December IVF

[ann109]

Hi All: I'm Nicole and I am starting a December IVF board. I am hoping to find some cycle buddies crazy enough to do IVF during the holidays (can you say tax deduction?)

I'm hoping I am not the only crazy one and would love to hear other's stories.

I had my med consult and mock yesterday and am fired up and terrified of the shots and the stressful anticipation. AF should arrive 10/31 and meds the next day....

Me: 34, 35 on 12/28. DH: 30
Tubal Infertility (and hopefully nothing else wrong
TTC #1 since July 2006
Long lupron protocol, Nov pre-procedure month Dec retrieval and ET

I'm a realistic optimist. Hoping this all works in our favor, as prepared as I can be if it doesn't. Knowing the first attempt is just that...a first attempt. We have a plan and if not pg by 37 then we'll move on to adoption to grow our family, as someone's siggy says~No better or worse, just a different way to grow our family.

I look forward to getting to know (hopefully many of) you!

[gemasita]

I might be doing a December IVF. But hopefully a Novemeber one. I have to have surgery on Nov 1st so I'm hoping I can still do a middle of Nov cycle but it could end up being December. It will be our first IVF attempt so I really don't know what to expect!

I'd consider myself a realistic optimist too!

[ann109]

Hi Jamie! I hope your surgery goes well and that you are up and rolling for a Nov cycle...the wait is AWFUL! (not that I'm not wishing for a cycle buddy) And it sounds like you've been through a lot~

Best wishes!!!

[gemasita]

Ann - thanks for the well-wishes. I have tubal infertility too. I had surgery in May (this was just out-of-the-blue - we were TTC at the time but not long enough to really think anything was wrong. 9 months to be exact - since Aug 2006). I started having abdominal pain and they found a cyst on one ovary and an infection in the other so they took that one out and my right tube was completely messed up so they took that one out and left my other completely messed up tube in. So I woke up from that surgery to the news that IVF would be our only hope of conceiving. Quite a shock! My only other issue is that I have only one ovary now and since they cut a cyst off of that one, all of the tissue isn't even there. But no other known issues!

We went to a fertility clinic and my RE did an HSG and found that my other tube needs to be taken out because of probable hydrosalpingitis. I am okay with another surgery because I have read that that can dimish changes for IVF success significantly.

So we were actually originally thinking we'd be doing an early October cycle but now it'll be as soon as I am recovered. So I'm thinking Dec is more likely but I'm not sure.

Yes, I agree, the wait is awful! But if it turns out to be December, at least we can go through it together!

I'll be 32 in January, BTW.

[ann109]

Yes, get rid of that tube! It certainly sounds like you have been through the ringer~it's amazing where we pull strength from during trying times, isn't it?

I am lucky (?) that the one is so closed up it is basically non existent. The left tube appears normal after HSG and lap, but the , um, inerds(?) are probably damaged as well, but no hydrosalpingitis. I'll kick it to the curb if it gives me any grief....

: for you~keep me(us) posted!!


P.S. I love N.C....what a beautiful state, I think it's even greener than Michigan. By brother lives in Raleigh and my niece (she's my age) lives in Carey and we get down there about once a year. Awesome road trip when it's cold and gloomy up here!

[gemasita]

Oh cool, we are *right* next door to Cary! I used to go up to Michigan for work sometimes (in my old job). Near Ann Arbor.

Yes, you are right, it's amazing what we can do that we never thought we could do. I think this has been really hard for me because I am a doula and childbirth educator and although I became a doula before we started TTC, I figured it wouldn't be long before I would be a mom too. But it hasn't turned out that way. It has been a little harder to be around all the pregnant ladies lately but I still *love* what I do. It just seems SO ironic though, that *I* would be the one, out of all of my friends, that would be going through this.

Thanks for your vote of confidence about my surgery. I think I am doing the right thing, based on what I have read. Too bad it wasn't taken out during my first surgery but maybe my surgeon was thinking that would be too much of a shock for me to wake up too? Who knows. It was all a shock anyway. Not like it was working in there. It's amazing how my tube ballooned up over the last few months!

[marlee]

Hi ladies!

Looks like I'll be joining you ladies. Feeling a little sad today though. We just told our clinic we wouldn't be cycling this month as there were conflicts with dh's work. We will be travelling for our cycle and he will need to take around two weeks off. It just seems harder to keep positive and focused when it has been postponed.

I am so pleased to have some cycle buddies though! We are doing IVM so we will not be using any stimulating drugs before collection.

What are you doing with this 'waiting' time?

[ann109]

Hi marlee!

