Summer Lovin'...bring us some babies!

[floridasian]

Hi savvy! Hope everything is going well for you and the twins! Thanks for thinking of us!

 

[floridasian]

I just got back from my RE's appointment. CD9 today and my lining was still thin at 6.2 mm. Doc said I would probably ovulate in about 48 hours. OPK was a little darker today but definitely still negative so at least I'm not ovulating at CD9 again. After hearing what happened to my previous three cycles doctor is now concerned about my ovarian reserve even though he said it shouldn't be low since my AMH was fine as of last October. He wanted me to go back on for Day 3 labs (FSH, Estradiol) if I don't get pregnant this cycle. And then at that time we'll decide if I want to be put on ovulation induction drugs (we both agreed Letrozole is the way to go as Clomid might thin my already thin lining) or go straight to IUI.

He did agree that it sounded that Progesterone messed me up so he asked me not to do it this cycle. He said the reason he never tested my progesterone level was because there was no real evidence of what level was considered "normal". It used to be 10 and up but now that's debatable so whatever number I have would not be useful. Not sure if I agree with him on that.

So now I have about three weeks to decide if I want to do IUI next cycle. How much notice do you have to give them for the IUI? Can I wait for my Day 3 labs to come back to see if my FSH is high or not then decide if I want to do the IUI or do I pretty much have to decide on that day? How much does one IUI cost?

 

[sarahok]

Hi guys!

Savvy so great to see you! I was thinking about you the other day! Hope you're doing great!

JCM & Suzy it's so nice to have other people going through their first clomid cycle to commiserate with! I'm doing fine...just annoyed by stupid stuff (but aware of it, so that's good) and bloated big time. Nothing I can't handle! The nurse today made me laugh...she said one of the patients told her the clomid made her "Clomicidal" LOL!!

Floridasian glad your appt went well. Sorry it wasn't exactly what you were hoping to hear with your lining. I can't remember exactly what the whole month was going to cost, but I think it was $500-600, and I'm doing clomid, monitored, trigger, iui. Of course I think it will depend on where you are and what exactly they do.

Beagle, don't give up hope!

My appointment went well. My follies look good, the nurse said it was just what they were hoping for. I have 2 at 13 and 1 at 14mm. So I will probably ovulate 3 eggs, but they are not quite big enough for Thursday IUI. I will trigger Thursday and IUI Saturday. So I'm actually quite pleased with that because I'll have my dinner party on Friday done and my husband will be able to come with me! Yay! Although he really likes to sleep in on Saturdays, and they have to have his sample by 7am...so he's just going to have to deal with it! I'll tell him he can come home and have a nap.

 

[beaglemom]

Sarah, glad the IUI timing worked out.

Floridasian, my IUIs run about $1500. But here is the breakdown. Meds - $500 (follistim, trigger, & med to stop ovulation if needed); 2 u/s at $250 each (baseline CD 1-3 & follicle measuring at CD 10); IUI is about $500...that cost is split between the sperm washing & actual procedure. The femara (letrozole) was only about $4 co-pay...not sure about your insurance. I do not have fertility coverage but I do have prescription coverage...so backwards. You will not need the follistim & most likely not need the ovulation delay med. My ovidrel was about $160 (I think). So if your insurance is like mine, I would guess you are looking at about $1000 give or take. On CD 3 they should do an u/s as well. You need a decision soon mainly to get your trigger shot in time. I had to have mine ordered & it was 3-4 days from order date to delivery. But if you end up buying the ovidrel you can still cancel the IUI & use the ovidrel the next month. It has about a 30-60 day shelf life.

But every insurance is different...some cover the u/s...mine would cover if I was not doing an IUI...so stupid. I would look in to the insurance to see what they cover if anything & also the meds piece. I think you would feel better if you had the appt set up with the option to cancel...better than not being prepared.

 

[floridasian]

Thanks beaglemom on the detailed break-down.

I was googling around on the IUI costs and it turns out my state is actually one of the very few states that require insurance coverage for infertility treatments. However, it's only for HMO's and of course we have PPO! Duh! I've been asking DH to look into the differences in insurance plans to see which ones had better fertility/maternity coverage and he kept saying they were all the same. Oh well!!

