Winter 2010-2011 Cycle Board

[anton]

hi everybody

Karcaja-what a wonderfull feeling is to hear your baby's heartbeat!!! ...I really sorry you are going through this I am sure baby B is playing hide and seek and just growing slow...I am sure is a fighter though and you are going to hear his/hers heartbeat next time! how soon can you ask for another u/s?

HopeisallIhave- Iam not an expert on these since I have never got to this stage so far, but 3rd beta looks promising! I hope this is not an ectopic and I am hopping for your beta to reach 1000 by Thurdsay!! Have faith!! ((hugs))

Tiger-Glad you are back on track! Go Tiger! All the best on your HSG and IUI plans! lots of baby dust for you!

Hotgreentea-Iam looking forward to hear your BFP on Thursday!!! BFP! BFP! BFP!

Rypell-Speaking as a self payed lady thank you so much for your offer in meds but I will pass. I dont even know if I am going to be using that med. I will know my meds for this cycle protocol (antagonist) on the 28th. I am sure there must be another self payed lady that needs them.....

LYD10-So funny that you talk to your parts! that is a sign of PMA my friend btw I love the embryo camera idea! I told the same thing to my RE last time I saw him! that would have answered a lot of questions!!

SDTrying-I love your PMA girl! Bravo you brave POAS woman! My opinion, you should do your blood test on the 15dpo (that is when I allways do mine) Didn't your RE give you a beta date?

Margi-I am sure there's something wrong with you and Labs and pharmacies! I just love your countdown plan to Cali! I hope your AF is here allready!!!

Leorira- hey you sexy mama! Woo Hoo!!! on the night show you put up for your DH! ...About the fert report, I dont see any problem with it! everything sounds fine to me! you are much tooooo young to have an egg issue!!!! I'll be 37 in June...in July 2009 I had my first IVF, 16 eggs, 10 ICSI'ed, 8 fertilized, 2 embryos transfered and 2 frozen. Second IVF, 5 eggs, 3 ICSI'ed, 3 fertilized and 2 transfered. Third IVF, 5 eggs, 5 ICSI'ed, 4 fertilized and 3 embryos transfered. Forth IVF, 7 eggs, 6 ICSI'ed, 6 fertilized, and 2 embryos transferred (10 cell and 8 cell) I have asked the doctor why there is so much difference between my first ivf to the fourth ivf? is it because I am getting older? they say that when you pass the age of 35 the quality of your eggs is getting lower...His answer was that within 1 1/2 year's time there cannot be any dramatic difference in the quality. and since from 1st ivf my eggs where doing so good, its impossible for them to got damaged in 1 1/2 year. His explaination was that maybe we have "stressed" out my uterus with all that stiming (4 ivf's in a 1 1/2 year along with the Laparoscopy/hysterosopy). my endometrium is fine thank God!...so far...Nothing to worry about he told me...Of course I am really anxious how this cycle is going to be ...I am going to pray for you to have 2 super blasts that will make it to Sunday!!!

About filling the Sperm Cup...In the clinic where I did my 4 IVF's they have this "special" soundproof room, with a comfortable chair, video tapes, magazines and relaxing music to help the men that go in and do their share of IVF This room communicates with the lab and has this small door, small enough to fill the cup and you put the cup there, close the door/window and the embryologist opens it from the other side, takes the cup and does the mixing (eggs&sperm) so now one sees him wondering aroung with the sperm cup My DH is excited with this play room...can't plame him..They even joke about it with my RE ..."have you seen any good movie today? action? comedy?

Baby dust to you all!!! and lots and lots of BFP's on this board!!!!!!!!
Anton

[anton]

SDTrying-OMG!!!! I really hope this is a BFP!!!!!! like you said, a line is a line allright!! Congratulations!!!!! keep on peeing until it gets darker!!! I am so happy for you and hope this is IT!!!! ((hugs))

anton

[rypell1985]

SD...YAY!!!!!!!! Congrats! Can't wait to hear that super early beta number!!!!!!

Leora...I think that your numbers seems pretty normal. Ichave PCOS and DH is perfect. We got 7 mature, 5 fertilized, 4 continued to grow, and 2 died, leaving me with 2. And I was 24 too!

