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Karen,

What your daughter said was just beautiful. You must be an amazing mother to have raised such a wise and kind daughter.....This will work for you, Im sure!

Yes, I did it 9 times and I would do it 100 more times if it meant that I would be greeted everyday by my little girls smile and hugs.....Oh and the terrible morning sickness I am feeling at the moment.

Shaz

Hey Karen, I am in the same boat, only I have four daughters from my first marriage. I never had my tubes tied but married a man who has m/f infertility. I am going to my consult in June. I am glad you ask about all the abbreviations, most of them I have figured out by the context, but I thought dh was donor husband...meaning his sperm and not a sperm donor...LOL Thanks for asking the question I did not want to.
I am afraid of the needles too, I have to say the process intrigues me but that has been my one area of concern. Let's keep in touch.

Sylvia

Hi Karen

I go to the RE June 1. I will find out then when to stop the birth control pills probably within days of that appt. and then wait for my period to come. I guess then I will have a baseline u/s and blood work and get the go ahead to start stims. I wont be doing Lupron this cycle, or so I was told so it will be straight to stims. So, it isn't set in stone but it looks to be about June 10 to start stims? I will definitely know more come June 1.
You can join Wantsbaby2 and I in a June cycle...I think she is going in June...and 44 is gearing up for July!

Take care,
Meridith

Meridith, Sounds great! This support is fantastic! Ok, probably a dumb question here. Like Sylvia, I try to figure out the abbreviations by the context but sometimes, I'm not sure. What is RE? And they never mentioned birth control pills to me. Does everyone have to take those? Ok, and while I'm asking ( :)) what's a baseline u/s? Boy I have a lot to learn! All I know is I go for my FSH test on day 3 of my cycle (which should be 6/6 or 6/7) and I am guessing that I begin Lupron or some other injections 2 weeks later. But they didn't say - i'm speculating right now from all the info I've read.
Karen

Hi Karen, I think the RE is your doctor. Some doctors put you on the pill for a month before to regulate your cycle. Mine didn't. A baseline U/S is a vaginal ultrasound to see if your ovaries are clear and you have no cysts. You start your drugs that evening! Good luck..cassandra

P.S. I live in WMass by UMass

Cassandra, thanks for the information! I live in Connecticut so I'm going to Uconn Medical Center for all of this. I"m amazed when I read how many times people have gone through IVF since I was told the average cost (at least at Uconn) is $18,000. I'm desperately hoping that this works the first time since I don't think we could afford to do it again. Well, we'd probably find a way since we want this so much! As far as the travel that many women seem to have to endure, I am very lucky. I work about 25 minutes (live about 45 minutes) away from the hospital. So I'll have all my tests done there, even the blood work. They already did a check of my uterus (pretty involved) this week but maybe they'll be doing that again when I start the meds. Interesting. Maybe my check was just to make sure I'm a candidate at all? Anyway, I'm on this journey now. Scary as it is, I have great hope. Karen

Hi Karen
I am glad you aksed! RE is Reproductive Endocrinologist. The doctor we see for IVF. Not everyone goes on birth control pills. You know what, as I scrolled down to look at your questions again, I just saw Cassandra answered these for you. Ooopsie. So I will say....what she said. lol

I guess some women can have a residual cyst on the ovary (harmless) but produces estrogen which can cause problems when stimming for IVF. So, once your ultrasound is good, you will get a call that day to start your stims. Do you know what your FSH is and why they are checking it? I don't want to drone on about it unless you need the info but I love helping out people who are new at this as do most of the lovely ladies here so ask away if there's ever anything.

Take care,
Meridith

Meridith, FSH - this is what I heard: it's to see if I'm premenapausal. Is that completely wrong? I heard that from a woman at a clinic i called when I was considering a tubal reversal. I hope the fact that I had one doesn't make people here mad. I was afraid to mention it at first. Thing is, I miscarried 3 times and thought I couldn't go through that hurt again. And now i'm willing to risk it and wish I never had that done. Ok, stimming? Do you mean stimulants as in hormones? You guys are a lot more informative than the clinic was! :)

Karen,
My best friend picked up a great book for me called "The Couple's guide to In Vitro fertilization" It was $11.00 it is by Liza Charlesworth. It is a great book, although I think as far as the process is concerned I may know too much! LOL I learned what the HCG shot is made of, and the stim medication. Sometimes you just don't want to know. The book was written by a woman like us...someone who stumbled through the process and felt she did not get enough info from her RE, so after her 2nd time and she conceived she decided to write a book. I keep it by my bed.
The abbreviations on here are something, but I am getting used to it. You are lucky to live so close, I will be going to a clinic 5 hours away, which is still much better than some women here.

Meredith, thank you for all your support, the women on here are amazing huh! I am not sure what they will be doing with me on the 6th, or when I will actually start a cycle the clinic said it depends on my test results, but no more than 3 months. I think June is going to be a good month!!!!

Take care all you wonderful women out there....

Sylvia

Sylvia, thanks for the tip! I will look for that book this weekend. Karen

Hello Karen,
I know the feeling the first time. I tried 6 times IVF already but still insisting, not giving up. Sometimes I feel like I am going crazy, & pitying myself but still trying to be strong. I don't know where I'm getting this strength to weather all these. Devastated & pennyless, yes. I just cannot think of myself growing old without a child. That is what keeping me trying. And I have come to know a couple trying for baby for many years who become our friend admitted that they had tried IVF 15 times from all over different clinics and they have triplets now, 3 beautiful girls after 15 attempts! would you believe that! This sound nuts but its true!!! I wish not to be in that position. Good luck to you and every one!
Also I believe that God will not give us any problem that we cannot handle, everything has its purpose!..

Wow, Leah. Your strength is amazing!! You know I realize that despite the fact that I want a child so very much, i'm very lucky to be able to say that I do have two fantastic kids. I realize how very lucky I am. You're perserverance just HAS to pay off, don't you think? You will be in my thoughts and I truly wish you the best of luck. You sound like a wonderful woman willing to sacrifice so much for a child. I hope you get your wish.
Karen

Hi everyone :)

Karen- Yes, stims or stimming, I mean the injections to grow multiples eggs. The FSH yes, it can help determine ovarian reserve so you were right..I just had that done for me last month.
I saw you said UConn, I am in Massachusetts (central) and I am cycling at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence Rhode Island. There are a ton of clinics in Boston but where I am in Central MA, it was easier for me to scoot down to RI and they have a great IVF clinic there. Much better parking too!

I don't feel you are any less entitled to want a baby because you had tubal ligation! You were obviously at a different place at that time and now you want a baby. Now I want a baby. That's why we're all here. No judgements. We get plenty of that from family. ;)

Take care and I hope the sun is out where you are, it's going on day 10 of rain and clouds here. I said a prayer today and said, "Lord, this is NEW England, not England" lol

Meridith

Merideth, HE heard you! Beauty of a day this late afternoon is just what the dr. ordered! cassandra

Yes, it was glorious! :)

Hi ladies, my baseline ultrasound is to see if my uterine lining is thick enough to consider the transfer. I do it on the second day of my period.

Karen - good luck with your FSh. I got the shocker with mine at 40 that it was way too high. Girlfriend had hers at 40 and hers was good. Ihope yours is good.