IVF or FET November/December 2015 - chat thread

[Wish2BMom]

HAHA! see?? I can't even tell when I'm having symptoms! I have hit a WALL the past couple nights at 5:30 where I literally cannot keep my eyes open but b/c I only cat nap, I don't call it 'fatigue'. And I am kinda blaming it on the cold right now.

I'm going to Mohegan Sun (a giant casino resort in CT) with a bunch of girlfriends this weekend! I know, I'm already run down and should stay home but this has been planned for months and I think it'll be good for me to have some downtime that's not just napping on the couch.
I actually head to NYC in October for the big ComiCon there again! Can't wait! Though I might be a little big by then!! HAHA!

 

[Asterimou]

Thanks for the updates and hellos, and big congrats on all those BFPs. I wish you all happy and healthy pregnancies and births. For those still on the journey it just shows persistence pays off! I wish you all the best in your continued TTC and have everything crossed for you.

Adoption is daunting but when you hear some of the stories and those kids that would have an even tougher time without a caring home it does make me feel it's right for me. We are all so wonderfully different thank goodness

 

[boopin4baby]

Hi Aster!! :wave: I'm happy to hear that you found the right mommy path for you. And that's all that matters!!

 

[scoobybeans]

wish- I'm sure the cold isn't helping matters! I'm finding I have lots of energy in the mornings, but when I run around and do stuff for a few hours I really feel it in the evening. Also, when I'm really tired there's no gradual "falling asleep" process. I'm just DONE lol. I've been to Mohegan Sun, it's so much fun! I hope you have the best time! Have you decided if you're going to tell your friends yet? I think we're skipping NYCC this year, but if I go we should definitely meet up!

aster- Thank you! My DH was adopted, and all we know about his birth mom is that she was 16. I'm glad she knew she wasn't capable of being a mom yet, so that DH's mom and dad got the chance to adopt him and give him a wonderful home. I know he was better off with them! I'm sure it's a tough process, but isn't everything? It'll be so worth it in the end.

boopin- I popped on your journal to see if there was an update but I didn't see one. Off to stalk you now!

klik- Hope you're having a good week and starting to unwind from all of the travel!

Disney- You're in the home stretch now! I hope you're not too uncomfortable and you have an easy delivery and recovery!

Amanda- I know Brianne was struggling a bit the last time you check in, but hopefully things have greatly improved since then! (And that she's given her mama some relief!)

AFM, I've got my OBGYN visit today. Looking forward to hearing the heartbeat or maybe even getting another scan! (I know, I'm greedy lol.) It's a gloomy, rainy day in NY today... It's not making me super motivated to get work done, and it's Friday to boot!

 

[Wish2BMom]

I had such a great time at Mohegan with the girls! yes, I told them and they were beyond thrilled. I have 2 really good friends in the group that live in Albany and CT so I never see them so it was so nice to be with them all weekend.
I was the first one in bed every night and of course they were all very understandable.

yes, we'll definitely have to meet up if you go to NYCC!!!

Aster, I'm definitely thankful for people like you!!

 

[klik]

Disneyfan: thank you so much! I hope these last few weeks are pretty easy, and that your delivery this time is a comparative breeze!!!

Wish: lol, I love that you didn't notice what you had was a craving for sweets! A friend told me a while about "pregnancy brain"--I guess that's one of your symptoms! Seriously, I'm sorry your sleep is so disturbed... but really glad you got to tell your friends in person, and that you didn't have to make up excuses to be able to go to bed early! Glad you had a good time!

Scooby: Sorry your dogs were scared of the fireworks--glad you enjoyed them, though, and glad they're over now! I'm so, so glad your scan went well! What a relief!!! Also great that you won't have to take PIO for the duration... Hm, I'll go stalk your journal now to see if the Ob/Gyn appt went well--I hope it went beautifully, and that you got to see and hear Moobley to your heart's content!!!

