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

[beaglemom]

$60 is cheaper than daycare...LOL!

 

[terripeachy]

Good morning ladies.
ERose-Sorry for the BFN this morning at home, but I am HOH that you are one of those people that get a positive blood test. fxfxfx. I want this SO badly for you.

My place charges $480/year for holding onto eggs/embryos. I figure it's reasonable too. I think the first year may be a bit more expensive. Hmm..now I forget.

I had a dream last night that I only had two eggs. That was the end of my dream. I seem to respond well to the injections, so I'm hoping that I have more than two, but that was my dream.

beaglemom-Sorry for the BFN. I want this to happen for you also.

Hubs is on his way to the fertility center as we speak for his final SA. He was thinking that he could do his deposit at home on the day of the ER. He thinks he won't be able to get a sample someplace else. I told him, 'No, you have to do it there. Maybe that's the problem-the drive to the center. So you need to memorize your little videos or whatever you have to do to make this happen. We are not paying good money for you to cry about shooting into a cup!' HA!!HA!! I'm evil, but seriously...you have one job.

I'm leaving early tomorrow for TN, and we'll be in the back woods so service will be pretty spotty. I'll be thinking of you girls. Good or bad results, I still love ya, and I'll be around!

 

[beaglemom]

Terri, you are hilarious. Drives me nuts when women say their husbands won't do their sample. Seriously...ONE JOB! But my husband has no issues with it.

Good luck to you, too!

 

[beaglemom]

I just had a talk with my banker (male) & my manager (female) separately about my new timeline. Basically letting them know about the next IUI & possible IVF & what that means for my schedule. I think I have enough time built up to do IVF this year if I need it. The problem is if my IVF cycle fails, I may not be able to do another transfer until January. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it. It is easier to talk to my manager because she is a woman & understands our bodies. So I told her how I now have to have the day of IUI off because of how my body felt when I was ovulating. She has basically told me in order to keep my PTO use down, I can feel free to work extended hours or skipping lunches. It is good to know I have that support. I was starting to cry talking about it. I think it is mainly the hormones getting to me. I was okay with her. But I had the talk with my banker first & I had to try real hard to not cry. I hate crying…I hate feeling/looking vulnerable in front of people…my husband the exception. I am a strong person & do not like showing anything else. Anyways luckily his phone rang because he started getting in to the joys of parenting & how much he wants me to succeed in my journey. He greatly sympathized with my situation. He actually said on his drive down to his vacation last week he was thinking about my life falling in to place with my husband’s promotion & my 4 eggs & by the end of the month I would be pregnant, with a promoted husband, celebrating in our favorite place…the Baseball Hall of Fame…honoring my 2nd favorite Yankee Joe Torre. Well now no promotion & no pregnancy. But my husband has been told to sign up again…he was just beat last time by someone with more experience. He basically has been told nothing was wrong with his interview & more stores are coming & he is going to get one. And on the pregnancy front, well, we all know my plan there…& we all know it is going to work! So I think by New Year’s Eve, me & my husband will definitely be able to look back on this year & see our struggles & know they are over & know that my Spring/Summer baby is on its (hopefully her) way.

Anyways…sorry this is so long…just needed to get it out.

 

[terripeachy]

It's so nice that your banker and your manager are rooting for you and on your side! That's awesome. I too believe that by the FALL of this year you'll be reflecting on the year and how far you have come. By New Year's you'll be showing!

I haven't told my boss about anything. He doesn't get to work until at least 11:30 on most days, and my appointments have been at 7a or 7:30a, so by the time I get to work, he is still snoozing. hee hee. I may consider telling him when it gets time for ER and/or ET, but I will probably just call out sick a few days, or hope that my transfer is on a Friday, so I can chill out over the weekend, and get back to work on Monday or call in sick on Monday. I'm just going to play it by ear for now and see what happens.

Alrighty, we're off to go to a class/seminar on IVF. It's a one on one kind of thing, and I doubt the lady will be telling me anything new, but it'll be new for my husband. He'll probably curl into the fetal position and just stare awkwardly at the lady giving the presentation. HA!!HA!! I make him sound like such a wimp, but really, he just doesn't talk to people easily.

 

[beaglemom]

It's so nice that your banker and your manager are rooting for you and on your side! That's awesome. I too believe that by the FALL of this year you'll be reflecting on the year and how far you have come. By New Year's you'll be showing!

