The March 2008 Infertility ONE Thread - Page 12

[songbird45]

Originally Posted by Aly22681

Don't get down about it, there are so many other options similar to clomid but wont have the same effects on you. RE's are the way to go, I have heard from sooooo many people that you shouldnt even bother with your OB after a year of TTC. You probably wont even have to sit out a cycle, Femara might easily be a option for you! Don't worry, the RE will have a bunch of different (BETTER) options for you!

Thanks, that does make me feel better. I asked the nurse what sorts of options the specialist might suggest and she said "egg retrieval" which totally freaked me out. I'm going to call and make the appointment today. If I turn out to be pregnant I can always cancel it, but if I'm not I'll have to skip a cycle if I don't get on this right away.

[ItyBty]

I just heard from my RE about todays bloodwork and ultrasound - I'm not responding like they'd like to see, so he's adding Menopur to my nightly routine, in addition to my Follistim shots. Has anyone gone this route before? Why would I not be responding this month as well as I did the first 2 months?

[Julia'sMom]

ItyBty & Songbird, So sorry to hear about the disappointing news on your treatments.

As for me, the scan on CD16 revealed several small follicles (size 10 or less) so I am not ready to trigger. I have another appointment on Friday to check again. I'm praying for at least 1 nice and big follicle then. This really shouldn't be bad news, but I was so hopeful that ttc#2 would be just like ttc#2, where I got pregnant on first clomid cycle with a CD16 trigger. I know I was sooo lucky, but it's still hard when I have to wait so long just to get a doctor to give me clomid, which is needed for me to even have a chance of conception.

[crazyrunningmama]

Okay, I was away for a day and now reading through I had some many good wishes and "sorry to hear that"'s that I have lost track..... So:

and and : and lots of :
for all of us.

Just saw my family doc yesterday for a physical/pap so that is out of they way. Waiting for my lab requistions in the mail so we can get baseline bw and SA done. My dd asked for numnums yesterday, it's been 3 weeks since we weaned and I kind of thought she'd forget by now. In a way it's nice that she still remembers but it's hard to say now (fake cheerfully). Hope it all works out for #2.

[kristinc]

Originally Posted by ItyBty

I just heard from my RE about todays bloodwork and ultrasound - I'm not responding like they'd like to see, so he's adding Menopur to my nightly routine, in addition to my Follistim shots. Has anyone gone this route before? Why would I not be responding this month as well as I did the first 2 months?

that was what my protocol was supposed to be. follistim & meopur nightly and then ganirelex afte several days. don't worry, very common stim protocol good luck cookin those eggs.

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by EastbayK

Bad news- I have to have some spiffy laser surgery on my cervix, so our IUI is on hold until May. But, we MAY be able to do a fresh cycle instead of a frozen on that month, which gives us better odds. So I guess it evens out...

Mischievium- can you add that we are TTC while treating cancer on the front page? I think it's an important part of why we are doing what we are. Thanks!

Front page all fixed .

I'm sorry to hear that you have to wait until May, I'll keep my : that your laser surgery goes smoothly.

Originally Posted by EastbayK

As for us, we are counting down the days until DH goes radioactive and I have to stay away from him for a few days. I have faith that we are going to get through everything and 6 months from now we'll be both cancer free and pregnant.

Thoughts, prayers, and good vibes are all being directed your and your DH's way .

Originally Posted by Aly22681

Well I just got back from the Dr and I have 6 eggs this cycle!! Wooo hooo.... One is possibly too big and one is too small so more realistically we are looking at 4 eggs but still I am super pumped. They will also be doing 2 IUI's this month instead of just one like we did last month. I seriously FEEL like this could actually be our month!!! :

That's terrific, Aly!

Originally Posted by Perdita_in_Ontario

Just an update from me.

here we go with cycle #3. I start BCPs tomorrow, stims start mid-April. Roll on the rollercoaster..!h

: Good luck with this cycle, Perdita!

Originally Posted by soulshine

ok i'll update too...
stims start wednesday, er 4/7, et 4/11

so scared of even sharing this as i don't want to have to come back to say 'it didn't work'. hopefully i won't have to, hopefully i can share some great news, but it feels like a tail-between-the-legs thing, and i've made that walk too many times!
but anyway, we are in the thick of it.

