Queer Conceptions - August 2012 - Page 6

[tandy401]

Pokey : sending good vibes your way!

[lisedea]

Pokey-- Oh good, I mean, chances are you wouldn't have 8...but what if???? Yikes! Hope your insem this evening went smoothly!

Jenny--I have made that same 'balance' statement so many times! It is so hard to find a good place between being positive but realistic. I was starting to get really negative about the whole situation so I took a break the past few months. Now that we started trying again this cycle, I feel better but still wish sometimes that I could go back to how blissfully unaware I was about potential struggles (I got pregnant on my very first cycle ever but miscarried--so it took me awhile to realize that it might be a long road...and it has been!). Ah well...someday.

[outdoorsy]

I'm back from vacay.

Congrats to Cananny and Zero! Cananny, I've read about so many of your ups and downs here. I'm so glad you got a BFP! Good luck to both of you for a sticky bean.

Tandy - Welcome! I live in MA. I really hope you don't have to make the shift from ICI to IUI! Unfortunately, I had to. If you eventually go that route, I can offer some comments about that process (and two local IUI locations via PM) if you like. To me, the best thing about switching to a clinic was not having to worry about the timing of ordering the sperm and whether it would thaw too soon, because the clinic keeps it frozen until you're ready. Looks like you are shipping from CA? Mind if I ask why you decided to do that instead of using a bank in MA?

AFM - My repeat u/s didn't show any change -- some small follies, but nothing ready to pop this cycle. RE recommended I try Clomid again, this time at 50 mg, compared to the 100 mg prescribed to me by the midwife's office a couple of months ago. Then I think she wants me to do a trigger -- which will be my first time for that. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for AF.

Has anyone's doc/midwife/nutritionist/etc mentioned to you the issue of low-fat dairy while TTC? I heard somewhere that it could be a problem, then found this article http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/09/can-food-make-you-infertile-foods-to-eat-and-avoid.html Apparently in one study women who ate low-fat dairy had a *much* higher rate of ovulation problems. Maybe this is common knowledge? But it's new to me, and I eat almost exclusively low-fat and fat-free dairy.

Edited by outdoorsy - 8/6/12 at 9:51am

[lisedea]

Does anyone know about the length of luteal phase while taking meds? Should it stay the same or does it change because of the extra hormones? The reason I am asking is that I feel like AF is coming with the kind of cramps I have and I woke up with night sweats last night (normally happens the night before AF). I am 10dpo and luteal phase is almost always 13 days....so three days early seems strange.

[JustAnotherJenny]

lise: I can't speak to the luteal phase length since this is my first medicated cycle.  However, everything you described is how I've been feeling since taking the trigger shot in conjunction with the clomid.  If 10dpo, maybe it's early implantation cramping?  I'm not really sure, hopefully someone else has a better answer.  Thinking of you!

[easttowest]

I guess we are officially on our first ever two week wait.  Seems like nothing compared to the year wait we had while trying to adopt (before deciding to move on to TTC), but somehow I know it's going to take forever.  We're also obsessive people who will analyze every little twinge, but we're trying to let it go.

Temperature still hasn't spiked, but she's always had a slow rise, and based on all other signs, she must have ovulated Friday or Saturday (we insemed Tuesday, Thursday, Friday).  Donor's tests also came back with good results (73 million/ml).  We'll try to wait for the missed period (ETA 8/16-18), but we'll probably give in and try an early detection test early next week.

Positive vibes to everyone - hearing good news from others will help the two weeks pass more quickly!

[pokeyAC]

Outdoorsy - It's so good to hear from you!  I was wondering how you were.  I'm sorry your follies didn't grow, but at least you know what's going on and you didn't use the sperm that you could save for a good cycle.  I hope AF shows up soon so you can move on to the next round.  I hope you had a relaxing and wonderful vacation.

I have heard that about low-fat dairy.  Someone wrote a book a few years ago about a fertility diet and that was one of the parts of it.  None of my practitioners have mentioned it to me.  I try to avoid dairy, but I do have a weakness for cheese and the occasional froyo.

