Any other DISers trying to concieve? Reread OP for the QOTD!

[AllyandJack]

FlyingBelle, these 2 weeks just DRAG by. Of course, when you're dreading something (like the end of a vacation), those two weeks fly by.

Lisa, do you know what they're going to have you do? I'm getting the wand tomorrow, too.

Nicole, I would love to donate my eggs, but I would only do it in conjunction with my own cycle. I hyper-stim really fast and the entire process is a nightmare for me. Plus, I'd be too expensive since I need daily monitoring. Nobody wants to fund that type of patient. Too bad I'm almost 6' tall. I meet all your other criteria! Honestly, I think most women are college students and they do it for the money, so their motives have very little to do with creating life. That part is all about you and your DH - and your doctor, of course.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Okay crazy question--how are they taking that egg out of your bodies?

Inquiring minds are CURIOUS!

Thanks!

 

[AllyandJack]

Okay crazy question--how are they taking that egg out of your bodies?

Inquiring minds are CURIOUS!

Thanks!

Umm....they take a big contraption that has an ultrasound on the tip. They jab in through your ******l wall (I know that got buffered out, but it's medical information, not something dirty). The ultrasound guides them through the abdomen and to the ovary on that side. They see a follicle and stab at it with the needle. They suck out the fluid that holds the egg. They keep jabbing at all the follicles depending on how many eggs they want to get. Then, they jab through the wall on the other side to get to the other ovary. My RE doesn't go for my left ovary. It's too high up and it causes more problems than it's worth to try for it (imagine one of the nurses leaning on my abdomen and trying to shove my ovary into the path of the big needle). Thankfully, my right one is easy to get to and it's the over-achiever, so we really don't even need the left one.

My RE has a diagram of it hung up in her u/s room. I used to sit there and stare at it. I was scared out of my mind.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I didn't like the transvag I had for my M/C--I can't even think of one accompanied with a needle. YIKES!!!

You women who need to do this..

 

[FlyingBelle]

...all I want is caucasion, brown hair, less than 5'5 (preferably), healthy, smart and if possible italian/irish or something similar and someone who has done this before (if possible).

Scary - you just described me to a "T" (with the exception of having done that before, OK - and the smart thing too ).

My cousin was an egg donor years ago. She did it primarily for th $$, but she felt it was a good thing to do too. I think 3 times was the max - so as to not have too many genes out there in the pool. I'm going to see her on the 4th - so let me know if you have any ??? for her (as far as the donor side goes).

 

[Minnesota!]

Morning all -

Carla - UGH on not getting the testing you wanted. The cats to the vet story had me laughing - sorry! Is your dx primarialy (sp) MFI?

Kristy - WOO HOO on the meds arriving! I can't wait until you get started and we get to follow your journey!

Lisa - sorry AF showed...and that insurance stuff is mind boggling!

Becky - as irrational as you feel testing/worrying - to all of us...you are completely sane! I have BTDT a million times! Did you get a beta done? ETA - I think just checking your temp here and there should keep your mind sane! As long as you are above your cover, I think you are ok. Can I get a link to your chart? Your temps sound like mine (don't get much above 98...)...

Nicole - woo hoo on getting to the next step! I almost fit your profile for the egg - except I am tall - about 5'8. I agree with you - the person probably needed the money (how much do donors get paid, BTW?), and they know what they are doing will give a woman a child that has been longed for. She probably figures if she's not using it, why not put it to good use.

As far as where we are at - I am 6dpo. I have been taking progesterone daily, so I can't tell if what I am feeling is from that or pg. I took a cheapy test last night (i know - 5dpo...BAD), to see if I got an evap. But I got a second FAINT pink line.
What's that tell me? The tests suck, of course! LOL!!

FlyingBelle - good luck!!!

I hope this is the month for all of us! Imagine - spring babies :O) What better way to bring in the new season - the season of rebirth!! With a baby, of course :O)

Better go - spaghetti is waiting!

 

[AllyandJack]

Minnesota, you didn't get an HCG shot, did you? If not, the test could be right. I always say if you test early, you win either way. If it's positive, it's positive. If it's negative, it's too early. Are you using the dreaded suppositories? I hate them. My mother thought they were suppositories....like the kind you use for constipation. I had to tell her no...they don't go THERE. As far as we know, our only problem is low count and low motility. They put my DH on Clomid and it worked like a charm - he has low testosterone.

You know what's scary about the egg retrieval? Some places don't use anesthesia! In Canada, they just give you a valium or something. Uh, no way. If someone is going to be poking me with a needle through my abdomen, I'm going to have anesthesia! Some people are awake for it, but they get something to make them loopy. I'm out and that's just the way I like it. I don't want to know anything or feel anything. I don't want to feel pressure or poking....I want to feel the drugs enter my body and that's it.

 

[Minnesota!]

