JUNE 2008 IVF Cyclers!!!!!

[kungfufugirl]

Hey All!!! My name is JoAnne, and I am 37....will be 38 in July......tick tick tick tick! I will be starting my third IVF cycle in June! I am looking for other MDC ladies to share the fun

We are TTC #2 ---well sorta.....I have a 15 yo from a previous marriage, but currently dh and I suffer severe MFI, and so have no other choice but IVF w. ICSI.....but got our dd from IVF #1.....IVF #2 for a sib failed, but I was under WAY too much stress and exercising too much. Also didn't keep up with the acu and diet recs.....now I've already started acu a month ago and will transfer in the latter part of June.

~jo
37 yo, severe MFI, and eggs getting "old" IVF #3
IVF#1=dd, 15 mo old, IVF #2 BFN
15 yo ds from previous marriage

[kungfufugirl]

am I the only IVF-er?????

[Aly22681]

Oh oh pick me!!!!

This will be my first IVF cycle, DH and I have been TTC for about 17 months. We have unexplained IF and after 5 clomid/1femara/1 follistim and 3 iui's later the Dr moved us on to IVF. I am 27 and DH is 28.

We will be cycleing in June probably mid-late, but i still have not gotten the appt for my b/l yet, I started my BCP's yesterday though.

[soulshine]

i'll be here to cheer you both on!

[hope4light]

I'll be lurking... we've been through two cancelled IVF cycles before even getting to ER (for different reasons of course ~ neither meds protocal was great for me!). Either way, the two RE's in the office are going to be discussing my case and try to figure out what to do with me, and then we'll be able to start again. The office said about 3 or 4 weeks after my last cancelled cycle, which was 1.5 wks ago... so, I figure another 5 weeks for my cycle (I run longer cycle's) and then we'll get started again, so I'm HOPEFULLY looking at a June IVF cycle (although I would LOVE sooner!)

So, I'll drop a line now and again, especially as you guys need support.... but hopefully as it gets closer I'll get my dates and be able to jump in more!!

GL and

[Aly22681]

Have any of ya'll had your saline sono yet???

I had a hard time with the HSG bc my darn cervix doesnt want to open so they have to pry it open with the clamp thingy and it HURT!!! So now I am dreading the Saline Sono bc I'm afraid they will have to do the same. Sometimes I SWEAR I think my body is working against me.

[crazyrunningmama]

Hi there! I'm still a big, fat..... not sure. We got the go ahead to start cycling. We will start with bcps as soon as AF arrives, which is oh, any second now. My issue is this: right at the end of stims (if we start this month), my dh has to be away for a day or two. We have a high energy 2 year old and I know from last time that my emotional needs are high during stims AND I was told to take it easy physically as I was at risk for overstimulating. So I totally don't want to delay another month, BUT I don't want to put the cycle at risk and/or hate my dh for not supporting me when I need it.

I was going to ask for advice, but just writing it out makes it clear. I'm waiting a month. Poo.

Take this as a WARNING btw, the stims are very very hard, emotionally and physically, plan your supports now. Take time off work, watch some movies, warn your dh that you will be CRAZY and plan your self care.

[Julia'sMom]

I may be joining you or I may just be lurking while waiting to begin. We'll cycle either in June or July. Right now I'm just waiting on my dh to make the appointment for our "teach" and to do the final bloodwork. From there, the RE said it's about 6 weeks from bcp to preg test.

[Stealthee]

Hello all! I'd love to join you ladies. I'm not 100% sure about my time line, but I start BCP's CD 3 of my next AF, which should be in about 2 weeks.

I'm TTC #1 and this will be my first IVF. We've got severe MF and I'm 39. DH and I have been married just over a year and have been TTC for eight months. We got the IF diagnosis about 2 1/2 months ago. It's been stressful and I'm just starting to feel like myself again.

It'll be good to have people to go through this process with.

[Aly22681]

Welcome Stealthee, I too am new to IVF (cycle #1) and I am TTC #1 , DH and I have unexplained IF and have been TTC since Jan 07. I am 27 and Dh is 28. I have been on BCP for about 10 days and I'm not sure when I will start my cycle (thanks to the military dr's that will be running my cycle), I love/hate the fact that someone else will be in the dark with me....