Asterimou: persistence doesn't always pay off, but some of us (me!) are really stubborn! Adoption is an amazing, generous act... You're doing so much good... It will be wonderful, a dearly wished-for child meeting dearly wished-for good, caring parents...

AFM: had scan/bloodwork today. I don't know what to think... By now I would have expected no development yet, but instead I have a 16.5, a 14, 2 11s, and some 6s. They sort of try to make this mild-stim sort of cycle as natural-like as possible, so I guess we won't really be angling for those 11s (though they are so tempting!) Bloodwork is mixed: oestrogen is nice and high but LH is at 10. Now, that could just be "normal" at this point because of the Clomid (which tends to elevate LH)... or it could be the beginning of a surge. But still, I'm not supposed to take anything to prevent ovulation. I'm really anxious that I'll ovulate overnight, or that I'll surge tomorrow and then won't be able to stop the surge... And converting to IUI will be useless--my lining is only at 4... High drama! At least DP is back so I can talk my anxieties at him to my heart's content...

 

[Wish2BMom]

oh klik! how confusing!! i honestly have no idea what to think - I hope the 16.5 and the 14 get in gear and you have at least 2 to work with. Why cycle day are you on/day of stims? How's your body liking the lesser stim cycle?

disney - last week of work, right?? WOOO!!! Baby girl will be here soon! how are you feeling?

hahahaa preg brain - definitely sometimes but I did feel flightier earlier on than I do now. I think b/c it all just feels so natural, and it's not like I'm waking DH up at 2am asking for a jelly donut (apparently my MIL did this!).
For now, my symptoms have changed - I'm no longer crazy hungry and actually can't eat as much now. I had 3 slices of pizza last night and was miserable. I can usually eat 3 slices with no problem. And I hadn't had much to eat the rest of the day, so it's not like I was continuously stuffing myself. Also, my face is now starting to break out a bit. I think a bump might be starting too b/c I just feel thick now. And twisting to see things or turn around is pulling a bit more now.
I really need to get control over what I'm eating. I need more veggies and less sweets/junk. I've been very good about proteins, though.

 

[klik]

Thanks, Wish! 2 is what we're hoping for now, yes... Lol, I love the image of your MIL waking your FIL up and asking for a jelly donut! I imagine DP would tell me to go get it myself! Meh, it's annoying that the symptoms move around so much, so that you have to be constantly on your toes to find out what you need... Also shame about the breaking out... As for the bump, it's about time--there are two in there after all!

Hi to everyone else!

AFM: continued high drama! My follicles grew insanely since yesterday (or, alternatively, the two sonographers measure differently)--the 14 became an 18 and the 16.5 became a 22. Go figure! Lining is at 5mm, so if we had to convert to IUI that just wouldn't work... My doctor called in the afternoon so we could discuss whether to trigger tonight or wait one more day. Today is CD10, so it's kind of early to trigger for me... But the E2 levels are good and the follicle sizes are good... He ended up having to stop our afternoon conversation and he called back at like 6:30pm to keep talking about it. Very sweet. In the end we decided to err on the side of caution and trigger tonight, rather than wait one day to encourage better maturation but then risk me surging... I guess if nothing fertilizes or if the embryos are bad we'll know we should have waited... Meh, I'm pretty nervous. ER is on Wednesday... My mom is arriving that day so I can't pick her up at the airport... But she'll be ok--she'll take a taxi and the cleaner will be home to open the door for her... Ugh. It will be a really stressful 2.5 days, until at least we get a fertilization report...

 

[Wish2BMom]

ohhhh exciting stuff, klik!! FX'ed that they are both good and fertilize well! you're not transferring back, though, right? aren't you batching?

