IVF or FET November/December 2015 - chat thread

[Wish2BMom]

Sounds like you have incredible chances this month with the IUI, Scoob!!!!

Beta came back at 166 - I hear it's great, it's in the zone (between 100-200) so I'm happy. I just hope it doubles on Wed but for right now, not worrying about it. My very first beta 2 yrs ago was over 200 and that ended in a mc so there is NO telling, for sure. So I'll just be happy being preggo for now!

 

[Disneyfan88]

Scooby - It sounds like you have great chances and you have your bases covered. That's great that you have 2 great follicles and that they are on both sides. You have a great plan for catching those eggies -- go get 'em!

Wish - That's a great beta! Praying for great doubling numbers on Wednesday!

 

[klik]

Wish: that is an excellent beta! Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!! All we really know right now is: so far so good! Yes!!!! Really awesome you and your friend get to experience your pregnancies at the same time!

Scooby: Those sound like two lovely juicy follicles, excellent sperm, and a lovely lining to boot! Good luck!!! I wish you patience in the 2ww... When is OTD?!

Disneyfan:

Yes, we are here during the storm! We ventured out about 3 blocks to have lunch, but in an hour or so we'll start making our way to where the Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert is recorded. We're like a 35-minute walk away from there on a normal day, so we'll give it an hour today. Should be fun!

I'm convinced that what's really helped build up the lining is walking. When we left for Boston right after our first scan here, we were basically driving or sitting all day for about 3 days. I think that was probably pretty unhealthy for the lining--I usually walk at least an hour a day...

They didn't want me in today, probably because of the storm, but I think it's ok given my past experience with this protocol... Scooby, I can just imagine how crazy it must have been in your clinic... My numbers this time look actually pretty close--only a little worse--to when I got pregnant in October--that post-m/c improvement that I got in January is gone, sadly...

Pretty nervous about tomorrow's scan, but let's see how it goes. We'll try to enjoy ourselves til then. Not feeling very hopeful, but let's see...

 

[Disneyfan88]

Good luck at your next appointment, Klik! Have fun at the taping later. Stay warm!!

 

[Wish2BMom]

ohhh have so much fun at Colbert!! Fingers crossed for a good scan for you tomorrow - I bet you're right, gotta get that blood flowing! I just went out to play with the dogs for about 20 mins in the snow. They loved it!! I love watching them having to run OVER the snow, so they look like they prance.

 

[klik]

Aw, we were 5 minutes too late for the priority ticket cut-off time so we didn't make it in . Still, it was fun to walk around snowy NYC. Now we'll watch a movie and order delivery--not bad at all!

 

[klik]

Oh, Wish, I love that prancing action! Glad you had fun with the pooches!

 

[Disneyfan88]

Bummer! I'm sorry that you didn't make it inside! I'm glad you still found something fun to do while you were out and about!

 

[scoobybeans]

Thanks guys! OTD is 3/27 but think I'll test next Friday.

Klik- good luck with your scan today!! Hope the little guys had time to catch up. I love NYC in the snow (before it gets all dirty lol). Enjoy!

Disney- don't you have your big scan this week too? Good luck!

Wish- that's a wonderful 1st beta! FX today goes well for your 2nd beta. OMG my dogs had a BLAST yesterday. We shoveled a path for them but they still bounded through the snow drifts lol. It was adorable.

 

[Wish2BMom]

FX'ed for a great scan, klik!! I hope the clean, fresh air of NYC is doing you some good!
or maybe just the magic of it all - NYC in the snow. ahhh, sounds so romantic!

scooby - yes! hahaha I ran back and forth and made paths for them too but I think they liked making their own as well. And my lab, she is the one that LOVES to play fetch - I would throw the ball and it would clearly land in the snow somewhere, she couldn't find it so while I'm trying to dig it out, she's just standing there all excited barking at me to find it faster! So funny. it's really the best part about it snowing.

 

[klik]

Disneyfan: thanks! Oh, yes, when is your scan? I'm looking forward to hearing more about the little darling growing in your belly!

