Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I think I Ovulated!
I just got the results of my day 21 progesterone and they were good. My level tested at 16 and my doctor likes something above a 10. When I tried with chlomid, my day 21 was a .6. Yes, there is a point in front of that last number. It was basically nothing. From .6 to 16 is real progress for me! I am so hopeful but am trying to refocus to bring down my stress levels.
Day Seven after HCG Shot
This morning I went to the doctor at 7:30 for bloodwork. I am waiting for the results. This is my day 21 progesterone. Since my cycle was off by a few days, I am technically on day 23. I am seven days post shot. I have had a stressful morning at work and am trying very hard to manage my stress levels. I can feel the stress in my stomach and worry it will affect our chances of conceiving. I have noticed an increase in cervical mucus today. I have not had much before now. I went to the bathroom and simply noticed it. I will ask my doctor if there is a possibilty that I ovulated very late or if it could be a sign of something else. We had "activity" starting on day one of the shot and continuing for the following three days for a total of four days. After that, we quit. I have been so tired and cranky that I just wasn't feeling it. I will be very disappointed if we somehow missed the window.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day Five After HCG Shot
The weekend was mostly uneventful. I am watching my diet and getting plenty of rest. I don't feel any different other than being very tired. I felt slightly crampy at times throughout the weekend and was not sure if it was gas from the strict diet or if is is some kind of cramping associated with the treatment. My breasts are extremely sore and slightly swollen. I have read this is a side effect from the shot and will likely subside over the next couple of weeks. I feel quiet and introspective. I haven't felt like talking much to my regular circle of friends. I just want to keep quiet until I know if my treatment was successful.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day three after shot
Last night I got home around 5:45. I am eating oysters for three days after my shot as I read they are supposed to enhance fertility. I know its likely a wives tale but I am willing to try anything. I also am taking robotussin as I read it will help to make the cervical mucus more inviting. So, I get home and eat the oysters and take the robotussin and basically pass out. I have been so tired lately. I know its not the robotussin because I am only taking one dose at night to help with the process. Also, I was super tired before I took the robotussin. I have wondered, is it common to be this tired during this process. I am not an overly energetic person anyway, so giving up my morning latte has been rough. We tried for the second night in a row and I stayed in bed and went to sleep. This was around 7:30. I fell asleep around 8:45. I woke up around 11:45 and felt like I had been asleep for much longer. I went back to bed and finally woke up around 5:15 for good. I typically have sleep problems and need to try to force myself to stay awake until at least 9:30 so I don't get into a bad pattern.
This morning I noticed some cramping while getting ready. It wasn't heavy and I don't really know what to think. I am slightly bloated and my breasts are slightly swollen and tender. I read that the HGC shot will have this effect. I started letting my mind wonder and decided it was best to not read too much into my symptoms. This is likely an effect of the shot since it is too soon for it to be anything else.
This morning I noticed some cramping while getting ready. It wasn't heavy and I don't really know what to think. I am slightly bloated and my breasts are slightly swollen and tender. I read that the HGC shot will have this effect. I started letting my mind wonder and decided it was best to not read too much into my symptoms. This is likely an effect of the shot since it is too soon for it to be anything else.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
First post
Today is my first post. My husband and I have been on the conception roller coaster for about a year as I begin this blog. I am writing this because I hope it will help me through the process and maybe be a resource for others.
My husband and I have been married for a year and a half. We were both in our mid-thirties and decided to prepare for children prior to getting married. I had been on depoprovera for almost eight years and had switched to yasmine, then yaz. I had begun to have cycles again on the pills and had decided it was time to remove myself from any artificial hormones before we got married to give them time to work out of my system.
Fast forward almost a year. My cycles had not returned on their own and I knew something was amiss. I visited my obgyn and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. This is a condition which causes anovulation. It has been explained to me as a chicken and egg situation. My hormone and insulin levels are out of balance which causes my ovaries to not properly function. The proposed remedy was metformin. I tried metformin and nothing really changed. Certain doses caused me to feel off and have stomach issues, other doses seemed fine but produced no results. Overall, none of the dosage levels worked. I didn't ovulate on my own.
My doctor upped the anty and decided we could try a combination of Metformin and chlomid. I have to write, I was very hopeful on this combo since I had known a few women who had successfully conceived on chlomid. As you may guess, I was not one of them. The treatment had almost no effect. I doubled my dose of chlomid and saw no noticeable difference although I'm certain my husband would disagree.
