Anyone LTTTC Number One?

[wannabeprego]

Well I should have my ovidrel/ HCG Trigger shot tomorrow by fed ex. It requires a signature and they have to send it on ice so it stays cool. I have to put it in the fridge to keep it cool when it gets here.

It normally costs 97 bucks because my insurance doesn't cover it, but because I had to call today ad they messed up my date of birth on my order, so there was a delay they gave me a coupon and I got the ovidrel for 75 bucks and paid 10 for shipping, so it was 85 bucks.. so not to bad... I am going to have to make DH give me the injection when the time comes because I am to scared of needles to inject myself!! I have to wait until my appointment next Wednesday morning when they do the ultrasound and look at the size of my follies before I can do the triggr shot, the DR will give me the go ahead about when to do it. I also have to have blood work at that appointment.

I can feel cramping in my ovaries from the clomid and I had some brief shoulder pain this morning, but I think it was more so from laying on my side most of the night, and it made me stiff!!! Other than that no other side effects.

I went speed walking for about an hour, and it was nice to get out and look at all of the leaves changing. We have a fox that ran through our back yard this morning, and this big white dog ran through chasing after the fox. When I went walking earlier I saw the ame fox over at a neighbors house around the corner from mine. We have all kinds of wild life running around in my subdivision!!

@Ash, Ouch that sounds very unpleasent!! Big hugs to you!! I am sure if I end up doing the IVF/ ICSI than I will have alot of questions for you since you are going through everything now. Fingers crossed that in the end it is all going to be worth it when you get your BFP!!! One quick question Ash, did you do triggr shots with your IUI cycles?

 

[ashknowsbest]

I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions if you have to go through IVF. I did a trigger shot, ovidrel, with all of IUI's

 

[wannabeprego]

Thanks for the info Ash. Another quick question, how soon after the trigger did the DR do the insemination??

I was wondering how often DH & me should have sex. I need to make him abstain for several days so that when he gives him sample for our IUI he can get his numbers up high enough. His last SA we made him abstain for 5 days and on the 5th day he gave his sample and we got the numbers listed in my signature below. What do you girls think? I think I am going to have to ask my DR's office what we should do sex wise?? Do you think it is better to have higher numbers for the insemination with less sex during my fertile window, or more sex during my fertile window and possibly lower sperm count for our IUI... Hmmmmmm.. I am thinking it might be better to make sure DH's numbers are higher for the insemination since I dont think our the old fashioned way is doing the trick??

 

[ashknowsbest]

Wannabe - honestly, your OH shouldn't abstain for too long because the longer he goes without having sex the worse his sperm will be because they are old. It's best to abstain for 2-3 days before the insem in my opinion just because you don't want old sperm. That's what our doctor told us anyways ... my OH doesn't have problems with sperm count etc but waiting too long can also create sperm that's not good, etc. I would definitely talk to your doctor about it and see what he says as I don't know about someone with a lower sperm count, etc. For my IUI's, I mostly had the insemination 36 hours after trigger but one time I had it 24 hours ... it just varies depending on your doctor. You're also supposed to have sex the night of the insem ... just in case.

AFM - I did the lupron shot and it was not bad tonight at all. I listened to what some of the girls on the IVF thread said to do ... Ice the spot for a minute or so before the injection so I did that and I didn't feel a thing. So happy! I was dreading doing that shot all day and now I have a solution so I don't have to stress about it every hour of every day until it's time to give myself the shot.

Anyways, I'm really tired, it's 9:20 not sure if it's from the lupron or just because I'm tired but ... I'm off to bed! Talk to you girls tomorrow !

 

[ttcbaby117]

Ash - I have heard about the ice thing also. I will try it this next cycle when I do the follistim

Ickle - hopefully you stop bleeding soon and get on with it.

Where do you ladies order your meds from? Is it cheaper online?

 

[jen1019]

Thanks for the info Ash. Another quick question, how soon after the trigger did the DR do the insemination??

I was wondering how often DH & me should have sex. I need to make him abstain for several days so that when he gives him sample for our IUI he can get his numbers up high enough. His last SA we made him abstain for 5 days and on the 5th day he gave his sample and we got the numbers listed in my signature below. What do you girls think? I think I am going to have to ask my DR's office what we should do sex wise?? Do you think it is better to have higher numbers for the insemination with less sex during my fertile window, or more sex during my fertile window and possibly lower sperm count for our IUI... Hmmmmmm.. I am thinking it might be better to make sure DH's numbers are higher for the insemination since I dont think our the old fashioned way is doing the trick??

