First time IVF - Started Lupron last Thurs - Would Love some Buddies

[JCM]

Hahaha Moni! Rats nest has me peeing my pants right now! I kept doing my usual wax every month and this last month I got my hemrroid a day later. Something about sensitive skin with the pressure on the veins from the baby and uterus. So, no I'm scared but I'm with you on needing a cleaned up area!

Beagle, I have crinone. Might be like half a box. I used it with my iui and had leftover. I'll check how much..

Knitgirl, my doctor actually said no bed rest. He's real big on blood flow to the uterus. So much that he put me on blood thinner injections twice a day! I had acupuncture in the room before and after my transfer for like 15 mins. I actually jumped off the table right after the transfer to pee and then had acupuncture. My bladder was uncomfortable and very full. My RE actually gave me a Valium right before he did it and I just watched movies with DH for a couple of hours after. Then, crazy story but we chased a bobcat around the backyard so I was definitely up and moving. Lol what a crazy day! I did everything like I normally would during my wait except drink margaritas and caffeine. That sucked but hey it worked! I was on estradiol pills and progesterone capsules (both vaginally) fun. Plus folic acid 3x per day, 3 fish oil, and vitD and B.

I had my big anatomy scan and everything is normal! Whew! I was nervous because I swear I barfed up half of my daily pills for a good 6 weeks! No weight gain for me this month and I'm not sure how. I'm eating everything I see. They took a million pictures of everything on her and it took forever! I did get a cute profile pic and pics of feet and hands that I'm obsessed with. I was laughing at the talk of being nervous about the baby...my stepkids were apparently monsters this last weekend and actually scared off their mothers fiancé! I'm scared of when my baby is a pre teenager!!! They behave night and day from my house to hers and it makes me sad for her...and scared of what these cute little babies can become! Lol!

 

[beaglemom]

Hahaha Moni! Rats nest has me peeing my pants right now! I kept doing my usual wax every month and this last month I got my hemrroid a day later. Something about sensitive skin with the pressure on the veins from the baby and uterus. So, no I'm scared but I'm with you on needing a cleaned up area!

Beagle, I have crinone. Might be like half a box. I used it with my iui and had leftover. I'll check how much..

Knitgirl, my doctor actually said no bed rest. He's real big on blood flow to the uterus. So much that he put me on blood thinner injections twice a day! I had acupuncture in the room before and after my transfer for like 15 mins. I actually jumped off the table right after the transfer to pee and then had acupuncture. My bladder was uncomfortable and very full. My RE actually gave me a Valium right before he did it and I just watched movies with DH for a couple of hours after. Then, crazy story but we chased a bobcat around the backyard so I was definitely up and moving. Lol what a crazy day! I did everything like I normally would during my wait except drink margaritas and caffeine. That sucked but hey it worked! I was on estradiol pills and progesterone capsules (both vaginally) fun. Plus folic acid 3x per day, 3 fish oil, and vitD and B.

I had my big anatomy scan and everything is normal! Whew! I was nervous because I swear I barfed up half of my daily pills for a good 6 weeks! No weight gain for me this month and I'm not sure how. I'm eating everything I see. They took a million pictures of everything on her and it took forever! I did get a cute profile pic and pics of feet and hands that I'm obsessed with. I was laughing at the talk of being nervous about the baby...my stepkids were apparently monsters this last weekend and actually scared off their mothers fiancé! I'm scared of when my baby is a pre teenager!!! They behave night and day from my house to hers and it makes me sad for her...and scared of what these cute little babies can become! Lol!

Thanks. That would be awesome.

Watching my sister and her kids scare me. How can she be so different from me? She was horrible as a teenager and never grew out of it. And now her youngest is a brat from lazy parenting.

