Starting my Infertility journey, and I'm scared. (a tad TMI)

[ktlm]

I'm so sorry you are on this emotional roller coaster. We had a 4 year battle to get our DD, 2 years of trying on our own and then 2 years with an RE. I ovulated regularly every month and they never could find anything wrong with me. I am a complete needle phobic, so I told them that I did not even want to talk about IVF until we had tried everything else possible. The 1st step for us was IUI's with no drugs. We were using frozen sperm so we had to get the timing perfect. Each IUI you have about a 15-20% chance of getting pregnant, and we missed the timing a few times, so we did several of those. When was your HSG? You have an increased chance of getting pregnant in the 3 months after an HSG. My doctor calls it the "roto-rooter" effect. After a several IUIs I had an HSG (I had put it off at the beginning because I'm a wimp-big mistake) and the second month after between the HSG effect and an IUI I got pregnant. Unfortunately I m/c. We went back to IUI's. When after a few of those I did not get pg again, we did Clomid. My Dr. does not let you do Clomid more than 3 months in a row without a break. He says more than that, it thins your uterine lining too much and if you get pregnant (which too long on Clomid can prevent so you can be making it worse with the Clomid) creates too big a risk of m/c. After 3 months of Clomid and IUI did not work, he switched me to Femara which I highly recommend. Femara does the exact same thing as Clomid, but it usually does not cause the side effects like Clomid and it does not thin the uterine lining, so you can stay on it longer. The reason some docs don't prescribe it first is that Clomid is considered the standard, generally accepted procedure; while infertility is an "off-brand" use for Femara which started off as a cancer drug. I got PG the 2nd month on Femara and those miserable 4 years were completely worth it! I can't say it was completely the Femara though. Before my last month of Clomid, he did another HSG, not for diagnostic but just to attempt to also recreate the exact conditions of the 1st time I got PG. I don't know whether it was the Femara or the HSG or a combination of the two, but whatever it was, it worked! Good luck, I hope you get pg soon!

 

[Fortune1211]

I feel your pain, literally. I have a son that will be 6 in February and we've been trying on and off for 3 years and most recently 1 year straight of HSG, sperm analysis etc. We are currently on a break, we did 2 IUI's 1 with clomid/ovidrel and 1 with femara/ovidrel. I have PCOS and my DH has sperm issues, low counts and motility issues. We have a trip to the world planned for next month and when we come back we're going to look at where we are and what we want to do. We feel very blessed to have our son, he was actually conceived 3 weeks after I had a m/c so he's our miracle baby for sure!

Good luck on your journey, it's not easy one!

 

[surfergirl602]

My hubby is getting a semen analysis done next week. He's actually kind of nervous about it - what should I tell him to expect from the doc? lol

 

[ktlm]

Thought of a couple of things that might help if you are not doing them already. My RE suggested cutting down caffeine to no more than One Coke or one cup of coffee a day. I didn't get my good pregnancy until I cut out ALL caffeinated beverages completely. The RE also suggested yoga as it helps with relaxation and destressing you. There is a great DVD called yoga 4 fertility with Brenda Strong that I did the last couple months before getting pg. (I would use the yoga breathing techniques to try to keep relaxed and calm around the IUI days too). Plus, I kept up with the yoga after pregnancy with pre-natal yoga DVDs, and I never had any swelling or back pain like a lot of people do. I think it really helped

 

[PigletsMommy]

My hubby is getting a semen analysis done next week. He's actually kind of nervous about it - what should I tell him to expect from the doc? lol

I think every dr office is a little different but I can tell you what my husband said. He was so embarrassed because he felt like everyone would know what he was there for...but he said it wasnt that bad. They called him back and gave him a cup (think urine test) and showed him into a room. He said it had a recliner chair, a tv with some dvds (yes those kind) and some magazines. When your done you put your cup into a little cupboard...I guess it has 2 drs & the other side is in the lab. Anyway...then he left...no big deal.

He jokes about it now... He had 3 analysis done, 3 iui's, and then our IVF. Its no big deal to him now

 

[Mrs. Charming]

My hubby is getting a semen analysis done next week. He's actually kind of nervous about it - what should I tell him to expect from the doc? lol

Haha, DH said it was the most awkward thing he's ever had to do! I had a HSG at the same time, and he said "OK, OK, you win!" when I said "Oh, so you think *that* was awkward?!"

