If you knew then what you know now: TTC Edition

[wittyandwaiting]

Hello All, 
This is a little (actually very) self serving but I'm meeting with my RE this week to review our TTC efforts so far.  I've been working on a list of questions (I looove lists) but there is so much wisdom and experience here too. I was thinking that we could maybe do a thread every once in a while where we share any wisdom we have on a topic and maybe we can pin them so that they don't get lost. 

I believe that waffles tried to get this going a while back but there were far less of us. If we decide to pin this I'll clean up this post so that it says something nice and more generic.

I'm thinking that some topics could be: 

• Choosing a donor
• Books and other awesome LGBT Parenting, Pregnancy and TTC Resources
  
• Pre-TTC Things to Consider
• Foster and Adoption Resources
• Pregnancy
• Parenting: Babies
• Parenting: 1-5 Year olds
• Parenting: School Aged
• Parenting: Pre-Teens and Teens

Any thoughts on this? Suggestions?

Either way...I've love to know what you wished you knew when you started TTC and any aha moments you had. 

Bring on the insights!!!!

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

I love lists too

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

I have a theory that if you have iui u most likely will have a boy. Thoughts?

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

I learned that id use a diff dr next time and that my bp was up so I didn't pass out lol

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

Timing. I went in clueless last time. I would have asked more questions about cd schedule

[Stringy]

Mar 23, 2015 20:34:08 GMT -5 2mrsks (mrs&mrsk) said:

I have a theory that if you have iui u most likely will have a boy. Thoughts?

Didn't someone add all the boys and girls up once back on TB? Like at least a year ago?

But I have a girl via iui so I say no to the theory :-)

[wittyandwaiting]

Mar 23, 2015 20:34:08 GMT -5 2mrsks (mrs&mrsk) said:

I have a theory that if you have iui u most likely will have a boy. Thoughts?

I've heard that it is more common but I haven't heard from it from anywhere official.

[wittyandwaiting]

I'd ask more questions right from the beginning.

[megd893]

2mrsks (mrs&mrsk), wittyandwaiting, Stringy - sooooo I read the theory on IUI and boy/girls. (currently pregs with boy via IUI).
Apparently, the science behind it goes like this. Male sperm is lighter and swims faster but dies quicker in utero. Female sperm is heavier and slower swimming, but has a longer life in utero.
When your RE does an IUI, they're usually trying to do the insemination as close to ovulation as possible. This gives the quicker, lighter male sperm an advantage to getting first crack at the egg. Apparently, if your insemination is done a few days before you actually ovulate, your chances of a girl increase as some of the male sperm have died and there are still many strong female swimmers who are now present once the egg is released.

That's my understanding Hope it helps!

[officerofthelaw]

I wish I would have been better prepared for the IUI process, I had no idea it would take so many tries. I went into TTC thinking I would get pregnant right away since there was nothing wrong with me, boy was I wrong. If I had known that one IVF was all it took, I would have skipped the 6 IUI's and went straight to IVF. I probably would have checked into some health insurance outside of work that helps cover the cost of fertility treatments. If I would have known that our first donor was going to stop donating, I would have purchased more vials. I hope you figure everything out!

[waffles]

wittyandwaiting, thanks for taking this over! I've been MIA lately. I appreciate it.

[amberreva]

2mrsks (mrs&mrsk) I had read that boys were more common with IUIs and the science behind it and the frozen sperm/speed at which boys sperm swims vs. girl sperm. I personally disprove this theory got pregnant twice by IUI and both times with a little girl. It would be interesting to poll on here to see boy pregnancies vs. girl pregnancies when conceived through IUI.

[mahler5]

Mar 23, 2015 20:42:41 GMT -5 Stringy said:

Mar 23, 2015 20:34:08 GMT -5 2mrsks (mrs&mrsk) said:

I have a theory that if you have iui u most likely will have a boy. Thoughts?

Didn't someone add all the boys and girls up once back on TB? Like at least a year ago?

But I have a girl via iui so I say no to the theory :-)

I have a girl via IUI as well and was shocked. For some reason I thought I would always have a boy.

[mahler5]

I would have had an HSG right away as opposed to waiting after 3 failed IUIs. My OB offered to do it up front but would have costs us. Turned out one of my tubes was closed so 2 of the 3 initial IUIs didn't have an egg release from the open tube. We probably would have started letrazol sooner to help me ovulate from both sides. And might have saved some money on less vials by benching any months I only ovulated from closed side. But hindsight is always 20/20.

[amberreva]

To realize there is no real "timeline" it can happen quickly or it can take years. Plan accordingly and be financially prepared for it to take years.

[RM80]

I wish I knew:
- IVF wasn’t a guarantee
- It would strain our relationship in ways we didn’t see coming
- It also brought us so much closer
- There is a lot of waiting around time, don’t delay life!
- Using an RE was the best decision ever, glad we skipped the OB

[karlamo]

Geez, with our TTC journey, I wish I knew so much. Now I feel like a mini expert after what we did.

We went through 12 IUI's,
1 fresh IVF cycle
1 freeze all cycle
1 FET from the freeze all
1 Reciprocal IVF cycle...Finally pregnant!

For Moka.. 1 FET cycle and pregnant! The universe must have felt like we paid our dues.

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

Also I think the boy sperm usually get killed off "lower" than the iui gets done, and therefore live longer than ici/unwashed where the sperm gets killed.
I believe ours was done on the later side as they said we would have back to back... But then we didn't and it seemed a bit rushed at the end lol.
We are on constant watch for more vials.
Our donor has 5 boys that we know about currently. We haven't signed up for the sibling registry yet. But when we bought our sperm he had less than 5 pregnancies.

[wittyandwaiting]

Mar 24, 2015 8:23:43 GMT -5 waffles said:

wittyandwaiting, thanks for taking this over! I've been MIA lately. I appreciate it.

Miss your face (or presence) here. Hope all is well.

[Deleted]

Just mmm, waffles. Now I want waffles.