Here's the list of states who require it: https://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/insurance_coverage/state-coverage.html

 

[floridasian]

Oh and yes, I believe my insurance is similar to yours - anything related to infertility will not be covered, so if the ultrasounds are related to IUI I don't believe it'll be covered.

 

[sarahok]

Wow, Beagle...that's way different than I was thinking. I wonder if I'm remembering wrong (he was throwing a lot of numbers at me that day!) or if yours is just more expensive. What is the follistim for? Is it just to help the follicles in addition to the clomid/femara? I am just having clomid and trigger. I think if you tell your doc money is an issue they may adjust treatment slightly. Like he said I could have another ultrasound to be sure the follicles were ready by Sat, but I said I don't think there's a need. Just added cost when it's pretty consistent that they grow 2mm/day.

 

[sarahok]

That's crazy...I had never heard of any states requiring fertility coverage! Wish it would catch on!

 

[beaglemom]

The insurance coverage def needs to catch on! I knew about the states & knew I wasn't one of them. No offense meant when I say this, but I live in a God's Plan state. I don't think they believe in anything outside the box.

Sarah - Each doc is different, so yours could be cheaper than mine. The follistim is a follicle stimulating hormone. That is what caused me to have 3-4 mature follicles rather than just 1. I think it is sort of a next step or a more aggressive step.

Be sure to tell your dr you are paying cash for the appts...they usually offer a cash price.

The good thing about follistim is you get so much in a vile. So I have only had to buy 2 for my 3 cycles & never had to use the ovulation delay drug. I think they made me buy it just in case. So each cycle my drug bill are less expensive. Which is another reason I will do one more IUI...I already have the meds except trigger. Now that I think about it, my trigger may have only been $80.

 

[JCM]

Floridasian, sounds like you got lots done! The actual iui with sperm wash for me was 395. My clomid was 50 and trigger 70. I had lots of other meds though last minute to be really aggressive I guess. He wanted more follicles so he slowed down the big ones and made the small ones catch up. That cost me 1200 per 2 days. That happened for a week! Oh and my ultra sounds were 280. Like Sarahok, I skipped the final one because my iui had been pushed back twice already and he knew they would grow 2mm a day. My lining was 5mm at the first u/s check on my follicles and 7mm at the next one. He figured 5 days after that, it had thickened up and he knew I had to at least be to 7mm if he was gonna do it. I am able to get my trigger same day I bring my prescription in from this little pharmacy near RE. If you can do that too, take your time in deciding. I'm glad we decided iui. It was rough for a bit when I found out I had to shrink cysts for 45 days with bcps, but the procedure itself was so simple and it gives me peace of mind that I tried everything I could this cycle.
I had pretty bad cramps last night, all mostly in my back. The kind I get right before AF comes. Also I'm super itchy. I know it's not because of injections (heparin) because I'm getting a week break from those. Maybe it's the progesterone? My boobs grew a size bigger last night too. Plus they hurt on the sides. This morning they are normal size. Bummer ; ) I took a Benadryl last night so I'd actually get some sleep. Doc says it's ok. But I woke up a couple times to pee. I read progesterone will do that to you but I was peeing lots before I started these fun little cream applications. : / more cramping this morning. If AF comes early I will freak out! I don't even think my body knows what's happening next! I swear my schedule has been maneuvered so much...23 day cycles, 16, 32, 24. What a mess! Plus I'm cranky. Plus I want those little tiny donuts from dunkin donuts. Maybe hubby will bring me some on his way home from the hospital. (Mike if you are reading this to laugh at me today bring home those things. No powdered ones though.)

 

[JCM]

Oh, and great news Sarahok! Now you can have a perfect dinner party with no stress! Haha hubby can have a nap for sure. You're making a baby on Saturday!!!

 

[floridasian]

Hey Jen, sounds like you have some real promising symptoms! When are you going to test? Yes I totally get that feeling of wanting to do everything you can for this cycle. On our way out of the clinic, DH said, "so it looks like this is going to be another wasted cycle, eh?" I felt so bad for him but I guess he didn't know there was nothing we could do as far as meds or tests go when you didn't go in until CD9.