But he went into the office, told the receptionist his name, and was told go down the hall and ring the bell. The one (male) lab tech gave him the cup and a towel, pointed him toward the room, and told him where to leave the cup. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, he was done. I was also informed that there were adult magazines in there

I don't think he'll even see the Dr. that day, my DH didn't. Tell him not to worry!

 

[AllyandJack]

Did you have a hysteroscopy done to see the inside of your uterus to see if there is scarring? That could rule out that problem.

My oldest DD is the result of 4 rounds of IVF. We started with Clomid and IUI because our issue was male factor (low count and motility). I hyperstimmed on the Clomid at 50mg, which is the lowest dose they use, generally. I had my 3rd IUI canceled because I had 7 follicles and my RE was terrified of higher-order multiple (a la Jon and Kate). It's really important to be monitored on Clomid, it's nothing to mess around with. Please, don't let some doctor hand you Clomid and not monitor you....the risks are huge and the side effects can actually hinder your ability to get pregnant (cysts and thinning of the lining of the uterus).

We moved to IVF because it was too dangerous to stim me and do an IUI. With IVF, they had more control. The shots weren't bad. Not fun, but I did 2 or 3 a night and got used to it. Given my history of hyperstimming, I was at the doctor every single day for blood work. I looked like an addict. My arms were all bruised, my veins collapsed. It wasn't pretty and that was the worst part. I enjoyed my egg retrievals. I love me some Fentanyl and Demerol. I was knocked out cold, woke up, and they told me how many eggs they got. Fun!

Cycle 1 and 3 were failures. Cycle 2 was an ectopic. Cycle 4 gave me my oldest DD. With cycle #4, we did a few things different. The other cycles, we just adjusted the medication a bit. Cycle #4, I refused to do it without further testing. I had an SHG done (normal). I had a recurrent loss panel done that required 22 tubes of blood be drawn from me (where it took 5 people to get all of it, one of whom asked me why I was there because she'd never seen someone have so much blood drawn...when I told her, she told me to go on vacation...I told her, "I thought about that, but this is really so much more fun!" ). All normal, except I tested positive for MTHFR. Over 40% of the population has an MTHFR mutation that can cause implantation failure and early losses. Unfortunately, it can also cause horrible late term losses before people realize they have it. I started mega doses of Folic Acid and Aspirin therapy. I began Metformin, which I read can help reduce hyperstimming (and, it did!). I got OHSS and was hospitalized, but that cycle, it was much less severe. I have PCOS, but I'm pretty much asymptomatic for it. My only symptom is elevated LH and my problem with hyperstimming on ovulation-inducing drugs, none of which I ever would have known about if I just got pregnant easily. Thankfully, unlike other people with more severe PCOS, I don't have to be on the Met forever because it's a tough drug to take. I will, however, have to take the Folic Acid and the Aspirin forever.

All of this would be useful without IVF, so it's something to think about checking out whatever route you take.

My 2nd and 3rd DDs were total surprises. People always say that once I got pregnant my body would somehow KNOW how to do it. Since our biggest barrier was sperm, I'm not sure how MY being pregnant helped his sperm, so I just nod politely and let it go.

So many of us have been there. You're not alone.

My BFF had a traumatic c-section that caused horrible damage to her uterus and she was able to get pregnant again. When they did her repeat section, the doctor said he was shocked, given what her uterus looked like. That kid found the one open spot in her uterus and stuck around (born on my b-day).

So, yeah, you never know. I suppose if I had just had more patience (as people have told me), I would have eventually gotten pregnant with DD2 and DD3, but I'd be missing DD1. She had to be created special in the lab. I don't regret for a second what I did to have her and I'd do it 100x more, even if someone said to wait and I'd eventually get pregnant....I do IVF 100x for her.

