Queer Conceptions: January 2013 - Page 20

[lizbian]

soto sorry to hear how down you're feeling. Hopefully you & DW can talk through things & start to feel a bit better about it to regroup

friederike make sure you wear a sturdy bra!!!!!! ps glad you liked pics of pups.

escher good luck on the insem

sphinxy I think if my BIL was even remotely normal I would be a bit tempted but he's not so NO GO!!!! bleugh. Wifey got all the normal genes of the family.

granite bring on the trigger.

scorp yep love my job but doesn't always pay well!

AFM - got progesterone (day 21) results today. Last time they tested a few days earlier level was 8 this time it was 29 I'm not an expert on these things & my specialist is getting back to me but that indicates ovulation, right? very excited, waiting for AF now and according to charts may go for the big insem around valentine's day which would be quite one to remember. Maybe I won't need a trigger after all?

[scorpioma]

lizbian, YAYAY! That is excellent news. So glad everything is moving along. I was conceived around Valentine's Day! It will give you a Scorpio babe! So many good things, and intense things, about that 

Darcy, I agree with everything Sphinxy and Friederike & others said about exercise. While I have not gotten pregnant yet, I ask doctors each time I inseminate about their opinions regarding the gym! I have been doing resistance training and cardio regularly and only makes me feel better in all ways... One time PokeyAC told me it was GOOD for the body during insemination times to keep up the regular routine because it has so many health benefits. I think the line stops at overly strenuous. That is never a good idea, anyways. 

I also agree with the Brill book thoughts. It did, however, make me feel calmer about everything which was a benefit of reading it. It got me really moving on my personal research and learning journey on fertility and the female reproductive process. 

chortles, you hit the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD. I love those two states- I go through them- and I get SO irritated when people just don't know about their bodies. 

I have gotten pregnant once before, and believe it or not, it was an accident. It was horrifying (I was unprepared and did not walk to be a mother at this time, plus the relationship was not good, and outside of my sexuality). So I keep remembering that was my experience and my reality then, and people just don't know better sometimes. It doesn't change my rage and bitterness now! And stress about money, especially when we were using frozen sperm...Jeeeez. INSANE PRICES. DP always gets so mad because there is just "so much sperm walking around and no one is using it." LOL!  

twomommyfamily, thanks for the timing confidence! I think it looks good! YOU, my friend, are getting close to insem. right?  

escher: I am REALLY glad you are on this board. So nice to have someone who has done this before and knows the ins and outs. I don't know, I just feel like there's a knowledgable and guiding big sister around (not that you are older or anything, just the experiences)!   Also, good luck on the upcoming insemination! When do you expect the +OPK? 

afm, 6 DPO. Normally during the TWW, I have tons of "symptoms" to spot. Ha! This month, I only want to say I am extremely fatigued (like, cannot move) and have a dull ache/pulling/cramping in my uterus area. Both of which are uncomfortable. I am not drawing conclusions about anything, I refuse to after my big let down last cycle & it would be impossible to anyways this early, but I am just noting them. 

Question of the Day (risen from the dead, from VERY old QC months):

Where, at this point in your thought and planning process, is your ideal place to give birth and why?  

[KWPX2]

SOTO- I feel so bad that you are blue. Sending you some love.

CHORTLES- I saw your post about the prices for things. We were initially going to order from Xytex, were dead set on it actually. Then after spending some time here and reading about where others ordered from we started looking into other banks. We finally decided instead to go with Northwest Cryobank. In part because the sperm were substantially less expensive but also because so many people on a variety of boards spoke highly of them. 

Well gang, we have been battling the flu here for the past few days (despite my being forced to have the flu shot by the hospital I work in). Yesterday I spiked a temp over 101 and got very frightened that such a high temp would disrupt or ruin the implantation. So, I called my RE to discuss (on a Sunday night....did I mention she is awesome?) and she seemed to think it wouldn't halt the implantation and that often times flu-like symptoms were a sign of pregnancy. One of my colleagues had a documented case of influenza B and was at work prior to getting symptoms (Flu B isn't in the vaccination this year) which means he was contagious unbeknownst to any of us. So based on my symptoms and a known source of infection (and the fact that about 6 other people at work have become sick with the flu) she decided I needed Tamiflu. Two doses down and I feel heaps better but still a little sickly. I was worried about the effects of the medicine on a baby and she let me know they (doctors) do prescribe it for pregnant ladies. 