Right now I'm leaning towards trying to see if I can wait to find out the results of my CD3 tests and if my FSH is high then we'll go with the IUI (if we can still do it the same cycle), and if not or my FSH comes back normal, then we'll try just Letrozole for one cycle to see if that will do it, and then move to IUI.

 

[JCM]

That sounds like an awesome plan. Poor DH, I swear they get as frustrated as we do sometimes. My husband always feels bad for me when I'm upset or frustrated. He says it's because he feels helpless and it makes him angry that he can't fix this for me.
I had a super faint line yesterday so the trigger will be gone today or tomorrow! I will test tomorrow (7dpiui) to make sure. Then I'm trying to hold out til Sunday. My beta isn't til next Wednesday! I figured Sunday is 11dpiui and that's number dpo number I'm comfortable with if I see a BFN. Still time to get a BFP after that and still a chance I might get a BFP! I'm just so impatient!

 

[beaglemom]

Having some stomach issues today as well. Could be anything. I told my husband about the headache & he said Awesome! (not awesome you have a headache, but you know what I mean)...too funny. Every time I tell him anything he says Could be a sign! I am lucky to have someone there with me helping to keep things positives...besides you guys, of course

 

[JCM]

Ugh it's so much pressure in my back! Every now and then I feel it in my stomach but then it goes away. I'm so mad at this progesterone because it makes me think it's 3 things now... 1. Pregnant 2. AF 3. Progesterone. Today is technically cd24 and that's when I usually get my period. This has been going On since last night at 7. I think it's too early for AF since I'm only 6-7 dpo. If this is AF, I'm drinking heavily this week. But I won't know for sure because of the P right beagle? Or can I still bleed on this stuff?

 

[beaglemom]

Ugh it's so much pressure in my back! Every now and then I feel it in my stomach but then it goes away. I'm so mad at this progesterone because it makes me think it's 3 things now... 1. Pregnant 2. AF 3. Progesterone. Today is technically cd24 and that's when I usually get my period. This has been going On since last night at 7. I think it's too early for AF since I'm only 6-7 dpo. If this is AF, I'm drinking heavily this week. But I won't know for sure because of the P right beagle? Or can I still bleed on this stuff?

I don't think we are on the same kind. I am on the suppositories that are sort of like a wax mold that dissolves/melts after you insert. But when I was on it last time, it preventing any bleed or spotting. i usually get brown spotting before AF. Last time I got the spotting the day after I stopped the P.

Sorry you are feeling so crappy

 

[JCM]

I peed and the pain kind of eased up. If this is AF I usually start an hour or two after feeling crampy. I'm so confused. I'm taking crinone. Once a day in the morning. I haven't really noticed much except chalky looking stuff until today. I kind of noticed lotion like cm but I assume it was leftover gel. So frustrating! Plus I keep thinking I've started and run to check and nothing. Another week of this sucks.

 

[beaglemom]

I peed and the pain kind of eased up. If this is AF I usually start an hour or two after feeling crampy. I'm so confused. I'm taking crinone. Once a day in the morning. I haven't really noticed much except chalky looking stuff until today. I kind of noticed lotion like cm but I assume it was leftover gel. So frustrating! Plus I keep thinking I've started and run to check and nothing. Another week of this sucks.

Yeh I am having the lotiony thing which is a preggo sign, but also could be residue from the P. Annoying. But I take mine at night & saw the lotion at 6 yesterday evening...seemed it would have been wiped away from bathroom breaks throughout the day.

I also know about the wet type feeling...always thinking AF is there & running to the bathroom.

This could be implantation signs...implantation can start around 7 dpo. Keep your womb warm & make a snuggly spot for the baby

 

[JCM]

I'm gonna go put my socks on! : )

 

[savvysaver]

Hi Savvy!
How are you doing? Is everything ok with the babies?
Is your bump now growing twice as fast?

Hi savvy! Hope everything is going well for you and the twins! Thanks for thinking of us!

Savvy so great to see you! I was thinking about you the other day! Hope you're doing great!

Hi girls! I really miss chatting with everyone here. Everything is going good so far, my next appointment is August 5th. I lost about 8 lbs but will probably gain it back quick. I got a small bump starting to pop out and my jeans are getting tight. I am going to keep following along, good luck to everyone this cycle!