I got a positive for LH surge with and OPK on day 11 so we BD on day 11, 12 & 13 then day 15 I had to go to emerg with really terrible abdominal pain, my white cell count was very high and they almost took my appendix. The CT scan showed everything to be OK, so they told me it was ovulation pain and gave me a prescription for cramps. I followed up with my Doc and had some blood tests done 2 days later, white cell count was fine and no BFP. I still have pain and no answers, this really puts a damper on TTCing.
Cheryl
NEYSACWG BabyPoints:2027
Posts: 593
7/2/12 1:24 P
BFN for me, so we are trying another IUI this cycle with more drugs than last time. How about you?
Hi Neysa, Thank you for taking the time to go over all of this and helping paint a picture of what I should expect. I have already had a HSG and there was no blockage found but there was a thickening of the left tube due to scaring from the first ectopic. The side that took eight days and 3 trips to the emerg to be diagnosed. My second ectopic was on the right side and I knew right away what it was and we terminated the pregnancy 2 days after the pain started. My OBGYN told me after the HSG both ectopics were fluke, how can that be? I was going through a really stressful time in my life especially my job, which I have left and found a better one. Hopefully I have better luck, and I will do some research on fertility clinics in my area so I can hopefully choose one with a good rep.
Cheryl
NEYSACWG BabyPoints:2027
Posts: 593
6/21/12 8:49 P
Hi Cheryl -
Ready to read a novel? I have written one just for you :)
I love my fertility clinic and doctor, my only regret is that she no longer delivers babies. But that is because she is so good at making babies, she has no more time to deliver them! I dont know how big your doctor's practice is, but mine is only an office of 2 doctors. I'll tell you my journey so far and hopefully it will help ease some of your fears, but I will also be forthcoming about the not so nice parts:
Married September 2006. Started TTC immediately. Tried charting first then tried using Pre-seed and the Clearblue Easy fertility monitor. Then 4 months of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (YUCK! never again). Obgyn (Dr. B) recommended 1 cycle of Clomid, BFN. Dr. B. then recommended a specialist which was when I found my current reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. K. She recommended an HSG (hysterosalpinogram). This is when you go to a radiologist, they flush your tubes with dye while taking X-rays of your pelvis, checking for any blockages. This was extremely painful for me, almost like labor cramps. No blockages were found so Dr. K recommended another cycle of Clomid. BFN. By this time it was May 2008 and DH and I were getting desperate. Dr. K recommended a laparoscopy to check for scar tissue etc. This was an outpatient surgery performed under general anesthesia. Dr. K performed the lap and discovered my right fallopian tube was scarred and deformed, completely useless; a result of a disease but hard to say when (I had scarlet fever when I was 5 and the suspicion is this may have been the culprit). The left tube was covered in scar tissue but functioning. She repaired it as best she could but recommended we move straight to IVF. I took a 2 month break and the second month we got our surprise BFP, completely naturally! DD was born May 2009.
In late 2010 we started TTC but lazily. No charting, no monitor, just BDing and a prayer basically. A year later we were dumbfounded it hadn't just "happened". So in Dec 2011 I went back to Dr. K. She performed what I will call an "HSG mini" in-house - flushing my tubes with fluid but doing an ultrasound instead of X-rays. Flow looked good. It was a lot less painful this time, but still uncomfortable. She also drew my blood and found some abnormal levels in my thyroid hormone, and recommended that I see an endocrinologist. BFN over the holidays. In Jan 2012 she started me on Clomid again, gave me a prescription for injectibles but insisted I get my thyroid levels checked before starting them. BFN. I went to see an endo (Dr. S) and was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, which put a hold on doing the injectibles/IUI cycle. I had a complete thyroidectomy in March and was given the all clear to TTC again so I went back to Dr. K in May. This time, in lieu of Clomid she gave me Letrozole, which is an estrogen blocker primarily given to breast cancer patients. I took that beginning CD4 for 5 days and then began the Follistim injections on CD9 for 7 days. Dr. K performed ultrasounds on CDs 4, 11, 15, 16 and 17. I was using my fertilty monitor which detected a surge on CD15. She also gave me an HCG shot on CD15. I grew 2 follicles, one on each side. I O'd on CD17, and the left side (the good side) is the one that popped. DH and I BD'd nearly every day but definitely CDs 13-17, and the IUIs were performed on CDs 16 and 17. All signs were positive, but I wont know until next week. In the meantime, on CD21 I began my progesterone suppositories. I have to insert 1 capsule into my vagina every night until my beta test. This helps thicken up the uterine lining and make it nice and comfy for the egg, staving off AF.
