February Has My Heart - February Cycle Buddies Wanted

[Ilithyia]

Hi all,
Throwing my hat into the ring a bit late, but I'm thinking the more good vibes collectively going around the better...

Me: 39 DH: 50, 2 grown kids. Working thru our 2nd cycle. (Wish I'd known about this list on my 1st!!!)

1st cycle started after polyp and cysts removed. Went to ICSI w/ 4 eggs and failed fertilization. DH had long term vasectomy and his swimmers have been struggling to stay afloat. TTC over 2 yrs, since reversal. Big ED challenges too. Nothing levitra can't work through, but has meant we're working from frozen for these cycles. Tried to do better this cycle by providing a fresh sample yesterday for them to work with today, but the poor little guys didn't make it through the night. A long shot, but I was glad our DR suggested it as it made us feel a little more in control.

Fingers and toes are crossed that at this moment the 5 eggs caught this AM are doin the wild thang. Last time, none did and I got a very kind condolence call from my DR. I'm having a lot rougher time than I expected, dreading the same call tomorrow. Plus, my DR's on leave, so I'm not even sure who'd call.

Meanwhile though it has been a H U G E help reading through these pages. I've been lurking for ages, but only now have taken the plunge of starting to express my own thoughts. You guys are awesome!!!

It's also remarkable tonic to be able to look beyond myself -- I'm wishing all of you all the best! Baby dust all around!!!

[Jen1d]

Hiya

Carolyn - Ok i agree, i have to slow down too Am off today and its been snowing so have decided not to go running (feel bad about this bit) and after a quick tidy up i might go to the cinema. Any sign of AF yet?

Angie and Ilithyia - Welcome to the site

Wannababy - I had this happen to me a couple of times but once we started holding the needle in the skin for 10 seconds after injecting, it didn't happen again. Happy trying

Minerva - Good luck for Saturday.

99 - A prayer is being said at this very moment for you, hang in there

Mominwaiting - Your follies sound great. Good luck for ER

Dexter - Not long until we get to celebrate your BFP

Julia - I'm also on a flare protocol to help get more eggs. I am taking different medi from you though. Good luck

I am feeling fine so far, not much of a difference except i feel a little bloated at times and don't like it one bit This cycle seems to be going so slow and ET etc seems so far away. Anyway, good things come to those who wait eh

Catch up soon

Love Jen x

Hi to everyone else.

[wannababyIVF]

Hi Ladies, Hope you all are doing well with ER’s, ET’s, AF’s, STIMMS…etc!

Welcome Ilithyia –You’ll love it here! These ladies are awesome. I know they have helped me regain my sanity.

Jen – Glad to hear I’m not the only one feeling bloated. YIPPEEE!! Okay, I know that’s not something to celebrate but I’m just happy I’m not alone.

REACH – All I can say is WOW…about the sense of importance. That’s really deep. I’m actually at a lost for words.

mominwaiting – So if you don’t get preg they can drop you? How many chances do you get? How does the program work…if you don’t mind me asking. You may have already explained this. sorry. Well that’s good that your RE will speak on your behalf, if you don’t get a BFP. But we pray that you will!

99 -- I’ll be praying for your little ones!

Hopeful2BPregnant – GOOD LUCK TO YOU! Glad to hear everything is on track!! Isn’t it exciting??

Hey Angie!!! Thanks for the message hon!

Thanks for the tips on the needles ladies. I’m going to try that tonight.

Well I go for my first u/s and blood work tomorrow to see how these eggs are growing. I am hoping I have some nice big fat ones.

I think I’m starting to obsess. In my free time, I day dream about how I’m going to announce our BFP, when we get one. Is that crazy? I don’t want to get to excited for fear of the BFN.

[pep23]

Hi all, thought I'd make a quick post at lunch!!

Mominwaiting- Sounds like your follies are growing and I hope you have a successful ER!! Try not to worry too much about the shared risk program. Even though some of your numbers were not where you wanted them I think that your doctor is right and you can blame that on this being your first go and not knowing the perfect meds just yet. I don't think they could argue with that at all!!! But either way I hope that you don't need the five extra tries and that this time will bring you your BFP!!

