Thursday, December 11, 2014
Welcome to the world Billy Pax and Matt
We made it to 31 weeks exactly on 11/18/14. After 2 weeks of labor and massive amounts of fluid build up from baby B (AKA William Pax), my body couldn't hold off any more. I won't go into the massive ways my body was shutting down, but it was very bad. It's called Mirror Syndrome and it happens with hydrops. Bily's hydrops never resolved and his left lung never developed. The docs tried and he lived for 10 days, but in the end they couldn't get his lungs to support his little body. He died in our arms on 11/28/14.
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His twin brother, baby A, Matt, is doing very well. He faces all the challenges of a preemie, but has faced no additional challenges. His breathing is great, his growth is fine and he's taking his feeds well by ng tube. Hopefully, over the next few weeks, he'll start waking up more and taking more feeds by mouth. He's 34 weeks now, so maybe in the next 3-4 weeks, he'll be able to come home.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Update 24 weeks
I'm 24 weeks today. Sorry about the lack of updates, but it's been a hard few months. Everything looked great until our 18 week appointment. We then found out my cervix was funneling and shortening. My cervix was at 1.8 cm when it should be at 4 cm. even worse, we found out baby B was very sick. He has hydrops. Hydrops is when fluid accumulates through out the body for various reasons. It's more of a symptom than a diagnosis. They checked all of the usual suspects, but it remains unknown why baby B is accumulating fluid. Specifically, the fluid is accumulating around his left lung and abdomen. Because of this his left lung has been unable to grow and the massive amount of fluid has pushed his heart from the left to the center of his chest. This has also put pressure on his right lung compromising it's growth. The primary susoects are a chylothorax (a leak in the lymph system) or an inherent genetic metabolic disorder whcih would almost certainly be incompatible with life. Everyone recommended terminating B to give A a better chance and since they felt B wasn't going to make it anyways. We decided against that for a number of reasons. One main one was that terminating B can cause the loss of the whole pregnancy 10-15% of the time. We just couldn't take that risk with A's life. i ...... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................
But, back to the cervix.... We decided to do a cerclage. The doc was able to put in 2 stitches one above the other. We also started progesterone shots. I started these on my own. I had read plenty of studies and there seemed to be a low risk, high reward factor. In the upcoming weeks my cervix continued shortening. It is now just above the cerclage, but the stitch is holding and it has been stable since about 20 weeks.
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So, we've gone back on a regular basis and each time we check, everything looks essentially the same. Cervix is poor, but stable. B is alive and the fluid remains about the same. A looks great overall. They both continue to grow on track and A is about 4 days ahead on growth and B is about a day ahead on growth. My current hospital, Hinsdale, really doesn't have the skills, equipment or will to help us fight for B. University of Chicago appears to have more fight in them, but Cincinnati Children's Hospital has the skills to help B. They're the only place in the region that can do fetal surgery to possibly put in a shunt in B's chest to drain the fluid and give his lungs a chance to grow before birth. I don't know if they'll do it. We always have to consider the risk to A and fetal surgery certainly posses a risk to the entire pregnancy. We think there will be a good time to try it. But, of course, the pressure on B's heart from the fluid on his lungs could cause it to stop at anytime. So, there is a lot of wait and see.
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But, for now we're 24 weeks and we've reached the age of viability. We're not having any contractions. I've been on bedrest since 18 weeks and that seems to be keeping everything calm. But, obviously, 24 weeks is not optimal for birth. And, if born now, B will certainly not survive. And, A will have a very long road with no certainty of survival. Everybody needs to stay inside for as long as possible. And, so we wait...
Monday, July 21, 2014
14 weeks tomorrow
MaterniT21 results are in!
Negative for everything. So, neither baby has a genetic abnormality. Whew! What a relief.
Next step, the level 2 ultrasound. We'll do that as soon as we can at 18 weeks. They stated if they couldn't see everything, we may have to come back at 22 weeks. That's fine with me!
Ultrasound date is 8/19/14.
Negative for everything. So, neither baby has a genetic abnormality. Whew! What a relief.
Next step, the level 2 ultrasound. We'll do that as soon as we can at 18 weeks. They stated if they couldn't see everything, we may have to come back at 22 weeks. That's fine with me!
Ultrasound date is 8/19/14.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
12 weeks
Yes, yes. I haven't updated in a while. Things are crazy. As of Monday, both beans were still alive and measuring 6 days ahead. Woohoo!!!! Heartbeats were 175 and 160. There's been a lot of scares along the way. Too many to list here. We should get the MaterniT21 results in the next 2 weeks and then the biggest obstacle is the 20 week anatomy scan. I think if we get through both of those, I just might start believing.
So, here they are:
A:
So, here they are:
A:
And B:
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Second Ultrasound
The second ultrasound on Monday, June 9, 2014 at 7w6d shows:
2 heartbeats at 177 and 178 measuring 8w1d and 7w6d. (17.6 mm and 15.7 mm)
Whew!
Next ultrasound at 9w3d on Friday, June 20th.
2 heartbeats at 177 and 178 measuring 8w1d and 7w6d. (17.6 mm and 15.7 mm)
Whew!
Next ultrasound at 9w3d on Friday, June 20th.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
First Ultrasound
Thursday, May 29, 2014 Ultrasound
6 weeks 2 days
And, the results are:
2 heartbeats. Each in their own gestational sacs. Whew! Measuring perfectly at 6w2d and 6w1d and heartbeats are 121 and 120.
There might have been a third gestational sac that never really formed. It's hard to tell and it really doesn't matter. But, it would explain the wonky betas. Let's hope that's it.
We have a long race ahead of us, but it's a very good start.
Without further ado, here's the pictures:
I can't figure out how to turn this one, but either way, they're the same picture.
Next ultrasound will be Monday, June 9th. We'll be 7w 6d.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
IVF #4 The POAS Journey
Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - 8 days past retrieval (DPO) and 3 days past 5 day transfer (3dp5dt):
In the past I've had lingering trigger on this day and the next, so a + might mean nothing.
Friday, May 9, 2014 - 10 DPO and 5dp5dt:
Saturday, May 10, 2014 - 11 DPO and 6dp5dt:
Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 12 DPO and 7dp5dt:
Monday, May 12, 2014 - 13 DPO and 8dp5dt: Didn't test.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 14 DPO and 8dp5dt:
And the beta is.........
385. (I'll pat myself on the back a little for the correct guess and being able to read HPTs. :) )
Progesterone at 97.
And the second beta at 16 DPO will be great, too, right?
No. It's not. Because life is never easy for me like that.
The second beta is 662.
Let me do the math for you. That's a 61 hour doubling time, which, of course, sucks.
I know, I know, vanishing twin/triplet, anything could be going on, blah, blah, blah.
But, really, we're done. No more betas, no super early ultrasound. We'll be doing an ultrasound on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 6w2d. Either there will be a heartbeat or there won't. I'll let you know.
In the past I've had lingering trigger on this day and the next, so a + might mean nothing.
It look pretty negative to me. There might be the faintest hint of a shadow.
But, that's probably the trigger.
Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 9 DPO and 4dp5dt:
Is that the faintest hint of a +? Can you see it? It could still be the trigger. I've been fooled by the trigger before. Tomorrow will tell.
Hhhmmm. Well, that's a line.
That's definitely a darker line.
THAT is a gorgeous line!
Monday, May 12, 2014 - 13 DPO and 8dp5dt: Didn't test.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 14 DPO and 8dp5dt:
It's starting to make the control line light. Beta today. I'm guessing it'll be between 300-400.