 

[scoobybeans]

wish- Glad you had fun at Mohegan and glad you told your friends! Funny, my appetite has also decreased over the past week or so, and I feel fuller faster. So exciting that your bump is starting! Mine is to the point where within about 2 weeks I know I 100% won't be able to hide this anymore.

klik- I swear, I don't think there's such a thing as a cycle that goes smoothly! I think triggering last night was the right move, though, and I really hope your get both of those two lead follicles. I'm sorry for the stress! So is the plan to freeze after fertilization and bank?

AFM, I've got my exit interview with the RE tomorrow. They'll check my P4 and I guess release all of my documents to me? I know they usually do a scan, but since I requested a scan last week and just had one on Friday they may not. But hey, if they want to, I'd love to see Moobley again

 

[Wish2BMom]

exactly, scooby! though my eyes are still wanting all the foods so I eat myself into pain. Trying to not do that.

That's so exciting that you graduate tomorrow!! Yeah, they'll probably give you all your records but they can also fax them over to your OB if you need. I wish my RE office got to see the nuggets a couple more times but after that first scan, they booted me out (with the promise to return to show off my bump and then babies!)

maybe i'm not getting a bump yet and just imagining it. First bite of food for the day though and BOOM. Belly. I'm definitely having to utilize the hair tie around the button trick for jeans.

i'm so nervous about my appt tomorrow. It's just so hard to have faith.

 

[Disneyfan88]

Hi ladies! 3 more days left of work until I'm free!! (3 days too many if you ask me - hahaha). I had my 36 week doctor visit yesterday. All continues to progress smoothly. I'm getting irregular but noticeable contractions, but nothing that makes me think she's coming just yet. As excited as we are to meet her, we are not ready for her to come out yet! I finished cleaning the new guest room on Saturday (my former office) and got fresh sheets on the bed. My silly mom thought she'd just sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor in DD1's room! I have some minor tidying up to do in our bedroom, and we need to clean our bathroom. I'd like to tackle my closet but likely won't get to it or care to bother. We will see once my leave starts. What I really need to do is get my hospital bag put together and get the fabrics from the infant car seat washed! The base is installed in the car, so that's at least something.

Klik - I'm rooting for you tomorrow! C'mon little eggies - make your momma proud! Enjoy your visit with your mom!

Wish - Early on, I distinctly recall that "I'm full" feeling when eating dinner. I blamed it on there being less room in there even if I didn't know if anything was competing for space with my stomach yet. I definitely got the evening bloat and looked more preggers at night than in the morning. I employed the hairband trick when I was out and about and lived in sweats or yoga pants at home.

Scooby - It's exciting that you are graduating! My RE does visits at 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks before graduating you to your OB. She gave us an initial scan and did my blood work this time around, but I didn't ask for more scans. I certainly wanted to, but I was able to start seeing my OB around 9 weeks, so it was ok.

Boopin - Any news on the potential donor?

Aster - You have such a great attitude. It's great to have you back here. Feel free to stick around!

Amanda - If you are lurking, I hope all is going well and that you are getting some sleep!

Ok - I think that's all I can handle from posting on my phone.

 

[klik]

Thanks, Wish! Yeah, no transfer, just batching (assuming there's something to freeze!) I'll be saving all my 2ww anxiety for later . I'm sorry you're feeling nervous for today--nerves are only natural, especially as you've suffered so much to get to where you are now. But I'm sure you and the nuggets are all doing great--I hope you get lots of confirmation of that today! Sad that you had to say goodbye to your lovely clinic so early but they'll love seeing your bump when it's nice and huge and then meeting the nuggets once they've joined us in the outside world!

Scooby: yes, there's always something! The plan is to freeze on day 3--this clinic doesn't freeze on day 1, so I'll just have to live with the somewhat lower survival rate for thawing the day-3s... Every step is nerve-racking! I hope you get your extra bonus peek at Moobley at your exit interview today--great that you're graduating onto the next huge step!

Disneyfan: Thank you! As always, I'm in awe of your efficiency! So sweet that your mom just thought she'd sleep in a sleeping bag, and so lovely that she won't have to! I wish you a lot of patience for these last three days of work, and I hope Sarah waits until you're ready for her!

