FEB / MARCH 2011 Cycle Buddies!! can't wait!

[WeHaveHope]

Elcope, I know this is not what you expected but how exciting. YouR embabies are going to go back where they belong. I am so excited for you. It is ok to be nervous but know that we are all here for you. I will say a special prayer for you today. Hopefuly, I will follow soon behind. Sending you some special sticky baby dust to keep those embabies healthy and growing.

[BlissfulCS]

Good afternoon! Retrieval was pretty good, 14 eggs. I will find out how many fertilized tomorrow. I am pretty excited because last time I had 12 eggs, 9 were mature, and 8 fertilized. Hopefully we will see those kind of numbers here, or even better since the RE put me on the antagonist cycle to try to push me a little farther. I am just thrilled though because I expected around 9 or 10 from all our previous ultrasounds. We are off to a very good start. Some cramping and definitely still feeling the meds, but seem to be in pretty good shape.

tohavefun- congrats on great numbers! Did you do ICSI?

cwehrs- no worries! Do whatever you need to do to distract yourself, but I have a great feeling you will be transferring a beautiful embie soon.

Wehavehope- so glad to hear you are improving! Great choice on the ticker. Its adorable! Welcome to the club.

elcope- your comment about the speculum in the nostril made me laugh out loud at the REs office when I read it on my phone. I think I remember telling the RE about it while I was under anesthesia today, and as far as I can remember he thought it was pretty hilarious too. You have a terrific sense of humor.

crissylove- not needing a Beta is really great news but it would make me a little bonkers. We will be anxiously awaiting your u/s. Thanks for asking about me.

indigofire- As the others stated, it is still very possible that you will have a good Beta, but I am very very sorry that you are frustrated and hurting right not. Blessings and BIG HUGS to you.

Blair- I learned the rest of my plan today. Beta will be on 3/14 with a second Beta on 3/16. Tansfer is still 3/5. Thanks for sending me happy thoughts today. It worked!

I am off to sleep- again. I love slightly medicated sleeps, I sleep so deeply. Slept all the way home from the clinic, just hit the couch and plan on going back to dreamland now.

[BlissfulCS]

Erin- CONGRATS ON GETTING TO TRANSFER (albeit not as expected)! Can't wait to hear official news that you are PUPO. All my best.

Cwehrs- So excited for you tomorrow!!!

AFM- tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 35. I wonder which bracket that will put me in for the REs success rate reporting??? Does my success rate decline at midnight tonigt? Lol. A bunch of beautiful embies will be an AWESOME birthday gift and all I need this year.

[to_have_fun08]

blissful - Congrats on a great retrieval 14 eggs is good. FX'd for a great fert report. Happy Birthday also!!! Yes we did do ICSI. For my clinic they do ICSI for almost everyone, unless someone specifically says they don't want it. Thankfully, DH's swimmers have always pulled through for us. On 2 of our cycles we only got 2 embryo's and both times we had 100% fertilization.

Wehavehope - i like your ticker and thanks for all the baby dust.

crissy - I can't believe they aren't doing another beta. Most clinics do a 2nd just to make sure that it rises correctly. You could always demand one. Someone also posted on the Winter cycle board and link that you can order your own beta test down at a Lab Corp if you have one close to you.

Elcope - Congrats on your transfer. Visualize those embies snuggling in.

[MamaBoo]

Happy Bday Blissful. I will be 35 on March 29

[WeHaveHope]

Ok, just got the call from my RE. Fertilization report is as follows;
* 6 embabies have been placed on ice.
* 1 of those 6 wasa grade 3AB. I don't even know what that means??? But the dr seemed happy.
* 12 more embabies being allowed to mature further and we should know more tomorrow.
So, thus far they have all made it. My RE said that it is not likely that all of the remaining 12 will be good enough quality to cryo but he felt confident that maybe one of the remaining might be even a better quality than the best one we have now. He said that he is very happy. Not as happy as we are!!! 

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. I have not left the toilet all day today. I weighed myself and I have lost 3.6 pounds since I weighed myself this morning. I think I am on my way to feeling myself again.

Hugs to all.