Our RE told us not to abstain from sex before IUI. We have before and his counts were only about 12mil. This time we BD 1.5 days before and his count was 40mil... so, I don't know if there is any connection there, but it's definitely a good idea to BD a few days before the IUI. Good luck!

 

[wannabeprego]

@Jen, thanks for the advice!!

@TTC, I got my clomid at Walgreens and surprisingly my RX plan covered some of it, and it cost me 20 bucks, but that is because of my RX benefits. My ovidrel/HCG trigger injection was ordered by my DR's office from Mandel's pharmacy,this is a local pharmacy that my DR's office likes to use, and the ovidrel is normally 97 bucks, but because they made a mistake when putting in my order and it got delayeed they gave it to me for 75 bucks and with overnight shipping it was 85. I have heard from other ladies doing IVF cycles that a good online pharmacy to get the IVF meds at a good deal is this website, the link is below...

https://www.freedomfertility.com/fertility-medications/medications-and-pricing.aspx


Day 3 of clomid and lastnight the hot flashes started. I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and my temp this morning was wicked high, but i think the clomid is affecting my temps... ugghhh... I hate the hot flashes!!! I also feel like I am coming down with a cold, but I think it is the clomid making me feel cruddy....


Poor DH has been taking the steroid medications that the DR gave him over the weekend because of his itchy hives he broke out in. His throat started getting soar and his chest felt kind of soar, so I looked up the side effects of the steroids he is on, and the soar throat is a dangerous side effect and it said that you should stop taking the meds with that side effect. But than the next moring, since he stopped the steroids half way through he started itching again. I told him to call the Urgent Care office and see if they could give him a different prescription since he is possibly having a reaction to the meds. I am hoping that he is just coming down with a cold. He took an antihistamine this morning, for the itching and took the steroids with him just in case he needed them. Ugghhh... i hope he is going to be okay!!! The urgent care office asked him to stop bye there on his way home from work to get re-evaluated, hopefully they can just prescribe him a different medication. I just spoke to DH and he might take a half day and come home early since he doesn't feel good.

 

[wannabeprego]

@Ash, thanks for the tip about icing yourself before doing the injection!!! I will b sure to remember that if I make it to IVF and my IUI's don't work. When you did the Ovidrel injection where didyou inject yourself? Are you able to inject yourself or do you make your OH inject you? I think I am too big of a baby and will have to make DH do the injections.

I am on another thread with other girls doing IUI this cycle and a couple of the girls on there said that their DR lets them do 2 inseminations in one cycle. So they do one insemination after trigger and than come back the next day to do a second inseminaton, and they just pay for 2 seperate inseminations in one cycle. This actually sounds like a good idea to me and I want to ask my DR if they have ever done this. It seems like it would help increase your odds of pregnancy. I am not ready to do it this cycle just because of the additional cost and having to pay 350 twice in one cycle for te insemination, but if it didn't work the first time and we repeat the IUI than we might need to step up our game and do it twice if the DR will let us.

 

[ashknowsbest]

wannabe - I do all of my injections myself. I'm a little bit strange I think because when I do the injections I don't like ... go fast, it kinda put the needle against my skin and stick it in slowly. It doesn't hurt the needle is so small and short ... I just can't seem to get myself to push it in fast like the doctors do. I just do what works for me. I've done my injections myself from the time I started to do injections. The ovidrel shot .. I gave it to myself in my lower belly ... under the belly button and either to the left or right ... near where I "think" my ovaries would be.

As far as doing back to back inseminations. My doctors office doesn't do that because there isn't enough evidence to say that it actually improves the odds. But your doctor is different so I would just go with whatever he says.

 

[wannabeprego]

wannabe - I do all of my injections myself. I'm a little bit strange I think because when I do the injections I don't like ... go fast, it kinda put the needle against my skin and stick it in slowly. It doesn't hurt the needle is so small and short ... I just can't seem to get myself to push it in fast like the doctors do. I just do what works for me. I've done my injections myself from the time I started to do injections. The ovidrel shot .. I gave it to myself in my lower belly ... under the belly button and either to the left or right ... near where I "think" my ovaries would be.

As far as doing back to back inseminations. My doctors office doesn't do that because there isn't enough evidence to say that it actually improves the odds. But your doctor is different so I would just go with whatever he says.

Thanks for the info hun!! I don't know if my DR office offers this or not... I will ask about it in my next appointment to find out though.

 

[ashknowsbest]

Good luck!