I wish you so much luck with everything! Definitely hook up with a Resolve group. I'm a volunteer counselor for Resolve (specializing in people going through multiple IVFs) and I also do some work in their insurance coverage section where I help people in my area navigate IF coverage on their insurance and pharmacy plans. They're a great resource and have group meetings and publications with information.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

oh sweetie there are so many people who are struggling right along with you! it is so hard and i'm sorry you're going thru this. i probably am not a good help since i don't ovulate on my own but i felt i needed to post b/c i struggled with infertility for a long time. my son is a clomid baby. i did clomid for three cycles, became pregnant but miscarried. devastating. i did it three more times and my son was born on 6/20. the cycle that worked i had upped the dosage (started at 50mg and ended up ay 150mg). also we did iui (easy peasy) and progesterone supps (thru the end of first tri). also added to the cocktail the last cycle that worked was dexamethasone taken on the same days as the clomid. the doc explained how it would help but i don't recall exactly what it did. oh AND i had a hcg shot around ovulation.

anyway i'm sure that doesn't help. but you're not alone and i'm rooting for you. www.pregnancy.org has a great online community that has a whole area for women who are TTC. it kept me sane and i got a ton of support during our long struggle.

Thank you I'll check out the online community, I could definitely use some the support. It's amazing the stuff we go through to have our babies. I'm sorry you miscarried, I had a miscarriage before too, and it's devastating.

Congrats on your new baby boy. What a blessing

I am so sorry you are going through this. I also had "subsequent struggles", I got pregnant the first time with barely a thought but 2 yrs later when we decided to try again.. NOTHING. I did three cycles of 50 MG Clomid (which we decided was our limit, a personal choice, everyone has to decide for themselves) and had the LAP, HSG, etc. I did have some adhesions that they think contributed to my infertility, but even after they were cleared it took 8 cycles for me to get PG.

Because DH and I had decided the three rounds of clomid was as far as we were willing to go as far as drug intervention, I had all but given up. I had finally accepted that my DS would be an only child. I was okay with that (after much self doubt, torture, etc), finally at peace with it and WHAM... totally unexpectedly a BFP!! We also struggled a little bit but after 9 months of TTC#3, she came along without intervention as well.

I'm sorry that I don't have any real advice or help for you, but I wanted you to know that you are not alone.

How was the LAP? The Dr. that I did speak to, who wasn't my Dr., said that that is probably one of my two options. I've tried to be at peace with DD being an only child, but I'm just not there yet.

Thank you.

We spent about a year on the fertility roller coaster, got off and adopted. It was a long time ago (my son is eleven) and I'm sure things have changed. But good luck. Shots weren't bad - but they made me crazy.

The clomid made me crazy, poor DH. Talk about mood swings and roller coasters!

Kudos to you for adopting! That also seems like a harrowing experience, with all the lawyers, fees, paperwork.. makes my head spin just thinking about it. I'vee definitely thought about it, though. Time will tell!

I have Poly cystic ovarian syndrome so we are all too familiar with fertility problems. I went to specialist for 4 years, and couldn't get pregnant. The emotions and feelings were devestating. I know how hard it is to want something so badly that seems "easy" for many to get.

After serveral years of doctors, I knew we just needed another child - someone was missing and I had WAY too much love to give! We began investigating adoption. In the meantime, I went in to see my regular OB/GYN. He suggested trying Clomid once more. I knew it wouldn't work, but I figured I would appease him. Three months later, I conceived our twins - 38 weeks after that I brought home two precious boys.

I think what helped this last time is that I wasn't stressed. We had another option. My OB/GYN also gave me prevnar (I believe). It got my cycles back on track, forced me to have a period, then followed with the Clomid it finally worked.

Hang in there and try to remember that you are not alone. Many of us know the feelings and emotions associated with infertility.

I know exactly how you feel-- we have way too much love to give. I'd have had 5 kids by now if I could. I adore being a mom, I just don't want being a mom to young kids to end here, with just my DD. I feel empty, helpless, and like I'm not a "real" woman because I can't get pregnant. Ugh. Sad. And so many women just don't care about their kids, or worse. And it's like, me, who is a good mom with a nice home and enough food money and love for 8 kids, can't do that.

What's Prevnar? Is it like progesterone?

That's great that your regular OB cared enough to try clomid with you again, I'm so happy he was right, and it worked for you.

Congrats on your twins... oh I'd love twins. Yes, I just admitted it for the first time, I would love twins! I feel like that's my dirty little secret!

