be directly correlated to pregnancy since your movement changes your temp.  But I would think it would be a good sign.

[TeamViddy]

Rebekah, that is hilarious. I can just picture it (and it's something I would do too)! I can't chart till the end of next week for various reasons so you'll have to wait :). Taking an internet hiatus.

In the meantime, good luck everyone!

[PoorUglyHappy]

Rebekah - oh no!  I know how it is to lose a few temps when you really want your charts to be accurate.   

Nemrac - I am so sorry to hear about your trouble with your cyst!  Hopefully it is just signs of O?  

Lilac - you are right about this not being the most private forum.   I do think that people would really have to be looking for me to find me on here.   I just don't think that my business is that important to anyone. Ha.

AFM - 3 DPO, in the 2WW here.  Let the countdown begin!

[pitchounette]

Hello everyone!  Lilac, viddy, PUH, doula, nemrac, and my sweet TT..... I've missed you all!  Good to see most everyone is in a good place, which can be so challenging while TTC.  Hugs to you all!

Just a quick update on my first Fertility Specialist appointment on Wednesday:

First of all, WHY did we wait 15 cycles to get professional help?  *facepalm* 

I loved everything about this clinic.  I told DH, "FINALLY here are some people who speak my language!!"  Our doctor, Dr. M, spent two whole hours with us.  We began by meeting in his office and doing a very detailed medical history for both of us.  He went over every little thing, and I just really appreciated that.  He looked at my fertility friend BBT charts and made notes on them. He listened to me, and answered my questions.  He also went over DH's semen analysis, and some of his levels are not normal (as my OB/GYN's office had told us).  So we may have slight male factor infertility.  We're doing another SA to compare and see if this is indeed a factor. 

Then, he went over my HSG x-rays with us.  Frame by frame.  Explained the whole process.  And in doing so, he determined I do NOT have fibroids AT ALL.  I may possibly have endometrial polyps, but the tiny spots on the x-rays could just be air bubbles.  Ha!  My left tube is definitely open and clear.  Right tube is blocked pretty much at the entrance to my uterus. 

Next, we did a vaginal ultrasound.  He showed me both ovaries, follicles, and endometrial lining.  Everything was perfect, and he even told me that my right side will ovulate this month due to those follicles being larger than the left ones.  I can't begin to express how much peace of mind these tests gave me.  It's just such a relief to see everything with my own eyes.

Then we were back in his office to make a plan.  He said we have 2 options.  Option number one, we can go straight for artificial insemination.  Get a sperm sample from DH, wash it, inject into me when my left ovary is ovulating (via ultrasound) and see what happens.  Option number two is to do a hysteroscopy and possible laproscopy.  This will let Dr. M know the exact condition of my uterus, ovaries and endometrium by looking at them with a tiny camera.  It will also let him clear out any polyps, and unblock my right tube.  It's considered outpatient surgery, and is pretty non-invasive (just 3 tiny incisions) but I've never been under anesthesia before so it kind of creeps me out. 

But we decided to do the surgery.  This is priority number one in our life right now (WHY are we not pregnant?!) and I want to have all the information before we do AI or anything else.  Plus, Dr. M told us that we may conceive naturally if we can unblock the right tube and clean out any polyps. 

My surgery is set for March 15.  In the meantime, he put me on birth control (talk about feeling counter-productive---my fertility specialist put me on BC!! hahaha) to keep my endometrium lining thin for the hysteroscopy.  We will stop the BC a couple of days after the surgery.

Overall, I feel GREAT.  Very encouraged, very upbeat and positive.  These doctors know their stuff!  Dr. M never even mentioned IVF so I know we have a shot at doing this the "easier" way, and that is a wonderful feeling. 

For the first time in months, I feel like I may actually get pregnant one day! 

Thank you for reading my saga... I just want to encourage anyone who may be "on the fence" about seeing a Fertility Specialist/ RE to go ahead and GO.  Yeah, it's expensive, but this is a health matter and I finally see it as such. 

Good luck and lots of baby dust to everyone!!  :)

[PoorUglyHappy]

Pitch, that all sounds like good news to me.  Hooray for progress!

[lilacvioletiris]

Pitch, that is awesome!  It is always nice to get working with someone who actually knows what they are doing to "make babies" in the first place.  I have always gone to my family doctor for all of my gynecological care.  Gives me more impetus to go see a doctor that can actually do something other than say "wait a year and if you still aren't pregnant, come back"!

[mexilady]

Sorry I have been out of the loop!

Great update Pitch! As it happens, our 1 year mark of ttc comes at the very same time that my amazing insurance kicks in, they will pretty much cover all fertility related stuff with the exception of IVF, so I feel really fortunate. We decided to go ahead and make an apt. with the RE in our network, as it is covered and I am sick of waiting with no answers! So we will go on March 1st and see what happens!

Hope everyone is doing well!

[nemrac917]

Pitch - Excellent news!  It's nice to hear that there are still doctors out there who will take time with their patients (my old boss, a GYN, was one of those as well).

