Much Better Day

Special Puppy

After many phone calls and rushing my old records (which were supposed to be transferred over a month ago) we finally got what we wanted.

Provera & Pregnancy Tests

They gave me Provera.  Same 10mg but seven days this time.  I'm on day two of seven and I usually get AF 14 days after the last pill.  So CD1 in about three weeks.

Before the Provera they made me get a pregnancy test.  A urine PG test.  What is that?  I thought I would explain the two types of PG tests.

• Qualitatively - Meaning you get a "yes" or "no" if hCG is found.  Never a maybe.  This is with all urine tests (lab or at home) & some blood tests. 
• Quantitatively - You get a number of how much hCG is found.  Results are based on the number, so < 5 is not PG, 5 to 25 maybe, and > 25 is pregnant.  This is always blood and used by all REs.  I've never heard of an RE using a urine test.  This is also good because after multiple blood tests they can look at the trends in number to see if there is a problem with the pregnancy.  In the infertile world this is simply know as "beta".  

After being infertile this long I feel like a urine test is too much work for me.  Blood tests I just hop up on the chair, they stick me with a needle and then 30 second later I'm patched up and out of there.  It's more "painful" for me sitting in the overly crowded waiting room than the actual needle.  The urine test they gave me a bag with a cup, wipes and stickers and told me where the bathroom was.  Next I'm standing the the bathroom looking at the 12 steps on the wall of instruction on how to give a urine sample.   Then wondering to myself if this is enough pee to fulfill their 30ml requirement.  This is too much work, just stick me with a needle next time.  Anyways, it was negative.

Clomid Increased 

They decided to give me the Clomid this cycle, as long as I go to the high risk appointment on the 26th.  This also means I am doing Ovidrel with IUI.  Yay!

Last week they wanted Clomid 50mg for me.  After reviewing my records today they decided to increase my dose to 100mg.  Though I still hate Clomid I have more hope in 100 over 50.  

Frozen Sperm

We went into Seattle to freeze Bean's sperm yesterday.  It went well.  I don't have a count or any other numbers.  But he did produce one vial worth for freezing.  It's sperm in the freezer so I should be happy.  And we do plan on doing it a couple more times in the next few weeks.  But does one vial per ejaculation sound normal?  I'm trying to Google and it seems like only one is used per IUI.  Sustained all of Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  

I'm so grateful that Bean goes along with these ideas.  I know it's not easy to jerk off in a strange room with people walking around outside. 

Blood Work

Last Friday I has another series of blood work, seven vials this time.  I looked at my hand after he got done and it turned purple with white spots.  It was pretty amusing to me.  Today I picked up the results.

	Selbe's	Normal Range
Estradiol	134	27 - 433 pg/mL*
DHEA	205	18 - 391 ug/dL
LH	14.31	1.2 - 103.03 mIU/mL**
FSH	6.28	1.79 - 22.51 mIU/mL ***
Prolactin	10.53	3.34 - 26.72 ng/mL
Insulin	8.86	1.9 - 23 uIU/mL
Creatinine	0.8	0.6 - 1 mg/dL
ALT	32	30 - 65 U/L
Fasting Glucose	92	70 - 110 mg/dL
TSH	1.38	0.34 - 4.82 uIU/mL
Testosterone	68	2 - 45 mg/dL
HgbA1C	5.1	4.3 - 6.1 %
17-OHP	79	< 285 ng/dL ****

* Estradiol - Mid-follicular phase: 27-122;  Periovulatory: 95-433;  Mid-luteal phase: 49-291

** LH - Follicular phase: 2.12-10.89;  Mid-cycle: 19.18-103.03;  Luteal: 1.2-12.86

*** FSH - Follicular phase: 3.85-8.78;  Mid-cycle: 4.54-22.51;  Luteal: 1.79-5.12; Postmenopausal: 16.74-113.59

**** 17-OHP - Follicular phase: <185; Luteal phase: <285

A few of those with the *'s depend on where I am in my cycle.  Since I'm CD60 I'm guessing I'm in the luteal phase?  I'm sure that isn't right because I never ovulated.  The only number that is high is my testosterone and that is common for a women with PCOS.

IVF

I was told yesterday the IVF wait list is at about 9 months right now.  But it could become shorter if other people drop out of the program.

-Selbe

CD3 & CD4

Test line on left, control line on right.

I did one of those First Response Fertility Tests on CD2.  Only because it came free in a box of pregnancy tests and didn't want to have it sitting around.  I had the blood versions of this test done back in the fall, and that's more accurate.  Anyways the test measures FSH hormone.  A high level means a diminishing egg reserve.  If the test line is the same or darker than control, you have elevated FSH.  If the test is lighter (shown above) or not there at all, then you're fine.  So my FSH is all good.

