anyone going for retrieval around july 22 or close???

[RBJean]

Babyloves: Good luck with ER tomorrow! I can't believe how fast that went too. I'm sending lots of egg vibes your way. Don't worry, 7 is great and you never know, they just may find more than that. FYI, careful not to drink too much water for the ER. Last time, I overloaded my bladder until it was shaped like a teardrop. They let me excuse myself to let a little out before the procedure, thank goodness. Other than that, the ER is a breeze! The valium I took just swept all anxiety away and I was totally relaxed.

JHarris: Good luck with your U/S tomorrow - hope things are progressing well.


DCDiva: Welcome! Don't worry - you've still got lots of time for more follies to pop. Things seem to change for me after 7-8 days of stims.


Hoping4Two: I also struggle with constipation and try to regulate myself through diet. Make sure to drink lots of water. Also, there is some new oatmeal and oatmeal bars by Quaker Oats that has 40% of the DRV of fiber in it. It's been helping me a lot! I also go in for US/BW on Wed. (day 6 for me), so we're very close.


Venus25: Your numbers look great! What day of stims are you on? Sounds like you're responding really well.

Emfossum: I agree with you. I'm an information freak so I ask tons of questions. I even asked for a copy of my monitoring summary after my canceled cycle, so that I could compare the numbers with my next cycle. I figure I'm paying lots of money for this stuff so they can placate me a little.

Kim and Elisabeth: Good luck with the follicle growth. Hope things are coming along.

For me, I had my E2 this morning and I'm only at 142, but the nurse said it "looked good" and to keep on the same meds. I'm a little surprised they didn't increase my dose, but I'm a little of a worrywart about the numbers since I had a cycle cancelled once for oversuppression. Next US/BW on Wednesday.

Good night!

[kim14]

Baby - cant wait for an update tommorow. good luck

[babyloves]

Hi ladies!
Thanks so much for wishing me luck tommorrow...i'll let you know how things go.

RBjean: thanks for the advice about not drinking too much...i think the procedure itself is a minor one, but emotionally for us, it's a much bigger deal. I wouldn't get too concerned about a low E2 on your first check...things really progress fast and i'm sure your next number will be higher...mine only went to 1200, and they stopped my stims. I know some people have gotten around 3-4K...I think the higher, the more chances of OHSS.
emfossum: i agree with you, we are paying top dollar for these services, and if something doesn't make sense, i think we should ask...i've had to call my RNs a lot to confirm things to make sure i'm not screwing it up...i'm sure they're used to it. I didn't really know what to ask either until I came to this forum - E2 is estradiol, it goes up with FSH (gonadotropins - gonal F, follistim) as the follies are made.
dcdiva: welcome! 7 follies are great for day 3...i think i have 7 mature ones at the end of stims, but hopefully more will pop up tomm. it also depends of their maturity...after stims, the goal is usu 4-5 mature ones (18-20 mm)..good luck stimming!
venus: sounds like your doing great, girl! grow follies grow..
kim: i only had about 7 days of stims, since this was my first, i guess i responded quickly to the meds. Sometimes, i wonder whether being really off my natural cycle hurts, but i'm trying not to think of that. I went out and got some powerade, and applesauce today , thanks for the advice! will take vicodan as needed...
hoping4two: i like ur username btw! i'm also hoping4 two, since i don't have any yet. things can really change after day 3 - its just the beginning. One of my ovaries did not even respond by day 3. So, hang in there! For the constipation, eat lots of fruits..esp papaya helps.
jharris: nice to read ur posts too..good luck with day 3 tomm.
hopinginpa: where r u from pa...i used to live in philly. good luck with stims
elisabeth: thanks for the well wishes..can't wait to hear about ur apt tomm!
If i missed anyone, sorry. Have a great nite

[rn2005]

hello ladies! mind if I join?! I am on day 3 of stims with ER July 23. I can't wait! This is out first try at IVF so this is new for me. So far I am having horrible lupron headaches and hot flahses! Should I be feeling anything from the stim meds? I am not uncomfortable at all and don't have any pain or bloating. Is it too early maybe? I am glad that I am not uncomfortable, don't get me wrong, I am just scared that nothing is happening and I hear women on here say they are going through certain things! I go in 2 days for my bw and us so hopefully I will have a better idea then, but I know you all are a great resource and I thought I would ask. I am currently on lupron, menopur, and follistim. Good luck to you all!