 

[jen1019]

wannabe - I do all of my injections myself. I'm a little bit strange I think because when I do the injections I don't like ... go fast, it kinda put the needle against my skin and stick it in slowly. It doesn't hurt the needle is so small and short ... I just can't seem to get myself to push it in fast like the doctors do. I just do what works for me. I've done my injections myself from the time I started to do injections. The ovidrel shot .. I gave it to myself in my lower belly ... under the belly button and either to the left or right ... near where I "think" my ovaries would be.

As far as doing back to back inseminations. My doctors office doesn't do that because there isn't enough evidence to say that it actually improves the odds. But your doctor is different so I would just go with whatever he says.

Ash, I did all of my Gonal F shots myself, too. I prefer it that way. I am the same as you, I can't just stab it in quick. I didn't ice at all, but found the pain to be very minimal. It stung maybe 2 out of 10 days. Not too bad.

How's everyone doing? Halway through the week!

 

[ttcbaby117]

wannabe- thank you I will check out that online pharmacy....I know I said this in the other thread but I will be doing a back to back IUI as my Dr says IUI is all about timing and just in caseI ov a bit earlier or later it will help to have that second one. Keep in mind that it isnt an exact science and every woman ov's at different times. Also because they are injecting the sperm and bypassing the womans cervical fluids the sperm dont live as long as it would if it through natural means, so getting the sperm into the uterus at the just the right time with its shortened life span in critical. Sorry for the ramble but this is some of the research I have found myself about this subject.

Ash- I am a BIG chicken....my sister, who is a nurse, will be doing my nightly injections for my IUI cycle...LOL

 

[ashknowsbest]

Jen - yeah the gonal F didn't burn at all, it's the lupron that I'm on now that's why I wasn't expecting it with the lupron because I had always only done gonal F before.

TTC - honestly it's not that bad, you get used to it but use your sister if you need, there is nothing wrong with that. I don't know a nurse or else I would probably use her too!

I will most likely be doing my own PIO shots also and they're intramuscular !!!

 

[wannabeprego]

I found this video and I think all of us ladies can relate to it!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Dd9QnyIV0

 

[ashknowsbest]

wannabe - thanks for sharing so funny and true! I like the part where she's like ... I totally get the whole infertile thing I've been trying for 2 months! HA they have no clue!

 

[lucylou7]

Hi ash - we can't start for 3 months as we have to give my body a rest so it will be December but due to the christmas period I think its going to be January now I just want to start again ... Regarding menopur injections I thought they were much of a muchness some times they stung and some times they didn't I found ice helped too

Ickle - hope it stops soon Hun x

Jen - I agree not long till weekend thank god

Wannabe good luck with you injection hun

Hope every one else is ok

 

[wannabeprego]

wannabe - thanks for sharing so funny and true! I like the part where she's like ... I totally get the whole infertile thing I've been trying for 2 months! HA they have no clue!

LOL...

https://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh126/izzybee22/lol-8.gif

 

[wannabeprego]

Hi girls,

I found this article called "Infertility Etiquette" from a website called Resolve for infertility.... I just think it is a great read for people that haven't ever dealt with infertility to help them understand it and know how to support their friends/family going through infertility...

Here is a copy and paste of the article below.....


Chances are, you know someone who is struggling with infertility. More than seven million people of childbearing age in the United States experience infertility. Yet, as a society, we are woefully uninformed about how to best provide emotional support for our loved ones during this painful time.



Infertility is, indeed, a very painful struggle. The pain is similar to the grief over losing a loved one, but it is unique because it is a recurring grief. When a loved one dies, he isn't coming back. There is no hope that he will come back from the dead. You must work through the stages of grief, accept that you will never see this person again, and move on with your life.



The grief of infertility is not so cut and dry. Infertile people grieve the loss of the baby that they may never know. They grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes. But, each month, there is the hope that maybe that baby will be conceived after all. No matter how hard they try to prepare themselves for bad news, they still hope that this month will be different. Then, the bad news comes again, and the grief washes over the infertile couple anew. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.



As the couple moves into infertility treatments, the pain increases while the bank account depletes. The tests are invasive and embarrassing to both parties, and you feel like the doctor has taken over your bedroom. And for all of this discomfort, you pay a lot of money.



A couple will eventually resolve the infertility problem in one of three ways:
■They will eventually conceive a baby.
■They will stop the infertility treatments and choose to live without children.
■They will find an alternative way to parent, such as by adopting a child or becoming a fosterparent.

