Mothering Forum banner

Queer Conceptions: March 2013

13K views 327 replies 24 participants last post by  JustAnotherJenny 
#1 ·
It's March!
chicken3.gif


SPRINGing into pregnancy? All I want for Christmas is a healthy little baby?

Please put your updates in bold.

Graduates: please click here to share how you got your BFP.

Waiting to O
whistling.gif

Friederike
JustAnotherJenny

Waiting to Know... Braving the 2WW
fingersx.gif

Twomommyfamily BFPChart2.gif
KWPX2 BFPChart2.gif
Fmorris28 BFPChart2.gif

Taking a Break/Figuring Things Out/Waiting to be Ready
wool.gif

Lovestreet13
Lizbian
DarcySD
TineyDreams
Lovingisliving
Scorpioma BFPChart2.gif
Rs11
Darthtunaqueen
Fillefantome
TillyBarry

2013 Graduates!
March * Escher
joy.gif
* Sotohana
joy.gif
* Lea2012
joy.gif
* Amt1015
joy.gif
* SanDiego78
joy.gif

February * Granite
joy.gif

January * Esenbee2
joy.gif
* LindseyW
joy.gif
* Sphinxy
joy.gif


2012 Graduates!
December * Joyseattle * Mrsandmrs & Bigfoot
October * Cordelia15 * PokeyAC * Easttowest * ErinTNgirl * Outdoorsy
September * Wishin'&hopin' * Lisedea * Tandy401
August *Thenewzero * KnittingTigers * TaraL
July * Cananny
May * Mtnlisa
April * Nosreves
March * SkyandTru * JuneBug
February * MidwifeStephPDX * SouthernBelle24
January * Planet * Dandylez

2011 Graduates!
December * DesertSunsets
November * Aljm41910
October * Vienna79 * KSDoulaMama * Pleasantlyfurious * SwtRainbowBrite * Go_Vegan
September * Smilingsara * Ad Astra * Mumquest
August * Prettyisa
July * Onemommyonemama * Southern Fried Karma
June * CrystalPerez * Qmama42
May * KellySF
April * Want2bmumx2 * Indigoscot
March * Graceie * Seraf * 2ezforyou * Mommy55
February * Escher * SharriKitColorado * DAWNMP1
January * Starling&diesel

2010 Graduates!
November * Mizyellow * AmyPDX * AmandaHope * Cejae
September * Solejean * Painefaria
August * Bttrflygypsy * 2happymamas * LibraryLady
July * Beastie * Gumshoegirl007 * Wehrli
June * Coco
May * Burg * Korey
April * Calimeow * Mtnlisa * Kimlyn32
February * Mistral * Quasar & Smartycat * Monarchgrrl * Erthe_mama
January * Lyndzies * FtMpapa

2009 Graduates!
December* Osker * Megan sacha * Mkpgoddess
October * JJNoho * Mommies 2 Be * Megincl & Ktcl
September * Elismum1908 * KSDoulaMama * Pleasantlyfurious
August * Chicagoml * Wishin'&hopin'
July * Hbog
May * Indigoscot
April * Kelmendi * KJM * Whoabethy * Carmen
March * Scalpel * Katwomyn4
February * Deny_zoo29
January * Jodybird511
 
See less See more
17
#2 ·
Hi Everyone,

Welcome to March! Please let me know if you aren't in the right list. I couldn't get the formatting to copy over, so please tell me if I missed something.

Fmorris: Congratulations on CD1! Hooray! Have you taken clomid before?

JustAnotherJenny: It's great that the trigger is out of your system. Saturday will still be pretty early for testing (that will be 9dpo, right?), but I hope you get a bfp soon!

KWPX: How are you doing?
 
#3 ·
JAJenny, Yes, the one celebrated time AF comes into town. Now, this is the last time I want to see her until after december! So next test will be for real. I'll keep everything crossed for you!

Escher, Thanks for the shiny new thread. I'm happy to see it! I took clomid on mye first cycle. I had 3 mature follies with that cycle, too! I'll be combining a trigger with this one. After temping and charting this whole break I learned our timing was too early. I O much closer to CD20 nd we were inseming way earlier!
duh.gif
Things I wish I would have known! Atleast all the knowledge is in mye bank of TTC info!