And the beta is.........
385. (I'll pat myself on the back a little for the correct guess and being able to read HPTs. :) )
Progesterone at 97.
And the second beta at 16 DPO will be great, too, right?
No. It's not. Because life is never easy for me like that.
The second beta is 662.
Let me do the math for you. That's a 61 hour doubling time, which, of course, sucks.
I know, I know, vanishing twin/triplet, anything could be going on, blah, blah, blah.
But, really, we're done. No more betas, no super early ultrasound. We'll be doing an ultrasound on Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 6w2d. Either there will be a heartbeat or there won't. I'll let you know.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
IVF #4 Results
13 eggs retrieved
Day 1: April 30, 2014: 10 were mature and 9 fertilized!!! That's my best response yet!
Day 2: May 1, 2014: All 9 still growing. 8 are 4 cell (right where they're supposed to be) and 1 is a 3 cell. We decided we're going to PGS them and include the 7 frozen since we're going to do it anyways. I hope this is the right decision.
Day 3: May 2, 2014: Feeling more discouraged today. :( They are supposed to be 8 cell today. 6 are 8 cell, BUT 3 of those are experiencing 10-15% fragmentation. One is a perfect 6 cell. (This doesn't worry me. I've had 3 6 cellers on day 3 before and they all made it to blast.) The other 2 are a 4 cell and a 5 cell, both fragmented. Those 2 have probably arrested. We finished the consent paperwork and our own bloodtests for the PGS stuff. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. If there are 1 or 2 that look great, we'll transfer them on day 5. If everyone's looking like they'll blast on day 6, we'll biopsy and freeze everything. Stand by to stand by....
Day 4: May 3, 2014: So, OK today. I found out they cultured them separately, so we know who has done what.
2 of the 8 cell-ers from yesterday are fully compacted morulas today. (This is just where they should be.)
2 of the 8 cell-ers from yesterday are 12 cell-ers today with no fragmentation. That's ok. I've had them at 12 cell before and they've made it to blast by day 6.
2 of them are 10 cell-ers. One of them was the 5 cell from yesterday! I'm surprised he turned it around! He has a little fragmentation, but otherwise looks good. What a fighter! The other 10 cell-er was an 8 cell from yesterday.
There's an 8 cell and a 6 cell from yesterday that are an 8 cell and a 6 cell today. That's a bad sign. Too bad about them. I had high hopes for them. :(
The last one is the four cell that was a four cell yesterday and probably a 4 cell the day before. This one's basically out of the running.
So, the plan is to see if 1 or 2 of the morulas are good looking blasts tomorrow and look ready to transfer. If so, we'll transfer at 9 am. If not we'll do no transfer this cycle. We'll just hope as many make it blast as possible and we can biopsy and freeze them.
Day 5: Here we are! So the 2 morulas from yesterday formed a perfect AA hatching blast and a 2cc blast. (We'll talk about the 2cc in a second.) One of the 12 cell-ers from yesterday jumped ahead and made a beautiful AA early blast.
Those 3 were transferred this morning.
The others are now 2 compacted morulas and 2 half compacted morulas. The 2 half compacted morulas don't look that good, so we'll see how they look tomorrow. One of them is the 5 cell to 10 cell from yesterday and the day before. :( Come on little fighter!
So about that 2cc....... They didn't want to transfer it. I insisted. When I looked at it with the embryologist she said that the ICM was actually really well formed, but the trophectoderm was degenerating. So would that make it a 2ac? I looked at some studies and feel really good about the decision to transfer it.
So, without further ado. Here are the pictures I have:
Day 6: The embryologist called and stated none had made it to freeze. Very angry about this. She said they had made it to blast, but were 2CC and therefore not good enough to freeze. I don't know if this speaks to an excellent quality for the 2 good ones and for an excellent quality of our frosties or what. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have transferred the 2 morulas and the runt from above and vitrified and tested the 2 excellent ones with our frozen 7. I think that would've given the most number of embryos a chance. Or, I wish I had thought of really forcing the issue to freeze the bad ones. If they don't survive the thaw, then so be it. At least they would've had a chance.... :(
Oh well, there's many things I would've done differently in this TTC #3 journey. (Especially started sooner!) But, all we can do is move forward and do the best we can.
Day 1: April 30, 2014: 10 were mature and 9 fertilized!!! That's my best response yet!
Day 2: May 1, 2014: All 9 still growing. 8 are 4 cell (right where they're supposed to be) and 1 is a 3 cell. We decided we're going to PGS them and include the 7 frozen since we're going to do it anyways. I hope this is the right decision.
Day 3: May 2, 2014: Feeling more discouraged today. :( They are supposed to be 8 cell today. 6 are 8 cell, BUT 3 of those are experiencing 10-15% fragmentation. One is a perfect 6 cell. (This doesn't worry me. I've had 3 6 cellers on day 3 before and they all made it to blast.) The other 2 are a 4 cell and a 5 cell, both fragmented. Those 2 have probably arrested. We finished the consent paperwork and our own bloodtests for the PGS stuff. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. If there are 1 or 2 that look great, we'll transfer them on day 5. If everyone's looking like they'll blast on day 6, we'll biopsy and freeze everything. Stand by to stand by....
Day 4: May 3, 2014: So, OK today. I found out they cultured them separately, so we know who has done what.
2 of the 8 cell-ers from yesterday are fully compacted morulas today. (This is just where they should be.)
2 of the 8 cell-ers from yesterday are 12 cell-ers today with no fragmentation. That's ok. I've had them at 12 cell before and they've made it to blast by day 6.
2 of them are 10 cell-ers. One of them was the 5 cell from yesterday! I'm surprised he turned it around! He has a little fragmentation, but otherwise looks good. What a fighter! The other 10 cell-er was an 8 cell from yesterday.
There's an 8 cell and a 6 cell from yesterday that are an 8 cell and a 6 cell today. That's a bad sign. Too bad about them. I had high hopes for them. :(
The last one is the four cell that was a four cell yesterday and probably a 4 cell the day before. This one's basically out of the running.
So, the plan is to see if 1 or 2 of the morulas are good looking blasts tomorrow and look ready to transfer. If so, we'll transfer at 9 am. If not we'll do no transfer this cycle. We'll just hope as many make it blast as possible and we can biopsy and freeze them.
Day 5: Here we are! So the 2 morulas from yesterday formed a perfect AA hatching blast and a 2cc blast. (We'll talk about the 2cc in a second.) One of the 12 cell-ers from yesterday jumped ahead and made a beautiful AA early blast.
Those 3 were transferred this morning.
The others are now 2 compacted morulas and 2 half compacted morulas. The 2 half compacted morulas don't look that good, so we'll see how they look tomorrow. One of them is the 5 cell to 10 cell from yesterday and the day before. :( Come on little fighter!
So about that 2cc....... They didn't want to transfer it. I insisted. When I looked at it with the embryologist she said that the ICM was actually really well formed, but the trophectoderm was degenerating. So would that make it a 2ac? I looked at some studies and feel really good about the decision to transfer it.
So, without further ado. Here are the pictures I have:
The one on the bottom left is the "2CC". The top one is the top one below and the bottom right one is the bottom one below.
This is the top one in the picture above. It was an early blast rated AA in the morning, but really started to expand and by transfer it looks like it's hatching at the one o'clock in the above picture.
This one is the 2AA in the morning. It is definitely hatching at transfer which you can see in the top 2 pictures at between the 6 and 7 o'clock. See that little bit sticking out? That's the beginning of hatching.