Lise- When I take progesterone, it definitely makes my cycles longer.  When I was taking just Clomid, my cycles were the normal length but my progesterone was higher.  I suppose higher progesterone could make your cycle longer.  Medications that increase the number of follicles usually raise your progesterone too to support the luteal phase.  The cramps could be implantation cramps.  I had those around 10DPO.  Night sweats could also be explained by hormone fluctuations, but I couldn't say for sure.  Are you testing in a few days?  I have my fingers crossed for you that the symptoms are pregnancy symptoms and not AF.

easttowest - Good luck to you!  Try not to obsess too much.  Excellent SA results!

AFM - 2nd IUI went well.  We had a little scare because our midwife couldn't find any catheters in her office, but then her wife found one so the show was back on!  I'm pretty sure I O'd overnight because I woke up several times with some discomfort.  It seems to be less now.  I go to the NP on Saturday to do some bloodwork and check my ovaries for OHSS.  But now it's mostly waiting.  I need a pedicure, and I like to get one during the TWW so I will do that this weekend. 

to all!

[tandy401]

outdoorsy: thanks for the warm welcome! to answer your question about how we chose our bank: we just really liked TSBC (the fact of it being a non-profit, the low sibling policy, etc). I don't like having a huge tank that looks like something from NASA in my house for five days, but c'est la vie, I guess    what bank are you guys using? are you having a good experience? 

easttowest: we just entered our first tww as well! my period is due around the 18th too.  i don't know how i'll be able to wait that long... the heightened level of bodily awareness is crazy-making; everything seems potentially symptomatic. we did one insem saturday night, which felt like the right time; the other --on Sunday-- seemed a bit too late... good luck to you guys!

[JustAnotherJenny]

Pokey:  Good luck!!  :-)

I love all of the activity on the thread this month.  Lots happening and hopefully lots to celebrate.

AFM:  Today I am nauseous and crampy.  Beta on Wednesday, still BFN this morning. Still lots of pressure, still peeing tons.  Maybe I'm getting sick.

[pokeyAC]

tandy - We are using TSBC too.  I was just there this morning.  It happens to be very close to us, but the good reputation was definitely a factor.

[tandy401]

Pokey: It makes me happy to know your are using TSBC too!  Sending so much good luck your way!!! Enjoy your pedicure!

Question for anyone: how long does your temp stay elevated after O? If you are pregnant, does it stay up? or does it stay up either way?? Any thoughts will be appreciated. 

[kgulbransen]

Lisedea (ust doing a drive by to answer your question): LP should not change on meds. What might change is your ovulation time but the luteal phase is always the same in a woman, give or take a day. So if you think you're getting close to your AF, perhaps your O date was miscaculated. Is that possible? If not, then you are either A) feeling signs of AF earlier rather than later or B) pregnant! Good luck.

Krista

[pokeyAC]

Tandy - Re: Temps.  If you are pregnant, it will stay up because your body keeps making progesterone and that's what warms you up.  If you are not pregnant it should stay up until around the time AF arrives.  Mine tends to drop the day before AF.  It can vary. 

[mrsandmrs]

My LP with clomid/trigger shot was always 14 days, but I do have cramps/pms symptoms 3+ days in advance. Let's just assume you're pregnant though. 

My fingers are crossed for all you people in the TWW. We could use several more graduates this month, so get to it! 

I switched to TSBC for our next go-round. Non-profit status and word of mouth were major factors - everyone who uses them seems to love them and I mean LOVE them, not just Love Their Perfect Baby, which is the vibe I get from other banks. But mostly we found a donor we really liked. I have found their prices to be competitive although it seems they don't have as many sales as some of the other banks? Do they have sales at all? I don't know. But the customer service has been top-notch and I love the online chat. 