Jen- I can totally relate to your feelings about when people say insensitive things…it's not like you would ever wish IF on anyone but it's so frustrating when people rub stuff in your face because they can't possibly understand what a rollercoaster all of us are on. And as for the running, I think you should keep it up because you obviously enjoy it and I think exercise is a great way to destress yourself!

Wigal- How are you feeling? When will you have you first ultrasound? I'm so anxious to hear all the good news! And I really like what you said about believing that less stress was what worked for you this time around. Had you done acu in your other cycles? I'm actually going in for my first appt Tuesday and I can't wait. I really hope it helps clear my mind as we start our ivf journey. I really want to stay positive and as stress free as possible…but at times that is just so hard!!!

Kswan- So exciting that your FET is less than a week away!!! I was inspired by your revelation. You are so right, we do tend to lose a little of ourselves in this process don't we?!? You reminded me how important it is to take a step back and realize that this is my body and MY decision and I need to not let the doctors intimidate me or ever feel like I can't questions things.

REACH- Any sign of AF yet? I am doing an AF jig for you at my desk!! I never get AF without taking Provera so I hear you on the waiting thing and how agonizing that can be. I hope she rears her ugly head soon and you and DH will be off and running!!! And I totally understand all of the feelings you had after talking to your friend. DH's younger sister is pg right now and it's hard for me to even be around her. She just acts so carefree and getting pg was so easy and she never had any worries because she said she just knew she was meant to be a mom. Then I start to feel like well I know I want to be a mom but since it's been so hard for us…what if I'm not meant to be one?!? I know I can't think like that but sometimes I do over think things. That's why I love this board. I can always come here for a good dose of PMA day or night!!!

Dex- Congrats on a successful ET!! I hope that your "perfect little embryo" is snuggling in for the long haul!! Sending you lots of sticky vibes for a BFP on the 21st!! And please don't feel like you are bothering by coming on here to vent or clear your mind…that's exactly what this place is for and we are all hear to listen to you and keep you positive during your 2WW!!!

Carolyn- So when you say you start treatment next week what does that mean?? Stimms or down regging?

Minerva- Congrats on some good sized follies and good luck this weekend!! Hopefully Saturday will turn out to be your lucky day this cycle!

Wannababy- Sorry to hear your Stimms are acting up on you a bit but I'm sure it will all be fine. If it makes you feel any better I also feel like my clothes are getting snug these days and I'm still only on BCP!! LOL. Good luck tomorrow with your b/w and u/s. I can't wait to hear the good news! And if you are crazy…then we all are!! I daydream all the time about how we would break the news to our family and friends. I just pray that we will get the chance!! Hopefully 2007 will be the year of the BFP for all of us!!

Julia- I am glad to hear you are feeling happy and calm this cycle. I really hope this flare protocol brings you and DH the BFP you so deserve!

Angie- Here is an official welcome! And I hope you have a great Valentines Day scan!!

99- Grow embies grow!! I'm praying hard for you that you will get some good news from the RE and your babies will be back soon! Are you doing a 3 or 5 day transfer? Keep us posted!!

Anna- Welcome to the board!! And I hope that your eggies are getting busy at the lab today!!! I've got everything crossed that you get a great fert report soon!!

WOW!!!!! I think that's everybody!!! But if I missed anybody I hope you are doing well at whatever stage you may be at!! I'm doing good and just popping my BCPs each night. How ironic that I'm desperate to have a baby but I'm obsessing about birth control. Such a crazy world! And I'm getting so excited that I am less than 10 days away from my very first ivf shot ever! Yikes! Luckily I am going up to my parents house in Michigan this weekend because am helping my mom throw a bridal shower for sister-in-law to be. I figure that I will be so busy with that all day Saturday I won't have time to obsess about my shot later that night….Ok, who am I kidding?!? Of course I will obsess but I'm sure after the first one I will relax a bit. Hopefully my acu appt next week calms me down a bit.

