Queer Conceptions February 2012 - Page 9

[Cananny]

Morning...
Just a short post...back my 3rd u/s....there is only one big follicle from 12 on Friday....i'm not feelin very hopeful this cycle....its been hard for my re to find my ovaries....they are playing hide and seek.....i'm going to trigger tomorrow night and then do iui Thursday and maybe Friday.......

Will post personals later

[mtnlisa]

Hi all! I'd like to be added--I think you could say waiting to O. I won't be great at personals as DD is 14 months and keeps me pretty busy. I am having my second postpartum AF and so excited! Our RE is willing to let us try while continuing to BF so we will monitor OPKs and then have an u/s if it looks like I am actually ovulating. We have one vial of sperm from last time sitting at her office since we got lucky on the first try last time (with clomid).
Has anyone had an AMH level above ten? I don't think I had it tested last time. I don't seem to have any other PCO symptoms.
I am SO excited about having another baby!!

[lisedea]

Cananny-Good luck with your IUI! I know you aren’t feeling very positive, but one follicle is all you really need! How many insems do you normally do each cycle?

Happycalm-Sorry about the BFN!

Carmen-I am thinking about you—and will be tomorrow. What time is your appointment?

Nosreves-Hope your trip to Belgium went well! Heartburn sounds like a very promising symptom to me!

Allison—it looks as though your DW and I are very close in our cycle! Nice to wait it out with someone…

Rs11 and outdoorsy—Positive OPK yet? Do either of you have fade ins or are they all of a sudden positive?

Welcome mtnlisa! Did you have a level above 10? Is that why you were asking? Mine is low so I definitely haven't...

I am 4dpo--my insem when pretty well last Friday. I went in on Thursday evening for an u/s and my egg wasn't ready so I went back in on Friday at 9am. My doctor still thought that I had a bit of time left so I made a 3rd appointment at 6:15pm (she is so nice...schedules my appointments on my schedule instead of hers--they close at noon on Fridays). Around 1:00ish I starting getting O cramps and by the time I made it to my appointment, my u/s showed that the egg had released. Pretty good timing...

[DesertSunsets]

Just wanted to say YAHOO! for you, Lise! Your timing sounds just fantastic.

I still read along with you lovelies! I think about you all often. I am sorry I'm not great at personals, the days sometimes slide by just too fast.

nosreves, I am so hopeful for you and DP this cycle. Wouldn't it be incredible to both conceive? Much love to you.

And a Happy Valentine's to you all.

[outdoorsy]

Lise, that sounds *really* good. I am cheering for your egg and sperm to make it work (maybe, since it's Valentine's Day, the egg could give the sperm some chocolates --- but since you insemmed Friday, that's probably already happened)!

Hello to Desert. I hope you are doing well and having fun with the pregnancy.

AFM, I'm still waiting for a positive opk, which is good, because I don't want it to be early. (To answer Lise, I used to have fade-ins, but recently I've used the digital, which doesn't give me fade-ins when I look at the lines.)

Happy VD (ha ha) to all.

[rs11]

Cananny -Think positive! You just need one!

Lisedea -I hope this cycle works for you! I do have fade-ins, even with the digital.

AFM: I got a faint positive (solid lines) on two OPK sticks this morning, so I went in for bloodwork. It was a false positive, as I haven't even started the process yet, but I'm taking the trigger shot at bedtime tonight and we're going to do the IUI on Thursday morning.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

[kgulbransen]

Originally Posted by mtnlisa 

Has anyone had an AMH level above ten? I don't think I had it tested last time. I don't seem to have any other PCO symptoms.
I am SO excited about having another baby!!

Mtnlisa: Welcome! There seems to be arguments as to what an AMH level above 5 can mean. The main thing is that you don't have a low AMH number which could indicate Premature Ovarian Failure or Low Ovarian Reserve. You don't mention how far above 10 you are but you are right to make a correlation between AMH and the possibility of PCOS. If you have a high AMH number, you might be likely to have a high Antral Follicle count on CD3. Have you ever had that tested ore more importantly, have you had a recently tested? Have they ever seen a "string of pearls" in your ovaries at this time? Have you had your fasting glucose level tested? Have you had your testerone level checked? Typically, to classify for PCOS, you have to have three markers but there is a wind range of markers so getting tested for all these things is your best bet in addition to observing others (i.e. facial hair, hair loss, etc.) Lesbians do have a higher rate of PCOS than heterosexuals so it's something worth exploring.

Cananny: Two of my three pregnancies were on just one follie so get discouraged. You just need one to release a good egg! You go, girl.

