Hi Girls...long Time No Chat! (Page 1)

Aw I really hope IVF works! I'm Becky and I am TTC but my OH is away now til 17th December

Hey Cheryl! I hope everything works out for you! Lots and lots of baby dust to you! I had a miscarriage in July and have been ttc since then. I think i am 7 dpo so next week i get to see if I'm preggo or not. I need some baby dust too! Keep us posted.

Hi Cheryl!!!

Things have been pretty slow aroung here. Unfortunately, not to much good news to report.

I'll have an appt with an RE on 12-05-07. That is pretty much it in the was of updates for me.

Heather (star) is out of town until today(?) then she will probably stop by to say hi!

I hope you'll be sticking around for a while.

~Baby Dust~

Hello Ladies
Kristy, I'm sorry that you haven't got your BFP yet
I hope your appointment with the RE will help you figure things out a great deal. My new RE is awesome. She emails me which is so great, I don't have to leave work to go into an appointment to get test results etc. I hope you find someone who is a good fit for you. What I've been finding out is that there are SO MANY factors involved to conceive. DH's SA results were not good compared to last year. My RE says that we will likely have to do (ISCI) combined with IVF. That means instead of just leaving the egg and sperm in the dish to fertilize themselves, they will have to inject the sperm into the egg. Not a great sign...but at least now we know why it hasn't happened on it's own. His sperm combined with my age (39) and my hormone levels....not a recipe for a baby. I see my RE on Monday...so I will know more then. I plan on sticking around because I totally missed you guys. I just needed a mental break...I get so obsessed.

Barbee52 - Good luck this month! I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. The good news is the sperm is finding the egg!!

Beckster - I have a best friend that I call Beckster! Nice to hear from you. Too bad DH is away. Timing is a bugger isn't it? So many things have to align, I don't know how people do it by mistake? Having a child truly is a miracle. I really hope I get to experience it .....soon.

hello and welcome back. I don't know if you remember me or not. But it is good to see you back
We just got our BFP about 3 weeks ago....but according to my doc appt I am only still just 5 weeks.
I hope that you do get your BFP soon...you deserve it after all you have gone through. Sending tons of baby dust you way~~~~

Hi, glad ur back!

Hi Cheryl,

I was just reading your post and I wanted to ask you if you have considered using donor eggs or donor sperm........the reason I ask is because when my aunt was 39 she started the the whole IVF process and the doc had told her that her chances with a donor egg where far more higher than if she used her own eggs. Just because of age I guess.

I donated my eggs for her and she got pregnant on the first try. She still has an embryo that is frozen so she is hoping to try again in the future. I am so sorry that women have to go to these lengths to have a baby. I really do hope that everything works out for you and that you get your bfp by Christmas.......what a wonderful gift that would be eh!!!!

Take care and if you have any questions feel free to PM me although I can see that you are very knowledgeable about the whole process. So good luck to you!!!

Shannah

Hey Cheryl,

Im so glad your back...

I have a secret...The other week i was searching for an old post that you had your chart in. I was trying to see if you were still doing anything with it yet.

Im sorry to hear about your troubles... But I still believe that God will let it happen when it is supposed to happen.

As for me, Im still waiting for that bfp. I was out of town earlier at a conference, but came home just in time for ovulation. I keep getting almost positives and i thought I might have not ovulated, but when i went on ff it says Im only on cd 11 or 12. So I might still get a positive.

I have so much to catch up on at home and at the office, but I will try to stay updated on here. I have a few things to talk about, I just can't find the time right now.

Christy...Im not ignoring you, I just haven't had time...lol

Hey DPrssd, welcome back.

I wish you the best in your IVF journey.

My dh and I just went to our first RE visit, but we haven't had any tests yet. We have the worst insurance company in the world with these things. I have to get a pre-approval before any visits or tests. Right now, I'm on cd 6 and I don't know yet whether I'll get an approval for an HSG this cycle or even if I'll be able to get an appointment on time once I get an approval.