Day 6: The embryologist called and stated none had made it to freeze. Very angry about this. She said they had made it to blast, but were 2CC and therefore not good enough to freeze. I don't know if this speaks to an excellent quality for the 2 good ones and for an excellent quality of our frosties or what. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have transferred the 2 morulas and the runt from above and vitrified and tested the 2 excellent ones with our frozen 7. I think that would've given the most number of embryos a chance. Or, I wish I had thought of really forcing the issue to freeze the bad ones. If they don't survive the thaw, then so be it. At least they would've had a chance.... :(
Oh well, there's many things I would've done differently in this TTC #3 journey. (Especially started sooner!) But, all we can do is move forward and do the best we can.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
IVF #4 Plan for April / May
So for our fourth and final IVF we'll do a Microdose Lupron Flare. I'm perfectly OK with cancelling if this doesn't seem to be going well. But, my understanding is that the Lupron Flare tends to give higher Estrogen levels overall, so hopefully this will reflect on good quality embryos.
We'll do 2 weeks of birth control with a hysteroscopy on Thursday, April 3, 2014 just to check and make sure everything is ok and to do an endometrial scratch. Then somewhere around the 11th-ish, we'll stop the BCP and start the microdose Lupron and then we'll throw in 225 iu Menopur and 225 iu Follistim. Here goes.....
Update: The hysteroscopy went fine. My uterus looks normal as expected. I guess the uterine scratch was successful because I'm still spotting 4 days later. :$ I hope that'll stop soon. I'm still not sure how Letrozole will figure into all of this. I tried to ask while drugged after the hysteroscopy, but I don't think I was too coherent! :P
I'm just standing by to stand by......
We'll do 2 weeks of birth control with a hysteroscopy on Thursday, April 3, 2014 just to check and make sure everything is ok and to do an endometrial scratch. Then somewhere around the 11th-ish, we'll stop the BCP and start the microdose Lupron and then we'll throw in 225 iu Menopur and 225 iu Follistim. Here goes.....
Update: The hysteroscopy went fine. My uterus looks normal as expected. I guess the uterine scratch was successful because I'm still spotting 4 days later. :$ I hope that'll stop soon. I'm still not sure how Letrozole will figure into all of this. I tried to ask while drugged after the hysteroscopy, but I don't think I was too coherent! :P
I'm just standing by to stand by......
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
March Plan...
Friday, February 28 - Get my period. Start 2.5 mg Letrozole.
Saturday, March 1 - CD 2 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Sunday, March 2 - CD 3 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Monday, March 3 - CD 4 - Follistim 375 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Tuesday, March 4 - CD 5 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Wednesday, March 5 - CD 6 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Thursday, March 6 - CD 7 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Friday, March 7 - CD 8 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Saturday, March 8 - CD 9 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Sunday, March 9 - CD 10 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg (BD)
Monday, March 10 - CD 11 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu
Tuesday, March 11 - CD 12 - Folistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu
Wednesday, March 12 - CD 13 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 300 iu, Trigger (BD)
Thursday, March 13 - CD 14 - (BD)
Friday, March 14 - CD 15 - Probable Ovulation Day (BD)
And the results are.....
BFFN
Saturday, March 1 - CD 2 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Sunday, March 2 - CD 3 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Monday, March 3 - CD 4 - Follistim 375 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Tuesday, March 4 - CD 5 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Wednesday, March 5 - CD 6 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Thursday, March 6 - CD 7 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Friday, March 7 - CD 8 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Saturday, March 8 - CD 9 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Sunday, March 9 - CD 10 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg (BD)
Monday, March 10 - CD 11 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu
Tuesday, March 11 - CD 12 - Folistim 300 iu, Menopur 150 iu
Wednesday, March 12 - CD 13 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 300 iu, Trigger (BD)
Thursday, March 13 - CD 14 - (BD)
Friday, March 14 - CD 15 - Probable Ovulation Day (BD)
And the results are.....
BFFN
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
February IUI Plan
Sunday, February 2 - Got my period. This is shaping up to be a strong period. After last month's period, I'm glad to see it. Start 2.5 mg Letrozole today.
Monday, February 3 - CD 2 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Tuesday, February 4 - CD 3 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Wednesday, February 5 - CD 4 - Follistim 375 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Thursday, February 6 - CD 5 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 30iu
Ultrasound: 11 follicles growing. The biggest ones are 10 and 8. Woohoo!!!!! E2 = 60
Friday, February 7 - CD 6 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Saturday, February 8 - CD 7 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Sunday, February 9 - CD 8 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Monday, February 10 - CD 9 - Follistim 225 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 18, 17.5, 12, 12, 12, 11.5. Estrogen =122.
DH and I got together in the evening.
Tuesday, February 11 - CD 10 - Follistim 450 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 18, 17, 16, 13, 12.5, 11. Estrogen at 157. P4 = 0.6
Wednesday, February 12 - CD 11 - Follistim 450 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 19, 18, 17, 15, 13.5, 13 and lining at 11.5. E2= 271.
DH and I got together in the evening.
Thursday, February 13 - CD 12 - Folistim 450iu, Menopur 150 iu
Ultrasound shows follicles at 20, 19, 18, 16, 16, 16 (but the tech thinks one of the 16s is a cyst). Lining at 13.5! And E2 = 397. 15,000 HCG trigger at 10:30 pm
Friday, February 14 - CD 13
Saturday, February 15 - CD 14 - IUI at 12:30 pm (They were running late.). :( So that's 38 hours past trigger and since I didn't take the Ganirelix Thursday night, it's technically possible that my body could've started surging earlier.... Eh. Who knows? What will be, will be. But, if there's a next month I'll definitely do the 2 IUIs instead of the one. DH's count was great. 415 million total sperm with an 88% motility. The sample ended up with 71M total and 63M motile. They just want to see anything above 10M in the sample and at least 50% motility, so it clearly conquers those goals.
So, I guess now we wait.
And the results are:
BFFN
I'm supposed to get pregnant and then miscarry. I'm supposed to at least get a +. I guess my body didn't read the script....
Monday, February 3 - CD 2 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Tuesday, February 4 - CD 3 - Follistim 450 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Wednesday, February 5 - CD 4 - Follistim 375 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg
Thursday, February 6 - CD 5 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 30iu
Ultrasound: 11 follicles growing. The biggest ones are 10 and 8. Woohoo!!!!! E2 = 60
Friday, February 7 - CD 6 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Saturday, February 8 - CD 7 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Sunday, February 9 - CD 8 - Follistim 300 iu, Menopur 75 iu, Letrozole 2.5 mg, HCG 25iu
Monday, February 10 - CD 9 - Follistim 225 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 18, 17.5, 12, 12, 12, 11.5. Estrogen =122.
DH and I got together in the evening.
Tuesday, February 11 - CD 10 - Follistim 450 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 18, 17, 16, 13, 12.5, 11. Estrogen at 157. P4 = 0.6
Wednesday, February 12 - CD 11 - Follistim 450 iu, Menopur 150 iu, HCG 200iu, Ganirelix
Ultrasound shows follicles at 19, 18, 17, 15, 13.5, 13 and lining at 11.5. E2= 271.
DH and I got together in the evening.
