Cycle Day 16

Gosh, it feels like forever since I last posted about our TTC cycles! We have been on a break lately and we still are, really. Our last medicated and monitored cycle was in April and since then I have tried to put more effort into losing weight than with adding in hormones. I have gone from 203 pounds in to 175. I still have 20 pounds to go but regardless, I am in a better place emotionally and physically right than I was before. 

During our "sabbatical" my cycles went back to being unreliable. At first they were about 42 days long and then some how it went to 74 days! This month I was totally unprepared, I figured that my cycle would go another 40 days or so; at least, but on CD 32 of this month AF came! I was searching for tampons around the house, through drawers, purses and coats. You would think that I would have tampons on hand at all times since AF shows up at the most inconvenient moments! 

I figured that since I wasn't sure when she would show up again I had better use up the Femara I had on hand. So, here we are. I am on CD 16, with EWCM and 3 days worth of negative OPKs. I have the usual cramping and left ovary pain; I don't feel much on the right side, ever. 

I notice that when I near ovulation not only do I get crampy and experience ovary pain, I also feel a bit constipated and I get some low back pain, more than usual. Does anyone else have any weird symptoms they relate to ovulation?

Even though I have my doubts that this cycle will work; I can still hope that my body does it's job. It is the small things that appease me the most these days. 

Just Checking In AND Happy ICLW

It has been a week and one day since my surgery. I am still a tad sore when sitting directly on my bum and I would like to be able to wear jeans but unfortunately the seam hits in the wrong spot, but other than that I am with out pain and recovering fine!

Today is CD 11 and I have been testing for ovulation since CD 8. I have decided to spare you all the over sharing of photos. I figure it is still early so why bother. I am, however, feeling my ovaries at work. Looking back at my notebook I seem to feel these pains starting around this time in previous months. I may be a day off on my cycle since the bleeding was early and short lived. I am pretty sure that I actually started the Femara on CD 4 instead of 3, but the RE wanted to me to start in on the 3rd day without the BCP. Either way, I don't think it will make that big of a difference. Do you?

I have a follicle check on Monday, CD 13, to see what we are working with. I am hoping to see a couple follicles maturing and some super good lining. In the past we have done all of our IUIs and monitoring here, in Bend, with my OB but this time our RE has requested that we come over the mountain and have the IUI and SA done in their office. So, we will. It will be a reason to get out of town! I was worried that Mike would have a hard time giving a sample in the office but he said it wouldn't be a problem. I trust his confidence. We have decided that if I do have good follicles, ovulate well and if he has a good SA then there is no reason why we can't keep trying this route a little longer. I mean, it could happen!

If not; if we don't get pregnant, we are in a good place emotionally and physically. I am still content with the decision we have made to hold off on more aggressive treatments for a little while. I am still feeling calm and more in touch with my faith. I have had several really good, informative, and open conversation with my Dad about our faith that proved to be really helpful and bonding. I even tried going to confession. While I still can't say I agree with all of the religious beliefs, I do find peace in it, and that makes it all worth it.

On another note-
I want to say how happy I am that the horror in Boston is now over. I watched the news all week as the story was unfolding. We have friends that live 2 blocks away from the finish line and my older sister qualified for the Boston Marathon in Eugene this year. I am grateful that our friends were inside, and that my sister decided that one marathon was good and didn't enter for Boston; many others were not so lucky. My prayers are with everyone injured, with those who lost their lives, and their families, and all who were traumatized by the horrific actions of two very sick individuals. It saddens me that people are filled with so much hate that they think it is okay to kill innocent people. Watching all of the people risk their lives to save others restored my faith in humanity and made me very proud to be an American.



I am a huge Yankee fan- I loved this image. 

OH! ICLW is here once again! This is my third time participating and I look forward to it each time! I am look forward to finding new blogs, the giving and receiving comments and the new friends! If you are new to my blog and want to know all about our journey you can find the break down in my TTC Timeline tab and How We Got Here tab at the top of the blog. Happy commenting!!