Krista

[nosreves]

wehrli -- thanks for jumping in with your own experience.  like you, i have a history of heartburn (or, more specifically, fairly severe GERD), and i was even on prescription meds for it for about ten years.  the ACV helped me finally get off the meds, and i was mostly acid-free until the last week.  i hadn't even thought of trying tums, because it never worked in the past, but after i read your post, i went to the pharmacy and found a french equivalent.  i still feel meh-ish, but the acid geyser in my throat has calmed down.  merci beaucoup for the suggestion!

sara -- yikes, you poor thing.  heartburn is a nasty thing, but i'm glad that you're finding some relief.  btw, i *love* your name choice.  

carmen -- yeah, it's annoying not knowing anything about the donor (other than the fact that he's danish), but we knew the rules when we became patients there.  unfortunately, it seems to be the rule in all of the danish hospitals.  it sucks, but it's better than being denied inseminations.  btw, DP and i will both be thinking about you and sending you warmth tomorrow from across the pond.

cananny --    DP has that same problem with hide-and-seek-playing ovaries.  at her u/s on thursday, the doc couldn't find them again, and DP was sooo upset.  she ended up ovulating pretty strongly 4 days later, though. i second everyone who's saying that you just need one good follie.  in any case, good luck on thursday/friday!  i'd love to add your name to the grads before i finish my stint as threadkeeper.

mtnlisa -- welcome back!  here's hoping you're as lucky this time around as you were the first time!

lise -- as i said before, i think that was awesome timing.  DP was in the same boat for her insem.  she got her positive on sunday and was having really bad O pains on our trip up to belgium the next day.  the pain continued right up until about 10 mins before the insem and then miraculously vanished.  fingers crossed super tight for you and here's some of that luck:  

desert -- thanks!  i'd love that, although i imagine it would be a pretty rough nine months in our house.  sending out big hugs to you and your DP, and i'll be sending out something a bit more tangible than that early next week 

outdoorsy -- i hope you get to insem in time to go to the ski jump competition.  that sounds like a really fun thing to go to.  

rs -- good luck on thursday with the insem!  f/x!!!

anna -- you taught me a new french expression!  i hadn't heard that one before, but DP confirms that it's quite common.  you're quite the font of useful info!

afm...  i'm at about 10dpo, and the acid reflux continues but has been slightly mitigated by some OTC/pregnancy-safe meds.  i also have really weird, burning boobies, BUT...i know these symptoms are all side effects of the hcg booster i had on saturday.  the extra hcg shot also means that i won't be testing at all, because i'll just get false positives.  DP has officially started vaginal progesterone, and she's already annoyed by it.  i think we're in for a fun two weeks here...  

[smilingsara]

nos, I like it a lot too! when will you find out youre pregnant?!!!!

[esenbee2]

Not sure where my post went with the results of this cycle.. I used my phone, so maybe that's why.

Well, I concede this cycle, BFN.    It looks like we aren't going to be able to afford this cycle.  Filed the taxes Friday, but it will take 6-21 days for the refund, so we most likely will have to wait until March's cycle.  :(

[lisedea]

Carmen--Thinking about you today!

esenbee--Sorry about the BFN. Yea for taxes, huh?? Although it is disappointing to have to wait, spring is an excellent time to conceive!

For everyone who doesn't make a ton of money (I only say that because you can claim anything over 8% of your income...and for some people, that would be a lot!!): Make sure you save receipts from doctor's appointments, sperm, sperm shipping, or anything else you pay out of pocket. You can turn this in as extra medical expenses on your taxes!

nosreves--When is AF due for you?

rs11--Good luck tomorrow morning!!

outdoorsy--Yea, the lines on the digitals confuse me a bit. I don't think they are meant to be read that way....I don't think mine (when I have used digitals--I rarely do) have had fade-ins either

5dpo. That is all.

[Hopeful22]

Started spotting last night with lots of AF like cramps. I am sure she is on her way.

I will be back later for personals. I hope you all are doing well.

[AnnaNotherThing]

nosreves- glad your heartburn is bothering you less.

My fingers are so very very crossed for you both.  It sounds like the timing for both of your insems was great.

And it sounds like you're both in for an interesting 2 weeks together 

(and yes, I would totally laugh if you both got pregnant. Not in a nasty way, but definitely in a 'I'd love to be a fly on THAT wall for the next 9 months' way  )

Carmen- i'm thinking of you today, too. 

Allison- gah, yes- i remember the stress of not knowing whether we got our house... it was a crazy few weeks. It all worked out in the end, but going through it was not fun...

Actually, looking back, it felt kinda like an extended TWW! But with a lot more money riding on it.