After the testing, we'll know whether IUI or IVF are options. My dh originally didn't want to consider an IVF but lately he seems to be more open. We still have so much reading to do from the RE. We have time since the earliest possible cycle for IUI or IVF would start at the end of December.

Hey SG
I'm sorry that you have to deal with the added stress of an Insurance company...this process is tough enough without that to worry about. Not fair at all.
The HSG is not painful and they will tell you right there and then if everything looks normal or not. So at least you won't have to wait. They also say that the next 3 mths after a HSG you can have increased fertility because your fallopian tubes are as clear as can be.
Have you had all your day 3 and day 21 testing done? Those blood tests can also help determine if your cycle has regular hormone levels.

I was shocked to see my dh's SA results. His boys have seriously declined since last year...its soooooooo important to have your partner tested as well. All this time I thought it was just me...my hormones and stuff that was the problem, and all along his sperm is of such poor quality that it woudn't fertilize an egg naturally no matter what I did! So if anyone can learn from this....(ie:get dh tested asap) it might ease the pressure on some of you.

I was in the same boat as you, Dh didn't even want to consider IVF. But now it's our only option. I'm relieved and scared. Up here in Canada, IVF runs about $8000. I think some of it may be tax deductable...but the most part, insurance doen't cover it. I'm at a private clinic that has good success rates with one egg transfer. My DH is sooooooo against twins or multiple births. I would be fine, but he says No Way! So we can only go with the one transfer. Better than nothing i guess.
Anyway, I wish you luck at your RE appointment. It sounds like the ball is rolling and it's only a matter of time before find the right treatment and get your well deserved BFP. I want to hear all about your appointment.
Take care
Cheryl

Hey! No BFP yet But I will be testing either today or tomarrow. All I have had is a nasty uti and a kidney infection lol. Baby dust to all. Think I am gonna go buy a test now. =0)

I almost went and bought one today but I am gonna wait a couple more days. At least this was I still have the "Possibility" of pregnancy......I don't want to kill it yet....lol

BabyFutak - oh, that sounds so painful. I hope it goes away very quickly! I had a UTI a few months ago so I can relate.

Dprssd - thanks for the pep talk. My insurance company came back and said that my dh had to get tested before they would cover my tests. It is a bit annoying. As you mention, there are potential treatment options for men whose SA results are not good. The only way the insurance company is saving themselves money is if my dh is shooting blanks, which is a pretty low probability event. Otherwise, I will have to get tested anyway before any treatments. It doesn't make any sense to spend a ton of money on an IVF or IUI without testing me first. I think they are just trying to delay expenses.

I haven't had any tests yet, unless you count the internet FSH. I do chart and opk. My chart shows that I ovulate every month. Opks don't always become positive for me. My RE told me I didn't have to temp or use opks anymore because I am fairly regular. There are a range of days and I don't need to know the exact ovulation date. He also said not to worry about not having a positive opk on some months because I do have a normal pattern. Opks are set up to minimize false positives not false negatives. He also said that sometimes temp increases are delayed a bit from ovulation. It isn't exact. So I no longer need to stress about when I ovulate. I think I will still temp so that I have some idea. My cycles vary by more than a few days and it helps me know when af is due. I'll just use opks until I run out.

My dh and I are actually hoping for twins. It sounds weird but I want two kids that will grow up together and his first choice is twins and second is to adopt a second child around the same age as the first. He would rather have one child than have two who differ too much in age. Given our hope for twins, my dh would love to get me a prescription for Clomid. Our RE, however, only prescribes Clomid in conjunction with a treatment plan after the tests.

How is the running going? I haven't forgotten the prohibition on running after the IUI. That must have been really hard. I got an achilles tendonitis flairup at the end of July/early August. I'm still not back on a regular schedule, though I ran this morning. My figure skating probably doesn't help, but it is so therapeutic.

That does sound annoying. I think the reason they want to test your dh first is because it will determine what kind of action should be taken to get you your bfp. Certain markers are in place, and if his sperm falls below them, it will limit your options. For example, if he has good quality swimmers and they look normal, but he doesn't produce a whole lot of sperm, they could do an IUI (with you on clomid). But say in our case, he produces a lot of sperm but only 3% of them are normal (two heads, broken tails etc.) AND the normal ones don't swim very well. Our only option is ICSI, where they inject the sperm into the egg because it's not strong enough to burrough through on it's own. The SA is the easiest and cheapest test to do..that's also why they want to test him first.

