Queer TTC September 2008 - Page 2

[lindseyry]

Hi Girls! Another newbie here... My wifey and I have been together for 9 years. We have three boys ages 20, 8 and 2. Were in the process now of ttc #4. Our first cycle was last month and resulted in a chemical pregnancy and was lost at 4 weeks 2 days. Were using a known donor and shipping fresh with Bio tranz.
Im on a regimen of 2400 mg of both cranberry and maca root, 1200 mg of folic acid and 81 mg of baby aspirin daily.

Good luck to everyone!!

[ellie74]

Hi everyone...and welcome newbies! This is a great board and a really supportive community. I'm so glad it exists.

I abandoned the board in the middle of last month because I was in the midst of moving and stressed out and my ovaries weren't cooperating. I have a 28-ish day cycle normally and didn't O till day 23 this month! Our donor is also going back home (out of the country) at the end of September, so it looked like it might be our last chance.

Anyway, the donor and his gf (both good friends) happened to be staying with us in our new place the week I ended up ovulating. We chilled and hiked and ate lots of ice cream. Then after I got the positive reading on the OPK, he went into the bathroom each afternoon and came out with a little present for us.

And today I got my BFP! I just wanted to send lots of to everyone on this board. Even when I wasn't posting because I was too moody, it made me really happy to know that you were all out here in cyberspace going through the same s**t.

You're all rock stars.

[smartycat]

: ::: Congrats Ellie!!! ::: :

I literally gasped with joy for you when I got to the bottom of your post!! Look forward to seeing you in the pregnant thread. We always enjoy new members!

[indigoscot]

vent :(

so as some of you know, dp and i have started down the road of getting ready to ttc #2. she was recently diagnosed with hashimoto's thyroiditis, but we were told as soon as the synthroid got her hormone levels back to normal we would be ok to proceed. i did some internet research and asked our clinic if we should get some other miscarriage risk labs done as these particular issues tended to go hand-in-hand with auto-immune. at first they poo-poo'd me but finally agreed after i insisted. during this time, dp experienced an annovulatory cycle with some mid-cycle spotting. she took provera to bring on af.

next, she had the hsg. left tube was initially blocked but the dye unblocked it, yay! the tech saw some dark area that was possibly an endometrial polyp but it wasn't conclusive. today she had her pelvic/ovary scan and again they saw something that was possibly a polyp. dp is most likely looking at yet another test to confirm/deny if it is a polyp and if so, it will probably be removed.

we were still reeling from that news when our clinic emailed to say the miscarriage risk labs had come back with some concerns but they didn't want to tell us the results OR which areas came back with concerns until they had all the info from the endometriologist and the hsg and ovary scans. THEN they will set up a meeting with us NEXT WEEK to discuss!!! omg! do they think we aren't adults??!?!!? i emailed the coordinator back and asked for the lab info and an explanation of the issues but got some b/s that the doctor didn't like to tell folks because they scared themselves to death via internet research. wtf?? i was the one who instigated the additional tests in the first place, so obviously i'm not about to jump off the deep end, we just want to be informed before our appt. i'm hopeful we'll get some info tomorrow.

we thought it was bad enough when i was ttc and had elevated prolactin and then diagnosed post-partum with factor v leiden but dp's list of issues has me beat! we are struggling with all this news as you can imagine.

the additional testing we had included - factor v leiden, apl, mthfr and lupus (i forget the rest but they are all bad news when it comes to ttc).

i'm prepared to be the baby oven again but even that has risks - i'm 39 next month and due to the factor v leiden would be on heparin the entire pregnancy!!

thanks for listening, i know the ladies on here can empathise!

g

[carmen358]

Congrats Ellie!!

Welcome to the new folks

indigo - that all sounds very intense. I don't really have any words of wisdom for you but I hope the appointment goes ok (that's insane to make you wait so long!) and that the news you receive is manageable (and hopefully, positive!)

