5 days down...too many more to count!

Today was 5dpIUI.
This 2 week wait is really going to be hard...because this time, more than ever before, I really believe that I'm pregnant! I know it is early...too early to know anything, but I just feel differently. Of course with the good timing and count, it just seems like we just hit the nail right on the head this cycle.
Yesterday and today I have had this weird metallic/acid taste in the back of my throat. Nothing like acid reflux, although I have never had it, DH has and according to him, it's nothing like that.
Surprisingly enough, HE is the one consulting with Dr. Google on my symptoms to see what he can find and wouldn't you know it, there are several forums that mention this as an early sign of pregnancy! REALLY? Even one of the recent pregnant ladies on FT even said that she started noticing that around week 4 and that it comes and goes. Yes I thought, it comes and goes with me too. I am feeling what is hard to explain as either serious bloating or feeling overly stuffed...like I sat down at the table and had too much to eat. And looking at me, you would think that too, considering that I have put on quite a bit of weight with the IF medications I have loaded myself with over the past 4 months or so. BUT TRUST ME, IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT!!
I guess tomorrow you would consider me halfway done with this long and dreaded 2ww, but I just see it as several days before truly knowing yes or no. The nurse said I should not test before Tuesday, the 7th of Sept...but DH's birthday is the 6th (what timing, I know). So, my thought process is to POAS on Sunday the 5th which would be 12 days past trigger and 10 days past IUI. It's a starting point anyway, and I will continue to test every day there after until my BFP....I just know it's gotta be a BFP this month!

IUI #3...done and on the road to our BFP!

Well, IUI is DONE! Just one this time instead of the back to back 2 I have had the past two cycles.  I gave myself the Ovidrel trigger Tuesday night at 6pm exactly and Wednesday night the OPK was a strong ++ before the control line even showed up (GREAT SIGN). The morning of the IUI (Thursday) I did another OPK which was still a strong ++ and a HPT which thankfully had the faint + line as well (due to the Ovidrel injection). My plan is to take a HPT every day until the Ovidrel is out of my system which should be 10 days!
Everything was different this time around during the procedure as well. For starters, they wanted me to have a full bladder for my IUI as it would help with the placement of the catheter through the cervix. Trust me, I took DR C serious when he asked me to do that. I thought I would pop before I ever got back to the exam room. My normal nurse wasn't in, and trust me, I missed her dearly. Normally she will leave the lights off and let me lay down as long as I would like and she is just always so caring. I really love her.
Anyway, the interesting thing that was different this go around was that they did an ultrasound guided IUI. The nurse did an abdominal ultrasound as the doctor inserted the catheter. I actually got to see the little guy be injected into my uterus and start swimming...AMAZING!
As for DH's numbers this month...they were back where they needed to be with 17mm post wash and 90% motility. I wish I could have stayed laying longer than 10 minutes, but I had to relieve my bladder before it started cramping (the nurse said that would be counter productive). I quickly got dressed and hit the restroom before checking out. The doctor was really impressed with the procedure (bloodwork and SC) and instructed us to just do the BD and take a test on Sept. 7th. BUT...since the 6th is DH's birthday, I hope to have a BFP on a HPT a day early so he can get the greatest birthday present.
BTW, we did not do the deed last night (night of IUI)...and I was really REALLY upset about that, but I still have faith that this is going to be it...

STAY TUNED

CD2, and we're ready!

