Going to wait to until my July cycle for the IVF.

We actually ended up booking to go along on a trip to Mexico with my in-laws, and at least two sets of our neighbours who are good friends of ours. Our trip is from Nov 8-18th. I did some calculating, and if I were able to do this next cycle, and it was successful, I'd be 25 weeks when we left and almost 27 weeks when we returned. If I were to conceive twins, I doubt I'd be allowed to (or would even want to) fly that far along.

We can't do the June cycle, because we will be away then too (yes, I do know how lucky I am to get to travel so much), so July it is. If it is successful then, I would be 17 weeks when we fly, which should be just fine, even if it ends up being twins.

IVF will hopefully be soon!

We've got our requirements (the bloodwork, HSG and IVF info session) done and out of the way. I have an appointment to go over the protocol we will be using on the 13th. I hope to have all the questions that I have answered that day, and I hope to have them tell me that we will be good to go when AF arrives around the 18th.

The clinic has a wait list, but I keep hearing about how it's not that long of a wait anymore. At the info session they said that after you start CD1 that you call in and that about a week later you'll get a call back if you are at the top of the list. Then you start the suppression meds and with your next AF you begin the stims. Since we won't be suppressing, I'm hoping that we will be able to skip that one week wait for the call, and just be scheduled for starting stims right after CD1.

I think, as long as the dr still agrees with what we discussed last year, we will be doing a minimally stimulated cycle using clomid and a low dose of follistim and then an antagonist to control the ER. My aim is to have between 6-10 mature eggs from the retrieval. If I get only 6, I think I will choose to use ICSI on all of them. If I get more I'd like to do conventional fertilization on anything over 6.

The clinic likes to only put back one 5-day blast in women 37 or younger. If we get a combo of conventional and ICSI and there are good quality embryos from both, think I'll ask them to put back one of each. Hopefully, since I'm so close to 38, they'll agree to that.

Of course, that will all depend on whether or not we get anything that makes it to transfer at all. I'm optimistic, but I also know that there are no guarantees in any part of this process.

I'm ready to begin. I'm excited that it's so close and in denial about it all at the same time. It is starting to get more real, but I haven't had my "holy shit we're doing this" moment just yet. I can feel it creeping up on me though.

No more limbo

AF woke me up, dark (haha) and early this morning.

I'm really okay with it. Of course, I would rather be pregnant, but we are going on an amazing vacation in four days and now I'll be able to fully relax without wondering what's happening in there. Kinda hard to be gloomy about it.

I'm going to go enjoy some sun, sand, sea (and adult beverages) and then it'll be full tilt into the IVF preparations when we get back.

Hopefully I'll be able to start the cycle for that in May.

Limbo

The tests are not getting darker. They faded out a bit more, but there is still a line on them. I'm pretty sure it's still the trigger, but is weird that it hasn't gone completely negative in the last few days.

I used a frer too, just so I have something to compare it too tomorrow before the beta. It has a barely there faint line too. If I had to guess, I'd say a beta right now would come back at a 5. Doesn't bode we'll if it is real hcg.

The comparison shot is from yesterday afternoon and this afternoon.

Holding steady?

I've been testing out the booster trigger shot I did on 3dpiui.  It's been getting consistently lighter.

The first set of tests are 8, 9 and 10 days past IUI and 5-7 days past the booster trigger. The beta result from the day before the top test was 41.

I tested again this morning at 11dpiui, expecting a barely there line. There was definitely still a line there and it didn't really look all that much lighter than yesterday's tests. Not darker by any means, but not the near completely negative I was expecting either. I tested again this afternoon, and the line still looks the same. The second set of tests is comparing yesterday's 10dpiui-PM test to this afternoons 11dpiui-PM test. The bottom test in the first set of pictures is the same test as the top one in the second set. It really does look like its holding steady, not getting darker or lighter. I'm not quite sure what that means, but its got me pretty anxious for tomorrow's tests now.

Holy progesterone Batman!

So, I had my 7dpiui progesterone test done on Friday.   As I mentioned before, the nurse ordered me both the progesterone test and an hcg beta for 14dpiui.  Well, she ordered both tests on the same req. so the lab ended up testing me for both progesterone and hcg on Friday.   The hcg level in my system was 41, but I presume that it was all trigger from the booster that I did only 4 days prior.  My hpt's have consistently faded since then.

With my last IUI the progesterone level came in at 96.7.  This time it came in at 246.9!!!!!   That is crazy high!

I'm hoping that its being so high is a good sign, but I know that progesterone levels are not indicative of pregnancy.  I'll keep testing and hope to see the faint line that's still on the tests today get darker instead of fading completely away.

Of sinus infections and hcg booster shots

I'm 6dpiui today.  I had a new prescription of hcg for my trigger shot this cycle and, as this is our last IUI, I had half a dose leftover.   I've been reading up on booster trigger shots, and how they can aid in the implantation of an embryo.  I (and the RE nurse) decided that since it can't hurt anything and may actually help, I would use the remaining dose of trigger as a booster shot in the TWW.   I decided to take it at 3dpiui, so that it would hopefully be out of my system by 14dpiui.  In my research, I've read that it has a half-life of 24hrs, so I tried to calculate to see what the level would be towards the end of my TWW.  If its accurate, I should have 5miu or less of the trigger left by 14dpiui.  We are leaving for vacation a few days after the end of this TWW, so I convinced the nurse to let me go for a beta at 14dpiui.  If the beta comes back with more than 5miu, I think I'll have a real bfp.  I'll be able to go back once more for a repeat, but then after that we'll be out of the country.  

I've been battling a cold for several weeks now.  Last week I was sure it had turned into a sinus infection.  I was running a low fever and my teeth were even hurting.  My sinuses were very congested.  I tried to get rid of it with a nasal rinse, and that seemed to have worked until I woke up this week with very sore teeth again.   It wasn't getting any better, so off to the Dr. I went to get some antibiotics.  I'm four doses in and feel so much better already.   I wasn't looking forward to the thought of flying with my sinuses the way they were.  

I'm going in for a 7dpo progesterone check tomorrow.   I wonder if the number will be as outrageously high as it was last time.