, soulshine. The process is so hard-- it's so hard to have faith and allow yourself to hope when you've been disappointed so many times already. I wish there was a way to avoid the ups and downs of this process-- I'm not sure there is a way, only many ways to cope with the feelings. We'll be here, good news or bad.

Originally Posted by kristinc

Well bad news here. I went in for my baseline BW & US yesterday to amkes sure taht the BCP did their job and they found a small cyst on my right ovary. Estrogen should ahve been below 60 and it was 350 so they canceled our IVF cycle this month. Apparently my body ovulated despite the BCP's. They said this almost never happens which has been the story of our ivf journey. We are falling through the cracks percentagewise with every turn. We are really bummed.: Now we wiat for mean old aunt flo and then start all over with the BCPs. Now i will be starting stims mid april and transfers in may. Good luck to all of you who are cycling march/april

Oh, Kristin, I am so sorry that these things keep happening to you. It's so hard to have to wait this long, only to find out you have to wait some more.

Originally Posted by songbird45

I think I'm going to cry.

I just heard from the dr's office about the ripply shadow issue I told you guys about before. I just wanted to call and ask about it.

They said I can't take Clomid anymore, and referred me to an infertility specialist. Just like that, one option gone.

I'm sorry, songbird . Hopefully, as Aly said, this will be a step up and in the right direction, but that doesn't lessen the blow.

Originally Posted by ItyBty

I just heard from my RE about todays bloodwork and ultrasound - I'm not responding like they'd like to see, so he's adding Menopur to my nightly routine, in addition to my Follistim shots. Has anyone gone this route before? Why would I not be responding this month as well as I did the first 2 months?

ItyBty, I wish I had an idea for you about why your body isn't responding the same way, but I hope that the Menopur does it's job :.


If anyone wants anything updated or changed on the front page about where you are in your treatment (or whatever), can you bold it in your posts, so that I can find it easily? I try to keep up with where everyone is at, but there are a lot of us .

As for me, I got my repeat 7DPO progesterone back yesterday and it was 14.1 (up from a level of 9.4 last cycle) which is better, but isn't the 15+ that my OB would like to see. She said she wants to wait and see what my endocrinologist says about whether I have some sort of hormonal issue going on-- I saw the endo ~2 weeks ago and had a bunch of levels sent and I'm still waiting to hear back about that. Meanwhile, my DH did his repeat SA to confirm whether he has antisperm antibodies or not and we have an appointment tomorrow evening with the MFI urologist to go over the results and our options. I am a bit anxious to see what the results are and what our treatment options will be.

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

Got my test results for the thrombophilia panel and a few antibody thingies-- all negative. Me: "so that's good, right?!" Genetic councelor: "Well, it's good, but it also means that we still don't know what's going on with you. If they had come up positive, we could start addressing those issues immediately; instead you'll have to have more diagnostic testing done."

There are no good answers anymore!

Yay and , Mara. You're right, there are no good answers-- no one "wants" to have a blood clotting disorder, but at the same time it's frustrating and scary not to know what is going on.

Originally Posted by hope4light

I'm hoping AF will come for me in about 2 weeks, and then I can call and get all started for me again with IVF round 1, cycle 2....

Hope, good luck with your next cycle :.

Originally Posted by Julia'sMom

As for me, the scan on CD16 revealed several small follicles (size 10 or less) so I am not ready to trigger. I have another appointment on Friday to check again. I'm praying for at least 1 nice and big follicle then. This really shouldn't be bad news, but I was so hopeful that ttc#2 would be just like ttc#2, where I got pregnant on first clomid cycle with a CD16 trigger. I know I was sooo lucky, but it's still hard when I have to wait so long just to get a doctor to give me clomid, which is needed for me to even have a chance of conception.

Come on little eggies, grow!

[hope4light]

Originally Posted by mischievium

Front page all fixed .

As for me, I got my repeat 7DPO progesterone back yesterday and it was 14.1 (up from a level of 9.4 last cycle) which is better, but isn't the 15+ that my OB would like to see. She said she wants to wait and see what my endocrinologist says about whether I have some sort of hormonal issue going on-- I saw the endo ~2 weeks ago and had a bunch of levels sent and I'm still waiting to hear back about that. Meanwhile, my DH did his repeat SA to confirm whether he has antisperm antibodies or not and we have an appointment tomorrow evening with the MFI urologist to go over the results and our options. I am a bit anxious to see what the results are and what our treatment options will be.

