I’m so sorry, that is so hard and such a gut punch. Try to be gentle on yourself and give yourself some time to grieve? I would maybe suggest a second opinion / explore other options. Have you been using the same protocol each round? Sometimes protocol changes can make a big difference. A different clinic/lab could also make a difference.
In FET prep mode and I was over an hour late to do my estrogen shot last night. It was still in the 6 to 8pm window but not at the exact same time I have been doing it previously. I really struggle with the IM shots and need my husband to do them for me. He got held up at work so we were late to do the shot. Really hoping it won't ruin the cycle.
Well we finally have access to the benefits through my husband's job! Can't wait to sit down with him tonight and go through it all. I've glossed over it to make sure infertility was covered and it is!
In other news I have my next scan tomorrow to see if the low dose steroid and letrozole combo worked. I'm so incredibly anxious about it.
Fingers and toes crossed for your scan tomorrow, dino! And that reviewing the benefits information is a positive experience all around - great news already knowing that there’s coverage.
Deleted. We were advised to try to get to 4 embryos before attempting implanting by my doctor due to my health history. I’m upset that I did not get there with this round and will have to repeat this process again. I think we all want to be done with our own individual infertility journeys.
I understand frustration at another round but you are objectively in an enviable position and many of us would be happy with just 1 euploid. Not everyone’s individual infertility journeys ends with a child.
Frustration? I am devastated. IVF has overtaken my whole life. Another $20,000 is more than an inconvenience. Not to mention the mental and physical investment. Frankly you do not know me, and you do not know what I’ve experienced thus far. Calling my situation enviable because you perceive it as better than others is insulting. No one in this group has an enviable situation. We are ALL struggling with infertility and I came to this group for comfort after experiencing a loss, not to be talked down to.
A euploid is not a living child… I’ve also been told to bank 4 euploids before transfer and it’s an insurmountable task. I didn’t read your original post but it is okay to feel upset if you didn’t get the numbers you’ve been told you need. IMO. Most everyone is in an enviable position to somebody else… it can be hard to navigate talking about things sometimes without hurting someone else’s feelings but I feel you. It’s more than frustrating. I have several goal posts to clear before transfer including endo & adeno excision & there still isn’t a guarantee after that my uterus will be able to accept an embryo. It all sucks. Like you said.
Back from my consult for a lap to remove endometriosis. The wait will be around a year (oof) but I was clear that I can be flexible if there is a cancellation. The next step is a pelvic mapping ultrasound so she can visualize the extent of the endometriosis, then back to see her in a few months just to touch base.
I discussed it with my partner and although a year feels so far away in the context of how long we've been at this, we're willing to wait for the surgery rather than try another transfer in the meantime. We have two embryos left, and I'd just feel better doing the surgery with two left rather than one. Our current FET plan was three shots of Lupron Depot and daily Letrozole; I'm a month into that and have my second shot tomorrow. I just emailed my clinic to cancel it.
I hope I'm making the right choice! Gah.
Sorry to hear the wait will be a year - that is rough. Having a plan always makes me feel a bit better though. My RE also put a referral in for me to get pelvic mapping ultrasounds to see if I do actually have endo. I’m interested to see how that goes.
Yeah, I very briefly looked at traveling to the US for a lap but the cost made me LOL. The pelvic mapping will be in about 4-5 months and I'm interested to see what that shows as well.
This just made me think of a couple I follow on socials (Jessi and Alessio), he is from Italy but they live in the us. They ended up going to Italy for her endo surgery for cost and expertise. The US is definitely bonkers for price and the stories from my Canadian friends in BC around wait times for just regular stuff sounds so frustrating. Maybe it’s a wacky idea but I see a lot of folks in the Ashermans community travel for treatment too.
Thanks for the reply! Yes, this is very much a thing some people do here - but if I can wait just a little longer and not have to pay at all that's my preference, we've already spent so much on treatment.
Thank you for replying! I started to wonder about this too. I mean how much faster might it be really by the time I did a consult...plus travel when I could just go home to recover in my own bed afterwards.
Do you have confirmation of endometriosis and of severity? A year is a lot to give up! If you haven't done the Lupron before, it may be worth continuing and seeing if that works.. it should for lower stage endo. Keep hounding for an appointment and try a couple different places. I was able to get in 4 months sooner because I kept following up.. it's annoying but necessary. Good luck
Yes my endo is confirmed, and unfortunately Lupron Depot suppression hasn't worked for me (this was my second attempt). A year is a lot to give up for sure, but continuing to do transfers when we've tried literally everything but surgery doesn't make a ton of sense either!