AFM, So I was sitting here in the office working nd got such a terrible cramp! Immediately it prompted meeh to come to the board lol! Nd I end up getting to post on the new thread! Cramp = check the board! lol You guys are the first people I think of when it comes to TTC nd cycles nd such lol...except DP..nd I don't even mention mye CM to her lol. Ya'll are the best!
 
#4 ·
escher: Yes, CD9 on Saturday. I have a bit of a pee stick problem. It defies logic. :)
 
#5 ·
Thank you Escher for starting the new thread.

Fmorris your thought process had me lol.

Jenny you win the the peestick race. I only have 5 internet cheapies and one regular test left, so I'll try to hold out until the 7/3.

Originally I had planned to fly to Egypt next thursday, but my travel buddy got pneumonia, so we had to cancel. One the one hand I am sad to miss out on the warmth and the cultural experience, we still have snow and I am so done with winter. On the other hand I won't have to skip next cycle. Maybe I will even already be able to do the IUI next time. I am not feeling particularly optimistic for this cycle, although everything was timed well. Oh well, just another week...
 
#6 ·
escher thanks for the new thread!

fmorris I know what you mean - can't mention CM to my wife she gets so grossed out. Nice you think of us but hoping it's not just when you're cramping!!!! AF is here for me but very light this month, not sure that's a good sign.

LOVE the inseminators and let's hope we all have sphinxy's luck this month.

justanotherjenny I remember the first time I used the clearblue monitor and had to pee on a stick - I had all sorts of problems & spent about 20 mins in the communal camping toilets trying to work it out & ended up peeing on the wrong end of the stick. Gave up for the next couple of months after that!

friederike you never never know! Egypt is a great place (did you hear about their hot air balloon accident this week? stay away from them!) but great you won't have to miss out on a cycle.

afm I now have nausea to go along with my other illnesses but think it's because my infection is going to my chest. I've been sick 3 weeks today and no sign of getting better any time soon. Off with the wife to Manchester for a weekend away this weekend too. It's been years (probably over 4) since we went away for a weekend together without the dogs and I'm gutted I'm going to be sick! The funeral for my friends is also today which I am not looking forward to, particularly in my fragile state.
greensad.gif


Planning a trip to go home to Oz for a few weeks which is difficult trying to co ordinate my teaching, DW's audit timetable and TTC. Unfortunately as soon as we'd worked out we could probably go over in September (first time in 4 years) one of my sisters & 2 of my best friends over there told me they're going to be away. Now I have the dilemma of changing to another time which will likely be when we have a little one or going anyway. Since the cost is going to be thousands of ÂŁÂŁÂŁÂŁ it's a tough one.

Sorry about the whinge, sure will be better soon! Not TTC but if you could all light a little fictional candle for my friends Pete & Mary hopefully it will help them find peace wherever they are http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/02/hundreds-of-thai-cyclists-honour-the-memory-of-peter-root-and-mary-thompson/
candle.gif
 
#8 ·
Fmorris: Wow! Three mature follicles! Maybe you'll be joining the multiples club over at Queer & Pregnant soon!

JustAnotherJenny: Like you, I believe in peeing on sticks early and often, but I don't think I've ever POAS before 9dpo, and I consider anything before 10dpo to be purely for entertainment purposes.
lol.gif
I assume you use internet cheapies for your early stick-peeing? I got a bfp twice at 10dpo on an internet cheapie (our son and a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage), so we use those almost exclusively.

Friederike: I'm sorry that you have to miss your trip, but it's nice that you won't have to take next cycle off if this cycle doesn't work. But fingers crossed that you're pregnant right now and won't even have to think about another cycle!
fingersx.gif


Lizbian: I'm so sorry that you're still sick.
candle.gif
for Pete and Mary

QOTD: How many children do you hope to have? If more than one, what would be your ideal spacing between them?

My answer: We're not sure how many children we want. At least two and no more than four. My guess is that we'll stop at two or three. My wife would ideally like 2 years between them, I would ideally like 3 years. If we got pregnant this month it would be 25 months.....
 
