Getting Fit Before Baby

[cupcakestoy]

Congrats Fern. H&H 9 months!

I want to thank you ladies for being supportive in many aspects of this journey. I do have to admit, that the comments about women who have kids not being thankful for what they have already stung. I do have 2 kids from my 1st marriage, whom I love dearly. That being said, infertility sucks no matter when it happens & miscarriages are the absolute worst! I love my 2 lost babies & grieve for them daily. I also grieve about not being able to give my husband a child of his own. He deserves that joy in his life, even though he has helped raise mine. I long to see the tears of joy when he holds his own child. I'm not doing great with ttc anymore or with weight loss at this point & am very frustrated with the whole process. To each of you who are pregnant, I wish you a healthy pregnancy & safe delivery. To those still TTC, good luck to you. I think its best for me to step away from the boards. I may check in from time to time....I wish you all the best & hope you each see your dreams come true.

 

[Fern81]

Oh cupcake, I'm so sorry that it came across that way. It was never to say that all women who already have kids are ungrateful (definitely not!!) but rather how it gets us down WHEN certain women (few and far between!) never even talk about their living kids but ONLY complain a lot about the next one they can't have. Obviously you don't fall in that category!! I agree, ltttc is hard regardless of whether one already has kids. However you (and most other ladies on bnb!) have never come across as being ungrateful for your kids. You are such a loving mom and we are all cheering you on with your ttc endeavours! You are kind & wonderful & both you and your hubby deserve your baby so much especially after your heartbreaking losses.

Our comments were NOT meant as anything against women who are ltttc or even ttc a sibling; rather as a bit of a moan over an attitude that (very few) people have. Xxx

Love you!! Going to pm you too.

 

[BronteForever]

I second what Fern said and definitely didn't mean to cause anyone hurt, so I'm so sorry Cupcake! If you are having trouble with TTC and weight loss, this is the best time to lean on us. More than ever, so please don't step away.

I'm so excited to hear about your IVF journey and patiently waiting for updates on the youth group and how your friend's daughter is doing.

I think in general this process is hard for everyone and some days it's harder than others to see all the BFPs or hear others complain. But generally I skip over it and move on. I succeed most of the time, but some days it is a challenge. That's why this is such a wonderful group because you can find the niches that work for you. Clearly this one is about weight loss, but the other groups exist for TTC #1, 2, 3 or more, after loss, after trying for a long time, using assisted conception, etc. Because everyone is different and we all need support!

Hugs to all!

 

[ireadyermind]

Fern is right, none of us were directing our comments at YOU, cupcake!

You never made us feel like your other kids didn't matter. And you've been TTC for a long time! You've been very supportive of everyone here. There are just a number of people who aren't very considerate of others on the site when they complain about 2mos TTC being "forever", and all that.

But I understand the stress of TTC and weight loss and I completely understand if you need to step away from it and take a breather! Sometimes daily reminders of infertility or health conditions is not helpful, they're stressful. And that's kinda what these forums are: daily reminders of those issues.

So whenever you're ready to come back, IF you're ever ready to come back, we will welcome you with open arms!

 

[ireadyermind]

Good morning, gals!

I'm off to the lab this morning with DH. I hope they get me my results promptly! It's automated, so my online doctor's account updates me with the results as soon as they're in. Then I can research and obsess all weekend until I hear from the doctor on Tuesday.

 

[ireadyermind]

Well, the blood draw was successful. The tech could find my vein on her first attempt and didn't dig around for it, either! After having some pretty bad experiences with technicians poking me several times, digging around with the needle and eventually switching arms to do the same thing, I was pretty anxious. I've been bruised up by these folks before, but today's tech seemed to know just what she was doing and got me in and out in a trice.

So! Now we wait for Tuesday to roll around.




How's everyone doing with this week's challenge? My leg and arm muscles are sore from all the extra squats and push-ups I've been doing!

 

[Ursaula]

EEEEK! Yay Fern! Congrats! I can't believe we've had so many BFPs on here this month!

Bronte: Have fun in Spain!

IRYM: Glad to hear about this new doctor actually wanting to help and not just forcing tests and retests. Sounds positive. Have you gotten any lab news!?

Cupcake: We'll all miss you I'm sure, and I can't wait to hear your updates!

Hello everyone else!

