Sept 2008 - stimming buddies :)

[SueQiwi]

I hope all you ladies are enjoying your holiday--Im envious as Labour Day in New Zealand isn't until October!

Karen~that DHEA sounds like a very good thing! I am excited too. did you talk to your RE yet? Im thinking it is probably too late for me to try it this round since I will start stims Sept 22. And I am also trying herbs for the first time this cycle--so dont want to introduce too many new variables at once. But it will give me future hope if God forbid this cycle does not work out! Please keep us posted. i saw that you posted in the main forumn as well--good idea. I will be excited to see what people say.

Priya~how did your bloodwork and ultrasound go? i hope you've got goo strong follies growing in there!

LynnieCat~Im sorry that your follies are misbehaving--but dont give up hope. There is still time for them to get it together before retrieval. I dont think you will get canclled--keep the faith.

Liz~welcome to our thread! my best advice for newbies is to be sure to inject slowly--this avoids bruising. Also--the syringes and needles look a lot worse than the actual injection. I was really freaked out when I got my meds my first cycle until I actually started doing the injections and realized it was not as bad as it looked! Let us know how it goes.

Kerry~sorry you got AF and the natural way did not work this time. But im glad you enjoyed the movie--and the smooching! That is so cute.

[karenvancouverisland]

hi ladies. well i'm just home from my hysteroscopy..feeling ok. didn't get to talk to my gyne afterwards so i don't know if he saw anything troublesome or not.. i'm not really worried though

welcome Liz! Kerry- sorry to hear about AF, but i chuckled at your smooching at hellboy- sounds very youthful and fun Priya- glad your headaches are gone and look forward to an upate on your u/s. and Lynnie- hope things with your follies are evening out; i'm very hopeful for you- there's some good eggs in there, i know it . and soready- hope your stims are going well too. Sue- you must be getting excited! me, i'm a nervous wreck the last few days.

finding out about this DHEA has brought out some serious internet obsession. i'm researching desperately. i'm sure others can smell the fear, desperation, and anxiety in me!!

i left a message for my RE today about it and asked for a telephone consult asap. i told my gyne and he said there's not enough research for him to support it but that he was sure it wouldn't harm me ( i was tempted to ask him if he was current on the research findings, but was wary of offending him). through the center for human reproduction (CHR) there is a link and they will provide a free email consult, so i completed that last night. soooo, all in all...I'M A BIT CRAZY LATELY.. i will have to decide whether to proceed with this cycle, which would give me a month of DHEA beforehand, or postpone another month to have 2 months under my belt. a woman (stefanie on the aug/sept thread) who got pregnant using DHEA says the CHR recommends at least 2 months of DHEA, and the CHR site says it max's out at 4months.

i can feel the DHEA in me (which i assume is good) and (hope this isn't too much information) i had lots of cervical mucous this am which is very different for me on day 8 of my cycle (hopefully good). AND i'm hoping it doesn't assault me with too much facial hair (one of the potential side effects).

sorry for all the blathering, but it helps to get it out and maybe this info can help someone else too. i can't help but think that any fertility med or remedy that's now well-used was once upon a time seen as skeptical. so maybe thats the case with DHEA. it's gotta start somewhere.

if you're looking on the CHR site i'd suggest searching DHEA in the bottom corner of the home page for best results. i'm also going to start royal jelly like you priya, and i have wheatgrass pills on order at the health store.

love youall.. looking forward to u/s updates!!! karen

[karenvancouverisland]

priya- how much/ dose royal jelly are you taking? i couldn'tget that link you provided to work.... thanks karen

[PriyaC]

Hey everyone.

Karen - I eat two teaspoons of RJ. One after I get up and one before going to sleep. Just make sure you don't mix it with anything Hot or drink warm/hot waster afterwards. I also take sip or two of water since its so thick. Once you get the bottle it will list all of these things at the back.
My Dh says I am obsessed with internet. For my first IF cycle - I was online all the time researching everything. This time I am OK. So I can totally relate to your obsession with the net ..... let us know once you get the email consult.

Sue - Its so interesting to know diff countries celebrate labor day at diff times . Do you like taking the herbs - do they taste bad? I did buy the herb that my acupuncturist suggested and took it only once - it was awful . The wheatgrass is not good as well ......