#9 ·
escher: For my first IUI, I had no idea I would be such a pee stick fiend, so I was freakishly buying up all of the tests that I could find on sale. In that, I've learned that blue dye tests SUCK! I would constantly get lines that were not evap lines. So, now, I'm a firm believer in FRER and internet cheapies only! (I do have a stock pile of digitals on hand for special occasions.)

friedrike: Sorry to hear that your trip got canceled. :-( How are you feeling? I like this site: http://www.countdowntopregnancy.com/homepage/?u=89427 It gives me a place to channel my obsessing. None of my symptoms mean anything, considering the trigger, but I record them all anyway! If I wasn't taking meds, I'd think I was pregnant FOR SURE. The uterine awareness is maddening. Twitching and burning and heavy feeling.

lizbian: I can't imagine trying to deal with pee sticks and the monitor while camping! LOL! That's dedication. Also,
candle.gif
candle.gif


Answer to qotd: I currently dont' have any children that don't have fur. However, I think 2 would be nice (I may change that answer after 1!) and I always thought roughly 2 years apart would be ideal. Given my current age, I don't think I could really afford to wait much longer in between.

Also, what do y'all think about adding blog links to the top of the thread like we do with the FFcharts?
 
#10 ·
thanks girls. Service was better than I thought, other than seeing the two coffins at the front of the church which is when it all sunk in. Your thoughts are much appreciated, from the bottom of my heart x

escher we want 2 ideally. I'll have 1 then DW will have one using the same donor, ideally have them about 2 years apart.

justanotherjenny it was a bit of a traumatic experience!!!! blog links sound good x

off on much needed weekend away tomorrow morning with DW, have a fab weekend everyone & good luck for the TWWers & any 'inseminators' xxxx
 
#11 ·
#12 ·
Friederike, :) glad to make ya smile lol Bummer about Egypt..I'd love to go. Atleast you're in for next cycle....IF you need it.

Lizbian, Yep, DP is good enough with knowing about ovulation and what not. And it's definately not when I'm just cramping I think of you all! Mine AF is decent..without crampies it'd be better. Also, I saw what all those cyclists did for your friends, that was a beautiful thing. Enjoy your weekend with DW.
candle.gif
for Pete and Mary.

Escher, Who knows! I'm very comfortable with the idea of it. Yesterday I feel like DP graduated..she told meeh she was comfortable with the idea of having a little girl (she was terrified and hoping for a boy before lol) because she would be her little princess and would be her little lady who loves her for nothing. I about got teary eyed! Now I know she's come to terms we can have a girl..I'll spring the multiples possibility later lol.

AFM, just waiting as usual. OH btw you guys will never believe what happened! The Best Frugal Tips Contest was running the beginning of February and just recently closed. You were to tell of your best frugal tips. Well I did and completely forgot. I had a message today and then checked the board and it read:

"As our Random Draw Winner has not responded to PM and email she forfiets her prize and we must draw another - which I just did. The new random draw winner is

fmorris28
Congratulations!! Check your Inbox!
biggrinbounce.gif
"

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I won a Bummis Organic Cotton Diaper Kit! It comes with:

Baby Kit (15-30 lbs):

Infant Kit (8-15 lbs):


And samples of Classic Rock detergent and Baby Balm diaper cream
 
#13 ·
Quick advice question: CD16. Positive opk today (!). Just had ultrasound, and there is a 22mm egg and a nice thick lining. I want to insem tomorrow. RE says don't insem because since at CD12 estrogen levels were low the egg may not be good. I think estrogen levels were low because of slightly late ovulation, and we we should just go for it anyway. Blood tests for estrogen and LH this morning, and we'll have those results this afternoon. Thoughts? Thanks!

Sorry no more time to write now. I'll respond to everyone else (and add blog links) later.
 
#14 ·
escher: I think it all depends on what your e2 levels are today. But there is a strong correlation to egg quality and e2 levels during development. I don't know a ton about this, but with the cost of sperm being what it is, I'd be inclined to go with what the doc on this. I mean, unless you've got a good e2 showing at around 200 -250, it may just be a waste, kwim? That's a great follicle growth though! I've seen on a few boards with women who had low estrogen on cd12 and docs put them on clomid to boost estrogen to increase estrogen and follicle growth, so perhaps if her body brought it already it may be worth it. But I'd be looking for a robust number on the estrogen before you make your decision.

Good luck! Thinking of you!
 