[kungfufugirl]

Steal--I start BCP's after my next AF also...except they have me starting on day 1.....around Tues the 22nd, then I am to call the clinic to see what's what about getting things rolling!

Aly--Welcome! Looks like we'll be going around the same time possibly....what military are you with? I was in the navy for a while....Did you have your hsg yet? They are awful....at least when they push the fluid all the way through the tubes....I only had to do that once, before the first cycle....then they only filled the uterus for the second....before the second cycle, and they say I don't need one this time. Good luck with it....{{Aly}}

Julia's Mom--do you have one daughter now? how old? from IVF also? Any word on you cycle? We look forward to having you join us!

CRAZY--sorry to hear you won't be joining us! I am glad you are making a good choice for yourself though. I am taking a lot of time off work....no work the last week of June....only VERY pt in week 3, and very little the first week of July, after that only Sundays and some childbirth ed classes for the rest of July. I figure if we are successful, I would rather take it easy and not chance having to lift patients, and if not.....would rather not be around pg people---ANY people as much as possible for a few weeks. In any case....I shouldn't be doing much lifting of anything until those ovaries shrink back down.

Hope--I hope you will be able to join us! Any word yet???? Why were your cycles cancelled???

Soul--thanks for the kind words and good energy! We'll be needing that!!! It will also be great to have someone around on the thread who is in their right mind (not pumped up on stims).

~jo

[Rockies5]

hi all. I'm new to IVF as well. I've been lurking Hoping for an Aug transfer

Wishing you all the best!

I'm wondering if anyone will use any other therapies along with IVF? I'm trying to find info on acupuncture and if it really helps!

[Julia'sMom]

Originally Posted by kungfufugirl

Julia's Mom--do you have one daughter now? how old? from IVF also? Any word on you cycle? We look forward to having you join us!
~jo

Jo - I do have a wonderful daughter, almost 2 years old now. She was conceived with met, clomid and hcg shot. This time around I am not responding to met and clomid. Due to the PCOS, the RE is not recommending injectibles because of a good chance of a higher order pregnancy. So...we're on to IVF. This will be my first time as well. I see the RE tomorrow for ammenorea bloodwork and ultrasound. If I haven't ovulated (most likely since I don't on my own) then they'll start me on bcp's immediately. I need to be on bcp before they'll schedule our "teach" to show us all the medications and how to do the injections. I'm both nervous and excited, like all of you.

[hope4light]

Hi All,

I got my call from the RE on Thursday, and they have made some changes to my meds protocol.

KFFG ~ My first cycle was a lupron/repronex cycle, and was cancelled because I was at a very high risk for OHSS. My Estrogen was at 5600 days before transfer, and I was looking at at least 30 mature eggs, but a total of over 60 follies that they were able to count... so probably more. So, a couple of days before ER, they cancelled.

My second try they changed my meds to try to help that problem, and we did an antagon/repronex cycle. My estrogen levels were still really high, and they were doing additional u/s and bloodwork to keep a closer eye on me. They were still a little nervous about OHSS, about 4/5 days before ER my Estrogen was at 2600ish (I don't remember the exact number) and I had at least 30 follies, but I had a natural LH surge. Apparently if they start you on the antagon before your follies are at about 12, they will lose a lot of the smaller follies, so they didn't start me on a tues because they weren't big enough, but by the thurs u/s and bloodwork it was too late, my LH was already at 13. So, thereby cancelled cycle number 2.

Now, onto my call with the RE last week since I have updated everyone on my IVF journey. They are going to put me back onto a lupron/repronex protocol. They are going to do 2 or 3 weeks of BCP's (in the past it has only been a week), then they are going to up my Lupron to 20 cc's instead of just 10. They are hoping that the longer BCP's and higher Lupron will help my estrogen levels from getting too high. Then they are going to do just 1.5 ampules of repronex (which is what they did on cycle #2 and I still had lots of follies growing pretty decently). They'll do an u/s and bloodwork on day 3 instead of waiting until day 5, so that they have more time to work with me and my drugs if I start to fly again. Now, I just have to wait for AF to rear her ugly head, and then I will get started on BCP's!

