Clomid Buddies - 18 BFPs!

[rdleela]

Well, ladies, I have some horrible news...got DH's SA back...NO sperm...I am so sad...he's getting more tests done, starting with a ultrasound on his scrotum on Thursday. Our Dr. said that there is a good chance we could do ICSI...so I am currently doing a ton of research on what our options may or may not be.

This is just crazy and devastating...so I guess I'm off the Clomid and Progesterone, just gonna temp for now until we go to see an actual fertility specialist...we live in a very rural area, so this is all gonna be done 3-6hrs away from home...

Anyone with any insight?

 

[rdleela]

steelergirl, is that a Shiba in your picture?!?! We have Shiba's!

 

[mrsjennyg]

JennyG, my LP was lengthened on Clomid by a lot. I had a 13 day LP typically (I really only have had 2 LP since coming off birth control, so i use the term typical loosely). But on Clomid, my LP was 17 days! I also had a lot of heavy spotting for a week before AF. Ugh. I thought for sure AF would be light due to how much blood i lost, during the spotting, but no, AF is here in full force! I

I am starting round 2 of clomid tomorrow evening, on CD4. Upping the dose from 50 to 100mg, hoping to bring O forward, and also hoping that the side effects are not too horrible. I had no side effects aside from some extra acne. I am now armed with Proactive, so hopefully I can fight off the monster zits i know will come with increased Clomid dose!

Steelergirl, do you know if both of your follicles will produce eggs this cycle? I know its common for people to produce multiple eggs on clomid, but I'm wondering if the doctors can tell if this will happen or not with the u/s?

Sorry about the bfn, Rdleela. I was told to take Clomid on CD5-9, but since I take it at night, I figured I'd try CD4-8 this time around. I dont think there really is a best time to take it, just whatever works for your body to give you a strong O at the right time. Since I didn't O until CD32, I feel like 50mg at CD5-9 wasn't quite right, although I dont know if it was the day or the dose. Doc then said to take 150mg at CD5-9, but I don't want to go up that much without first trying 100mg.

well AF is here and I feel like I have been kicked in the gut. my cramps are really bad. it's almost like a smack in the face. ugh. i am starting my day off with a large cup of red raspberry leaf tea. i've read it helps to strengthen your uterus. anyone else heard anything about it? i've also read on here about some people taking robitussin to help with cm?? i get pretty dried up from the clomid (that seems to be a side effect for me) so i will be getting some more pre-seed!

 

[Chloe597]

rdleela, i'm so sorry! At least you found out now, and not 6 months after taking clomid. What is ICSI? Your story is inspiring me to get my DH to the Doc as well! He has a general appt for a physical in March and said he wanted a SA there, but they didn't actualy acknowledge his request.

 

[rdleela]

rdleela, i'm so sorry! At least you found out now, and not 6 months after taking clomid. What is ICSI? Your story is inspiring me to get my DH to the Doc as well! He has a general appt for a physical in March and said he wanted a SA there, but they didn't actualy acknowledge his request.

oh, I KNOW, I've got a good doc who immediately said "DH, you're going for an SA"! Soooo glad we got it done this early!

ICSI is where they can POSSIBLY extract some sperm from up in the testes of DH (he is ejaculating zero). If they can get even just one or two sperm from him, they do! Then they do IVF with me, so an egg retrieval - and they actually fertilize our egg and sperm in a dish, then transfer to me for implantation. I guess in the clinic I'd be going to and for my age, it could be about a 60% chance of success. Probably gonna run us $15,000CDN, at a minimum. But it would mean a biological child for BOTH of us. Oh, and from what I've read, they can freeze sperm and eggs for us for the future so we wouldn't have to go through the retrieval process a second time - just from what I've read so far.

But there is the possibility that they can't find any sperm at all. Then it's donor or adoption.

I would def push for an SA for your DH!