Carla - nope, no HCG. Au natural. I don't know - 5dpo seems pretty early for me to be getting a +. I am keeping my &&&&. Thanks for the good thoughts..

BTW - don't know if I have shared my name - it's Andrea :O)

 

[Minnesota!]

Oh yeah - no suppositories. Prometrium - 200 mg 2x a day. I have heard fun things about the suppositories. I suppose I could use these as such, but not going to monkey with it :O)

 

[FlyingBelle]

Are you using the dreaded suppositories? I hate them. My mother thought they were suppositories....like the kind you use for constipation. I had to tell her no...they don't go THERE.

Hee-hee - I had to tell my mom the same thing!

I started those up again last night (I used them last cycle, but not until day 25) They aren't as bad as I thought they would be. My SIL used them and described it as a "plug". I had imagined something much worse.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

HI everybody!

What a lot has happened in a few days! I feel really bad, but I just couldn't bring myself to even think of this stuff for a few days. It's starting to get depressing. My neighbor's 16yo son just found out he's going to be a dad. If some teenager can get pregnant completely by accident, without wanting to, why can't I? And now, the pity party is over. Back to nasty medications... (why does Clomid taste so bad?)

Minnesota - I've got my fingers crossed. Carla's right - if you're not taking HCG, then it could be right.

Carla - You've been through so much - keep going with all of this.

FlyingBelle - how did the IUI go? When do you plan on testing?

Kristy - good luck with all of those meds!

Nicole - Regardless of where the egg comes from, it is your baby. You can't have a baby inside you for 9 months without it being yours. The rest is just semantics / genetics.

So I'm just patiently waiting for my doc to call back with when they want to schedule me to come in for US and bloodwork. He said that looking at all of the cycles previously, around day 17 for the ultrasound, and then proceed from there. One problem with that - day 17 is a Friday. So if everything were right that day, it would leave the IUI on Saturday or Sunday. Since I doubt that will happen, now I need to know when. I'd like to do it today, so I wouldn't have to wait anymore.

Oh well - I should stop staring at the phone waiting for it to ring.

Baby dust for all....

Jen

 

[AllyandJack]

Andrea, I say a line is a line. Maybe you have an over-achiever in there. I have the 200mg prometrium and, yes, they can be used the other way. Three times a day. Plus, the injections every other day. My hips are still killing me from those! Are you going to test again soon?

Belle, they're not that bad, but I'm having the entire case coming out in one piece. I can read the writing on them and everything. They're empty, so I guess that's a good thing. I pictured them to be much larger, too - I think there are some that are huge....like a torpedo. My mother was so convinced, I actually thought I might be wrong about where to put them and I asked on Fertility Friend. Boy, did I feel dumb. Someone actually said you CAN put them there, but who the heck would want to?!

 

[FlyingBelle]

HI everybody!


FlyingBelle - how did the IUI go? When do you plan on testing?

It went fine - everything looks good. I go in on the 10th for the blood test.

I hear you guys talking about a beta test... what is that?

 

[AllyandJack]

Jen, more Clomid?! What are they changing this time around? I hate the wait for the phone call, too. Sometimes, my RE calls me at 11am. Sometimes, it's not until 5pm. I just sit and wait...presuming something is wrong because it's taking so long.

Let us know what he says when he calls.

 

[FlyingBelle]

Belle, they're not that bad, but I'm having the entire case coming out in one piece. I can read the writing on them and everything. They're empty, so I guess that's a good thing. I pictured them to be much larger, too - I think there are some that are huge....like a torpedo. My mother was so convinced, I actually thought I might be wrong about where to put them and I asked on Fertility Friend. Boy, did I feel dumb. Someone actually said you CAN put them there, but who the heck would want to?!

I must be taking something else. Mine look more like tampon with a bulb at the end... insert and squeeze (you really wanted to know that, didn't you!)
It's 8% crinone (sp?) cream that's supposed to help provide the hormones to keep the fertilized egg attached to the lining. If my test on the 10th is positive (&&&) then I keep taking it once at bedtime for about 10-12 weeks until the placenta takes over.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It went fine - everything looks good. I go in on the 10th for the blood test.

I hear you guys talking about a beta test... what is that?

The one we are all talking about refers to a blood test that they check the level of HCG in your blood to determine the progress of the pregnancy---I forget the precise rule...but once you are pregnant..your levels double everyday.

When I m/c...my levels were supposed to be in the 1000-10000s range. Mine was only a 26. That was at 5 weeks 4days--or 3 and a half weeks since ovulation (roughly).

The blood test is an easy way to be assured in the early stages (and pretty much the only way) to make sure the pregnancy is progressing normally.

When we get pregnant again--as much as i hate needles--I will be begging for this reassurance.

 

[Minnesota!]

(((((((Jen)))))))))))) IF sucks - and it sucks even harder when you see accidents like your neighbors son. Waiting for the phone to ring is the longest period of time, too. Hope he calls you soon..