As CD2 rolled in this morning, I was really expecting another heavy day (yesterday was horrible) and yet thankfully so far, so good. So far I have not had any where near the cramping I had last cycle, and I am so thankful for that. Last month was a bear for me, and I can only think it was because I had gone so long without actually having break-thru bleeding. I'm doing a lot of reflecting and focusing on what I should attempt to do differently this go around, and I'm still struggling with what would be best for the BFP I long for.
After speaking with the nurse yesterday about DH's CSA that was done last week, I am completely relieved that it must have just been the crud he had come down with around the time of our IUI's that caused his motility to drop so drastically. His count was up to 52 mil swimmers which was 26 mil/ml and his motility had gone back up to about 65%!! PRAISE THE LORD!
Yesterday I did some research online into some helpful supplements that he should be taking, some of which he was already taking and some that we decided we would add into the mix. So, off we went on our little field trip to the Vitamin Shoppe with my list in hand. It was so cute seeing how interested he was in getting exactly what he needed to get to make his soldiers a little stronger for their upcoming adventure! So, his supplements are now: L-Carnitine 500mg 3xday, CoQ-10 100mg 2xday, and a multi-vitamin from Vitamin Shoppe called Max-Sorb for men which has the RDA of Vitamin E, C, B12 as well as Selenium, Zinc, Chromium and other wonderful extras. The RE will also be having him start a 10 day regime of antibiotic (Cipro) starting tomorrow, CD3...
Tomorrow it's back to the doctor, and I can't wait to get this under-way. I just can't wait to get that BFP surprise for my sweetie's birthday, which happens to be labor day this year.

IUI #1...BFN, but keeping my eyes UP!

I know, I know..lots to catch up on.


We went in on Tuesday last week to have a BETA done, and sadly it was negative. NOT PREGNANT. It was very sad for me, but even more so for poor DH. He was so sure that we were pregnant, that when I had to break the news to him, he was pretty much devastated. It broke my heart because his heart was breaking. AND, once again, I felt like I was such a broken woman. I felt like all the numbers were in our favor, but yet I just couldn’t get the prize…a beautiful baby.

When the nurse called to give me the news, I asked her how long I should wait if I had not started AF on my own. I really didn’t want to have to go this route again, but I just didn’t want to be sitting around waiting for weeks if it didn’t show its ugly face. She said that if I had not started to have a period by Monday, then I should call and we would decide then if I needed to have a prescription to bring on AF again.

I prayed…I prayed to God that he would let my body work right and that AF would arrive on its own without any medication or manipulation. I prayed that God would forgive me for rushing His time last cycle. I prayed that with his grace and mercy he would prepare my body for another round of pills, injections and medical intervention and assistance to ovulate and conceive a beautiful healthy baby.

God answered my prayers! Friday morning on my way to work I had some alone time, just me and God. Again I prayed to bring me AF, and about an hour after arriving to work…it came. THANK THE LORD. It sound so weird praying for that, and being thankful when it arrives, but believe me…I was thankful.

Sunday was CD3, so off to the RE we went for the usual…ultrasound and blood work. We got the call that everything looked good, and we were told to start the same regime as last time; 5mg of Femara for 5 days (CD3-CD7), start 50iu of Follistim on Wednesday and take that from CD6-CD12 and then return on CD12 for follow up blood work and ultrasound.

I’m keeping my faith, as always, and staying very optimistic that this will be the one for us. As I mentioned earlier; when I apologized to God for rushing him…I feel that I did. When I took the prometrium last cycle to try and bring on AF, and then AF never arrived but we went ahead with treatment as though it did. I am truly believing that it was not in God’s time, and I should have realized then and listened then. I’m praying that since my cycle started on its own this time, that it’s a good sign of what’s to come.

I’ll keep you posted!

8dpiui #1; 7dpiui #2 ~ And it's 4th of July weekend~

It’s Friday~ and I’m so glad that it is. I have a 3 day weekend looking me in the eye, and only 4 days left of this LONG wait. I’m so thankful that I haven’t completely driven myself out of my mind while waiting until I can know something. I will admit though that I have wondered if certain things I was doing or feeling were an early sign of pregnancy…but I haven’t been over doing it. I don’t think…my DH might say something else. haha


I’m looking forward to spending a nice weekend with DH and his parents. We usually always go to their home one day out of the weekend and enjoy the time with them. It is so relaxing and stress-free, which is definitely what I am seeking.