Surgery, Birthday, New Cycle, OH MY!

Hello, bloggy friends! I hope this post finds you all doing well. Even though I may be slacking on the commenting, I want you to know that I am reading your blogs! Life has been a bit outta sorts here for a few days, and I am finally getting back to "normal".

I had my surgery on Friday. It was a frustrating day for me to be totally honest. My surgery was scheduled for 2pm. I was not allowed to eat past midnight on Thursday, and since I wake up so early, not being able to eat for that long was difficult. I got to the surgery center at 1pm and did not get wheeled into surgery until 3:30pm! I will admit that I did throw a bit of a tantrum in the office. I made sure that they knew I was HUNGRY and that I was scheduled at 2pm and that I had been waiting now for over an hour. I scolded them for overbooking surgeries; my time is important as well. They knew that I was emotional and hungry, so they handled my rant with grace. But jeez, what a wait! I know that things happen in surgery and I did apologize for being a brat. 

Soon after that, they took me back to pre-op. The nurse had a hard time finding veins since I was so lethargic. She actually bent the catheter in my left wrist at first and had to move to my right arm. Once I got an IV and some fluids in me, I felt better! While I was waiting for them to take me back to surgery I sent some time staring that the curtain and I started laughing because the design seriously looked like it was covered in sperm. I told Mike "you know you have been in the infertility world too long when what is suppose to be leaves looks like swimming sperm!" He laughed and agreed.

Check it out...

Sperm Curtain- Fertility is haunting me!

Obligatory Pre-Surgery  Photo

The surgery itself took about 40 minutes and the recovery nurses said I was the best patient they had. They said I was so fun and smiley. My first question was "Oh Gosh, what did I say?" I have a habit of saying weird stuff coming out of anesthesia. Mike laughed when they said that because I started out the worst patient but ended as the favorite. I swear, I do have two personalities! I was worried that I would have a wound left open that Mike would have had to clean and dress daily, but the doctor was able to sew it up! That was so great to hear because last time I had this done the "dressing"  of the wound was the WORST part!!

I am on the road to recovery and have my follow up on the 30th. Mike said the doctor was going to give me some tips on how to shave my ass to prevent this form happening again. How effin embarrASSing! UGH!

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Today, my husband turns 38! I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. Each day he brings me so much joy, laughter and frustration (lol). He has taught me to be a better person and for that I am eternally grateful. We are just kinda hanging out today. Miami Heat is on right now and since he is a huge HEAT fan he will be glued to the TV for a bit. For gifts, Zoie and I got got him a few t-shirts, a massage and a gift certificate to a Fly shop he likes. Later tonight we will go to dinner; anywhere he wants! I made him yummy peanut butter balls for his birthday dessert, they don't look that great, but they are dangerously delicious!
 

36th birthday celebration  in Vegas

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls <--- click for the recipe

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Last night I started my 6th cycle of Femara. I started spotting on the evening of the 9th and continue to do so. I stopped my BCP on the 11th as directed by my RE's office. Once I had a full flow I was to start the Femara on CD 3 (as usual). However, after the one day of "heavy" spotting, it really lightened up. I was completely confused with this, so I called the RE. He said that I was fine to start them even though my flow was not normal; but since I had been on the BCP my uterus and ovaries should be nice and clean. They thought it would be best to start the Femara on the third full day without BCP and that was last night! 

I was a bit hesitant to start them since my cycle seems off and since the pills were $130.00, but I took the plunge and down the hatch went 7.5 mg! I have a follicle check scheduled for CD 12 on the 22nd at 10:30am! I am excited to see what my ovaries are doing. I will have 2-3 U/S that week and if all looks good then we will proceed with the last IUI of the year. We will re-evaluate more aggressive treatments in the fall. But after this cycle we are going to "give it to God", try naturally, enjoy life, each other and the summer and spend some time re-grouping and saving. Hopefully though, this IS OUR cycle!!!

Well friends, that is about all the sitting my bum can handle for the moment! Have a great day!