 

[Weezy9]

Well, I went to my first consultation on monday. I don't know what I should be expecting as it's my first time but I came out feeling not knowing what I need to do when I eventually start my treatment in February.
She went through the general procedure of the IVF cycle and then She went through my and DH test results and said my thyroid is a little under to carry a pregnancy so she has prescribed me thyroxine to boost it up. She gave me the option of starting treatment this month (in about 10 days time) or next month. I thought it would be better to sort my slightly under active thyroid out first before treatment so I will start next month.
Then she printed and gave me a load of paper work for me to take away.
I found a treatment plan there which I presume were meds that I need to take when I eventually start treatment.
I wanted to ask her more questions but she said she's got another appointment now so basically, we've run out of time.
I want to know, what do i go from here?
I've been told that I need to take my thyroxine for 3-4 weeks and then do another blood test.
I ask her if I need to see her again for a follow up consultation, and she said "only if i want to "
what happens next?
Do I call the clinic when I want to start treatment? or do I call them when I start my period???
She hasn't given me any instructions on "what Next?'
She mentioned that they will monitor me every 2 - 3 days when I start treatment and medication may change.
So if I got all my meds and it needs to change, what do I do with the remaining ones?
Sorry I'm full of question marks but I'm not sure what should be happening now.
Any advice

 

[kfs1]

Ladysosa - So happy that things are starting for you!!! How did your appt go?

Terri - ABSOLUTELY take that trip. I think it's just the kind of thing that you need. You need to focus on yourself for a while. Only good things coming for you this year!!!!

Babyw - That's so funny that you get the giggles as a pregnancy symptom! And your co-workers sounds disgusting. YUCK.

Booger - I'm happy to hear that your babysitting experience went well. I think sometimes other people's kids make me get cold feet (is that mean???) but then I try to remember that when it's my kid, it will be different. Aww, and you have a St. Bernard???? So cute!!!

Erin - We're no-symptom twins, huh? It's so weird after waiting for so long to not really feel anything, right? I'm right there with you about the tiredness though - it's brutal!

Amy - Happy to hear that you're doing well. Aww - the story about your dog makes me miss mine so much. We had to put him down this past June. I really want another dog but I'm not sure that I'm quite ready yet. What kind of dog do you have?

Moni - Congrats for another great scan. Hey - I think that's great that you get to see your little guy so often, especially since the antibodies thing doesn't sound too serious, right? OMG about the waxing! I haven't thought about not being able to see down there!!! I guess I'll have no choice, right??

JCM - Congrats on the great scan!! Can you share some pics?

Weezy - For me, I was on BCP for 3 weeks, then got my period, and then started the injections soon after. Did she mention anything about BCP or Lupron to you? Maybe that's something you can start while you're taking the thyroid meds? I would maybe call back and ask. Also, I would absolutely ask to meet with her again before you start. I would call her as soon as you get your period and get right in there. She needs to walk you through the process and what medications you'll be taking for sure! And no worries - the ladies on this board have so much experience and knowledge.

 

[beaglemom]

Well, I went to my first consultation on monday. I don't know what I should be expecting as it's my first time but I came out feeling not knowing what I need to do when I eventually start my treatment in February.
She went through the general procedure of the IVF cycle and then She went through my and DH test results and said my thyroid is a little under to carry a pregnancy so she has prescribed me thyroxine to boost it up. She gave me the option of starting treatment this month (in about 10 days time) or next month. I thought it would be better to sort my slightly under active thyroid out first before treatment so I will start next month.
Then she printed and gave me a load of paper work for me to take away.
I found a treatment plan there which I presume were meds that I need to take when I eventually start treatment.
I wanted to ask her more questions but she said she's got another appointment now so basically, we've run out of time.
I want to know, what do i go from here?
I've been told that I need to take my thyroxine for 3-4 weeks and then do another blood test.
I ask her if I need to see her again for a follow up consultation, and she said "only if i want to "
what happens next?
Do I call the clinic when I want to start treatment? or do I call them when I start my period???
She hasn't given me any instructions on "what Next?'
She mentioned that they will monitor me every 2 - 3 days when I start treatment and medication may change.
So if I got all my meds and it needs to change, what do I do with the remaining ones?
Sorry I'm full of question marks but I'm not sure what should be happening now.
Any advice

I had to be on birth control pills at least 3 weeks. Then I went in for a baseline ultrasound & check my estrogen. If those were both good, I stopped bcp & they advised when to start my other meds. Put a call in to your nurse. That is who I am always talking to. Let her know your visit was fast & you are a little unsure. Most of us also went to a meds class before startng meds.