I'm so sorry you are going through this - you are so NOT alone. We tried over a year to get pregnant and finally did get pregnant our first cycle of clomid in 2003. We started trying again this past September and got pregnant in February only to have a missed miscarriage and D&C in April. We are now past the one year mark again and no pregnancy. We are currently taking a 2 to 3 month break while I get myself straightened out emotionally and then we'll be doing clomid most likely in December. We had initially decided that if we weren't pregnant by the end of this year we were done....but I'm not quite ready to go there just yet. So we'll see what happens. Good luck in your journey and hopefully it will be a short one going forward now.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It seems like we're in the same situation. Like I said to a PP, only time will tell. I truly hope the clomid works for you in December, and I too hope you have a short journey.

I, too, have been down the not so fun infertility road. My DS(11) was a clomid baby. I was blessed with him as it only took 3 cycles of clomid. I then got pregnant on my own, but miscarried at 11 weeks. We went back to clomid and took that for about a year with no luck. We then moved on to IUI with injectables (and I HATE needles - I never thought I'd be able to give myself a shot, amazing what a person will do to fufill the dream of motherhood). We did 4 unsuccessful IUI cycles. The 5th cycles resulted in too many eggs, so rather than cancel the cycle, my dr was able to convert it to an IVF cycle. I was nervous beyond reason, but the end result was my precious b/g twins who are now almost 6.

I certainly don't wish this road on anyone as it is an emotional rollercoaster. I wish you success and that it won't take too long (I know the waiting is the worst). Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like.

Thank you I'm glad to hear IVF worked for you, I guess I'll have to get over my fears at some point. I didn't know a IUI cycle could be turned into an IVF cycle, that's good to know. I'd be nervous too. I'm nervous now, who am I kidding. I'm not wild about needles either, but like you said, it's amazing what a person will do.

I wouldn't wish infertility on my worst enemy, it's a really deep, almost visceral pain. And yes, waiting really is the worst, this is testing the heck out of my patience. I've almost called the Dr. three times now, and I have only seen her once.

DD is now 19 and DS (my "bonus child") is 17. She is the result of 2 years of infertility treatment. He was a pleasant surprise.

I was always regular and had normal cycles. Ovulation tests never showed a surge for me. The problem was that those little ova never escaped the ovaries; they would ripen and then be absorbed. We did 3 consecutive cycles of Clomid followed by 2 months off. When we returned, I had one round of Perganol and conceived DD. My doctor also did IUI with each Clomid cycle and the Perganol round.

The shots were scary. DH had to give me the Perganol. The doctor gave me the hCG shot after determining that I hadn't hyperovulated.

It was rough. Very emotional. And the Perganol cycle was painful, not only because of the daily shots but also because my ovaries went from the size of a walnut to the size of an orange! Not something that I would wish on my worst enemy. In the end, we've been blessed.

Best of luck, OP. It helps to keep your eye on the end result when things get really hard to handle.

Thank you. I'm trying so hard to keep my eye on the "prize." It's just plain old hard to do. The whole thing is hard. And it's even harder for people who haven't gone through it to understand. It's just so hard for ME to understand is that s*x often results in pregnancy. HA! It's almost like they are two separate entities at this point. Its even harder to think that BD'ing should feel good, and not be scheduled. Oh, and "making love"... what's that?

I've had ovary pain with the clomid, too. I can't imagine having ovaries the size of oranges... ouch! I bet buttoning your pants hurt.

That's the other thing, I normally get LH surges, but this month, nothing. I just gave up this morning, I'm calling this cycle a bust.

I guess I just have to get over my nervousness with the shots. I'm just not a huge fan of needles, but I have to suck it up!

 

[3girls4me05]

Another reassurance that you are not alone. Long story short
DD#1-got pg immediatly with no issues
DD#2-Took a full year. I was just about to start Clomid when I found out I was pg
PG #3-Got pg immediatly but had a missed m/c at 10 wks
PG#4-Two years of infertility after first m/c. Had all sorts of tests and all looked good but still couldn't get pg. Did clomid with IUI (didn't need the trigger shot as I released on my own) got pg but miscarried again at ten weeks
DD#3-After our 2nd m/c we gave up. We thought that we were meant to have two children. Three months later I got pg and was scared to death of m/c again. She is now three yrs old and is sound asleep upstairs. She was well worth the wait

I wouldn't wish infertility on my worst enemy. The emotional pain, the well meaning but stupid advice from everyone around you, the wondering what you did wrong to cause this, the strain on your marriage etc.. is awful. Even though that time was now five years ago I still can recall how horrible it was.