Scooby: so sweet about your doggies! How are you doing in your 2ww?

Wish: Your labrador sounds soooo sweet! Hey, good luck today! I hope you get great numbers!

My cycle continues to be decidedly mediocre: lining at 7mm, follicles at 19.7 and 15.4 + smaller ones. On the plus side, I'm now actually believing that we'll get two eggs. If we're lucky they'll both fertilize... I don't really know what Cornell's cut-off for lining thickness is, though. if it's 7 I guess we'll transfer. Feh.

 

[scoobybeans]

wish- Kids & dogs always make snow more fun, don't they? My Lab mix is ball-obsessed too, but she digs through the snow herself to find it. Both of my dogs are big diggers lol. This morning they were burrowing through the snow after an animal or something, it was really cute. (It would have been less cute if they caught it though!)

klik- I've always heard that 14-15mm or higher means a mature egg, so I think you're probably looking at 2. My RE's cutoff is 7mm for lining. I definitely recommend pomegranate juice! It got my lining from 4.8 to 7.5 in 2 days. Are you triggering tonight?

We had to unexpectedly go in to work after shoveling snow for 3 hours. And the heat is broken here so it's only 60 degrees. Boo!!!

 

[Disneyfan88]

Klik - My scan is this Friday. We should come out of it with at least one picture (hopefully! ). I can't wait to see her again!

I looked at my notes and see that my doctor looks for lining to be at least 9, though I know some clinics transfer with 8. Are they considering anything to help give you a little boost? Praying for those two eggies and any others that may want to play catch up between now and retrieval!!

Scooby - I'm sorry you had to go in to work. And that it's cold! Hopefully it warms up soon.

That's great that all of you ladies are making the best of the snow storm. Snow is most definitely not my thing, so it's probably good that I'm on the west coast.

 

[klik]

Scooby: I think my eggs tend to be bigger when they're mature--my cut-off seems to be 15mm at trigger for being mature, though I have a feeling 16mm is my sort of safer cut-off level... Ugh, I can't believe you were shoveling snow for 3 hours! Maybe the moving around helped sperm meet egg? Or embryo grow? Or whatever should be happening at that time... Hopefully so!!!

Disneyfan: Oooooh, enjoy the scan! What a wonderful treat! Heh, yeah, right now I wouldn't mind being on the west coast--it's crazy cold here!

So... Cornell is ok with a 7mm lining at trigger... (yes, I'm triggering tonight). 7 is their cut-off, actually. They really don't like adding exogenous oestrogen, for some reason. I have a feeling it might be that they really need the oestrogen data to be clean, as it helps drive their decisions on when to trigger, etc. I'm entrusting myself to their fastidiously data-driven approach but I'm not really happy with this situation, to be honest. Disneyfan, I do wish they'd give me something to help the lining thicken... Scooby, I finally found some Pom and have been drinking it. But I feel really deflated. I'm not sure I want to be wasting any of my frosties on this attempt. Hopefully we'll get to talk to the doctor about it tomorrow...

 

[Wish2BMom]

hi ladies

klik - sounds like you have a couple of good follies in there!! WOOHOO! and that lining is great and will thicken a little more between last night and when you transfer. You should be good to go! Mine only got up to 7.8 something this time and the docs were fine with that. Their cutoff is 8 usually. And I got preggo, so there you have it!

disney - oooooh, can't wait for your scan! good luck!

scoob - our lab is a digger too but she knows I'll come help her, so she DIVES into the snow, and then rummages around a little with her butt up in the air and her tail wagging (mind you, this is the introvert that barely lets anyone touch her) and then pops her head up, face full of snow and looks at me for help. I her!

so 2nd beta came back late yesterday and wasn't great - 215. So very slow rise, but a rise nonetheless. The nurse said they look for at least 70% after 2 days and I was under 30%. She also said that FETs can be hard to predict, less easy than freshies, so it could be that it's fine and just a slow riser. So I have to go in on Saturday morning for another beta. Please think positive thoughts for some heavy increases!! I really don't want another loss (who does?? that's a silly statement) but it's looking that way...