So, today I am having the most emotional morning. I looked at FF and she put my cross hairs down the day after we IUI'd and I worry that we insemmed too soon...and felt like crying. I watched a sappy movie...and cried. I tried to watch a funny sitcom...and cried. I even watched Beyonce sing the national anthem at the inauguration and I cried. It seems everything has been about mothers birthing babies or children needing a mom's love or just general family love. Am I emotional because I feel so darn bad? Or do I feel this way because I am a pregnant woman with the flu?  <sigh>

[Twomommyfamily]

Darcy: From everything I have read and heard, Sphinxy and Friederike were totally right in their responses to you about exercise, doctor confirmation of ovulation, and luteal phase. Its very good to exercise, my neighbor ran marathons into her 4th month. If the NP saw the corpus luteum on the ultrasound then you don't have to wait for crosshairs on ff, and luteal phase stays the same. That one is most difficult for me, I did a lot to naturally lengthen my lp for several months to no avail. But thank goodness for rx progesterone. No worries girl! You are doing everything right!

Sotohana: I'm sorry you're feeling down.  We all are hoping for you and the bfp will happen for you soon one way or another! Good idea to just see what's possible out there to facilitate the process.  I know sometimes going to the RE can seem like an unnecessary and expensive step, but it can give you peace of mind to make sure everything down there is in working order. 

AFM, follie still isn't big enough to trigger tonight according to the second US. We trigger tomorrow night and insem early Thursday morning. That will be cd17. I had an almost positive opk this morning. Probably get a full positive tomorrow. I'm putting my faith in the RE's hands with this timing business. 

EDIT: Somehow I missed a bunch of posts...

Scorpioma: your symptoms sound promising!! Where would we ideally give birth? I think at home with a midwife. Seems more of a pleasant and natural way to do it. But not in this home. We live in a condo and all the neighbors would hear and it would probably start to look and sound like a crime scene. So it will most likely be in the hospital. My mom is a nurse at a very nice hospital in Santa Monica that has these amazing birthing suites with big tubs for water birth, so that would be pretty awesome too. Alas, we have kaiser though, so I don't really know what this experience will end up being. I do know they have midwives though. 

KWPX: you sound like a sick pregnant woman to me! :) Oh and could your crosshairs have been manipulated by your fever? Or was the onset much later? I'm just thinking that if your temp is really spiking then ff might respond differently to that. If the RE thought you were ready to trigger then you definitely O'd probably 36 hours post trigger. 

Lizbian: Yay for V-day insem! 29 is great for day 21 test!! Trigger is up to you. I naturally ovulate but want the trigger to pin point timing. 

Edited by Twomommyfamily - 1/21/13 at 11:34am

[esenbee2]

KWPX -your insem was 39 hours post trigger?  I don't think that would be too early, even with FF's crosshairs.  Also, be prepared for the continue emotional-ness when you become a mommy.  After I had DD, I was an emotional wreck at anything that had to do with general family love.  In an hour of listening to WAMZ, I usually tear up 3 times.  There are just too many soft stories in country songs!

Lizbian -my BIL also has bad genes.  Crones disease among other things.  I think it would be a consideration if his health was better, but since it isn't, we never had to make that decision.

Scorpioma -I had a crampy twinge at 6 DPO.  SO, I don't think it would be too early for it to be considered a sign of implantation.  I read somewhere that it could take 4-6 days for the blastocyst to fully implant once it reaches it's destination and starts to nestle on in there.  So your 6 DPO crampy feeling could be the start of your babe's nestling!

Darcy -just want to echo what everyone was saying about the luteal phase staying around abouts the same and the follicular phase is what determines your cycle length.  And, I would have manually adjusted my FF's crosshairs/ovulation date too.