AFM: I tested yesterday more for fun than anything, BFN at 7dpo, I was expecting it. Planning to start my more serious testing on Monday at 10dpo.

S/o is being adorable. He blabbed to one of his workers because he's so excited now for this to happen. We're talking about freezing some sperm also so if it doesn't happen in the next few months we can still have a chance. If it does happen in the next few months, then we will have some put away for future kids. Either way, we're excited!

 

[Fern81]

IRYM - glad that the ball finally got rolling! What did they test for?

Urs- hehe glad you are both so excited! I'm going to ask again (just because I'm always so nosy about everyone else's cycles), did you do opks or temp this month or both? Are you taking any meds?

Fitness wise- I've been eating flour (bread & some cake & pancakes ) for the past few days as well as sugar.... which my body is not so used to anymore (having cut out all carbs & sugar except for sweet potato, and recently added oats back into my diet). So I've been suffering with such bloating! Back to healthy eating, will add in fruit, and I have to figure out a pregnancy friendly exercise program. I have only been walking for exercise for the past few weeks.

 

[Ursaula]

Sorry Fern! I must have missed your question with everything to catch up on. I did opks, temping, and checking cm. Ff put ch down and I didn't think I actually ovulated because my opks were all negative. Temps and cm both tell me I did though. I read that opks don't always work, especially when you have PCOs, but I'm still hesitant. My temps sloped down and I didn't think it happened when my temp went below the coverline on 6dpo, but my temps have since bounced back up! I guess only time will tell now

As for medications, TTC wise I started taking prenatal vitamins and folic acid when af finally showed up from taking the progesterone, which I am not taking now. I'm still taking Metformin also.

 

[ireadyermind]

They tested for a whole slew of stuff. TSH, Total T3, free T4 and the rest of the thyroid panel things (several more to list, can't recall them now), plus cortisol, glucose, tests for kidney function, complete blood cell count, and a few others. I think there were at least 12 total tests run, including estrogen and progesterone - but the estrogen results just said mine were less than 50pg/mL, without giving a specific quantity.

I did some reading on the estrogen test results and it says that a periovulatory woman ought to be at minimum 96pg/mL, so that seems low. And the progesterone levels haven't come back yet, so I'm not sure where those are.

They also tested sodium levels, potassium levels, prolactin, Luteinizing Hormone, and FSH.

Unfortunately I won't get to hear from the physician about everything until Tuesday. I'm researching as much as I can on my own, however, and for the most part, everything is within normal ranges. Some are low-normal and some are high-normal, so we'll see what that means, I suppose.

 

[Mrs. Tigger]

Hi Ladies

cupcakestoy - Oh dear, I'm sorry that you were made to feel upset and also that you're struggling with weight loss and TTC. I hope you'll be back, though, when you're ready. Good Luck!

ireadyermind - I think there are many types of PCOS; the harder to diagnose ones seem to be the more atypical, or mild, cases. However, my gyno mentioned that any elevated testosterone in women at all can cause fertility problems -- though usually the issue they cause is lack of ovulation. Since you have evidence of ovulation, maybe it's not causing you issues. I think it's great that your new doctor is checking all of your hormone levels. I'm excited to hear what you find out on Tuesday!

Ursaula - Good luck on testing this month! My experience with PCOS and OPKs is that I never got a positive for a long time, but it turns out I was indeed not ovulating. I would get some signs of my body trying to O (like a bit of EWCM, or some cramps in my ovaries), but nothing. Then I'd have super long cycles and have to take Provera after a few months to get , then do it all over again. Now that my hormone levels have been fixed due to losing a large amount of weight and then starting thyroid medication and also metformin, I do get positive OPKs.

Fern81 - So happy for you that your IVF worked! H&H 9 Months to You!

BronteForever - Nice to meet you, too! I haven't really been around lately, but this thread has always been full of some wonderfully supportive ladies.

AFM - Currently on CD17. I am not sure if the doctor slightly mis-measured my follie size last week, or if my follies just grow slower than normal, but she was expecting O 5 days from my appointment, which would have had me O'ing yesterday, on CD16. However today on CD17, I just got a positive OPK finally (I'll try to attach the picture; I never attached a picture before -- I'm pretty new to seeing 2 lines on anything ), so I expect to O either tonight or tomorrow on CD18 (last month I also O'd on CD18, so perhaps I'm settling into a pattern?). DH and I have been every day since CD14, and will do so again either tonight or in the morning. I'll expect on CD32 (as I have a 14-day luteal phase), and I'll test if no sign of her when she's due.