AFM: a little discomfort, but no real pain... I'm bleeding quite a bit--but I think at Cornell they give you medication to stop the bleeding, and here they don't. I got the "sometimes there aren't eggs inside the follicles" talk beforehand, which was scary! But they actually retrieved 3 eggs--one is smaller, though, and likely immature. I get both maturity and fertilization report tomorrow. The woman next to me (no privacy here!) had 3 good-sized follicles but it looks like two of them had ovulated, as her LH had surged on trigger day... So she only got one... I really felt for her, and I felt really lucky that we decided to trigger on Monday after all...

 

[Wish2BMom]

3!! that's wonderful, klik! good start to what will, I'm sure, continue to be a successful (albeit trying sometimes) process for you. I'm so glad you can also bank all of your TWW stress into later times. Has DH returned from his trip yet? How are you two doing?

aster - what's new?

disney - eeeee! 3 days left! Yeah, i'm in awe of all you're doing around the house too. You actually inspired me a little - I've been putting myself in a bit of a bubble - not carrying my own stuffed laundry basket, not carrying the 25lb box of cat litter...I said forget that yesterday. I will do what I need to do. Not OVERdo it but yanno, stop being a wimp. That's cute about your Mom - silly lady. No floors for her!

scooby - good luck today!! that reminds me, I need to send flowers or something to my RE team as a thank you. Or I can bring them something when I first visit.

so yeah, OB appt today to hear the heartbeats at 3:30. I can't wait. I have to be on a sales demo call for 4 hrs this morning so at least that eats up most of the day. I'm still caught between 'yay! I can't wait!' and 'man, let's just get it over with in case it's bad...' My anxiety is mainly coming from my last trip there - I ran into a friend in the lobby who didn't know I knew she was preg. I tried to play it off like I was finally going to a 'big girl' gyno. I found out later (her cousin is actually my good friend) that she was there for her first u/s and they couldn't find the HB, so she had lost it. She was a week ahead of me. So that was a little traumatizing for me, though clearly not about me whatsoever.
But it will be DIFFERENT for me today, RIGHT?!

 

[klik]

Wish: thanks! Yes, DP is back and I've managed not to kill him, so he was able to make his contribution today. Mom is here too, so full house! DP and I are in a better place now--I just gave him a hard time when he got back but you know, it's really nice that he's around now... How are you and your DH?! I remember you were rowing but have assumed everything has been patched up long since! I'm so sorry to hear about your acquaintance... So unbelievably heartbreaking... This is so, so difficult sometimes...

But yes. It will be different for you. This is actually happening, finally! You will be a mom--doubly so, in fact. Good luck!

 

[Wish2BMom]

so glad to hear you guys are ok! We are good too - I've run it by him the last few times we've told people and he's been fine. He just wanted to be a part of the decision or KNOW that I was telling people rather than being left out in the dark, as he has been for a lot of this process as you know, since they don't have to DO much.

 

[Wish2BMom]

hi girls! doppler scan was awesome yesterday, if a little too brief for my taste! But they both sounded perfect! like little treadmill runners, as DH pointed out. HA!

The goal now is to relaaaaaxxxxxxxx. Doc said we could. First step to that was passing out on the couch at around 6:15 last night.

klik - fert report? how'd we do?

 

[klik]

Wish, I'm ecstatic to hear your doppler scan went well! Hurray for the little treadmill runners! Also super happy your doc said you could relax! Passing out on the couch early sounds heavenly... I'm sooooo happy for you!

Also really glad you and your DH have patched things up! Funny, I was thinking in a way that was a good quarrel to have--I hadn't realized it was about whom you were telling when... The only reason you had this conflict is that you've never been this far before, and you don't yet know what the other's needs and boundaries are. It's almost like learning to live together all over again!