Thursday, February 13 - CD 12 - Folistim 450iu, Menopur 150 iu
Ultrasound shows follicles at 20, 19, 18, 16, 16, 16 (but the tech thinks one of the 16s is a cyst). Lining at 13.5! And E2 = 397. 15,000 HCG trigger at 10:30 pm
Friday, February 14 - CD 13
Saturday, February 15 - CD 14 - IUI at 12:30 pm (They were running late.). :( So that's 38 hours past trigger and since I didn't take the Ganirelix Thursday night, it's technically possible that my body could've started surging earlier.... Eh. Who knows? What will be, will be. But, if there's a next month I'll definitely do the 2 IUIs instead of the one. DH's count was great. 415 million total sperm with an 88% motility. The sample ended up with 71M total and 63M motile. They just want to see anything above 10M in the sample and at least 50% motility, so it clearly conquers those goals.
So, I guess now we wait.
And the results are:
BFFN
I'm supposed to get pregnant and then miscarry. I'm supposed to at least get a +. I guess my body didn't read the script....
Friday, January 3, 2014
January IUI Plan
January cycle IUI:
December 6th - D&C
December 29th or 30th - Probable ovulation (finally!)
January 1st - Estrogen patch and progesterone injection
January 2nd - PIO injection
January 3rd - PIO
January 4th - PIO and another estrogen patch
January 9, 2014 - Got my period. CD 1
January 10 - CD 2 - U/S shows an early large dominant follicle. :( at 13.
E2 = 57, FSH = 7.2, LH = 6.1, P4 = 0.985, Endometrium was at 5.27
So, this cycle's not looking too good. It's like my body's already started days ago. I think rhe eatrogen was not good for me. So, we'll play this out, but it's not looking good. 450 iu Follistim.
January 14 - CD 6: Follicles = 17, 12, 8 and a few more under 10. E2 = 84, LH = 2.15, Lining at 6.55
Continue Follistim at 450iu, add 150iu Menopur and Lovenox
January 16 - CD 8: Follicles = 17, 13, 11. E2= 142, LH = 2.35, Lining is at 10 with a triple line.
Continue Follistim at 450iu, 150 iu Menopur, Lovenox and add in Ganirelix
January 17 - CD 9: Follicles = 19, 15, 12. E2 = 202, LH = 2.14, Lining is at 9
Follistim 450iu, Menopur 150iu, Lovenox and Ganirelix
January 18 - CD 10: Follicles = 21, 17, 13. E2 = 249, LH = 1.17, Lining = 9.2
Follistim 450iu, DTD with DH in the am
January 19 - CD 11: Trigger at 4am.
January 20 - CD 12: DTD with DH in the afternoon. Should've ovulated 4pm-ish.
BFN
December 6th - D&C
December 29th or 30th - Probable ovulation (finally!)
January 1st - Estrogen patch and progesterone injection
January 2nd - PIO injection
January 3rd - PIO
January 4th - PIO and another estrogen patch
January 9, 2014 - Got my period. CD 1
January 10 - CD 2 - U/S shows an early large dominant follicle. :( at 13.
E2 = 57, FSH = 7.2, LH = 6.1, P4 = 0.985, Endometrium was at 5.27
So, this cycle's not looking too good. It's like my body's already started days ago. I think rhe eatrogen was not good for me. So, we'll play this out, but it's not looking good. 450 iu Follistim.
January 14 - CD 6: Follicles = 17, 12, 8 and a few more under 10. E2 = 84, LH = 2.15, Lining at 6.55
Continue Follistim at 450iu, add 150iu Menopur and Lovenox
January 16 - CD 8: Follicles = 17, 13, 11. E2= 142, LH = 2.35, Lining is at 10 with a triple line.
Continue Follistim at 450iu, 150 iu Menopur, Lovenox and add in Ganirelix
January 17 - CD 9: Follicles = 19, 15, 12. E2 = 202, LH = 2.14, Lining is at 9
Follistim 450iu, Menopur 150iu, Lovenox and Ganirelix
January 18 - CD 10: Follicles = 21, 17, 13. E2 = 249, LH = 1.17, Lining = 9.2
Follistim 450iu, DTD with DH in the am
January 19 - CD 11: Trigger at 4am.
January 20 - CD 12: DTD with DH in the afternoon. Should've ovulated 4pm-ish.
BFN
Monday, December 16, 2013
Embryoscopy and D&C
So, on 12/4/13 there was no heartbeat. Bean had grown a couple of days worth so was measuring 6w1d. I was 7w6d. This isn't really a blog about feelings, more about facts, but I think I'm feeling every emotion in the book. It's so complicated.
Back to the facts, the embryoscopy and D&C was scheduled for Friday, December 6, 2013. It went fine. The doc said that he was able to detach the entire gestational sac from the uterine lining very easily. Mostly, I think this is my inherent problem. The bean just never attaches fully to the endometrium. And, no one knows why. So, it was all sent off to Natera Labs for their analysis.
My follow-up appointment with the D&C nurse (I really like her, BTW) was Monday, December 16. And the results are..... Drummer roll please....
69XXX
Complete triploidy of maternal origin. So, for some reason, most likely, at meiosis stage 2 which is when the embryo goes from 2 cell to 4 cell, it all went terribly wrong. At least, that's my understanding. I learned that 2% of all pregnancies are triploidy. And it does not appear to be affected my maternal age. So, unlike other genetic abnormalities, it happens at the same rate if you're 20 or 40.
So what does this all mean? Well, maybe, just maybe, it's not me! Or at least it's not my uterus killing my children. This is great news. So maybe, just maybe, there will someday be a take home baby in my future.
Also, this doc is wiling to be aggressive with a gonadotropin IUI going forward which is just what I wanted to hear.
Lastly, myHCG was at 10. This is great news. It means that my HCG should be negative (less than 5) before my next cycle, so that shouldn't hold us up.
My planning for my next cycle with my regular RE was Tuesday, December 17th.
Back to the facts, the embryoscopy and D&C was scheduled for Friday, December 6, 2013. It went fine. The doc said that he was able to detach the entire gestational sac from the uterine lining very easily. Mostly, I think this is my inherent problem. The bean just never attaches fully to the endometrium. And, no one knows why. So, it was all sent off to Natera Labs for their analysis.
My follow-up appointment with the D&C nurse (I really like her, BTW) was Monday, December 16. And the results are..... Drummer roll please....
69XXX
Complete triploidy of maternal origin. So, for some reason, most likely, at meiosis stage 2 which is when the embryo goes from 2 cell to 4 cell, it all went terribly wrong. At least, that's my understanding. I learned that 2% of all pregnancies are triploidy. And it does not appear to be affected my maternal age. So, unlike other genetic abnormalities, it happens at the same rate if you're 20 or 40.
So what does this all mean? Well, maybe, just maybe, it's not me! Or at least it's not my uterus killing my children. This is great news. So maybe, just maybe, there will someday be a take home baby in my future.
Also, this doc is wiling to be aggressive with a gonadotropin IUI going forward which is just what I wanted to hear.
Lastly, myHCG was at 10. This is great news. It means that my HCG should be negative (less than 5) before my next cycle, so that shouldn't hold us up.
My planning for my next cycle with my regular RE was Tuesday, December 17th.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Ultrasound Results
Ultrasound set for Thursday, November 21st. I'll be 6 weeks exactly.
Beta recap:
14 dpr: 79.4
18 dpr: 300
20 dpr: 542
25 dpr: 1172
And the results are:
Miscarriage #6
No one is surprised here.
No heartbeat.
Gestational sac was 5mm. It's supposed to be 15 mm.
Yolk sac was 2.4mm. It's supposed to be 3.4mm.