: you're in our thoughts, hope they get it all figured out and it is something easily fixable!!

[laralee16]

Af showed up last night. A week early....sigh....

[songbird45]

laralee. aand, we try again.

Someone here said the tww was stressful too... and maybe it will be, in the second week, but it's so rare that I actually get as far as the tww that it's something of a novelty for me still. I've been charting for a year now, and it's so odd to think that I've only had 6 ovulatory cycles in that time, including this one.

ETA: I sent this link to my mom. Hopefully it will inspire her to lay off the stupid comments - I know she cares, I just need her to see it from my point of view. Maybe it will help some of you too.

[Aly22681]

Originally Posted by songbird45

laralee. aand, we try again.

Someone here said the tww was stressful too... and maybe it will be, in the second week, but it's so rare that I actually get as far as the tww that it's something of a novelty for me still. I've been charting for a year now, and it's so odd to think that I've only had 6 ovulatory cycles in that time, including this one.

ETA: I sent this link to my mom. Hopefully it will inspire her to lay off the stupid comments - I know she cares, I just need her to see it from my point of view. Maybe it will help some of you too.

WOW, that is a REALLY good link!! I will be forwarding it out to quite a few people today! Esp, my stupid SIL who told me just to have alot of sex and I would end up getting pg. When I informed her about clomid, then a HCG trigger, then IUI, she told me how I cant always listen to Dr, and repeated just to have sex alot and I would DEF end up pg. As if to suggest that I was clueless on how to make a baby! I could SCHOOL her on the in's and out's of getting pg! Sorry I went off on a little rant!

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by hope4light

: you're in our thoughts, hope they get it all figured out and it is something easily fixable!!

Thanks, hope!

Originally Posted by laralee16

Af showed up last night. A week early....sigh....

I'm sorry, Laura.

Originally Posted by songbird45

Someone here said the tww was stressful too... and maybe it will be, in the second week, but it's so rare that I actually get as far as the tww that it's something of a novelty for me still. I've been charting for a year now, and it's so odd to think that I've only had 6 ovulatory cycles in that time, including this one.

ETA: I sent this link to my mom. Hopefully it will inspire her to lay off the stupid comments - I know she cares, I just need her to see it from my point of view. Maybe it will help some of you too.

: for you, songbird. That link should be required reading-- I think I need to print out some copies and just start handing it out.

Originally Posted by Aly22681

Esp, my stupid SIL who told me just to have alot of sex and I would end up getting pg. When I informed her about clomid, then a HCG trigger, then IUI, she told me how I cant always listen to Dr, and repeated just to have sex alot and I would DEF end up pg. As if to suggest that I was clueless on how to make a baby! I could SCHOOL her on the in's and out's of getting pg! Sorry I went off on a little rant!

Wow, Aly, your SIL is lucky she wasn't on the phone with me because I totally would have schooled her-- in a nice way, but still. I hope she actually reads the link. Until then, rant away!


So, we have an official diagnosis for my DH-- Antisperm Antibodies (ASA). The urologist (who specializes in MFI) laid out our options:

1) Immunosuppressive therapy: essentially DH would have to take the same kind of meds that transplant patients take to keep their body from rejecting donor organs for about 9 months to get his antibody level down to the point that we could conceive and then who knows how many months until we actually conceive. As you can imagine, DH is not psyched about the idea of being on high-dose steroids for an indeterminate amount of time. The doctor presented this as an option, explained how it works, and then explained that in the past five years *none* of his patients with ASA have chosen this option. In fact, apparently he was on an expert panel at a medical convention and he and the five other experts on the panel were asked how many of their patients have chosen this treatment in the past five years and they all said "none." So, essentially, this is not an option.

2. IUI: The thing with antibodies is that they can attach at different places on the sperm and where they attach effects what you need to do to treat them. In DH's case ~50% had antibodies attached to the tail, which they believe effects the ability of the sperm to swim up to the egg. About 30% had antibodies attached to the head or neck, which effects their ability to penetrate the egg. With these numbers, the doctor said we were a good candidate for IUI, couples with higher levels of antibodies bound to the head or neck usually have to go straight for IVF, probably with ICSI.

