TTC Check-In August 24th

[bexincanada]

Here we go, please share any updates and news on your cycle here.  Please announce BFP's in a new thread.

QOTW:  If you were stranded on a desert island, what book would you bring? (Besides "How to Get Off a Desert Island.")

[bexincanada]

Beta was this morning, waiting on the phonecall but I'm not confident, peed BFN. It's 14dpIUI. Clomid has also made this the longest cycle ever (for me), at cd31 now so expecting AF soon.

[rikkiandjulie]

Bex, fingers crossed for you!

We just got an email from the head doctor at our clinic, about how he is still hopeful that following the same regimn as last time will result in a positive pregnancy, and he's sorry that we haven't had better luck, and how he doesn't want us to lose hope. However, he did mention that if we wanted to if this cycle doesn't work, we can consider IVF.

This puts us in a real pickle as our flex spending for the year is all spent, and we only have a $15,000 lifetime maximum for IVF. (Ours IUIs, meds, and maybe ultrasounds, have already come out of this pool to date.) So finishing with IVF would deplete all fertility coverage to date, leaving nothing for me in the future, and we could potentially deplete it without a viable pregnancy through IVF either, however there is a chance that if we get enough eggs and DW can't carry, I could carry one of hers. I also hate seeing my savings dwindle each month, we saved specifically for this, but maybe not enough.

It's just a lot right now, and I am mentally and physically overwhelmed by it. I guess when open enrollment comes up at my work in October, I'll be opening a Flexspending account too, so we can have a little more cushion for medical expenses.

[mahler5]

rikkiandjulie-- not sure if you have thought of this, but you might consider trying to do an itemized deduction on your taxes. If you spend more than 10,000 ( I think) on medical expenses you can get the deduction. That might help a little. Sounds like you may have made the bench mark for this year already ( although I don't think sperm counts) but if you did IVF I'm sure you would meet the requirement.

[mahler5]

Cycle day one today. Waiting to hear back from RE nurse. I'll probably start BCPs for a week and then FET is scheduled for September 22nd for our last embie.

I'm exhausted and sick so going to take a nap now. Hope everyone is doing well. GL to everyone in the TWW!

[rikkiandjulie]

Aug 24, 2015 11:54:42 GMT -5 mahler5 said:

rikkiandjulie-- not sure if you have thought of this, but you might consider trying to do an itemized deduction on your taxes. If you spend more than 10,000 ( I think) on medical expenses you can get the deduction. That might help a little. Sounds like you may have made the bench mark for this year already ( although I don't think sperm counts) but if you did IVF I'm sure you would meet the requirement.

Yea. I am dreading tax season as well because of our FSA. I know that we can deduct those expenses as well. Super nervous about that one.

[kh826]

bexincanada - jumping over to say that you can claim all fertility related expenses if you spend more than 10% of your income in one year on fertility. You can claim the cost of sperm too! As well as all meds. We did this for our 2013 tax returns. We filed jointly, so the threshold was high, but we were still over the 10% threshold since we did 5 IUIs, an IVF fresh cycle and bought 6 vials of sperm all in 2013. We ended up getting back 100% of what we spent that was over 10% of our gross combined income. It was several thousand dollars. Good luck!

[bexincanada]

Aug 24, 2015 12:49:49 GMT -5 kh826 said:

bexincanada - jumping over to say that you can claim all fertility related expenses if you spend more than 10% of your income in one year on fertility. You can claim the cost of sperm too! As well as all meds. We did this for our 2013 tax returns. We filed jointly, so the threshold was high, but we were still over the 10% threshold since we did 5 IUIs, an IVF fresh cycle and bought 6 vials of sperm all in 2013. We ended up getting back 100% of what we spent that was over 10% of our gross combined income. It was several thousand dollars. Good luck!

Tagging rikkiandjulie, as this is meant for you!

Got the official BFN.  Now waiting for cd1.  Blargh.  Glad to have this community though, while camping and festivalling was fun this past weekend, our friend just wasn't "getting it" and would shut down any attempt at conversation on the topic - instead telling the story of when she found out she was pregnant (with her now 8 year old)... not helpful.  Ah well, the journey continues...

[JustJudy]

Sorry bexincanada. Hugs to you.
It was certainly interesting sending in my receipts for donor sperm to my tax lady this year. But I will take every deduction we can!

We're out this month since I'll be gone during my FW. Femara starts for cycle 9. Hoping it helps us get a BFP!