[hopinginpa]

Welcome RN2005-hope the headaches get better, mine are improving and i have been on lupron for 5 days.

babyloves-I work at Jefferson. I live in the northwest. I am not originally from here just moved here last year for my DH's work. Where did you live?
Good luck today, cant wait to hear your numbers!

[jharris12]

Good morning ladies!!

Babyloves: I am betting you won't get this until after RE, but I can't wait to hear how many beautiful eggs they retrieved!! Sending you good luck wishes!

hopinginpa: Thanks! I'm really not stressing the change much. I was just hoping this time would be a little more consistent. But I have faith in the doctor, and in this cycle. Good luck with your US/BW tomorrow!

dcdiva: E2 is your estrogen level they check with the bloodwork. When I get my instructions for the night, they tell me what that level is. And with the follies, there are 2 nurses in the room, one doing the scan, and the other writing down what she calls out, so I just pay attention to what she alls out! It's probably better NOT to know, one less thing to stress over!

emfossum: The 26th will be here before you know it! Dates will definitely vary depending on how you respond to the meds. But they will be pretty close to the originals, maybe only a day or 2 different though. Good luck!

RBJean: I only had BW done this morning to check my E2. What day of stims are you? Sounds like we are at about the same level. My E2 was 131 day 3 (yesterday) and they only incresed my dosage from 300 to 412, so not much. I'm sure you will be fine at your US/BW tomorrow!

rn2005: Welcome to the boards! Don't be scared, it's still too early to really feel anything. I am on day 4 now and still don't feel much of anything other than a headache! It will take a couple more days of your follies growing before you start getting crampy or sore. Good luck!

To everyone else, hope you are moving right along! Have a great day ladies!

[venus25]

Good luck today babyloves!!!! Happy egg vibes to you!!!

dcdiva - I wouldn't worry too much about not getting the details. I'm sure they will give it to you if you ask. In terms of follie #, size and lining, I get to write the #s on a chart when I go in for the U/S. So the doc reads out the #s and I put it in the chart. When my bloodwork results come in, the nurse gives me a call and lets me know (as well as the protocol with medicine). I agree with the ladies though, the docs know what they're doing so let them go crazy with the #s We've got enough to worry about.

RBJean - no worries on the E2. It really shoots up as you progress with the stim meds. In less than 1 week, I went from 32 to 1710!!!

rn2005 - Welcome to the thread!! Don't worry about the side effects to the meds - especially this early. The symptoms sometimes pick up as you keep taking the meds. In fact, my first IVF, I had practically no side effects - just some bloating towards the end. However, I had plenty of follies growing. This time, I'm experiencing nauseousness, fatigue and bloating but still have follies growing. So I don't think side effects is indicative of whether your body is responding. Hang in there - you'll see the changes on the U/S.

As far as me, my E2 yesterday came back 1710! I go in on Wednesday for another U/S and B/W so we'll see how everything goes. I'm happy with the results so far so I'm excited to see how everything looks tomorrow. Wednesday seems to be the day for u/s and b/w for a lot of us. Yesterday, 2 of my follies were 17 mm, 2 were 12 mm, and the rest were less than 10 mm. So they're growing but not quite there yet. I'm hoping tomorrow will show that the 7 that were less than 10 mm have grown.

Hang in there ladies - we're all getting closer to that BFP!!!!!!!!!!

[kim14]

Sounds like everyone is doing well.

RN - welcome and hang in there - you probbaly wont feel anything till the end - then soem bloating/fullness - nothing too bad - meds make me grumpy We are on same schedule and meds it sounds like. I am waiting for the phone call today too see if they will change my meds. Did my AP today to help with uterine lining and eggs. Well see if it helps... My meds are lower than my first ivf try so im hoping to have less stomach problems after retrieval!

Ladies - how long were you guys off work last time? I took a week with er and et but it was cause of stomach issues. Hoping to work at home mroe this time.

[tortillachip]

Hi Kim,
Yes this is my first time and will have my eggs extracted on July 21st. I'm pretty new to the message boards...I'm so glad I found a website with women going through the same thing I am right now. Just don't mind me if I don't know all the lingo yet. I'm staying positive but realistic at the same time. What a roller coaster we're all going through.