There was a possible fetal pole at 1.2mm. It's supposed to be about 3.4 mm.
And, of course, there's supposed to be a heartbeat.
I'm trying to set up a consult with Dr. Morris of IVF1 who can hopefully do an embryoscopy. This will give us a chance to look hard at anything that's there and then make sure they get a direct sample from the bean itself to do genetic testing. The earliest appointment I could get is for next Wednesday.
Doc wants to do a more detailed u/s with color flow Doppler, so I'll do that on friday. I think I'll need it to convince Dr. Morris to do the embryoscopy anyways.
*****UPDATE*****
So, 5 days later I followed up with Dr. Morris and what do they find? Of course, a heartbeat. But, it's too slow at 89 BPM and the bean is measuring too small.
The CRL was at 3.15mm which puts the bean at 5w6d when I'm 6w6d.
The yolk sac is extremely enlarged at 6.92 mm which is a seriously bad sign.
The gestational sac is at 8.36mm which is small at the size of a 5w3d bean.
There's nothing to do but wait it out. I go back in next Wednesday for a followup.
Beta recap:
14 dpr: 79.4
18 dpr: 300
20 dpr: 542
25 dpr: 1172
And the results are:
Miscarriage #6
No one is surprised here.
No heartbeat.
Gestational sac was 5mm. It's supposed to be 15 mm.
Yolk sac was 2.4mm. It's supposed to be 3.4mm.
There was a possible fetal pole at 1.2mm. It's supposed to be about 3.4 mm.
And, of course, there's supposed to be a heartbeat.
I'm trying to set up a consult with Dr. Morris of IVF1 who can hopefully do an embryoscopy. This will give us a chance to look hard at anything that's there and then make sure they get a direct sample from the bean itself to do genetic testing. The earliest appointment I could get is for next Wednesday.
Doc wants to do a more detailed u/s with color flow Doppler, so I'll do that on friday. I think I'll need it to convince Dr. Morris to do the embryoscopy anyways.
*****UPDATE*****
So, 5 days later I followed up with Dr. Morris and what do they find? Of course, a heartbeat. But, it's too slow at 89 BPM and the bean is measuring too small.
The CRL was at 3.15mm which puts the bean at 5w6d when I'm 6w6d.
The yolk sac is extremely enlarged at 6.92 mm which is a seriously bad sign.
The gestational sac is at 8.36mm which is small at the size of a 5w3d bean.
There's nothing to do but wait it out. I go back in next Wednesday for a followup.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Next steps: Letrozole and Neupogen (G-CSF)
Let's be real. This will probably be a miscarriage. So, it always helps me to have a plan.
First off, 'm going to have a consult with the doc on Monday when I do my repeat beta.
My thoughts are this: With this pregnancy, no matter what the number is I'd like to keep the progesterone going strong until the late 6 week or early 7 week time frame. The day before Thanksgiving is 6w6d, so I'll try to get an u/s then. If there's going to be a heartbeat it'll be there. (I'll take a miracle. And, I figure someone must live in the tail ends of the HCG bell curve, I'd be thrilled if it was me.) But, there won't be. So, then we can have a D&C. This will give us the opportunity to karotype the bean. I think this will give us a firmer answer as to whether this is a soil or seed problem. At this point, the odds are there's a problem with the endometrium (the soil), but we haven't ruled out that maybe we just make a lot of genetically incompetent embryos (bad seeds). I think this'll give us some answers.
Moving ahead, we have only 4 IVFs covered by insurance. I'm not sure, but I think after the fourth IVF all infertility benefits cease. And, overall, I don't think the lab is really doing anything for us. We seem to make great embryos that make it to blast all the time. So, an IUI would give us just as good of results as an IVF. I'd like to talk the doc into keeping the same high dose of stims. I think we need every target we can get to get a baby out of this. So, I'll ask about that.
The meds I want to add are this:
Letrozole (Femara) Letrozole is a first line med to get women to ovulate. But, it has the nice side effect of regulating Beta 3 Integrin levels. There's no reason to think I have this problem, but it's such an easy fix and fits in well with an IUI plan I don't see any reason not to.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22246449
The other thing I want to add is more controversial. It's Neupogen (G-CSF).
I've read the article numerous times to try to figure out what Neupogen actually does, but I still have a hard time understanding it. According to the article, "Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a cytokine which stimulates neutrophilic granulocyte proliferation and differentiation. It is expressed and produced by the decidual cells, and its receptor, c-fms, is expressed by the trophoblastic cells"
The great part is this, "Results In the group treated with G-CSF, 29 out of 35 (82.8%) women delivered a healthy baby, whereas in the placebo group, this figure was only 16 out of 33 (48.5%) (P = 0.0061, odds ratio = 5.1; 95% confidence interval 1.5–18.4). Significantly higher β-hCG levels were found in gestation weeks 5–9 in women treated with G-CSF versus placebo"
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712831
I REALLY like the idea of higher HCG levels. I have always suffered from this problem. I wonder if the HCG is a chicken or the egg sort of problem. Which comes first. Does a bad embryo produce poor HCG numbers? (The common theory). Or, can the low HCG numbers cause the body to not make the necessary changes to fully accept the implanting embryo? It would seem as if the problems fed off each other. But, no one seems to really know the full effects of HCG on the endometrium.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410898_4
http://endo.endojournals.org/content/148/2/618.full
http://repbiol.pan.olsztyn.pl/docs/pdfs/repbiol_vol1_num1_page10.pdf
Sigh. So much to think about.
But, that's the plan for next time. IUI with Letrozole, Follistim, Menopur. Lovenox, Prednisone, HCG trigger and progesterone support. And, I'll also ask about HCG boosters in the 2ww.
First off, 'm going to have a consult with the doc on Monday when I do my repeat beta.
My thoughts are this: With this pregnancy, no matter what the number is I'd like to keep the progesterone going strong until the late 6 week or early 7 week time frame. The day before Thanksgiving is 6w6d, so I'll try to get an u/s then. If there's going to be a heartbeat it'll be there. (I'll take a miracle. And, I figure someone must live in the tail ends of the HCG bell curve, I'd be thrilled if it was me.) But, there won't be. So, then we can have a D&C. This will give us the opportunity to karotype the bean. I think this will give us a firmer answer as to whether this is a soil or seed problem. At this point, the odds are there's a problem with the endometrium (the soil), but we haven't ruled out that maybe we just make a lot of genetically incompetent embryos (bad seeds). I think this'll give us some answers.
Moving ahead, we have only 4 IVFs covered by insurance. I'm not sure, but I think after the fourth IVF all infertility benefits cease. And, overall, I don't think the lab is really doing anything for us. We seem to make great embryos that make it to blast all the time. So, an IUI would give us just as good of results as an IVF. I'd like to talk the doc into keeping the same high dose of stims. I think we need every target we can get to get a baby out of this. So, I'll ask about that.
The meds I want to add are this:
Letrozole (Femara) Letrozole is a first line med to get women to ovulate. But, it has the nice side effect of regulating Beta 3 Integrin levels. There's no reason to think I have this problem, but it's such an easy fix and fits in well with an IUI plan I don't see any reason not to.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22246449
The other thing I want to add is more controversial. It's Neupogen (G-CSF).