Reaching a resolution can take years, so your infertile loved ones need your emotional support during this journey. Most people don't know what to say, so they wind up saying the wrong thing, which only makes the journey so much harder for their loved ones. Knowing what not to say is half of the battle to providing support.



Don't Tell Them to RelaxEveryone knows someone who had trouble conceiving but then finally became pregnant once she "relaxed." Couples who are able to conceive after a few months of "relaxing" are not infertile. By definition, a couple is not diagnosed as "infertile" until they have tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for a full year. In fact, most infertility specialists will not treat a couple for infertility until they have tried to become pregnant for a year. This year weeds out the people who aren't infertile but just need to "relax." Those that remain are truly infertile.



Comments such as "just relax" or "try going on a cruise" create even more stress for the infertile couple, particularly the woman. The woman feels like she is doing something wrong when, in fact, there is a good chance that there is a physical problem preventing her from becoming pregnant.



These comments can also reach the point of absurdity. As a couple, my husband and I underwent two surgeries, numerous inseminations, hormone treatments, and four years of poking and prodding by doctors. Yet, people still continued to say things like, "If you just relaxed on a cruise . . ." Infertility is a diagnosable medical problem that must be treated by a doctor, and even with treatment, many couples will NEVER successfully conceive a child. Relaxation itself does not cure medical infertility.



Don't Minimize the ProblemFailure to conceive a baby is a very painful journey. Infertile couples are surrounded by families with children. These couples watch their friends give birth to two or three children, and they watch those children grow while the couple goes home to the silence of an empty house. These couples see all of the joy that a child brings into someone's life, and they feel the emptiness of not being able to experience the same joy.



Comments like, "Just enjoy being able to sleep late . . . .travel . . etc.," do not offer comfort. Instead, these comments make infertile people feel like you are minimizing their pain. You wouldn't tell somebody whose parent just died to be thankful that he no longer has to buy Father's Day or Mother's Day cards. Losing that one obligation doesn't even begin to compensate for the incredible loss of losing a parent. In the same vein, being able to sleep late or travel does not provide comfort to somebody who desperately wants a child.



Don't Say There Are Worse Things That Could HappenAlong the same lines, don't tell your friend that there are worse things that she could be going through. Who is the final authority on what is the "worst" thing that could happen to someone? Is it going through a divorce? Watching a loved one die? Getting raped? Losing a job?



Different people react to different life experiences in different ways. To someone who has trained his whole life for the Olympics, the "worst" thing might be experiencing an injury the week before the event. To someone who has walked away from her career to become a stay-at-home wife for 40 years, watching her husband leave her for a younger woman might be the "worst" thing. And, to a woman whose sole goal in life has been to love and nurture a child, infertility may indeed be the "worst" thing that could happen.



People wouldn't dream of telling someone whose parent just died, "It could be worse: both of your parents could be dead." Such a comment would be considered cruel rather than comforting. In the same vein, don't tell your friend that she could be going through worse things than infertility.



Don't Say They Aren't Meant to Be ParentsOne of the cruelest things anyone ever said to me is, "Maybe God doesn't intend for you to be a mother." How incredibly insensitive to imply that I would be such a bad mother that God felt the need to divinely sterilize me. If God were in the business of divinely sterilizing women, don't you think he would prevent the pregnancies that end in abortions? Or wouldn't he sterilize the women who wind up neglecting and abusing their children? Even if you aren't religious, the "maybe it's not meant to be" comments are not comforting. Infertility is a medical condition, not a punishment from God or Mother Nature.



Don't Ask Why They Aren't Trying IVFIn vitro fertilization (IVF) is a method in which the woman harvests multiple eggs, which are then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. This is the method that can produce multiple births. People frequently ask, "Why don't you just try IVF?" in the same casual tone they would use to ask, "Why don't you try shopping at another store?"



Don't Complain About Your PregnancyThis message is for pregnant women-Just being around you is painful for your infertile friends. Seeing your belly grow is a constant reminder of what your infertile friend cannot have. Unless an infertile women plans to spend her life in a cave, she has to find a way to interact with pregnant women. However, there are things you can do as her friend to make it easier.



The number one rule is DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY. I understand from my friends that, when you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and you experience a lot of discomfort, such as queasiness, stretch marks, and fatigue. You have every right to vent about the discomforts to any one else in your life, but don't put your infertile friend in the position of comforting you.



Your infertile friend would give anything to experience the discomforts you are enduring because those discomforts come from a baby growing inside of you. When I heard a pregnant woman complain about morning sickness, I would think, "I'd gladly throw up for nine straight months if it meant I could have a baby." When a pregnant woman would complain about her weight gain, I would think, "I would cut off my arm if I could be in your shoes."