7dpiui #1; 6dpiui #2 ~ 5 more days to go!

I'm still having a postive outlook on this. Yesterday I was  making several trips to the restroom...probably once every hour to hour and half. I am not sure if it's an early symptom or not, but I can assure you that it is not normal for me to go that often. I can also assure you that I didn't have a lot of fluids yesterday. It was also actually pretty sweet last night...my little Savannah (my malti-poo) was wanting to lay on my tummy last night while I was laying in bed watching TV. She normally doesn't do that either, because she feels like she is being held down (even when I'm not touching her). They say that animals have a keen sense about women being pregnant, so I don't know about that either. You tell me. All of these things are keeping me quite positive. It's hard to believe that I am over half way through my waiting period. It's going to be a busy weekend with the 4th of July holiday, so that will be good.

I'll keep you updated with any other changes or symptoms.

6dpiui #1 ; 5dpiui #2 ~ Feeling GREAT!

It’s Wednesday! I have less than a week until I find out either the best news of my life or the worst. Ok, maybe it won’t be the WORST, but it will definitely be a sad day if I don’t hear “CONGRATULATIONS!”


Monday was my first day of starting the progesterone gel suppository (vaginal). Thankfully I only have to do that every other morning for now, because it’s not a very pleasant experience…but as I have said all along; “I’m not complaining about any of this!” The nurse did tell me however, that when I get a positive pregnancy test, I will be put on a stronger progesterone suppository…YAY! (sense the sarcasm) But hey, whatever…and I do mean WHATEVER it takes to be successful and have a beautiful healthy full term baby…we WILL do it!

Yesterday was probably one of the first days that I felt that I could possibly be pregnant. I was constantly hungry and ate more than I ever eat in one day. I went home for lunch and had 4 slices of left over pizza, a tomato sliced up and several (I don’t even want to know how many) Oreo cookies, along with two full glasses of milk. Then at dinner we met my dad and I ate an entire 12 oz ribeye steak, salad, and baked potato. Again, that is not normal for me. Today when I woke up I had a bit of cotton mouth (weird thing was, DH did too)! On my way to work I stopped for some biscuits and gravy at Hardee’s…YES, HUNGRY AGAIN! Then I think to myself, this can’t be an early pregnancy symptom, because today just marks 6dpiui. It takes 6-10 days for the little fertilized bean to make its way down the fallopian tubes and snuggle in nicely. Your body doesn’t know it’s pregnant until implantation…right? RIGHT?

Dear Lord, please let there be a little bean in there ready to find a cushy place to settle in and grow nice and strong.

Anyway, over the past few days DH and I have been discussing baby names. We both have a strong feeling that we will have a little girl, but trust me; as long as it’s healthy the sex doesn’t matter to us!! But last night over dinner we were discussing names with my dad to get his thoughts and opinions on names. We told him our two top picks (right now anyway), and he didn’t seem to like either of them. I am very set on the middle name GRACE. It was because of God’s Grace that we are even together and in love and making a little one, so that is going to be her middle name (if in fact she is a she). We have tossed around several names, but right now we like Miranda Grace and Isabella Grace.

I have to admit that I’m starting to have that feeling: “if this doesn’t happen I’m going to let EVERYONE down!” We have so many people praying and supporting us through this journey, that I just don’t want to let them down. I definitely don’t want to let DH down. He has been my source of strength and faith. I am so blessed to have him as my partner not only through this, but in life as well.

Well, that’s it for now…let’s see how I feel tomorrow.

A Busy Week

Sorry for no blog update last week. It was kind of a crazy few days for me. Monday was CD12, so first visit into the doctor since CD3 to check b/w and u/s to see how I have progressed. I was sure I heard the doctor (not my doctor, but another doctor in the practice) say I had a 19 on my left and a 13 and 15 on my right. I would have bet money that those were the numbers she said. She said that depending on the results of my b/w I would take 2 more days of the Follistim injections and then come back on Wednesday for more b/w and another u/s. Later that day I got a call from the nurse saying that I was to keep taking the same dose of the Follistim (50iu) Mon & Tues nights and come back on Wednesday.