#15 ·
escher - i would wait to see what the e2 levels are today. with the cd12 level and rapid follicle growth, it could be as good as 300 - i would def. want to insem tomorrow! if the e2 levels are not good enough, there is probably not a viable egg. as many as 50% of follicles do not have a good egg. i believe e2 levels are awfully helpful information to have, although they can be confusing. minor follicles (too small to ovulate but larger than antral follicles) also contribute to the e2 levels. so a bunch of minor follicles can skew the e2 higher.

i think you also get slightly better (more mature) eggs if you can trigger over 20mm. for context, the cycle i got pg with twins, we had two follicles at/slightly over 20mm and my e2 levels were close to 700 on the day i triggered.

good luck! fingers crossed!
 
#16 ·
Though situation Escher. I would weigh sperm cost vs. the psychological cost of loosing a month. I personally would probably rather try, even with worse chances as long as todays results don't speak against that. Good luck for better results!

QOTD We only want one. I kinda feel to old for a second child later, and it would probably interfere with our jobs and from what I observed with friends and family, two little ones are much more stressful than just one.
 
#17 ·
Hi Everyone,

MrsandMrs: Thanks for stopping in to give me advice. I feel like I need to learn more about the connection between e2 and good eggs. My wife's estrogen tends to be a bit low in general, and from what I have read that doesn't seem unusual for women who are slightly underweight, but I wonder what we need to do to make sure that she still has good quality eggs.

JustAnotherJenny: Thanks for your advice today. It was definitely helpful to think about what the e2 level needed to look like to be an indication of a good egg. It's fun to have your blog! For some reason I'm having trouble adding the "I'm blogging" icon, so I made your name on the list a link for now. I'll try the icon again from another computer when I have a chance.

Lizbian: I hope you're having a great weekend away!

Fmorris: What a fun prize to win! Congratulations!

Friederike: I think you're right that having two kids is a lot different than having one, so it definitely makes sense to me to stop at one if that is what you want.

AFM: We ended up not having to make the decision about if we should do an IUI. One of our RE's nurses left us a message that said something like "Hi Ms. ________. Your estrogen was 242 and your LH was 23.0. Dr. X recommends you do an IUI tomorrow. Please call us if you aren't going to come in." So we're insemming tomorrow!
joy.gif
A fun thing about this timing is that this IUI will be exactly 25 months after the IUI that got us pregnant with our son.
fingersx.gif
 
#18 ·
Escher: YAY!!!! Great e2! Happy insemming! Also glad that you didn't have to make the decision!!! woo hoo!!

fmorris: I think I'm a little jealous!! That's a fantastic haul!!! Congrats on the win!

afm: I feel like I am suffering from the worst PMS ever. Super backache, bloated, I've got the two-step, exhausted, and my nips hurt/burn -- still drinking and peeing like crazy. I tried to go geocaching today, but we only managed to do one grab, which was a super short walk on the shoreline. We had intended to do a few, but I just couldn't do it. It really very much feels like terrible AF. 9dpo today. I know I'm not out, but man, it feels like I'm going to be. At this point, getting AF would be a relief I've been feeling so miserable for so long. I think I need to come up with a different plan for the next cycle. The clomid has worked well follicle wise and my lining has been fine, but I'm wondering if I'd have less of this abdominal discomfort on a different course of treatment. I kind of like the clomid because it doesn't give me mood swings -- in fact it makes me sweet and clingy, not crazy and bitchy (which is what I expected based on my experience with bcp.) Anyway, Frederike, kwpx, and who else am I missing in the TWW? How are you all doing?
 
#20 ·
Escher, Thanks! I told DP that was a great sign to start off this cycle! You've got some exciting news too though! Insem in the morning and the timing is perfect for you. Hopefully you'll have the same luck you had when DS was conceived. GL & FX!

JAJenny, Awwh don't be! I couldn't believe it myself! I'm super excited. Now all I need is a cute little bum to put in them! lol You know I have read much about geocaching, but have yet to try! I sure hope you get to feeling better. And you're right, you're definately not out, so I'll keep things crossed for you! Clomid didnt give meeh mood swings either..nope, just have PMS to thank for that lol

AFM, Dreading tomorrow. Working 6 days a week is starting to get to meeh! Not much planned for tonight..visit mye sis nd mye 10 month old twin nieces and 4 yr old nephew. They'll probably be sleeping but I'll smother them with kisses
kiss.gif
I love them! GL and FX to our TWW'ers!
 