[rypell1985]

SD....ugh I remember allllll too well. Got my first BFP at 10dpo too! Then 3 negatives I'm between. So cruel. But by 11dpo afternoon, it stuck! If I had the ability to check my blood levels you KNOW I would have! You stuck by me through my crazy ride and I'll be stalking to stick by you too!!!!! I'm pretty freaking excited for you though!!!!

Margi...the dancing will def continue!!!!!

[TammyS]

SD...Yayy! Cant wait to hear your beta number! Congrats girlie!!

Leora...I think it looks very typical and common. You only want 2 blasts anyhow...and so you'll be just fine. Looks perfect to me! I cant believe your dog ate MY cinnamon buns!! lol My clinic does betas at 17dpo also...that's why I always beg for an earlier one.

Samantha and Justsolost...Good Luck today!!! Update us when you can.

Jkulab...I'm saying lots of prayers for your BFP today! What time will your results come in...so I can stalk you?

Ashley...That is terrific that your numbers went up! Woohoo!!! I am still holding out hope and praying for you!!!

Sherry...I cant wait to hear the good news tomorrow! Good Luck! The fertility drugs make me more gassy, too...normal.

Margi...Still dancing! Come on AF! I think I'm losing my glow. Sticks still too light for even the best camera to pick it up. It's not looking good.

Kristin...Hoping and praying that baby B will make an appearance soon. A couple of days can make a huge difference.

Tiger...I am sooo looking forward to your cycle this month...I have a feeling that the hsg will do the trick. IUI is right around the corner again. Yayy!

LYD...Sorry about the side effects. Ugh. Hang in there.

Carol...That comment cracked me up. I would have loved to have seen the look on your son's face. lol

Nwquiz...How are the SnS's going? Update, update! lol

Sunshine...Hope you are doing well.

Lauren...Thanks. It was pretty cool...but it may have been premature.

Ryann..."In true Tammy fashion"...that cracks me up. And, you're right. lol My beta is always 17dpo...and always a week apart, too...which is way too long to wait...which is why I always call and beg for an earlier beta after getting a positive pregnancy test. So when I talked to the nurse a couple of weeks ago...I talked her into Friday at 15dpo...since the lab isn't open on Sunday, which meant waiting till Monday. Well, yesterday..."in true Tammy fashion"...I called and asked for Thursday (14dpo) and a repeat on Sat (16dpo)...since I got a positive on Monday morning. She agreed.

However, I think I'm losing the baby already. I "thought" my pee stick looked darker yesterday...but then after it fully dried...my DH picked the wrong one...when asked which looks darker. I took another look and now it is hard to tell. Monday's does look a liitle darker than Tuesday's now. Then today...same thing...almost identical pee sticks. And, even worse...Monday's pee was the least concentrated, Tues more concentrated, and last night I actually slept and didnt pee for 8 whole hours!!! I havent done that in forever. My symptoms aren't really there anymore either.

My pee sticks are all sooo faint...it was okay on Monday to be that faint...but not okay for today. They are sooo faint that I had to take them out of the plastic and dry them and hold them up to the light. And squint.

When I did this last cycle...my pee sticks looked the same...and my betas were 8 and 3. So, if my pee stick was that light on Monday (and guessing) that my beta would have been an 8 again...then Tuesday it should have been a 12 and today a 16...so I guess there is still hope...but I dont know. That means tomorrow it should be 24...and Sat a 48...but the clinic looks for anything over 100 on day 17...so unless these betas suddenly jump big time...it doesnt look good. I'm feeling pretty hopeless now. I just want to cry.

I just have a "feeling" that it is ending. And, as most of you know...I'm usually right. Please, if you pray...

[jkulab]

hi all!!!! blood test done. now waiting for results. i got a nurse that is notorious for sticking my arm 2-3 times b/c she can't find a vein. i would go into work with bandages on both arms and my co-workers would see and wonder what the heck happened to me?...but this morning, she was perfect. maybe that's a good sign! btw...i hate waiting!!!! i hope this wait is well worth it. how does that heinz ketchup commercial goes? "Good things come to those who wait"...

[jkulab]

lou - i think you should POAS as much as you want. just tell me what brand and i'll buy stock in that company! ha, ha!

tammy - i will keep you in my prayers. i'm hoping for the best outcome for you!