The results for my 2nd blood work came back - the numbers have doubled which is good so now I start my 3rd shot as well from today for next 4-5 days. Good thing is I can mix all the 3 shots into one which saves a lot of pain for me. The 3rd shot - Ganirelix is a little thick and pains (atleast last time it did). I go for the first u/s on Thursday.

Have a good evening everyone:
Lots of love
Priya

[soready73]

Hello Ladies!

It's been a while since I've posted. I'm so behind!
I've been very busy with work and then I sit in traffic for 1hr to get home that by the time I'm home, I'm pooped.

It sounds like everyone had a nice weekend. My in-laws have a house on a lake so that is where I was all weekend. The weather was beautiful.

Well, I started my stims on Saturday. I'm taking Follistim and Repronex. So far, so good. I go tomorrow for my first U/S and BW, after 4 days of stims. Priya, how did your U/S and BW go? How many days after stimming is your U/S? I actually go tomorrow 9/3, and it will only be my 4th day of stimming?


Priya, I also wanted to say something regarding people knowing about what you are going through...the IVF process. I've actually been somewhat open about it. I feel that I stress more when I keep things to myself and I want to avoid that. People don't always say the best thing and I know how it feels to want to strangle them sometimes, but I'm sure that they all have good intentions and don't mean to hurt you in any way. I would hope if anyone brings it up to you, it is because they are just concerned.

SueQiwi: New Zealand? Wow? It's my mother-in-law's dream to visit there sometime. I heard it's beautiful there. I'm glad that your Dr's appt. went well.

liz35: Welcome! This is my 1st IVF cycle also.

Kerry: Glad to hear you had a great weekend with your DH. We all go through the process of feeling "defective". I've been pregnant twice and lost both, so I have felt like something was wrong with me because I couldn't carry them through. In response to people saying they rather not get pregnant than to miscarry, I'm not sure how I feel about that because I've only experienced the miscarriage. I had a friend that had a successful IVF cyce (2nd) that was trying for a long time and no Dr. could tell her why she wasn't getting pregnant. That was tough for her because not knowing why makes a person feel like there isn't a solution. With me, the first was ectopic, within 5 days I found out I was pregnant and then that it was ectopic so it was a little easier to get past, but the 2nd time was difficult. I had the miscarriage after 9 weeks, I was attached. That was really tough to go through, so I think they are both difficult to deal with, neither is easy and neither means we are defective!

Sorry, I have to go do my injections really quick and then I'll be back!

[soready73]

Ok, I'm back! I have to say, I really hate doing the Repronex shot. It doesn't hurt, but I really hate the whole mixing part. Room for user error and it scares me. This is my 3rd day of it and I'm still a nervous wreck.

Lynniecat: Sorry to hear about your follies, but stay positive. I know...easier said than done, but you still have time for improvement.

Karen: Have you talked to your RE yet regarding DHEA? I'm interested in what he/she has to say about it?

I hope I didn't miss anyone. You are all on my mind.

Have a good night!

[karenvancouverisland]

hey priya- for the royal jelly- do you know if it matters to take it in capsule or jelly form? i was just going to buy capsules... and how long are you taking it for?

[PriyaC]

Good Morning Ladies.

Soready - How did the u/s and b/w go? and thanks for the kind words. I know my friends mean well and are concerned. For some reason I just got very defensive for all of these things - I blame everything on BCP .
Do you have any side-effects of the shots yet?
Last time I got very bad head-aches and leg-aches. This time its much better - Had headache for a day or two only.
I go for my first u/s tomorrow. Hope to see some nice follies.

Karen - I have been taking it for a month now. Capsules of Rj should be ok - as long as its going in your system - I guess.

lynniecat - Any update on the follies hunn? When is ur ER?

Kerry - Looks like the hospital is keeping you busy and not the loads of ironing that you have to do

DH is working from home today so its nice - He is going to see an acupuncturist as well today for the first time. Since it helped me so much , I wanted him to go there as well. He has been so busy lately - I want him to be stress free for the ER

Have a nice day everyone.
Talk to you soon
Love
Priya

[lynniecat]

Follie update...