[dcdiva]

Thanks ladies for all the encouragement. I went in today (day 5) and I am still at 7 follies. On was measuring at 15-17 and the rest were around 10. They increased my meds in hopes of getting the other ones to mature at the same time. I can't believe you guys don't have many symptoms! I am way bloated and uncomfortable with a lot of cramping. I also really gassy lol. They are having me come in every day now starting tomorrow for B/W and US. I did have migraines and hot flashes with the lupron but thankfully they went away when I started stims.

RN - welcome to the group. I am also on lupron, menopur and follistim.

[RBJean]

OMG, I'm such a doofus. I just took my vial of Menopur again tonight when I'm only supposed to take it in the am (and I already did today) - along with the 225 units of Follistim I take in the evening . I freaked and paged the doctor to see if I need to cut back on my morning meds due to my stim snafu. He told me it shouldn't make any difference (whew) and just wait until after my U/S tomorrow to make sure my follicles aren't acting crazy, then go ahead and keep taking meds as usual. I felt like such a ditz - I'm usually careful about this stuff in an anal-retentive sort of way. Anyways, I guess I won't have to worry about my E2 being too low as I probably accidentaly (I swear) jacked it up.

RN2005: Welcome! I hope you find this site as helpful as I do. I'm not really feeling much from the stim meds yet (which may change now that I OD'd), so don't worry. I started feeling things more after 8 or 9 days last time.
JHarris: Thanks for the reassurance. Sounds like we are pretty close and I checked my cancelled cycle info, and my E2 was only 52 on day 3 when I was oversuppressed, so I think we're both moving along nicely. Do you have another U/S and BW tomorrow? Let me know how things look ...
Venus: Your numbers look great! With a lead follie of 17, it may be trigger time soon. I bet those 10s all take off too. You're getting close to trigger!
Kim: Last cycle I went back to work the day after ER and felt pretty good. I took 3 days off after ET for bedrest, but that was it. I'd love to take more time, but it's hard to manage with my job. The upside is, I think I'd end up in the loony bin if I was home during the 2WW. I need distractions during all this.
Tortillachip: Welcome! Don't worry - you'll catch on quick with the lingo. Look on the General Forum on one of the "sticky threads" right at the top - they spell out all the abbreviations. I'm sure you'll have it all mastered before ER and ET and be well in the know by the time you're PUPO during your 2WW - all while maintaining a great PMA (that's a test, ha ha).
Hoping: Good luck at your US tomorrow. Bloating and cramping are very common, so I'm sure it's just your body responding to the stims!

[jharris12]

Hey ladies. Hope you had a great day!!

venus: Wow!! Way to go on the E2! Looks like those follies are growing nicely! Can't wait to hear how it goes tomorrow!

kim14: I took off the day of ER, but I was back to work the next day. Then I got lucky and my ET was on Saturday, so I only took off Monday and back to work Tuesday. I wish I could take off a week! Good luck!

tortillachip: Welcome to the board! Hopefully we can help you through your 1st cycle!!

dcdiva: I hate you are bloated and uncomfortable. I hope you start feeling better. It should be over soon with the way your follies are growing!

RBJean: I'm glad the doctor said you will be okay! Sounds like we are both doing better this cycle! Good luck!

I went in for BW this morning, my E2 is now 316!! So I keep my meds the same and go back in tomorrow for BW & US again. Things are looking better than pretty good! Hope you are all doing good, too!

[kim14]

Have we heard from baby??? Still waiting for update!

I am a slow starter just like last time. On day 3 last time they doubled my meds. This time they started higher but on day 3 (yesterday)they went up to the same level as last time. Not too worried since i had 23 eggs last time. They were trying to get less this time. They told me no one needs 23 eggs and my levels were really high which is why i was so sick! However, I seem to be on the same course as last time so well see.

sounds like everyone is doing pretty good. I will say that if anyone has to go through this again it is so much less stressful and easier the 2nd time. Just knowing what to expect is a huge relief! Hang in there

[elisabethski73]

Hey Ladies,

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. It was a busy day with work and I had an evening meeting as well. I hope everyone is getting good news and feeling great today.

Yesterday I went in and they saw tons of follies on each side. The doctor seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, so they only measured out 9 on each side, but stated that there were more like 14-15 on each ovary. Most are hovering around 10 and my E2 level is still really low, so we all expect me to stim for another 6 days or so. They did this last time...kept things very low and slow, so I guess I should not worry. To date, there have been no changes in my meds. I'm on extremely low doses of everything.