Hugs!

The "Plan" Goes Down in Flames

I have been dreading this post. Only because I was embarrassed. Embarrassed to update you, in fear of looking like an emotional basket case who can't get things in order. Sounds silly, right? Right. I realize that life happens and that's something I can't control, therefore, I should not be embarrassed to tell you that after I posted Last Night things immediately changed. 

Literally, the day after we had a plan, I got a call with the estimate for my upcoming surgery. It is going to cost us a few (five) thousand dollars (or more). We had strategically planned out the events for the upcoming cycles based on what we had left in our HRA fund and on our "fertility" card.  We had just enough to get us through a few unmonitored cycles paired with IUIs until the HRA was reset in August. That is no longer the case. The surgery center, unlike the hospital, requires that you pay your estimated portion upon arrival or sign up for Care Credit. Since we don't want to accumulate more credit/debt, we have to sacrifice fertility treatments until this fall.

At first, I was really upset. I wasn't mad, as much as I was disappointed; but after about twenty minutes I was fine. I realized that for the past 3 years I have been racing to get pregnant and maybe these road blocks are signs that I need to slow down, "relax" and focus on something else. As much as I hate hearing "you have time", it is true. We have some time. 

I used to think that if we didn't try cycle after cycle after cycle that we would ruin our chances and now I understand that is not the case. I actually ovulate better after rest cycles. We have spent the last year and a half fighting to get pregnant instead of enjoying our newlywedness (I made that word up!). Maybe this is the time for us to slow down, back off, "relax", and just be married and in love, or maybe I am just trying to convince myself of that. Either way, it sounds good. ;-)

If I was getting BFP's then I might consider trying and trying and trying, but I am not. I am getting nothing. I am getting BFNs over and over. So, if something is not working why keep trying? I feel like we need to regroup and take some time for ourselves. 

"Taking a break" does not mean "giving up".

Every time we have a plan set too far in advance, and we hit a road block, I am torn to pieces and that just isn't healthy. So, for now, we are not going to "plan" too far into the future; we are going to take it cycle by cycle and day by day.

Since I am currently spotting on CD 25, we know that the next cycle is about to start, so we are going ahead (partially) with the plan for this month. 

The plan will be as follows: Stop BCP tomorrow. Pick up Femara. Expect AF on Friday. Start Femara (7.5mg) on CD3. Start OPKs on CD 10. Test two, maybe three, times a day, like a mad woman. Take photos of all OPKs to compare. Post daily. Once I get a positive OPK call to schedule IUI for the next day. Try a little TI; with a sore bum, and pray to the God(s) for a BFP!

After that, all I can say is...

CD #1

Yep. That is right. Pesky AF arrived this morning. She woke me up at 4:30am, that bitch!

I am not overly excited to see AF, obviously. You see, the longer she took to arrive, the more hope I was able to grasp onto. Even after a BFN. 

I have had the worst cramps this time around. I find it interesting that my P4 last month was 75, and my cycle was 29 days long. I never had any terrible cramping or discomfort. This month my P4 was 22.1, and my cycle was 34 days long, and I have had the worst cramps ever; along with random bouts of nausea. I knew last night my period was coming.  I had these weird, sharp, stabbing like pains in my uterus that shot down to my va-jay-jay and my boobs were ever so slightly tender. 

Another sure fire way to tell that AF is coming for me is the fact that my urine has a much stronger smell a day or two before I start bleeding. I asked my nurse about that once and she said it was related to something I ate. But, we all know our bodies too well, and I knew it had nothing to do with diet. It happens every cycle around the same time; every time. 

We are taking a month off this cycle so that we can avoid having to pay the $500.00 out of pocket cost for a baseline ultrasound. If you want my honest opinion, the RE should code it as 620.2 (ovarian cysts), not 628.0 (infertility)! We know I have infertility; we are not checking for that! We are in fact looking for cysts and that can be totally unrelated to infertility. We also opted out of the U/S because  I never have any left over cysts and we would rather put the dough toward the IUI.

