Genetic Testing- I'm a carrier...

Of course, we hit another challenge on our journey. As part of the fertility center's treatment, they ask you to get genetic testing. Because it is expensive, they first test the woman. If she is a carrier for anything, then they test the male.

It takes about 2 weeks to get the results. I got three missed calls from the fertility center the day they came in so I knew it was probably bad news. I called them back as soon as I could and found out that I'm a carrier of SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. 

This means that my husband has to now get his blood tested before we can move forward. If he is also a carrier, we need to weigh our options and risks including IVF so that they can do egg selection. If he is not a carrier, we are good to go as previously planned. I guess this is the new version of the TWW...

A friend of my friend was pregnant with a child with SMA and lost him after carrying him to term. She was devastated because she did not know her child was at risk. We are thankful that we have this testing opportunity because of our fertility problems. Since it's genetic, it's possible that other family members will want to be tested as well. Perhaps it's a gift in disguise...

Fertility Clinic- New Hope and Next Steps

I called fertility center with hopes that someone would cancel due to the snow. My hunch was right and my husband and I hopped in the car and were seen an hour later for our first appointment- over a month before previously scheduled!

After listening to our journey so far, he said that we have nothing to worry about and he feels confident I will be pregnant within 9-12 months. Yep, you read that correctly. Complete reversal here. I'll now be calling my fertility center doctor, Dr. Hope.

He sat with my husband and I in his office while he outlined a course of action for us. He outlined the success rates for each intervention and took us through the flow of what would come next if one step did not work.

After our consult, I met my amazing nurse who further explained the steps to us, gave us more information and filled out the paperwork with us. A technician drew a lot of my blood so they could run a bunch of blood tests again to check my hormone levels. I also gave blood for genetic testing.

When we finished with our nurse, we met with the financial councilor who gave us all of the pricing for each treatment. Because of the snow day, we had to wait to find out what our insurance covers. (Which is not too much, but surprisingly better than most!)  Everyone we encountered was so nice to both of us and the clinic had a quiet, peaceful and intellectual feel to it!

Once my initial blood work came back, they confirmed again that I did not O. I got the go ahead to take progesterone again for 10 days. After I get my period, I will go in for a baseline t/v ultrasound to check out my follicles on CD3. Then I will go on birth control and get an HSG test to see if I have any tubes blocked.

Once that comes back, Dr. Hope will take me off the b.c. and I will do another round of Clomid at a higher dose (150mg), an injection shot to spark ovulation and ultrasound monitoring all along the way. Because of all the monitoring, I don't need to temp or use OPKs, hurray! If that cycle does not work, then I will switch to a different drug called Femara.  

There is a new plan. There is renewed hope. :)

Metformin Horse Pills

Or as I "lovingly" refer to it, Met.

I hate taking those 3 giant horse pills (1500 mg) every night. It's not the effects of the pills anymore, it's just the constant reminder that my body is not cooperating with me and my goals.

Metformin is a drug that people who are diabetic or prediabetic use to moderate their blood sugar levels. Although I do not fit either category, doctors are using the Met to treat PCOS. My pharmacist was concerned when he was filling the script because he thought for sure it was a mistake! Talk about an awkward moment when you have to tell your pharmacist about your early fertility plan...

I started taking Met at night at the end of August 2013. I started at 500mg for a week and then moved up to 1000mg and finally landed at 1500 mg. When first making the switch to 1500mg, my stomach hurt very badly, so I returned to 1000mg for a few days to recover before increasing my dose again.

I read some horror stories about needing to be extra close to the bathroom while taking/adjusting to Metformin but I was actually alright. I made sure to not eat junk food, took the pills at night so I could sleep through most of the discomfort and was alright.

The Met alone did not give me a cycle, so my doctor gave me Provera to begin a cycle to see if that would start ovulation without other fertility drugs. It didn't.

I decided to move onto an Ob/Gyn that specialized in fertility/pregnancy but thanked my doctor for getting me a t/v ultrasound so early which detected the PCOS immediately!

Chinese Medicine- PCOS

For PCOS sufferers, there are often sticky/damp side effects in your body. The stickiness gathers in your ovaries so the eggs don't develop or ovulate properly. In essence, they are stuck. Google "Chinese Medicine: Dampness" and you'll see a whole slew of ways to treat dampness through food, spices and teas.

Here are a few dietary changes my acupuncturist recommended to me: 

1. Drink lots of water. Add lemon or lime to it. Sour flavors = dampness scissors. Because of this, green tea, apple cider vinegar, and grapefruit are also good for you.

2. Limit and avoid sugar, refined carbs and added sweeteners.

3. Eat food that is warmed up or heated. Avoid putting ice in drinks or eating anything cold. Cook your vegetables and fruits instead of eating them raw. If you are going to eat something that is cold, make sure you pair it with a warming food or drink or add spices like cinnamon that have a warming quality to them. This is because your body has to use energy to heat up the food before breaking it down which when treating PCOS is not recommended.