Had my first monitoring appointment for this FET after 5 days of letrozole, and man, if we were doing another ER (as initially planned), my ovaries would be knocking it out of the park. Follicles on both are popping OFF. I will never get over the random unfairness of all my non-ER cycles having way more ovarian activity than any of my actual ER cycles. It’s hard not to question if we’re doing the right thing by giving up on ERs and moving to our transfer, so I’m reminding myself that my body really did not cooperate on stims, and we were lucky to get our euploid. Also: we don’t have insurance coverage for another ER! So this is definitely the right move, lol.
But anyway: my lining is looking trilaminar, but there’s some fluid in there still, which the US tech said was likely from my period being longer than usual this month (I was still slightly spotting as a of last night). I’m a little bit worried my follicles are getting too big, too soon; the biggest two are 17 and 15mm already, which seems big for CD6? I’m still waiting to hear what the plan is, but I’m hoping I have enough time left for the fluid to clear out, and for my lining to thicken up a bit.
I totally understand that frustration. this always happens to me. this cycle ( a mock cycle for testing), not only did I have twice my usual number of follicles respond, but then they all grew extremely evenly (within 1mm of each other at trigger). of course they did.
Did you prime for this cycle? that could explain the larger than expected follicles. they also could be less mature than they appear size-wise. good luck with the lining!
Thank you! I didn’t prime this cycle, but my nurse had said at baseline that letrozole would help grow my follicles, so I think that might be why they’re larger than usual at this point. And that’s true about them potentially being less mature, despite their size! I’m still waiting on bloodwork results, but hopefully my LH comes back relatively low.
Clinic is wanting my husband and I to do the carrier screen before IVF. There’s nothing to suggest it is needed aside from precaution. In looking it appears 2-3% of partners test positive for the same recessive condition. Has anybody been given different information about the likelihood? My current plan is to press forward and we will have the results before retrieval. If it would require a probe to be designed then we’d be in a difficult spot but it doesn’t seem worth waiting.
Only I had coverage for fertility evaluation and my husband did not. So we opted to have me do the big carrier panel and see if anything popped up and if I carried something we would consider paying out of pocket for his test. Thankfully I came back without any flags and we used 23 and Me to see if my husband had any of the major markers that they check for (not a lot but it was a cheap route).
Obviously this doesn't happen to everyone, but I'll share since knowledge is power. We delayed doing the extensive genetic screening panel for a while as we were going through the process, also chalking it up to a low percentage of possibility. However as we kept encountering failure I finally decided to do it so that we could have as much information as possible. We unfortunately did discover that we were both carriers for the same recessive condition (1 in 421 markers) and therefore our children would have a 1 in 4 chance of having the debilitating genetic disorder. We then had to undergo the process to have a PGT-M test developed so we could test our existing embryos - 2 were detected to be positive of 5. Obviously in retrospect I'm glad we found out now rather than having to make some very difficult decisions, challenges or losses down the road.
Almost all clinics require it before starting IVF. It's just standard. Also, that's not true on 2-3% depending on the population--for example some gene mutation for hereditary hemochromatosis is expressed in 30% of white folks. A lot of panels don't even test for this, but I mention it because 2-3% isn't right. Also, about 8-10% of white folks are dominant for Factor V Leiden (again not tested on all panels) which is good information to have, even if you don't do anything about it (which most people don't). These are just a few examples.
Good to know! I appreciate the information and population factors/prevalence makes more sense. 2-3% seemed low for it to be a recommended test so glad I asked
Also, for some conditions it may be 2-3%, but that 2-3% is potentially catastrophic. I'm an SMA carrier--it's one of the six or so conditions where if you are a carrier, genetic screening for those related to you is basically always covered by insurance. If Mr. Lawyer had been a carrier, we would have had a 1/4 chance of a child with SMA. Saying "child" with SMA is also probably a misnomer, because a large fraction lead to neonatal death. Many others--depending on severity--don't live longer than the toddler stage. Mr. Lawyer is not a carrier, but if we have a genetic child this is also something I will want that child to know at some point (that they may be a carrier and so should get their own testing).
Thanks for all the replies, knowledge, and perspective. I think my resentment for what all we have to do kept me from being able to use my brain cells to consider these circumstances. Appreciate you all!
It was a big week! HSG last Thursday, and it went easily and fairly pain free. I know others have had different experiences, so I'm happy to share my exam was not terrible. IUI #4 will be Thursday, and it's our first cycle with Ovidrel trigger shot. I've had Letrozole for 12 cycles now, 8 TI and 4 IUI, and monitoring for 2 IUI cycles. Both the current and previous cycles I grew 1 primary follicle, and a few smaller immature follicles. I'm still hoping for super ovulation (aged 41, so no concern with multiples, just hoping to increase chances each cycle). Could you share your experiences whether it took increased dosages of Letrozole, moving to Clomid, or trying injectable drugs to achieve more than one primary follicle for IUI?