[lizbian]

esenbee he doesn't really have bad genes apart from bow legs he's just a bit weird personality wise.

kwpx2 let's hope it's because you're preggers & have lots more months of hormones to worry about

twomommyfamily I'll have to see if I have the option for trigger as not sure yet, will find out in the next couple of days I think.

Edited - I thought you ladies might be able to answer my question. For anyone who has home inseminated did you just order standard syringes? I can only find 10ml ones and hope they'll be OK. We're going to have a couple of 'dry' practice runs first.

Just reserved the baby dust - very excited!

Edited by lizbian - 1/21/13 at 1:45pm

[scorpioma]

lizbian, we got 3ml 22G1 syringes, but my DP says that any size would be fine, I would tend to agree...

esenbee, thanks!! I hope so... wow, 4-6 days after implantation? i never knew that. I guess each zygote/blastocyst is different, haha!

[SanDiego78]

I've been gone a week or so... so much is going on here.

...just dropping in to say hi and good luck to all on the board! ...and that I need to keep up more often.

afm - my sister was in town for a visit the past few days (she is 6 mos preggers w/ her first) it was the first time we got to see her cute little belly.... it was very exciting and adorable, but at the same time a little sad as she had immediate success w/ getting pregnant, and we're recovering from 2 chemical pregs, and gearing up for our 5th iui next month...but it is what it is...DW is doing OK, and she's doing a really good job this month with nutrition - lots of nutrient packed smoothies, protein/eggs (fish...she doesn't eat meat), folic acid, acupuncture, herbs, etc.  Our time will come soon.

general q for all - has anyone here been dealing with low progesterone levels, and if so, what are you doing about it?  thx

[lea2012]

Lizbian – the first time we used a 10mL the first time, and it was fine – in fact, I think I liked it better than the 5mL one we used the second time, but I think my preference is entirely arbitrary. The 5mL one came with our “package” from donor home delivery.  Oh, and as a fellow scorpio, I agree with Scorpioma that around Valentine’s day is a great time for insemination!

Twomommyfamily – good luck with your trigger and insem! The timing sounds like it makes sense!

KWPX2 – Hope your flu passes quickly! I had the flu earlier this month and so my bbt chart is all messed up, which really frustrated me because overall my bbt has been consistently helpful in figuring out timing. And my crosshairs were 2 days after insem, so I’m feeling you right now. Glad you were able to discuss things with your RE. Hope you feel better soon and get good news at the end of your tww!

Darcy – DP and I also went hiking over the weekend weekend and ended up on a harder trail than planned, and sort of got lost a little along the way – it was so nice to be outside and moving around, but I was worrying a little about my heart rate too. (Sphinxy – thanks for the info on exercise.) Good luck with everything – hope your appt with the RE is helpful!

Fmorris – curious to hear how your KD search goes!

Scorpioma – Sounds like you’re doing a good job of keeping sane – noticing things without obsessing over them – during this tww. I’m trying to do the same! Although I haven’t really had any symptoms to notice, which is helping me not get my hopes up.  As for the question of the day, we’ll (hopefully someday) be working with a midwife who only does homebirths or birth center births, and she has rights at a birth center near our apartment, so we’ll probably go there. We would try for a homebirth, but our apartment walls are like paper and I’ve decided I don’t want to feel inhibited in any way – like worrying about the neighbors when I should be focusing on other things. That being said, we also talked to the midwife a lot last fall about her transfer rates, why she might transfer people to a hospital, and if so, which hospital, etc., so hopefully we’ll be mentally prepared for all possibilities when the time comes (someday).

Soto – Thinking of you and DW – this is such an emotional process and it is so important to let yourself go through all the emotions and take good care of yourself along the way.

Escher – good luck with your impending insemination!

Sphinxy – Good luck with the TWW! Sounds like your timing was great!

Granite – I am so with you on the lack of understanding (and in some cases lack of effort put into understanding) their bodies.  I hear you on the exes having babies –I’ve been there.