I haven't told my boss about anything. He doesn't get to work until at least 11:30 on most days, and my appointments have been at 7a or 7:30a, so by the time I get to work, he is still snoozing. hee hee. I may consider telling him when it gets time for ER and/or ET, but I will probably just call out sick a few days, or hope that my transfer is on a Friday, so I can chill out over the weekend, and get back to work on Monday or call in sick on Monday. I'm just going to play it by ear for now and see what happens.

Alrighty, we're off to go to a class/seminar on IVF. It's a one on one kind of thing, and I doubt the lady will be telling me anything new, but it'll be new for my husband. He'll probably curl into the fetal position and just stare awkwardly at the lady giving the presentation. HA!!HA!! I make him sound like such a wimp, but really, he just doesn't talk to people easily.

Yes I pretty much had to tell once I started with the RE. I was able to get around it when going to my gyno. But the RE is over an hour away.

My dr on our last visit gave me the mini IVF talk. I pretty much knew about everything she said. We left & I looked at my husband & he was just speechless. Not to mention we got the financial breakdown, too...which we sort of expected. I think all the choices overwhelmed him.

 

[terripeachy]

The seminar thing was fine. She just put the schedule on a calendar versus having it in list form, like I already had. I like the list, especially because her calendar was a generic Day 1 start at 1st of the month. Since my meds/such start in the middle of the month, I don't like looking at it that way. Whatevs...hubs did find out that he can do his donation at home, so he was happy about that. Ugh! What a baby. If he's happy, I'm happy. He needs a total of about 20 sperm max, so I think he can get that whether he's at home or in the clinic.

I did find out that they do assisted hatching for anyone over age 39, so yes, I will be having assisted hatching, which makes me feel better about everything. She said that I respond very well to the medication in the past, so she was feeling pretty positive about everything and so was I. They will do the 5 day blastocyte transfer if I have several embryos that make it to day 5. If on Day 2, they see they have plenty, and Day 3 something significant happens where they all start failing, they will do an immediate transfer on Day 3. This will make me sad because if something significant happened overnight, will the remaining two really have a good chance of survival? Highly unlikely.

She also said that because I'm a positive responder, they may not need to push out the days so much. You stim for 10-12 days, but if I'm doing better than expected, I may not have to do the shots for so long. That would be cool, although I paid for a ton of meds. Catch 22. HA!

All in all, another positive day. I'm feeling really good about things right now. Except for the fact that I was so eager to leave work, I left my BCPs right at my desk. I'll have to go back to work tonight to pick them up. Minor inconvenience.

 

[ERosePW]

Blood test was negative. I'm handling it ok. I'm really, really upset, but since I was getting negative tests at home, I had pretty much expected it. So I'm really glad I was testing, or I'd be absolutely crushed right now. All I can do now is just look ahead to the future and get myself excited again for the frozen transfer. I've heard of a ton where it worked on the 2nd time, and since the success rates for frozen are really good, I feel like I can get excited about it. I have to go one natural cycle first, so as soon as AF comes and goes, we'll just TTC naturally in August. And hopefully it'll be a short cycle since it'll be unmedicated, and then I'll start my FET cycle probably end of Aug.

Terri I'm so happy you're feeling so excited. I'm certain this is gonna be it for you! And moni too!

I'll read in more detail and respond to everyone better tomorrow. Just wanted to update real quick. My family is still visiting so I need to put on a happy face and go entertain. Night girls.

 

[terripeachy]

Oh ERose....I'm so sorry you had negative blood tests. I know those cartoon hugs suck, but you know if you were my next door neighbor, I'd be over there consoling you with chick flicks, wine and Ben & Jerry's. Now I guess I'm glad you tested at home, but it still doesn't make it any easier. Especially since you've been the guinea pig of the group. Hopefully the FET will be easier AND you will get your BFP. Biology is just so, SO crazy.

Talk to you when I get back next week ok. Take it easy, love.

 

[moni77]

So sorry Erin - that's really rough. At least you have a good amount of frozen embries! I gotta run, I just came on to check on you!