I really hate living in a state that does not mandate infertility coverage. It drives me mad. When are people going to understand that infertility is not inconvenience; it is a real medical issue. One that not only damages both the reproductive organs but they psyche as well. If we can call alcoholism and drug addiction; even gambling, a disease, then by God, so is the inability to conceive!

Sorry, rant over.

Anyway, we are taking a month off, I will start BCP on Tuesday and in 28 days I will have a period. During those 28 days I will also attempt a 21 day cleanse. I am scared and some what intimidated that I can't do it, but I am sure gonna try! I don't know if it will help, but I can't see the harm in trying! Besides, my body could use a good flush! When my cycle starts we will try the Femara again, monitored and paired with an IUI.

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In other news...

I am now unemployed. My last day at HRA was Friday. While I am going to miss parts of the job and some of the people, I am rally looking forward to re-grouping and figuring out what I really want to do. I am tired of being a "personal assistant" in a sense. I know that I am far more than that, but after a while, that is exactly what I felt like. I felt like I was always picking up after someone, doing dishes, folding laundry, and other non stimulating things. I need more than that. I just don't know what that is yet. Even at 31.

Last week my blog was mentioned in 4 different places. You can imagine my excitement when I was notified. My heart skipped a beat each time. What a great feeling to know that people tune into my battle and fight it with me. Complete strangers are rooting us on far more than some of our own family members. Blogging has brought me so many gifts. By gifts, I mean, new friends, new confidants, honest, loving, good hearted people to keep me going! So, thank you again to all of my readers. Thank you, to Tao of Pig Pen at Sunshine Dreams and Hopes, Amber at Old Lady no Baby, Katie at Non Sequitur Chica, for taking the time to mention my blog in your posts, and to those who pinned my blog from Resolve: The National Infertility Association's  Pinterest board. 

For the past week and a half I have had some bad low back pain and then a few days ago my "tail bone" starting hurting so bad that I had major discomfort sitting, standing, walking and even laying. I wonder if it is a pilonidal cyst or coccyx pain. I had a pilonidal cyst once before, around the same area, and OH MY GAWD! It was it horrible and  painful! With that being said, I think I may be going to the MD this week!! 

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I promise that with my time off of work I will try to write a thought provoking post. I know I have said that before, but I mean it. I have so many thoughts in my head, but, every time I sit down to write, I go blank. Damn writer's block.  Check me out... I am calling myself a "writer" now. Ha!




P.S. ALL addresses have been assigned for the Post Card Swap! If you want to participate but did not get any addresses please email me! All postcards are to be postmarked by March 29th! 
Remember: if you don't send your postcard you will let a real person down!

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The author of Sunshine Dreams and Hopes has a great book available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble titled "The Longest Love Letter".  Do me a favor? Go buy it and a box of tissues! He told me it was a letter to his daughter, but really it is a love letter to his wife. Both of whom have been a great support to me and to many many others.

My Phone Call With The Nurse

Today I spoke to Sharon about my cycle. She seemed optimistic.

She said that everything looked great this cycle. I ovulated "quite well" and the timing was good. She said that because we know I ovulate so well with the Femara there is no need for a trigger shot. A trigger shot will not improve my chances and they would only use the it if I was not having good ovulation. My progesterone proves I am ovulating without a trigger. I am producing mature eggs with the Femara alone.

They will do up to 5-6 cycles of Femara. We should plan on doing 3 more cycles with Femara and IUI. If pregnancy does not occur then we can add the Menopur with the Femara and IUI. I have 11 vials that I don't want to go to waste and I have heard the combo of Femara and injections can be very successful  After that, she recommends we consider IVF.

In her opinion, we are not fighting the problem with ovulation, we are fighting the PCOS.

I am suppose to wait for a period. If it doesn't start in one week she wants me to take another HPT. If it is negative then we will do some lab work to see what's going on.

Part of me wants a period.
Part of me hopes it doesn't come.