San Diego - I need to do a better job of being proactive about addressing my low progesterone. In the fall I had low progesterone after a BFP  - my doctor tested it along with HcG on the blood test, and so she prescribed progesterone to take through week 10. I had a miscarriage anyway, and I'm not sure if starting the progesterone earlier would have helped. Also, the progesterone sort of masked the miscarriage, so I didn't know that the fetus had stopped developing until a couple weeks later.

AFM – I’m 13 DPO today. I was trying to wait until AF is due tomorrow, but I broke down and took a test yesterday and got a BFN. I have had virtually no symptoms and so I’m still not feeling very hopeful. I'm going to wait until Wednesday to see if I get AF or test again. In the meantime, the ONE symptom I’ve gotten is that one of my breasts has gotten significantly larger than the other, which happened last time I was pregnant, but that time I had a bunch of other symptoms too, so who knows. I did make the mistake of looking up what that could mean if not a sign of pregnancy – I wish I had remembered that looking up medical symptoms online is rarely (if ever) a good idea.  

Sending good vibes to everyone!

[DarcySD]

sotohana - We are here for you 

friederike - Thanks for the info on working out. We went out again today but I will be taking it easy the rest of the week. 

chortles - We haven't come across any issues so far but I will let you know if we do. 

lizbian - That is amazing!! My RE says anything over 3 means you ovulated.  I am going to get my progesterone tested again this Wednesday to see if I have any improvement. Congrats on your special order!

scorpioma - Thanks for the info. I don't usually hike like I did this weekend (mostly walks around my neighborhood) but it felt good and I only struggled while going uphill. I made sure to take it slow and drink lots of water. I will just be doing neighborhood walks this week until I test on Friday.  I had the dull aching uterus pain yesterday (4dpo) but today it's radio silence. To answer your ideal birth question, I would love to have DB at a birthing center with a midwife. I will be considered high risk so it looks like I will be delivering at Kaiser with a midwife. 

KWPX2 - I hope you are feeling better soon. Are you on the east coast? 

Twomommy - Thanks for the support. I actually got a really high spike this morning so I cleared my FF override and it actually confirmed O on the same day as the doc. That made me feel really confident! You are getting so close! What kind of trigger shot are you doing? The one you have to mix yourself? DW practiced at the RE a few months ago and gave me a test shot for practice. Good luck to you both this Thursday. Will be thinking about you!! 

esenbee - Thank you! 

San Diego - My progesterone is borderline low so I am going in to get it tested again this week. If it's lower than it was before I will ask the doc for an RX. Hope you and DW were able to enjoy this beautiful weekend we had here in SD. 

Lea2012 - Thanks - glad to know I am not the only one who worries about this stuff. I will be taking it easy the rest of the work week and pick back up with the hiking next weekend.  Sending lots of good thoughts your way for Wednesday. 

I hope I didn't miss anyone but if I did lots of luck on upcoming insems/tests/appts!! 

[Sphinxy]

Sotohana -  I hope the appointment today went well.

lizbian - Those sound like great numbers to me,  for next cycle! And, as a fellow scorp, I'm with Scorpioma - February is a great time to make a special baby!  Also, you may want to check with your bank. Sometimes they send syringes with the tank, I know mine always sends a few (a spare is helpful in case you have trouble with the first).

Scorp - Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your previous pregnancy, it does help put things in perspective. In answer to your question, my intention at this point in time is to deliver in a small community hospital that is a few blocks away from the home I hope to be living in at that point. It's highly recommended by a lot of the midwives in town. If I have to give birth where I am living now, then I honestly don't know which hospital I would choose, but hopefully it won't come to that. Oh, and I want my wife and my mom in the room with me. 

KWPX2 - Oh, I feel for you. The emotional surges can be tough. My weepiness has returned off and on over the past few days. I truly believe it's too early for me for it to be associated with pregnancy, so I try not to think in those terms lest I get my hopes up. It could be the regular hormones for this point in the cycle, heightened because of the TTC. It could be the post-insem crash that scorp was talking about the other day. Or it could just be random, I don't know. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. Oh, and I totally agree with twomommy that your flu fever could be screwing with your crosshairs. If you know your O date from your RE, then I would just override it in FF like Darcy did. 