I am not sure what IVM means? Is that retrieval of what eggs you would produce w/o meds?

I look forward to sharing this expericne with you! It really helps to have others who are going through the same situation, having the same feelings, etc.

I got all of my meds (except the Gonal f) on Monday and just cried. Had found out the day before SIL is pregnant. So had a couple days worth of poor me, why me and now I'm over it and focussed on staying positive. DH and I have started a "what are you grateful for today?" club~which I'm sure will drive us nuts in a few days, but gratefulness I felt doubles the positive things in life. And I've gone nuts anyway, so what can it hurt

Again, welcome marlee!

[ann109]

Oh and BTW, I work full time~I'm a juvenile probation officer, and I've gone back to school and we are remodeling our house. I did all of this (except the job...) on purpose so that I would have little time to obsess!!!

[marlee]

Thank you for the warm welcome Nicole. I look forward to joining you.

Jamie, It sounds like the surgery is a good idea. The waiting is hard though.

May December be a joyous month for us all.

[ann109]

Just waiting for AF to start!!! Anything new?

Hope eveyone is doing well!

[marlee]

Just waiting for AF to start!!!

Me too!! Looks like we may be very close cycle buddies!

[marlee]

I PM both of you. I forgot to mention I just turned 32 this month.

[gemasita]

Marlee,

I got your pm. Sorry I haven't replied yet. I'll be 32 in Jan, BTW.

I just wanted to let you guys know that DH's SA came back normal except for volume. 42mil/ml, 57%mot, and .7ml vol. She said that 2ml vol is normal. Anyway, I am relieved that there are no other issues besides that. I was really hoping to hear good news before I went in for surgery.

My pre-op appt is tomorrow and the surgery to take out my other tube is Thursday.

[ann109]

Good luck Jamie! Glad to hear you received good new re: SA. Keep us posted!

[ann109]

I have cramps! Yahoo! I am so ready for AF this time...first time in over a year!

[marlee]

Jamie: great news on SA. I wish all the best with your surgery on Thursday. No worries about repling to PM. I just wanted to post more personal info there.

My period started today but not sure if I will call it day one, tomorrow might be day one. I am so happy it came now instead of later. Countdown begins. Sounds like you will be joining me soon Nicole.

[ann109]

Marlee: Congrats on AF! I'm right there with ya, CD 1 today! I cannot believe she showed early, wasn't due until Wednesday...I thought for sure she's hold out on me

Hope all is well~

Jamie: any new news at pre-op? I'll be thinking of you on Thursday.....


I bought the IVF meditation CD at the Anji website~cannot wait to get it. I am so trying to force myself to be crazy upbeat....I cannot even bare to think negatively or I am sure I will spiral and not want to do the injections. KWIM?


Ok, I am off~work is almost done and I have to go to Meijer to get some trick or treater stuff....Have a great night!!!!

[gemasita]

At my pre-op appt yesterday, my doc said that we would be shooting for the Dec 3rd cycle start after my surgery this Thursday. It is the last one of the year so please pray for me that nothing happens to mess us up and put us in the Jan cycle. We were thinking we would get to start in Oct so Dec is bad enough! I am a little nervous about my surgery - I don't know, just thinking about what my body has to endure - again - and nervous that it'll want to putz out on me. I hope this is not for nothing...

The RE also told me that it was okay that I would be on BCP for close to three months by the time we got started because he was going to have to give me the max dose of stims anyway. He also said that if we don't have many eggs, he will probably want to do ICSI to make sure that they have some embies to work with. Otherwise, we could end up with none fertilizing but I guess it still depends on how many we end up with.

We'll end up having both the surgery follow-up and the injections class on Nov 15th.

There is one thing I am worried about. My RE has to dilate my cervix during my surgery in order to get the embryos in in a few weeks. He give a cervical ripener and during the surgery, I guess he manually opens it and it stays enough open during the next few weeks for him to transfer the embies. Well, he's using Cytotec on me and since I am a birth doula, I know quite a bit about this drug. It's not labeled for use as a cervical ripener and the manufacturer has warned against its usage on pregnant women to induce labor. But I don't think they have any specific warnings out about it being used as a ripener in non-pregnant women. It seems that all of the warnings are for pregnant women and for labor induction (and I think their is a warning against its use for abortion but that's also because it is being used on a pregnant woman.) Still I am a little concerned about it being used on me. I'm pretty sure it's fine but just a little nervous because of all of the warnings surrounding this drug.

Ann - I plan on buying that meditation CD too. I guess I'd better order it soon!

[ann109]

marlee: how are you doing? what does your schedule look like? Anything coming up? Hope you are doing well!