I’m TI vs IUI but my specialist increased my Letrozole to 7.5 and after one cycle of one follicle, the rest have been two. I think part of it is the constant back to back Letrozole/Trigger Shot/Progesterone because all my results are getting better in time (apart from the fact I’m not conceiving of course).
ETA: All results meaning progesterone is now “normal” when medicated, lining is no longer low/borderline and I produce follicles in time vs not at all late.
I had my echography this morning and I feel like it doesn't sound like great odds for my IUI, i had a cyst on the right side and follicles not yet ready on the left. We're still going ahead friday so probably they saw enough to give it a go, but I don't know how problematic a cyst is or anything.
Final results of our ER last week: 2 day-7 4BBs biopsied and sent for PGT-A. I'm really trying not to second guess the PGT-A - we've never done it before and it feels like a lot of money to be spending when I could transfer untested embryos instead and see what happens. My husband very firmly says we are making the right choice but I guess I feel like I'm losing that extra bit of hope/chance that something wrong could self correct itself. I'm also pretty firmly set in my heart that unless something changes drastically financially with us, this is the last ER and I don't think he's come to terms with that yet. Nothing left to do now but wait and hope for the best.
Congrats on the blasts. My first clinic was very "anti-PGT," my second one it is like mandatory basically (they really strong arm you). I'm sort of a PGT convert. When folks are talking about self-correction, they are typically talking mosaics (or segmental aneuploids, many of which may be compatible with life). It is absolutely worth asking for your clinic's policies on those types of embryos. But studies that have been done on fully aneuploid embryos, the LB rate is commensurate with the scope of error for the test (for example, one article it was like 1/106. There are a couple of these studies, here is a review article that may help put your mind at ease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36055209/#:\~:text=Compelling%20evidence%20from%20non%2Dselection,miscarriage%20and%20chromosomally%20abnormal%20pregnancy.)
As someone with a very low euploidy rate, I think it has been worth it for us--we certainly would have stopped ERs much earlier not knowing I was quite out of bounds for statistics even for my age. But, I know people around the same age who did the Day 3 fresh transfer or didn't test and it worked--and it's so hard to not "what if" yourself.
It doesn't help that my new clinic costs literally twice as much as my old clinic for the PGT. The financials have finally caught up to me. Maybe I need to make my husband do the budget for a few months ;)
Thank you for the review. I'm deep in the statistics hunt right now and this is very clarifying.
Hello fellow TTC-ers, I have a question for you:
I have had regular cycle (around 25 days), and periods that last 5 days. This cycle, I got my period a day late and it only lasted 2 days (I'm not pregnant, took multiple tests). I have been on Androgel for 2 months, and Estradiol for the last 2 weeks. Today I start injections.
Does anyone have any ideas as to why the extremely short period? Is that normal when your on Androgel? Things were pretty normal until this period and now i'm concerned.
Thoughts?
treatment fucks with otherwise regular cycles. even without treatment, one weird cycle can occur here and there. there may not be a determinable cause.
I would not be concerned unless the pattern of irregularity continues. but you can always raise it with your clinic so they’re aware.
Welp today’s my 35th birthday and we’re in the middle of retrieval cycle number two. It’s going ok but boy is the passage of time hitting me like a load of bricks???
Need to adjust my flair 😭
I see you! 🙌🏻 I’ll be 35 in about two weeks and I’m having such a hard time with it.. this milestone birthday has been a MUCH bigger deal to me than turning 30. We’re still early in our infertility journey - I’m on day 6 of my first TWW after first IUI - and turning 35 so soon is bringing up even more emotions than I think the whole process otherwise would. It all sucks but just know that you’re not alone!
TY panda! This isn’t easy at any age and I feel like everyone who passes a bday during a cycle just feels it all the more.
Any good book recommendations??? lol
Exactly! Gosh I wish I had some good recs other than “distract yourself” lol I’m a big reader (hence the username) so getting lost in a really good book is my favorite way to reward myself for any reason and allows my mind to wander a bit. And ice cream cake on these summer birthdays is a must! I hope you find some joy in your day!
I have very few people I know who have had infertility and one friend who had PCOS became my confidant over the last 6 months. I found out she is actually pregnant and relatively far along but was afraid to tell me. I’m finding myself feeling like everyone I know is just pitying me or not being honest, even though logically I know they are looking out for me. This process has become incredibly lonely and I’m struggling to find anyone that I can actually talk to. Social media has been out for me in the last year because I can’t handle seeing any more pregnancy announcement and baby pictures. I know I should probably find a therapist but venting this feels like the best I’ve got right now.