Tuesday came and it was not a good day for me. I started feeling nauseous and dizzy before ever leaving the house for work. I lasted about 2 hours and then had to have Jennifer and Angie get me home (one driving me in my car, the other following). I spent the remainder of the day in bed or by the toilet praising the porcelain god. I was wondering how I would ever manage to give myself the injection…but I did. Around 10:30pm I did an OPK (I’ve been doing them every night since CD9). Believe it or not, it came up positive. All I could think about was that I was going to miss my “chance” this cycle since the kit came up positive.

Wednesday morning came around and I asked DH to go with me to the doctor’s office just in case they wanted to have a sample because of my +OPK. After my own doctor did my u/s, he said that he had to wait for b/w to confirm, but I had not in fact ovulated yet, but was very close by the looks of my u/s. He said I had a 20 on my left (the 19 I guess only grew a little), but he said all on my right were under 10!! That really confused me since just on Monday the other doctor said I had a 13 and 15!! But my lining that was at 7 on Monday was now at 9, which was really good. He said that it looked like I would be coming in on Thursday for my IUI. He also said that since my body was ovulation on its own, I would not need to do the Ovidrel injection to induce ovulation!

Thursday morning DH and I were at the doctor’s office bright and early (first one’s there)!! I had taken the day off so that I could go home after my procedure and just lay down. I figured it couldn’t hurt anything…right? At 11am Thursday morning the doctor gave me my 1st ever IUI. DH had 19mm post wash little guys and 95% motility! GREAT NUMBERS…according to the doctor, anything over 10mm and 60% motility is good. The only down side was that my progesterone (the level showing ovulation) was only at .77 and it should be between 1-3. He gave us two options, to do the BD that night, or come in the following day for another IUI. The choice was OBVIOUS! We would come back Friday for another shot to double our chances.

Friday morning once again we were at the doctor’s office before anyone else. I gave more blood and DH gave more of himself! I didn’t take this day off, so I had to leave work and drive to the doctor’s to be there at 11 again. Today’s numbers were even better…27mm and 100% motility! I just couldn’t believe that his numbers went up given that he had just given his sample the day before. It was a GOD thing!

Today is Monday, 4 dpiui#1 and3 dpiui#2. I am doing a lot of praying and keeping an upbeat attitude. I’m giving God all the glory and praise. I can’t believe that on July 6th I could get the best news of my life!

CD12...What Next?

Well, this morning was my CD12 visit to the RE which included bloodwork and an ultra sound to see how my follicles have reacted to the medication. I was a little nervous and anxious as to what the plan would be from this point forward. As the doctor was doing my ultra sound, I heard her say "7" which I am thinking was my uterine lining thickness. She then said I had a 19mm in my left ovary and a 15mm and 13mm in my right ovary. She seemed hopeful and told me that things were "progressing nicely", but I wasn't quite there yet. Six and 1/2 hours later I got the call from the nurse as to what to do now. Looks like I will be taking 2 more injections of the follistim at the same dosage (50iu) tonight and tomorrow night. I then go in on Wednesday for another follow up appointment for more bloodwork and ultra sound.
If things progress as they are, then I should be looking at doing my IUI possibly Friday which is a good day, because then I can relax all weekend.
I've also come to the conclusion that I will stay away from the message boards, like Fertile Thoughts while I'm on my 2ww. I know it is going to be hard, but I am so analytical and I read into everything, that it would just not do me any good to be on there every day like I am now.
I'll be back with a follow up on Wednesday.