You need to have frequent blood work and ultrasounds with most fertility treatments. I think my car could drive itself to the feritily clinic when we were going through our IUI treament protocol. I wouldn't think that staying overseas for a month would be finacially worth it since you have to stay for so long.

 

[MommyTaraLee]

Just wanted to send you some You are definitely not alone!

Our DD, now 3 1/2, is a clomid & IUI baby.... and we are now starting the clomid journey again... It is definitely a roller coaster of emotions, and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[boakl]

First of of all, (hugs) to you. We TTC for nearly three years before turning to IVF. We endured tests and surgeries and eventually, the RE told us our only shot of achieving a pregnancy was to do IVF w/ICSI.

We have been VERY blessed! Our first cycle resulted in our oldest son, who is now 9.5. Our second cycle gave us our twin boys who will be 5 in less than two weeks.

IVF is nothing to be afraid of (other than the cost). The needles are actually very small and feel more like a pinch than pain. I refused to to the progesterone in oil shots as I knew that those shots were given intermuscularly and you had to use a large gauge needle. I think the RE saw that this was a deal breaker for me, so he allowed me to use Crinone supposotories in lieu of the PIO shots. If you fear shots, make sure you tell your RE this and see if there are any alternatives for you.

IVF is a little time consuming for a few weeks. You will have to go to the REs office frequently for ultrasound monitoring and bloodwork. I was heavily sedated for the actual retrieval of the follicles, but wide awake for the transfers. If you get to the point where you have fertilized pre-embryoes to transfer, you chances of success are good.

It's hard to deal with. I personally wanted to hit those who told me to take a vacation, relax, buy a new car, etc and a pregnancy was sure to follow. If it was only that easy! Don't give up, and explore all of your options. There are lots of ways to make babies and/or add to your family

 

[PigletsMommy]

It's hard to deal with. I personally wanted to hit those who told me to take a vacation, relax, buy a new car, etc and a pregnancy was sure to follow. If it was only that easy! Don't give up, and explore all of your options. There are lots of ways to make babies and/or add to your family

I second this. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that advice. Even now. I can't tell you how many people told me I would get pregnant right away after DD. It makes me want to scream. Infertility changes people and can change relationships. I lost of friend of 20 years and not by my choice. She thought that because she miscarried once that she had been thru as much as I did. She just couldnt comprehend how the fact that I could not conceive AT ALL is different from her experience.

 

[Melct]

I am so sorry you are going for this. I have been through hell and back but finally have a complete family. Our IF problem is severe MF but I also had trouble carrying a pregnancy due to incompetent cervix. 5 years ago we went through our first IVF cycle. I was so happy when I learned that I was pregnant with twins. Tragically, my boys died when I delivered them 4 months early due to incompetent cervix. I knew the only way I could heal myself was to try again. My next cycle was a FET (I had 8 frozen embies from last cycle). This cycle didn't work. The next cycle using 2 more frozen embies resulted in my 3 year old daughter. We decided to try one more time to use the last two of our embies, which resulted in my 1 year old daughter.

Please don't give up hope. It is so much to go through but every poke, prod and stick is worth it in the end. There are some great online infertility support groups which helped me out so much. I think someone else already mentioned Resolve. There is also a smaller more personalized community called babystepsforum.com.

Good luck!
Melissa

 

[momtolots]

I totally empathize with what you and many pp are/have gone through! I got pregnant with my now 17yr old the first month of trying. We then did the clomid/IUI and got pregnant but had a missed miscarriage. Unfortunately, the same thing happened 4 more times. We were finally led in a different direction and adopted our little girl locally right from the hospital. She is now 5YO. We also adopted our son who is now 4YO. Through this whole journey, we then became longterm foster children, all girls, who are now 12, 11, 10 YO. So, good luck, and it will all work out the way it is meant to.
I'm sending lots of pixie dust your way.