If the realtor is useless, could you get in touch with the management company directly to get the missing strata documents? At one point we just went and knocked on the sellers door as his realtor wasn't responding to phone calls for 5 days (and we had a total of 3 weeks from first viewing to taking possession- it was nuts)

We lived in the UK for a long time and tried to buy property for years (in London- it was nuts.) In the UK you don't have a realtor working for you when you're buying, so we were used to doing all the legwork and chasing up ourselves.

I hope you get your worries about PCOS cleared up.  I had a similarly worrying 'scare' before we started (lots of PCOS symptoms, blood sugar issues, etc), but all my blood work came back great and I was reassured that I'm apparently in excellent reproductive health.

It was stressful for a while though...

mtnlisa - welcome! So you're looking to maybe insem in 2 weeks time? Hooray!

lisedea- wow, your doc certainly is flexible with times! How lovely!

It sounds like your timing couldn't have been better! That's so great! I'm excited for your chances this month!

5DPO, huh? Fingers crossed!!

outdoorsy- how goes the waiting? 

hopeful22- oh, no, cycle buddy! I guess I really though this was your month.  Arghchzgh! that sucks.

I'm sending you lots of hugs.  And a bag full of chocolates. And maybe a glass of red wine?

(We've started a little tradition of 'welcoming' AF with a nice glass of red wine each month. It kinda helps, and marks the occasion in a nicer way i find.  The rest of the month is all herbal teas, acupuncture  and health food... but sometimes what is needed is a really nice wine.)

[AnnaNotherThing]

hopeful22- also, I did a double take looking at your avatar pic just now.

It really looks like an ultrasound to me! Before I read your post my mind went 'holy s#$t that was fast! how did that happen??!'... 

[outdoorsy]

Re the tax issue Lise raised, I'm not sure it's legal to deduct that stuff unless you have a diagnosis of infertility or are reversing a sterilization, but I plan to ask my accountant. My source so far is http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#en_US_publink1000178933.

AFM, I'm waiting for a smiley and feeling OK -- less discouraged than I was earlier this month.

Best to all --

[pokeyAC]

Could you please move me to Taking a Break?

We have decided to skip this month due to several reasons.  I have a doula client due this Friday and the idea of her being in labor at the same time as I need to go to the doctor's, pick up at the bank, and do the IUI's was giving me a lot of anxiety.  I don't want to have to leave her to go try to get pregnant.  It would be way too stressful.  Also, our midwife who does the IUI at home is going to be out of town all week.  We would have to make other arrangements with people we don't like as much.  So, we decided to wait until next month when conditions will be closer to ideal.  I figure my chances of getting pregnant are much better if I'm not freaking out.  I feel much less anxiety now since we made the decision, but we are both sad that we are doing even more waiting.  My wife burst into tears when I told her the midwife was going to be out of town.  She's been trying to be strong for me since I will be the one carrying the baby, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.  We were both very disappointed, but it was good to share our feelings.

I wish all the best to all of you!  The waiting can be excruciating, I know.

[lisedea]

outdoorsy--Interesting...my accountant never mentioned it only being okay if you are diagnosed with infertility (in my case, since I have IUIs through a clinic I guess it would probably be considered infertility--but I didn't start doing that until the very end of the year!). He even told me to make sure I included the shipping costs from the bank because any expense that goes into it counts (I even included my flights on and off the island). I would definitely ask! Let me know what your accountant says!

Hopeful--So sorry!

[prettyisa]

just threadcrashing really quickly about the taxes--our accountant didn't bat an eyelash about including sperm and shipping costs, parking garage fees (for any and all dr visits) or anything else related, including OPK and pregnancy tests. As long as it eats up enough of your income I think you can claim it.

[carmen358]

Thanks for the good thoughts. For those of you who don't read Q&P....u/s wasn't a surprise. Little one hadn't grown much and it's heart had stopped beating. I have a few options how to handle it from here and I'm going to start with acupuncture and herbs and if that doesn't work I'll opt for the medication the doc suggested that will bring on the m/c within a few hours (for 90% of women apparently). I want to avoid a D&C so hopefully I can. I'm surprised my body isn't just doing it's thing as this was never an issue with past m/c. Oh well. I feel good with a plan and I'm grateful I can move forward physically. I will likely be back here in April....I hope everyone is gone from here though
Edited by carmen358 - 2/15/12 at 3:28pm

[kgulbransen]

Carmen: wishing you the best during this difficult time. I avoided both D&Cs and medically induced miscarriages in all three of mine but I will say one thing looking back...it would have been helpful to be able to test the products of conception and possibly get some answers. The only way to get close to assuring that can happen is through a D&C. Two times I did the best I could to capture stuff at home but it wasn't the right stuff. Plus it's just plain distressing and difficult.

Just putting that out there in case you wanted to have that option. With multiple losses it is something you and I need to think on differently than someone going through their first miscarriage.

Lots of hugs,

Krista