I just don't get it!

It is CD 18 today. My BBT was up this morning. It went from 96.7 to 97.33 but Fertility Friend does not recognize ovulation! UGH!! I guess we will keep checking and bd-ing through the week. I really wish it would hurry up though!

Previously, while on Femara I noticed the same thing happening. Our first cycle was optimal. We have great P4 levels, ovulation occurred between CD15-17. Then the next cycle my ovulation came a little later and my P4 was lower. The first time doing Femara I saw a line change on CD15 and by the second and third round I was not really seeing a significant change on the OPK and ovulation got further and further apart. Making detection hard so we moved to a more monitored cycle using injections. I think we need to use Femara and monitor it next time; if there is a next time. 

I hate this shit.

UPDATE: This is the email I got from my nurse...

Good morning Teresa,

So in looking at the OPK’s I am inclined to think that cycle day 16 is positive.   You may have ovulated yesterday which would account for your elevated temp today.  I don’t know what to think about the smiley face digital, we don’t typically use those.  Lets’ check a progesterone level on March 5^th, in one week, to see if ovulation has occurred.  I will send lab a lab order to St. Charles today.  I recommend having intercourse again today.

Thanks,

Sharon

Cycle #5 Update

I talked to my nurse today about this cycle and the "plan". I thought that we were going to do a monitored cycle with blood work and follicle checks; but that doesn't seem to be the case. Of course, if I wanted to, we could. The nurse and doctor don't think we need to monitor just yet, since last cycle was so spot on. They were very happy with the way I responded to Femara. The plan is that I will finish up the Femara and start OPKs on CD 10 (Tuesday). Once I see a change in the OPK- I am to call the office so we can schedule an IUI for the next day,(if we want to do IUI) then we will check progesterone on CD 21-22.

I really like the follicle checks because I like to know exactly what we are "working" with. But, we are trying to be consciousness of cost, since most of these test come out of our pocket and are not covered by insurance. We have and HRA account that has almost been depleted for the year and won't be reset until August, so we are trying to be careful and smart. Which seems silly in the world of infertility."Careful"? "Smart"? If I had it my way, we would be doing blood work every three days, and I would have my follicles checked almost daily. I would know exactly when to do IUI, or TI. I feel like it really is all about timing for me. I wish I knew EXACTLY when that egg is released! I do have a $150.00 credit with my OB, who does my follicle checks. I could use it-- and since the payment is good for 30 days, I can have as many U/S as I want in that time frame. I wonder if I should schedule the U/S on CD 11-13, to see where we are, and then again a few days later? Or I could save the credit and put it towards the $375 for IUI...
The second opinion doctor thought we should do three more rounds of Femara, 7.5mg, with IUI before moving on to IVF.

What would you do?  

Green Light!

Today I had my baseline ultrasound. Everything looks "great"! We are clear to move ahead! I start Femara, 7.5mg tomorrow. The technician said the endometrium looks good and I have about 20 follicles on each side. She was even nice enough to print out a photo so that I can share what follicles and ovaries look like.  That darker almond shaped thing in the middle is my ovary and the little black spots inside that are follicles.... "potential" eggs!

Left Ovary

The nurse said to start testing OPKs on CD 10-11. I feel like I just stopped testing and now I have to start all over! I am sure my IF friends are rolling their eyes; they know first hand how neurotic I am about OPKs! So, let me apologize in advance!

Here we go again! Femara cycle #5. Wish us luck!

I've Got Company

I was greeted this morning by AF! Normally I would be annoyed and grumpy; but not today! I am happy that my P4 level dropped and that she arrived on time! I had a 29 day cycle this month. I will go in for a day  baseline on Tuesday and hopefully all is clear and we can start Femara! 

Until then, I am going to keep myself busy with a movie and early dinner at McMenamins with the DH! We are going to see Skyfall. Heck, why not? The movie is only $3.00 and we get to sit on a couch, drink beer and eat food! Count. Me. In! 

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway!!!