I think someone did some inaccurate measuring on saturday (it was not my usual sonographer).

Today: 21, 18, 16, 11.7, 11.5

My doctor wants to push another day to try to get one or both of the little ones mature. I am worried about losing the 21!

We will see my estrogen levels today and then decide.


Karen--

Asked about the DHEA. The doctor on staff today said, no way, don't take it. Sigh....
Said they don't know what it will do and its unwise to self medicate. Well who knows and its too late for this cycle anyway. I will ask my doctor and see what she says.

[kez01]

Hi everyone,

I'm off work today so thought I would catch up with you all.

Lynnie: thats great news about your follicles, I wouldn't worry about losing the 21 follie as my RE said your own follies naturally go to between 25 and 28 each month before they are released, so I'm keeping everything crossed for you You take it easy over the next few days and try not to stress about anything if you can, (easier said than done though i know).

Priya: I'm glad your b/w came back good and I hope your u/s goes well today. Don't worry about your DH saying your obsessed with the internet, if you are you are one of thousands, me included and my DH thinks the same too. I hope you enjoyed your day with him at home. With a bit of luck you have some nice follies growing inside you, lets hope the royal jelly and wheatgrass have had a positive impact.

Karen: I take 1.500mg of royal jelly in capsule form and I have taken it since my last failed cycle, I think it helped me ovulate last month as I dont usually ovulate very much, so I am carrying on with it. I am glad to hear your having good signs from using the DHEA it will be a hard decision to make whether to delay your next cycle. I can't decide when to use my frosties, I still have so many questions to ask. I hope your email consult went well

Soready: I'm glad you had a nice weekend with the inlaws. How did your u/s go. I know what you mean about mixing all the drugs. I do it for a living as a nurse but when I'm doing my own fertility meds I get alittle anxious and mix them very slow so as not to make any mistakes. I'm sorry to hear of your m/c and ectopic I know that can be truly devastating, I hope I didn't offend you or anyone moaning that I couldn't get pregnant. You take it easy and Hope your follies are doing well.

Sue: I hope your doing well and I hope your herbs are helping. It is exciting to hear about the DHEA that Karen had introduced us all to, but I know what you mean about not introducing too many other things especially when your about to start your stimms this month. I wish you luck.

Liz welcome I wish you luck with your first cycle.

Well I'm absolutely exhausted, when I work days I only have to work 3 but they are 13 hour shifts. I worked tuesday and I am working the weekend. I had my neices round for dinner last night, I do enjoy spending time with them, 16 and 15 they are great fun. My appointment is sep 12th, its getting closer now. I emailed my AP and she agrees to start some herbs for me and also feels my DH would also benefit. He needs some pursuasion though.

When I see my RE one of the questions will be for them to monitor my b/w as they dont seem to do that which I feel is insane. I feel that my hormones are not right and that is another reason why they are not implanting. It makes me so cross here that they just seem to let you get on with it, apart from the u/s that is the only monitoring they do. I'm just counting the days now. Not looking forward to the weekend as that is when we get all the terminations in, they stay for the day and I do feel it is getting harder to deal with but hey I'll keep at it, there are still alot of rewards to doing my job.

You girls all take care and keep us posted
Kerry xx

[MiaKairegi]

Hi there !

I am the new one, Mia, 25 years old

We`re trying for a baby since three years almost.

Now wer`re waiting for our first ICSI !

I`ll start with the downregulation on 19th September (long protocoll) an I can say that I am a bit nervous already, but also so much looking forward to it...
We had a treatment break for some months (before we did three IUIs) and now it was quite a strange feeling to call the fertility-Centre to make an appointment...

Would be great to talk to you

Greets, Mia

[PriyaC]

Hey Everyone:

Welcome Mia - this is a great group. All the best with the first IVF cycle. So you start the shots on 19th right.

Lynniecat - Did you doc say when the ER will be? When is ur next u/s? Praying for the other follicles to grow for you - GROW FOLLIES GROW !!!!!

