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JULIA - I think this is my favorite time of year. I didn't plant last weekend but will definitely make up for this this week. I love to dig in the dirt!

My first cycle of shots I saw the not-my-RE guy...the 2nd in command at the practice, and I think he triggered me too early...on day 8, with IUI on day 10. That never felt good to me. My real RE - the one I like - was in charge of my last cycle and while he didn't give me anything to hold ovulation off, he monitored me 5 times in 10 days, and got three of four follicles to ovulate. He had me trigger on day 11 for a day 13 IUI and the 3 good follicles ranged from 17-21mm. I felt okay about that one. I think I'll ask about that when I see him this time though.

It's great that you're more relaxed. It sounds like staying away from the RE is definitely the right course of action for you. My fingers are crossed for you. Did you ever have see a hematologist to get checked for clotting factors and all that good stuff?

Manny was taking HCG. Isn't that a hoot? I wonder if his breasts hurt? :-) (Mine sure did.)

MY UPDATE - Well....as expected, hubby's morphology didn't improve one teeny little bit. He had two semen analyses prior to surgery. One said his morphology was only 3% normal forms and the other said 5%. This one came back right in the middle at 4%. We keep hearing that improvement can take 6 months and even up to a year. But both the urologist who did the surgery and my RE said that improvement should be immediate...soo...who knows. Regardless, for now, it is what it is and 4% isn't likely to get me pregnant even with shots and IUI. If this cycle doesn't work, at most, we'd do one more, but I'm not even sure about that. It's an awful lot of money for very little chance of success.

My RE still wants to try IVF. I told him it wasn't a financial option for us but he wants to talk to us about a payment plan. It may be worth hearing what he has in mind but if the payment plan is something like, "You can pay $6500 each month for three months prior to the egg retrieval" I'll have to laugh really hard. And that's sort of what I'm expecting to hear.

Still, I may start investigating the best AMA/Male Factor clinics in the country and contacting them to see what their cut off ages are and to see what kind of "payment plans" they offer. It might be worth it to at least ask questions and see what might be available if we could afford it and then...I don't know...maybe a rich Aunt I don't know I have will kick the bucket and leave me her millions. Lol. Hey....a girl can dream right? How awful is that? I'm so goin' to hell!

Aspen-
Oh my, that is a lot to deal with. I do not think the payment plans are like that, you should listen to what he has to offer. At least then you can make a informed decision. Knowledge is power. It may actually be cheaper monthly than the injections and IUI.
Friday I have my HSG- any advice. You had that before right? We are not trying this month or the next as we are going on a cruise and I will have ovulated the week before and will not know one way or the other if I am prego so I would rather wait so that I can drink and relax. Sooo, the next time I will be bding for baby will be middle to end of June.

JAYJAYSMOM - I'm definitely going to listen and see what he says. No doubt about that one. Yeah, I had an HSG. It wasn't that big of a deal. My RE suggested that I take 4 advils an hour before the procedure and I'm glad I did. I had some cramping when the dye was administered and it was fairly significant, but short-lived. The doctor did everything as fast as he possibly could and I was totally, 100% back to normal within five minutes of being done, with some itty bitty cramps. It won't be the highlight of your day or anything, but you don't need to worry and expect it to be awful either. Just take the NSAID beforehand and you'll be fine.

Cruise?!?!? YAY! That sounds wonderful and just the antidote to ttc stress that you need right about now. I would definitely take that month off too. Relax. Have fun. Have drinks with umbrellas in them. "Practice" for ttc'ing in June. March '09 would be a fantastic time for a baby!

MY UPDATE - Nothing much. Off to the RE for an ultrasound to check on my follicles. Oh, did you see that Krissy posted in our old thread and said she's back and will get caught up with us? Made me very happy to see. I added a quick post to tell her to come on over here and start filling us in. Hopefully we'll hear more from her soon. (We've missed you, Krissy!)

Happy Thursday everyone.

Remember the roller coaster ride my last cycle was? First I only had one follicle, which my body can do on it's own, WITHOUT the outrageously expensive drugs...and that meant that I wasn't a candidate for IVF? And I wanted to slit my wrists? And then at my next ultrasound I had three follicles, and then at my next, I had four?

Yeah. Here we go again.

I only have one itty bitty, teeny weeny, you-gotta-be-kidding-me little follicle on my left ovary. That's it. I'm refusing to panic yet because of last cycle...I'm hoping they come along later again. But I'm worried because my period started on a Saturday, meaning it was already cd3 when I got to my RE on Monday so we started shots on cd3 instead of cd2 and that could be part of the problem because of when the "selection" process happens in your ovaries.