 

[wookie130]

Well, ladies, I have some horrible news...got DH's SA back...NO sperm...I am so sad...he's getting more tests done, starting with a ultrasound on his scrotum on Thursday. Our Dr. said that there is a good chance we could do ICSI...so I am currently doing a ton of research on what our options may or may not be.

This is just crazy and devastating...so I guess I'm off the Clomid and Progesterone, just gonna temp for now until we go to see an actual fertility specialist...we live in a very rural area, so this is all gonna be done 3-6hrs away from home...

Anyone with any insight?

Oh, releela!!!

All hope is not lost. Praying you two get this figured out.

 

[LemonTea]

I am excited that everything seems to be in working order. I just can't stop thinking about something else the RE told me... sorry for being a little negative here...but there is only a 20% chance of conception in any given cycle. It's a wonder the human race isn't extinct! It's good to think that we're in the 80th percentile for so many other things, but not this!!! Ugh, so frustrating!

(It only takes one, it only takes one, it only takes one...)

I'm right there with you. For one thing, I feel like I've been on this never ending crash reproductive science course since the day we starting NTNP -- I know way more about what it takes to make a baby than I ever thought I'd have to know (and I didn't think I was that naive about the process to begin with). I gotta say, though: the more I've learn about what it takes to make a baby, the crazier it seems that people get pregnant AT ALL!

I can tell even DH thinks this way. Whenever we watch something on TV or in a movie where one of the main characters gets pregnant after a one night stand, he's like, "Seriously? We're supposed to believe that that they had sex at the exact moment in her cycle where she could get pregnant?" It makes me laugh, but at the same time, it makes me realize that we've both had to learn way more about this than the average person who gets pregnant with their first kid.

I can't remember if it was in this thread or another one where someone said that the positive side to how long it takes to have a kid is that you really really appreciate it for the amazing miracle of life (and sometimes science) that it is.

And you're right: it only takes one! DH and I watched the Great Sperm Race together on Sunday morning, and now whenever I think about what's going on in my body, I keep imagining all these little sperm people in white suits fighting the good fight to reach my golden egg The odds that that one sperm has to surmount to reach the egg are unbelievable high.

 

[LemonTea]

Well, ladies, I have some horrible news...got DH's SA back...NO sperm...I am so sad...he's getting more tests done, starting with a ultrasound on his scrotum on Thursday. Our Dr. said that there is a good chance we could do ICSI...so I am currently doing a ton of research on what our options may or may not be.

This is just crazy and devastating...so I guess I'm off the Clomid and Progesterone, just gonna temp for now until we go to see an actual fertility specialist...we live in a very rural area, so this is all gonna be done 3-6hrs away from home...

Anyone with any insight?

Rdleela: I am so sorry to hear this. Because of a medication my DH had to take for nearly 10 years, I was frantic with fears that the medication had made him sterile and this was why we hadn't gotten pregnant yet. This was the single biggest factor that pushed me to seek out a fertility specialist early rather than waiting for the one year mark. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I can understand how sad and worried you two must be. I will say though that in the lead up to our appointment with the RE, to prepare myself and my DH, I read a LOT about azoospermia just in case that was the diagnosis we'd get. I was reassured to learn that there is so much that can be done to help men with low or even non-existent sperm counts. It is entirely possible that you may still be able to have biological child should you want to try (IVF with ICSI has worked miracles for men diagnose with severely low counts or no visible sperm in a sample -- all they need is ONE single sperm to fertilize an egg.). Sometimes all that is needed is surgery to correct a physical problem or even a diet change to increase numbers to a few hundred thousand, which then makes regular IVF an option. Do not lose hope.

 

[LemonTea]

well AF is here and I feel like I have been kicked in the gut. my cramps are really bad. it's almost like a smack in the face. ugh. i am starting my day off with a large cup of red raspberry leaf tea. i've read it helps to strengthen your uterus. anyone else heard anything about it? i've also read on here about some people taking robitussin to help with cm?? i get pretty dried up from the clomid (that seems to be a side effect for me) so i will be getting some more pre-seed!

