IUI #11 - 3 Days Past IUI

What is going on with my body?

I woke up Sunday with lots of gas (burping that is) and a mild headache. The headache was carried over from Saturday.

On Monday, while washing dishes, I had cramps on my left side and then suddenly, a sharp pain in my back. I had to stop and lay down.

Today, I felt cramps on my left side and a little bit on my right side.

IUI #11 - Insemination Day

My husband came with me to have the IUI at 9:30am today. When we got there, we took care of the fees and picked up a package of Crinone. My husband read the instruction sheet for the progesterone and it said "Start Crinone on Monday, 1 am and 1 at bed." Suddenly I hear my husband say "You have to stay up until 1:00 am to take your medications." I looked at him and the co-ordinator and I started to laugh. I told him that the "1 am" meant take one in the morning not the time 1:00am.

My doctor is on vacation so her partner is taking care of her patients for the time being. While performing the IUI, the partner doctor mentioned that I might consider ivig and ivf if this cycle is not successful because this is my 11th IUI. Since my miscarriages are unexplained, the ivig might help reduce the risk of miscarriage. The ivig is basically human-derived antibodies (blood transfusion). The partner doctor said it's best done with ivf to increase the chances.

On our way home, my husband and I talked about it and are seriously considering it. However, we need to discuss this with our doctor after this cycle to see what her medical opinion is since she knows my history.

Anyways, I hope that the talk of ivig and ivf is moot and this insemination worked. Fingers and toes crossed.

IUI #11 - CD12 Second Day of Monitoring

I went in for bloodwork and ultrasound today. My right follicle is 2.2 cm and my uterus lining is 0.7. The co-ordinator told me that I am starting to surge because my LH has doubled from yesterday.

I took an HCG shot at around 8:30 pm.

I will be going in for an IUI on Saturday at 9:30 am.

This is it!!!

IUI #11 - CD 11 First Day of Monitoring

Today is my first day of monitoring. I went in for bloodwork and ultrasound. One follicle on my right side and I think my follicle size is 2.0 cm. Awesome!

IUI #11 - CD3 Full Bladder Ultrasound

Yikes! Today, I had to go in for a full bladder ultrasound to see if I have any cysts before taking Femera. I really hate the feeling of the pressure on my bladder.

I never understood why I had to go in with a full bladder when afterwards; they always do a transvaginal ultrasound. This time, I asked the lab technician. According to the lab technician, the full bladder ultrasound gives her a better view of the pelvic area, the ability to detect large cysts and possibly see things that might be missed by the transvaginal ultrasound. Okay, good enough for me.

I was told that I don’t need to have a really full bladder because it makes my uterus tilt and as a result, not much can be seen. Phew, that is good news for me.

I got the green light to start Femera today.

Infertility Sucks! Part V

January 2009

- no longer taking Chinese herbal tea

February 11, 2009

We went to see the specialist that studies recurrent miscarriages. I had a blood test done at the clinic (took 8 to 10 vials) and another test done at the nearby hospital (took 8 to 10 vials).

April 23, 2009

Follow up at the specialist. The Feb. 11 test results showed elevated TSH level (may be the reason for the miscarriages). The specialist recommended low dose ASA (81mg) and for us to go back and see him when we are pregnant so they can monitor us. Took another TSH blood test and another bunch of blood tests for study purposes. Later found out that the TSH blood test came back normal.

