Queer Conceptions--September 2012 - Page 5

[tandy401]

easttowest: YES. I am having the exact same experience .I am 6DPO. I sort of think I'm out though because I had a temp dip this morning and have no real symptoms... Hoping your TWW starts moving along and ends with a BFP!

pokey:  I feel for you-- and I do believe it'll happen for you soon. I can imagine how frustrating it must be to keep seeing the BFNs. Sending a hug. 

I am so glad have this community-- we haven't told anyone , except one friend, that we are TTC, and it is far more lonely/emotional than I expected. You guys are a lifesaver. 

Hope everyone has relaxing weekends-- and good luck to the rest of you in the TWW. 

[easttowest]

tandy - A temp dip at 6 DPO could be excellent news!  That's around the time most people see an implantation dip if they are going to see one.  Of course, we had a fairly significant dip last time, and she wasn't pregnant, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it CERTAINLY doesn't mean you're out.  We're cheering for you over here!

[wishin'&hopin']

Well, let's call us graduated for now!  DW just called, her beta hcg was 490 :) at 17 dpo.  That gives us a doubling time of 29.07 hours.  Since her last pregnancy (which ended in miscarriage) had a first beta of 18 and a second one in the low 100s, I'm feeling much better about this sticky bean.  Wow, wow, wow.  Fingers crossed and I'll be lurking and cheering for everyone!  

Oh, and DW had no real symptoms this month (in fact, fewer than the symptoms she'd had in bfn months), so take heart those in the 2WW...hugs

[lisedea]

Congrats Wishin'! I am moving you on!

tandy--That temp dip DEFINITELY doesn't mean you are out! In fact, it could be a good thing! Temp dips right before the end of your LP are the only ones you should really be concerned about....and even then, you never know!

Is everyone where they are supposed to be right now on the list? Just let me know if not....

[fmorris28]

Jenny, I see you're going in pretty soon! Good Luck. So you're possibly doing the trigger? Have you done it previously? I was asking RE about adding it to our cycle this time, as I've just had cylces with 50 mg of Clomid. I'm not completely familiar with it, but wonder if it really would help with the timing. I'm all for anything to up the chances!

File, You know I was thinking that as well. Twins would be a bit scary, but the more I thought about it the cooler it sounded. Mye sister just had twins, and they do run in our family as well (mye mum is a twin). Granted DP might have a heart attack at first...I'm SECRETLY all for the two-fers!

Outdoorsy, Braving the TWW!!  Sending all the good vibes and baby dust you're way for that BFP!

Pokey, I never realised how important it was to have a lot of support behind you when going through this journey until our first IUI. No one around meeh really knew how I was feeling, or just how frustrating it is when you really have to work at it. The hard thing for meeh was, every month I had a close friend or family member announcing a pregnancy. I felt alone and like no one understood, and that had meeh down as well. Being here and talken to everyone here really helps, and we all understand what each other is going through. We all have moments when our faith falters, but there's nothen like a whole group of women who support u and are rooting for you all the way!

East, for DP and I it seemed like YEARS!!!! She kept asking, do you think you're pregnant and wanting meeh to POAS. It's just because you're waiting on something you REAAALLLYY want and it seems to make the time go by as quickly as watching the grass grow! One word...DISTRACTIONS lol

Wishin,  Way to go!!! Thats such good news! i'm all crossed for you!!!

Edited by fmorris28 - 9/7/12 at 3:48pm

[JustAnotherJenny]

fmorris: My RE recommended the trigger shot because I don't always ovulate reliably.  It definitely gives you more control with timing.  So, right off the bat with my first try in July, I did the 50mg of clomid CD3 to CD7, follicle check and blood work on CD12 to make sure the follicle sizes match up with the estrogen levels, trigger between 9 and 11pm on CD12 and, and IUI 12 hours later.  I ovulated last month exactly 36hours post trigger based on o pain.  They like to get the swim team ahead of ovulation so that they are waiting for it when it comes down.  I'm only doing one vial of frozen per cycle -- she said statistically it's not much different than doing 2, but with fresh infinite sperm they do usually do 2, but the timing is different. 

wishin': GREAT NUMBERS!!!

[fmorris28]

Jenny, thanks for the response. When I went to the RE when we started our first cycle, she put meeh on the clomid for CD5-9, bc she couldnt tell I was ovulating by mye chart. I wonder why some RE's directions vary on which CD's to take it on.  Might have been bc I was really skinny-athletic (im 57 and at the time i weighed about 120)..maybe that was hindering it. So with the 50mg of clomid it really did its job, for the 1st IUI i had 3 mature follies, 2 that were more closer to 19 nd 20mm. I do think the timing was SLIGHTLY off though. Its basically the same procedures just add the shot to it. I'll be doing 1 cycle with frozen  as well, and my RE said the same thing about the 1 vs. 2 insems. I just can't wait for time to moooove along. I'm so ready for this next cycle!waiting waiting waiting!

[JustAnotherJenny]

Yes, the waiting SUCKS!  I had to wait so long before I could get started, then when I did I got sidelined after my very first cycle for a cyst. So frustrating!

