Winter 2010-2011 Cycle Board

[riogirl71]

CJinNC - I hope this cycle brings you the BFP!


Dahlias - Thank you for explaining it. The only way DH and I can have kids is IVF with ICSI, his chemo in 199 killed his motility and morphology, luckily he had just enough sperm to fertilize my eggs. I am glad that your DH is open to DS, some men are not, that speaks volumes of your DH.

Hope is all I have - how cool for the eclipse! I missed it. Scary to think we are in that bracket where you spent so much money on IVF you actually get money back. We are there too. 2 IVFs this year and my husband had his face torn by a dog so he needed reconstructive surgery . So yep, we are on the over 7.5% this year, unfortunately!

Margi 8dpo right? POAS today? So you are a shrink, do your co-workers know of your secret identity as mayor of Crazytown, hummmmmmmm I knew you were a smart cookie!

Bakers - I am glad to hear your mom is out of the hospital, my DH loves shooting clay pigeons too! I am not sure when I am telling people. I am still terrified at 8.5 weeks, having just lost a twin. I think I might do it after the Nuchal test at 13 weeks. If you have a small group that has been supportive, I think it is ok to tell sooner.

Thinking about Bakers question, I was told of 3 women being pregnant today. One, the one who told me herself is 9 weeks pregnant and telling everyone. WOW. I wish I was that confident and that calm that everything is well to go tell everybody. I smiled and was happy for them, two were oooops, wich still stings when someone says "they didn't really want to get pregnant." I think as IVFrs it is hard to relax and tell people and be confident because we know so much about what happens and what can go wrong.

I have my US tomorrow at 1 p.m. and praying so hard things are well and bean is healthy, I am terrified and soooo scared.

[CJinNC]

Riogirl... time will go by quickly and you will be ready to scream to the world after the first of the year! Very exciting!

[nwquiz]

Rio- the ultrasound will be fine and that baby will still be ther. take a break and relax alittle.
Txcplforivf- sorry for the loss of those embies. Just rememeber those in you are safe and snuggling tight in there.
Bakersbaby- girl sneak one for the girls here. Hasn't margy taught you right. come on now i know you want to.
Cjinnc- All the best wtih this cycle.
as for me i had my iui this morning. so the 2ww starts now =.

[BakersBaby]

Rio- the ultrasound will be fine and that baby will still be ther. take a break and relax alittle.
Txcplforivf- sorry for the loss of those embies. Just rememeber those in you are safe and snuggling tight in there.
Bakersbaby- girl sneak one for the girls here. Hasn't margy taught you right. come on now i know you want to.
Cjinnc- All the best wtih this cycle.
as for me i had my iui this morning. so the 2ww starts now =.

Good luck with the 2WW! It has drug by for me. It's funny...the day of our ET I was like, "it will go so fast." WRONG! I tend to obcess over life, so no wonder. Hope yours flies by. The holidays have to help us both!

[Tiger04]

Riogirl – I can’t wait to hear how wonderful it is for you to see your sweet pea during your u/s. I know that everything is going to be perfect. Lots of good questions and I am happy to oblige. An IUI isn’t actually that expensive. I am totally self pay, so for the u/s and the actual IUI procedure (2 days in a row) it costs about $800. The expensive part is the actual sperm since I am using DS. It’s $535 per vial, and then shipping, so it’s $1400 per time in sperm. So, per time it’s about $2200, clearly a lot less than IVF, but since it takes usually more than one time, it can add up! I also am using drugs, something like clomid that is $25 per time and then a HCG trigger shot, which is about another $25, so about $50 in meds. I’ve spent about $7000 on IUI’s now, so I am really starting to second guess my decision. My RE really pushed when I was going through IVF for us to have Donor Sperm ready as a back up. I was so intent on this working and the Dr’s finding sperm from DH that I refused to even go there. Now, with all the money we have spent on IUI and half of an IVF, it would have been better to have back up sperm so that they could have completed the IVF round back in Jan 2010. But, such is life. There are a few good sperm banks in the US. One is CryoBank, another is California CryoBank, and there’s another one out east. We looked at all of them, but mostly to find the right donor. We are using California CryoBank. If you’re curious, you can go to their website and see how you search for donors. It’s pretty straight forward, lots of searching and downloading additional medical information, childhood photos, family history. We are happy with our match, same features as DH and from the information a similar personality. They are screened rigorously. STD testing, CMV tested, etc.