[WeHaveHope]

Ok, so I am on a crazy rollercoaster. I know I am doing this to myself as many of us insist in doing. So, of course after receiving the fertilization report today, I got on the Internet and tried to figure out what in the world is a 5 day blast that has been graded a 3AB. I am still quite confused. On some sites it says that 1 is the best but then on other sites it says that 6 is the best. Then I can't even pretend to understand the letters but I am not sure if AB is good. Honestly, I dont know if 3AB is good, excellent, or just ok.

I am soooo confused, please help.

[elcope]

So I just got back from my ET!

I was sooooo anxious, nervous, you name it - I almost wet myself! Didn't help I had to have a full bladder, to boot!

Ultra sound came back great, too - no extra fluid build-up...which I honestly, almost felt better immediately after the RN told me that (still had to drive home with my pants unbuttoned - what a sight!).

As for the transfer? It went perfectly - one embryo is "picture perfect" according to the doctor - the other is just okay, but she feels that being "home" where it belongs, is definitely where it needed to be. Transfer wasn't uncomfortable at all - my normal RN had said that ET was worse than an IUI...but I definitely felt this was so much better than my past 3 IUI's. Speculum was the worst part, and well, I'll take that any day over having needles shoved where they don't belong (and in my book, anywhere on my body is where they don't belong!).

Anyhow - blood work follow-up appointment is scheduled for Saturday, 3/12. I'm going to try my best to not POAS in the meantime...but we've all been there, done that before - and it might not be as easy as I think it will.

WeHaveHope: Great news on your fert. report! Those are fab numbers - and I have no idea what 3AB means, either! If you find out, please do share and let us know! And also great news about the 3.6 lbs.!!! Oh that sounds like heaven! I'm sending happy thoughts your way! Does this mean ET is on Friday, 3/4 for you?

Blissful: Happy, happy, happy birthday! My 35th is on 5/1 - and I've often joked about the same thing and whether or not my stats change at midnight the night before. Ha! And congrats on the great ER numbers! Nothing but good news tomorrow, in your fert. report - fingers crossed! And I'm glad I could make you laugh! Just think, if all of us here stuck one speculum up an RN's nose...nah, that's just a bad joke, waiting to happen.

ToHaveFun: Love the thought of them snuggling in. Thanks for the happy thoughts - I'm sending some your way, as well!

Okay, I'm off to go kick up my feet (I know it's not necessary, but why not take advantage of the good excuse?). I'll be checking in here often, so everyone needs to keep posting updates.

- Erin

[blairwh58]

Wehavehope- Stay positive 3AB sounds great to me. Ive been told that different clinics use different grading systems for embryos. If they said its great I would trust that they know what they are doing. Keep your head up!! I know that the letters stand for the different parts of the embryo. Check out this site: http://www.sharedjourney.com/articles/Time.html

LYD10- Congrats on the beta doubling!!!! 54 sounds good to me. Looks like you just had a late implanter so enjoy being Pregoo!!!

Indigo/Zdia- Good luck tomorrow. Strong beta vibes going your way!! Keep us posted once you get the results!!

Cwehrs- Good luck tomorrow. Cannot wait to add you to the 2ww list!! So excited that you get to start being PUPO tomorrow. Keep us posted on how everything goes.

Elcope- Even though you weren’t expecting it so soon congrats on being PUPO!!! And with 2 embryos I am sure you will end up with a BFP very soon!! Good luck in the 2ww and keep us posted when you decide to POAS. I hope you can continue the great results we have had so far.

Blissful- Happy Early Birthday!!! Sounds like the ER went beyond great and you are definitely going to be bringing home your little one soon.

Jcoope28- I think we have some variety from all over. I myself am in the US, more specifically Kentucky. I have been on Lupron quite a few times and haven’t experienced too much other than the occasional headaches. But yes- the Delestrogen and PIO needles are huge. I ended up switching to smaller 1 inch needles because it hurt too much with the 1 ½ inch since I am smaller. I used to have DH do my IM injections but since he wasn’t always around Ive started doing them on my own. Even though it took a good 20 minutes staring in the mirror crying, it does hurt a LOT less when I do it compared to DH (and hes an MD). Best of luck to you.

Nicnad- I think its much better to stick with a positive attitude. You need to send positive vibes to that embryo once its in there to encourage it to stick. Hopefully AF comes soon and you can get things going.