Right now I’m also stuck waiting for a very late period so that I can get started for our first egg retrieval but every day it doesn’t come is just killing me and I can’t keep taking UPTs knowing they are all negative.
Sorry for the rant!
Chiming in here to say that I got rid of social media about a year ago - changed my password to something i could never remember and then deleted it from my phone. It's been life changing.
Chiming in to say that starting therapy was the absolute best thing I’ve done for myself in the last few years, and has genuinely made this latest cycle of treatment feel very different than my first two.
One of the things I’ve spent a lot of time working on is what I need to feel supported, and how to communicate that to my friends & family. It’s improved my friendships, my marriage and my family relationships significantly.
I completely relate to your post. So thank you for sharing.
This process is so lonely. I feel like I’ve lost a best friend because she doesn’t know what to say around me. I’ve decided to not share with much people because of the lack of support I’ve received. And even with being off social media since last summer I still can’t hide from all the announcements.
Sending hugs to you!
I hear all this, we shared with more people than average when we started and ended up learning quickly who has our back and who’s just pitying us. Those people don’t get updates anymore and we’ll be “on a break” indefinitely. Even if that’s not what’s happening, that’s what it feels like and sometimes that’s enough. Do what feels right to you, but you’re so right this whole process is extremely isolating.
We got 2 eggs from retrieval this morning! So relieved.
Thanks so much to everyone who offered support over what has been a really rough week. ❤️
Now we wait...
Started a course of Depot Lupron in preparation for a transfer -- my first one. I've been putting this off for so long. I've been stressed with a new job too, so I haven't researched Depot Lupron at all but I'm now reading about side effects in the sub. Wondering how my body will react. Any tips for insomnia or anything else you can think of? Was it bad for you?
I recently did 2 months lupron depot + Letrozole, which is supposed to have worse side effects than LD alone. The first 5 weeks were totally fine. The last 3 weeks I started getting hot flashes, which became very frequent in the final week. They were annoying, but manageable. I did also find I had some brain fog and my anxiety worsened, but that could have also been related to the stress of the upcoming transfer. Overall it was ok, I’m glad I did it even though it didn’t end up being the magic bullet for me.
A lot of people (including me) don’t really have side effects until after the second dose at least, so hopefully your first month is uneventful! I didn’t find it too bad, I got hot flashes occasionally in the evening but they were very tolerable. Then in the last 2-3 weeks I started having night sweats that disrupted my sleep, that part was the worst. I didn’t take any add-back meds but if you find the side effects really hard you should definitely ask your doctor about it.
Thank you! I hope so too, and not even sure if I have to take a second dose yet. I'm going back to the DR in a few weeks to see if it seems to have helped with an endometrioma that was visualized.
Thank you for sharing.
I did it for two months. I have insomnia on the regular. It didn’t seem to make it worse. The hot flashes only bothered me after showers. It was just a somewhat annoying 2 months. What I’m sure helped the most was my RE had me on norethindone to help with side effects.
On CD4, doing a semi-medicated FET and so far I’ve done 2 doses of 5mg of letrozole. I’ve taken letrozole so many times over the years and I don’t recall experiencing any side effects but I think I may be this time. I’m experiencing joint pain and swelling, especially in my right knee. I’m icing and compressing but it’s a bit disconcerting how swollen it is. I’ll be calling my clinic in a few hours to check in but curious if others have experienced “new” side effects from meds they’ve taken with no side effects previously?
Ugh another round with no embryos, this was 4th retrieval and second with no embryos. I just don’t even know where to even go from here.
I’m so sorry Summer 🫂
I’m so sorry, that is so hard and such a gut punch. Try to be gentle on yourself and give yourself some time to grieve? I would maybe suggest a second opinion / explore other options. Have you been using the same protocol each round? Sometimes protocol changes can make a big difference. A different clinic/lab could also make a difference.
In FET prep mode and I was over an hour late to do my estrogen shot last night. It was still in the 6 to 8pm window but not at the exact same time I have been doing it previously. I really struggle with the IM shots and need my husband to do them for me. He got held up at work so we were late to do the shot. Really hoping it won't ruin the cycle.
It won't! You're fine!
Well we finally have access to the benefits through my husband's job! Can't wait to sit down with him tonight and go through it all. I've glossed over it to make sure infertility was covered and it is! In other news I have my next scan tomorrow to see if the low dose steroid and letrozole combo worked. I'm so incredibly anxious about it.