In other news, I'm a bit annoyed with both my ClearBlue Fertility Monitor and my ClearBlue Digi OPKs. My CBFM can detect my "High" days (due to the estrogen level changing, which happens before the LH surge), but it can never detect my LH surge and give me a peak because it requires testing in the morning with FMU and I always seem to surge in the afternoon. I'm not sure if I'll keep using it or just start using OPKs around CD12 or when I start to notice EWCM. The CB Digi OPKs are better (as I can use them throughout the day as I want), but I have had a couple of false positives that turned out to be due to crazy dye runs. Today's looks correct and actually positive, though (hopefully you ladies agree based on the picture), but I am now skeptical and always checking closely after I get the digi reading to see if I agree ;-)

 

[BronteForever]

IRYM - good luck. I hope you get some answers. Looks like they are testing for a bunch of things which is fabulous.

Mrs. Tigger - looks like a positive O to me. Good luck this month.

AFM - I did horrible on eating and exercising this past week and am up another 2 pounds. Now I'm mad at myself. But all I can do is move forward. We leave for our trip tomorrow so I'm sure my eating is going to be bad while on vacation. Though I'll hopefully get lots and lots of walking in to make up for it.

 

[ireadyermind]

Mrs.Tigger - Looks positive to me! Woo!

Bronte - It's really nice to have a doctor who takes my concerns seriously, even if all this testing does is rule things out.

AFM -- Weight went up a smidge last week. But I'm wondering if it's not from gaining muscle? Because I was certainly building up some arm and leg muscles from the week's challenge! Doing squats and push-ups had me so sore... Haha



I think that if I do have PCOS, it is probably a milder form. My thyroid screen SEEMS to have come back as either normal, or in a low-normal range. My testosterone is just slightly elevated, as are some androgens that cause acne and excessive hair growth.

My ovaries hurt every day, but are not enlarged and we can't see large cysts - but I read that the cysts don't have to be large ones in order to count as cysts, so you never know.

My glucose levels were over 100 mg/dL after a 12 hour fast, which from my research means I have "impaired glucose tolerance" which is, I believe, a marker for PCOS as it correlates to insulin resistance and pre-diabetic states. So! I'm hoping that this is the test result that tells my physician that, yes, I do have PCOS, and to please treat me so that I can go back to being fertile, losing weight and having enough energy to function throughout the day. lol

Here's hoping!


Edited to add:

Told DH I was going back on the low carb diet after having kinda fallen of that wagon a few months... Analyzed my meals and snacks and realized that I'm pretty much STILL ON the low carb diet. It's become so much a habit that we don't even keep potatoes, chips, crackers, etc. on hand any more, and all are snacks are yogurts, string cheese, boiled eggs, or the occasional banana.

The only things I could cut out of my diet to make it lowER carb are: coffee creamer (but I can't stand the artificial sweetener taste in the sugar free varieties), the single slice of toast I sometimes have with breakfast, and the carbs we eat on Cheat Day.

DH and I do have desserts after dinner. We could switch those to something with less sugar.

So frustrating! lol

 

[ireadyermind]

----------------------------------------------
WEEKLY CHALLENGE MAY 30 - JUNE 5
----------------------------------------------

Alrighty, since I liked last week's challenge so much, AND since we're trying to improve our 'scores' for our non-scale-progress markers, I think we ought to repeat last week's challenge!


So just a reminder...

After every bathroom break, do one of the following:

10 - Wall push-ups
10 - Squats
10 - Standing core exercises

 

[Ursaula]

Mrs. T: Yay for O!! I've really been trying to work on my weight as I know it's a huge issue. I am on Metformin already so...fingers crossed I do ovulate.

Bronte: Have a great vacation!

IRYM: I have PCOS and no cysts on my ovaries. My uterus/ovaries appear completely normal. Although I can grow a mean beard! I hope this helps you a little bit.

I really liked this past weeks challenge so I'm glad we're doing the same one!

AFM: I gained a little this past week. Found out my Uncle Tom passed away so I have been eating comfort food (spaghetti). Trying to cut down on the comfort food now though.