I read this book about "the fertility diet" http://www.amazon.com/The-Fertility-Diet-Groundbreaking-Ovulation/dp/0071494790 which I think is what Pokey is referring to. The book seemed to have good, reasonable advice, nothing too earth-shattering - get exercise, drink water, take vitamins, focus more on plant proteins than animal, skip low-fat/skim dairy, eat good fats, avoid trans and saturated fats, slow carb not low-car (whole grains, not processed starches), maintain a healthy weight, and so on. 
 

AFM - We have injection training this week. I shudder to think of all those tiny needles, but I'll soldier on. 

[mrsandmrs]

Oh - side question, there have been several conversations about coQ10 and other supplements for egg quality, does anyone (Krista?) have a link to a reputable site with more info about how much / how often to take these supplements? thanks! 

[hoping2bmoms]

I haven tbeen around much but please add me to the tww I will be back later to fill in the details

[JustAnotherJenny]

I can speak highly of the book mentioned by Pokey and MrsandMrs ! You may have heard of it referred to as the Harvard Nurses Study -- that book basically provided the building blocks to all of the changes I implemented 3.5 years ago when I had no cycle after coming off of birth control pills.  Those changes coupled with acupuncture (and once again a shout out to the Community Acupuncture clinics out there that make it affordable to actually get treatments!) and an overall effort to just eliminate as many toxins as possible eventually worked. It took a lot of time.  For me, I found that cutting gluten also made a huge difference -- turns out I had Celiac.  With each change, though, I saw measurable results.  Honestly, I never really lost much weight until recently.  Even now though, I'm still obese weighing in at 254lbs and a mere 5ft 3in.  Despite the weight, my bp is picture perfect and so is my cholesterol.  My biggest struggle is removing refined sugar totally from my diet.  I like sweets... and potato chips... I am seriously the healthiest eating fat person you'll ever meet. LOL!  (despite the chip habit)

[easttowest]

Just to throw our voice into the opinions on TSBC: We had really - and I mean REALLY - poor customer service.  Rude, condescending, made some strange assumptions about relationships given that they bill themselves as queer friendly.  If things don't work out with our KD, if we ever need to purchase sperm, we know where we will not be going.  Good to hear this is not a universal experience.

[outdoorsy]

Pokey - So glad your insem went well and that you O'd on time! I hope you get a BFP, and in the meantime, enjoy that pedicure. Thank you for the well wishes.

Tandy - We are using NECC. At the time we picked a bank, I didn't know about TSBC's nonprofit model, so I didn't see any reason to go out of state. I would think the shipping would be expensive! We have had a good experience with NECC, and they have a 10-sibling limit and an identity-release program. They are pretty serious, not very warm and fuzzy, but that's OK as long as they do the important stuff right. When we were doing ICI at home, we picked up the tank ourselves. Now that we're doing IUI, we have it taken by courier to the midwife's office, and they take care of returning the tank. The two offices work together often, which helps things go smoothly.

[pokeyAC]

easttowest - TSBC has gotten on my nerves a few times too.  I'm sorry they were rude to you.  That's not ok at all. 

You have to make an appointment to pick up sperm, and sometimes they seem annoyed if you have to change your appointments around.  They are only open from 9-5 m-f, and that is not really convenient.  I went this morning to drop off my tank.  I was there before 9, and when I called on the intercom to go up, they told me they don't accept drop off's until 9:30.  I had to go to a bookstore for half an hour.  It really p***ed me off that I had to be another half hour late to work for such a lame reason.  I hope I never have to go back there.  Maybe it's better if you're shipping because you don't have to deal with their schedule.  Some of the people are really nice, but sometimes it can be frustrating with them.  I know there is a bank in San Francisco, but I have never heard from anyone who has used them.

hoping2bemoms - Welcome back!  Good luck!

mrsandmrs - The tiny needles aren't so bad.  I did a better job myself than the nurse did with my trigger shot.  I have a bruise.  I have been taking CoQ10 for a few months now but I do not know how much you are supposed to take.  That is a good question.