Yeah, I'm not sure why my clomid was started on CD3 -- initially she told me CD5. I think it has to do with the results of the CD3 blood work, but I'm not sure what determines it.  Though, I know several people who have gotten clomid from their regular doctors/midwives, which seems ill advised to do without monitoring just because of my experience with the cyst.  If you don't know that you have a cyst and you take clomid it can feed the cyst, depending on the type it is.  ::shrug:: 

My big concern with timing was that I was worried that they were doing the IUI too soon because I've read that frozen doesn't live as long.  But when I asked, they said there have actually not been any reliable studies to determine just how long they live in the body post thaw.  I figure they knock people up all of the time, so maybe I should just relax and trust... but I've only got two vials left (one after Sunday!)...

[KnittingTigers]

Popping in to say congrats to Lise! So happy for you!

Pokey, I am thinking about you. I actually got pregnant faster this time than I did with my DD, and I remember the despair of those BFNs just lining up. Big hugs, and hope that your lucky cycle is next.

FMorris, I am also thin, and found that clomid thinned my uterine lining considerably. My doctor said this is common with thin women. Just something to watch out for- you want a nice thick lining for the embryo to settle into! I am pretty sure that I conceived on one of my clomid cycles but that my lining was too thin to implant. We switched to femera the next cycle and my lining was much better. (And I got a BFP!) Anyway, just some thoughts.

Jenny, good luck! I will say (sorry, I'm totally offering unsolicited advice- please feel free to ignore) that 12 hours post-trigger seems really early to me. I did my IUI this past cycle 38 hours post-trigger. One thing I've found working with REs is that their "best practices" do not usually take frozen sperm into account. There is very little evidence about how long sperm live in the uterus after they've been thawed, but my bank operates on the assumption that you have 12 to 18 hours tops. You know your body and should follow your gut, but if 12 hours seems too early for you, don't be afraid to be a self-advocate. It sucks that it's necessary, but I find that sometimes it is. Anyway, sorry- I hope this doesn't seem too preachy and overbearing. I just know how precious those vials are!

Good luck to everyone else!

[JustAnotherJenny]

Thanks, Tigers for the advice.  You basically confirmed what I already felt.  I think I'm going to go against protocol this time around.  It really seems early to me.  You would think they would adjust protocol and have best practices for all of the different scenarios...  I'll question them about it again tomorrow.  Perhaps I'll get a different answer from someone else.

What about the rest of you with BFP's -- how many hours post trigger did you do your IUI's ?

[fmorris28]

Jenny, Oh man I know!!! I didnt know that clomid had the potential to feed certain cysts!! I havent had any history of cysts and during the monitoring of the first cycle mye RE didnt see anything of concern..just space and opportunity . That does make meeh think a little more on that though! TY! I also heard and read about the frozen not living as long. I asked the RE and she confirmed as well. I love this: "They knock people up all the time." I think its hard not to worry and be concerned because there's so much time and effort that we put in! RELAX RELAX RELAX! Nd heres to hoping that last vial is in storage for baby #2!!

knitting, something else I didnt know. I remember for one of mye last u/s in the last cycle mye RE was saying..."your lining is nice and thick" and so forth..but i wonder if its going to change if i take it (clomid) this cycle. I have gained some weight so now im about 130 maybe 132 lol! Apparently, i'm in mye recommended weight category now. I have asked mye RE about switching to Femara and adding a trigger, but I've yet to hear what she thinks. Hopefully I can make a change with that, that proves life-changing!! Thanks for the information, it was more than informative!! BTW, i learned to knit about 6 months ago and i love it!! lol

[lisedea]

Jenny--If you research other clinics you will see that most do them around 36 hours after trigger. I know that I ovulate around 40 hours after trigger--so it was good timing for me (my last one was 36 hours). I don't know...if in your gut you think you should wait, please do it. When you first wrote that you did it 12 hours after (last cycle) I was really surprised because I have never read or heard of a clinic doing it that early with frozen. Who knows? I guess there is always a chance of survival...it just goes against everything I have read.

[JustAnotherJenny]

Lise/Tigers: I just got back from my follicle check.  I know that last time I ovulated pretty much right at 36 hours.  I was unsure about the timing then, too, but figured maybe my research was inaccurate.  I had a nice talk with the nurse today and she was saying that my doc believes in 12 hours if only doing one insem with frozen.  It just seems early to me.  So, I said it seems like a happy medium of maybe 24 hours would be better.  The nurse said that because they tell you to trigger at night they aren't available to do the IUI 24 hours later.   So, I said, why not trigger earlier in the day to get it as close to 24 hours as possible?

She said I could press the issue and ask for IUI at 36 hours and see what they say. 

She seemed to think triggering "off schedule" wasn't a bad idea, but also said she couldn't tell me to do that and to definitely not tell the doctor!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Now, I'm wondering if I should do two vials this cycle.

I have two "beautiful" follicles right now - one at 16 on the left and one at 20 on the right.  Nurse things I'll get the okay to trigger tonight.  I'm tempted to go trigger right now because I know the IUI will be around 9am or 10am tomorrow.  Only problem is if my blood work doesn't match up, I'll have wasted the trigger and this cycle.