I hear a lot of about red raspberry leaf tea, but haven't tried it. I just added fish oil and baby aspirin to my regimen this month, and if I add something else I think my DH will have me committed. (He's a little concerned about all the pills I'm taking these days, but I've reassured him that the vast majority are natural vitamin supplements that may not help, but probably can't hurt, and he seems okay with that.)

I've been increasing my water intake, taking evening primrose oil (3000 mg per day until ovulation) and Robitussin/Mucinex (guaifensin as the ONLY active ingredient) for the three or four days leading up to O. I don't know if it's the Clomid or what, but I'm not getting incredibly awesome results with Mucinex or EPO (meaning I'm not getting MORE cervical fluid than usual). I think water makes the most difference for me, followed to a lesser degree by Mucinex (I don't get more CM with Mucinex, but it does stay watery for a little longer). I can't tell if EPO is doing anything for me at all, and at this point, I'm tempted to stop using it altogether since I just started taking fish oil. I only have a few more pills left in the bottle so once it's out, I doubt I'll get a new one.

Some people do get good results with Mucinex, but it's important to know that you won't get more CM with it -- it just thins out what you already have temporarily. Quite honestly, I think my problem is with Clomid, so even though I'm still taking Mucinex/EOP, I'm mostly relying on Preseed for the foreseeable future.

 

[tobefruitful]

well AF is here and I feel like I have been kicked in the gut. my cramps are really bad. it's almost like a smack in the face. ugh. i am starting my day off with a large cup of red raspberry leaf tea. i've read it helps to strengthen your uterus. anyone else heard anything about it? i've also read on here about some people taking robitussin to help with cm?? i get pretty dried up from the clomid (that seems to be a side effect for me) so i will be getting some more pre-seed![/QUOTE]



i am sorry drink that tea up girl! the next cycle is yours, i just know it!

 

[rdleela]

Rdleela: I am so sorry to hear this. Because of a medication my DH had to take for nearly 10 years, I was frantic with fears that the medication had made him sterile and this was why we hadn't gotten pregnant yet. This was the single biggest factor that pushed me to seek out a fertility specialist early rather than waiting for the one year mark. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I can understand how sad and worried you two must be. I will say though that in the lead up to our appointment with the RE, to prepare myself and my DH, I read a LOT about azoospermia just in case that was the diagnosis we'd get. I was reassured to learn that there is so much that can be done to help men with low or even non-existent sperm counts. It is entirely possible that you may still be able to have biological child should you want to try (IVF with ICSI has worked miracles for men diagnose with severely low counts or no visible sperm in a sample -- all they need is ONE single sperm to fertilize an egg.). Sometimes all that is needed is surgery to correct a physical problem or even a diet change to increase numbers to a few hundred thousand, which then makes regular IVF an option. Do not lose hope.

Thank-you (and everyone else!) for your encouraging words! Yes, I've been doing a ton of research on ICSI, which I absolutely think we'll try if we're able to! I am just really, really hoping that there are SOME viable sperm we can get at. I will be so sad for DH if he can't have a biological child. But one way or another, we will raise a child, we just don't know for sure how we'll get one yet! I don't know what I would do without this board! I did find a group of ladies on here dealing with this exact issue, so that, of course, will help immensley!

 

[steelergirl55]

Rdleela: I am so sorry to hear this. Because of a medication my DH had to take for nearly 10 years, I was frantic with fears that the medication had made him sterile and this was why we hadn't gotten pregnant yet. This was the single biggest factor that pushed me to seek out a fertility specialist early rather than waiting for the one year mark. I can't imagine what you're going through, but I can understand how sad and worried you two must be. I will say though that in the lead up to our appointment with the RE, to prepare myself and my DH, I read a LOT about azoospermia just in case that was the diagnosis we'd get. I was reassured to learn that there is so much that can be done to help men with low or even non-existent sperm counts. It is entirely possible that you may still be able to have biological child should you want to try (IVF with ICSI has worked miracles for men diagnose with severely low counts or no visible sperm in a sample -- all they need is ONE single sperm to fertilize an egg.). Sometimes all that is needed is surgery to correct a physical problem or even a diet change to increase numbers to a few hundred thousand, which then makes regular IVF an option. Do not lose hope.