Heather – I’m glad your flu is gone! Only a few more days until your Beta!!!

Kelly – Glad to hear that your mother is out of the hospital. And glad those shots aren’t too bad! I hear that putting a warm towel on afterwards helps. I have thought about the whole telling people a lot. I must say, I’m torn, so not a lot of help, but hopefully I’ll be pregnant soon and need to decide as well! I think we would tell a small group right away and then wait until 12 weeks to tell everyone else. But, who knows! I could change my mind! All I know is that you ladies will be the 2nd people to know 

HopeIsAll – congratulations on your Baby In a Box!

SDtrying – I agree. Isn’t it crazy how much our life-plans change because of Infertility? I wanted a big family as well and now I’m just hoping for one!!

Dahlias – You are my long lost sister! That is exactly the diagnosis of my husband! We have been through genetic testing, Y chromosome testing, some other testing and everything comes back normal, but non-obstructive azoospermia. DH had one biopsy in April 2009 in which they found sperm. We had that tissue frozen and were hoping that when we went through IVF and thawed that sample that the sperm would be good and we could ICSI the eggs. Unfortunately, the sperm didn’t make it through the thaw and so they did a TESA the day of my expected ER and didn’t find sperm that time, so we were zero for 2. We scraped the whole IVF and went to Donor sperm and now I’m doing Donor sperm with IUI. Would love to know more about your situation as it’s so very rare to find someone going through exactly what we are going through! I’m in shock right now!

CJin – welcome!

AFM: nothing new here! Just did massive amounts of wrapping last night and have church choir tonight for the Christmas Eve service...it's my favorite time to sing! Lots of love to all of you!

[katieb1231]

Kelly - we told our core group mostly because they new we were using ART to achieve pregnancy but the support I get when things go not exactly as we had planned they are there with hugs & support. General population that includes not core group of friends too we will wait until 12 weeks for sure. But I think each person is different and you have to decide what is best for you & DH. I agree with you tho I want to scream it from the mountain tops & just feel the joy that other women feel when they find out they are preggers!

Rio - Ultrasound tomorrow! I told you could make it - can't wait to hear your update that your little bean is perfect

AFM - I am going crazy with waiting until Friday for my beta - RE said I could go tomorrow but I am scared numbers won't be high enough so I am waiting it out - I am almost there! Still POAS everyday gives me comfort to know it is still positive and just praying that the beta is the same and a high number. Lots of sticky baby dust ladies - have a great night

[anacris]

Rio I am praying for you tonight, and hoping you see a super healthy little bean tomorrow...

[margi26]

Sorry for a short post--work is always crazy this time of year (unfortunately) as I deal with kids exposed to trauma/violence. I am feeling exhausted as I try to deal with all that and get some children sponsored for the holidays so they aren't left out. And, as the Jewish one on the team, I get to cover the Christmas holiday time, which is always extra horrible for some sad reason.

I will catch up better tomorrow--I promise...

Carol--Have to give you a quick welcome shout-out. I plan to make this work with my dinosaur eggs, so yours should be fine as well!!! Just need ONE good egg...I keep saying it...and believe me... I tried to convince my RE/nurses to let me drop 20 as well. LOL. We'll have to compare notes when I am not so tired.


Nwquiz: Congratulations!!! You are

Annashope: Wishing you a great beta rise tomorrow! And maybe you'll get a peek at your bean, but it is so early so keep expectations appropriate so you don't make yourself worry. Rest up my dear--your body needs it! You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Rio: Wishing you a wonderful and reassuring u/s tomorrow. Did you tell us what time it is? Darn you at that Pacific time thing--makes me have to wait so much longer in the day! And yes, it is all about me. LOL. Only kidding. It is All about You. And your little bean. I will be with you in spirit. Prayers tonight for you.