AND - not for nuthin' but yesterday when I did my shot I hit a vein or an artery or something because it bruised immediately and when I took the needle out a LOT of blood came out. A L O T. Like....I gave myself the shot in the top of my thigh, sitting down, and within seconds of taking the needle out there was blood dripping onto my kitchen floor. So naturally I'm afraid that the blood leaving my body carried the medicine I'd just tried to put IN right back OUT. That would be an expensive bleed, boy! Lol. The nurse told me not to worry about it but...you know me...I worry about everything!

So. Maybe we started the meds too late. Or maybe I didn't really get a full dose yesterday. Or maybe my ovaries are quittin' on me. OR...maybe it's just too early and I need to cool my jets and not worry about it and see what happens when I get my next ultrasound on Monday. I'm going with "D" for now. Or at least, I'm trying to...

Just figured I'd keep you up to date on the craziness so you can get a good chuckle out of picturing me crosseyed....while trying to pretend that I'm totally calm, cool, and collected. :-)

OMG..Aspen..so sorry. This must be making your head spin. I am also sorry your dh's sperm has not improved much. I hope you can try to look into the payment plan for the IVF if this IUI is a bust. There must be a certain amount you can pay over a certain amount of time. I wish I had bags of money and I could forward it to all of us who need it. It pisses me off that IVF is not covered some how when is this going to change??? I know this may sound crazy but have you thought of any way you could raise money for this cause.. ie a garage sale,carwash,craftsale,or selling things on ebay..whatever..you could coordinate with family and friends..you don't have to tell people your cause but your family could donate their time etc. My friends and I through a giant garage sale for a girlfriend (who lost her husband) and raised $15,000. I know it sounds crazy..but the sale was HUGE. Even a sale that could generate $3-400 would be great and is a start. Drastic times call for drastic measures!!
Anyway, best of luck this cycle.
Jayjaysmom, I also had the HSG for me it was not so bothersome. However it is temporarily uncomfortable. I bled a little afterwards too. I was happy to hear my tubes were all clear and the doc informed me of that immediately. I do suggest the advil beforehand. Taking it easy afterwards. I also wanted to mention that MANY women are very fertile after an hsg so bare that in mind when you say you are taking some cycles off. But I wish you all the best too.
For me, I had the update on my maternal serum tests. My baby tested negative for any possiblilities of birth defects. The ratio was 1:1860 for downs and 1:16,890 for spinabifida. These are pretty good results for an old broad like me. The doc also told me my placenta is not as low as was earlier suspected..She said it was more anterior with no previa. So that is also a good sign. In fact she was pissed off that th tech had mention a low lying placenta. I have however been suffering from left side headaches or migraines (although today I am fine.) I also have had bad sciatic pain on my right hip. I tried to walk to the mall which is fairly close to my house and when I got there was dying. I considered getting someone to pick me up..but hobbled home with my 2 year old and my big old preggo belly.
Other than that..we have started to strip our stain on the porches outside of our house. So I am off to go make lunch for the workers.
Talk to you all soon.
Oh P.S. Krissy..glad you found the time to check in..please update us on your health.

Hi girls! Hope everyone is doing good today. I haven't been on much lately, but I do try and catch up. I can't believe November, that you are already 34wks. As for me, my pregnancy is progressing well. I am 25 weeks now. I haven't had any problems other than my Chrohns disease has flared, but its not too bad. We had an ultrasound when I was about 20 weeks. We were told it is a boy! The doctor told me that my placenta was low, however, at that stage it usually moves up with the uterus. My kids are excited its a boy. My daughter who is 17, was happy because she wanted to remain the baby girl! lol, my son 12 said he wants to teach the baby all kinds of stuff, especially to say his name first. So cute. Well gotta go girls, dinnertime. Baby dust to allxoxox

Hello All. I am due tomorrow, and feel a little crampy, so I think this month is a bust. Probably partly my fault since I did not cover many days. I just can't force it now. Oh, well. Coincidentally, we are having a yard sale tomorrow. I love it. I like the people, the negotiating, the de-crappifying. When two clutter-bugs live together, UGH!
Kristin - I'm glad your tests went well! Kinda makes the suffering worthwhile.
Aspen - Give it time. The follicles will develop. Please try not to get too caught up. You can go crazy. I know exactly how you feel. Now, I can hardly remember to take my vitamin each day. Maybe I feel a bit too liberated. I just keep hoping that thigs will take care of themselves. I tried to force it for so long to no avail. I hope my failure(s) increase your odds of success! You so deserve it.
To everyone I've missed - I wish you all well!
Baby dust to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coming out of lurker/hiding status to say HI to everyone. So glad to see so many of the old names still around, especially our success stories. November - I can't believe you're in the home stretch now. Best of luck for a smooth and quick delivery. Kristin & Jesslea - wishing you both a pleasant and comfortable third trimester. As for myself, AF showed up today. We also didn't cover many days. We seem to have lost the tenacity for TTC. This month marks the one year anniversary of my 2nd miscarriage. Time for us to decide if we want to pursue fertility drugs. DH has been unemployed since August. Being the sole breadwinner has been more stressful than I expected, which I think is a huge contributing factor to why we haven't conceived again. Anyway, Kristen, I wanted to chime in that my DS is named Zachary. If we're fortunate to have another son, we are also thinking Max (Maximus, Maxwell, Maximilian) or Alexander or some combo of both. Baby dust and best wishes to all.