Mexi - I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya that the appt goes well.

It looked like I O'd either yesterday or today, so I'm officially in my 2ww again.  We'll see if the Progesterone helps the LPD.

[TickleToes]

Pitch - I am so very glad your appointment went so well and that you are feeling good about it! It makes me feel more encouraged about some of my upcoming appointments.

I had my first consultation with my RE today. A friend (who he also treats) went with me because my hubby had to go out of town for business. I think I feel good about the meeting. It was all just so much to take in and what I really want are answers and promises that I know that the doctor can't provide. It was an unexpected "team" meeting... the RE had a midwife and an observing student with him, which was fine. It actually made me feel better to hear him show them my BBT charts and explain how the last pregnancy showed a strong pregnancy pattern and made notes about how my other two pregnancies had some differences. Its like all the obsessing over my temps and charting is now so worth it and valuable.

So, he told me that there are four avenues of testing for recurrent pregnancy loss. One is to check my uterus for a septum and to also do an hsg to check for blocked tubes. He is recommending that we hold off on those for the moment because septums generally cause miscarriage when pregnancy if further along, so that is not likely my problem. The second avenue is genetic testing on both me and hubby. He said only 5% of couples tested actually have any genetic abnormality that interferes with pregnancy and that there are no cures for them. But he said that being in the 5% isn't the end of the world because those couples have a 30-50% chance of having a successful pregnancy... so its a matter of determining how well one can gamble with the odds emotionally. We're skipping the genetic testing for now as well.

The third avenue is testing for antiphospholipid antibodies... which I think includes a test for lupus, an Anti-Cardiolipin Antibody Test, and at least one other specific test that I can't read his handwriting about. We are doing those on Wednesday... its just taking a bunch of blood. If anything is abnormal, then treatments can be discussed. However, I suspect that I've had some of these tests done in the past and they've all been normal. I know that I've been tested multiple times for lupus because that was part of diagnosing my fibromyalgia.

The fourth avenue involves more blood tests (that I think I might have also had before)... day 3 hormone tests for FSH, TSH, PRL, and something else. If all of these were run on me in the past and were read correctly, I expect the results from the same tests on Wed to be normal. So, I'm getting these tests done too. They are also going to do a sonogram to look at my ovaries for any developing follicles. My friend seems to think he's probably gearing me up to go on clomid.

I expressed my concern about progesterone. He explained that his stance is similar to my OB's in that research doesn't provide evidence that progesterone supplements can support a pregnancy. His stance is that progesterone is probably low for one of two reasons... the pregnancy isn't viable... or something is going wrong horomonally around ovulation and its too late to throw progesterone at it when you are pregnant. His approach is to look carefully at what is going on leading up to and around ovulation. My friend is a great advocate though and pressed him into conceding that even though he doesn't think it will do anything beneficial, that it he might consider proscribing progesterone to me in the future if I pushed for it, just to give me peace of mind. It won't hurt anything to do it.

He did say that as soon as I have any inkling that I might be pregnant again, to call him and come in immediately for early pregnancy monitoring... checking hcg and (maybe) progesterone every two days for at least three number rises, then an ultrasound at six weeks. That makes me feel better. I've been terrified of trying to get pregnant because I've been so scared of not knowing if I'm going to be cared for or not.

I did tell the whole team that I'm scared and hurting and needy and expect to be pampered. I simply cannot deal with anymore insensitive and/or insensitive physicians and medical staff. They seem more than willing to go along with that and were pretty understanding. So I hope this experience will be much better. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but even so... I left the office in tears. This whole process has been so stressful and I'm so sad. Its going to take me a long time to have any sort of confidence in my body's ability to produce a child.

[pitchounette]

TT, your update sounds promising... I understand about the tears flowing from just being in the office.  It's a strange sort of existence once you enter the realm of uncertain fertility, where anything and everything can become an emotional minefield.  I agree that the BBT charts were incredibly valuable for the initial visit, so it was a nice sort of validation that all those months of temping have a purpose.  :)  I just do not understand why your docs have been so reluctant to prescribe progesterone.  It can't hurt, can it?? That's frustrating.  But it's good to know that the next time you're pregnant, they will be swarming all around you from day one.  It will make a huge difference in your outlook and peace of mind.  Have they mentioned testing for fibroids or polyps?  Those can be problematic and cause recurrent miscarriage.  I'm a bit suprised your RE didn't order an HSG or similar test to check for any issues structurally since your blood work will probably be normal... but I'm sure everything will be looked at and investigated along the way.  *hugs*  I'm happy you're in good hands.  It sounds like we're both finally on the road to finding some answers. 

Mexi, that's great about your appointment next week!  And that's spectacular about your insurance.  Mine only covers a portion of fertility workup... our appointment last week cost us $2000 out of pocket.  BOO!!!  There goes our spring break trip!!  :(   But it's all good because we're doing what needs to be done, and I am happy with our decision.

Hope everyone else is doing well... is it Friday yet?? 