[giggleblue]

ellie - congrats!

indigo - i'm sending good vibes your way. i don't have any advice or wisdom or experience, but i want you to know that i hope this situation works in your favor.

as for us, dp got a positive opk today at around noon. we were gearing up for the first insemination and will do another some time tomorrow. god, i really need this month to work. i'll let you know when we are officially waiting.

ETA: dp is now officially in the tww. inseminations are done, and now, we wait!

[JennM1021]

Ellie....congrats!!!!! :::

Welcome to all the newbies!!! This board has had some really good luck lately!!! LOTS of BFP's!!!!

Indigo...total bummer. That just really sucks that they can't give you any info over the phone. Just stupid really. Anyway, I hope your appt goes ok and you get some answers.

AAM: Today is CD8 and I just went for a scan this morning. LOTS of eggies making their way!!!! In fact...I have one that is at 17 already!!!! HOLY CRAP!! I usually don't O until CD14/15. My RE said I probably need another scan in the morning and they may even trigger me in the next day or so!!! Man...these injectibeles are really doing their thing!! Anyway, they need to look at my bloodwork and get back to me on that...but I'm just so surprised.

[girlie1125]

Congrats Ellie!


Had my second u/s yesterday, and both follies on the right are now measuring up decently. I'll trigger tonight and do an IUI Friday morning.

My RE has a "donation tank" of donor sperm that couples no longer need. Its free for his patients to use. I got a list of what's available, and then I went off in search of their donor numbers on the donor sibling registry. :

I wasn't trying to invade anyone's privacy (the site I was on didn't show you much unless you paid $$$ anyhow), but most of the donors didn't have any count numbers or pregnancy reported info listed on the sheets the RE gave me. I was really only looking to see if there had been pgs reported for them. One donor had 6 in one relatively small area (not my area). So I'm going with him. I dunno if it increases my chances or anything, but every little bit helps, I guess.


I'm still very much keeping in the forefront of my mind that this cycle has a 75% chance of failure. So I'm feeling very que sera sera about the whole thing.

[heart-n-bones]

: : Yay Ellie!!

[indigoscot]

update - dp also has factor v leiden!!!!! what are the odds?? clinic doc said all dp would need is a baby aspirin a day (that's what i took w/o knowing i had the condition while pregnant) but due to the concerns with post-partum blood clots (which i had), i think our ob-gyn and re will want her to take heparin. we have a consult with clinic doc next week and a consult with re the week after.

clinic doc wants dp to have the other test to see if it really is a polyp and have it removed if it is. there is a 2 month wait period after the surgery before ttc, which would line us up with our goal date of early next year.

clinic doc also confirmed it's another annovulatory cycle for dp, so back on the provera she goes!

thanks everyone for your kind words. while being diagnosed with anything that can affect ttc is never good news, at least we are armed with the knowledge to prevent m/c!

g

[JennM1021]

That's great news indigo! Well..not great news...but you know what I mean. At least you know...and it's something that can be managed.

Update here...the RE called...my estrogen level is terribly low. Especially for having an almost mature follice. He seemed really baffled by it...especially since my E2 was fine while on clomid...injectibles don't usually have the same effect. So, basically...it could still just be too early...but he seemed really concerned about it...said it was very unusual. Hmph....figures. It's one thing after the other with me. Everything seems to be lining up for a perfect cycle...and one thing throws it off. And it's always something different! Anyway...enough complaining. He said the cycle is not a loss yet...he prescribed yet another injectible (menopur I think) to hopefully increase my E2 and I'll start that tonight. Just hoping it's not too late. I go back Friday morning for another scan and bloodwork...so we'll see if it worked. If I have to sit out another cycle...I just might go crazy.