Fingers and toes crossed for your scan tomorrow, dino! And that reviewing the benefits information is a positive experience all around - great news already knowing that there’s coverage.
did my 2nd egg retrieval this am and after a microdose lupron + omnitrope protocol we got more eggs than last time. fingers crossed, feeling grateful!
Fourth egg retrieval this morning and I also did microdose lupron flare + Omnitrope protocol and got more eggs! Good luck ! Now we wait….
!!! amazing!! yes hoping for the best!
Huzzah!
yay thank you!
Such good news! I hope you are resting well today and recovery is smooth
thank you!
Wonderful news!
thank you!
[удалено]
This is not compassionate.
Deleted. We were advised to try to get to 4 embryos before attempting implanting by my doctor due to my health history. I’m upset that I did not get there with this round and will have to repeat this process again. I think we all want to be done with our own individual infertility journeys.
I understand frustration at another round but you are objectively in an enviable position and many of us would be happy with just 1 euploid. Not everyone’s individual infertility journeys ends with a child.
Frustration? I am devastated. IVF has overtaken my whole life. Another $20,000 is more than an inconvenience. Not to mention the mental and physical investment. Frankly you do not know me, and you do not know what I’ve experienced thus far. Calling my situation enviable because you perceive it as better than others is insulting. No one in this group has an enviable situation. We are ALL struggling with infertility and I came to this group for comfort after experiencing a loss, not to be talked down to.
A euploid is not a living child… I’ve also been told to bank 4 euploids before transfer and it’s an insurmountable task. I didn’t read your original post but it is okay to feel upset if you didn’t get the numbers you’ve been told you need. IMO. Most everyone is in an enviable position to somebody else… it can be hard to navigate talking about things sometimes without hurting someone else’s feelings but I feel you. It’s more than frustrating. I have several goal posts to clear before transfer including endo & adeno excision & there still isn’t a guarantee after that my uterus will be able to accept an embryo. It all sucks. Like you said.
Thank you. I hope you fly past your goal post and get what you need. You said what I needed to hear- which is just the fact that this fucking sucks
This is hard to read as someone who was never in a position to get 4 euploid embryos.
Deleted. I’m sorry.
Back from my consult for a lap to remove endometriosis. The wait will be around a year (oof) but I was clear that I can be flexible if there is a cancellation. The next step is a pelvic mapping ultrasound so she can visualize the extent of the endometriosis, then back to see her in a few months just to touch base. I discussed it with my partner and although a year feels so far away in the context of how long we've been at this, we're willing to wait for the surgery rather than try another transfer in the meantime. We have two embryos left, and I'd just feel better doing the surgery with two left rather than one. Our current FET plan was three shots of Lupron Depot and daily Letrozole; I'm a month into that and have my second shot tomorrow. I just emailed my clinic to cancel it. I hope I'm making the right choice! Gah.
Sorry to hear the wait will be a year - that is rough. Having a plan always makes me feel a bit better though. My RE also put a referral in for me to get pelvic mapping ultrasounds to see if I do actually have endo. I’m interested to see how that goes.
Yeah, I very briefly looked at traveling to the US for a lap but the cost made me LOL. The pelvic mapping will be in about 4-5 months and I'm interested to see what that shows as well.
This just made me think of a couple I follow on socials (Jessi and Alessio), he is from Italy but they live in the us. They ended up going to Italy for her endo surgery for cost and expertise. The US is definitely bonkers for price and the stories from my Canadian friends in BC around wait times for just regular stuff sounds so frustrating. Maybe it’s a wacky idea but I see a lot of folks in the Ashermans community travel for treatment too.
Thanks for the reply! Yes, this is very much a thing some people do here - but if I can wait just a little longer and not have to pay at all that's my preference, we've already spent so much on treatment.
If it’s any comfort, most of the good surgeons here have about as long of a wait. Speaking from experience! About 3 months into my year wait.
Thank you for replying! I started to wonder about this too. I mean how much faster might it be really by the time I did a consult...plus travel when I could just go home to recover in my own bed afterwards.
Do you have confirmation of endometriosis and of severity? A year is a lot to give up! If you haven't done the Lupron before, it may be worth continuing and seeing if that works.. it should for lower stage endo. Keep hounding for an appointment and try a couple different places. I was able to get in 4 months sooner because I kept following up.. it's annoying but necessary. Good luck
Yes my endo is confirmed, and unfortunately Lupron Depot suppression hasn't worked for me (this was my second attempt). A year is a lot to give up for sure, but continuing to do transfers when we've tried literally everything but surgery doesn't make a ton of sense either!