After a couple of rounds over a few months, I decided to give it a break. My mind and body had had enough. At the time, I was also going through some personal issues and felt I had too much on my plate and focusing on my infertility just seemed too much.
When I felt ready again, I called a fertility specialist. I am fortunate that a wonderful doctor who specializes in my condition has a practice less than a mile from my house. This doctor is also one of two fertility specialists in the city and is also on my insurance. Double victory!
Since treating with my specialist, I have been on Actos and my cycles returned on their own. I went from 117 pounds to 135 pounds. My cycles are not at all regular, ranging from 17 days to 56, and I don't ovulate. It can be a real roller coaster. We tried one round of chlomid while on Actos and it didn't work. My husband was then laid off his job and we took another break. Although hubby is not back to work, we have decided having a child is just not something either of us want to wait for any longer. We are moving forward and it is our first priority. I must admit, I was a smoker. I smoked ultra lights and less than a pack a day. I have been smoke free for two solid months. This week, I gave up caffeine. I am now off sweets, sodas, all alcohol, and anything else that could harm this process.
As I write this, we have just finished a round of femara. We went to the doctor and my follicle was 16mm on day 15. It should be at least 18mm to be viable. Hubby gave me an ovidrel (hcg) injection last night to help this along. I am nervous and hopeful. We have treated before, but never this aggressively. I am afraid it won't work and if it does, the rate of miscarriage is high. I am trying to reduce stress and stay positive. As I started to get serious about my treatment, I turned to the Internet for success stories and for information from other women who have made this journey. No one's story looked exactly like mine so I decided to write it myself. I hope this post and the ones to follow will offer some help to others and maybe inspire you to share your story and prayers with me.
Thank you for reading.
My husband and I have been married for a year and a half. We were both in our mid-thirties and decided to prepare for children prior to getting married. I had been on depoprovera for almost eight years and had switched to yasmine, then yaz. I had begun to have cycles again on the pills and had decided it was time to remove myself from any artificial hormones before we got married to give them time to work out of my system.
Fast forward almost a year. My cycles had not returned on their own and I knew something was amiss. I visited my obgyn and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. This is a condition which causes anovulation. It has been explained to me as a chicken and egg situation. My hormone and insulin levels are out of balance which causes my ovaries to not properly function. The proposed remedy was metformin. I tried metformin and nothing really changed. Certain doses caused me to feel off and have stomach issues, other doses seemed fine but produced no results. Overall, none of the dosage levels worked. I didn't ovulate on my own.
My doctor upped the anty and decided we could try a combination of Metformin and chlomid. I have to write, I was very hopeful on this combo since I had known a few women who had successfully conceived on chlomid. As you may guess, I was not one of them. The treatment had almost no effect. I doubled my dose of chlomid and saw no noticeable difference although I'm certain my husband would disagree.
After a couple of rounds over a few months, I decided to give it a break. My mind and body had had enough. At the time, I was also going through some personal issues and felt I had too much on my plate and focusing on my infertility just seemed too much.
When I felt ready again, I called a fertility specialist. I am fortunate that a wonderful doctor who specializes in my condition has a practice less than a mile from my house. This doctor is also one of two fertility specialists in the city and is also on my insurance. Double victory!
Since treating with my specialist, I have been on Actos and my cycles returned on their own. I went from 117 pounds to 135 pounds. My cycles are not at all regular, ranging from 17 days to 56, and I don't ovulate. It can be a real roller coaster. We tried one round of chlomid while on Actos and it didn't work. My husband was then laid off his job and we took another break. Although hubby is not back to work, we have decided having a child is just not something either of us want to wait for any longer. We are moving forward and it is our first priority. I must admit, I was a smoker. I smoked ultra lights and less than a pack a day. I have been smoke free for two solid months. This week, I gave up caffeine. I am now off sweets, sodas, all alcohol, and anything else that could harm this process.
As I write this, we have just finished a round of femara. We went to the doctor and my follicle was 16mm on day 15. It should be at least 18mm to be viable. Hubby gave me an ovidrel (hcg) injection last night to help this along. I am nervous and hopeful. We have treated before, but never this aggressively. I am afraid it won't work and if it does, the rate of miscarriage is high. I am trying to reduce stress and stay positive. As I started to get serious about my treatment, I turned to the Internet for success stories and for information from other women who have made this journey. No one's story looked exactly like mine so I decided to write it myself. I hope this post and the ones to follow will offer some help to others and maybe inspire you to share your story and prayers with me.
Thank you for reading.
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