April 2009

- stopped acupuncture

May 14 - Jun. 13, 2009 (IUI #10)

- 2.5 mg of Femera on cycle days 4 to 8, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, ASA 81mg, IUI, progesterone suppositories and Crinone

- full bladder ultrasound on May 16th (cycle day 3) to see if there are cysts before starting Femera

- blood tests on May 16th: TSH = hypo, PRL = 12, and FSH = 5.1

- forgot to take Femera on May 16th so started on May 17th (day 4)

- blood test on May 26th (day 13) showed normal TSH level

- left follicle: 2.2cm and uterus lining: 0.8cm

- IUI on May 29th (day 16)

- Jun. 11th pregnancy test was negative

Infertility Sucks! Part IV

Aug. 20 - Sep. 17, 2008 (IUI #8)

- 2.5 mg of Femera on cycle days 3 to 7, Bromocriptine 2.5mg, Metformin 500mg (3 times a day), Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- HCG shot and acupuncture on Sep. 2nd (day 14)

- right follicle: 2.25cm and uterus lining: 0.1cm

- IUI on Sep. 3rd (day 15)

- Sep. 15th pregnancy test was negative

Sep. 18 - Nov. 22, 2008 (IUI #9)

- 2.5 mg of Femera on cycle days 3 to 7, Bromocriptine 2.5mg, Metformin 500mg (3 times a day), Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture, IUI, progesterone suppositories, Crinone and HCG support

- full bladder ultrasound on Sep. 20th (cycle day 3) to see if there are cysts before starting Femera

- left follicle: 2.369 cm and uterus lining: 0.8cm

- acupuncture and IUI on Sep. 30th (day 13) - Hubby came with me for the first time

- hpt on Oct. 12th - First Response showed positive - Hubby wanted reassurance so we went out and bought Clear Blue Easy to Read and it said "Pregnant"

- I cried because it finally happened. I was worried that the D+C might have had a negative effect on my chances of getting pregnant.

- blood test on Oct. 14th (cycle day 27 or 14 days past IUI) and HCG was at 123 (best result of the three pregnancies)

- stopped taking Bromocriptine on Oct. 15th (day 28)

- blood test on Oct. 16th showed HCG at approx. 300

- light brown spot on underwear on Oct. 24th (24 days past IUI)

- dark brown spotting on Oct. 25th

- light brown spotting on Oct. 26th

- blood on tissue on Oct. 27th

- ultrasound on Oct. 28th (week 4) showed sac in the uterus; picked up another bottle of HCG and 18 applicators of Crinone

- ultrasound on Nov. 7th (week 5 and 4 days) showed fetus growth rate is fine but heartbeat is a bit slow - 94 to 95 rpm

- ultrasound on Nov. 17th (week 7) did not show any heartbeat (had bloodwork done at the hospital)

- D+C on Nov. 23rd

ARRRRGH!!!

Infertility Sucks! Part III

January 11, 2008

- started acupuncture and Chinese herbal tea

Apr. 26 - May 23, 2008 (IUI #5)

- 50 mg of Clomid on cycle days 4 to 8, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- ultrasound on Apr. 29th (cycle day 4) to check for cysts before taking Clomid

- acupuncture on May 9th

- left follicle: 2.5cm and uterus lining: 0.85cm

- IUI on May 10th (day 15) done by partner doctor

- May 22nd pregnancy test was negative

May 24 - Jun. 21, 2008 (IUI #6)

- 50 mg of Clomid on cycle days 4 to 8, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- ultrasound on May 27th (cycle day 4) to check for cysts before taking Clomid (found a small paraovarian on my left side)

- two left follicles: 2.0cm and 1.5cm and uterus lining: 0.9cm

- IUI on Jun. 7th (day 15) and 8th (day 16)

- Jun. 20th pregnancy test was negative

Jun. 22 - Jul. 20, 2008 (IUI #7)

- natural cycle, Bromocriptine 1.25mg - 2.5mg, Chinese herbal tea, acupuncture, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- ultrasound on Jun. 25th (cycle day 4) and decided to do a natural cycle with Chinese herbal tea

- Jun. 30th prolactin test result was 36.5 (high) and increased Bromocriptine to 2.5mg (full pill)

- right follicle: 1.87cm and uterus lining: 0.9cm

- IUI on Jul. 6th (day 15) done by partner doctor

- Jul. 18th pregnancy test was negative

Infertility Sucks! - Part II

Aug. 7 - Sep. 14, 2007

- tried to conceive again (natural cycle) but I did not ovulate during the cycle

- FSH test on Aug. 9th showed a level of 4.1 (normal)