Relax...everything will be just fine

 

[beaglemom]

So we got to my appointment early yesterday. So we ad a lot of time to shop. e went to Buy Buy Baby & Target. Target is having a lot of clearance in baby right now. I did not find a great deal like floridasian, but we did buy a bouncer. It was $35 from $49. And I bought some bibs. Then at Buy Buy Baby I found a frame with a silhouette of a pregnant woman & the belly is open for a sonograph pic. I also got another frame with 3 photos...sonograph, birth, & 1 year. They were 50% off. Then we came back to my work & went to the consignment store. I bought a few long sleeve onsies & a sleeper onsie. One of them was Santa so I paid less than $1 for it. When I got home yesterday I was looking through all of it. I know I am nuts, but I am determined this will work. I can't wait to be pregnant & find out the gender!

 

[LadySosa]

Wow, Beagle, you'll be prepared for that baby! Good for you! How was the appointment?

Weezy - I know how you feel. It can be confusing and overwhelming. My doctor also kind of goes quickly cause she's usually in a time crunch. Did they assign/introduce you to a nurse? That's been my main point of contact throughout the process. She's responsive to email, phone. I send her lots of questions! If she's not sure on anything, she asks my doc then gets back to me with an answer. If I were you I would definitely contact your clinic and tell them you are left with questions. They should make every attempt to help you through this! It's hard to give specific advice, since everyone is different. But I would NOT hesitate to call the clinic. They owe it to you.

Jen - Glad everything is looking good!

Amy - Aww, that is so cute! Dogs just love the snow. Glad you got to enjoy some snow even in Cali! My dog loves the snow and the sand - he reacts sort of the same in both environments. Runs as fast as he can, frolicking and jumping around. Really cute.
Afm - my appointment was yesterday afternoon. It was an ultrasound, mock transfer, signing paperwork. I was a little bummed, cause the calendar my nurse sent me was wrong. It showed the retrieval was on Jan 20 then the transfer was the week after, so I assumed it was a fresh cycle. Then when my doc was explaining it to us, she's like "oh, no, your transfer won't be till around early March." I was like, "Helloo???? How do you get this wrong??" I've been reading and studying my calendar for WEEKS, looking forward to being pregnant by early Feb, and they so casually say, oops, our mistake. So, it is a FET. I guess I am at higher risk for OHSS so they want to do the FET to be on the safe side. My retrieval is still scheduled for Jan 20, but then I have to wait until the 3rd of March or so for the FET. And furthermore I have to be on Lupron (I think?) that entire time. So, I was wrong in thinking my injections would only be for like 1.5 weeks. It will be more like 6-7 weeks. Ugh! I really like my doc and my nurse, so it was hard to be mad at them. AND - when we met with the finance lady, she's like "ok, your total for this cycle is $11,000, and it will all be covered by insurance." Obviously that's what I was expecting, but WOW, what a relief to hear her say it! And our meds are all covered too! We were so so relieved. It kind of makes up for the waiting. So anyways, injection class is Thursday, then the meds start Fri. Whew, busy busy week!

Hope everyone is having a good morning so far!

 

[booger76]

Good morning, ladies!

Beagle - You'll be so prepared by the time baby comes! I have been too scared to buy anything. Not one single item. I'm not normally superstitious or anything, I guess I just figured there would be plenty of time once I got pregnant. Good for you for being able to spot a good deal and take advantage of it!

kfs - I'm glad you are feeling well other than being tired. Nothing wrong with that!! I'm sorry you had to put your dog down in June. I'm afraid my poor Buddy (the St. Bernard mix) isn't too far from getting there. He is almost 14 (that's pretty good for a big dog) but he is starting to have trouble getting around and keeps falling. We are just spoiling him as much as we can.