DCDiva: I forgot to ask how you like Dominion Fertility? I hear all of their adds, but don't know anyone who has used them. I hope you are feeling a bit less bloated. Try drinking some gatorade or a drink with electrolytes to see if that helps. Usually this is recommended if you start hyperstimulating, but I've been drinking gaterade the entire cycle and feel less bloated than I did the first go around.

Jharris and Venus: It looks like everything is going great for you two with your eggs and E2 levels. Lots of babydust to you!!

RBJean: I'm happy that the doctor doesn't think it will matter. I know how stressful that must have been for you as I did something very similar last cycle. I ran out of syringes for my lupron and ended up using a different type of syringe with different values on it and gave myself WAY too much! I also felt like a complete idiot when I had to call in and tell them. But, just one mistake didn't make a difference, so hopefully, it won't matter for you either! It is just really embarrassing!!

RN2005: I'm happy to hear that the stims are not making you uncomfortable or crazy! I start to feel ovary discomfort around day 8-9 as everything gets much larger and because I usually produce a lot of eggs. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing the entire way for you!

Tortillachip: Welcome!!! This is a great resource to feel like you are not alone out there! And, although no one here is a RE, it seems like I've gotten great info on here. I'm very glad we are all here for each other!

Now I have 2 questions for the group:

1) For those getting accupuncture, how often are you going?
2) This is a personal one, so please don't feel obligated to answer, but my DH and I's sex life has gone WAY down hill since we started all of this ART. Any one else experiencing a sexual decline?? It began for us after our first IVF cycle began and never really picked up after our m/c and into this cycle.

Thanks, Ladies! Hope I didn't miss anyone and hope everyone has a great day!

Elisabeth

[venus25]

Hi ladies! I hope you are all doing well on this rollarcoaster.

I just had my u/s this morning. I'm waiting for my b/w results. The u/s went well. I am on day 9 of stimming. My lining was 8.8. There were 13 follies - all over 10 mm (yeah -so my 7 little ones got growing). There is one around 21-22 mm but the docs think that might be a cyst created from the first IVF. The others range from 14 mm to 18 mm so I'm so close to trigger!!! The doc who did the u/s anticipates one more day of meds and then trigger. So my ER will likely be Saturday (Sunday at the latest) - yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! This means I don't have to take off from work so no red flags will go up! Yippee! Plus, I'm anxious to get the retrieval done b/c I want to hear that the beginning of children for DH and I exist!! Sounds silly I know...

RBJean - no worries on the dosage error. I'm sure it happens quite frequently. After all, we're not doctors and this stuff is way outside our comfort zone!! I'm happy to hear that the doc said it's not a problem. Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm sure all is going to work out well for you!!

Kim - Great job with 23 eggs! That's fantastic! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you don't get sick this time. I agree with you that it is easier going through IVF the second time. I would rather have been successful the first time and I wish all those first timers are successful. However, I'm a lot less stressed and obsessed about the details as I was last time. However, I have not gotten to the part that I found the most stressful last time - the time between retrieval and transfer. I know that sounds crazy b/c the 2ww is pretty agonizing but I was so stressed waiting to hear how many eggs were mature, how many fertilized, how many have divided, what stage/grade they were at, how many were left, when would the transfer be, how many will make it transfer, etc. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time! So I'm trying to prepare myself for that (which will be next week) so I can be much calmer. I was so freaked out I made my poor DH answer the phone anytime the embryologist call b/c I just couldn't bear to hear the news........ I would watch my DH's face to see whether it was good or bad. I'm hoping to be much stronger this time

In terms of time off, last time I just took the day of ER and ET off. I did not take any other time off from work. I was a little uncomfortable the day after ER but fine to work. This time it looks like I won't have to take any time off for ER. For the ET I will take off just that day.

Babyloves - How did ER go?

JHarris - It sounds like your responding quite well with the meds!! That's fabulous news!!! Keep up the good work

Elisabethski73 - 14-15 follies on each ovary - wow! What a great # of follies No worries on the E2 - that will rise shortly. It's good that they keep you on low doses - this way everything grows gradually together (instead of shocking the system) and they can monitor you closely. As far as AP, I go once a week. However, I will go 3x between ER and ET. Let's hope it works! In terms of decrease in sex life, it's b/c of the emotional rollarcoaster, stress, and likely stringent babydancing schedule you've been on. Going through infertilty and the treatments is tough and it can make sex look more like a chore than a fun activity (although we all know it's a fun activity ). Just talk with your DH and keep everything on the table - you will work through this and be swinging from the chandeliers again before you know it.