*Sunday Update*
Scratch the movie. I have the worst cramps. I am parked on the couch with a heating pad, a blanket and a movie! I am not far off from the original plan! I have a baseline U/S tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed that all is clear!

Oh! I almost forgot. Please visit "Where the *bleep* is our Stork?" on Facebook and take a minute to "like" the page! Here is the link:  https://www.facebook.com/WhereTheBleepIsOurStork 
Thanks! 

Post BFN

"To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. 'I will drink the ocean,' says the persevering soul, 'at my will mountains will crumble up.' Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach your goal." ~ Swami Vivekananda, India

It has been two days since my BFN. I am not as disappointed with the result as I thought I would be. Don't get me wrong, I am bummed, and I was mad for a minute. But, like a fellow blogger pointed out in a comment she left; good things happened this cycle! Besides, I told myself early on that I would not expect a BFP, since this was our first cycle off BCP. I always have been one to assume or expect the worst. I am not sure if that is a quality or a fault.

So, it is time to plan the next cycle.  

I emailed my nurse and told her  the test was negative but that I had not started  my cycle yet. I told her that I was ready to plan the next cycle and that I was hoping we could continue with the Femara and closer motoring. I asked her if she thought we needed to add the injections; or hold off. 

This was her reply.

Hello Teresa,

So I talked with Sue Armstrong, we reviewed your chart. (Dr. Austin has been busy with patients). We noticed a few things. Over the past year we’ve done quite a few different treatments but have not really tried any one thing for awhile. The gonadotropin cycles did not go well, we are not sure how much the monitoring played into it but we are concerned about the response to the medications. However you did respond well to Femara both at 5 mg and at 7.5 mg. Usually we have pts do 3-4 cycles of one thing, as long as it’s going well, and then adjust or try something else. I’m wondering if we need to give the Femara a few tries and then if it doesn’t work in a few months try adding the Menopur?

Let me know what you think about this.

Regarding repeating an SA, we can certainly do this and if you want it could be done with an IUI, if you wanted to do IUI. In terms of necessity, he did have a normal SA so it’s not needed but can’t hurt. I reviewed your chart for the HSG information and per Dr. Carlson the tubes were patent. However this is another thing that can be repeated here if you want.

I will be out of the office on Monday but back next Tuesday. I’ll wait to hear from you.

Have a good weekend.

Sharon

So, I guess that is the plan! I will continue the next few cycles with Femara, 7.5 mg,  have closer monitoring done with and do an IUI. I figure that we can try this through May or so. Then we can try a round with the injections and if all that fails we can revisit talk of IVF again in August; when our insurance rolls over and our HRA account is reset.  

Until then. I wait. I wait for this next cycle to start. Since my progesterone level was so high it might take a little while. I really wish I had more patience! They really would come in handy right now!

Let's see, I have some other news. 

Things at work are getting interesting. I wont go into detail, because drama sucks and I am trying to refrain from it as much as possible.  But, I will say that there are some major things happening in attempts to cut out all the negativity and harassment.  An HR consultant told my boss that it could be considered a "hostile work environment". I am interested and nervous to see how this all plays out; and I am so ready for the drama to end!

Last, I have been thinking about starting an online "book club" on my blog. I love to read and have always wanted to be part of a book club, but finding the time to make a meeting has often times proven difficult. So I started thinking. I have a lot of friends that read but we don't all live close by. So, if we all agreed on a book of the month or two (depending on how fast people read) I could post up discussion questions and participants could all chime in virtually at their leisure! It would be a great on going discussion! Not to mention this would be a great way to get more followers and a great time to do GIVE-A-WAYS! People love free stuff!! Let me know what you think! Would you be interested? 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! My DH requested a "really good" chili, so now I am on the hunt for a recipe! 

Ciao for now!