QOTW: I'm a cliche and would bring Pride and Prejudice.

[mahler5]

Aug 24, 2015 13:53:53 GMT -5 bexincanada said:

Aug 24, 2015 12:49:49 GMT -5 kh826 said:

bexincanada - jumping over to say that you can claim all fertility related expenses if you spend more than 10% of your income in one year on fertility. You can claim the cost of sperm too! As well as all meds. We did this for our 2013 tax returns. We filed jointly, so the threshold was high, but we were still over the 10% threshold since we did 5 IUIs, an IVF fresh cycle and bought 6 vials of sperm all in 2013. We ended up getting back 100% of what we spent that was over 10% of our gross combined income. It was several thousand dollars. Good luck!

Tagging rikkiandjulie, as this is meant for you!

Got the official BFN.  Now waiting for cd1.  Blargh.  Glad to have this community though, while camping and festivalling was fun this past weekend, our friend just wasn't "getting it" and would shut down any attempt at conversation on the topic - instead telling the story of when she found out she was pregnant (with her now 8 year old)... not helpful.  Ah well, the journey continues...

Sorry to hear about the BFN and the unhelpful friend. Hope you are doing ok and CD1 starts soon!

[rikkiandjulie]

Ugh, BFNs suck! I'm so sorry!

[esquette]

Hey all,

Having done a bunch of reading, now I feel very worried that we did our first at-home insemination at the wrong time. I got my positive OPK on Wednesday morning (indicating my next 48 hours were my "fertile window") and then we picked up our giant box of frozen (washed, I guess) sperm and did our at home ICI on Wednesday night. :-( Anyway. I am 97% convinced that I'm not pregnant and that I should move on for a few weeks, but 3% of me wants to start peeing on sticks AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Sigh. Any people use frozen sperm for at home insemination? Any sage advice?

QOTW: Well..... I would want to bring my kindle with all my Terry Pratchett books. I don't think I can pick just one. :-)

[humorme00]

Sunday will be 14 dpiui. So far the tests are negative, so not holding out a lot of hope.

[klake42]

I'm checking in a little late, but I'm gearing up for IUI #5 (medicated with letrozole and menopur, and also using acupuncture and TCM herbs).

Today is CD 10, and I don't have any ripe follicles yet, but two 15s and one 14.  RE thinks it's good enough to plan for IUI on Wednesday, with a trigger on Tuesday.  I hope the timing works.  This is the first time I've had such small follies at this point in my cycle, so I don't know if I should be concerned about ovulating, or if it means that I might have more mature eggs this time.  I'm just anxious about surging early, which screwed up my first IUI.  At least I have lovely 9mm lining, thicker than before (usually 8).

If this doesn't work, I'm kind of all over the place about what to do next.  I'd been planning on 6 IUIs, but the letrozole causes really difficult side effects.  So I'm wondering about moving on to IVF, and also... about moving on to adoption.  I don't want to spend all our resources on trying to get a kid, that we can't do fun things once we have a kid.

[rikkiandjulie]

Aug 30, 2015 16:54:31 GMT -5 klake42 said:

I'm checking in a little late, but I'm gearing up for IUI #5 (medicated with letrozole and menopur, and also using acupuncture and TCM herbs).

Today is CD 10, and I don't have any ripe follicles yet, but two 15s and one 14.  RE thinks it's good enough to plan for IUI on Wednesday, with a trigger on Tuesday.  I hope the timing works.  This is the first time I've had such small follies at this point in my cycle, so I don't know if I should be concerned about ovulating, or if it means that I might have more mature eggs this time.  I'm just anxious about surging early, which screwed up my first IUI.  At least I have lovely 9mm lining, thicker than before (usually 8).

If this doesn't work, I'm kind of all over the place about what to do next.  I'd been planning on 6 IUIs, but the letrozole causes really difficult side effects.  So I'm wondering about moving on to IVF, and also... about moving on to adoption.  I don't want to spend all our resources on trying to get a kid, that we can't do fun things once we have a kid.

I'm crossing my fingers for you! We are inseminating on Wednesday I believe if all goes well. Our ultrasound to check follicle size is tomorrow. We are hoping for a few large ones. I totally understand the "how many more tries" game. We were dead set on 6, than IVF. But now our RE has strongly encouraged us to not try IVF until Janruary, which will put us at 9 cycles. We will see whT happens, but I'm just crossing my fingers for cycle four.