[indigoscot]

thanks jenn! yes, we discussed it at length yesterday and if there was going to be another issue one we've already dealt with is the "best" one to have! dp is coming to terms with the fact that she is not as fertile as she had thought - her family is insanely fertile, 7 kids between her 2 sisters and 2 great nieces and one great nephew from them already - so she had been battling a little depression of late. i'm certain we can get all of these issues taken care of and be able to ttc #2 as planned.

today i have a nasty head cold and am working from home. :

i'm sorry your cycle has thrown another spanner in the works and i have fx that you will get better news tomorrow.

g

[FtMPapa]

Originally Posted by JennM1021

If I have to sit out another cycle...I just might go crazy.

Hey Jenn, I know that feeling! I hope your RE has some good tricks up his sleeve. That's so weird...is it possible the blood test was just WRONG or messed up somehow? Or maybe the follicle(s) need more time?

Indigo - wow, at least it's all "manageable." Hopefully everything will go smoothly. (Good job on getting what you wanted from the docs!)

My little update - I'm stagnating. CD 16 and I'm sitting around with no signs of O in sight. Figures.

Also, my car is kind of on the fritz and I haven't made the time to get it fixed, so driving to my sperm isn't gonna happen until I get my act together, so I guess it's good that I haven't Oed yet.

I might end up sitting this month out because I've been so stressed out and had a bad cold, etc, so I don't have high hopes. September is a hard month in my world - school starting again, teaching again, etc.

What's happened to this thread? Are we all getting lethargic or are we all graduating? It's so quiet lately! I hear crickets!

[Tireegal]

Welcome to the newbies- yeah I am one too!

Indigo Scot - so sorry about all the stuff that DP is going through. My DP has hashimotos too - it's a drag. Did it take long to find out and get diagnosed for yours?
My DP kept going back to the doctor year after year and putting on 10lbs a year and begging to get her thyroid tested and it took about 8 years for her to get the anti body test and it was positive and it turned out all the females on her side of the family had it and none had been diagnosed!!! I guess I need to google factor v leiden cos I don't know what that is
I am English - from Yorkshire - what part of Scotland are you from?

Jenn - sorry that your blood test came out so weird. What a mystery!

Girlie - I love the idea of the donation tank of spare sperm - what a great idea - I wish my place had that - although in every other way they are the coolest ever!!

Ellie - congratulations on the BFP!!!:::

AFM - I got insemmed at the wonderful feminist / crunchy clinic yesterday and today. The health worker said my EWCM was glistening!!!! Very evocative!
Both went well and I am hoping that #4 will be the lucky BFP!!!!

That's all for now. Happy almost Friday! Gotta go do some work - pooh pooh!
Claire

[indigoscot]

hi claire, good to hear your insem went well, fx for a bfp!!

i'm from aberdeen, been stateside for a little over 10 years now.

factor v leiden is a blood clotting disorder. about 13% of the population has it and most have no idea. there are 2 variations, heterozygous (which is what dp and i have) and homozygous (which is the bad one). i had a post-partum blood clot because of it. BUT even women who have it and don't know go on to have perfectly healthy pregnancies. it's another of those things that the male-dominated medical field hasn't done enough studies on w/ regard to pregnancy. there are some potential issues if the mother or father (donor!) passes on the mutated gene to the fetus but again, not enough info on that as of yet. i was on a baby aspirin just by complete chance and it's likely that prevented any clotting issues.

we only found out about the hashimoto's when we started doing all the testing our clinic requires for ttc, but it seems she was subclinical last year and her pcp (who we are dropping!!) didn't catch it. sorry your dp has it too, ugh!

g

[giggleblue]

you know how i told you all that dp was in the tww after getting a positive opk, well....

this morning, she got a peak on the fertility monitor. our sperm bank doesn't have any tanks, so they can't make a shipment out for us today. so we inseminated three days too early i imagine.

there will be no stress for us this tww.

[JennM1021]

Indigoscot...Papa...sorry about your nasty colds!! Hope you both feel better soon!

Claire...: that this is the month for you!!!

