Entering the world of Assisted Conception...like it or not...

[lemon_tree]

That's a load of crap! Definitely seek a second opinion, bc there is no reason to take bcp when you are trying to achieve pregnancy. The reasoning of being on the same schedule as other women is not a legitimate excuse and they are jeopardizing success. I hope the iui works and if not, I hope this new place is more accommodating to YOUR needs and not theirs.

EXACTLY this. I'm so glad you're taking that step!

 

[Hiker1]

Phone consult scheduled with new doctor Thursday. Can't wait!

What's new with all of you? How is everyone?

 

[Smille24]

Hiker that is wonderful news! Idk which office it is, but it sounds like it may be a better fit. I hope it goes well on Thursday. I still can't get over the bcp concept. How have you been feeling since the iui?

 

[Hiker1]

I feel fine. Completely normal. I am not expecting anything and just waiting for AF to arrive so I can move on to the next step. The place is called RHS. I can't go to Magee since they aren't in my network.

How are you doing Smille? How are you feeling? Do you know what you're having yet?

 

[lemon_tree]

That's the best news, Hiker! Can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[Smille24]

We only had the option of Magee, unless we were willing to drive 3hrs to Erie and that wasn't happening. I really think that if this cycle doesn't work out, this new place WILL get you pregnant. I have so much hope in that.

I am feeling great. I have a dr appt Thurs and will schedule my gender scan with the hospital. We should know within a week.

Lemon- 2 weeks until your surgery! That's great news.

 

[Hiker1]

Little update guys,
Had my phone consult with the doctor. Bad news, she gave me quite a bleak outlook of my condition. Said with my numbers, things don't look good. Not impossible but not good. That my chances of miscarriage are higher too, so even if we get all the way to implantation stage, I could very well miscarry. I hadn't thought much past the getting pregnant stage, so as hard as that was to hear I appreciated her honesty. She recommended ICSI (injecting egg cells with sperm manually ) as eggs like mine likely have don't let sperm in easily (I've always had a gut feeling that's why I've never conceived. No research, just always felt that for some reason) so that confirms it. And she recommended putting in 2 embryos to increase chances. For normal people I guess 1 is standard, but for me 2 is better. She also recommended donor eggs...but I am so not there yet. As for the bcps, she said it's unlikely they would have caused my body to not respond, but she's willing to forgo them this next round. She did say sometimes too much meds can cause that to happen, as well as my body could be completely shutting down and I could have missed my opportunity altogether. She said the month I had 7 follicles would have been ideal to do ivf, to which I said I am angry about because they even recommended it, we were on board, then the clinic backed out on us the day we went to sign the papers. I sure as hell hope I haven't missed my chance to have a child of my own because of it.

Long story short, she wants me to come in tomorrow to do all the complete paperwork, meet the nurses, get my meds ordered, meet her, do all th financial stuff, so when I get my period next week I will be all set up to start there. I wonder if they can do a blood test to find out if I'm pregnant from the iui yet? Tomorrow will be 8dpiui. It's good this all is happening during my 2ww and I'm so grateful that it seems I will be able to proceed without too much disruption to my care. Best news is I can start my next ivf protocol next week! At the other place I'd have to wait until June. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic and trying to prep myself for the rest of this very trying journey. Need to stay strong.

 

[TinyLynne]

Glad they can get you in so quick!

What is their reasoning for donor eggs? Has anything been suggesting that your eggs have issues?

Hopefully iui worked and it won't matter!

Good luck!!

 

[Hiker1]

Re: donor eggs. Studies have shown that high fsh and low am ( I have both) have very little ivf and pregnancy success rates. So if after trying with mine eggs, that may be our only option. Or adoption.

 

[Smille24]

Hiker- I am so sorry for the news you received. However, at least this new dr is well educated and honest. Your other dr should've known that icsi would've been a better option under the circumstances rather than putting you through the ringer. They always have to give a worst case scenario, so hopefully this procedure will work the first time. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[TinyLynne]

I wish you get many good eggs in one cycle! And a great success story(ies) to follow!

 

[Hiker1]