Weezy - It can be very overwhelming at first but there should be someone assigned to you from your clinic to help you sort things out. Don't be afraid to contact them with all your questions. There's no reason to go into any of this confused. Also, if you do end up needing to change meds, I'm afraid you're stuck with the ones you don't need anymore. My clinic accepts donations of unused meds so that may be an option for you too.

JCM - Congrats on the good scan!! I'm glad to read that you didn't have any bed rest either. I was starting to get nervous that I was the only one not prescribed it. I reread all the instructions from my RE last night and it says that exercise is completely fine after transfer as long at I keep my heart rate below 140. That's pretty slow running for me but I'll take it!

Moni - Glad to hear that things are going well. It's good they are doing the extra monitoring even if the risk of anything happening is small. I'm sure it assures you some extra peace of mind. Hopefully, hubby snaps out of his drinking funk. I guess the doubt is normal so that's good to hear. I'm sure we'll all do fine - it's just the unknown that makes us all a little anxious.

Hello to everyone else!!

I had a little freak out about my thyroid so I e-mailed my nurse this morning. I keep reading where it's optimal to have your TSH level between 1-2 when trying to conceive. I have had my tested multiple times over the past couple of years and it's always over 2 and sometimes over 3. I e-mailed my nurse to see what my RE thinks. My mom and sister are both on thyroid medication for hypothyroidism so it's not like this is a surprise to me. Just want to make sure that everything is on track for my transfer.

 

[booger76]

Oh, LadySosa - Sorry to hear about your delay!!! Ugh. That's the worst when you are already prepared for something else. Trust me, I think we all get it!!! You'll only be a week behind me so we will have part of our wait together. Sorry about that. How awesome that insurance covers everything. That's amazing.

 

[beaglemom]

LadySosa - so sorry for the delay. I feel like none of us have been on schedule this whole time. I keep kicking myself for waiting on the stupid grant. I could have been starting IVF in Sept. But it is what it is, right?

I am not so superstitions anymore. It makes me happy to buy baby stuff, so I do it. If I see a crib one day, I will buy that too! I just can't wait for Feb so I know the sex. I want to do a trip to either Charlotte or VA to go to Ikea. I want to look at their baby stuff before I decide on what I want to do. I know I should wait until I am further along...I just don't know if I can. Maybe wait until 8 weeks or something like that.

Oh side story...my manager is being so annoying about things. When I need time off or coming in late, I add it to the Outlook calendar & share it with him & my other banker. Well the other banker just accepts it. But my manager has to question it...like he just has to talk. So he says I see some calendar invites from you. Then repeats all the dates & info. He asks how late is late (which is a legit question). Then he asks if anything can change. He knows what I am doing. But why can't he just accept my stuff? I usually tell him when it involves more explanation. And I took half a day yesterday. So he says so you will be in around 9:30 as apposed to the half day yesterday? YES! Which is way yesterday the calendar said half day AM & the other ones just say late. Sometimes I wonder if he wants to ask me about things but doesn't know how.

 

[LadySosa]

Thanks, Booger! I guess we'll be bump buddies! =) Sorry about your poor Buddy. I always see older dogs when we go out for our walk, and sometimes they can hardly walk. It just breaks my heart. They are so sweet with their white beards. I can't even think about our Charlie getting old. It terrifies me! That's another thing - I always think, how could I possibly love a child more than I love my dog?? Haha. I know I will, but my heart melts for my furry cutie pie. My hubby calls me a "crazy dog lady." Haha.

 

[booger76]

I think it's great that you buy the baby stuff - it shows you're excited and ready! I get overwhelmed when I enter the baby section of a store. I'll get there someday - at least I hope. Your manager sounds nosy!! Ugh.

It is hard to watch my dogs get old. Buddy has been my companion for 13 years now and it's hard to think about him not being around the house. But he is here for now so we try to spoil him as much as possible.

