TTC Check In (July 13)

[Stringy]

Yay mahler5 glad it went well!!

Witty- you planning to POAS anytime soon? I'm debating waiting til beta or not.

[wittyandwaiting]

Stringy, I'm waiting till beta but going in on Saturday instead of Sunday. Mostly cause I'm lazy and don't want to go to the store to buy pee sticks.

What's your plan?

[Stringy]

Jul 15, 2015 18:27:05 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

Stringy, I'm waiting till beta but going in on Saturday instead of Sunday. Mostly cause I'm lazy and don't want to go to the store to buy pee sticks.

What's your plan?

I have NO idea. I have a wedding Saturday night followed by a week at the beach with my ILs. Beta is monday and I'll drive home for it. But even if a neg stick sat I won't give up and drink at the wedding. Advice?

[wittyandwaiting]

I'd test before Monday so I didn't react as strongly (ie: jumping for joy / dancing / being weird) around my IL's. I like space to process.

Would your RE bump up beta a day to save you the drive?

Eta: Stringy

[klake42]

Hey y'all!

I'm taking this cycle off to rest, get testing, and start acupuncture. I'm actually feeling pretty positive because it seems like I've had a nice natural ovulation this time around. I've only once ever noticed any EWCM before, but I had it in abundance for two days before FF gave me crosshairs, right when OPKs gave me a positive. My post-O temps are so far pretty consistent, which is another new thing for me. I don't know if it's the acupuncture, the months of DHEA and CoQ 10 supplements and pre-natals, the months of no coffee/alcohol, or what, but my body seems to be cooperating a bit more.

I also started TCM herbs yesterday. Foul tasting stuff. But my RE strongly endorsed this acupuncturist and his herbs, so I feel good about that. Now I'm just waiting this cycle out, so I can get a baseline in probably a week and half or so, and start again!

Oh, and I had my HSG test last week. It hurt like hell! But I'm all clear, and hopeful that my squeaky clean tubes will help make things happen for me.

I sure hope to see some BFPs here this month!

[morveng]

wittyandwaiting can I be added please? I intro'd a few months back and then forgot my password and was locked out of my email so I had to make a new account.

Quick re-cap, DH is post-op FTM transgender who had some eggs removed before he stared hormone therapy. We have been working with an LGBT specialist RE since February to have IVF in August with my womb and DH's eggs, and donor sperm. I think last time I checked in, we were still narrowing down sperm donors.

Well, we now have less than a month to go until we have our first round of IVF, and we also have a new doctor who says we can transfer one egg at a time, rather than two. We have also picked a sperm donor, and already have our sperm vials (well, they are at the clinic, but they are ours) and I'm currently taking estrogen, and I'll start progesterone soon.

QOTW: I don't like the word egregious, I think it sounds really sleazy. I don't have a particularly favourite words, but I generally am a fan of onomatopoeic ones.

[wittyandwaiting]

morveng - you've been added!

[mahler5]

Jul 15, 2015 16:47:23 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

mahler5 woo hoo! I'll be optimistic for you! FX

When's beta?

Somehow I missed this yesterday! Beta is a week from today! If I POAS I told my self I at least have to wait until Monday but will try and hold out until Tuesday.

So yours is Saturday??? Will keep my FX for you!!!!'

[honigbiene]

Good luck to all the ladies with upcoming betas!!!

klake42- I hope you have an amazingly relaxing and fun break

morveng- you commented on my intro post, but I'm the one whose (soon to be) husband is also FtM. Which donor bank are you going through? We just made our choice, too! Maybe it's freakin weird that I kind of want to share who we picked...donor #14098 from california cryo Mostly because of his stunning childhood resemblance to my guy as a kid, but also many other things we liked about him.
I can't believe how incredibly hard that search/decision was though!!

[honigbiene]

Whoops I forgot to update on me. I had my clomid/IUI education appointment today. I walked out of their feeling incredibly overwhelmed. So many little details to remember and get timed correctly. I didn't realize how often I was going to have to drive to the clinic (1.5 hours from where I live) and I also didn't realize I was going to need so many ultrasounds, or how much they are going to charge to thaw/handle/store the sperm. That is going to dramatically increase our costs. I thought we had enough saved for 3 IUI's, but now I'm thinking that number is more like only 2.

But anyway, I am now at the point where I just need to sit around and wait for CD 1

[wittyandwaiting]

honigbiene I definitely can relate to that feeling of TTC sticker shock! I'm happy that it will still work out for you to try two cycles.

I highly recommend getting a TTC notebook to keep track of things like costs, timing, instructions, numbers etc. In my case, it definitely helped me feel less overwhelmed.

I'm lucky to live within five minutes of my RE's office but I do know people who have had to travel further distances and have been able to do some of their ultrasounds closer to home.

klake42 happy to hear that you're enjoying your cycle off!

mahler5 FX for you! I'm really hoping that this month is full of BFP's here.

Thanks for your warm thoughts everybody!

[bexincanada]

Jul 16, 2015 23:18:14 GMT -5 honigbiene said:

I didn't realize how often I was going to have to drive to the clinic (1.5 hours from where I live) and I also didn't realize I was going to need so many ultrasounds, or how much they are going to charge to thaw/handle/store the sperm. That is going to dramatically increase our costs. 

I can definitely relate.  If this cycle is a BFP, we're definitely going to only do one insemination next cycle... it was a pretty big hit.  I think between the investigation cycle and treatment cycle I got quite accustomed to bloodwork and ultrasound, so I'm trying to view it as exposure therapy.  Our RE is an hour away from home, an hour and a half from work.  The most annoying part was the lack of notice of when the next appointment would be, so for me I'd have to re-schedule a bunch of morning clients.  