[PoorUglyHappy]

TT - I decided to look up the research on the progesterone issue.   My doc said the same thing about there not being any evidence in progesterone helping to support early pregnancy.  However I did find this article:  http://apps.who.int/rhl/reviews/CD003511.pdf

The author's conclusion:

• There is no evidence to support the routine use of progestogen to prevent miscarriage in early to mid-pregnancy. However, there seem to be evidence of benefit in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage. Treatment for these women may be warranted given the reduced rates of miscarriage in the treatment group and the finding of no statistically significant difference between treatment and control groups in rates of adverse effects suffered by either mother or baby in the available evidence. Larger trials are currently underway to inform treatment for this group of women.

The data specifically on progesterone in recurrent miscarriage is:

• The meta-analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in miscarriage in favor of those randomized to the progestogen group (Peto OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.70).

[TeamViddy]

Hey Everyone- I just returned from a week without internet in a warm place, hiking in jungles, soaking in volcanic hot springs and walking on the beach. Totally fantastic. It was a friend trip so there was no BD'ing but we got one in last Weds, and based on CM I probably O'd on Friday. So just one BD this month, and once again, not holding my breath. But I did have a lot of really healthy R and R for a week and almost (almost) forgot about the 2WW. I did, however, drink tons of the really good coffee they grow there. I couldn't help it, it was SO good! I hope that it didn't affect anything. Got back last night and forgot to temp this morning, hope that the routine will help me remember to temp.

TT and Pitch, thank you for sharing your stories. Best of luck with everything!

[doularebekah]

Hello friends! I'm sorry I haven't been around for awhile, I have been reading up on what's going on but school is so busy at the moment I'm having a hard time getting on here as much as I wanted. 

pitch - I was so happy to see your post, what an amazing sounding doctor! 2 hours is pretty incredible, doesn't feel so good to be listened to? It sounds like the surgery option is a good one for you guys, and not long to wait now! I'm really excited for you that you're moving forward :)

mexilady - Good luck for your appointment! Good on you for being proactive :)

TT - It sounds like things are looking up for you, I can imagine that it's hard to trust the forward movement though with the roller coaster you've been through. I think it's completely understandable that you're nervous, but it does sound like your new 'team' is looking out for you and has some good ideas for getting that baby. Please keep us updated, I'm thinking of you often! 

TeamViddy - It sounds like you've had an amazing time, well deserved I'm sure! I know we've talked about this before, but so often all it is is one or two BD's during our fertile times and really that's all it takes. Hopefully you can hold on to the relaxed vibe from your trip!

AFM - AF showed up on 14DPO (I'm no CD8), which obviously was a disappointment and also much heavier and more painful than usual. On the other hand, my LP was longer than usual which I'm really happy about, I'm not sure if it was the Vitex or B Complex but either way it's a good thing and I'm going to keep going with it. My temps seem to have stayed higher on average, too but I'm not sure why that would be. On a positive note, my husband was awarded New Zealand residency the day before Valentines Day! We're thrilled, and it happened in about 6 months which is almost unheard of. Because of that we're also going to start on our adoption application, which is super exciting. Adoption is something we've thought about a lot, whether we can get pregnant or not and now that Richard's a resident we can go ahead with it. It's exciting but to be honest also makes me a little nervous. It's such an overwhelming process, and like TTC one you can only have so much control over which as we all know can be tough. We're still carrying on with TTC but are just going to do the adoption thing at the same time and see what happens. 

Hope you're all well ladies!

[PoorUglyHappy]

Viddy - One time is all it takes- so maybe all that relaxing will lead to your lucky month!

Rebekah - we are going through the foster care process but our social worker said that we had to put it on hold until we were done TTC.  Apparently they won't place kids into your home if you are preggo or have a new baby. 

AFM - 12DPO and a big temp drop today plus spotting began.   So looks like this is not my lucky month.  I counted and this is cycle 25 of TTC for us.   I am ready for IVF but I also just took a new job to start next Sept and so I won't earn a maternity leave until the following year.  So now I am back to planning for a summer 2013 baby.  

Seems like we are a little low on good news this month!   Bring on the BFPs!

[nemrac917]

Looks like I'm out.   EWCF with a teensy bit of staining.  AF should be here within the next 12-24 hours, which means the progesterone did nothing for me.  I was so hoping it would at least lengthen my LP by 1-2 days to give me some hope, but if AF shows up sometime Sunday, I'm still stuck at 8 days.  Heck, that also means even the herbs/vit B6 isn't doing anything, either.  Boo! 

ETA: Maybe I jumped the gun at being upset?  AF hasn't shown and CF went from crystal clear EW to sticky/creamy with no spotting.  Color me confuzzled.

Edited by nemrac917 - 2/26/12 at 5:02pm

[lilacvioletiris]

Nemrac, your chart looks amazing especially the last 2 days with temp jumps.  Were they later times?  The bubbles were empty.

AFM, my chart temps are a little weird this month.  Not much change between pre-O and post O.  The highs pre-O are the lows post-O.  I figure this won't be our month.