I'm going to share a picture of my ol' Buddy. I'd love to see everyone else's pets too if you're willing to share! (kfs - I'd love to see your dog too if it doesn't make you too sad. )

Oh, and my nurse called and said I'm just barely above the threshold for TSH so I'm going to start taking a low dose of synthroid. She said if I get pregnant I'll need to up the dose. If nothing else, I'll feel a bit better going into transfer knowing that it isn't too high.

 

[beaglemom]

Your dog is beautiful. I will try to upload some pics. I have millions!

 

[beaglemom]

Lucy, Van, & RB...sorry for being sideway. Usin my phone.

 

[LadySosa]

Awww! Your doggies are soo cute! I like the one with the aftermath of the haircut. He looks so mad.

Here's my Charlie.

 

[booger76]

Awwww, everyone's dogs are so cute! I just love them.

I have so many pictures of our dogs too. My husband is like "You're taking another picture of them?" Hehe.

 

[sars930]

Hi ladies,

I've been silently stalking this thread since early November when my RE told us IVF was our best option. I've read the entire thing so I've been rooting along for all of you that finally got your BFP (Erin, Moni, Jen, BW), those in the midst (Booger, Lady Sosa, Beagle) and also feeling your losses (Terri and Amy hope you're hanging in there).

I was planning on starting IVF in January but have had a few unexpected wrinkles. I was wondering if any of you got second opinions after meeting with your RE?

My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant since Oct. 2013.

I am 30 and have no fertility issues on my end. My husband's SA came back all normal count, motility but he's got severe morphology 2-3 percent normal. My RE recommended IVF immediately but first wanted us to undergo some testing (3rd day US for me and wanted him to meet with a urologist, get an US).

Hubby has a varicocele but it only showed up on an ultrasound, so the urologist was not recommending fixing it. And my RE says since his morphology issues are with the acrosome formation, it is unlikely the varicocele would help (helps more with count, motility.) ASRM guidelines say to only fix if its visible, which it isn't.

His bloodwork showed borderline low testosterone (surprising as he is hairy and has a good drive). She wants to do two more tests as he didn't follow the rules and went in the afternoon. If it is low she said we could try clomid for three months to see if that boosts the overall count and therefore # of normal guys.

I love, love, love my RE. She is thorough, funny, caring and patient. She never rushes us and answers all my questions. We have zero insurance coverage so we are paying out-of-pocket for everything with the help of our parents. She offered to give me 1800 units of Follistim someone donated b/c we didn't qualify for a discount program.

I feel ready to still go forward with the IVF, even with this new information, because it could take 6-7 months to see if anything works on his end. While I'm 30, my husband is 36, soon turning 37. We've been married a long time and we waited years b/c I wasn't ready; never anticipating any of this.

My mom suggested I get a second opinion. Am I being hardheaded for not feeling like I need one?

Sorry to just jump into the thread like this but I've learned so much from following you all already.

 

[Amy1976]

Booger76 - That is so funny about your dog sliding down the hill on his back. That must have been so fun to watch. He is so beautiful too. I also have tons of pictures of my dog and my husband always says how I have more pictures of my dog on my phone than of anyone else (including him) hehehe. My thyroid was 2.8 last time it was checked. He said he liked to see it at 2.0 but that he doesn't supplement it unless it's over 3.0. I did get pregnant with it at 2.8 so that's good. When I spoke with my normal OBGYN about it, she said that if I don't have any hypothyroid symptoms and if my thyroid function was not interfering with normal ovulation and I had a normal menstrual cycle, then my thyroid wouldn't interfere with me getting pregnant. But you know how it is, every Dr. is different.