Well I think my lunch break was officially over a long time ago so I better scoot. Hope you are all having a fab week!!!! Baby dust and PMA to all!!!

Love-
Steph

[MYNALA]

PEP - I'VE NEVER DONE ANY ACUPUNCTURE PRIOR TO THIS LAST CYCLE. CHARITY AND ANOTHER GAL I CAN'T REMEMBER HER NAME RICHT NOW SUGGESTED IT TO ME SO I JUMPED AT IT. I KNOW STRESS HAS A HUGE FACTOR W/ ME. I THOUGHT THE 1ST APPOINTMENT WAS A HOOT TOO. THIS WONDERFUL LITTLE CHINESE MAN CAME IN AND WAS VERY UPFRONT W/ HIS SUCCESS RATE WHEN DEALING WITH INFERTILITY...HE SAID HE'D ONLY WORKED ON ONE GAL, AND SHE GOT PREGNANT! WELL, I'M FINALLY CALLING HIM TODAY AND THANKING HIM FOR HIS HELP IN THE PROCESS. I WAS SO FULL OF ANGER AND FRUSTRATION W/ THE LAST IVF ATTEMPT AS IT TOOK US OVER 5 YEARS TO SAVE UP FOR IT, AND THEN WE HAD NO FERTILIZATION SO IT WAS ALL DONE FOR NOTHING. THEN MY DH AGREED TO TRY ONE MORE TIME, AND SO FAR SO GOOD (EVEN THOUGH MY NUMBERS AREN'T THE BEST) THE DR. SAID HANG IN THERE. I PRETTY MUCH DECIDED IN MY HEAD AND HEART THAT "THIS WAS IT" I NEED TO PUT IT UP TO GOD ONE LAST TIME AND I WAS IN MY DR'S HANDS AND WOULD BE CONTENT WITH THE OUTCOME AND KNOW IN MY HEART I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO TRY AND HAVE A CHILD. WE DID A FLARE PROTOCAL, AND ACUPUNCTURE THIS TIME, SO I REALLY DO FEEL IT HELPED ME.

I JUST HOPE TOMORROW MY NUMBERS IMPROVE AND I HEAR THE WORDS YOUR STILL PREGNANT!

[nerms]

Hey Mynala...i wish for you too that your numbers go up and you hear those precious words...yes you're still pregnant....praying for you sweetie!
Nerms
x

[wannababyIVF]

MYNALA - I was also thinking about acupuncture. I wonder if it's too late. Already started stims and ER is tentatively scheduled for next Wed or Thurs. I'll know more tomorrow. I tried acupuncture when I wasn't ovulating. Didn't help with the ovulation so I stopped and went to see RE. Wonder if I should give it another shot (bad choice of words). It's so expensive though. I was thinking about trying yoga, reflexology, massage or something to help me relax. I'm praying that you get the news you want to hear. I'm sure what you did this time worked for you and that you will be with this baby for the long haul. Don’t worry about it! Leave it in God's hands. It will all work out for the best.

Also, can you explain what a flare protocol is?

[pep23]

Mynala- I am praying for you that your numbers get to where you need them to be. I'm hopeful that this is really your time. It sounds like after everything you went through you regrouped and approached this cycle with a new sense of faith and sometimes I think our attitude and outlook makes all the difference in situations like this.

Thanks for your thoughts on acu. I am looking forward to it. I will go for 4 appointments before I have my ER and then I will have a session on the day of ET. The guy I'm using will actually come to the clinic for that so I thought that was great.

Oh, and by the way, I'm glad you are allowing the little Chinese man to keep up his 100% pregnancy success rate!! Way to go!

Keep us posted!

Steph

[pep23]

Mynala- I am praying for you that your numbers get to where you need them to be. I'm hopeful that this is really your time. It sounds like after everything you went through you regrouped and approached this cycle with a new sense of faith and sometimes I think our attitude and outlook makes all the difference in situations like this.

Thanks for your thoughts on acu. I am looking forward to it. I will go for 4 appointments before I have my ER and then I will have a session on the day of ET. The guy I'm using will actually come to the clinic for that so I thought that was great.