- took provera for 7 days starting on August 31st (drug helps to bring on my period)

Sep. 15 - Oct. 15, 2007 (IUI #3)

- 25 mg of Clomid on cycle days 4 to 8, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- ultrasound on Sep. 18th (cycle day 4) to check for cysts before taking Clomid

- surged on Sep. 30th

- left follicle: 2.1cm and right follicle: 1.3cm

- IUI on Oct. 1st (day 17)

- Oct. 15th pregnancy test was negative

Oct. 16 - Dec. 16, 2007 (IUI #4)

- 25 mg of Clomid on cycle days 4 to 8, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- ultrasound on Oct. 19th (cycle day 4) to check for cysts before taking Clomid

- right follicle: 25.11cm and left follicle: 11.99cm

- 1st IUI on Oct. 30th (day 15) and 2nd IUI on Oct. 31st (day 16)

- pregnancy test showed HCG level of 23 on Nov. 12th, increased to 71 on Nov. 14th and 938 on Nov. 19th

- experienced pregnancy symptom (sore right breast) on Nov. 19th

- 1st ultrasound on Nov 29th at 11:55am - faint heartbeat at 6 weeks and 4 days

- 2nd ultrasound on Dec. 7th at 9:40am - fetus is smaller and the heartbeat is slower for 7 weeks and 4 days old

- 3rd ultrasound on Dec. 14th at 11:45am - no heartbeat

- Dec. 14th - had a blood test done at the hospital and then met with hospital nurse to discuss the preparations required for dilation and curettage (D+C)

- I was really scared because I have never been in the operation room (OR) before.

- Dec. 16th - freezing rain and lots of snow as we head to the hospital for D+C (went into the OR at 10:30am). When I woke up in the recovery room, I noticed tears have rolled down the side of my right eye.

- My Hubby was really supportive during this whole procedure.

Infertility Sucks! - Part I

In 2006, my hubby and I decided we would try to have a baby through donor sperm. We went to see a fertility specialist. Just to cover all grounds, my husband had a sperm analysis done and I had blood tests, a 3D ultrasound and an Hysterosalpingogram (HSG). The tests confirmed that my hubby did not have any sperm. My blood tests show that I have an elevated prolactin level, both my tubes are fine and my uterus had a little dent at the top but I was told that it was not a concern. Then we met with a consultant regarding donor sperm.

In 2007, we started trying to conceive:

Feb. 20 - Mar. 24, 2007 (IUI #1)

- natural cycle, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and progesterone suppositories

- 1st IUI on Mar. 10th (day 19) and 2nd IUI on Mar. 11th (day 20)

- pregnancy test was negative

Mar. 25 - May 6, 2007 (IUI #2)

- natural cycle, Bromocriptine 1.25mg, IUI and progesterone suppositories

- 1st IUI on Apr. 9th (day 16) and 2nd IUI on Apr. 10th (day 17)

- I had a dream on Apr. 9th that I was pregnant

- I had to go in for a pregnancy blood test on a Monday Apr. 23rd. I couldn't wait so I did a home pregnancy test on Saturday morning. It was my last home pregnancy test. I saw a very very very faint vertical line after 10 minutes (faint positive). I got really excited but still wasn't sure if I was just seeing things.

- Blood test showed HCG level of 6 on Apr. 23rd, increased to 21 on Apr. 25th and then 66 on Apr. 27th. In the evening of Apr. 27th, I started to spot. Within a week, the joy turned into worry.

- On Apr. 30th, I increased my progesterone to twice a day. I continued to spot for the whole week.

- On May 4th, I had an ultrasound and they couldn't find a sac. There was a fear of ectopic pregnancy.

- On May 6th, I had this excruciating pain at around 12:15 am and my period came.

- My HCG level dropped to 13 on May 7th and then to 0 on May 11th.

May 6 - Aug. 6, 2007 (IUI #2)

-recovering period

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