 

[scoobybeans]

Disney- Good luck on Friday! I hope you get a picture because I really want to see her again too I didn't know you were on the west coast! My grandpa lived in Las Vegas so we were out there all the time when I was growing up, but I haven't been out there since he died. I developed a real fear of flying after 9/11. I miss it though.

klik- Haha, I'm so sore from shoveling yesterday. Ouch! I'm in worse shape than I thought Yeah, maybe all of that blood flow helped the little ones do their thing? Let's go with that! I looked back through my scan results, and my lining actually went from 4.91mm on 3/8 to 9.26mm on 3/12. I was drinking pomegranate juice & coconut water and eating lots of nuts. I really think that helped! Either way, it's definitely possible to build your lining up before transfer.

wish- Oh no I'm sorry that it's not a definitive doubling rate so that you can relax a little bit, but I've heard SO many stories about slow risers that have worked out. I really, really hope everything is going to be ok!!! Your Lab sounds adorable. Dogs are the best! Make sure you get in lots of doggie cuddles to help you deal with your worries.

AFM, my Crinone shipment was delayed so we had to use the dreaded PIO shot last night... and it wasn't that bad! Still, Wish, I have no idea how you do that yourself. That needle is intimidating!

 

[Wish2BMom]

I make that needle my b***h!!

 

[klik]

Wish: I'm so sorry you have to sit with that uncertainty now... I was so wishing for a straightforward YES for you... I hope it's just a slow riser and will come in fast and strong from now on. I really, really do... But you must be really sad and worried... I send you lots of hugs... And yeah, cuddles from that sweet little lab are in order too! Best of luck on Saturday...

Scooby: I'm glad the PIO was not so bad! If you have to do it every day, you sort of get used to it in a really grim way. Yeah, I don't know how Wish does it herself day after day!

AFM: still feeling deflated. Met up face to face for the first time with a friend from another forum, who's also using Cornell, yesterday--that was nice, and she gave me info on her acupuncturist, whom she credits with getting her lining thickened and her cycles longer. The plan is to have acupuncture before transfer, on Monday. Still, it's all I can do to stay in NYC and go through with this. I kinda just want to go home--that's how convinced I am that it won't work. Ho hum. On the plus side, the Colbert people were nice enough to offer us priority tickets for any day of our choosing, so we should hopefully make it for tonight's show (which is actually recorded at 2:30pm--the Friday show is also recorded on Thursday, but later.) Will be a welcome distraction--I'm trying to work but I'm really having a hard time focusing...

 

[scoobybeans]

I make that needle my b***h!!

Lol! I love that you can still joke around despite the beta anxiety. You're so strong.

klik- I'm sorry you're feeling down about this cycle. Oddly, I'm actually feeling very hopeful for you! I think the acupuncturist will help. Still, if you don't want to use a frozen embryo this time I totally get that. Go with your gut. OMG have fun at Colbert tonight!!!

I'm not sure how to keep track of this 2WW... IUI was on Monday and I felt like I ovulated on my right that night, BUT I triggered Sunday so I probably didn't really ovulate until Tuesday. So today is 3DPIUI but I think only 2DPO? Does that make sense? Well, either way I'm in for a long wait.

 

[Wish2BMom]

oh have FUN, klik!! I totally get not concentrating. I'm having a tough time at work today. Thank god I'm traveling, though.

scoob - ha! that is very confusing!! I think you count from the day of your IUI, or it would be XdpIUI, right?

yeah, trying to keep my chin up. Today while at the BWI airport, I went into Pandora and bought myself some stacking rings - one with a Nov birthstone, one with a March birthstone (for DH) and a plain-ish middle one. I love them. This is me being positive and hopeful and willing this little one to kick into gear.

I might have been imagining it (or wishful thinking) but I think I had a little bit of nausea today. But that could also have been from the cab ride to the hotel, though it was a little later when I was in my hotel room. My immediate hunger/full all other times is still around, and my boobs are still sore though not extremely.