Giggleblue...if DP got a positive OPK days ago...maybe the monitor is just wrong? Has she been using it long? Sometimes is takes a while to get adjusted. Plus, last month...I got a peak...went in for a scan and bloodwork that morning...and it showed I was already O'ing. So, you never know. Hang in there.

Papa...I hope you can get everything worked out so you can give it a go this month. I know you have been waiting so long to be ready again...I just hope it works out for you. And I know what you mean...this board seems so dead lately. I think it is because so many have graduated recently...which is a good thing. But, I sure do miss all those preggo mamas!!

AAM: I guess I had the follice size wrong the other day. It was a 14, not a 17. It had grown from an 8 in 2 days though...so that's why the RE thought I would be ready to O before long since it was growing so fast. That follie is now 17 though. I have a bunch of others hanging around at about 10-13. So, it does look like I'll only have one follie this time around. The good news is...my lining looks great! Well...compared to how it has been. It's an 8 and the highest I'd ever been on clomid was a 6...so an 8 at CD10 is good news. Anyway, we're still waiting for the bloodwork to come back. Hopefully my E2 is catching up. If so...we're triggering tomorrow night and insemming Monday morning! Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that my damn E2 is ok!!!

[serepartera]

Originally Posted by giggleblue

you know how i told you all that dp was in the tww after getting a positive opk, well....

this morning, she got a peak on the fertility monitor. our sperm bank doesn't have any tanks, so they can't make a shipment out for us today. so we inseminated three days too early i imagine.

there will be no stress for us this tww.

Oh, Giggleblue, this happened to us this cycle, too. All signs pointed to O, we used all our sperm, and then, her temp took 3 more days to go up, and fertility friend didn't give crosshairs until 3 or 4 days after the insems. ugh. so, we'd just given up, and were waiting around for AF, but then a few days ago (10 or 14 dpo, depending on where you count from) her temp spiked up, and has stayed up, and she has been spotting a little. WTH? So now we don't know what to think. We are just tapping our fingers and trying to be patient. (also, hoping that maybe the reason that ole #9 is so fertile is that his spermies last longer ???) Who knows. Anyway, we're right there with you ladies.

[pleasantlyfurious]

Giggleblue - I hope the monitor was off and your timing was right on. fx!

Claire - maybe it's just september - because all boards seem to be dead. It's driving me insane!

FTMpapa - sorry it's not looking like things will line up this month. Hope your car is up and running soon!

This board is slower than usual, but the pregnant thread is even slower, so it seems to be slow all around. bummer.

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by giggleblue

you know how i told you all that dp was in the tww after getting a positive opk, well....

this morning, she got a peak on the fertility monitor. our sperm bank doesn't have any tanks, so they can't make a shipment out for us today. so we inseminated three days too early i imagine.

there will be no stress for us this tww.

Argh. I hope the monitor is wrong....or as someone else said, maybe the swimmers have great longevity! I hope so....

Originally Posted by JennM1021

AAM: I guess I had the follice size wrong the other day. It was a 14, not a 17. It had grown from an 8 in 2 days though...so that's why the RE thought I would be ready to O before long since it was growing so fast. That follie is now 17 though. I have a bunch of others hanging around at about 10-13. So, it does look like I'll only have one follie this time around. The good news is...my lining looks great! Well...compared to how it has been. It's an 8 and the highest I'd ever been on clomid was a 6...so an 8 at CD10 is good news. Anyway, we're still waiting for the bloodwork to come back. Hopefully my E2 is catching up. If so...we're triggering tomorrow night and insemming Monday morning! Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that my damn E2 is ok!!!

Fingers crossed! Sounds very promising!!

AFM: I'm waiting, somewhat patiently, to O. Before m/c I O'd almost always on CD 17-19. Which is still about a week away. I think the wait to O drives me crazy more than the wait to know. At least with that wait I feel like I have no control but waiting to O stresses me out because I'm paranoid I will miss it (or now, after m/c, that it won't happen).

Good times