I've read the article numerous times to try to figure out what Neupogen actually does, but I still have a hard time understanding it. According to the article, "Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a cytokine which stimulates neutrophilic granulocyte proliferation and differentiation. It is expressed and produced by the decidual cells, and its receptor, c-fms, is expressed by the trophoblastic cells"
The great part is this, "Results In the group treated with G-CSF, 29 out of 35 (82.8%) women delivered a healthy baby, whereas in the placebo group, this figure was only 16 out of 33 (48.5%) (P = 0.0061, odds ratio = 5.1; 95% confidence interval 1.5–18.4). Significantly higher β-hCG levels were found in gestation weeks 5–9 in women treated with G-CSF versus placebo"
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712831
I REALLY like the idea of higher HCG levels. I have always suffered from this problem. I wonder if the HCG is a chicken or the egg sort of problem. Which comes first. Does a bad embryo produce poor HCG numbers? (The common theory). Or, can the low HCG numbers cause the body to not make the necessary changes to fully accept the implanting embryo? It would seem as if the problems fed off each other. But, no one seems to really know the full effects of HCG on the endometrium.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/410898_4
http://endo.endojournals.org/content/148/2/618.full
http://repbiol.pan.olsztyn.pl/docs/pdfs/repbiol_vol1_num1_page10.pdf
Sigh. So much to think about.
But, that's the plan for next time. IUI with Letrozole, Follistim, Menopur. Lovenox, Prednisone, HCG trigger and progesterone support. And, I'll also ask about HCG boosters in the 2ww.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
IVF #3 Final results
October 24, 2013 - 9 eggs retrieved
Oct. 25 - Day 1 report. Of the 9 eggs, 7 were mature and 4 fertilized.
Oct. 26 - Day 2 report. Of the 4, 3 are 4 cell grade 1. That's perfect. The other one is still a 2 cell and severely fragmented. So we're looking at a transfer of the 3 tomorrow! Eek!
Oct. 27, Sunday - All 3 were looking great, so we transferred all 3! One was a 10 cell & the other 2 were 8 cells. All were perfect, no fragmentation and graded 1, which is the best.
Let me see if I can post a picture of them.
.JPG)
I'll also keep you updated on my POAS saga. I'm doing HCG boosters, so HPTs will be harder to decifer, but I think I'm experienced enough in these sort of things to read the tea leaves. :P
Oct. 29, 5 DPR (Days past retrieval) - I did my 2nd of 3 boosters shots this morning. The $ store HPT had a faint line. Good. That means the trigger or the last booster is still in my system a little. I'd hate for it to not make it from one booster to the next.
Nov. 1, 8 DPR - I've been feeling the crampiness of early pregnancy. I've been pregnant enough to know the feeling. Someone's trying to settle in. We'll just see if they can do it or not. Today was my last HCG booster. Every morning I test first thing. And the test this morning was darker than yesterday's. Since I gave the booster AFTER I took the test it should've been lighter. Unless of course there's another source of HCG,,,,, Here's hoping.
Nov. 4, 11 DPR - So here's the HPTs from yesterday and today. Since my last HCG booster was Friday I may still HCG from that in my system, but these are still pretty dark IMO. I'll keep testing and update. Beta is Thursday.
I'm a little worried. OK, a lot worried. The line seems no darker today than it did yesterday.
.JPG)
I don't think I'll test again until Thursday which is the morning of the beta. I need to know the results before the nurse calls with them.
(I don't know how people don't test at all and just wait for the nurse to call. What if you're in a meeting or miss the call or whatever? Is that really the way you want to find out? I can see waiting until the morning of the beta to save the above troubles, but having no idea until the nurse calls????!?!?! No way.)
Thursday, 14 DPR, Beta test day. This is going to end in another miscarriage.
And, the Beta is ....
79.4
As these things always seem to go for me. It's nothing definitive either way. It's a solid meh. The next beta is Monday, 18 DPR.
Here's the next HPTs. Day 16 is Saturday and day 18 is Monday.
Beta on Monday, Day 18 was 300. Of course, it's supposed to be 320-ish. 52 hour doubling time
Another beta on Wednesday, Day 20. I'm out of HPTs and I have no desire to buy more. :P
Wednesday, Day 20, Beta was 542. 53 hour doubling time.
On a side note, I went for the second intralipid treatment on Thursday, Day 21 (5 weeks pregnant). Also, I'm going to start drinking grapefruit juice. Maybe it'll help my liver excrete the HCG and not hold on to it. (Boy, I'm getting desperate...)
They want to do an ultrasound next week, but I'm disinclined. One ultrasound will be hard enough. I want to go when I can have a definitive answer. I agreed to another beta on Monday, Day 25.
Monday, Day 25 beta =1172. That's really, really bad. It's a 111 hour doubling time.
Ultrasound scheduled for November 21 at 6:30 am. I'll be 6 weeks even.
Oct. 25 - Day 1 report. Of the 9 eggs, 7 were mature and 4 fertilized.
Oct. 26 - Day 2 report. Of the 4, 3 are 4 cell grade 1. That's perfect. The other one is still a 2 cell and severely fragmented. So we're looking at a transfer of the 3 tomorrow! Eek!
Oct. 27, Sunday - All 3 were looking great, so we transferred all 3! One was a 10 cell & the other 2 were 8 cells. All were perfect, no fragmentation and graded 1, which is the best.
Let me see if I can post a picture of them.
.JPG)
I'll also keep you updated on my POAS saga. I'm doing HCG boosters, so HPTs will be harder to decifer, but I think I'm experienced enough in these sort of things to read the tea leaves. :P
Oct. 29, 5 DPR (Days past retrieval) - I did my 2nd of 3 boosters shots this morning. The $ store HPT had a faint line. Good. That means the trigger or the last booster is still in my system a little. I'd hate for it to not make it from one booster to the next.
Nov. 1, 8 DPR - I've been feeling the crampiness of early pregnancy. I've been pregnant enough to know the feeling. Someone's trying to settle in. We'll just see if they can do it or not. Today was my last HCG booster. Every morning I test first thing. And the test this morning was darker than yesterday's. Since I gave the booster AFTER I took the test it should've been lighter. Unless of course there's another source of HCG,,,,, Here's hoping.
Nov. 4, 11 DPR - So here's the HPTs from yesterday and today. Since my last HCG booster was Friday I may still HCG from that in my system, but these are still pretty dark IMO. I'll keep testing and update. Beta is Thursday.
I'm a little worried. OK, a lot worried. The line seems no darker today than it did yesterday.
.JPG)
I don't think I'll test again until Thursday which is the morning of the beta. I need to know the results before the nurse calls with them.
(I don't know how people don't test at all and just wait for the nurse to call. What if you're in a meeting or miss the call or whatever? Is that really the way you want to find out? I can see waiting until the morning of the beta to save the above troubles, but having no idea until the nurse calls????!?!?! No way.)
Thursday, 14 DPR, Beta test day. This is going to end in another miscarriage.
And, the Beta is ....
79.4
As these things always seem to go for me. It's nothing definitive either way. It's a solid meh. The next beta is Monday, 18 DPR.
Here's the next HPTs. Day 16 is Saturday and day 18 is Monday.
Beta on Monday, Day 18 was 300. Of course, it's supposed to be 320-ish. 52 hour doubling time
Another beta on Wednesday, Day 20. I'm out of HPTs and I have no desire to buy more. :P
Wednesday, Day 20, Beta was 542. 53 hour doubling time.
On a side note, I went for the second intralipid treatment on Thursday, Day 21 (5 weeks pregnant). Also, I'm going to start drinking grapefruit juice. Maybe it'll help my liver excrete the HCG and not hold on to it. (Boy, I'm getting desperate...)