Hi Aspen - So sorry to hear about the results of DH’s SA. Just like the other ladies are saying, it will be good to hear what your RE has to offer in regards to a plan etc. I feel really disappointed for you with all these obstacles, but you will get there. I’ll be checking in to see how you’re going. Take care. xx

Hi Jesslea – It was really great to hear from you, wow 26 weeks now!! It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was that many weeks. I’m happy to hear things are generally going well except for the Chrohns disease. There always something isn’t there? Mine is Carpal Tunnel. I haven’t had it before and it’s a result of the fluid retention. Pretty bad with my right hand mainly, falling asleep at night and constant numbness and tingling on my fingertips during the day. My sister-in-law is a midwife/nurse and sees this kind of thing all the time – assures me that it should clear up within a couple of weeks after the birth. Take care and looking forward to an update. xx

Hi JuliaB – I’ve been thinking of you heaps. Take all the time you need and you’ll know when you’ll be ready to TTC. xx

Hi Kristin72 - Hope all is well and everything is going smoothly for you. xx

Hi Calitrish – I was really nice to see your name on the post. Sorry to hear about the difficult time you are having with the work situation. That extra stress would hardly get you in the mood to TTC every day on your fertile period. We are all hoping that the worse of the recession will be behind us in 12 months. Take care of yourself. xx


Krissy68 –Thinking of you. xx


I’m 36 weeks tomorrow and go in for an elective caesarean at 39 weeks. At work until the end of month and I’m hanging out for a week off beforehand.


Have a good week everybody. xx

Everyone - Thanks so much for your support. I hope my "bad news" posts aren't depressing anyone. I definitely don't want that!

KRISTIN - I know what you mean about being angry at the current state of fertility coverage. It's just not right. I hope that will change eventually. In the meantime, we hadn't thought of having any major fundraising events, though it's worth considering for sure. My first reaction is that I'd be afraid to tell people what it's for because so many people out there still think that women over 40 shouldn't ttc to begin with. But maybe I can get over that. I HAVE been looking around the house trying to figure out what I could sell on Ebay or in consignment shops. And maybe I'll get a third job to help us save. I don't have much free time between our business and working with the high school kids, but I'm sure I could figure something out. Dunno. I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions though. I was thinking about something I could do in conjunction with my business maybe....like hosting a week-long health seminar or something featuring yoga/meditation/Chinese medicine experts and the like. We also have a gourmet chef who can do "green and healthy" spa cuisine. I don't know if I can make that happen in time to be of much help, but then...who says I won't be right here still trying a year from now? Maybe it's worth doing regardless...Hmmm....

I'm so happy about the results of your screenings! I never had a doubt that your results would be good though. This is the one. I was thinking about that psychic you told us about eons ago. He/she was dead on, right? Freaky! Did you ever contact that person to tell them that they were right?

JESSLEA - Glad to hear everything is going so well other than the Chrone's. Hope that settles back down too. A boy, huh? That's wonderful. Congratulations!

JULIA - Did AF show? How did your yard sale go? I don't think there's any such thing as "too liberated" right now. That's exactly what you need at the moment...and maybe forever. Who knows. But it makes me happy to think of you enjoying this Spring. I love it. You're a constant reminder to me to back off and try to relax so I don't hyper-focus on my ovaries at the expense of all of the other wonderful things going on around me right now. Thanks!

CALITRISH - Sorry AF showed again. Let us know what you decide about fertility drugs. I'm sorry, I don't remember, have you worked with an RE before or just your regular OB/GYN? I hope your dh is able to find a suitable job soon. The money stuff can be soooo stressful, can't it? Ugh.

CALITRISH and KRISTIN - I LOVE the name Max! And Kristin - name your child anything you want to! If you can make the Greek side happy, great. But you need to make YOU happy!

NOVEMBER - Holy cow. You're only 3 weeks away!!!! I'm so excited for you. Are you ready? Do you have a nursery set up? Do you know what you'll name the wee one? Do you mind if I ask why you're choosing an elective c-section?

MY UPDATE - Hmmm...well...I went for my ultrasound this morning and it's not great news. I still only have two follicles, both small: one 10mm on my left ovary and one 7mm on my right. It's cd10 today. I'm supposed to continue taking 4 vials of Menopur a day and go back on Friday. That's definitely worse than last cycle. I had 4 follicles at this point last cycle.