Thanks for the positive thoughts, too. I think I will be a testing fool this week - got 20 + cheapies in my drawer at home!

 

[FlyingBelle]

The one we are all talking about refers to a blood test that they check the level of HCG in your blood to determine the progress of the pregnancy---I forget the precise rule...but once you are pregnant..your levels double everyday.

When I m/c...my levels were supposed to be in the 1000-10000s range. Mine was only a 26. That was at 5 weeks 4days--or 3 and a half weeks since ovulation (roughly).

The blood test is an easy way to be assured in the early stages (and pretty much the only way) to make sure the pregnancy is progressing normally.

When we get pregnant again--as much as i hate needles--I will be begging for this reassurance.

Thanks... I haven't heard that termonology around my fertility clinic. I'm told that if the preg test on the 10th is positive, they'll have me coming in each week for another blood test for about 8 weeks, then u/s to check how many and where (tubes, etc), before they hand us back to the ob/gyn.

 

[2bemarried]

Kristy, they don't include the freezing in the "package"? My cycle includes freezing for 3 years and, after that, I have to pay for the Totscicles myself. I don't have many (on purpose), so I plan to go back and fetch 'em at some point. After my Fed Ex fiasco, I think everyone on the DIS sits looking out their front door for the Fed Ex truck. You start your Lupron tomorrow night, right? Are you injecting in the stomach? Frozen peas work great to numb the area.

I am feeling incredibly frustrated. Long story short, my RE doesn't see any need in testing me for everything under the sun. She does want to do a sonohystogram and, pending that, will decide whether to do the scope. She says the auto-immune stuff isn't presenting with me because I haven't had multiple losses - my last "loss" was ectopic, so that's not a "loss" they consider a "loss" consistent with the auto-immune stuff. This one....well, they're going to try and test the tissue and see what they find, but it's also not consistent with Lupus or some other immune disease. She doesn't want to put me through a lap because, even if she found endometriosis, it wouldn't be interfering with IVF since we bypass the problems endo could cause. She also said the biopsy isn't useful since she monitors my lining and it's controlled by medication. She said if we didn't have male issues, I would have had the testing prior to leaping to IVF, but since we had to go right to IVF, I got lucky and got to skip the testing. The SHG will look for any abnormalities in the uterus that the HSG didn't pick up. Blah!

So, then I call my brilliant OB/GYN who has been in the field for 50+ years. He agrees with her. WTH?! Is everyone in some sort of Keep Carla Not Pregnant Conspiracy!?!

I have to take my 3 cats to the vet tonight. The joy never ends. Have you ever tried to get an 18lb male cat in a carrier? Have you tried to get other cats in a carrier after they watched the big guy get stuffed in his?? Not looking forward to it.

Carla, no they don't include freezing in the package. It's a ~700 administrative fee and after that it's around 200 per year to freeze the embyo's.
Yup...I'm starting the Lupron this evening. She wants me to do the inject this afternoon when I get home and then another one tomorrow morning when I wake up. After that I have to do them each morning. I swear this is really sinking in now.
I had the ultrasound this morning and some sort of test transfer thing to make sure there won't be any issues the day of transfer. The good news is my ovaries look fine and the test went fine. The bad news is without DH's issue we wouldn't have been able to get pregnant b/c she could tell from the ultrasound that I'm not ovulating at all. How she could tell that I'm not sure. All I saw was a fuzzy screen. She's really worried about me getting OHSS. I'm going to have to be the model patient and follow every guideline by the book
Thank you for the peas suggestion. I'll probably do that tonight

I'm really sorry that your RE is being a PITA! We could go TP her house Keep your chin up b/c I know something will work for you!

How did your vet visit go? I know exactly what you went through getting them in the carriers. We have a 12lb male cat that whines and cries as if you're torturing him. It's not easy to get the two girls in their carriers after that. I typically grab the boy and my husband grabs one of the girls..then we can both trap the other girl.

Hi to everyone else...I'll do my best to log in from home this evening and do a complete catch-up.

 

[RachaelRol]

Carla and Kim,

I'm so sorry. Don't give up.

Beck, I took a pregnancy test a day for two weeks until OBGYN confirmed I was pregnant. Then I took one a week until I heard the heartbeat. It was an expensive paranois, but I know what you mean.

Flyingbelle, fingers crossed for you.

I have some new.... The hemotologist I saw for the genetic disorder I have recommends I wait TTC. He thinks I am high risk for seizure or stroke with the disorder and be overweight. I need to lose about 50 lbs to be at optimal weight he says.... Then he says the condition may still cause the HELLP and pre-eclamspia again, even if I'm treated.

Not sure what to do... now DH and i have to decide what to do. I've always been afraid of something happening to me and not being around for my son or being around in some diminshed capacity... But then you hear so many stories about women who are just fine...

Anyway, I will still be here cheering you on. I promise to stick around until each of you is pregnant and who knows, maybe me too...

You are all my girls!