Hey Kerry - nice to hear from you - we missed you

I just came back from my first u/s appointment. Have 4 follies in the right ovary between 18-21 and in the left one they are all of size 12. Was a little worried why this time its the uneven growth in the ovaries. Last time I had 5 in one and 4 in one of almost similar sizes. And like Lynnie was worried abt loosing the 21 but thanks to Kerry's post - am at ease now. The nurse said anytime now I can go for ER. This cycle has been super fast for me - just started 6 days back . Hopefully the follies in the left ovary will catch up soon - I had read somewhere that they grow 2mm in size every day. So I should be fine - hopefully. Rest I will know once I get call from the RE in the afternoon - will keep you guys posted.

This time since we will be doing ICSI, I think even 4 should be enough. My clinch cancels the cycle if they have 3 or less follies to work with....
So I am keeping my figures, toes, legs, arms - everything crossed till I hear from the nurse.

Still a mystery why the ones in right grew more than the left one - I hope its not because of AP...

Talk to you guys soon
Love
Priya

[MiaKairegi]

Hi Priya !

Thanks for your welcome

The first apointment on 19th September is to to get the injection for downregulation, as I`m using the long protocoll it starts at 20th day of my present cycle. It`s only one injection, as it`s a depot-injection. After this downregulation-injection I have to wait for two weeks, after two weeks I have to see the doctor again and hopefully all looks well, so that I can start with the ovary-stimulation (oh sorry, I hope it`s right, my English seems not to be the best in this area). From this moment on, it must be at the beginning of October, I`ll take my daily injections and hope to get some very nice follicles

Your appointment sounds really good - I think I`ll also be one of the "fast ones", I already had three IUIs and I`ve always been quite fast with my "egg growing", so for sure it`s the same with the ICSI.

What does ER mean ? *smile* - I guess it can`t mean Emergency Room *smile* - does it mean the eggs can be collected soon ? Are you now waiting for the blood results of today ?

I wish you all the best !

Greetings, Mia

[lynniecat]

Welcome Mia!

ER means egg retrieval. Now you are hitting your head and saying "Doh!!!!" I have to say there are still many abbreviations I have to figure out. One that drove me nuts was PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise) and PMA --still don't know that but thinking positive mental attitude!

Priya--

Good job with that one ovary. 4 is enough if you ask me! The others might catch up as well, but I must say I always think the bigger ones are better, dunno why, but I figure if they respond and grow quickly they are saying "pick me, pick me!" Dunno why the ovaries are so different, guess its just luck of the draw? Maybe you would have ovulated from the right in a natural cycle...who knows why are ovaries do these things!


As for me, the doctor pushed me one more day and I am a bit bummed out. My 21 grew to 25! But my smaller ones did not grow enough. So I hope that 25 is ok like Kez says!

Final sizes:

24.7, 19.3, 18.2, 12.9, 11.6, 10

So hoping I get three! I would love it if the 12.9 squeaked by, but doubt it will happen!

[soready73]

Hello Ladies! I'm at work so I have to make this quick. I will try to get on later this evening. I'm starting a new class on Monday (9/8) after taking the summer off and I have 4 chapters and a pre-assignment to complete before then, so I'm strapped for time at this moment. It is an accelerated program so we get work to do before class even starts.

Here are the results from my U/S and BW yesterday.

I have 15 total follicles, 9 on one side and 6 on the other. Here are the measurements. There aren't 15 measurements because the others were so small and not measurable.

R: 9.9, 9.5, 9.3, 8.1, 7.5, 7.1
L: 8.2, 6.0, 5.5

This is after 4 days of stimms.

My Estrogen is 195.
LH: 3.44.
Endometrium is 7.7.

I found out I made a mistake which slowed me down a little. The Repronex instruction video states that I should draw 1cc of the sterile liquid to mix with the powder and I was drawing the full vial which is 2cc. I was diluting it too much. The vial said "single dose" so I ignored this part of the video. I think that is why they increased my dose of Repronex to 150 iu from 75, so I can catch up. I did it correctly last night and tonight I begin with the increased dosage. I go in again tomorrow (9/5) for another U\Sand will keep you posted. It looks like they are still planning to do the ER between 9/9 & 9/11.

I'll try to read through everyones tonight, or at least this weekend and see how all are doing. I'm anxious to see how all are doing. Again, sorry for not being a loyal/regular poster.

Have a good day all!