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Well what exactly happens, do they take your eggs and freeze them? or do they take dh sperm? i know i sound like a dope but I have no idea what's it about

Ecarroll- Don't feel like a dope because you have questions about the process. We all had questions at one point or another. Unfortunately for me I know all about it as do many of us on here. With IVF there are different protocols of medications to make you produce multiple eggs. They are all shots that usually go in the stomach with a very small needle (They are not painful and easy to do by yourself). During this time you are taking all the meds you will have blood work and ultrasounds to check for follicle development and E2(estradiol levels). They will adjust your meds as needed depending on your response. You may have b/w and u/s frequently especially toward the end to check if the follicles are ready. When the follicles are big enough you will take a shot to mature and release the eggs from the ovaries. They remove the eggs using an ultrasound guided needle (they usually knock you out for this). At the time you are having your egg retreival your dh will provide a sperm sample. They put them together and wait for fertilization and grow the fertilized embryos for 2-6 days (typically 3 or 5 days). You usually start progesterone shots (which go in you hip with a bigger needle) shortly after your retrieval. On day 3 or 5 they put the embryos ( as many as you choose) into the uterus using a small catheter and hope and pray they attach. If for any reason they are not able to put the embies back in on day 3 or 5 they will freeze them to put in another time. If you have frozen embies that you are going to put in they call it an FET (Frozen embryo transfer). This is what I am waiting to do now. I hope this helps and wasn't too much info!

ECarroll,
Lyly, put it perfectly. The only thing I will add is that when they do your FET, your bladder has to be full. This is the worst part! I guess it is easier for them to do the ultrasound to do the catheter to do the transfer. If your bladder isn't full enough, they make you go back out to the waiting area and drink MORE water. I can honestly say that for me, this was the worst part. lol.

Wow, Julie, that is awesome that your numbers climbed. It was discouraging to see mine go down like they did but obvi. something wasn't right. This time I started at 305 and doubled to 664 and then a week later I was 7717. When they saw that number, they thought it could be twins.

~Lisa

Thanks Lyl and vw79girl,
I'm just taking it one day at a time, I will give the clomid a try, my dh is soooo excited because this will be his first bio child, how many rounds of clomid am I suppose to do before IVF? so I will keep you ladies posted thanks again for answering my questions and baby dust to all

Ecarroll- They typically recommend no more than 6 cycles of clomid but anywhere from 4-6 is the norm. I did 4 cycles myself then moved on. After clomid they don't usually move right onto IVF. Sometimes you can do a round of injectibles with IUI before moving onto IVF. It is basically the same meds as IVF to stim for eggs but smaller dose because they don't want more than 6 follicles to do an IUI and in IVF they want more.

hi girls,

Just dropping a quick note to see if any of you have used or know someone who has used the bella band during pg. I was checking the websites and it makes the bands sound wonderful for the whole pregnancy, and even after. I'm seriously considering ordering some because my pg clothes are too big yet, but my regular clothes are getting too tight and the rubber band is not cutting it anymore.

P.S. Jules, you need a ticker!

Ronda

Ronda,
That bella band sounds fantastic, I will have to check it out. My regular bottoms are def. getting too tight. Today I have on running pants and you can see my little bulge. My kids at school are finally catching on. How are you feeling? any better with the m/s?

and yes Jules...you do need a ticker. :)

~Lisa

Lisa - it sounds like your numbers are great now. You are only having a singleton right?

How do I set up a ticker?

I have no experience with a bella band. Sorry -

Julie

Jules,
right now there are twins in there. On Monday I have an u/s to check on that. One is smaller and a little behind the other with a very large yolk sac so they are not sure if that one will make it much further. However, the heartbeat was 150 at 8 weeks on the little one and it had grown in a week and days from the last u/s and had grown in size so who knows. The other which they call twin #1 is growing fine and normally thus far.
I set up my ticker at www.Lilypie.com they have all kinds to choose from. It is just fun to see it count down every day.

