Clomid Buddies (moved from TTC board)

[BelleNuit]

Woo hoo! Happy impending O Earth!

 

[Fluffycookie]

@Earth
Yay for ovulation!! and welcome to the TWW limbo X)

AFM
15 dpo today. No spotting or bleeding yet. The waiting is killing me. I felt such typical cramps last night that I was certain I'd wake up to AF but... nothing. AF should really show today, otherwise I will test tomorrow morning :S

 

[BelleNuit]

Sounds promising Fluffy!

 

[Ask4joy]

Congratulations Lucy!!! So happy for you. Wishing you all the best!

Red - I am very sorry for your losses. I have also experienced several early losses (mine were all CPs - never made it past 5 weeks). Does your DH have a genetic disability? I'm wondering if that could be impacting the embryos? I'm just now learning about chromosomes and genetics after being diagnosed with abnormal chromosomes myself. It might be worth asking to have a repeat pregnancy loss panel done. They check for clotting disorders, immunological issues and can do a karyotype test to determine both of your chromosomal structures. Hoping you get some answers soon!

Belle - sounds like the naturopath has some good insight. What is your FSH, if you don't mind me asking?

Fluffy - cramps and no AF is a good sign!! FX for you!

Earth - happy bding!

AFM - pretty sure I Od 2 days ago on CD 12. Never Od before CD 14 before and that was only a couple times. Usually O cd16-18. Definitely felt it. Definitely timed BD perfectly lol. If no BFP this cycle then I will start birth control next cycle and then will start stims after that (most likely early October). Then I have to wait 6-8 weeks for them to test the embryos and get me ready for the transfer so that probably won't happen until Late Nov/Dec. Feels so far away but I'm sure it will fly by.

 

[BelleNuit]

It was 7.2. She said it should be under 7 for my age. Basically estrogen has a suppressant effect on FSH, and because my estrogen is on the lower side of normal (like any lower and it would be abnormal) my FSH is in the upper range of normal. I really don't know what would cause slightly lower estrogen (like its subclinical because I'm not really experiencing any symptoms other than infertility, which is likely a result of thin lining because of the low estrogen). And google isn't very helpful in that regard lol. But maybe diet can help. I was reading though that lower estrogen usually means that a person will respond well to stimulation medications. So I will probably be an excellent candidate for IVF, shouldn't need too much medication and have a decent AFC (21). I'd be more inclined to do a freeze all cycle so I could focus on getting a nice cushy lining during a FET cycle. But one step at a time. We won't be doing IVF until spring at this rate, especially if I get this new job!

Ask - One step at a time! The early O means you can get started earlier!

 

[Ask4joy]

Mine was 8.4 a year ago and I forgot to ask my doctor what it was last month. I know they look at the hormone ratios and I think all of mine were "normal" and my AMH was above average for my age. I've never had a AFC done. How do they do that?

Yes - one step at a time! I'm just super pumped I Od early. I hate Oing late and BDing on a schedule for so long. Now we can just relax and do what we want lol. Weird thing is it was a rather painful O - only on one side but similar to the O pain I get on clomid. Maybe I ovulated more than 1 egg! Or maybe I have endo because my right side always experiences more pain than my left (or could I o from one side more often than the other?). Anyway, next month it's birth control!

We see the geneticist next Weds and have our IVF consult next Thursday!

 

[BelleNuit]

It's possible you O more from the right side. The right ovary has slightly better blood supply so tends to mature an egg a bit quicker.

My FSH was exactly the same as it was a year ago, so I'll bet yours is similar!

AFC is just antral follicle counts. So on a baseline day 3 ultrasound they will count up how many small follicles they can see.

I had my AMH blood draw at beginning of July, but results are not in yet. I'm just going to use the results to help decide when to do IVF.

Technically my hormone ratios are all normal too. I think though that there are "optimal" hormone ranges, and I think my estrogen is outside of that optimal range. It's still normal in the sense that I'm ovulating and not getting hot flashes, but it's not high enough to thicken lining nicely. So I'm in a "sub-fertile" range. No idea how the ND will fix it. Curious to see what she comes up with

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

I'm not really having any symptoms of the trigger..last time I felt terrible!