Twomommy - Yay for insem tomorrow night! Good Luck! I know I say this a lot, but from my perspective, do try to get some good sleep these next few nights and take good care of yourself!

SanDiego - So good to hear from you.  Sounds like DW is on a good path. No experience with progesterone, I'm sure others will chime in. 

lea -  Good luck in these last few days of waiting!!

Afm, well, all of this talk about the follicular phase gave me an A-Ha! moment this morning. For the last few cycles I'm been amazed by the fact that my cycles have been getting longer ever since I started TTC. Before that, I was 28-30days like clockwork, but lately I've been 30-34. But as we've talked about the things that can cause the follicular phase to lengthen, it occurred to me - I switched from my regular multi-vitamins to a prenatal multi right around the time of our first insemination, and the prenatals contain much more essential fatty acids (of the FSH supporters) than I had been taking prior. Mystery solved! 

[esenbee2]

lizbian you are using Cryos International? I used the New York branch. They provide a syringe with the adapter to attach to the straw. They give an instruction sheet with pictures. When I ordered, I put in the notes to be sure they included the syringe for home insemination.

[Friederike]

Liz for frozen sperm 10ml is way too big. I would be concerned about all the empty space the precious swimmers could cling to, after all we usually get 1ml per insem. Cryos sends out one 1ml syringe for 2 straws of 0,5 ml sperm each. I don't know yet if they send more syringes for larger orders but I could tell you that by friday when our tank arrives. I did buy some addidtional syringes in advance, they are 1ml and have that mechanism that makes sure they empty completely. They look identical to the ones Cryos sends out. If you're interested I could send you a couple of those in the mail, I've got more than I need.

[lizbian]

grrrr did the personals then computer deleted them so re-doing quickly!

scorp, lea, darcy, esenbee, sphinxy thanks ladies. Yep using Cryos so hope to get syringe with them but will get a few for a practice first.

Friederike good point - was doing my maths wrong. Thanks for the offer, very kind - will find some cheapies over here and order those. Good luck for Friday - is it possible to order ahead for a specific date, or do you have to estimate delivery time?

[Friederike]

Lizbian - maybe look for 1ml insulin syringes for diabetics. Those are the sleek long ones that are great for insemming at home.

For delivery - Cryos uses UPS Express (the regular kind, without saturday delivery). You can go to the UPS website and check for the running times for deliveries from Aarhus to you. You need to figure out yourself how long a delivery will take, because when you order, you give them the date they should send it off. They can't tell you how long it takes to arrive, because that is UPS's responsibility. They pick up the tanks at 17:30 and for me it arrives before 10:30 the next day. I suppose it might take longer for you because you're not in the EU, right? I would suggest ordering a bit ahead of O date as the tank will keep for a week. Cryos has a clause in their terms and conditions that they could charge you if you don't return the tank within 3 business days. But they never asked for that fee from me when I told them that I needed to keep it longer because I couldn't pinpoint my O date, and neither did the charge the change of order fee, when I stopped my last delivery 3 hours before it was supposed to ship out. Instead they were very understanding and helpful whenever those small hickups happened.

Sphinxy - oh the mysteries of TTC. You're a hormone detective.

SanDiego - I have always had low progesterone with 8-9 days LP. I now take 200mg vaginally after O as a precaution. It has lengthened my LP to a nice 14 days and they put me right to sleep at 9pm every evening. 

Lea - those last couple of days are the hardest.

Question of the Day (risen from the dead, from VERY old QC months): Where, at this point in your thought and planning process, is your ideal place to give birth and why?

I don't think I'll really plan this until I am several months into a pregnancy. Who knows if there are complications, how I am feeling, what I'll think after touring a couple of places.I think I would like to do it at home, as we have a big bath with a huge tub and seperate shower plus those great timber frame structures all over our appartment which would be perfect for hanging from while in labor. I like being in control of things, I have a high pain tolerance from my sports and we're 10-15 min from 3 different hospitals (one of them a university hospital with a high level NICU) , so I guess I am a good candidate for a home birth. Our neighbors are all hearing impaired old people who never even complained about our drumset, so I guess that aspect will be fine. DP is concerned about the mess and the lack of 'escape options' though, so perhaps I would use one of the birthing centers in town. There she could leave the room for a while if it gets overwhelming and they would deal with the clean-up. My insurance would completely cover anything from a midwife hb to a planned C-section, so I'll probably go with whatever feels best later.