Oh, and by the way, I'm glad you are allowing the little Chinese man to keep up his 100% pregnancy success rate!! Way to go!

Keep us posted!

Steph

[Ilithyia]

And the results are in... (or at least the results for this point in the loooong haul)... Yesterday's EC came up with 5, 4 mature and today, post ICSI...
....2 fertilized!!!

YAY Eggies! YAY Swimmers!

DH is so proud

I just did a long post in the 40+ corner, and am starting to slow down, but suffice to say it feels really good after feeling so really bad.

I'm sending the overflow good vibes out to all of the Team out there, and hoping that all of you have similar good days in the next weeks ahead.

Tomorrow AM I head in for ET. I know that there are no guarantees, but I'll take each step forward for what it is: proof that steps forward can be made... And meantime, take the good times as true good.

It is interesting to hear so many doing accu. I wonder if anyone has any advice on how to find someone good? The idea of sticking needles in me does make me nervous (been there; done that! ). I love the basic concept though, and would welcome any and all advice...

Warmest good wishes to all, and to all a good night!

[MYNALA]

I WISH I COULD HELP MORE W/ MORE INFO ON THE FLARE PROTOCAL, BUT I KNOW IS I DIDN'T USE LUPRON THIS TIME. DO I THINK THE ACUPUNCTURE HELPS ? ? ? I DON'T KNOW, BUT I GUESS IN MY HEART RIGHT NOW I FEEL IT DID, WHAT IT DID I DON'T KNOW, I REALLY DIDN'T GET THAT "NOODLE LIKE" FEELING I HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE, BUT I THINK FOR THE HOUR I WAS THERE, I WAS TELLING MYSELF TO JUST CHILL AND IT WORKED (SO FAR).

I'M JUST SCARED TO DEATH RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL ANY DIFFERENT THAT IF MY NUMBERS DON'T INCREASE TOMORROW SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING.

[Ghost]

Also, can you explain what a flare protocol is?

There are three main protocols. They differ in how they control the pituitary gland. Controlling the pituitary during stimulation is important, to prevent a premature LH surge.

First, what causes the pituitary to release an LH surge? This happens when another gland, called the hypothalmus, releases a hormone called GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone). When GnRH hits the pituitary, the pituitary releases a surge of LH. So controlling LH from the pituitary is really about controlling the effect of GnRH.

There are two main ways to do this. You can use a drug that directly stops the effect of GnRH. These are called GnRH antagonists. One common example is ganirelix. They have been on the market for about 5 years or so, and are used in maybe 20% of cycles, plus or minus. Since these drugs directly shut down the pituitary, the are usually needed only when an LH surge is possible, for about 5 days or so, as stimulation approaches peak follicle development.

The other way is to use a drug that does what GnRH does, cause a surge. Yup. By causing a surge at one point, and then keeping the pituitary stimulated, it can prevent the pituitary from storing up enough for a surge at the wrong time. This is done with a GnRH agonist. Examples are Lupon or Buserelin. Also Synarel. These initially cause an LH surge, but continued use keeps the pituitary from saving up for a surge. So these are used in the "long protocol" because you must use them well before your cycle starts, and keep using them, is order to get this effect.

The agonists have been on the market since around 1990. Agonist cycles like the "long Lupron protocol" are the most common by far, maybe 3/4 of all cycles.

The least common is the flare protocol. In this protocol, the initial LH surge from the agonist is put to work "kick starting" ovarian stimulation. Note: An "LH surge" includes more than just LH, and releases a good deal of FSH as well. FSH, extracted from the urine of old nuns (yup) or the ovaries of Chinese hamsters, is the main active ingredient in the stimulation meds. Might as well use your own FSH, since you already have it sitting there, right? Makes sense. In this protocol, you start the agonist (like Lupron) later than in the long protocol. The initial surge of FSH and LH starts follicular development, and it's still augmented with more injectable stim meds.

From what I've read and the little I've seen, flare protocols work well, but may often be used as Plan B for patients who did not do well in one of the more common protocols.