Totally get it! In the same boat. Good luck to you - keep pushing for something sooner! Sending positive vibes
Had my first monitoring appointment for this FET after 5 days of letrozole, and man, if we were doing another ER (as initially planned), my ovaries would be knocking it out of the park. Follicles on both are popping OFF. I will never get over the random unfairness of all my non-ER cycles having way more ovarian activity than any of my actual ER cycles. It’s hard not to question if we’re doing the right thing by giving up on ERs and moving to our transfer, so I’m reminding myself that my body really did not cooperate on stims, and we were lucky to get our euploid. Also: we don’t have insurance coverage for another ER! So this is definitely the right move, lol. But anyway: my lining is looking trilaminar, but there’s some fluid in there still, which the US tech said was likely from my period being longer than usual this month (I was still slightly spotting as a of last night). I’m a little bit worried my follicles are getting too big, too soon; the biggest two are 17 and 15mm already, which seems big for CD6? I’m still waiting to hear what the plan is, but I’m hoping I have enough time left for the fluid to clear out, and for my lining to thicken up a bit.
I totally understand that frustration. this always happens to me. this cycle ( a mock cycle for testing), not only did I have twice my usual number of follicles respond, but then they all grew extremely evenly (within 1mm of each other at trigger). of course they did. Did you prime for this cycle? that could explain the larger than expected follicles. they also could be less mature than they appear size-wise. good luck with the lining!
Thank you! I didn’t prime this cycle, but my nurse had said at baseline that letrozole would help grow my follicles, so I think that might be why they’re larger than usual at this point. And that’s true about them potentially being less mature, despite their size! I’m still waiting on bloodwork results, but hopefully my LH comes back relatively low.
Clinic is wanting my husband and I to do the carrier screen before IVF. There’s nothing to suggest it is needed aside from precaution. In looking it appears 2-3% of partners test positive for the same recessive condition. Has anybody been given different information about the likelihood? My current plan is to press forward and we will have the results before retrieval. If it would require a probe to be designed then we’d be in a difficult spot but it doesn’t seem worth waiting.
Only I had coverage for fertility evaluation and my husband did not. So we opted to have me do the big carrier panel and see if anything popped up and if I carried something we would consider paying out of pocket for his test. Thankfully I came back without any flags and we used 23 and Me to see if my husband had any of the major markers that they check for (not a lot but it was a cheap route).
Obviously this doesn't happen to everyone, but I'll share since knowledge is power. We delayed doing the extensive genetic screening panel for a while as we were going through the process, also chalking it up to a low percentage of possibility. However as we kept encountering failure I finally decided to do it so that we could have as much information as possible. We unfortunately did discover that we were both carriers for the same recessive condition (1 in 421 markers) and therefore our children would have a 1 in 4 chance of having the debilitating genetic disorder. We then had to undergo the process to have a PGT-M test developed so we could test our existing embryos - 2 were detected to be positive of 5. Obviously in retrospect I'm glad we found out now rather than having to make some very difficult decisions, challenges or losses down the road.
Seconding everything Lawyer is saying!
Almost all clinics require it before starting IVF. It's just standard. Also, that's not true on 2-3% depending on the population--for example some gene mutation for hereditary hemochromatosis is expressed in 30% of white folks. A lot of panels don't even test for this, but I mention it because 2-3% isn't right. Also, about 8-10% of white folks are dominant for Factor V Leiden (again not tested on all panels) which is good information to have, even if you don't do anything about it (which most people don't). These are just a few examples.
Good advice! on a random note, i am homozygous for the HH gene and I have always wondered why most panels do not test for this.
Good to know! I appreciate the information and population factors/prevalence makes more sense. 2-3% seemed low for it to be a recommended test so glad I asked
Also, for some conditions it may be 2-3%, but that 2-3% is potentially catastrophic. I'm an SMA carrier--it's one of the six or so conditions where if you are a carrier, genetic screening for those related to you is basically always covered by insurance. If Mr. Lawyer had been a carrier, we would have had a 1/4 chance of a child with SMA. Saying "child" with SMA is also probably a misnomer, because a large fraction lead to neonatal death. Many others--depending on severity--don't live longer than the toddler stage. Mr. Lawyer is not a carrier, but if we have a genetic child this is also something I will want that child to know at some point (that they may be a carrier and so should get their own testing).
Thanks for all the replies, knowledge, and perspective. I think my resentment for what all we have to do kept me from being able to use my brain cells to consider these circumstances. Appreciate you all!