[escher]

Hi Everyone,

Darcy: I worry about that kind of thing too, but I really bet that your hike didn't hurt implantation a bit. Like others said, from what I've heard your luteal phase is likely to be fairly consistent, so I think you are unlikely to get your period before day 34 this cycle. And hopefully you won't get your period at all!

Sphinxy: I agree that Brill is a great tool to have in our toolbox. It sounds like you're doing a much better job than I did with not obsessing about every little thing she says. It's interesting that your prenatal changed your cycle length!

Sotohana: I'm sorry that you're feeling so down. How did your appointment go?

Lizbian: Impressive progesterone levels!

Scorpioma: You're so sweet. Thank you. It sounds like you have some interesting symptoms to note.

KWPX: I'm sorry that you have the flu. That is no fun at all. I hope you feel better soon!

Twomommyfamily: Good luck with your trigger tonight! We may end up being cycle buddies!

SanDiego: I found it hard to be around pregnant people when we were ttc the first time. I'm sorry that it is hard (if also exciting) that your sister is pregnant. I had low progesterone last time and I took prometrium three times a day vaginally.

Lea: I'm sorry about the bfn. I hope you get a more interesting result soon!

Hi to everyone else!

QOTD: For our son's birth we worked with two homebirth midwives (until we had an emergency transfer and c-section), and I think we're likely to work with those midwives again unless there is a reason we need a hospital birth. I think there are lots of safe places and ways to give birth, but we're most comfortable at home so hopefully we'll be able to have our baby there. We'll see!

As for us: Positive opk today (CD13)! We're going in tomorrow morning for an ultrasound, and our RE will tell us if we should do the IUI then or the next morning. We've been talking for so long about when we would start trying for #2 (since before our son was born), and it feels kind of unreal that we're actually getting to the point of doing it. Eek!

[sotohana]

KWPX2-  It sounds like your timing was excellent what with the O pain you were feeling while the IUI was happening! I know that FF can give incorrect information, so I’m still holding out hope for you especially with all the emotions you’ve been feeling. Those are definitely good signs!

Sphinxy- I so hear you on the out of control emotions. I swear every other minute I’ve been going absolutely bat shit crazy. Its times like these that I hate being a girl. Hugs to you and glad that it seems your emotions regulated pretty quickly. Thinking of you during this TWW! Your timing sounds like it was impeccable! Also- you are so right about the prenatal pill lengthening your follicular phase. That makes total sense for me too! Aha indeed.

Scorpioma- 12 DPO sounds like a great day to test! Fingers firmly crossed for you during this TWW! It sounds like you are doing some great things to keep distracted and take care of yourself. As for your symptoms so far I think it’s a good sign that you are so tired, but also that you are not obsessing. This could be the month or it could not and avoiding obsession is good either way. <3

Fmorris- that’s cool that you are exploring the options of a KD! Out of curiosity, what led you to this consideration?

Lizbian- yes that would be hilarious to name a child Florence/Flo considering the mental images it induces. Lol J Also, yay for your progesterone level! That is so awesome and reassuring! A Valentine’s insem would be so romantical J As for the syringes, we ordered them from the Maia Midwifery site and they worked well for us. I think they were 1cc in size. Also, yay for reserving the baby dust!

Chortles- It sounds like pushing out the dates was the best decision for you and DW. We took a four month long break after my first try and it was the best thing for us in terms of reducing stress. Also, yes, we used our FSA to buy sperm last year through the OHSU sperm bank!

Twomommyfamily- that’s so awesome that your O has been so consistent. I bet that relieves a ton of pressure as far as timing insems goes.