They want to do an ultrasound next week, but I'm disinclined. One ultrasound will be hard enough. I want to go when I can have a definitive answer. I agreed to another beta on Monday, Day 25.
Monday, Day 25 beta =1172. That's really, really bad. It's a 111 hour doubling time.
Ultrasound scheduled for November 21 at 6:30 am. I'll be 6 weeks even.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
IVF #3 Day by day...
October 10, 2013 - CD 1 - I got my period.
Oct. 11 - CD 2 - I went in for my baseline appointment. All was quiet and the tech counted 10 antral follicles. That's ok for me, had better, had worse. I stared on Saizen (Human Growth Hormone) which I'll take for 5 days. 675 iu Follistim (we do a high dose fsh to start and then taper off and add in Menopur). Estrogen = 36, Progesterone = 0.74, LH = 3.73 and FSH = 5.65.
Oct. 12 - CD 3 - Saizen, 675 iu Follistim
Oct. 13 - CD 4 - Saizen, 600 iu Follistim, 75 iu Menopur
Oct. 14 - CD 5 - Saizen, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur, start Lovenox and a follicle check. The right hand side had 11, 8 and 6 more under 10. The left side had a 10 and 5 more under 10. My lining was at 4.2. E2= 98. P4= 0.586
Oct. 15 - CD 6 - Saizen, Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur
Oct. 16 - CD 7 - Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur and another follicle check. The right side had a 14.5, 12, 10, 9 and 4 more tiny ones. The left side had a 13, 10, 6 and 2 tiny ones. My lining was at 8.8. E2 = 187, P4 = 0.589
Oct. 17 - CD 8 - Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur (I'll do this same pattern until trigger. But, the Lovenox I won't stop.) Start Ganirelix.
Oct. 18 -CD 9 - Follicle check. The left side has a 17 and an 11. The right side has 17, 15.5, 12.5, 12 and an 11. My lining is at an 11. E2 = 448, P4 = 0.7
Oct. 20 - CD 11 - Follicle check. The left side has a 19.4 and a 16.3. The right side has a 22.1, 16.6, 16.2, 15.5 and a 14.9. I don't like the one that's pulling ahead on the right, but what are you going to do? Hopefully, they'll be able to let the 22 go to get the cohort of 16s up to speed. The tech measured my lining at a 10. I asked how it could shrink and she said it didn't. It was just because I had a full bladder pushing on it, so it appeared smaller. It also had the triple stripe pattern that they want to see, so that's fine. My E2 was at 651. Meh. I wish it was higher but there it is. Another follicle check tomorrow.
Oct. 21 - CD 12 - Intralipid infusion. Follicle check. The left side had a 23, 17.5 and a 13. The right side had 19, 19, 17, 17, 16, 11. So they found 2 more, but they're small, but the 13 might make it, especially if they push me out another day which I think they'll do. My guess is my estrogen will be too low. Bad news. My estrogen is low. It was 681. It barely rose from yesterday.
Oct. 22 - CD 13 - follicle check. The left side had a 23, 16, 12. The right side had a 25, 21, 19, 18, 17, 12. (I think some of those numbers are wrong. I wonder I the lady yesterday got the sides screwed up.) Anyways estrogen did rise today to 860, so that's good. We trigger tonight at 9:20 pm for a retrieval at 9:20 AM on Thursday. I'm worried about this one. My prediction is 7 eggs, 5 mature and 2 able to be transferred for a 3 day transfer.
Oct. 24 - CD 15 - Retrieval day. 9 eggs retrieved! :)
Oct. 11 - CD 2 - I went in for my baseline appointment. All was quiet and the tech counted 10 antral follicles. That's ok for me, had better, had worse. I stared on Saizen (Human Growth Hormone) which I'll take for 5 days. 675 iu Follistim (we do a high dose fsh to start and then taper off and add in Menopur). Estrogen = 36, Progesterone = 0.74, LH = 3.73 and FSH = 5.65.
Oct. 12 - CD 3 - Saizen, 675 iu Follistim
Oct. 13 - CD 4 - Saizen, 600 iu Follistim, 75 iu Menopur
Oct. 14 - CD 5 - Saizen, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur, start Lovenox and a follicle check. The right hand side had 11, 8 and 6 more under 10. The left side had a 10 and 5 more under 10. My lining was at 4.2. E2= 98. P4= 0.586
Oct. 15 - CD 6 - Saizen, Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur
Oct. 16 - CD 7 - Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur and another follicle check. The right side had a 14.5, 12, 10, 9 and 4 more tiny ones. The left side had a 13, 10, 6 and 2 tiny ones. My lining was at 8.8. E2 = 187, P4 = 0.589
Oct. 17 - CD 8 - Lovenox, 450 iu Follistim, 150 iu Menopur (I'll do this same pattern until trigger. But, the Lovenox I won't stop.) Start Ganirelix.
Oct. 18 -CD 9 - Follicle check. The left side has a 17 and an 11. The right side has 17, 15.5, 12.5, 12 and an 11. My lining is at an 11. E2 = 448, P4 = 0.7
Oct. 20 - CD 11 - Follicle check. The left side has a 19.4 and a 16.3. The right side has a 22.1, 16.6, 16.2, 15.5 and a 14.9. I don't like the one that's pulling ahead on the right, but what are you going to do? Hopefully, they'll be able to let the 22 go to get the cohort of 16s up to speed. The tech measured my lining at a 10. I asked how it could shrink and she said it didn't. It was just because I had a full bladder pushing on it, so it appeared smaller. It also had the triple stripe pattern that they want to see, so that's fine. My E2 was at 651. Meh. I wish it was higher but there it is. Another follicle check tomorrow.
Oct. 21 - CD 12 - Intralipid infusion. Follicle check. The left side had a 23, 17.5 and a 13. The right side had 19, 19, 17, 17, 16, 11. So they found 2 more, but they're small, but the 13 might make it, especially if they push me out another day which I think they'll do. My guess is my estrogen will be too low. Bad news. My estrogen is low. It was 681. It barely rose from yesterday.
Oct. 22 - CD 13 - follicle check. The left side had a 23, 16, 12. The right side had a 25, 21, 19, 18, 17, 12. (I think some of those numbers are wrong. I wonder I the lady yesterday got the sides screwed up.) Anyways estrogen did rise today to 860, so that's good. We trigger tonight at 9:20 pm for a retrieval at 9:20 AM on Thursday. I'm worried about this one. My prediction is 7 eggs, 5 mature and 2 able to be transferred for a 3 day transfer.
Oct. 24 - CD 15 - Retrieval day. 9 eggs retrieved! :)
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Planning appointment
So for the next IVF we'll be doing a fresh transfer. With 7 blasts in the freezer, I feel comfortable going for it! There's nothing to really report. We'll pretty much do what we did last time.
We'll also be adding in intralipids and Lovenox. So sometime around October 14th I'll start meds and we'll be on our way!
We'll also be adding in intralipids and Lovenox. So sometime around October 14th I'll start meds and we'll be on our way!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
IVF #2 Final Results
10 eggs retrieved
Of the 10, 8 were mature and 4 fertilized. So basically the same results as last time when it was 9 eggs retrieved, 6 mature, 3 fertilized. Let's hope it stays the same as last time and all 4 make it to blast.
So on day 2 they called and left a message. (They called at 9:30 which was way before I expected them to call). The nurse said that all 4 were continuing to cleave and the lab would be following up with me. I tried to call back and was on hold for 2 hours. Clearly no one is there on Labor Day. I'll call tomorrow.