 

 

Super Bowl Sunday and Other Stuff

Happy Super Bowl Sunday to all the NFL fans out there! Sadly, my team did not make it, but I am still excited to watch it. I was born in California and the Niners are loved by many in my family, so by default I will root for them. But, I said earlier I just want a J. Harbaugh to win... that is a safest answer. For those of you who don't follow football... the coach of the Niners and  the coach of the Ravens are brothers! Jim and John Harbaugh! It should be an exciting game just for that right there! Nothing beats a little sibling rivalry!

Today we went out an hiked around the badlands and let the dogs run off some energy. It has been such a nice day. Days like this remind me of why I choose call Central Oregon, my home. The sun is out and the skies are blue. There was a bit of a chill factor with the wind, but the heat from the sun makes everything bearable. I guess it is safe to say that I am ready for summer! I really want to make it up to Smith Rock this year, since we never did last year! It been a while since I was up there; it would be nice to create new memories.

Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park

I am 8 DPO today. I have had the worst heartburn for a few days now. It won't go away. I am not sure if it is the coffee, my diet, or what!? Nothing seems to help it, either. I am still feeling bloated and crampy from the progesterone, the ovaries still seem to be straining and I have increased CM. If this cycle does not result in a BFP- I am still just so thrilled to have ovulated. Femara really does work! That progesterone level was a huge number, wasn't it?! My friend said she always knew I was an overachiever! ;-)

Well, that is all the rambling I will do for now! Have a happy Sunday!

(In)fertility 101: Ovulation

I realized that not everyone knows what I am talking about when I say "Femara" or "injections. Not everyone knows the purpose of an OPK, or why we check progesterone levels on certain cycle days. People who are not familiar with the infertility world might wonder what the medications I talk about are used for, why we do "IUI's", and why we test for ovulation multiple times a day, for so many days. So, here I am to explain it; with a little online help! I am still trying to understand it all. Infertility is pretty darn complex. This post will most likely be updated through this blog's life; since new questions arise all the time, and since each cycle differs, there is always something new to learn learn. Because infertility is so complex and because each case is unique in its own way I will mostly discuss and explain MY experience. I will update this post as I receive questions, so like I said... this will be an "under construction" post for a while!

There is so much to explain -where do I start?

I had a friend ask me about OPKs and what they are used for. Lets start with that.

OPK (ovulation predictor kit) is used to detect the LH (luteinizing hormone) which is produce 24-36 hours before ovulation occurs. Ovulation occurs when the follicle is mature enough to release the egg... Following me? The follicle turns into the egg...

By detecting the LH surge it helps plan for timed intercourse, which increases the chances of pregnancy. The average percentage per month to conceive is 20%! TWO days! While ovulation predictor kits measure the LH surge that precedes ovulation, they can't confirm whether you have actually ovulated. Women with PCOS have a hard time relying on OPKs since the LH can stay in the system longer than normal. I have tested many times with false positives. 

A positive OPK will have two lines that resemble each other. Unlike a pregnancy test, the test line on the OPK needs to be similar in color to the control line in order to be considered positive. Usually with a POAS the line cant be slightly visible and still be a BFP!

That is where the progesterone test comes in. About one week after ovulation SHOULD occur, my RE has my progesterone level checked to see how well I ovulated; if at all.  

Progesterone levels should be about 10-15, if ovulation occurred in a non-medicated cycle, and 15+ with a medicated cycle. Progesterone is a female hormone in the body that is produced by the ovaries during the release of a mature egg. Progesterone helps the lining of the endometrium; which is the lining of the uterus (the womb). If pregnancy does not occur progesterone levels will drop and a menstrual cycle will begin. Progesterone in pregnant women usually is about 10x higher than a non-pregnant women.

The very first progesterone test I had done was during a longer cycle and without treatments; it was at 8. The first time I had my levels checked while on Femara it was 29.7!  however, my 2ww ended with a BFN.

Those are ways to detect and test for ovulation. Some women use saliva tests, I never have so I can't speak about them. 

(post is always under construction)

Yes, I am premature

Today while I work I started have some "pain" on my sides. It was just some pressure pains; I am not really sure how to describe them. I am on my 4th day of Femara and I know its too early to ovulate, but better safe than sorry,  right!? Besides I got a smokin' deal on OPK's at Target the other day!