Crissylove- Im such a baby I would have demanded another beta. I guess with my history of bad luck I just feel its necessary. I had a beta of 32…then 8 the first IVF, then with the last FET I had 314…then 944….and still no baby for me. I am so anxious for your ultrasound- cant wait to hear the good news!!!

Let me know if I missed anyone or if dates need to be changed. Good luck to all!!! Cant wait to join in on the PUPO side. Had acupuncture today and cant wait until next week- so relaxing!!
___________________________________________________________

The LIST

-jmbella: Waiting for AF, BCP for 21 days then injections
-Nicnad1: Natural FET in 3rd wk of March




-Tina-Marie: ER in March
-JenMink55: ET/ER in April/May
-Blairwh58: Start Lupron 3/6 & ER/ET late March
-Shaymama: ET/ER late March
-Akdelp: ER/ET Late March/Early April
-Happy123: ER/ET March
-gracefullyservinghim: donor IVF in Mexico, leaving March 7


-Katieb1231: FET 3/17
-wehavehope: ER 2/23- 18/19 fertilized, FET 3/23



-Mamaboo: Lupron 2/5, ET 3/11
-Addy: Lupron 2/23, “Big Meds” – 3/5, ER/ET Late March
Jcoope28: Lupron 2/27, ET 3/23




-Cwehrs: 8 Follies!!! ER 2/24, ET 3/1
-To_have_fun: ER 2/26, 13 fertilized embryos!!, ET 3/3
-Blissful: ER 2/28- 14 eggs!, ET 3/5….first beta 3/14


-indigofire: ER 2/12, ET 2/15, beta 3/1
-Zdia- FET 2/15, beta 3/1
-ckret01: ER 2/15, ET 2/18, beta 3/3
-Kyleen81: Natural FET 2/21
-elcope: ER 2/24, ET 2/28, beta 3/12




-SD Trying: ER 2/6, 5dET 2/11. Beta- 10pt= 18, Beta 2/22= 497
-Crissylove: ER- 2/10, ET 2/15, BFP @ 6dp5dt, Beta 2/24= 178
-Trying4second: 3dET 2/11, Beta 2/24= 336
-LYD10: ER 2/10, Beta 2/24 = 20, Beta 2/28= 54

[BlissfulCS]

Wehavehope- here is another link I have seen that I really liked. Blast grading is different than 3 day grading, plus you are right, different clinics use different systems. This one is supposedly the most common. I think the 3 at this point basically just indicates what stage the embryo is in, and it could/should increase to a 5 or 6 if I understand the process correctly. Check this out.

http://www.advancedfertility.com/blastocystimages.htm

Erin- official congrats on being PUPO!

Blair- I live in Michigan now, but grew up in Kentucky. I am and always will be an E'town girl at heart. (I think I may have even mentioned this before). Gotta ask...Cats or Cards? I went to UK so it is BIG BLUE all the way for me. I'm with you on the injections. I let DH do an HCG trigger in the first IVF and I will never let him do it again. I like to be in control!

[blairwh58]

Blissful- Go Cats!!! Even though I was born and raised in Louisville I wouldn't be caught dead in a red shirt. And having control of the injections makes it hurt less...not to mention I am a control freak anyway.

[BlissfulCS]

Blair- I knew it! I felt like you were a kindred spirit from the get go.
C-A-T-S, Cats, Cats, Cats!

Sorry everyone else- but we Kentucky girls love our college basketball. And even if we didn't, you can't escape it there.

[blairwh58]

Blissful- yes I knew we had some underlying tie that bound us. I'm hoping to be preggo and watching the cats in the finals this year....hah, ok so its very very unlikely but we can dream right.

[BlissfulCS]

It may be unlikely that the Cats win the championship... But it is HIGHLY likely we will be knocked up.

[sweetmomi]

wehavehope, that is the same link I was going to give - http://www.advancedfertility.com/blastocystimages.htm

The way my dr and embryologist explained to me is that my embies were initially grade 5 which is top grade excellent at their clinic, at 2-3 day stage. Once they are blasts, they grade them similarly to the link. I had a 4ab and 3ab transferred and was told they are excellent. This grading is just how much they are developed, and whether the baby and placenta are there. That's what they said, and this link backs that up with more info. I was confused at first, and said well they were grade 5 the other day, what happened? they explained that the ratings for blasts are different and only grade 5 if they are hatching which mine were not quite there. They said it is just developmetn stage.