Fertile Femara?

My fertility doc started me on Femara 2.5mg for 5 days after not responding to my 150mg Clomid without waiting for AF induction (so technically it was cd20). Overall, Femara was almost a breeze for me compared to Clomid. While I didn't have as much difficulty with Clomid as others, I found Femara to be much easier on my body. And my skin thanks me too!

Day 1: Failed Clomid ultrasound and blood work. Lots of tiny follicles...

Days 1-4: I took the pill late at night before bed. I felt fine- a little bloated but nothing much more to note. My skin also began to clear up since the after Clomid effect. Lots of energy and in a good mood. Feel a little hot. This may also be coupled with my new order of Murad skin care products. 

Days 5-6: Felt a bit nauseous and run down, but taking several walks with my husband and watching Netflix in between helped. Day 6, I didn't have to take a pill but I was going through the effects of my evening pill. 

Day 10: Acupuncture- yay!! Feels so good! Lots of energy to begin with, very clear feeling and relaxed afterwards

Day 11: Still in a good mood. (This is definitely not CloMood!)

Day 12 ultrasound and blood work: Failed. Again. Follicle that was 8mm with 150mg of Clomid grew 2mm to a max of 10mm, with still lots of little follicles. Need to go back in a few days to check again and then we discuss next steps.

Kind of anxious to find out what's next. 1. Wait longer? 2. Start higher dose of Femara without AF induction? 3. Induce AF and start again with ...who knows...? 4. IVF? It's hard because I have all of these summer plans and being in town to do all of this monitoring will be more of a struggle. I'm getting really sick of this re-prioritizing and endless waiting game. If it will take several more months to find the magic, that's fine but I'd rather just know. Where's the crystal ball??

Glows, Grows and Gross

It has been a few days of glows and grows...

Glows:
Passed the HSG test this morning with flying "colors" or should I say flying "dye through my uterus, tubes and ovaries."
Did some cleansing yoga afterwards to stretch out my stomach and calm my nerves before work... Gotta love workouts like this one by Denise Austin!

Gross:
Yuckiness from hsg test... another post for another day. Fast fact: not so bad, quick and relatively not so uncomfortable as I had googled.

Glow:
Passed the Genetic Test! Got great news- my husband is not an SMA carrier. This means we can move ahead as planned. Our little gift will have a 75% chance of not being a carrier either.

Grow:
Husband's health insurance blood work doesn't count towards the fertility center's checklist so now we need to get it redone... and put everything else on hold again...

Grows:
Super sick of taking all these pills... also sick of chasing after doctors to share test results with other doctors- when will everything and everyone be online so there is easy access to tests/visits/medical info?

Glow:
Acupuncture tomorrow. Is it tomorrow yet? 

Ultrasound- Follicles Galore!

I got my period yesterday after taking progesterone (provera). So, I called my nurse and she scheduled my monitoring baseline ultrasound for first thing this morning. (You have to do it between day 2-5.) I got there 30 min before my appointment when the office opened with hopes that I could get in early so I wouldn't be late for work and sure enough, they got me in lickity-split!  Again, everyone at the fertility clinic was so friendly and happy (even though it was really early in the morning) which really put me at ease.

http://weheartit.com/entry/36681830

The tech administered the t/v ultrasound while another doc from the practice sat in to interpret the results on the spot. She said my uterine lining looked good and then when she saw the "pearl necklace" lining the outside of my first ovary, she grew quiet and looked a bit nervous. I said, "I already know I have pcos." To which she sighed in relief saying something about how they look like typical pcos but in a way that made me feel positive about them looking so normally abnormal. (See, everyone is so friendly they make everything sound okay. Talk about rose colored glasses!)

She said to go forward with my plans to get the HSG test on Monday and that they saw nothing there that would hold me up further. ::Sigh of relief::

After about 2 minutes of the ultrasound, I was on my way to pay my 50% and even had enough time to grab a small cup of decaf coffee as a treat for myself during my drive to work!

Fast forward to the end and highlight of my day- Acupuncture Tuesday! I had another great, relaxing, centering session and walked around outside for awhile feeling refreshed and renewed.

After returning home, I found my lost phone and saw that I had a long voice-mail from my nurse. She informed me that they were looking for me to have at most 10 follicles when I, in fact, have 90. Yes, I'm an overachiever... 40 on one side, 50 on the other.  She said they "looked good, really good" with a laugh, so I suppose this is good. I'm patting myself on the back for not googling this... yet.

Lots of long walks planned for this week, start b.c. tomorrow leading up the HSG test Monday and an acupuncture reward on Tuesday!

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.

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!