 

[beaglemom]

Erin - sorry about the negative. I totally forgot to test today, but I have pretty much given up. I wish you didn't have to wait another cycle, but you could get lucky on your own I am sure you will have a success story next time

 

[ERosePW]

Oh ERose....I'm so sorry you had negative blood tests. I know those cartoon hugs suck, but you know if you were my next door neighbor, I'd be over there consoling you with chick flicks, wine and Ben & Jerry's. Now I guess I'm glad you tested at home, but it still doesn't make it any easier. Especially since you've been the guinea pig of the group. Hopefully the FET will be easier AND you will get your BFP. Biology is just so, SO crazy.

Talk to you when I get back next week ok. Take it easy, love.

If you were my neighbor, I would totally take you up on that offer too. I can't imagine how nice it would be to have someone who understands and goes through all this stuff to be able to talk to and have wine with and even cry with a little bit. I don't have close friends who've had this kind of trouble, and while DH is a big comfort, I wish I had a girlfriend in person who gets it, ya know? I feel like it would make this whole thing a little more bearable and help me to feel a little less alone in it. Thanks for all your sweet words. Love to love ya.

I am certain the FET will be a LOT easier, and also doesn't take nearly as long. So now I just wait for AF since I stopped the P yesterday. Once it arrives, I will have my follow-up with my RE to discuss the protocol for FET. I have shorter cycles when unmedicated, so I'm hoping my next one will be around 26-27 days. I estimate if I can get AF by Mon, and even if I have a 28-day cycle, I should be able to start my FET cycle by Aug 18th, give or take a few days. And the nurse said it typically goes pretty fast from there since they are just prepping the lining for the embryos. But I have to talk to my RE about the exact protocol. I'm wondering if they will put me on Lupron again on day21 of my next cycle since all it does is calm the ovaries and settle everything down and get you ready for the following cycle. As you can imagine, I'm ready for my RE visit to discuss and know.

Btw, where in TN are you going? I lived in Nashville for about three years. Its about 60 miles south of my hometown in Bowling Green, KY. I loved Nashville a lot and really miss it sometimes. TN is a super pretty state, and everyone is so friendly. If I wasn't such a FL girl, I would move back there in a heartbeat (although I'd be hard-pressed to get DH to go since his business is here!).

 

[ERosePW]

Erin - sorry about the negative. I totally forgot to test today, but I have pretty much given up. I wish you didn't have to wait another cycle, but you could get lucky on your own I am sure you will have a success story next time

Thanks beagle. Yea, wouldn't that be a trip if I got my BFP on my break cycle. It certainly isn't impossible! I don't hold out much hope for that since I do O so early, but there are plenty of women who O early and get pregnant, so might as well hold onto SOME hope just to make the cycle go by faster.

sorry that you've given up. I was hoping with all those eggies, that you'd be getting your BFP. You have a good plan in place though, and I bet your DH's count will be back up since you're going to abstain a little longer. And since the higher dose of follistim got you multiple eggs this time, I'm sure it will again next time. So I feel like you've got a great shot!

and yes, I am staying positive and assuming i will have a success story next round! I've been reading great things about frozen transfers to pump myself up. I looked at my own clinic's success rates for frozen vs fresh, and there is a slightly higher chance of success with frozen. I already knew that from the seminar we attended, but we weren't willing to wait to do FET. We wanted our first one to be fresh since the chances weren't THAT much different. So now I'm just looking at the positives, so that I can stay excited about it.

 

[beaglemom]

Oh...totally forgot...you have this cycle "off" kind of. So you can relax a whole lot more & not worry about meds & timing & drs. Of course I am sure you will still put in an effort. But that month I had off was SO NICE. I would have been happier to get pregnant...but no dr visits & only femara was great. I hope you guys take this cycle to have some fun & really relax. I think it will put you in a great state of mind for your FET. I think it is so cool to think even if we are on different protocols right now, we will VERY likely be bump buddies...the 4 of us...even if our due dates are a little off.

Oh another great thing about next cycle...my baby would be due the end of April...my birthday. So I told my husband since he took 18 months to get back on board with TTC, this will be his payback...we will get pregnant with a girl, born under my sign...so basically a mini me! I can be a little hormonal & hot headed. If we are lucky, she will also have red hair. I love thinking about those things.