4. Avoid dairy products. Yes, even yogurt...

5. No bananas. :(

6. No peanut butter (or peanut products).

Basically, my favorite foods have been put on the no-no list...

Good luck!

Three Cheers for Acupuncture!

I started going to acupuncture a few days after finishing my second round of Clomid pills and while I wasn't sure if it would work, I fell in love with it!

It helped to give me a deep sense of calm, focus and mental clearness. My skin cleared up and my hunger was greatly diminished following the Clomid and Metformin side-effects.

My acupuncturist listened to my experiences in great detail during our first meeting. She looked at my tongue, the colors in my face and felt my pulses before deciding where to place the teensy, tiny needles in my legs, feet and stomach. (I did not feel them go in at all.) As she continued her work, she would check my pulses to see if they were becoming more even and added needles accordingly. I felt so peaceful.

Once satisfied with the placement, she left me to relax on a heated bed with soothing music playing and then returned at the end of the session, pleased with my improvements. She added little, tiny gold beads to three pressure points in my legs. I loved being bedazzled and was so excited to go home and show my husband!

My next post will be devoted to the dietary recommendations she made for PCOS. If you haven't tried acupuncture yet, I highly recommend giving it a try! You'll feel soo relaxed and refreshed.

Clomid- Round 2, No O and a Break Up

Round 2: 100mg Clomid, Days 5-9 (While continuing with 1500 mg of Metformin)

After talking with my doctor and confirming that I did not ovulate during round 1 of Clomid through a blood test, we decided to increase the dose to 100mg after another 10 days of Provera to induce my period again. (Two of those little white pills daily for 5 days... scary!)

Even though the first round wasn't terrible, I was incredibly nervous that round 2 at a higher dose would double the side effects. This time, I didn't have an awesome feeling on the second day of Clomid but the side effects were not bad either. I did feel it a bit more than my first round.

I was definitely hot at night this time and used only a sheet but nothing that kept me awake. My skin was broken out and I felt bloated but oh, so hopeful for ovulation this round. (Which didn't happen either...)

I began going to acupuncture and loved how relaxed and comfortable I felt afterwards. It also helped to qualm some of my intense hunger which was a welcome relief. I temped and did OPK tests and got my blood drawn on day 21 of my cycle which came back negative.

I continued acupuncture, temping, doing OPKs from day 13 to day 40 before my doctor told me to stop and that she could not help me any more.

She referred me to a fertility clinic, asked if I had thought about adoption and wished me luck. I felt so defeated, so devastated...

I left the doctor's office determined to go to work and throw myself into a fun Friday, but was heartbroken and teary eyed at every turn. Luckily, I have amazing colleagues who comforted me when I told them what was going on with me after all these months. I couldn't ask for a more supportive group of people and am truly blessed to be surrounded my such great people in every aspect my life. 

After a few days, I started feeling more reassured but it wasn't until I went for acupuncture the following Tuesday that I felt relaxed, truly comforted and ready to tackle anything despite the breakup. Getting that qi (CHEE) following is incredibly powerful! I got some extra needles in my wrists and feel asleep on the heated table. When I awoke, I felt drunk on qi and happy- and even needed some time before I knew I could drive again! Haven't done acupuncture yet? What are you waiting for? It's life changing.

Clomid- Round 1, Not so bad, no ovulation

Here is my review on my first two rounds of Clomid. All and all, I must say, the symptoms for me weren't as bad as I had googled...

Here is a website that I referred to several times that gives a lot of information about Clomid. 

Round 1: 50mg Clomid, Days 5-9 (While continuing with 1500 mg of Metformin)
I was very anxious and nervous about starting Clomid but went forward with it because the Metformin was not making a difference in my cycles. My doctor prescribed me Provera for 10 days to induce my period. Then on CD 5, I began my first round of Clomid convinced it would work on the first try.

Based on internet reviews, I began my first dose at night. The first day, I felt a little bloated and icky, but by the second day, I actually felt better than I had in a long time. The Metformin was tough on my body and I was constantly feeling nauseous and gross. Day 2 of the Clomid, I was feeling great and completely normal again.

I thought that'd I'd beat the Clomid until I woke up on day 3 of Clomid feeling yucky. I had a headache, felt bloated and tired. Day 4 made me more hot than before, but nothing like the dripping, sweaty hot flashes that I have read about others enduring while on Clomid. Who knows if it really was the Clomid or if I was playing more attention to my body temperature throughout the day.

On the last day of Clomid, my stomach was thankful for my comfy yoga pants at home! (The bloating and severe hunger that the Clomid caused lasted the next two weeks.)