I remember the very first, and I think, ONLY time I ever felt ovulation. One day while sitting at my desk I felt this "pain" on my right side followed by what felt like a flutter from my ovaries. When we tested my progesterone a few days later its was at 29.7! I had for sure ovulated and the nurse even thought I could have released more than one egg!! Femara definitely did something that Clomid didn't! Lets hope it does something this time too!

And yes, I will post more of these photos.... Don't laugh.

 

 

Forfeit?

Well, there may be a change of plans. I am waiting for a call back from my RE's office as I write this.

I had a cycle start December 28th and it ended January 1st. Once we decided to start trying again I stopped taking the birth control pills. I stopped them 9 days into my cycle. I didn't think there was an issue because the RN just said to stop taking them, she never said when. So, on CD 13 (Thursday) I noticed some spotting. It was very light and almost brown. This was mentioned to Sharon, and we said my cycle could very well start, and that I very well could ovulate. She said in fact that it tends to be the case with women with PCOS. She told me to let her know when I had a full flow.

I called on Friday to tell her that in fact the bleeding had changed. I had to use a tampon that one morning. But, the rest of the day was back to a very light flow with bright red blood and by the end of the night- nothing. Today, I again have very light spotting.

Since the Femara was $138.00, I don't want to waste it by taking it at the wrong time. I have a feeling the bleeding has something to do with stopping the BCPs. I have read online that stopping BCP causes the hormone levels to drop and that will cause menses to start; it can happen 7-14 days after stopping BCPs.

So, right now I am in limbo! I am okay with waiting this month out and just trying for TI. At the same time I worry how long it will be before my next full cycle.

I guess for now, I will sit back enjoy my ONE cup of coffee for the day and wait for a call back!

Happy Play-offs NFL fans! I am sad that Denver is out. What a HORRIBLE interception by Manning in OT! Ugh....

Update:
Doctor's office called back at 9am. This is CD#3- Moving forward with Femara #4 at 7.5mg for 5 days!

 

Femara Cycle #4

It's officially cycle day number uno! I stopped my birth control pills on Saturday the 5th (one week into my cycle). My last period was on December 28th. So, this is an early cycle for sure.

On Sunday, cycle day 3, I am suppose to start my Femara. I am taking 7.5mg this time. The last three times we did Femara cycles we used 5mg and only did a trigger shot and IUI once. I ovulated the first time on Femara remarkably well, my progesterone level was 29.7 on cycle day 21! That's pretty good.

The RN thinks since this is my first cycle off birth control and since I do show ovulation occurring with the Femara we didn't need to do a follicle check ultrasound, or IUI. She was basing this on our economic concern and the fact that I can ovulate and that is really all we need (and properly timed intercourse). However, if I WANT to do a HCG shot and IUI that is entirely up to me. I have this feeling inside that is telling me to just sit back, relax and try to time it right. But, timed intercourse and intercourse every other day for several days puts a lot of pressure on my husband, and an IUI is so much easier, less stressful, and we know the little guys go where they need to go.

So, the plan is to take Femara cycle days 3-7. Starting on cycle day 10, 11 or 12 (since I ovulate late) I will start OPK's. Once I see a slight change we are to "baby dance" that day and the next two days. She recommended every other day after that until cycle day 17. If we chose to do an IUI then we will do  mid-luteal blood work to see where I am in the cycle; we can also do a follicle check if we choose followed up with the IUI at my OB's office, here in town.

On cycle day 10, which is when I can start testing the LH surge, we will be out of town on a mini vacation. We are going wine tasting at a charming resort in Cottage Grove until the 21st; which is cycle day 12. I ovulate late so I may not get a positive surge until we get back but at least we can have a nice time relaxing, drinking wine away from home with one another during my most fertile time! How perfect is that timing?!

Fingers and toes are crossed. Say some prayers for us!!!