 

[ClaireCath]

Hi ladies just checking in. I haven't been on line much lately. Erin sorry about your beta, but your positive attitude is just lovely...good for you hun! You will get it next time around! Beagle, I totally agree about enjoying the month off from the craziness of assisted reproduction...Nothing to report with me, just in a 2ww of a natural cycle. It's been nice not doing injections and getting poked and prodded every other day and just BDing on our own.

 

[ERosePW]

So sorry Erin - that's really rough. At least you have a good amount of frozen embries! I gotta run, I just came on to check on you!

Thanks Moni, you're so sweet! And yes, thank goodness we have the six extra embies. I feel fortunate for that. I know I have some things to be lucky about, so I'm just trying to be positive about those things. Thanks again girl! I'm getting soooo excited for you and Terri!! While this whole experience can be emotional and exhausting, its super exciting at the same time because the chances are SO good with IVF.

 

[ERosePW]

Oh...totally forgot...you have this cycle "off" kind of. So you can relax a whole lot more & not worry about meds & timing & drs. Of course I am sure you will still put in an effort. But that month I had off was SO NICE. I would have been happier to get pregnant...but no dr visits & only femara was great. I hope you guys take this cycle to have some fun & really relax. I think it will put you in a great state of mind for your FET. I think it is so cool to think even if we are on different protocols right now, we will VERY likely be bump buddies...the 4 of us...even if our due dates are a little off.

Oh another great thing about next cycle...my baby would be due the end of April...my birthday. So I told my husband since he took 18 months to get back on board with TTC, this will be his payback...we will get pregnant with a girl, born under my sign...so basically a mini me! I can be a little hormonal & hot headed. If we are lucky, she will also have red hair. I love thinking about those things.

Yes, beagle, I feel confident that we're all gonna end up bump buddies after all is said and done. That will be so fun too!! And how funny that your DH may have a mini-you, hehe! Btw, the red hair comment reminded me... my 3-yr old niece is here right now, and she has the prettiest red hair with these super light natural blonde highlights (she's def more of a redhead though!), and she is just so super precious, i'm LOVING spending time with her right now! I also have a red-haired nephew, but he won't be getting here until this weekend.

 

[ERosePW]

Hi ladies just checking in. I haven't been on line much lately. Erin sorry about your beta, but your positive attitude is just lovely...good for you hun! You will get it next time around! Beagle, I totally agree about enjoying the month off from the craziness of assisted reproduction...Nothing to report with me, just in a 2ww of a natural cycle. It's been nice not doing injections and getting poked and prodded every other day and just BDing on our own.

Thank you Kelly! That means a lot. GL in your natural cycle! I'll keep my FXd for you!

 

[terripeachy]

Oh Beaglemom-a mini you sounds great. I would love if she was born in April as well. If this cycle works I think our baby will be born in May. Hubs and I are both May babies, so I'm hoping for end of April. That would be perfect. Well, anytime would be perfect. Hee hee. Who am I kidding?

ERose-we are headed all the way to the west of TN. Not quite Memphis, but pretty close. North of Memphis in the fields. Enjoy your break. I'm going to start temping when I get home. It has been nice not temping.

I forgot that yesterday the assistant said that egg retrieval counts as the day of conception so I am to take a blood test 18 days later. That seems so far away, but I guess if transfer is 5 days later, it's only a TWW.

Kelly-good seeing you. Hope your natural cycle works out for you!

That would be really fun if we were all bump buddies. Beaglemom-you have to go first. I don't want to be the guinea pig. I like to know what's going to happen before it does.

 

[beaglemom]

Oh Beaglemom-a mini you sounds great. I would love if she was born in April as well. If this cycle works I think our baby will be born in May. Hubs and I are both May babies, so I'm hoping for end of April. That would be perfect. Well, anytime would be perfect. Hee hee. Who am I kidding?

ERose-we are headed all the way to the west of TN. Not quite Memphis, but pretty close. North of Memphis in the fields. Enjoy your break. I'm going to start temping when I get home. It has been nice not temping.

I forgot that yesterday the assistant said that egg retrieval counts as the day of conception so I am to take a blood test 18 days later. That seems so far away, but I guess if transfer is 5 days later, it's only a TWW.

Kelly-good seeing you. Hope your natural cycle works out for you!

That would be really fun if we were all bump buddies. Beaglemom-you have to go first. I don't want to be the guinea pig. I like to know what's going to happen before it does.

I will try my best to be first