~Lisa

Hi girls,

Just checking in...i looked in the mirror the other day and realised my waist was disappearing :)

I dont know much about the bella band but i think i am going to switch to maternity pants pretty soon...my tops are still ok...just a little closer across the boobs but anything snug on my waist/hips these days is just uncomfortable!

i had a doctor's appointment yesterday and the baby is now 3.34cm...almost twice the size since my first u/s on April 7th so he/she is doing very well and was quite active and wiggling around...it was so amazing to see it moving! On the down side, my doctor said i am at high risk for m/c so i need to be very careful. I may need to take some more timeoff at least until i make it through the first trimester. My fingers and toes are crossed and i continue to pray that it will all work out.

Debbie..to get a ticker just click on any of ours and it shoud take you to the website. You just follow the insructions to create your own, then you add it to your signature in your profile. The one i use is from babygaga.com. This is the link:

http://tickers.baby-
gaga.com/pregnancy.php

Kee
p
well girls,
Reshma

Julie..i meant you in my last message (the stuff about the ticker) and said Debbie instead - sorry, it must be the hormones :)

Reshma,

I am so excited to hear that you and the baby are both doing well. That is sooo cool that you could see it moving. Did they do a belly u/s this time? Both of mine thus far have been vaginal. I am anxious now to go on Monday. A little nervous too but anxious. Is the doctor saying high risk due to your scare in the hospital? Praying for you and hope that everything continues to go well. Rest as much as you can. Does your job keep you on your feet all the time?

my waist is slowly disappearing too. :)

~Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Its still vaginal...my next appointment is in two weeks...maybe by then they will be able to do it on my tummy. I now have appointments every 2 weeks instead of once per month.

yes, it is high risk because of the recent scare...because of the bleeding they had to take me off aspirin and the clexane shots (which are to prevent clotting) i am high risk for clotting due to the anticardiolipin antibodies whihc are higher than normal. If a clot develops, it could result in a m/c. i continue to be hopeful as there are people with clotting disorders who have gone on to have perfectly healthy babies. i continue to pray and hope for it all to work out.

I am a management consultant / trainer so if i am doing workshops I am on my feet alot...i am hoping to do less workshops and work from home as much as possible over the next few weeks. If necessary, i may even take a leave of absence...but i'm taking it one step at a time.

Let me know what happens on Monday.

Reshma

Reshma, I will def. let you and everyone know what happens on Mon. She tried to do one on my belly at 8 weeks but had a hard time seeing them so she went vaginally and said she would try again at 10. Most likely I will have one every two weeks as well. I am considered high risk due to having Crohn's disease and also because I have had 2 m/c in my past journeys. I am sure I am speaking for all of us when I say we are praying for you and hope that your little one continuest to go strong and you make it through this pregnancy just fine. You are like a week ahead of me. :)

~Lisa

Lisa - That is exciting you are carrying twins. My sister is carrying twin girls as a result of IUI's. She is almost at 32 weeks with no complications. I tried setting up a ticker. I wasn't sure exactly how to do it - but I tried. If you don't see my ticker attached to this e-mail can you give me more detailed instructions.

Reshma - Yup, the first thing to go when pregnant is your wiest. i am so glad to hear everything is going well on your end and your baby is growing strong.

I am starting to feel baby Kaitlyn moving often. She must be doing well. My MIL felt her kick last night.

Julie

Lisa - That is exciting you are carrying twins. My sister is carrying twin girls as a result of IUI's. She is almost at 32 weeks with no complications. I tried setting up a ticker. I wasn't sure exactly how to do it - but I tried. If you don't see my ticker attached to this e-mail can you give me more detailed instructions.

Reshma - Yup, the first thing to go when pregnant is your wiest. i am so glad to hear everything is going well on your end and your baby is growing strong.

I am starting to feel baby Kaitlyn moving often. She must be doing well. My MIL felt her kick last night.

Julie