On day 3 they are 1 8 cell (perfect) and 3 6 cells. I wish they were all 8 cells, but anything from 6-10 cells is considered normal. They all have no fragmentation and look picture prefect according to the embryologist. It's a very good thing.
On day 4, there was one that was a compacted morula (which is exactly where they're supposed to be). The other 3 were "we'll on their way". She said they just rank them as greater than 9 cell and that's where they are. More tomorrow....
On day 5 there were 2 early blasts which may be ready to freeze this afternoon and 2 compacting morulas. The embryologist was pleased and felt that we may be able to freeze them all. She stated they are growing as they should. :)
On day 6 we have 4 high quality blasts frozen! :) The embryologist was very pleased with them. 2 were 2AA and 2 were 2BB.
It's simply unheard of that all fertilized embryos make it blast. And it's been 2 cycles now! That just doesn't seem possible for it to be a fluke at this point! Does anybody out there have any thoughts on this?
Of the 10, 8 were mature and 4 fertilized. So basically the same results as last time when it was 9 eggs retrieved, 6 mature, 3 fertilized. Let's hope it stays the same as last time and all 4 make it to blast.
So on day 2 they called and left a message. (They called at 9:30 which was way before I expected them to call). The nurse said that all 4 were continuing to cleave and the lab would be following up with me. I tried to call back and was on hold for 2 hours. Clearly no one is there on Labor Day. I'll call tomorrow.
On day 3 they are 1 8 cell (perfect) and 3 6 cells. I wish they were all 8 cells, but anything from 6-10 cells is considered normal. They all have no fragmentation and look picture prefect according to the embryologist. It's a very good thing.
On day 4, there was one that was a compacted morula (which is exactly where they're supposed to be). The other 3 were "we'll on their way". She said they just rank them as greater than 9 cell and that's where they are. More tomorrow....
On day 5 there were 2 early blasts which may be ready to freeze this afternoon and 2 compacting morulas. The embryologist was pleased and felt that we may be able to freeze them all. She stated they are growing as they should. :)
On day 6 we have 4 high quality blasts frozen! :) The embryologist was very pleased with them. 2 were 2AA and 2 were 2BB.
It's simply unheard of that all fertilized embryos make it blast. And it's been 2 cycles now! That just doesn't seem possible for it to be a fluke at this point! Does anybody out there have any thoughts on this?
Thursday, August 22, 2013
IVF #2 day to day results.
In 2 weeks DH will be out of town. Last cycle I had my retrieval on the Saturday when I started my period on a Saturday. Just in case I run late this time I'm going to start my stims a day earlier.
Saturday, August 17, 2013 - CD1 - I started my period.
Sunday, August 18 - CD2 - Did 450iu of Follistim.
Monday, August 19 - CD 3 - All looks good to start. They didn't give me an antral follicle count. Estrogen was at 65.5, progesterone was at 0.559 and FSH was at 11.6. (Not surprising since I injected a ton of FSH the night before.)
Thursday, August 22 - CD 6 - Five measurable follicles. I wish there were more, but there it is. The left ones were 11.9 and 9.7 with no smaller ones. The right ones were 10.5, 9.4, 9.3 with some smaller ones. Estrogen was at 202. (It's much higher than last time. I hope that means there's more follicles growing than reported.). Progesterone at 0.7.
Saturday, August 24 - CD 8 - 8! Right measurable follicles at 15.9, 13.5, 13.5, 13.1, 12.7, 12.6, 10.9, 9.4. And 6 that were too small to measure. Five on the right and three on the left. (I knew that witchy u/s tech missed some). Estrogen was at 398, so it basically doubled so that's good.
Monday, August 26 - CD 10 - I had the u/s tech who does a horrible job, IMO. I was watching and in sure she missed some and did bad measurements on others. BUT, she came up with 7. 18.6, 17.1, 15.8, 13.9, 12.8, 12.6, 12.2, 9 and 2 other smaller ones. Estrogen was at 573.
Wednesday, August 28 - CD 12 - I knew that u/s tech missed some! 11 measurable follicles today. :) They are 21, 20, 18, 17, 17, 17, 16, 16, 13, 12, 11. And 2 smaller ones that won't make it. Estrogen at 1031, P4 at 0.9 and LH at 0.8. I'm a little worried about the progesterone going above 1, but that only matters if we end up with a fresh transfer. They're going to push it for one more day and probably trigger tomorrow.
Thursday, August 29 - CD 13 - everything looks good today! 13 measurable follicles! I guess those 2 small ones came out to play. They are: 22.5, 22, 21, 21, 20.5, 20, 17.5, 16.5, 15, 14.5, 14, 13.5, 13. Estrogen was only at 1138, so it barely rose from yesterday. I'll still trigger tonight at 8 pm, but I'll also take my meds for one more night to help everybody keep growing. In good news, progesterone was at 0.8 so it remains nice and low.
Saturday, August 31 - CD 15 - Retrieval at 8 am. 10 eggs. It's a little disappointing. We'll find out tomorrow how many were mature and how many fertilized.
Saturday, August 17, 2013 - CD1 - I started my period.
Sunday, August 18 - CD2 - Did 450iu of Follistim.
Monday, August 19 - CD 3 - All looks good to start. They didn't give me an antral follicle count. Estrogen was at 65.5, progesterone was at 0.559 and FSH was at 11.6. (Not surprising since I injected a ton of FSH the night before.)
Thursday, August 22 - CD 6 - Five measurable follicles. I wish there were more, but there it is. The left ones were 11.9 and 9.7 with no smaller ones. The right ones were 10.5, 9.4, 9.3 with some smaller ones. Estrogen was at 202. (It's much higher than last time. I hope that means there's more follicles growing than reported.). Progesterone at 0.7.
Saturday, August 24 - CD 8 - 8! Right measurable follicles at 15.9, 13.5, 13.5, 13.1, 12.7, 12.6, 10.9, 9.4. And 6 that were too small to measure. Five on the right and three on the left. (I knew that witchy u/s tech missed some). Estrogen was at 398, so it basically doubled so that's good.
Monday, August 26 - CD 10 - I had the u/s tech who does a horrible job, IMO. I was watching and in sure she missed some and did bad measurements on others. BUT, she came up with 7. 18.6, 17.1, 15.8, 13.9, 12.8, 12.6, 12.2, 9 and 2 other smaller ones. Estrogen was at 573.
Wednesday, August 28 - CD 12 - I knew that u/s tech missed some! 11 measurable follicles today. :) They are 21, 20, 18, 17, 17, 17, 16, 16, 13, 12, 11. And 2 smaller ones that won't make it. Estrogen at 1031, P4 at 0.9 and LH at 0.8. I'm a little worried about the progesterone going above 1, but that only matters if we end up with a fresh transfer. They're going to push it for one more day and probably trigger tomorrow.
Thursday, August 29 - CD 13 - everything looks good today! 13 measurable follicles! I guess those 2 small ones came out to play. They are: 22.5, 22, 21, 21, 20.5, 20, 17.5, 16.5, 15, 14.5, 14, 13.5, 13. Estrogen was only at 1138, so it barely rose from yesterday. I'll still trigger tonight at 8 pm, but I'll also take my meds for one more night to help everybody keep growing. In good news, progesterone was at 0.8 so it remains nice and low.
Saturday, August 31 - CD 15 - Retrieval at 8 am. 10 eggs. It's a little disappointing. We'll find out tomorrow how many were mature and how many fertilized.
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