Hang in, crossing my fingers for a BFP for you.

[morveng]

Jul 16, 2015 17:44:08 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

morveng - you've been added!

Thank you!    

[morveng]

Jul 16, 2015 23:12:51 GMT -5 honigbiene said:

morveng- you commented on my intro post, but I'm the one whose (soon to be) husband is also FtM. Which donor bank are you going through? We just made our choice, too! Maybe it's freakin weird that I kind of want to share who we picked...donor #14098 from california cryo Mostly because of his stunning childhood resemblance to my guy as a kid, but also many other things we liked about him.
I can't believe how incredibly hard that search/decision was though!!

We're in Europe so we used the European Sperm Bank. Looks were our pain priority as well; we wanted someone that looked as much like me, or a mix of the two of us, as possible. Our problem was that both DH and I look quite stereotypically Nordic (though neither of us are), and the sperm bank is based in Scandinavia, just doing it by looks alone didn't narrow our search down much at all, so we still spent months scrolling through donor profiles finding someone that was like us in personality as well. The guy we picked in the end looks less DH, but in his childhood pictures he looks so much like DS we felt like we had to pick him. Plus, he has the same job as me, and is as much a comic book geek as DH and I.

[klake42]

honigbiene, I'm also pretty excited about the donor we picked, also from California Cryo, #13289. We got the full profile, and it's amazing how much he looks like my wife! French nose and big grin. We listened to the interview, where he was charming the pants off the woman asking him questions, but his attention also jumped from one thing he was super excited about to another, just like my (adorably ADD) wife. We looked through a lot of profiles, but when we found him, we knew.

I have low ovarian reserve, though, and we know we might reach a place where we give up my eggs and focus on my wife's younger eggs, in which case we'll start the donor search all over again. It would be too much of a double whammy for a kid to have both his and her genes.

But we totally have a crush on our donor, at least on how he appears on his profile.

[bexincanada]

Question around POAS for folks. I definitely know I'm going to POAS before beta so that if it's a BFN I can control how I get the news/modulate my expectations. There is no risk of getting a false positive since we used a natural cycle.

How early is too early? Tomorrow will be day 9/10 post insemination.

[wittyandwaiting]

bexincanada, according to another board I post on:

HPT Accuracy DPO
10 dpo : 35%
11 dpo : 51%
12 dpo : 62%
13 dpo : 68%
14 dpo : 74%
15 dpo : 80%
16 dpo : 88%
17 dpo : 92%
18 dpo : 99%

[bexincanada]

wittyandwaiting, Thanks for the stats - so I'm thinking I'll POAS 11/12 DPO, then beta is 12/13. I think my wife would be on board with that.

[honigbiene]

I'm having spotting today...I'm only on CD 24. My short luteal phases give me so much anxiety. What if we pay all this money, actually get an egg fertilized, but then it doesn't have a chance to implant because of my stupid short cycles?

I'm also having a ton of anxiety about when to count CD 1. The doctor said not spotting, full flow only counts, and if it starts after 12pm, then we are to count the next day as CD 1. The problem is that mine doesn't generally come on suddenly...it starts out as spotting and then very very gradually gets heavier over a period of about 2 days. I work 12 hour shifts, and in the ER it might be 6+ hours between BR breaks for me (hence why nurses so commonly get bladder problems). So it's not like I can keep doing checks, iykwim.

Does anyone happen to know, for women who have a lot of spotting in their luteal phase, and super short cycles, does clomid generally help straighten that out? We'll also be doing an ovidrel shot, so I don't know if that makes a difference, either. My progesterone level was super high, so that shouldn't be the cause of this.

[Stringy]

I don't have any answers honig but your doctor should be able to tell you something. I think a luteal phase is only abnormally short if it's under 10-11 days though? But not positive.

[Stringy]

Good luck today witty!!!!

[wittyandwaiting]

@honingbiene I don't have the answers either but. If you think it's CD1, call your RE. They'll be monitoring and being off by a few hours or whatever shouldn't make a big difference. Ovidrel will force you to ovulate so you don't have to worry about missing it.

Stringy Thanks Friend!!! I will keep you posted.

[wittyandwaiting]

Beta came in at 7 so that's a non-viable chemical pregnancy. FML.

[bexincanada]

Jul 18, 2015 8:45:00 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

Beta came in at 7 so that's a non-viable chemical pregnancy. FML.

)c:  Sorry to hear that wittyandwaiting, sending you hugs, videos of animals doing silly things, or whatever you need.  If you need the latter let me know.

[wittyandwaiting]

Thanks bexincanada! I am partial to cute penguins.

I'm sending all my good mojo to those of still waiting.

[honigbiene]

Witty- I am so, so sorry! That is absolutely heartbreaking I hope that wife is with you today to give you some major snuggles and pampering

[mahler5]

Jul 18, 2015 8:45:00 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

Beta came in at 7 so that's a non-viable chemical pregnancy. FML.

I'm so, so sorry to hear that. I hope you are doing ok. Hugs to you.

[bexincanada]

wittyandwaiting, here's a little bit of everything:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyBiiWwBbTg

[Stringy]

Jul 18, 2015 8:45:00 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

Beta came in at 7 so that's a non-viable chemical pregnancy. FML.

Boo. I totally am stalking you from the bathroom at a wedding :-( I'm sorry.

[wittyandwaiting]

Thanks Stringy! Hope you're enjoying the wedding.