AFM: Just normal, Mayor of Crazytown behavior is all. Nothing more. Nothing less. If someone would just..

[x0Heather0x]

Rio- praying for you tomorrow girl! Everything is going to be just fine!!

afm- still poas.. still faint. but I have a question. when you are cycling, When does your temp go back up???

[justsolost]

Hi ladies...I'm going to take a bold leap of faith and jump in here. It's almost like playing double dutch and trying to figure out the right time to jump in. I'm sooo nervous. Be gentle. This is my first and LAST IVF procedure as I WILL be getting a BIG, beautiful BFP whenever this process happens.
I am currently on day 3 of AF's visit and started my 2nd pack of BCP's this evening. I am expecting my protocol to arrive in the mail anyday now since my RE's office is closed until next year and that's how they said I'd receive it. I'll start injections in January and will have my transfer in February.
I have been following this board from the Fall cycle to the one's that are now officially pregnant. I have cried with you guys for both the BFNs and BFPs along with all the other drama that life has thrown your way and I have to admit, you ladies rock!! I will be honest, I'm a huge chicken and I'm afraid of everything, that includes this process. But, I draw my strength from you guys and your experiences are embedded in my head when I go to the RE. So, with all that being said, I look forward to walking this wonderful journey with everyone and just think, we're all in this together. We can tell our kids about these relationships that we're forming on this board. I don't know about some of you guys, but for me, this is the only support I have.
I pray that all turns out well for everyone so Leorira if you would be so kind to add me to the list, I promise to behave.

[justsolost]

justsolost--- welcome, welcome, welcome! Your first IVF procedure can be a bit overwhelming, but well worth it for the BFP that will be waiting for you after your 2WW. So question here's a question for you, are you gonna be a part of the POAS-aholic group or are you gonna be one of those stoic hold-outs until the big beta day types. Inquiring minds want to know?

I'm a total junkie and always lookin' for some junkie friends ;0) regardless, welcome! May I be the first to say--- baby dust to you, my dear!!! And welcome to the family!!! Hopefully Margie will have a nice blinkie to welcome you and I'm sure Leora will take good care of you as you work your way down the list toward your BFP!

Hi hi hi!!! Ooh, a blinkie, that sounds so cool.
As for POAS, you might need to come up with another acroynm for me. Something like PIAC (peeing in a cup). Whatever it takes to get my 2 lines!! I'll just let the test sit there in the cup and saturate if it has to. Oh my, hopefully that wasn't TMI.

[leorira11]

Katie - thanks for your offer to write a letter for me - several people on here have offered! I appreciate all the thoughtfullness (and that you would do that for a stranger), but I don't think we'll need it (besides, any letter would have to be written in HEBREW (since I live in Israel), so I doubt you'd be able to!).

Heather - yay for cheapie pregnancy tests. We can all obsess and not waste too much money! As for coming to Israel, flights cost about $1000, and as for hotels, etc - depends on where you stay. There are 5 star hotels that will cost hundreds of dollars per night as well as hostels that will cost $50 (but dormitory style sleeping arrangements). Obviously, there is a wide range in between. Compared to American prices (I used to live in NYC), restaurant/attractions are pretty cheap. A nice meal at a nice restaurant will cost about $40 per person. There is LOTS to do and see in Israel. Religious site (Jewish, Christian & Muslim), archeological digs, beautiful beaches, great hiking, etc. Come visit!

Tiger - I agree with you. If 2 years ago, she would have asked me to donate eggs I would have freaked out! How can I imagine my genetic children walking around the world and I'm not their mother. Too weird. But now, if there is ANYTHING I can do to make her journey easier, I will.