Cathy

 

[mom2meiko]

TMI AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Infertility is seriously one of the hardest things I ever dealt with in my life. It is a scary process with a lot of highs and even more lows. It's also the amazing medical technology that brought me both of my beautiful babies - despite my inability to conceive on my own.

I did Chlomid a few times - had success (which unfortunately ended in m/c) the first time, and then not again. I used 2 different types of injectibles with IUI and each resulted in pregnancy eventually - on the 3rd try with dd and then on the 1st try with ds.

These shots are not scary or painful - they are subcutaneous. (If you move into IVF you may end up with intramuscular which may be more uncomfortable.) Giving myself shots became so routine I found myself "shooting up" in the car at the mall, in bathroom stalls, and even one night in the dark movie theater! LOL! It really does become routine. I found the hardest part for me was making sure I did it at the same time each night. Thankfully it was portable though!

The ultrasounds are also pretty routine and harmless - although admittedly gross when you have to go during your period. Yuck!

The IUI process is not much more involved than an internal exam. It's not painful although one time I did have extremely minor cramping - less than period cramping - toward the end. They basically use a speculum and then thread the catheter up through the cervix and insert the seamen into the uteris. The most uncomfortable part for me (because I have severe back issues) was lying on the table with my hips elevated for the 15 minutes following the procedure - and listening to that stupid timer tick tick ticking away... Grrr..... LOL! They say you can then resume normal activities immediately following the procedure but I started taking a day of bedrest after and that's when I conceived my two.

Aside from my beautiful babies, the other gift that I rec'd from this hellacious experience was the gift of a stronger relationship with my dh. From what I could see from others, the process could either make or break a relationship but it really brought us even closer together because we had to rely so very heavily on one another for support during this time. Keep open communication and be sure you are both on the same page and you should be OK.

If you want to talk, ask questions or seek support, just PM me. I get how difficult and frightening the process is and am more than happy to lend my support!

Baby Dust to you!!!!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Wow, I had no idea that this many women struggled with infertility issues at some point or another. I'm actually pretty blown away, I honestly thought I'd only get a few responses. 10, tops. *HUGS* to you all.

 

[hopeis]

Best of luck to you and your family!!

We battled infertility for 5 years before we welcomed our first daughter and another 4 to welcome our second. We did clomid for a few cycles each time BUT it did not work for us! WE both had "the work up" and I had almost every imaginable invasive procedure to 'check things out'.

We were going to try IUI but just before that turned to the Clear Blue Ovulation Prediction machine (it was $250 here). I had the blood work done to check all the hormone levels which were 'in the acceptable range' and did the basal temperature graphs for YEARS ~ they didn't indicate when ovulation was but for whatever reason one month with this machine we got pregnant.

Good luck! Children are a blessing!!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I've BTDT!! For 11 years, off and on... I'm finally PG! I have PCOS, so my cycle was very irregular. We also had male infertility issues which just compounded the problem. I've done IUI, AI, and IVF (3-4x). The shots were scary at first, but they've gotten MUCH better over the years. I don't remember starting with Clomid pills or anything.

As for IVF in the Czech - you would have to be there for at least a month, if not longer... (To account for the shots/monitoring, then the egg retrieval & transfer, the TWW to see if it took, and a few weeks beyond to make sure it stays stuck.) During this last try, I actually got hyperstimulated (too many follicles matured) due to my PCOS, and they had to "coast" me (stop giving me stimulation meds and let my hormone levels drop a bit). Although my LMP was mid May, my retrieval was at the end of June, and overall I was in the fertility clinic's system for ~13 weeks before they released me to a regular OBGYN.

The worst part was the emotional roller coaster - that's part of why we were off and on in our TTC journey. Just know that there are lots of folks that have gone through the same journey and we're all rooting for you!!

OMGosh you really have BTDT! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I bet you're over the moon.

I can't even imagine your emotions through all of this... it's only been 2 years for me, and I'm a wreck!

Thank you for your story Best of luck on being a mom, you'll love it.