My mood at work was just fine but I know that when I came home, I was more easily agitated and emotional. The worst part for me was my skin's reaction. Ugh, my poor skin was so broken out. I felt fat and pimply and not so wonderful, but I knew that the other symptoms I had read about were much worse.

Overall, the Clomid that I psyched myself up over wasn't so bad and I didn't really have much of a physical reaction to it. (But I didn't ovulate from it either...)

About "Gifted Little One"

This site is meant to celebrate all of life's little gifts. Here you will find ideas to enhance your little one’s learning abilities, presents to make or purchase for your little one and our fertility journey.

“Gift” as defined by Merriam-Webster:

1:  a notable capacity, talent, or endowment

2:  something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation

3:  the act, right, or power of giving

Gift: a special ability for doing something. Gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

Our Fertility Journey

It's been a long one so far with a lot of highs and lows. We are still hoping and wishing for our own little one.

A little about myself: I am now 29 years old, happy and healthy but after about 100 days of amenorrhea (lack of period) following birth control last year, I was diagnosed with PCOS via ultrasound and was put on progesterone to start my period. I switched from my general women's health doctor to a specialized ob/gyn who also confirmed the PCOS through another transvaginal ultrasound. My husband's sperm was tested and he has no diagnosed issues. She started me on progesterone again after a long cycle and I tried one round of Clomid 50mg on which I did not ovulate. I began another round of progesterone and got my period after 50 days. I completed a second round of Clomid at 100mg but again, failed to respond and ovulate. Following the second round's failure, my doctor broke up with me and referred me to a fertility clinic.
 


Feb/March 2013- Preconception Meeting with women's health doctor, given the green light. Began taking prenatal vitamins

May 21, 2013- Take out last NuvaRing

May 24, 2013- NuvaRing induced period

July 29, 2013- Start officially tracking CM on fertility friend

August 17, 2013- CD 86, Start officially temping

August 26, 2013- CD 95 Start Metformin 1000mg, t/v Ultrasound. Blood work (PCOS diagnosis)

August 29, 2013- Metformin 1500mg

August 30, 2013- Bloodwork done

Sept 4, 2013 Horribly sick, stomach pains

Sept 5, 2013 Back down to 1000mg Met for a week, then back to 1500mg

Sept 26, 2013 Switched Drs to specialist, t/v ultrasound confirms pcos, prescribed Provera for 10 days to induce a period.

Oct 5, 2013 Last Provera pill CD 136

Oct 7, 2013 Provera Period #1! (Light, no major cramps or symptoms)

Oct 9- blood test, fsh, progesterone, wbc- not ovulating

Nov 2- Hubby SA- all clear! (rushed to get done because we thought I'd start provera/clomid but dr said to wait two more weeks to see if my period would come first...)

Nov 19- No luck, Provera round 2 (cd 44)

Dec 2- Provera Period #2! (after 56 days, more substantial and longer flow than p#1)

Dec 6- Begin Clomid Round 1 (cd 5-9)
Dec/Jan Test with OPKs and temping, did not detect ovulation. Blood work confirmed this.

Jan 21- Provera Period #3 began after 10 days of Provera round 3. (50 Days...)

Jan 25-29 Clomid increased to 100mg Round 2 (Taken days 5-9)

Feb 4- Begin Acupunture! :)

Feb- More bloodwork confirms that I did not respond to Clomid

March 7- Ob/Gyn breaks up with me, telling me I'm infertile and she can't help me any more, refers me to fertility center and asks if I have considered adoption... obviously devastated

March 17- Was scheduled for a 4/21 appt, but got a new patient appointment at fertility center because of a snow day cancellation and a lot of Irish luck! Dr. Hope says he feels confident he can help us get pregnant! Start Provera round 4!

March 26- Genetic testing is in- I'm a carrier for SMA.:(  DH needs to be tested to see if he's a carrier too. If so, it will reset our plan again. 2ww for results.

March/April ??-Provera Period #4
April 26- Start Clomid (days 3-7), plan to take trigger shot and progesterone if all goes well
May 4th- Day 11 ultrasound and blood work, one follicle at 7.4mm (too small), others tiny, no trigger shot necessary
May 8th- Another u/s and more blood work... failed again
May 13- Day 20, Another u/s and more blood work... failed again, no Clomid response, begin Femara 2.5mg
May 26- Femara failed, began Follistim at 50iu and continue Metformin/Acupunture (estrogen dropped to 25, yikes!)
June 6- Estrogen jumped  to 102 -6 larger follicles, largest at 14.5mm
June/July- Failed injection cycles
August- Successful with follistim and ovidril but ended in chemical pregnancy
September- Again successful, but same result 
October 2014- Started with follistim and converted to IVF
Oct 8- Egg Retrieval- 28 eggs, 22 mature, 18 fertilized!