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in and say that the initial meeting at the new facility went fantastic. Even better than expected. It was an entire building dedicated just to fertility. Everything was cheerfully decorated, and they even had these handpainted trees on the walls where they added leaves for each baby that was born. The nurse talked to us for over 2 hours, explaining everything we were signing, our medications, what the protocol will be, etc. The good news is I will not be put on BCP - she said for some people, and maybe me - it's like "starting the engine cold" so thats a relief. I hope that's all it was. She also said they were scratching their heads about why the other doctor kept me at such a high dose the month when I got 5 follicles because that lead to me having 7 follicles. She said they really should have decreased my meds the next month (which I also wondered at the time) and that it makes you wonder if they did that to push you into IVF? They also flat out recommended a bunch of supplements and acupuncture (the other place kind of brushed me off when I brought all that up with them saying it's unfounded). Also opposite from the previous doctor's protocol for my next cycle, they are not going to pump me full of drugs, and rather are going to keep me on a middle of the road dose. She said that high dose may make me really sick or cause me to hyper stim, which is really bad. Regardless it doesn't make me feel too confident about where I have been going all this time, and so I'm very glad I've found another option that feels like a much better fit for me. Best news is, once AF comes next week, I can start IVF right away with them. Dont need to wait until June because my body didn't respond according to an office's schedule constraints. So I'm really excited! Meds are on the way, and just need AF to start. I'm 9dpIUI today, so hopefully next week sometime. (Or hopefully not at all and I won't need IVF, but that hope is almost non-existent). The journey continues...

 

[lemon_tree]

That's brilliant, hiker! Such a relief. I'm so so happy for you that you made the move to this place, that they're truly listening to you, and that you don't have to WAIT anymore. So phenomenal!!

 

[BronteForever]

Hiker - sounds like this new place is a great fit for you. That's wonderful they have been able to get you right in and you'll get to start up again right away. Good luck. Fingers crossed you respond much better now and it's your cycle.

 

[Smille24]

I am so happy that you are in better hands. I felt in the right place when we met with our dr and had so much confidence that they would make our dreams come true. I am so happy you have a dr who is very knowledgeable and is willing to listen to your concerns. Like your dr said, they were probably trying to push you to ivf (more of a paycheck for them). I sometimes wonder if that's why the cpn was so negative with me.

 

[Hiker1]

Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it! I'm very excited to get started!

Lemon, it's getting close to your surgery, no?

Bronte, will we be ivf buddies? I think you said you'll be starting in June?
Smille, love your profile pic. Must feel wonderful having a little one growing inside. Your scan for the gender is soon, right? Do you have any names picked? Your cpn was so terrible to you. I sometimes wonder if some of those nurses, because they are around sad and desperate situations all day, if sometimes it gets to some of them. Still I would think the success stories would be encouraging...but I could see where it might get frustrating for them at times. Or maybe yes she wanted to push you to ivf...

 

[Smille24]

I hope there's still a chance for a bfp this cycle for you. However, I know that you want to save some eggs for later.

We knew going into it, any number below 5mil was not good and meant ivf was our next course of action, but she was cold. Maybe you're right, and she was having a rough day.

My scan is Thursday. Both my dh and I have a feeling it's a boy, but we were wrong b4. We have a girl name picked out, but have yet to agree on the boys.

 

[lemon_tree]

Yup, next week! I'm starting to get nervous, but I'm also ready to get this show on the road.

I'd love to see you two (Bronte and Hiker) be IVF buddies this summer. Wishing for very good news for the two of you, very soon!

 

[BronteForever]

Lemon - good luck next week. I hope everything goes well and you have a super speedy recovery. Just take it easy and have fun catching up on some books, movies, and tv shows on your time off while you are healing up.

Hiker - you will definitely start before me, but I'll be quickly behind you. I'm scheduled to start stims my June cycle, but it likely won't be here until the last week of June. We still haven't decided if we are doing PGS or not. It will depend on how many embryos we get. If we are, then we'll have to wait another month to do the transfer and then do a FET in August. Good luck to you!

 

[Hiker1]

Smille, good luck Thursday! Please let us know as soon as you can!! I'm so excited for you!

Lemon, I can't imagine how anxious you must be. Once this is over then you can move on to ttc again. Seems like there is just one roadblock after another. But if you're like me, I look to each next appointment, bloodwork, scan, meeting, or even AF as a milestone and something to look forward to. Otherwise I think I would go crazy with just having no more options...or just empty time ahead with nothing. I really hope the procedure is successful! !

Bronte, just think of me as your trailblazer. As I'm going through everything, ask questions and I'll try to be as honest as possible so you will know what to expect. Of course our experiences will be different, but maybe that will help some? Im not counting last month since I never got past the injection and monitoring stage. Remind me, have you done injectables for iui at all? It's really no different - just more shots.

Today I'm expecting my next massive box of meds. I over ordered because my RX plan is so amazing on my insurance. We are planning to switch to my hubbys in july since he has much higher coverage for ivf, but meds come out of that, so we are getting as much as we can now when on mine so to save that coverag for procedures only. Meds would eat that up quickly. I suppose if the stars align this month and I actually get pregnant we wouldn't need to switch, but I'm trying to be realistic and realize I'll probably have to do ivf a few times due to my crap ovaries.

And it's so weird- I'm near the end of the 2ww, and I am so anxious for AF to come, but there is a little teeny tiny voice inside saying "what if it doesn't? " but I'm trying to shut that one up. Either way, I hope to have some answers in the next day or 2... ah like Tom Petty says , "the waiting is the hardest part!"