Hey there. I know what you are going through. We tried for six years to get pregnant. Our story meshes with so many others who have posted. We started out with many of the same less invasion procedures then on to shots. The shots didn't hurt, at least not too bad. I tried telling myself that it was worth it if it worked. I can't remember how many rounds of shots we did, but we were getting very close to IVF. My ovaries were hyperextended from all the meds so I had to take the cycle off. The specialist said no treatment that month. Believe it or not that's when I got pregnant. Hope is a powerful tool to combate fear and anxiety. Get behind your faith. Stress can cause negative things to happen to your body and mind. The thing that I have come to understand is that what we want and dream about is rarely in our time. I don't know if you are a believer, but God does care for you and it is in His timing that we need to trust in. I wish you the absolute best of luck and that things work out quickly for you.

That's absolutely amazing that you got pregnant on your "off" month! You must be lucky, can I take you to Atlantic City with me?

What you said about hope really struck a nerve with me. I've lost hope more than a few times. I've built this big wall up around my heart, and I feel more and more pessimistic with every unsuccessful cycle. Maybe hope is what I need, maybe it is mind over matter, maybe I do need to be more optimistic. I just feel scared to be optimistic because it seems with every LP that goes past 12 days... I get so excited, only to get a BFN. Maybe if I just have a little hope, maybe it'll be a little better.

Thank you for your insight

We have a 7yo, a 3.5yo and twin infants, all the result of infertility treatment. DS7 is a Clomid/IUI baby. The rest are IVF babies. I hated needles but the shots ended up being no big deal - for 2 injectible IUI cycles and the two IVF cycles, I gave myself every single shot. FYI, the injectible meds are VERY expensive, even for an IUI cycle.

Clomid made me crazy - big emotional swings on it. I actually felt more "even" on the injectible meds.

Our diagnosis is severe male factor, though there is an unknown female component too. My monthly cycle has always been pretty regular, though.

See if you have a Resolve group locally. They usually have small, local support groups. It can really help to have IRL people who are going through the same thing.

Good luck!

Wow, you've really BTDT too! You're quite the trooper! I'm impressed!

I'm also afraid of the cost of the shots. I went to my insurance website, logged in, and after typing in the names of the most popular fertility injectables, they all came up with a copay... so I'm thinking somehow they might end up covered, but I don't want to bet the farm on it. Ovulation induction as a whole isn't, so I'm really not getting my hopes up! But, if we have to do it, we'll find a way, and we'll do it.

Clomid made me cuckoo, too. Mood swings, hot flashes... joy! Poor, poor DH.

I have one question... did they make you go through the whole IUI process the second time for your twins? Or did they just let you do IVF, because of what you'd been through before?

I actually found my R.E. through resolve, but I'm a bit too chicken to join a group. I'm afraid of what the other women will think of me... I know, it's silly.

Thank you for sharing your sucess story.

I don't have much to offer except our story. . .

Right before I got pregnant with DS8months I was having some strange symptoms and I had an internal ultrasound done. The doctor said it showed multiple cysts on my ovaries and I likely wasn't ovulating. He said that I could undergo further tests but I probably had PCOS and that DH and I would need to discuss what we wanted to try when we decided we were serious about having more children.

My doctor also said that the best 'first' method for most infertility patients to induce regular ovulation was to reduce their sugar/processed carbohydrates and begin 15-30 min of cardio exercise every day.

I took him at his word and started exercising daily- just 20-30 min. And I ate more fruit and cut out sweets. I was pregnant in 2 weeks, actually quite by surprise though not unwanted.

I say all that to offer you hope and know that it may happen all at once. Also, I highly recommend charting your cycles and I used fertilityfriend.com It was nice to be able to share my chart with my doctor directly and keep track of everything (free) online. Sending lots of babydust your way.

Ahh yes, fertilityfriend. I think I have about 15 or so cycles logged. Thank goodness it's free! I printed out the last 8-10 cycles for my R.E. She looked at them, but I had to go through all the standard tests/procedures. Its killing me that I don't know my diagnosis yet!

That's awesome that it happened so fast for you. I've been on a rollercoaster with sugars and carbs. Sometimes it's so easy for me to give up carbs/sugars, and sometimes it's impossible, and I end up eating more carbs! I did really well in the spring, I lost weight, but then I had a really hopeful cycle, and it ended in AF coming. I almost wonder if I had a really early m/c. But that kind of ended my diet.