3. IVF: Depending on the results of my tests, we might just go to this option.

So... now to find an RE...

[mischievium]

Also, I was going to ask for women TTC with MFI, do you need to have an HSG done before starting IUI or IVF?

I'm asking because I figure I can get my regular OB to order an HSG while I'm waiting to get in to see an RE.

[crazyrunningmama]

HI, I know the answer to this question, in Canada anyway is yes you will likely have to have an HSG done. We are getting the ball rolling and they said I needed to have had one within the last two years as part of getting things started (even though I had one 3 years ago AND we know our issues are MF). We also have to do bw for all infectious diseases/STI's even though we did them all the first time and are monogamously married! Whatever, they have their check list and I will accomodate that as long as it doesn't get too crazy.
good luck!!

I went to accupuncture yesterday, it was good. I actually think it has helped my mood already. BUT of course they want to see dh and of course it will be next to impossible to get him to go. AND they suggest a "cleanse" with no wheat/dairy/soy/corn/etcetcetc. : Very hard to do but I plan to try (and maybe lose some pounds while I am at it)

Too many smilies? :

[laralee16]

Originally Posted by songbird45

ETA: I sent this link to my mom. Hopefully it will inspire her to lay off the stupid comments - I know she cares, I just need her to see it from my point of view. Maybe it will help some of you too.

Thank you for that link. I am going to have to post that on my myspace.

[kristenok18]

Originally Posted by mischievium

Also, I was going to ask for women TTC with MFI, do you need to have an HSG done before starting IUI or IVF?

I'm asking because I figure I can get my regular OB to order an HSG while I'm waiting to get in to see an RE.

I'm not sure; it might depend on your particular clinic's protocol. I had one done, but both dh and I have IF issues. At the time we knew about dh's issues, but were still trying to pinpoint what was going on with me.

[songbird45]

Originally Posted by mischievium

So, we have an official diagnosis for my DH-- Antisperm Antibodies (ASA).

You have a tough decision ahead of you, but it must feel so good to get some answers! I hope you can get treatment that will work for you.

[hope4light]

Originally Posted by mischievium

Also, I was going to ask for women TTC with MFI, do you need to have an HSG done before starting IUI or IVF?

I'm asking because I figure I can get my regular OB to order an HSG while I'm waiting to get in to see an RE.

We have severe MF and did not do an HSG, our RE felt that all else was good considering. Good luck!

[Julia'sMom]

Aly: I also think this is it for you. You're cycle sounds great!

Songbird: Thanks for the link. That is exactly why we are not telling anyone (IRL) we started treatment.

Laralee: Sorry about af.

Mischevium: Yeah for knowing what's going on. Boo for the results. My thoughts are with you as you face the decision for the next step.

Now, I have questions about timing. On Fridays scan I had a 19mm follicle and multiple smaller ones (8mm or less). I was instructed to use the hcg trigger shot on Saturday between 8pm and 10pm and then to dtd on Sunday and Monday. The timing seems weird. I don't know why I was told to wait until Saturday for the trigger. I also don't understand the timing for intercourse, at 24 and 28 hours post trigger shot. How soon after the shot is ovulation expected? Isn't the sperm supposed to be present before ovulation occurs? I'm not too hopeful for this cycle. The pregnancy test is 4/11, so I'll find out then.

[kristinc]

Originally Posted by mischievium

Also, I was going to ask for women TTC with MFI, do you need to have an HSG done before starting IUI or IVF?

I'm asking because I figure I can get my regular OB to order an HSG while I'm waiting to get in to see an RE.

we are too ttc with mfi, and as for the hsg you will have to have it on cycle day 9-11. there are many blood tests (preconception screening), infectious disease panel and immunlogical panel that you will ahve to have before they will allow you to cycle at all. The preconception panel & hsg you can have done through your gynie, and then the re will need day 3 hormone levels & vag ultrasound along with bw days days after ovulation. oh yeah and you will ahve to ahve a sperm analysis which i am assuming that you already have had. You DH will ahve to have the infectious diesase panel, be blood typed also. It is very helpful if you can go to your RE wil those test results in hand. Saves alot of time and if you can go in to see the RE before your period starts so that you can get right in for the day 3 bloodwork. HTH!

Kristin