Granite- that’s awesome that your friends feel confident coming to you for advice. We have some friends that joke that I know everything about TTC. I wish that were the case! Lol! Still, I love feeling helpful.

Escher- I completely agree about the Brill book. While it is like the Bible of Lesbian TTC, it’s also so dense that I can’t help but feel like there’s no possible way I could be successful in getting pregnant because there’s no way I could do everything she suggests. It’s reassuring to know that you look at it this way too and yet you got pregnant just fine with your DS. Good luck on your insem this month!

Darcy- As for exercising during the TWW, I do recall Brill saying that changing one’s exercise pattern too much can throw things off, but probably you aren’t changing things as extremely as you might imagine. I think hiking is good exercise and that its most likely not going to hurt anything. And with regard to your cycle length and timing, I completely affirm your choice to move on to ultrasound monitoring and hcg trigger if this doesn’t work out. But! It might have worked! I still have hope for you!

SanDiego- Hugs to you as you move on to your fifth cycle. I echo that sentiment that it is so hard to see family members who are pregnant, but your sense of zen about it is good too. I kind of feel that way with my sister too. Everyone says that it must be excruciating to see her pregnant. It was at first, but now I’m really just happy for her and excited to meet her sweet baby girl!

Lea- thinking of you! 11 DPO is early for sure. <3

AFU- Thank you all again for all the love. It means more than you know. Yesterday we went to the RE consult and came up with what feels like a really good plan. She suggested that based on my reproductive history  we should try doing a mid-cycle ultrasound and HCG trigger. So, we have the ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday and depending on the size of my follicles, she’ll either have me come back for another ultrasound or have me give myself the trigger shot. She’ll do the IUI this time and I think it will happen either Thursday or Friday, but we’ll see. What I like about this plan is that it seems to cover all of my concerns from timing the insem to weak ovulation and potentially low progesterone. The HCG trigger will give me a strong O and will be very helpful with timing and she’ll also have me come in 7 DPO for a progesterone test. It may work or it may not. Right this moment I’m okay with that. We’ll stick with our same donor from NW Cryobank and ship two vials to ORM today. That way if it does work then we’ll have another vial for a later baby and if it doesn’t, we’ll be able to cross that bit off our list of worries for the next cycle. DW is still trying to get her cycles normalized, but once she does she’ll dive right into trying. Also, when we were there yesterday they did some blood tests for blood type, thyroid functioning, vitamin D level and a few other things. I’ll get those back at the end of the week. So, here I am at CD4 and I’m doing significantly better than CD’s 28-3. Phew. I’m just glad to start a new week and get distracted. Onward and upward!

Where, at this point in your thought and planning process, is your ideal place to give birth and why?

I think we’d like to give birth at Alma Midwifery and Birthing Center in Portland. Our friend gave birth there and they treated her like a queen. They have double beds so that the non-birth partner can sleep in the same bed as the birth partner (how nice is that!) and they also let you order take out food and they go pick it up and bring it back to you! It’s basically like a B&B! I love this idea, but we’ll just have to see how things go during my pregnancy. One good thing we learned yesterday is that ORM provides monitoring during the first trimester including beta testing and all that so that I wouldn’t necessarily need to find an OBGYN. I could just use them for the first trimester and then move on to using the midwifery services of Alma. Thank God for good insurance, that’s all I can say. 

[fmorris28]

Wow has it been busy here after a couple of days away lol! Well here goes...

Lizbian, Cheers. How close is Guernsey to the UK since you said it was an island? (is that right?) I've only ever been to England to see the family. I agree with the security of the bank though and the profiles are very interesting..some more than others lol! Funny your friends said no due to handwriting. Maybe they just want the very best! Yay for ovulation!!!!  Hope the best for it all.

Sphinxy,  It is! There are a few options where they can do fresh (if they're in your area), and can also fed ex overnight and do the little cooler pack. So the vials wouldnt be frozen like with a bank as it would have been fresh the day before So still good! I feel like things are coming together, and I've actually got DP looking at mye chart :) I slowly integrate her to new parts of the process :D I hope you have a breezy TWW with a great outcome!