My ovaries could just be responding slower this time or maybe I really did lose part of the medicine when I hit that blood vessel and bled so much. Or...mabye my ovaries don't like Menopur instead of Bravelle. Or maybe they dont' like the higher dose...maybe they dont' like being "yelled" at like that. Or maybe they're just too old to keep up. I have no clue. And probably won't ever know for sure, I guess.

The one thing I know for sure is that I'm not going to do the shots next month. My body needs a break and I don't want to put anything else on the credit card. At this point last cycle I was able to cut down the dosage but because there are only 2 follicles my RE wants me to keep going at 4 vials a day so this cycle is turning out to be way more expensive than I was prepared for it to be. I have to stop spending money for a while and just try naturally for a cycle or two if this isn't our magic one. And of course - ya never know. Two follicles from this much medicine might be pitiful but it's still technically one more than I need, right? Wo we'll see. :-)

Hiya - Just a quick update. AF showed Saturday-Sunday. We need to cover next Sunday - Thursday. I am not telling dh, because the pressure is a bit much. The yard sale went eh-eh - it was cool and misty in the AM, but it got better in the PM, but dh had already started to put stuff away.
Aspen - I can't help but believe it will happen, so hang in there. I am glad I am helping. Now if it would just get a little warmer... I am ready for warm sunny weather, watching my tomatoes grow, and all the other warm weather activities.
Thanks for everybody's well wishes. Baby dust!!!!

So I had my HSG done this past Friday. All is clear and it was not painful to me, uncomfortable but not painful. Then I went shopping and spent some money to make me feel better. My karotyping also came back without any abnormalities. Now we will wait and see how the biopsy comes out. I normally ovulate on cd 14 and that is today and am not showing any signs...Could the HSG mess up my cycle?

JULIA - Yeah...watching the tomatoes grow and then EATING THEM! I'm so jonesin' for some summer veggies...tomato sandwhiches...corn on the cob....fresh salad. Mmmmmm. I still think it's gonna happen too - for both of us!

JAYJAYSMOM - Lol. Love the shopping-as-therapy thing. Glad to hear the tests have gone well so far. I've never heard of an HSG messing up a cycle but I suppose nothing is impossible. Maybe it's not so much the HSG as it is just the "stress" of starting all the tests and everything. Every now and then I have a cycle where I know I've ovulated but my body breaks all the rules and I don't have the symptoms I usually have. Might not mean anything at all. When is the biopsy scheduled for?

Hi ladies. My ultrasound this morning showed that only one of my follicles is probably big enough to ovulate this month. I'm bummed because $2,000 is a lot to pay for medicine to do what my body does naturally every month anyway! But, on the other hand, maybe this follicle has a better egg in it because of the meds, who knows. Today is my last day of Menopur and then tomorrow I'll trigger for a Monday morning IUI. (Yeah...can you believe it? They're workin' on Memorial Day.) And then we'll wait and see if this is the magic one. If not, at this point, I have to say that I'm looking forward to taking a break from all the shots and the monitoring appointments and the probing and the drugs. I want to let my poor ovaries rest and get back to normal. I'm gonna feel liberated like Julia next month. :-)

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Hey girls I am back. I have been taking a break and this is the first cycle of me ttcing. Let me fill you in I have a new doctor she is real nice not real sure what kind of doctor she is I think a family doctor and gyn anyway I had my endo biospy back in April and I was on pins and needles but everything is A-ok and she said she didn't see why I couldn't conceive she told me to start taking folic acid which she gave me a prescription for and she told me to try on my own to see if I can conceive if I am not pg then come back and see her in July but I am still trying to get my money together so I can still have the procedure done to open the blocked tube I still need about $750 and I hope to have it done before the end of summer and then I can try one cycle of IUI. I will keep you all updated. Also I notice something different about my period this cycle I normally go for 7 days heavy but this cycle was only 5 days on cd 1 it was light all day and then on cd 2&3 it was real heavy then on cd 4 it was normal and on cd 5 I spotted off and on. I have already picked up me some opk from the doctor store and I will start testing on Sunday (cd 10) and go from there. I hope everyone have a very safe and happy Memorial Day Holiday. Talk to you all soon. Krissy68

Hi All! It has been sooo long since I've been here I didn't even recognize this board it looks so different. I was just curious as to how you're doing and what I have missed since I had my 2nd baby Daniel 9 months ago. Even though I've been absent from this board I've often wondered about Kristin, Tryingx3, Aspen, NVgirl and others and have continued to wish you all well in your babymaking goals and otherwise. As for me, I've been overwhelmed with my 2 year old and my 9 month old boys. They are a lot of work and baby #2 is a high maintenance baby who has always liked to be held a lot and has had some minor health issues but now that he's just started crawling I have a little more time to do things like come back here and check on you all. Trying: are you pregnant?!! Kristin and Aspen: what's going on?