I was warned about horrible cramps for my first period after a MC.  I have been cramping badly everyday, but I've also had A LOT worse before.  They are annoying yet tolerable.  TMI warning!  One think I really didn't think about is all the blood.  I don't normal have heavy periods.  I buy a box of super tampon and they last five years.  Yesterday morning at 8:30am I put a super tampon in expecting it to last the full 8 hours.  I had movers in and out of my house and bathroom all day.  At 10:30am my underwear started feeling wet.  I had only had it in two hours, it can't be leaking already.  Sure enough I went to the bathroom and there was blood everywhere.  I put another super tampon in.  In two hours I started leaking out of this one too.  What the hell?  I switched at pads after this and then went to Google to see if they was normal or not.  Google reassured me I wasn't dying.  My flow is much less today.

I'm extremely optimistic this cycle.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I have a strong feeling I'll get pregnant again.  Or maybe it's just false hope I'm creating in hope I'll get PG.

Blood Work 9/18

Dear AF, please never let CD3 be on a Sunday again.  My RE has offices all over New England, including one about 25 minutes from me.  The local office is open Monday-Saturday, the main one over an hour away is the only one that is open Sundays.  I tried talking them into CD2 or CD4 BW, didn't work.  And the wait time is LONG on Sundays.   

	Results	What It Does
FSH	Normal	Gauge of ovarian reserve.
Estradiol	High	Abnormally high levels on CD3 may indicate existence of a functional cyst or diminished ovarian reserve.
LH	Normal	Normal LH level is similar to FSH. Ovulation hormone.
Prolactin	Normal	Pituitary gland.
TSH	Normal	Thyroid.

Source

I started out with Lawanda or Dildo Cam (vaginal ultrasound).  I didn't realize it was going to be a vaginal one, CD3 and tampon and all.  I guess that's the only type they do there.  They at least let me look at the screen at the end, which the local hospital forbids unless I'm knocked up.  So I got to see my uterus.  Looks like every other uterus I guess.  They didn't mention a cyst or anything else that could be wrong.

My appointment ended with 10 vials of blood on an empty stomach.  Everything came back normal except my Estradiol (Estrogen).  This has always been assumed to be fucked up since I'm labeled "estrogen sensitive" after my love of hugging the porcelain god every time I'm on estrogen-based birth control.  Now I have a good excuse to blame my horrible moods on.  (Which happens to be this whole week.)

High Estrogen Symptoms:  (I did this for PCOS awhile ago)

• I Have: Mood Swings (along with every other female), Cramps (I'm good for those), Depression (along with every other IF), Unexplained Weight Gain (I'm fat?), Fatigue (if my allergies hate me),  Allergies (queen of those), Memory Loss (I have my days), Acne, Irregular Periods, Facial Hair (I guess?), Migraines (a couple a year), Nausea/Vomiting, Breast enlargement (they are a nice size?), Cold Body Temperature (I'll drop to 94°F easily), Sleep disturbances (light sleeper), Sugar cravings (& meat), Not ovulation (this blog wouldn't exist if I had fucking eggs), Cervical dysplasia (I rock dysplasia), Occasional skipped periods (I don't think "skipped" should be used in my case), Feeling crazy (woo hoo!)
• I Don't Have: PMS, Uterine Fibroids, Osteoporosis, Hot Flashes (not since I was a teen), Thinning Hair (my hair is really thick), Breast Tenderness, Miscarriage (I've never gotten that far), Low Sex Drive (sucks for those people), High Blood Pressure (try low), Inflammation (of?), Vaginal yeast infections, Leg cramps, Water Retention, lumpy breasts (breast come in lumpy? like cottage cheese?), Cystic Ovaries, Heavy menses, Breast cancer, Gallbladder problems

I wish the tests showed more.  

I had an old lady at work ask me if I had any babies yet after seeing my engagement and wedding ring last week. The elderly can be so sweet sometimes, but they don't realize what they are saying.  Anyways that was also the last time I wore my rings to work.  To be honest if I had any "babies" I'd be at Panera Bread with all the other mommy friends instead of working at retail hell. (This is probably going to piss people off, read above about horrible moods.)  But I don't mind working at retail hell (most days).  I do an amazing job.  On my hungover days I still do my job at the normal level.  And I don't have to deal with all this broken crap while I'm there.

After my HSG on on Tuesday they'll figure out what to do with me based on the results of the HSG, todays BW and U/S.  I'd just like hang out on Vitex/Metformin for awhile, rather than more Clomid/Femara/Provera and injecting myself.  I'm OK with taking a break for awhile, possibly forever.  

Website that shows the normal levels of all the hormone BW and what they mean: http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hormonelevels.html

-SelbeCD3