I'm ecstatic to say all three eggs fertilized. I was truly surprised. I could have sworn one of them would be immature, and was spending my energy fretting about the other two. I hope all three survive til Saturday, when they'll be frozen... I've never lost an embryo before day 3, so I'm not really prepared for that particular disappointment... Also, at the moment I'm at peace with freezing them, as my lining had only grown to 5--that's no place for embryos... I'm hoping to do two more back-to-back retrievals and then talk again to our doctor re. how to get my uterus in a better position for transfer. I need to sort this lining problem, somehow... But hey, for this particular protocol, so far so good!

 

[scoobybeans]

wish- I hear ya, by the end of the day I look HUGE. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend, that's just awful. I hope she's okay and will get her sticky baby soon! Congrats on hearing two healthy, strong heartbeats!! I'm so glad you're under doctor's orders to relax Have they scheduled your NT scan yet? Are you getting the Harmony test?

Disney- Hooray for being done with work!!! I'm sure you'll get all of that last minute stuff done before baby arrives. Your mom sounds like mine lol. She's so low key. My dad is the high maintenance one Curious what you'll be packing in your hospital bag, if you'd like to share.

klik- That's amazing news!!! 100% fertilization has got to be an indication of a good cycle. As far as your lining, is there actual medication that helps, like Estradiol? I'm sure you guys will figure it out! I really feel like you're getting so close now...

AFM, everything is great except this lingering progesterone issue. Here's the story: at my OBGYN last Friday afternoon, after taking shots every night, it was over 40. I took it Friday, Saturday & Sunday, skipped Monday night, took it Tuesday. Bloods on Wednesday were 24.9. Then I skipped it Wednesday night AND Thursday night and got a blood draw today.

The truth is that I didn't follow my doctor's orders this week. She wanted me to reduce to half the amount but continue taking it every night, and honestly I'm just so sore and so done with this that I went to every other day instead. I felt like that would be fine since it was so high on Friday, and at my ultrasound on Wednesday we saw the placenta forming.

DH and I talked about it last night and decided to skip 2 days in a row and just see where I am. I'll take my shot tonight no matter what, but I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and I just feel like enough is enough at this point. Obviously I'll do whatever I have to, but if my levels are still okay after missing two nights in a row I'll feel okay getting off of this stuff. What do you guys think?

 

[klik]

Scooby: thanks! To me it doesn't feel close, between the freezing and the lining being unreliable, but it does feel like we're on a better path now... As for adding oestrogen to build the lining, the first thing we have to do is find out whether the hysteroscopy I had in Feb damaged my uterus. If it doesn't look like that happened, my next suspicion is actually that my uterus has become de-sensitized to oestrogen, since I've been doing lots of back-to-back oestrogen priming cycles, with stims that also cause oestrogen to increase. I'd hope taking a couple months off would bring it back to normal, but if not then letrozole should help with that. Anyway, we'll have to cross that bridge only when we get to it--for now, much as I fret about it, I have to stay focussed on collecting eggs and making embryos.

Re. your progesterone dilemma, I'm frankly torn... My rational side tells me it's probably ok--that the placenta has probably mostly taken over by now, and that previous attempts at weaning yourself have not wrought disaster. I'm also swayed by the fact that many clinics just don't check after week 10. However, personally I have a conscience that weighs heavy, and it causes me to err on the side of caution--the thinking there goes, "if I don't follow directions and I have a miscarriage, I'll blame myself forever." In my case, the heavy-conscience side wins almost every time, so frankly I'd personally probably be following directions to the letter. Rationally, though, it does seem to me like you should be ok... And I can totally understand you're sick of the shots. Good luck!!!

Oh, almost forgot: all 3 embryos survived and were frozen today. They're all 8-cell, somehow--seriously, it's like this protocol was created just for me! Two are presumably top-quality and one is "very good." Ideal scenario: two more in August and two more in September, then take as long as necessary to get my uterus ready and start transferring... I'm going to need a lot of luck...