[nwquiz]

quick post. went for sns and follies are waking up slowly. i have 3 measurable at 11.5,11 and 11.8. the rest are still behind taking there sweet time. waiting for the call on estrogen level. this time i insisted on blood work since last cycle they dint do any. oh well noe the wait for e2 level and meds to continue. hope they dont increase coz that is gold to me.
catch up on personals later
Question, i know i should know this by now but every cycle has been so different. what is the average size of follicles after 4days of meds?

[Lauren1171]

Tammy - You usually are right about alot of stuff, but I hope you are completely wrong this time. Some people don't even see a line at this point.

[rypell1985]

Oh Tammy-I DO hate that you seem to be soooo freaking in tune with your body. But remember, your protocal was completely different, so there is a possibility your reactions could be completely different. Keep that PMA up for your little one. I will keep everything crossed for you. Big fat hugs from chi-town!

[lou71]

Tiger -- I think the HSG is a great idea. I credit mine with my BFP because it uncovered problems that I needed a lap surgery to correct. Maybe it will blow open those tubes wide open.... I'm picturing a water slide here...lol. As for IVF vs IUI... that's a tough one. The chances per try are much higher with IVF, but also so is the cost. And I know there's no guarantee IVF would work either. If the HSG is perfect, I think I would do one more IUI before deciding on IVF if possible. There's no reason it shouldn't work for you. You're in my thoughts.

Margi -- AF dancing for you! Gingerly, of course, but doing it nonetheless!

Leora -- 7 growing embies is fantastic! Congratulations! I think your numbers are normal/good for PCOS which I've heard can affect egg quality to some extent. But your yield is really good and I think having 7 right now is really, really good. You know you can get pregnant.... it WILL happen again. No doubt in my mind at all.

hotgreentea -- 1 more day until your BFP. I'm really optimistic for you.

SD -- I'm so excited for your BFP update today! And yes, I do think you've lost your mind. Or at least get the award for the least patience.

Tammy -- What stick are you using that shows a BFP at an hcg level of 8 and 3? You know the dye is different in these sticks... I found that out the hard way and mine were from the same lot. I had a dark one on Sat and a light one on Monday. Both FMU. I took another one Monday evening and it was dark again. All the same lot from the same store. I'm really praying for you here. Think positive... I think there's something to that. Honestly. In my 2ww, I would lay down and imagine my one little 8 celled embie growing and burrowing in. And I got a BFP. Unbelievable. Your "feeling" could very well be wrong my friend. Let's not read too much into sticks and get those blood draws, ok? That's the advice everyone gave me.

jkulab -- Fingers crossed soooo tightly for your BFP today. Ha... I was using New Choice tests from Dollar Tree. But I'm done now.

nwquiz -- After 4 days, my follies are usually in the 10-14 mm range. But I stim relatively quickly... like 7-8 days. I think you're doing great!

Ryann -- Hello twin mama! How have you been feeling? Any morning sickness? Read my AFM section below... ugh!

So sorry to those I missed! I'm at work and had to make this quick.

AFM -- This morning I got up, went into the bathroom, felt fine initially, then proceeded to wretch over the toilet for no less than 20 minutes. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head! My stomach is literally sore now. After it stopped, I felt fine again. So weird. Never had that before. Is that normal? Also, no more spotting.... yay!!! And no more POAS either!

[margi26]

SD: You are a completely impatient MAYOR OF CRAZYTOWN...I totally feel your energy and am so excited for you!! Can't wait for your beta news.....

Tammy: Hang in there. (((HUGS))) As Ryann said, you are totally in tune with your body--which can be a blessing, but also a curse. As much as I love and support the POASing addiction, you know they aren't always reliable. And yes, remember Ryann's?!?! And she had twins cooking in there?!? BFP then BFNs on the stick. I am praying that all is well with your bean(s). Why does this have to be so hard? I am really praying hard for you.

[Tiger04]

LYD – Sorry the progesterone is not being very friendly. I am crossing everything for you that you have that BFP!

Hotgreentea – only one more day! I can’t wait to hear about your beta!

SDtrying – you are so funny! I love POAS addicts! It’s even better that you have access to beta tests…talk about the self-control! So, you decided to skip IUI all together? What was your situation? CONGRATULATIONS!

Margi – I really hate all of these agencies too. My pharmacy has been great, but then this time around, they didn’t call me on Monday when I faxed the prescription. So they called me on Tuesday and I needed the estrodiol by Wednesday…today…was supposed to take it this morning and still don’t have it! It’s getting delivered to my office so now I get to stick some shit up me at work. How pleasant. Ugh. I’m with you.