#21 ·
jenny! good lord woman! You sound pregnant! Am I missing something here? You are 9dpo and you are in the TWW with all those horrible symptoms? I cannot remember exactly the statistics but FF had a bullet point stating something like less than 30% of women test + at 9dpo. Certainly you could be having medicine effects but don't thrown in the towel just yet. We will keep our FX for your symptomology to turn into something good!

fmorris you lucky lady!!! What a treasure you won! Congrats! I think it is a predictor of good things to come.

escher thanks for the shiny new thread. I am getting a lot of ideas about what we can do next to help improve our efforts by reading what you and DW are going through testing wise. We have been getting ultrasounds but no estrogen testing. This round the RE put me on estrogen RX post ovulation to help grow follicles at the same rate. It seems for the last two cycles there are several follies sitting around on our CD3-4 US but when we look again at trigger time the number of follies has really reduced. The RE believes some of my eggs are growing very quickly and dissolving before trigger time. The rationale is the estrogen in the luteal phase makes the follie growth rate more standardized (my understanding) and will hopefully bring more even sized eggs to the sperm next cycle. I may ask to start checking my estrogen levels before we trigger. Good luck with the insem!!

AFM not much to report. Been busy getting caught up post vacation. My temp dropped this am so I am happily looking forward to entertaining AF for a week and then back in the stirrups again. We will for certain be using the new bank and donor. Has anyone here had issues with NWCryo bank and low sperm counts post thaw? Both our samples were low....one outside their "guarantee" parameters. We are moving to Xytex as the RE said her experience with them is that they have higher than stated counts on average. I have read some of your accounts of having 25-30 million little swimmers. What banks are sending out such high quality swim teams? We still have time to look into other banks if need be. I would love to hear about positive bank experiences if there are any stories to tell. Escher please go ahead and move me to waiting to O.
 
#22 ·
Hi all! Just here for a moment to send good thoughts to those of you in the TWW and everyone else too!

escher - I like your qotd from a few days ago. I really want two kids, but I'm not sure if I will birth both. DP and I talk about foster parenting or adoption (or fost-adopt) often, so depending on how this TTC process goes, we'll see. If I do birth two, I think 2 years apart would be great.

afm - I'm on my little cross-country-insemination trip. I'm having fun visiting with friends and family (lucky that our KD lives in the same place as so many people I love) but also trying to be careful to not overbook myself so I stay relaxed. Planning to insem Monday evening and again Tuesday (CD13 and 14). Got a slight fade-in on OPK this morning, so hoping it is a slow fade-in and that I don't get a positive until Tuesday, as expected. This cycle has been a sort of strange phenomenon because most people who know we're ttc (which is a lot of people) know that our KD lives here, so when they heard about my strangely timed last-minute trip, they were all sort of raised-eyebrow about it, like they're in on the secret too. It feels strange to have so many people know, but I suppose that is just more people sending good vibes our way, which can't hurt.
 
#23 ·
kwpx2: The Sperm Bank of California is the bank that I used. They are awesome in that if you call with your top 3 or 4 choices, they will tell you the post thaw counts available for those donors. They also automatically send out the vials with the best counts first. They are a bit pricier than some of the other banks (but certainly not the most expensive!!) , but I found them to be really straight forward. No hidden surprises. Excellent customer service, etc. Unfortunately, they just had a price increase, but it's awesome because they do post it on their website ahead of time when they plan to increase. So, I paid 485.00 each for 3 vials of IUI ready samples for an anonymous donor. (The price for the same is now at 550.0 each.) and 200.00 shipping to ship all three vials together (shipping is the same whether you ship 1 vial or 6). There is also the one time registration fee of 100.00.

I love the idea that they are not-for-profit and they also have really small family limits as compared with other banks. They set their family limit at 10 families.