Rio - My husband keeps suggesting donor sperm.... I'm not sure how I feel about it. We have an appt with the RE on Monday, so I think I will ask how the system here works. Maybe we'll do a cycle or two with donor sperm (probably IUI, not IVF), and see if it works. Maybe I'm willing to do it and "look for a sign", if you know what I mean. I'm not 100% behind the idea.... but then again, things aren't working out for us so well as is.... Embryo adoption feels more 'right'. I don't mind raising kids that aren't genetically ours (ie, embryo donor, adoption), but a baby that is 1/2 mine and NOT 1/2 his seems weird. Wait time on adoption here is about 6 years, but we may get pushed up to the front of the list, since we are young and waiting for our first child. We can adopt a baby in America, but only if we move back to America, which is just so hard. Our jobs, our friends, our house, our car, etc - everything is here! We did the transAtlantic move once, I'd rather not do it again!

Ginger - I'm sorry you didn't get any frosties. Hopefully those embryos are snuggling in and you won't have to worry about another cycle for at least a year!

Kelly (BakersBaby) - You are quite welcome! I don't mind at all... I just hope that I'm long gone by the time we have a Spring board - so someone else gets the honor of being listmistress! I hope your mom is doing okay. As for when to tell people - I've had to "untell" people and it sucks. It sucks no matter when you do it. With my twins, we waited until 14 weeks to tell everyone (told our parents at about 8 weeks). The next time around, I wanted to tell earlier - so I did. As soon as we saw the heartbeat at 6 weeks. Then I had to "untell" again. My view on this is - I'm going to want people to know if I miscarry. I'm very open about these things and I'll need the support if I do miscarry. So once I know I'll tell people if I miscarry, why not tell everyone super early? Instead of waiting and having only bad news if I miscarry, why not tell good news when I have it? People think that's weird (and it's really "not done' in my religious circle), but who cares? I've been through enough that I have to do what is best for me.

SD - I'm originally from Pittsburgh, PA - lived 5 years in NYC and now I live in Jerusalem Israel - weird no? It's quite far away from my family, but I love it! My DH always wanted like 6 kids.... that'll never happen now. Oh well....

Dahlia - my husband has "near azoospermia". There are sperm in his ejaculate, but very very few (hundreds instead of millions). His hormone levels are all good too. He was tested for blockages (ie, ultrasounds of his "boys", etc) as well as genetic problems that can cause azoospermia (chromosome Y micro-deletions, XYY, etc). He is totally normal. We have no answers. How do you feel about donor sperm? I'm not sure I like the idea, although David is all for it. For me, it would be weird to have a baby that is 1/2 genetically mine, but not 1/2 genetically his. I think I prefer a child that is genetically neither.

CJ - try to stay positive! "dinosaur eggs" hee hee - what if you give birth to an actual dinosaur?

nwquiz - moved you down to PUPO! Congrats! Do you plan on POAS? We are quite the pushy group here!

Tiger - and Dahlia - my husband keeps bringing up the donor sperm issue. I'm really not so sure how I feel about it. Any advice?

JustSoLost - WELCOME! You do just have to jump in. Good luck and I like your attitude! (are you okay with sharing your first name? or a nickname?) I also use those stupid strips that you don't pee ON, you pee in a cup and stick the stick in.... but I still call it POAS!

AFM - as I mentioned under Dahlia and Tiger - my husband is really pushing me to consider donor sperm. I'm really unsure. he wants to make a compromise, like we'll try 2 IUIs with donor sperm, and if it doesn't work, we'll take that as a sign that we should do IVF/ICSI with his again. Our appt with the RE is Monday - so we'll ask how the donor sperm thing works (since my clinic does ONLY IVF, I'm not sure how we change our governmental insurance approval to IUI or where we get donor sperm here). Also going to ask about embryo adoption (which I'm more comfortable with - the baby is genetically neither of ours, instead of 1/2 mine but not 1/2 his).