[lisedea]

Ugg, I am sorry you are in this situation right now. It is very tricky. What are you worried about with blood work? Too high/low estrogen?

Ok, according to my own experiences, this is what I would do.... (You need to do what is right for you though! I just am giving my opinion.) I wouldn't use two vials in case in this cycle you don't have any viable eggs--not every egg that is released is 'baby material'. And to make sure the sperm lives long enough for the egg, I would take the shot now. Definitely. But...that is just me. My doctor has always told me that in a perfect IUI cycle, you have the IUI 6 hours before or after you ovulate.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

[JustAnotherJenny]

I did it.  It's what my gut was telling me and I only needed the tiniest whisper of support.  :-)  Thanks!

[JustAnotherJenny]

Though, I'm still interested in other opinions.  They like to check the estrogen before directing to trigger.  But otherwise, I felt comfortable with the follicles.  Well, it's done now, hopefully the blood work is good.  :-)

[mrsandmrs]

Jenny - I don't know if you saw my saga with my clinic, but their protocol when they trigger in the office is to schedule the iui 24 hours later, and when you trigger at home (at night) they schedule the IUI the next day (appx 12 hours). Based on the people I see in the waiting room (i have only ever seen one other lesbian couple there), I assume they have a lot more experience with fresh sperm and iui/ivf. When I tried to push the scheduling with the nurses, I got shut down every time. Since we're on our second donor and moving to follistim, which is enormously more expensive, I took the opportunity to talk to my doctor instead of the nurses. He told me that he has seen frozen sperm live in the uterus for 3 days in his lab. He was insistent on their "standard protocol" but clearly didn't have different protocols for fresh and frozen sperm.  I know it's annoying for people to tell you how to do your job, especially when the internet makes everyone an amateur medical doctor, but eventually we compromised and he agreed we could schedule our iui not the day after the trigger, but the day after that, if we agree to do the trigger shot extremely late at night.

I'm not pregnant yet (damn you, cyst!), but in my experience, it's worth a conversation with the doctor about changing the protocol and not wasting time asking the nurses who can't make decision like that anyway. 

[JustAnotherJenny]

Gah!  The doctor just called and it was a different doctor and they were telling me to trigger tomorrow night and come in on Tuesday at 36 hours for insem?

WTH!!?!?  So, I questioned them and she said she had to check my plan.  So the doctor on call thinks 36hours is the thing to do.  I had to confess that I already took the shot because after she checked my plan, she said she was going to still have me trigger tomorrow night and come in Monday morning 12 hours later.  I questioned it and basically the 20mm is already mature and the 16 isn't.  I'm good with only one follicle!  If the 16 matures, great, but not necessary.  The nurse was nice, but did mildly chastise me for not waiting.  She's talking to the doctor to figure out what time to bring me in for best chances.  Oopsie... Hopefully, they can salvage this cycle from what I've done here.

[tandy401]

So I have question that I know some of you will have useful thoughts about:

According to Take Charge of Your Fertility, the best day(s) of CM and all the other fertility factors often occur 1-2 days before ovulation. This seems true for my body.

Last cycle, we waited the recommended 24 hours after the OPK to inseminate, and sure enough, the CM was basically gone. This cycle, we insemmed much earlier--around 12 hours post-OPK (when I had good CM) but I doubt the sperm was able to live long enough to meet the egg when it finally showed up. (Oh, and never mind that the bank only has washed samples, which don't live as long as unwashed. Though they promise that there have been pregnancies from ICIs with washed, I sort of doubt the likelihood.)

In other words, it doesn't actually seem like there is any way to strike the balance -- if you insem too early, the sperm won't last; if you insem too late (right at ovulation), the CM is already on the decline... 

Ultimately, I am starting to emotionally and intellectually realize that IUI is probably going to be necessary. I guess I naively assumed that , given my regular ovulation, we would be able to do it at home.  

I'll be grateful, as always, for any responses... 

[JustAnotherJenny]

Mrs.: Yes, thank you!  I have been following along and I did recall this.  In fact, I went hunting through the old threads this morning looking for this info because I know someone else on here also triggered at a different time than the doctor recommended.

They called back and after gently chastising me, told me to come in tomorrow morning at 10:30am.  So, that will be 23 hours and 50 minutes post trigger which is way better than the original plan of 12 hours.  If it doesn't work this time, I'm going to insist on the 36 hours especially since I know other doctors in the practice have different thinking than my doc.  So interesting -- you'd think they would all be on the same page.  Then again, being a doula, I should know better that doctors within a single practice don't necessarily have the same view of, well, anything.  :-)  At least it turned out okay and they didn't insist on scrapping my cycle all together, which is what I feared when I had to fess up to having taken it because I was going to miss the egg entirely.  What will be, will be.  Last time, they were running super late and they did my IUI an hour later than my appointment.  So, if I had scheduled at 36 hours, I may have missed it anyway, because I o'd at 36.  Or maybe that would've been perfect timing and everyone would've met up in my uterus.  I should o sometime tomorrow night around 11pm, hopefully that timing is good enough.