Testing wise, I have maybe a questionable test and seeing as you ladies love tests, I'll attach it! This was yesterdays test at 9dpo. I put a little ^ mark to show you where I'm looking at. I have no idea where the line is suppose to go though on Wondfo so I might be totally off! Either way it's fun

 

[ireadyermind]

Ursaula - Lol, your beard comment cracks me up! I grow a pretty gnarly one, myself, unfortunately. But if I ever fall on hard times, at least I know I'll have a home as the Bearded Lady in the circus, right!?

I tweaked your pics for ya.

I can see what you're pointing at, there. It looks like some kind of indent or flaw in the test strip, as it's a little too far to the left to be the test line, and it doesn't have any color.

But don't lose hope! 9DPO is really early, especially if you could be off on your O date by even just one day. OPKs tell you that you could O anywhere between 12 and 48hrs.

Try again and post in a couple of days! We love test pics! lol



AFM - DH bought an inexpensive dehydrating machine and is trying his hand at making beef jerky! I'm in charge of shifting the trays around every 2 hours today while he's at work. I have to say, it's a little bit unfair to have to sit here and smell these lovely spices and not be able to eat anything yet! Haha

 

[Mrs. Tigger]

Just checking in, ladies! I hope you're having a great day!

My OPK was much lighter today (it looks now like it did the day before yesterday). We managed to BD this morning, and I'll make sure we BD again tomorrow morning, just in case. But now I'm in for the agonizing TWW. I really feel like we nailed it this month, though -- our timing couldn't have been more perfect. Really hoping this month is our month.

iredyermind - Any news from the doctor?

ursaula - I don't see anything, but 9DPO is still super early.

EDIT: Edited to add (well, vent) DH is really irritating me. My doctor said at last week's appointment that he should call his GP and get a referral to do a SA, but he keeps finding excuses because it doesn't want to do it. GRRRRR! He's normally an awesome DH, but this is really irritating me.

 

[ireadyermind]

Mrs.Tigger - That WOULD be irritating! Why is he putting it off? It's not a difficult task, maybe slightly embarrassing -- but he could always collect the sample alone.

Good job with the timing! FX'd that you catch that egg!

And no, nothing from the doctor yet. My phone appointment is for about 3:30pm, so I have a few hours yet. The wait is killing me! lol

 

[ireadyermind]

Okay! Just spoke with my physician.

She says my fasting glucose and A1c levels are fine, despite their being at the high end of the 'normal' range. I'll just try and stick to my low carb eating to help prevent those numbers from climbing outside of the normal range, I guess!

Those glucose levels were my only concerns, but the doc said those were normal and that we ought to be worried about estrogen, since my estrogen levels are too low. She says they are at less than 50 pg/mL, which is generally only seen in post-menopausal women. The Progesterone test hasn't come back yet, though, so she's going to talk to my GYN (why? I don't know, since that's the gal that told me I didn't have any issues!) and see what that doctor says, and get back to me again.

So we're getting somewhere, albeit slowly. And even though my estrogen levels are low, I'm still showing symptoms of estrogen dominance, and that means that my progesterone must be down to almost nothing!

I hope to hear back from her TODAY rather than waiting forever, but I suppose it all depends on whether or not my GYN is in the office and available to answer questions and/or discuss these test results right now. Oye! The waiting is nuts!


EDIT:


Well that was fast! The doc decided not to talk to my GYN after all (thank goodness) and went straight to the specialist. The specialist said that with my symptoms and test levels, PCOS is the thing that makes the most sense. And that the only things you really need to qualify for PCOS treatment are: 9 or fewer cycles a year, and some other symptoms such as excess facial hair, weight gain, etc. But she also said, "Since we don't know exactly what day in your cycle those were taken at, we have to redraw on your next CD7." Well, thank goodness I'm tracking, because that was CD 8 when I went in, and I told them so! Hopefully I won't have to have new blood drawn and they can just use my original results.

 

[Ursaula]

I'm trying not to get excited...I had a promising test today at 11dpo with fmu. Going to pick up some FRER to see if it's real!

IRYM: Thanks! I have some more photos for you to tweak for fun. I'm on my phone right now though so I can't add them until later. Just wait through the anticipation!

I really like the sounds of this new doctor! Fx'd and toes too that you get things sorted out finally! I was worrying all day for you.

Mrs. T: Eek! How exciting! Bd lots!