THE LIST:




-CjofNC – Waiting to do IUI w/ injectables or IVF
-Sweetpea614 (Kat) - starting Lupron 12.23, approx ET 1.12
-HopeIsAllIHave - starting BCP in January
-swaters2815 (Stephanie) - starting mid-January
-Sunshine 12 - start stims end of Dec, ER/ET in mid-Jan
-amanda1979 - waiting for schedule



-leorira11 (Leora, aka me!) - BFN on 12.14, WTF on 12.27, BCP until insurance approval for fresh IVF in January
-lauren1171 - on OCP to plan next cycle
-sunshine.12 - on OCP
- Krisnjer - AF is here! on OCP, Suppression check on 1.19, ER/ET early Feb
-JustSoLost - on OCP - starting in Jan, approx ER/ET in early Feb



-Tiger04 - waiting for AF (due 12.28)
-SDtrying#2 - waiting for AF to start BCP, ER/ET early Feb
-LYD10, waiting for AF, starting Lupron on 1.15 and stims on 1.29
-Kynlee - waiting for Jan AF
- amanda1979 - waiting for AF, ET week of 1.2
- lou71 (Lou) - waiting for AF



-NancyB - FET in January.
-andsahsa - FET, next appt 12.21



-jkulab – start Lupron 12.2, start stims 12.24? - polypectomy on 12.21
-Jayme - start Lupron 12.5, aprox ER 12.18







-kbillsy – start stims 11.22, convert to IUI 12.4, Beta TBD
-margi26 – IUI start stims 12.6, IUI 12.15, beta 12.28
-BakersBaby (Kelly) – start stims 12/3, ER 1.13, ET 12.16, beta 12.30
-kildean23 – FET 12.14, beta 12.27
-x0Heather0x – FET, b/w 12.3, u/s 12.10, FET 12.16, beta 12.28
-ChelleDe (Michelle) – start stims 11.29, ER 12.12, ET 12.17, beta
-Katie1231 - ER 12.08 - ET 12.13 - Beta 12.25 - (POAS 12.18 = BFP!)
-taxcplforivf (Ginger) – start stims 12.4, ER 12.15, ET 12.20, beta 12.29
-kariberri517 - 3dt on 12.10, beta on 12.27 (HPT - BFP! at 8&9dp3dt)
-nwquiz - SnS 12.16, IUI 12.23, beta




-anacris (Nov) – FET 11.29, Beta 12.11 = 444, u/s on 12.28
-rypell1985 (Ryann) – start Lupron 10.11, lining check 11.29, FET 12.3, Beta 12.15 = 275, beta #2 = 824
-annashope – natural IUI 12.2, Beta = 247, Beta#2 = 725


-Krys – started estrogen 11.11, FET 11.30, Beta 12.14- BFN
-TammyS – start Lupron 11.18, start stims 11.19, ER 11.29 w/ ET 12.2, Beta 12.13 = 8.5, chemical
-Cshell717 (Mishell) – start stims 11.22, ER 12.3 w/ ET 12.6, beta 12.20 -BFN

[nwquiz]

Leorira- what a strong lady you are. And yes i will join the poas addicts so count me in. As for donor sperm i have been down that parth and this is what my hubby told me. We really want to have a kid and if that is what it takes. then lets do it. I will support you all the way and noone will ever know the difference. He also said and i will make sure they mix my swimmers with the donor that way it will give both of us peach of mind coz we will not know whose swimmers take. So just a thought to consider. I thought the mix the two swimmers was a good one then you will feel like he took part in it and its his swimmers that took.
sorry ladies i wil do personals later.

[CJinNC]

Leora, haha on the dinosaur! I hope not... triceratops are cute, but I bet they would be painful delivering!
Why is DH pushing donor sperm? Does he have an issue like the other ladies were mentioning? It seems since you have gotten pregnant in the past, his sperm must be working, but the very fact he is offering is a testament to his love for you and commitment to have a child - that's awesome. And as for the 6 kids... who knows??? Maybe once they figure out how to get your body to have a baby, you will go on to have several more. Its not impossible. On another note, I had a friend of mine many years ago move to Israel from the US and said she loved it. I would love to visit that part of the world.