While you are on either an agonist or an antagonist, you are "down regulated" or as they say on this board, "down regging". This refers to suppressing the pituitary.

[mominwaiting]

Mynala Try not to stress to much sweetie, you can drive yourself crazy looking for all the signs and symptoms, just remember that are women who go through their whold pregnancy without the traditional symptoms. Try not to get cuaght up in what you don't feel and wollar in what you do. Keep your head up sweetie and I will be thinking of you!!!!!
IL WAY TO GO HERES LOTS OF STICKY BABY DUST TO KEEP THOSE EMBIES GROWING WHEN IS YOUR ET? We are also using ICSI
PEPDon't worry to much about shots they ar not as bad as you think they are going to be, I was really nervous, so I made DH do my first shot in thigh, just so I could see how bad the pain was going to be, I did not feel it all, I felt the med a very,very little afterward but nothing to worry about it is not bad. I also am in BABY SHOWER limbo, I am trying to give my best friend hers it is scheduled for next Sat and I am so afraid I might have to miss due to ET. Wouldn't that be a hoot, sorry hun, can't help you welcome your baby cause I am making mine!!!. No she knows and the most supprtive person to me through all of this, we have been close for many years and she would do anything to see this work for me, shes a doll.
As for me, I went back to RE yesterday and things are still looking better, I had a 21&12 on L and 16,15,14,11,11 on Right side my E2 was only 586 so the Re told me to trigger last night, ONCE AGAIN NOT BAD AT ALL DIDNT HARDLY EVEN FEEL IT. I am scheduled for ER Sat at 8:15 am, so I am little nervous now. I am looking forward to 2 days of NO SHOTS!!!! Then the most dreaded Progesterone starts .
I have to admit though that I think the 2WW is going to be like a mini vacay for me, I have been driving 2/12 hours one way every day for the last 3 days and was every other day before that for over a week, just for about 15 worth of tests, granted it will all be worth it when I get BFP, but as for right now I am looking forward to a break fromm driving back and forth. My DH and I have our own trucking company, so that keeps us busy to boot ready for a little breather.
Just another quick question, RN said that I could have sex after ER? I know there are so many myths and stories, i was wandering what you all had heard or was told on this. RN said no nookie after ET but was ok before.
ANYWAY HERE'S LOTS OF THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR ALL!!!!!!!!

[pep23]

Anna-WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! GROW EMBIES GROW!!! That's great that you had two fertilized eggies!! Best of luck today for ET. It's great you have it on a Friday so you can spend the whole weekend relaxing and letting those embies snuggle in! About the acu, I have yet to go for my first appt. and I initially thought the same thing…do I really need MORE needles?? But the guy I spoke with said that they are very fine, like human hairs and don't feel like needles at all. I found him through my RE. You may want to ask at your clinic because the guy I'm going to specializes in pregnancy and fertility acu. I'll let you know if I like next week after my first session!!!

Mynala-Sending BUCKETS of positive vibes and baby dust your way!!!! Try not to worry about not feeling any different. I have so many girlfriends who had no pg symptoms through their whole nine months. Everybody is different!! When will you hear something from your RE about your numbers? Are you testing again today? Keep us posted….PMA!!!!!

Who is this "Ghost"???....Spooky!!!

Momin waiting- Good luck this weekend!!! I hope you have a great ER with many many ferts!! And thanks for your little pep talk about the shots. I honestly think the unknown is the hardest part. I just want to get that first one over with. So why did you decide to do it in your thigh? I'm not sure where to do mine. I've heard thigh, tummy, butt… And I really hope your 2ww is relaxing and stress free and like you said, a mini vacay. You deserve one of those!! It will be a great way to prepare yourself for that BFP!!! When is your Beta?

TTYL!!

Steph

[WISCONSINGAL]

I DID ANOTHER BLOOD TEST THIS MORNING, AND WILL FIND OUT THE NUMBERS THIS AFTERNOON. I BOOKED AN U/S FOR FEB. 26TH (ANOTHER 2WW).......MAYBE AFTER THAT I'LL BELIEVE IT