Thank-you (and everyone else!) for your encouraging words! Yes, I've been doing a ton of research on ICSI, which I absolutely think we'll try if we're able to! I am just really, really hoping that there are SOME viable sperm we can get at. I will be so sad for DH if he can't have a biological child. But one way or another, we will raise a child, we just don't know for sure how we'll get one yet! I don't know what I would do without this board! I did find a group of ladies on here dealing with this exact issue, so that, of course, will help immensley!

So this weekend I got a "custom card" (from zazzle.com) from a friend of mine who is on a break after several failed attempts at IVF. The entire front of the card is covered with quotes: "Have you tried yoga?" "You need to take zinc." "Stand on your head for an hour after sex." "Don't drink coffee." "Have you tried Raspberry Leaf Tea?" "You'll get pregnant once you stop trying so hard." Yadda, yadda, yadda...then the inside says "I am sure you have gotten all kinds of annoying advice about your fertility. So, I thought you might prefer it if I just said...THAT SUCKS!!"

I know that God brought that friend and me together for a reason, along with another friend currently undergoing IVF. And I know God brought US - the subscribers of this thread - together for a reason. Rdleela, know that we are thinking of you and praying for you.

Oh, and THAT SUCKS!!

 

[steelergirl55]

steelergirl, is that a Shiba in your picture?!?! We have Shiba's!

Yep, that's my rotten little red devil Kouen! He was such a precious little ball of fur back then. I ran across that pic recently and it really made me smile. He still makes me smile, but sometimes he makes me scream too! (He got into what was left of a bowl of Hershey's Kisses 2 nights ago and we've been dealing with messes dotted with red and green foil coming from both ends since then!)

How many shibas do you have?

 

[Lisa92881]

I too am a big believer in "everything happens for a reason"....and I need to stay positive and keep reminding myself of that. We may not know the reason now, or ever, but I do think there's a reason why we are going through this.

Stay strong girls, our turn is soon.

 

[rdleela]

So this weekend I got a "custom card" (from zazzle.com) from a friend of mine who is on a break after several failed attempts at IVF. The entire front of the card is covered with quotes: "Have you tried yoga?" "You need to take zinc." "Stand on your head for an hour after sex." "Don't drink coffee." "Have you tried Raspberry Leaf Tea?" "You'll get pregnant once you stop trying so hard." Yadda, yadda, yadda...then the inside says "I am sure you have gotten all kinds of annoying advice about your fertility. So, I thought you might prefer it if I just said...THAT SUCKS!!"

I know that God brought that friend and me together for a reason, along with another friend currently undergoing IVF. And I know God brought US - the subscribers of this thread - together for a reason. Rdleela, know that we are thinking of you and praying for you.

Oh, and THAT SUCKS!!

I love that card! And yes, it does SUCK!! Thanks for the smile!

As for the Shiba's, yes, we had two, but now we are down to one; we had to put our oldest one, Keiko, down this summer. Was a truly sad event, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. She would have been 6 this Feb. Our other Shiba is Simi, and she's a very, very timid one. She's 3 now! They're both red/tan, like yours! And DH couldn't live without two dogs, so we got a golden retriever this fall, and she is SO much worse to train than our Shiba's were! Potty training, anyways! lol I got spoiled with Shiba's! I hope your guy gets better soon!!