Leora – you would think, but with using donor sperm, you are doing IUI with frozen sperm, so the count, while mine last cycle was fabulous, if we were using fresh sperm, the counts could be 80 million! So, who the heck knows. How are you doing? That fert report looks totally normal to me. Look what I found:

#3 The doctor retrieved 20 eggs, that means I'll have 20 embryos!

Initially, the eggs obtained are difficult to assess. They are covered with a large number of cells from the follicle. These cells are called cumulus cells. In order to assess the eggs clearly, these cells are stripped off the egg. Now the egg can be clearly assessed. The embryologist may find several characteristics about the eggs. The eggs can be classified as:
• Immature
• Mature
o Normal, healthy appearing
o Abnormal appearing
• Degenerated
• Fractured
Only the healthy appearing, mature eggs will have sperm injected into them. The range of healthy mature eggs can extend from 0-100% with an average around 60%.

Once a sperm has been injected into each healthy mature egg, they are placed into an incubator overnight. The next day, the injected eggs are inspected again under the microscope. The possible things the embryologist may see include:
• An unfertilized egg
• A normally fertilized embryo
• An abnormally fertilized embryo
• Unable to determine
As an average, about 60-70% of the eggs that are injected will become normally fertilized. Only those eggs that are normally fertilized will be placed back into the incubator and cultured in the laboratory. The remainder will of the eggs will be discarded.

#4 I have 10 embryos, that means I will have two for transfer and 8 to freeze!

The fact is that most of the embryos created through in vitro fertilization are of poor reproductive potential. The purpose behind producing a large number of embryos to enhance the ability to select the best embryos for transfer.

We inspect the embryos at two time points only. Two days after the fertilization check (3 days after the sperm was injected) and four days after the fertilization check (5 days after the sperm was injected).

Several things may be seen during the inspection of the embryos:
• An embryo may not have shown any development at all. This is known as cleavage failure.
• The embryo may be dividing, but at a rate that is slow. This is indicative of a poor quality embryo
• The embryo may have been dividing initially, but then stopped dividing at some stage. This is known as embryonic arrest.
• The embryos may have become fragmented as they divided. This is indicative of a poor quality embryo.
• The embryos may have divided at a normal rate but appear to be of poor quality under the microscope.
• The embryo has divided at a normal rate and appears to be of normal quality under the microscope
Remember that our ability to assess an embryo strictly by looking under the microscope is very limited. There are potentially many different types of embryo abnormalities that could interfere with the embryo's ability to produce a live born baby that will not be seen by simply looking at it under the microscope.

However, until we have newer and better tools to help assess an embryo’s potential, the microscope remains out best tool to help us find embryos to transfer. We are going to transfer the most normal looking, best appearing embryos even if the rate of development or the “quality” is not as good as we would like. We will not transfer embryos that, in our opinion, are not viable.

Transferring embryos at the blastocyst stage enhances our ability to assess embryos. This is based on the fact that that only about 30% of embryos, on average, will reach the blastocyst stage. This self selection process enables us to narrow down those embryos with the best viability. This means that if a patient has 10 embryos, on average, we would expect to have two for immediate transfer and ONE embryo to freeze.

We are very selective when picking embryos for cryopreservation. Only well developed, good quality embryos will be cryopreserved. In our experience, choosing lower quality embryos results in poor survival and pregnancy rates.

In the majority of the in vitro fertilization cases that we do, couples will not have any embryos frozen. Those who do have embryos frozen, may only have one or two. It is very rare, in our program, to have a large number of embryos frozen.
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 January 2008 )


Tammy – I know you are the totally expert on this, but I am still going to pray for you. I’m not giving up hope and I know you won’t either.

Jeib – I can’t wait to hear!!!

Lou – thanks for your support! Cant wait for your US!!! Oh my, that’s quite the morning sickness. My friend had really bad morning sickness and she had crackers by the bed and before she got up, she would eat a few crackers.

AFM: nothing new. Just getting excited about the HSG tomorrow!

[wannabeamum]

Quick update my loves 26 eggs for me today
I'm totally knackered I will have to get on
here a bit later to talk properly xxx

Love to you all
Samantha

[jkulab]

i can't bear the silence!!!!!