I should do some cardio though, maybe if I start with a few minutes and work my way up. It couldn't do any harm, right?

Thank you for sharing your story, the babydust I'll take all the babydust I can get!

I'll jump in and share my story. We tried for several years to have a baby. I could get pregnant but couldn't stay pregnant. After 4 miscarriages, the doctors finally sent me for blood work and I found out I have a chromosomal abnormality that just affects reproduction. So from there we decided to give IVF with PGD a try. I was terrified of the shots but I sucked it up and did one cycle. They harvested 6 eggs and when they did the PGD on the embryos, none were ok to implant. So we decided to buy a DVC timeshare (yeah, I know off topic). We decided to take some time off and just see where things went. My father was very ill and died in July of 2006. In September we went on our first DVC trip and came home with an extra souvenir. I was pregnant and stayed pregnant! My daughter was born June of 2007.

The reason I tell you this is to keep up hope. If you really want a child, all things are possible from giving yourself shots to whatever needs to be done to have a happy healthy baby.

People ask me when we are going to have another. I'm blessed with the one we have now and at this point, another child is not really in the cards. Unless there is another miracle headed my way.

That's an amazing story. I think our loved ones that have passed on can take care of us like that. Ahh I just got teary-eyed!

Maybe there is something to this "hope" thing, too... And yep, I'll do anything within my power to have a happy healthy baby, whatever it takes.

It's so hard for me when people ask when we'll have another, I fall apart!

Thank you for sharing your story, it's an amazing one!

Just wanted to offer you my hugs! Been there, doing it now. We tried 5 rounds of clomid last year, and this september first marked 1 year of trying. We took a break from January until now, and I just had my appt this morning. We're starting some more tests etc next week. Oh joy.

Thank you for the hugs! Here are some hugs back to you

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope your tests go well. I know it's hard. Here's some babydust (lol, not like I have much to spare!)

 

[a1tinkfans]

My ds is now 15 but heres our story.....fell in love with my high school sweetheart at 15, we got married after college.... fast forward to late twenties....then we started thinking about a baby...figured we had plenty of time....we were both fairly healthy and young....
We tried for over 2 years and finally the dh insisted I/we go for testing.....
the cycle began....clomid, shots, 8 IUI's and talk about stress...crazy crazy times....so I finally said, I could not do it anymore and we took a 3 month break....then, went for a final IUI (frozen!) and we conceived............WahLaa...a beautiful baby boy! Meanwhile, we were married 8 years already! Fast forward several years later, and hoping it would just "happen" for us...of course, it didn't...so I did clomid again....we conceived after several cycles. Pregnancy was going well for months. Then, Tragically we lost our baby girl and I could no longer even consider trying again. For me, it was just too much.....
So, we were BLESSED with one beautiful baby and our family is complete! I believe there is a PLAN for all of us, I don't always agree or understand it, but its just how I feel (how else could I rationalize having to fight to get pregnant, losing my baby girl, losing my mom so young, or having to fight thru breast cancer)
There are trials and tribulations for so many people so grab all the strength and Positive energy you can and keep pushing thru!! Our 24th Wedding Anniversary is very soon!

I ALWAYS believe there is HOPE!!
Medical advances since we tried are astounding. The protocols have changed and medicines have changed as well.

I want to Wish the VERY BEST of luck to you...Hang In There.....you are so NOT alone!! Baby Dust your way I look forward to your announcement here, telling us of your Good News!

 

[TheRatPack]

I just wanted to chime in and say that the progesterone in oil injections are not bad at all! If you ask your doctor to order progesterone in ethyl oleate and a small gauge needle (I think I used a 22?). My husband would dart it in quickly and while I did get a few sore knots, the shots never hurt and we did 2 cycles. Sadly both of my cycles ended in early miscarriage, and it's been hard on our marriage as I'm not ready to quit trying but he is and has already pretty much moved on.....but we would have never known if we hadn't tried. And we have a wonderful, beautiful family already through birth and adoption so I know we are already so blessed.

Good luck with your cycle.