 

[mrsjennyg]

thank you so much for the support ladies- i am so happy i found this site!!
rdleela i am so sorry. i can't imagine what you're going through but i am praying they can find some sperm in DH and IVF works! FX

so I called my doc yesterday b/c my lp was a lot longer on the clomid and she told me to take progesterone starting cd14. i didn't realize it was a vaginal suppository! so do you take it after you ov (b/c I might not ov cd14) and how do you BD when you have that up in there? so you put it in in the morning and it's gone by the night so you BD then? any advice would be great!

what does baby aspirin do? i take prenatals, EPO (until ov), B100 complex and Vit D (was told to take Vit D by my doc after a physical).

have a great day!

 

[wookie130]

Still thinking of you, rdleela. I think the ICSI sounds like a completely excellent option for both of you.

My friend, who is 34, is actively trying to conceive with her hubby right now, and have been for some time. A few months ago, after determining that all was working fine with hhher, it was determined that her DH had very, very low sperm count, with a very high dead-to-live ratio. To be truthful, she has been quite private about their struggles, and I don't want to milk her for more info, but I do know her doctors are very hopeful that they'll conceive, and I do think they may be moving toward IVF.

I have hope for you too, rdleela. Believe it or not, your DH can be helped, and all will fall into place with the right help. Best of luck.

 

[rdleela]

so I called my doc yesterday b/c my lp was a lot longer on the clomid and she told me to take progesterone starting cd14. i didn't realize it was a vaginal suppository! so do you take it after you ov (b/c I might not ov cd14) and how do you BD when you have that up in there? so you put it in in the morning and it's gone by the night so you BD then? any advice would be great!

Thank-you for the kind words! I take progesterone as suppositories, so I'll tell you how I do it! I take it on 3dpo - you don't want to take it earlier as it could mess with O, is what I've been told. I actually do 100mg in the morning and again 12 hrs later at night. It's actually absorbed within about 15mins, and you'll notice you will have some yellow-ish creamy leakage, so wear a pantyliner. I could never differentiate creamy CM from this stuff technically, so I never look for CM as a pregnancy sign. Take it until 14dpo and then if BFN, I stop taking it, AF take 2 1/2 days to arrive after I stop...and I've got 2 cycles under my belt exactly the same now. Oh, and one more tip, buy a Canesten pack with an applicator! If you have Prometrium it fits in there perfectly! Then just wash the applicator after each use Oh, and if you're only taking it in the AM, you'll be fine to BD at night.

 

[rdleela]

Still thinking of you, rdleela. I think the ICSI sounds like a completely excellent option for both of you.

My friend, who is 34, is actively trying to conceive with her hubby right now, and have been for some time. A few months ago, after determining that all was working fine with hhher, it was determined that her DH had very, very low sperm count, with a very high dead-to-live ratio. To be truthful, she has been quite private about their struggles, and I don't want to milk her for more info, but I do know her doctors are very hopeful that they'll conceive, and I do think they may be moving toward IVF.

I have hope for you too, rdleela. Believe it or not, your DH can be helped, and all will fall into place with the right help. Best of luck.

Awh, I'm so sorry for your friend, I know what she feels like! I am not that private, we've told my BFF, who is an RN, and our parents. I felt they should know what we're going through (plus maybe they'll want to help us pay for IVF! lol) - Wookie, if you follow my journal I've been updating a lot about the sperm issues; I've been GLUED to the computer researching!

 

[corgankidd]

Hey ladies. Can I join? I just started my first round of Clomid 50 mg. Took it days 3-7 and finished my last pill a couple days ago. Now just waiting! I was gearing myself up for some horrible side effects but thankfully I haven't really had anything yet.
A little about me. I'm 28 my husband is 26 and we have been ttc for just under a year. Not sure what the problem is, doctors label it as "unexplained infertility". I'm really hoping Clomid does the trick for me and soon. My mom was diagnosed with terminal lung and brain cancer about 9 months ago and I know that I don't have much more time with her so I just hope and pray that I at least get to have the joy of telling her I'm pregnant because I know all my plans of raising my kids with her being an integral part of their lives is not going to happen. So please please please clomid do the trick!!!!