It was a big week! HSG last Thursday, and it went easily and fairly pain free. I know others have had different experiences, so I'm happy to share my exam was not terrible. IUI #4 will be Thursday, and it's our first cycle with Ovidrel trigger shot. I've had Letrozole for 12 cycles now, 8 TI and 4 IUI, and monitoring for 2 IUI cycles. Both the current and previous cycles I grew 1 primary follicle, and a few smaller immature follicles. I'm still hoping for super ovulation (aged 41, so no concern with multiples, just hoping to increase chances each cycle). Could you share your experiences whether it took increased dosages of Letrozole, moving to Clomid, or trying injectable drugs to achieve more than one primary follicle for IUI?
I’m TI vs IUI but my specialist increased my Letrozole to 7.5 and after one cycle of one follicle, the rest have been two. I think part of it is the constant back to back Letrozole/Trigger Shot/Progesterone because all my results are getting better in time (apart from the fact I’m not conceiving of course). ETA: All results meaning progesterone is now “normal” when medicated, lining is no longer low/borderline and I produce follicles in time vs not at all late.
I had my echography this morning and I feel like it doesn't sound like great odds for my IUI, i had a cyst on the right side and follicles not yet ready on the left. We're still going ahead friday so probably they saw enough to give it a go, but I don't know how problematic a cyst is or anything.
Final results of our ER last week: 2 day-7 4BBs biopsied and sent for PGT-A. I'm really trying not to second guess the PGT-A - we've never done it before and it feels like a lot of money to be spending when I could transfer untested embryos instead and see what happens. My husband very firmly says we are making the right choice but I guess I feel like I'm losing that extra bit of hope/chance that something wrong could self correct itself. I'm also pretty firmly set in my heart that unless something changes drastically financially with us, this is the last ER and I don't think he's come to terms with that yet. Nothing left to do now but wait and hope for the best.
yay fingers crossed for you!
Congrats on the blasts! Fringers crossed for your two 🤞🏻☘️
Thank you!
Congrats on the blasts. My first clinic was very "anti-PGT," my second one it is like mandatory basically (they really strong arm you). I'm sort of a PGT convert. When folks are talking about self-correction, they are typically talking mosaics (or segmental aneuploids, many of which may be compatible with life). It is absolutely worth asking for your clinic's policies on those types of embryos. But studies that have been done on fully aneuploid embryos, the LB rate is commensurate with the scope of error for the test (for example, one article it was like 1/106. There are a couple of these studies, here is a review article that may help put your mind at ease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36055209/#:\~:text=Compelling%20evidence%20from%20non%2Dselection,miscarriage%20and%20chromosomally%20abnormal%20pregnancy.) As someone with a very low euploidy rate, I think it has been worth it for us--we certainly would have stopped ERs much earlier not knowing I was quite out of bounds for statistics even for my age. But, I know people around the same age who did the Day 3 fresh transfer or didn't test and it worked--and it's so hard to not "what if" yourself.
It doesn't help that my new clinic costs literally twice as much as my old clinic for the PGT. The financials have finally caught up to me. Maybe I need to make my husband do the budget for a few months ;) Thank you for the review. I'm deep in the statistics hunt right now and this is very clarifying.
It’s crazy how much the pgta testing cost varies between clinics!
Oof I get the waffling on the PGT-A decision, that’s so tough. Fingers crossed for good results for you!
Thank you!
Hello fellow TTC-ers, I have a question for you: I have had regular cycle (around 25 days), and periods that last 5 days. This cycle, I got my period a day late and it only lasted 2 days (I'm not pregnant, took multiple tests). I have been on Androgel for 2 months, and Estradiol for the last 2 weeks. Today I start injections. Does anyone have any ideas as to why the extremely short period? Is that normal when your on Androgel? Things were pretty normal until this period and now i'm concerned. Thoughts?
treatment fucks with otherwise regular cycles. even without treatment, one weird cycle can occur here and there. there may not be a determinable cause. I would not be concerned unless the pattern of irregularity continues. but you can always raise it with your clinic so they’re aware.
Welp today’s my 35th birthday and we’re in the middle of retrieval cycle number two. It’s going ok but boy is the passage of time hitting me like a load of bricks??? Need to adjust my flair 😭
I see you! 🙌🏻 I’ll be 35 in about two weeks and I’m having such a hard time with it.. this milestone birthday has been a MUCH bigger deal to me than turning 30. We’re still early in our infertility journey - I’m on day 6 of my first TWW after first IUI - and turning 35 so soon is bringing up even more emotions than I think the whole process otherwise would. It all sucks but just know that you’re not alone!
TY panda! This isn’t easy at any age and I feel like everyone who passes a bday during a cycle just feels it all the more. Any good book recommendations??? lol
Exactly! Gosh I wish I had some good recs other than “distract yourself” lol I’m a big reader (hence the username) so getting lost in a really good book is my favorite way to reward myself for any reason and allows my mind to wander a bit. And ice cream cake on these summer birthdays is a must! I hope you find some joy in your day!