I'm thinking that AF will be probably around the 3rd of June... I stopped charting long ago, and I just go by my fluids to still try to dtd around O time, but since we have severe MF we don't try to hard....

So, I may have ER/ET in either very late June, but most likely in early July. I will join you all, and then go from there!

here's to GL for us all!

[Stealthee]

Hello all! Thanks for the welcome and welcome to Rockies 5. I like the mix of newbies and veterans.

As for complimentary therapies to IVF... I am planning to start weekly acupuncture treatments very soon and will also have a treatment before and after transfer. There are studies that show that acupuncture can increase implantation rates in IVF (30%, I think.)

Because I'm older and I worry about egg quality, I also take lots of supplements and Chinese herbs. DH is also taking Fertilaid for Men and L-Arginine.

I do yoga once a week and should do more. I meditate and visualize and try my best to keep a positive attitude. It's not always easy! It's really hard to balance staying positive and being realistic. There has been a lot of serious illness in my family lately and it's helped me put infertility in perspective. Of course I will grieve if IVF doesn't work for us, but I TRY to appreciate all the blessings I have been given.

This is going to sound silly, but I made a deal with God yesterday that if my sister-in-law survived to grow old with my brother and lived to see her grandchildren, I would give up my own potential children. (I know that things don't work this way.) Sorry to stray off topic, but she went in for exploratory surgery 8 a.m. GMT-5 and I haven't heard any news yet. I'm worried. Too afraid to call.

[Aly22681]

Hola Ladies!!! I just got my tentative dates... ER around June 23, I'll be stopping my BCP on June 7, and waiting for AF, the we will do my b/l and stims accordingly, I am SOOOOOO happy to finally have some DATES!!

[Julia'sMom]

Aly - Yeah for not being in the dark anymore!!

Stealthee - I've also tried making deals with God before...and raging at Him...and pleading...and.... Infertility is a challenging issue. I'll pray for your sister-in-law.

hope4light - I just know this is your cycle!

So...I had my appt today. Apparently I have not ovulated (CD 37) and am not going to. So, I start bcp's tonight. My "teach" is June 3rd and then we get the whole run-down and schedule. I'm kinda scared now that it's actually starting to happen. Not so much of the process, but of the possibility of failure after working so hard. I am now setting up my support system and trying to clear my thoughts.

having all of you girls to go through this with!

[philia]

IVF worked for me and it will for you too !!!!

Just wanted to give you all a smile and some hope. I had six failed IUI's. I did IVF with ICSI and got a beautiful baby. The first IVF I did without ICSI and I had a low beta and lost the pg at 3 weeks. The second one worked. I know this time is hard but it will pass. Sending all of you baby dust and prayers.
Philia

[philia]

I thought of something else

I did something that helped a lot. I had sticky notes that said I will get pg and stay pg. After the positive Beta I put up the I will stay pg. Before transfer I put up a note that I would get pg, stay pg and that I loved my embryos. I think the positive enengy and notes helped me. I put the notes on my bathroom mirror. A friend of mine saw this on the learning channel on a baby show and it worked for her. I also tried to think that no matter what I would be a mother. If it was adoption then so be it. It was only a matter of time and that fertility treatments would not go on forever. I also took baby aspirin after the second IVF the whole time and I don't know if it helped or not. I think the aspirin helped. I did some immune testing while I was prepping for IVF number two and it was something I should have probably always done. I think you should go with your gut if you have a hunch that there is a reason for the IF. I also was constantly looking at other clinics I would go to if my second did not work. I tried to always look past the two week wait. I think I lived on the computer. Best of Luck !!!!

[DM630]

I have been lurking on this thread for a while and wanted to post.

I am actually a May IVF not June. This is our first IVF cycle. It looks like our ER will be monday or Tuesday, depends on how the u/s goes on Friday. I have been on lupron since CD21 of my last cycle. On Saturday CD5 we decreased the lupron and added Gonal-f in the pm. Last night we decreased the Gonal-f and added Luveris. I am also doing acupuncture and we plan to have an acupuncture treatment before and after ET. I am nervous about the the ER and ET, but am trying relax and be positive about the whole process. People tell me to try not to think about it all the time, but it is hard when you wake up every morning and have to have a shot and then more in the evening.