I managed to go to baby showers and hospitals to welcome my friends' new babies, but it was hard. Without exception, it was hard. Stay sensitive to your infertile friend's emotions, and give her the leeway that she needs to be happy for you while she cries for herself. If she can't bring herself to hold your new baby, give her time. She isn't rejecting you or your new baby; she is just trying to work her way through her pain to show sincere joy for you. The fact that she is willing to endure such pain in order to celebrate your new baby with you speaks volumes about how much your friendship means to her.



Don't Treat Them Like They Are IgnorantFor some reason, some people seem to think that infertility causes a person to become unrealistic about the responsibilities of parenthood. I don't follow the logic, but several people told me that I wouldn't ache for a baby so much if I appreciated how much responsibility was involved in parenting.



Let's face it-no one can fully appreciate the responsibilities involved in parenting until they are, themselves, parents. That is true whether you successfully conceived after one month or after 10 years. The length of time you spend waiting for that baby does not factor in to your appreciation of responsibility. If anything, people who have been trying to become pregnant longer have had more time to think about those responsibilities. They have also probably been around lots of babies as their friends started their families.



Perhaps part of what fuels this perception is that infertile couples have a longer time to "dream" about what being a parent will be like. Like every other couple, we have our fantasies-my child will sleep through the night, would never have a tantrum in public, and will always eat his vegetables. Let us have our fantasies. Those fantasies are some of the few parent-to-be perks that we have-let us have them. You can give us your knowing looks when we discover the truth later.



Don't Push Adoption (Yet)Adoption is a wonderful way for infertile people to become parents. (As an adoptive parent, I can fully vouch for this!!) However, the couple needs to work through many issues before they will be ready to make an adoption decision. Before they can make the decision to love a "stranger's baby," they must first grieve the loss of that baby with Daddy's eyes and Mommy's nose. Adoption social workers recognize the importance of the grieving process. When my husband and I went for our initial adoption interview, we expected the first question to be, "Why do you want to adopt a baby?" Instead, the question was, "Have you grieved the loss of your biological child yet?" Our social worker emphasized how important it is to shut one door before you open another.



You do, indeed, need to grieve this loss before you are ready to start the adoption process. The adoption process is very long and expensive, and it is not an easy road. So, the couple needs to be very sure that they can let go of the hope of a biological child and that they can love an adopted baby. This takes time, and some couples are never able to reach this point. If your friend cannot love a baby that isn't her "own," then adoption isn't the right decision for her, and it is certainly not what is best for the baby.



Mentioning adoption in passing can be a comfort to some couples. (The only words that ever offered me comfort were from my sister, who said, "Whether through pregnancy or adoption, you will be a mother one day.") However, "pushing" the issue can frustrate your friend. So, mention the idea in passing if it seems appropriate, and then drop it. When your friend is ready to talk about adoption, she will raise the issue herself.



So, what can you say to your infertile friends? Unless you say "I am giving you this baby," there is nothing you can say that will erase their pain. So, take that pressure off of yourself. It isn't your job to erase their pain, but there is a lot you can do to lesson the load. Here are a few ideas.



Let Them Know That You CareThe best thing you can do is let your infertile friends know that you care. Send them cards. Let them cry on your shoulder. If they are religious, let them know you are praying for them. Offer the same support you would offer a friend who has lost a loved one. Just knowing they can count on you to be there for them lightens the load and lets them know that they aren't going through this alone.



Support Their Decision to Stop TreatmentsNo couple can endure infertility treatments forever. At some point, they will stop. This is an agonizing decision to make, and it involves even more grief. Even if the couple chooses to adopt a baby, they must still first grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes.



Once the couple has made the decision to stop treatments, support their decision. Don't encourage them to try again, and don't discourage them from adopting, if that is their choice. Once the couple has reached resolution (whether to live without children, adopt a child, or become foster parents), they can finally put that chapter of their lives behind them. Don't try to open that chapter again.

 

[Pnutsprincess]

Hello ladies,
How are all of you today? Well I had my appointment today and my OBGYN has decided to have me do clomid 100mg for days 8-10 kinda weird, he also said on the 3rd or 5th day of my next cycle he wants me to get blood work. He did put a referral in for me to go to a Fertility specialist. I should here from them in about 7-10 business days. The reason he put me on 100mg of clomid is becaus ehe wants to loosen up my cervix mucus