Here's a link to their current price list: https://www.thespermbankofca.org/sites/default/files/Fee%20schedule%20effective%20March%201%2C%202013_1.pdf

"We guarantee a post-thaw minimum of 20 million motile sperm per cc and 15% motility in every regular, unwashed sample.We guarantee a post-thaw minimum of 20 million motile sperm per cc and 20% motility in every washed, washed/IUI-ready sample.As washed samples are only .5cc in volume, this guarantee translates to 10 million motile sperm per IUI-ready vial. . Note: Our guarantee applies to TSBC program donor sperm samples only. We do not have a minimum guarantee for samples collected from Directed or Known Donors or from men storing for their own future use."

My last count with them was:

Total count 144 million - 70 million motile (per 1ml) with 35 million available for this IUI (.5ml).

I hope this helps.

Sorry to hear AF is on the way, but you seem to be in very good spirits!

AFM: I'm feeling pretty emotionally dumpy today. I tested this morning and while it's only 10dpo, my brain can't let go of the fact that something like 66% of people have a + by now. Does anyone else find it to be terribly frustrating that this is one thing that we really have so little control over? I mean, we're a group of intelligent people. We set goals, we work hard, we practice, we regroup and we keep at it until we achieve them. With TTC, it is what it is. We can eat right, get the timing perfect, etc. and it either works or it doesn't. See... I told you I was grumpy. I know that this is only my 4th attempt, so I'm trying to keep it in perspective (unsuccessfully today, apparently). Anyway, it's just exhausting physically to do this and then that just chips away at the emotions. Then if you start thinking about the cost... ai yi yi yi!!!
 
#24 ·
JAJenny: I could have written your AFM post myself. I've felt so incredibly grumpy this tww. I consider myself healthy, eat well, keep the stress level to a minimum, figure out perfect or pretty good at least timing. But nope, I'm totally convinced I'm out this month too. This process, especially egg quality, is out of our hands. And then the cost! Ugh. I don't even want to start on the cost. I hear ya sister!

KWPX: I've heard of other people having issues with post-thaw counts from NW cryobank. I'm using CCB, my last attempt was at home so no luxury of the counting but my first attempt at the RE I had 105mil post thaw count with 52% motility. This was 10 times higher than what they guarantee to provide, which is 10mil for IUI ready. You have to take into account the motility and the count. Freezing depletes the motility and banks don't typically make any promises with regard to motility but without a good motility, they aren't ever going to make it to their destination. Good luck with Xytex! And hopefully the next round is more successful with the luteal phase estrogen support.

Escher: Thanks for the new thread! FX for your insem!! I'm glad DP's estrogen level looked good!

AFM, feeling down in the dumps. I'm fairly certain I'm out this cycle. I knew ICI has a low success rate and I did not really expect it to work, but I think the fact that I have to attend 3 baby showers next week (March 7,8,9 consecutive days) is weighing on me. Next cycle will be with clomid. So I will need to have a day 1-3 ultrasound. Just trying to figure out the best day to stop my progesterone so that day 1 coincides with a day that I can make it to the RE's office.
 
#26 ·
Hi Everyone,

JustAnotherJenny: I have my fingers firmly crossed that all your crappy symptoms mean you're about to get a lovely surprise bfp. 10dpo is still early. I believe in testing at 10dpo too, but I do think it is important to remember that a bfn at 10dpo is not a definitive bfn.
fingersx.gif
Having said all that, I absolutely agree that this process is ridiculous and hard and unfair and frustrating.
hug.gif
I'm sorry.

KWPX2: I moved you, but let me know if you get a surprise bfp! Like Jenny, I am a huge fan of TSBC and would highly recommend them, both for their excellent sperm and even more for their fantastic service and ethical policies. I'm glad that hearing about what we have been doing has been useful in terms of planning your own testing!

Lea: I can understand how it must feel funny to have lots of people know you are insemming. I always feel that way when we run into someone we know at the RE's office. Since we have told very few people in real life about TTC, it always seems odd that some fairly random people know a lot about what we are doing. Good luck with your insems!

Twomommyfamily: Three baby showers in a row is rough. When I have to go to things like that I always sort of assume that people who get pregnant easily are going to end up with a colicy baby, or a difficult teenager, or something like that. Is that awful? Probably.
redface.gif
Anyway, good luck surviving the showers.

AFM: IUI went beautifully this morning. I think our timing was great, so I'm letting myself feel hopeful today. Tomorrow I'll start planning for next cycle.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top