If his results are not ok, then you are off to the fertility clinic right away...If he is ok, then you will run the gamut, starting with a LOT of blood tests and a HSG to check your tubes. The good thing to keep you positive each day is that you will get your answer soon as to why it's not happening...

Keep exercising, but not to the point of exhaustion. I was told that we don't need our sex organs to survive, so they are the first to be depleted when we exercise to the point of fatigue. My DH is a long distance runner (100 milers)...not good for the sperm. Asking him to stop running is like asking for the moon.
I'm still running a couple of times a week and doing two fitness classes a week. It keeps me sane. I will continue up until I get the embryo transfer...then it's the couch for 2 weeks. That's ok, I've been reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series...I'm hooked! I don't even watch TV anymore (with the exception of Thursday nights)

We are confident that my dh's tests will show enough sperm. He took an at home SA that gives an idea of count. The first test showed low and the second showed plenty. He thinks he followed directions incorrectly the first time. That test errs on showing low sperm, so he is probably fine on the numbers. The shape and mobility are questions.

Wouldn't they want to test me anyway even if the SA results are abnormal? The cost of the tests is still much lower than the cost of an IUI or an IVF. The HSG is actually pretty close to the cost of the IUI, but there are more answers from the HSG. It would still be playing darts to go stright to an IUI or IVF without testing me. There could be something wrong with me that either can be fixed before a procedure and/or will affect the success of the procedure.

The timing is an issue, too. My next chance for an FSH test is in a little over 2 weeks. Since we are bding for my ovulation right now, the SA can't be done until probably Thursday or Friday next week. With the Thanksgiving holiday the next week, the chances of the insurance company actually making a decision on time is pretty small. I'm very pessimistic about this insurance company.

Your dh does run alot. Are there ways to combat the fertility issues with diet? I read a study on amenorrhia once (I had it in high school). They started with a group of female chimps who exercised a lot and had amenorrhia. They then separated the chimps into two groups. One kept their same diet and the other changed their diet. I'm not sure what they changed. It was either more calories or just a change in the type of calories. The amount exercised remained the same for both groups. The chimps with the change in diet got their af back and the others didn't. Of course, what they didn't test was which group had better athletic performance.

The two weeks on the couch would be tough for me. I've done it plenty of times for injury or because I'm out of the habit of exercising. Mentally it is harder to do when it is forced and either way I end up gaining weight and changing my habits. Sounds like you don't have that problem, though. Plus, the books will be a good distraction for you.

Well, that's great news that DH has good results. I'm sure they would test you as well if DH had bad results, because you couldn't do an IUI if your tubes were blocked, so they would at least do a HSG and run the panel of blood tests. I can't believe it takes your insurance company that long to "decide" whether or not they are going to cover you! That is completely unacceptable. Is your insurance through work? If not, you should think about changing to a better plan...lord know what other kinds of issues you could run into later in life. I know...it's probably easier said than done to switch companies in the middle of the race per say.
Do you have a regular AF?
A girlfriend of mine is a major runner...I mean she ran a 125km race and shattered the course record by 4 HOURS!! She is super thin and doesn't get AF. She and her dh have been trying for over 7 years for BFP. They finally told her that if she really wanted results she needed to seriously tone down her running. She saw a TCM for the past year with Chinese herbs and Acupuncture...they had their 4th IVF 2 weeks ago and should know if it worked by this Sunday. I'm so excited for her. She stopped running major distances but still goes out for light jog. I think this time it worked. She had a picture perfect lining and 8 embryos....where as before for the other 3 IVF's she had barely any uterine lining, and only 2 follicles. So we'll see!! Funny enough we have the same Dr at the clinic. Anyway, just something to think about. She did slightly change her diet ... They said she needed to put on some healthy weight, and she did (5 lbs). Lots of avocados, the healthy fat :O)