Weezy9 - That is so weird that they left you feeling like you don't know what to do next. Do they have a nurse/coordinator there? You should definitely call and speak with her if they do. That's usually who handles the schedules and such. When I left my consultation, I was given a prescription for birth control pills. I was told to start them on my next period (or whatever period I wanted to get started) and then to call them on that Cycle day 1. From there everything was scheduled. First I went in for an SHG and mock transfer, while there I was given the prescription for my meds, told when I would stop the pill and begin the meds, and scheduled the date for my first monitoring appt (often referred to as the baseline appt.). The changing of the meds usually means the dosage, they will adjust it based on how you are responding. Yes you may need to order extra meds, or have some left over. Did they say anything about starting birth control? Do you feel comfortable with this Dr.?

kfs1 - My dog is a maltese/poodle mix. But her size/hair/disposition etc is more poodle than anything else (which is good for me because I love poodles). I know a lot of people don't care for poodles but growing up we always had poodles, big ones and little ones. That's all my parents would get because of my allergies so I have a soft spot for them. I'm sorry you had to put your dog down. My dog is 8 and I'm already dreading the day when I'll lose her.

LadySosa - Ugh!! I'm so sorry to hear about your delay. That had to be so disappointing. However, your insurance covering everything is awesome!!

Beaglemom - That has to be so annoying about your manager. It's like, I put it there on the calendar that way you know and don't have to ask me about it. Maybe you should just ask him straight out the next time he does that... "So is there something else you want to ask me or are you just verifying what I put on the calendar?" and maybe he'll get the hint lol.

Everyone's dogs are SO CUTE!! I love them!!

 

[JCM]

Ok Beagle I have 8 crinone pre filled applicators! If they will help you, let me know! 8% progesterone is what it says on the box.

Weezy, I would do EXACTLY what kfs said. I had a great relationship with my nurse and she was so knowledgable. I called and texted with her all of the time! In fact, I just sent her a pic of my ultrasound. My husband always said "we are choosing to bring our business and 10k to them, call and ask all the questions you want!" It's overwhelming. Especially when they breeze through everything. It's what they do every day so I'm sure they don't realize how fast they talk!

sars, thank you! You sound like me! Except my husband is older. He had a vasectomy reversal and it worked. Counts were about normal and then they started getting worse. They thought maybe scarring was blocking sperm already so we did a million sperm analysis' with his surgeon. He ended up doing clomid for a while plus lots of working out to bump up his testosterone levels. We saw major jump in sperm count and morphology after 3 months but I still wasn't getting pregnant. So frustrating. So then we saw the RE and tried to get pregnant with me doing vitamins, heparin injections and a bunch of weird stuff. Then the iui. Then ivf. His sperm counts were great and there was really nothing wrong with me! Just unexplained I guess. : /
I feel like if you love your RE and are comfortable with her and your treatment plan, stick with her and trust her. Sometimes my RE was a little too outside the box and I thought he's crazy...but he's been doing his job for over 20 years and knows his stuff. I understand wanting to take your moms suggestion into consideration being that she's helping financially. But do what you're comfortable with.

Aaaaaand here she is! I can't believe how big she has gotten! Not just a little heartbeat flicker anymore!
https://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah173/jenldomer/imagejpg1_zpse40ba71d.jpg

 

[beaglemom]

Amy - sadly that would not work...he is so oblivious!

sars930 - that is a tough question. My dr was referred by my gyno but I don't think for any real reason. I just went right in. I did my research after. I found out my clinic was really good at what they do. I have also not been using birth control for over 10 years...so not like I could deny an issue. All our issue seem to be male factor. Part of me wishes someone had suggested clomid or something for my husband. I think it has more to do with your personal timeline. I have waited long enough & the 35 mark is closer for me than you. It is a lot of money & a huge step. Take your time & make sure you are comfortable. I found doing my own google research & the forums really helped me get more comfortable. remember that any changes your husband makes will take at least 70 days to reflect in his count. If you do decide to wait, look in to & ask your dr about fertility blend from GNC. It increased my husband's count almost 4x. But it was still not enough. I think I could get pregnant if we put in the time & kept him on vitamins, but the chances were still slim. I think calling anything over a 20 million count normal is just ridiculous.

Do some research on your clinic. But it sounds like you are comfortable with them...that is important. And they aren't rushing you. A second opinion is not a bad idea, but I just never put in that extra effort. I live in NC & my clinic is near Duke...my dr went to Duke...so I feel lucky to be in the middle of such an advanced area as far as medical goes.

Good luck & welcome from the shadows!