Now for even more detail. The fertility drugs were expensive. About $500 for the Clomid, Follistim (300 iu + my doc gave me 300 iu gratis), HCG shot and progesterone pills. The IUI procedure is estimated at about $1500, I'm not sure yet if that includes both times or if that is each time. My insurance does not cover fertility treatments. My doc is clever with the ultrasounds and manages to get those covered somehow. Otherwise they would be $300 a piece.
Injecting the Follistim was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I had DH do it. The nurse can demonstrate (or do it for you if you can come in often enough) plus there are videos you can watch online to help you prepare mentally. My preference was to inject in the fatty part of my thigh rather than in my lower abdomen, it hurt a lot less. The needle for both the Follistim and the HCG was the same size and it was small. It feels like a pin prick, like when you get your blood drawn. I dont recall feeling any particular side effects. My butt was a little sore after the HCG. I dont think I have been overly emotional this cycle, no crying fits or anything (yet). I would do it again in a heartbeat in terms of how much it has disrupted my life, because it hasn't, other than a lot of doctor appointments.
In terms of the IUI procedure, the first one was less painful than the second, but it doesnt really hurt at all. Essentially they insert a catheter into your cervix and inject the sperm directly into your uterus using a syringe/plunger thingy. Then you lay there for 30 minutes afterwards while hopefully the magic happens. I did both times alone (DH masturbated into a cup - like the kind they collect your urine in - and I brought it in within a half hour) and I was fine, went into to work afterwards both times. They "wash" the sperm and check for motility/morphology before injection. I think it was more painful/uncomfortable the second time because we had also been BDing those days, so between the BDing, the IUIs, and the ultrasounds after, that's a lot of poking and prodding down there!
OK this may be waaay more than you wanted to know, but if by any change you want to know more, just ask! I dont mind sharing and it helps to keep my mind occupied while I'm stuck in the TWW!
NEYSACWG BabyPoints:2027
Posts: 593
6/15/12 3:12 P
Hi All -
My name is Neysa, I was on this board for a while in 08/09 when DH and I were TTC #1. I am 38, DH is 41. DD (born May 2009) was conceived naturally after 2.5 years of trying. I only have 1 good tube, due to scarring and as a result of an infection that I had at some point in my life. I had a laparoscopy in June 2008 when this was discovered and my gyn/endo corrected the scarring, which ultimately led to me getting pregnant 2 months later, right before we were going to try IVF.
Right now I am in the TWW, on CD19, 2DPO. I did injectibles this cycle and two IUIs on CD17 & CD18, plus an HCG shot. DH has good motility/morphology. I produced 2 eggs, one on each side, and the one on the good side popped. So now the wait.
I should also mention that I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease & hyperthyroidism back in January and had a complete thyroidectomy on March 28. I am now on a 6 days a week dose of 100 mcg of Synthroid. Last cycle was 48 days which is very unusual, normally it's 30 days or so. So despite the help of the fertility drugs this cycle I am a little surprised my body is cooperating normally with all the poking and prodding of the last 6 months.
I did a search of the boards and didn't see anyone else in my situation - but I wanted to say hi and wish you all lots of baby dust and sticky beans!
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