 

[BelleNuit]

I didn't have any SE with my trigger either, other than localized tenderness. Yay for not feeling yucky lol

 

[Fluffycookie]

@Belle
I heard similar things as Ask about hormones ratios being really important compared to just individual values, but I'm far from an expert on the topic!

@Earth
I had hardly any symptoms from my trigger and the ultrasound the next day (30 hours later) confirmed I had ovulated from it, so fingers crossed for you!

 

[BelleNuit]

The ratio of LH to FSH is very important as it can indicate pcos if it is out. High estrogen can lower FSH and can make it harder to respond to stimulation meds. Low estrogen will result in higher FSH which is my situation. But all my values are in the appropriate ranges and ratios, just I wonder if they are not in the "optimal" ranges, if that makes sense?

 

[Ask4joy]

I didn't feel anything after the trigger either, Earth.

Belle - didn't know that about the blood supply to the right ovary. That makes sense then!

Forgot to mention to Red what EPO is: Evening Primrose Oil. Supposed to help balance hormones and improve EWCM. Def does for me. But you aren't supposed to take it after O as it has an opening effect on the cervix (I think?).

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

I wont be testing it out like last time. I think it makes it worse.

Now just to wait for a few temps and see what happens.

I dont understand all the FSh, etc but those were going to be my next steps if we continued on after this cycle but now im out of meds.

 

[Ask4joy]

Wondering if any of you gained weight on clomid? After 6 rounds of clomid in the last year I'm wondering if it might be the reason why I'm gaining when I maintained my weight for years. I lost 15 pounds on weight watchers this past winter/spring but after 2 more rounds of 100mg clomid have put 10 back on (plus I stopped weight watchers but I gained the weight back so fast and that's kinda unusual for me). I'm about 5'5" and have been between 125-130 for years and years but now I'm closer to 140 and not feeling good about my body. I guess I'll have to start tracking again...would be nice to lose some weight before I start stimming in October.

I've also been on progesterone the last 5 cycles after O...which I think can cause weight gain too?

 

[steph1607]

Ask, I definitely felt like I put weight on when I was taking Norethisterone and Clomid. I've always been very athletic so I find it easy to see when I do gain, and I definitely noticed it around my tummy.

 

[Ask4joy]

I'm the same, Steph. And yes I notice it in my tummy more than anywhere. I used to be able to cheat now and then and my weight wouldn't change but lately it seems like I'm gaining so easily! Once all this TTC / pregnancy business is over I'm going to kick my butt into gear but I don't want to restrict calories too much now.

 

[steph1607]

Yes, I am exactly the same! I keep wanting to try and get a lot leaner again, but then figure that cutting while I'm trying for a baby isn't my smartest idea! I used to have a nice little six pack going on but I've barely seen it this side of Christmas! And hubby and I just got in from having a curry... saying all this, I have already said that after this weekend is over, I'm going to be well and truly back on the straight and narrow, at least Monday- Friday. I want to start eating really well in preparation for IVF, and I've started track sprints again so it will also help with that.

 

[BelleNuit]

I was on femara (so not clomid) and didn't notice weight gain. I did notice though that I had more intense cravings during my TWW for fatty/salty foods.

 

[Ask4joy]

Steph - do you know when you are going to start IVF? Maybe we will be cycle buddies!

Belle - I don't know why more docs don't try FE first ...seems like the SE are much less?

 

[BelleNuit]

Ya, I think the side effects are better and its out of your system faster. The FE makes sense to me, but its used in an off-label way if used for infertility because its actually a cancer drug. So maybe thats why some docs don't like to use it?

So I had my interview today. The long and short of it is I wouldn't be surprised if I got the job, but it would be significantly more stress for significantly better pay. So essentially I have to choose between better work-life balance or better pay (and better benefits... i.e. we would save thousands of dollars for IVF with the new job's benefits). I have a more detailed post over in my journal. But I don't want to derail the conversation here lol.