Sandiego, I know that feeling all too well, mye sister was pregnant with TWiNS last year nd now mye best friend is pregnant and due in March. Glad DW is doing well with the healthy eating, its so hard sometimes nowadays. I actually looked into acupuncture and was curious to try. How did she like it?

KWPX2, mye goodness I hope you get over that nasty flu ASAP! I think your timing wasn't too bad though!

Granite, thanks for the link. I'll be sure to check it out asap. Im always so curious when it comes to finding swimmers by different ways lol. Boy, I bet a lot of people don't shop like this lol! "And for now, I knit." --I love it!

Escher, Rather exciting and a bit overwhelming as well!!  I hope you have great results at the RE's and a great insem! 

Darcy, I understand that dream..sometimes it just gets a bit weird..nd a little gross lol but still the best way...UGH! lol Maybe you'll get your dream when you least expect it.
And temping is doing pretty well still, thanks! I used clomid a couple of times and don't really have anything negative to say, the cycle I used it I had 3 mature follies develop (which slightly terrified meeh..triplets!?) but ended up with a BFN. But none of the moodiness I've heard from others.

Soto, hope you get to feeling better. Just for you  Regarding the KD. . .I wanted to have the best possible chance, and even DP had mentioned something about the swimmers being frozen. It would also be great for the fertile window seeing as the life of them is so much longer than the frozen. We'll see how it all goes, but I'm excited. You all's plan sounds pretty solid. I wanted to use the trigger on the next cycle to pinpoint with the timing as well. Mye cylces have been fluctuating between a 3 to 4 day window at the most. I hope everything goes well this cycle for you!

Lea, Honestly that makes two of us! lol I just noticed you're in Seattle. I visited there mye first trip to the west coast...really loved it too! Nd you're STILL in the TWW and there is time for a BFP. :)

AFM, Curious to see if I've temped and charted correctly and if I'm predicting AF as expected.

Question of the Day : Ideally I would love a natural home water birth, but if that doesn't work out I still would like to give natural a try. DP thought I was crazy when I said I really would like to do it drug free lol

[SanDiego78]

thanks ladies for your input re: progesterone

Lea - thanks for sharing.  For both BFPs, our doctor put DW on progesterone gel suppositories the day of iui/ovulation (brand name is Crinone),  Did you take it orally or vaginally? For our first BFP (which resulted in a chemical preg) DWs progesterone level was not tested.  The second BFP (which again resulted in a chemical preg) in addition to testing HCG we tested progesterone...it was on cd19, and it was around a 5.5 which is extremely low... 2 days later we found out HCG went south, and progesterone was around an 8.

Darcy - thanks.. We are enjoying the warm weather, I hope it stays for a while! I hope you're enjoying it too.   When you say your progesterone is borderline low, what levels are you usually seeing?

Sphinxy - thanks, I hope all these nutrients are helping DW, and our chances for success next time!

Friederike - thanks, What level of progesterone do you normally see?  Are you taking a pill form vaginally? 

Soto - Glad to hear you're feeling ok and that you have a new plan.  Onward and upward will be our motto too.

Fmorris - DW likes acupuncture.  I actually started doing it myself recently for stress, digestive issues and trying to regulate my menstrual cycle. (I am a mess, I sometimes go 50 days!) I need to address with my dr.

AFM - DW will have an HSG test in a few weeks to rule out there's no issue with her uterus... and we're trying to de-stress, relax and re-charge, while taking this time off from TTC.

[pokeyAC]

chortles-Buying sperm is considered a medical expense.  Save all of your receipts!  You may be able to get a deduction on your taxes.  I have heard you can also count shipping fees and transportation fees if you picked it up.  Of course, dr visits and procedures count too.  You can't count what you paid for with FSA funds because that comes out pre-tax, but anything over that you can count.  I got a nice refund last year and I am anticipating this year's will be even bigger because we did 6 cycles last year.  The amount you spent needs to be 7.5% of your income.  For 2013, they raised it to 10%, I believe, as part of the fiscal cliff deal.  If you don't have a huge income, it can be easy to reach the minimum.