The Difference Between 2 Shots

Tuesday night was my 1st shot of Follistim. In the morning I wasn't so worried or nervous but as the day went on and the hours flew by the anxiety started to sink in. I don't know if it was a mix of the anxiety or something else, but while we were on our way to meet dad for dinner, I suddenly got very dizzy. I was feeling like I was on that old fair ride The Gravatron (do you remember that ride?) I reclined the seat and closed my eyes hoping that would help, but it didn't seem to do the trick. I felt weird for the rest of the drive. Even thinking about it now makes me feel queasy. Thankfully when we started to eat dinner I felt a little better. Who knows, maybe my body was telling me it was time to give it some nourishment.
Since my shot had to be given at 8pm, and we were in the car on our way home...I had to give myself the shot while riding in the car. I was so nervous and anxious that I was holding the injection pen and ready to shoot 10 minutes before 8!! When it finally came time to do it, I stuck it in my tummy and realized I never set the dosage dial....HELLO...boy did I feel stupid!
Anyway, after setting the dosage dial, I stuck it in again and it was a piece of cake! I felt so proud of myself for giving myself this injection that was going to help us become pregnant. I really felt on top of the world.
That feeling didn't last long though....
Within 15 minutes I was feeling loopy and not myself. DH actually said that I sounded like I was drunk. I think that he is just saying that though, because I don't recall that being the case. Then I started to feel very tired. When I got home, I changed clothes and crawled into bed. For the next hour and 1/2 I could  not get comfortable. I wanted to lay on my side, and I couldn't. I'd lay on my back then I'd get a sharp pain in my right side, but it would only last a few seconds. A few minutes later I would get a sharp pain on my left side that would only last a few seconds. FINALLY, I fell asleep...thank goodness!
Frankly I started to think that this was God's way of saying...."your dosage is enough, don't question the doctors and most of all, don't question what I can do!" You see, since Saturday when they gave me my dosage information, I had been struggling with it, I just didn't think it was "enough" to do the job. Now I know, that I shouldn't question what I am being told in regards to this medicine!

Last night's injection went so much smoother. No reaction at all. I was so thankful to Him. Since the start of this journey I have given it all to Him, except for Saturday-Tuesday when I was questioning this medicine dosage. He showed me I needed to trust in Him again. To have FAITH! This little baby will be our miracle from Him, and we have FAITH that we will be greatly blessed.

I have 4 more nights of injections, but I can handle it. I just keep praying that those little "follies" grow and become strong eggs for.

Update...the ride has started!

Ok, once again I know that I have slacked on updating this, but I have just had so much going on. I have got to manage my time better.


Anyway, I WAS able to get into the RE’s office this past Saturday morning for blood work and an ultra sound. Everything looked good and I stared my Femara (5mg) Saturday evening. I will take that for 5 days, making Weds. my last night of that medication (CD3-CD7). I start 50ui of Follistim on Tuesday night (tonight). The nurse said that it was very important that I take my injection at 8pm every night for 6 nights. That would be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I go back in on Monday, June 21st which is CD 12 to see how I have progressed with the medication. I have to admit, I have been driving myself crazy about what seems to be a low dose of Follistim because just about everywhere I have read women usually start out at 75ui for six days. This was driving me nuts so bad that I called the nurse yesterday just to make sure of the dosage. The nurse confirmed that I was definitely supposed to only take the 50 due to my PCOS. They don’t want to risk the chance of me over stimulating. I have to admit, I’m kind of hesitant about this. She did say that if after my ultrasound and blood work on Monday it looked as though I needed more, then I would be put on more Follistim at that point. Goodness, I hope not. I want to be ready at the right time.

Anyway, I have been taking the Femara for 3 days now, and let me just say that this is SOOO much better than the Clomid ever was. I don’t have any of the bad side effects I had when taking the Clomid. I pray that all of this is going to do the trick.

I’ll keep you posted!