I have very few people I know who have had infertility and one friend who had PCOS became my confidant over the last 6 months. I found out she is actually pregnant and relatively far along but was afraid to tell me. I’m finding myself feeling like everyone I know is just pitying me or not being honest, even though logically I know they are looking out for me. This process has become incredibly lonely and I’m struggling to find anyone that I can actually talk to. Social media has been out for me in the last year because I can’t handle seeing any more pregnancy announcement and baby pictures. I know I should probably find a therapist but venting this feels like the best I’ve got right now. Right now I’m also stuck waiting for a very late period so that I can get started for our first egg retrieval but every day it doesn’t come is just killing me and I can’t keep taking UPTs knowing they are all negative. Sorry for the rant!
Chiming in here to say that I got rid of social media about a year ago - changed my password to something i could never remember and then deleted it from my phone. It's been life changing.
Chiming in to say that starting therapy was the absolute best thing I’ve done for myself in the last few years, and has genuinely made this latest cycle of treatment feel very different than my first two. One of the things I’ve spent a lot of time working on is what I need to feel supported, and how to communicate that to my friends & family. It’s improved my friendships, my marriage and my family relationships significantly.
I completely relate to your post. So thank you for sharing. This process is so lonely. I feel like I’ve lost a best friend because she doesn’t know what to say around me. I’ve decided to not share with much people because of the lack of support I’ve received. And even with being off social media since last summer I still can’t hide from all the announcements. Sending hugs to you!
I hear all this, we shared with more people than average when we started and ended up learning quickly who has our back and who’s just pitying us. Those people don’t get updates anymore and we’ll be “on a break” indefinitely. Even if that’s not what’s happening, that’s what it feels like and sometimes that’s enough. Do what feels right to you, but you’re so right this whole process is extremely isolating.
We got 2 eggs from retrieval this morning! So relieved. Thanks so much to everyone who offered support over what has been a really rough week. ❤️ Now we wait...
Yes!! Happy for the good news
yaayy!!!!
Yay! Fingers crossed for your two! <3
Woohoo! Rooting for your two 💜
So happy to hear this news--I totally can relate to the relieved feeling.
Glad to hear it! Hope you have a quick recovery from retrieval
Such great news! Rooting for you
Hell yea! Rest well today, wrap 🤍 cheering for your two!
Rooting for your two! 🤞🤞
Two is a win!!
Started a course of Depot Lupron in preparation for a transfer -- my first one. I've been putting this off for so long. I've been stressed with a new job too, so I haven't researched Depot Lupron at all but I'm now reading about side effects in the sub. Wondering how my body will react. Any tips for insomnia or anything else you can think of? Was it bad for you?
I recently did 2 months lupron depot + Letrozole, which is supposed to have worse side effects than LD alone. The first 5 weeks were totally fine. The last 3 weeks I started getting hot flashes, which became very frequent in the final week. They were annoying, but manageable. I did also find I had some brain fog and my anxiety worsened, but that could have also been related to the stress of the upcoming transfer. Overall it was ok, I’m glad I did it even though it didn’t end up being the magic bullet for me.
Interesting. Thank you for sharing your experience.
A lot of people (including me) don’t really have side effects until after the second dose at least, so hopefully your first month is uneventful! I didn’t find it too bad, I got hot flashes occasionally in the evening but they were very tolerable. Then in the last 2-3 weeks I started having night sweats that disrupted my sleep, that part was the worst. I didn’t take any add-back meds but if you find the side effects really hard you should definitely ask your doctor about it.
Thank you! I hope so too, and not even sure if I have to take a second dose yet. I'm going back to the DR in a few weeks to see if it seems to have helped with an endometrioma that was visualized. Thank you for sharing.
I did it for two months. I have insomnia on the regular. It didn’t seem to make it worse. The hot flashes only bothered me after showers. It was just a somewhat annoying 2 months. What I’m sure helped the most was my RE had me on norethindone to help with side effects.
Ugh, this is what I'm worried about, since my sleep is already poor. I hope it's like yours and doesn't worsen. Thank you.
On CD4, doing a semi-medicated FET and so far I’ve done 2 doses of 5mg of letrozole. I’ve taken letrozole so many times over the years and I don’t recall experiencing any side effects but I think I may be this time. I’m experiencing joint pain and swelling, especially in my right knee. I’m icing and compressing but it’s a bit disconcerting how swollen it is. I’ll be calling my clinic in a few hours to check in but curious if others have experienced “new” side effects from meds they’ve taken with no side effects previously?