Also, as far as your comment about the donor sperm and feeling odd about it... I completely agree. For me it would be the opposite with donor eggs. My doc said I would have a great chance of getting pregnant with DE, and while money is an issue regarding IVF, I'm still not sure if I could do it even if I had the $. I would rather adopt embryos or an infant or even toddler. I can't understand why I feel that way, and my feelings may completely change over the next several months.. but the idea of carrying a child that is 1/2 ours seems odd. I'm sure once I come to the realization that my old eggs have retired, I may be able to better grasp the concept.

Thanks for the welcomes everyone. Margi... would love to compare "notes" sometime. I'm tired of running into women or friends of women in their 40's that just "happened to get pregnant" when they weren't even trying. I guess that means its still possible, and everything my doctor says makes it seem probable, but something inside of me has made me a "negative nancy" at times. I have faith that it can happen, but have been losing hope that it actually will.

[lou71]

Tiger -- This next cycle will work for us! 2011 is a new year and it will be a good one. It has to. I'm so glad your Costa Rica trip was great. It's important to remember to keep living while TTC I think. Does wonders for mental health. And we all know a positive outlook has been shown to lead to positive outcomes.

Rio -- Thinking of you today and hoping for an awesome appointment. I wanna see u/s pics!!! And yes, I do have DH on supplements/vitamins. He's on L-carnitine and Coq10 and a couple of others I can't remember right now...lol. Thanks for sticking around to cheer us on!

txc -- Congrats on being PUPO! Take it easy and let the little ones burrow in. I'm sorry you didn't get any frosties, but maybe that's a sign you won't need them!

Bakers-- So glad your mom is out of the hospital. As for telling people about a BFP, I suggest waiting until after an u/s with a heartbeat. IVF can lead to wacky outcomes such as blighted ovums, chemical pregnancies, and ectopics. Once you have a confirmed viable intrauterine pregnancy, it should be safe to start celebrating. As for me, since I had a m/c at 12 weeks, I personally am going to wait (except for those very close to me) until after my first trimester screening comes back normal.

Dahlias-- Hope your RE appt went well today. When do you start? How many eggs did you get last time with an FSH of 10.21? My FSH has decreased from 8.9 to 6.6 on 3 months of DHEA, I'm hoping for a few more eggs. I've gotten anywhere from 6-10 on my previous cycles and had high quality embies/blasts each time. I don't get it!

heather -- In IVF, your temp should say up when you are on progesterone. That is the hormone which causes the temperature shift.

CJinNC -- "old eggs with liver spots and walkers"... that's funny! Love your sense of humor. Listen, it's entirely possible to still have good eggs in there. My OB just told me she delivered 44 and 46 y/o spontaneous pregnancies last week. She said her oldest yet is 49. Can you imagine? Have you considered DHEA? You need to take it for a couple of months to really see benefit but it has been shown to increase quality and quantity in older women. Check out the info on the Center for Human Reproduction in NY website. http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/pre ... aries.html

Margi -- How many DPO are you??? Have you POAS yet? Thinking of you!!! XOXO

nwquiz -- Copngrats on being PUPO!! Welcome to CrazyTown where Margi is the Mayor!!!

justsoloist -- Welcome! You've made the first step by posting. Congrats. You're right, these ladies are awesome and this board has so much support to offer. Last year it went down for changes for a week and we were all in a panic and not able to communicate. It was then that I realized how much I NEED this place and these wonderful women to talk to. I hope you do get your BFP on your first try. As you can see from my signature, I'm still working on getting my baby.

AFM -- Still just praying I ovulate on time (Saturday) in order to be able to cycle in January. Cross your fingers for me everyone! I also paid a non-refundable $400 to "hold my spot" on the calendar at my clinic. Did I tell you all that my acupuncturist has put me on herbs? I'm taking Wen Jing Tang 3 capsules twice a day. Based on my "symptoms", I may have what is called a "cold uterus" in Traditional Chinese Medicine because I had 4 high quality blasts fail to implant. http://www.howtomakeafamily.com/experts ... ned_if.htm . Heck, I'm willing to try anything... if someone told me I would help success rates if I stood on my head naked and sang "Dixie" in the middle of the street I would be out there doing just that morning, noon, and night. Or in jail...