Now they tell me

Ok, so this past Wednesday was 6 days past stopping the Prometrium and I had still no breakthrough bleeding. To my surprise, Aunt Flo had not shown her ugly face, and for once, I was really hoping and praying to see her. I was actually a little concerned, so I gave the nurse at the RE's office a call to see what she suggested. While I had her on the phone, I also mentioned the fact that I had been extremely tired and been having some rise in my temps at night. I told her that it wasn't anything I was too concerned with. I had expected that it was probably due to the prometrium, since progesterone is known to have that effect on some people. She was a little  concerned that my AF had not arrived as well. Matter of fact, her exact words were, "if it was going to work, you would have had your bleeding start by day 5". HELLO, this was day 6 and there was no sign of anything happening! She suggested that I take a HPT, (what??? I knew there was no way possible for this), and that if I had not started by Sunday, to come in on Monday at 7am and they would do bloodwork and ultra sound. If my values were all baseline, then they would consider that as though it was CD3, and I would start my Femara and the rest of the regimen. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I don't have to actually have a period to start the IUI process? If this is the case, why did they even bother putting me on the Prometrium to begin with? I totally feel like I have lost over 14 days of time while I was on that stupid progesterone to begin with.
I've spent the past two days kind of researching this, and it seems like there are other women who have gone through this as well. So, I guess that eases a little of my doubts and worries, but I'm still kind of boggled by the whole thought of getting starting while no actually on a period.
Anyway, I actually called the nurse this afternoon and left a message asking if I can possibly come in tomorrow morning (Saturday) to have my  u/s and bw done. I know it's just jumping ahead a couple of days, but I just don't want to risk the chance of missing the right window. I'll update and let you know if I go tomorrow instead of Monday.

And it starts...

Well, althought I have blogged before, I decided that I would start a blog, a journal so to speak, on my journey with infertility and TTC (trying to conceive). So...let me catch you up on a little about me:

Me: 34
DH: 51
2nd marriage for both of us (we married Sept. 2008).
0 childrend from each of us.
Diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 22-23 years old.
Put on metformin when I was 25 (if I remember right)
No infertility issues with DH (count, motility and morphology all ok).

Ok, now that I have that out of the way, I will lead into where I am at now.

I was married to my DH#1 for 10 years. We tried the entire stretch of our marriage to have children...unsuccessfully. About 2 years into our marriage I seeked a specialist (RE) to help with my mission. That is when I was officially diagnosed with PCOS. With that doctor I did 6 treatments with Clomid; gradually increasing my dose each cycle but still not having any luck. Other than having the medication, we were trying the old fashion way with some good ole' fashion BMS. I hated the symptoms I had while on the clomid, and it obviously wasn't working, but our insurance just didn't cover any other options (IUI/IVF), so after the failed 6th cycle we decided to take a break from that and just try it naturally.

STILL NO SUCCESS!

Fast forward to 2010! On April 20th, I had my first appt with the RE (from this point on, he will be known as Dr. C). This consultation left me feeling kind of bummed, because the first thing that he mentioned was that "with your husbands age, you should consider IVF...blah blah blah! "No offense Doc, but I think that with that being my last resort, I would prefer to do a few rounds of IUI's and then re-evaluate. Anyway, after a butt load of bloodwork and the poor DH going in for his SA, we got the "GREEN LIGHT" on May 20th to move forward with the IUI process. That's right, you heard me correctly...it took a month to find out our results! It was a long agonizing month at that.

For this first take, our protocol is:

• Prometrium (once/day for 14 days to bring on AF)
• On CD3 I am to go in for an u/s and bw to determine when and what dosage to start the rest of the meds.
• The next rounds of meds will be: Femara for 5 days, then follistim, with the Ovadril (trigger shot)
• IUI will be scheduled anywhere from 36-40 hrs after trigger shot.
• Then the dreaded 2ww.

Im keeping my prayer beads handy, and that bible on the stand by my bed.

RIGHT NOW: I am on day 4 of the prometrium (10 more days to go).