sharedjourney home

[quote author=Asunflower link=board=8;threadid=2575;start=0#20927 date=1151091575]
This is going to be my third attempt at IVF. In Jan. we had 2 embryos transferred on day 3, BFN. Then we tried again in April had 2 embryos transferred on day 5, BFP, but turned out to be a chemical pregnancy. I am going to begin Lupron next Wednesday and was looking for a buddy to share this cycle with.
[/quote]

Hi ladies, how are we feeling???

My girlfriend who just looks at her husband and gets pregnant cracked me up the other day--she thought because of all the IVF technology that I could find out earlier than the rest of the population if I was pregnant or not. She means well, just made me appreciate my friends here.

The wait is for the birds! Whether we are waiting to begin the process, transfer the embies, or wait for results, the amount we have been through just leads us to straying thoughts, doesn't it? No wonder my RE offers free counseling--I talk myself in and out of being pregnant at least 10 times a day.

Progesterone shots to all ;D
Holly by Golly

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and have found it very helpful reading all of your posts. My husband and I have just started our ivf cycle at the beginning of this week with the lupron shots. This is our first ivf attempt so we are very nervous. My husband is especially nervous about the progesterone shots. He is worried that he will not be able to do it and I can't seem to find anyone else that can either. He is so afraid of hurting me. Does anyone have any tips or ideas for me? Are they as painful as they look. I am very petite and don't have much meat in the rear which makes me feel like they will hurt even more.

Hi Colleen,
I am also new to this webpage that I found serching here and there. It's been helpful for me, too to read some of the experiences of different people going thru the same procedure.
I am on my 3rd IVF try. The 2 previous ones I took low dosage of the hormons and didn't procude much follicles. This time I had 7, but only 3 fertilized due to my hubby's sperms as well as they didn't have motility, so we had to go to IVF ICSI.
Regarding the shots. The very first 2 or 3 days we asked a friend of ours that is nurse to "teach" my husband how and where to do the shots. It helped a lot, and the next days my husband was the one who was giving me the shots. For me, most of the times it doesn't hurt. Since it goes into the muscle I have a ticklish feeling sometimes =) believe it or not. You could ask the nurse at the clinic to teach your husband how to do it. Just relax your muscle, never let it be tense, and take a deep breath, concentrate on your breath when he is ready to do it! =)blessings to you!

Hi Colleen--welcome!

I was TERRIFIED of the progesterone shots (read my previous posts on this thread!). I have given all my own shots thus far and it was very difficult to trust my husband to do it right. My RE drew circles on my hieny with a pen so my husband knew the right places to shoot them it. They are not nearly as painful as I had built up in my mind.

Hopefully your RE office has trained you in doing the shots. My husband said the most helpful advice was (this will sound crude) that the IVF nurse told him to think of it as a dart! The skin in tough and it has to go in an inch or so, so she told him to think of it like throwing darts--lots of pressure and do it quickly. I also ice my hieny for 5-10 minutes before the shot and that really helps take the edge off the minimal amount of pain.

If you go back a page or so, I asked Asunflower how to make the shots comfortable--I follow her protocol exactly and it is not a big deal. They are not that painful and as unsure as he may be, your husband has to do this for you and he can. Keep your sense of humor through it all and you will be surprised how a stupid butt shot can really bring you closer. It takes a great amount of love and courage for our husbands to poke their wives night after night, knowing they're hurting us and not wanting to. Deep down, I think my husband has a sense of pride with it all because it REALLY was outside of his comfort zone and he gets to finally have some important daily role in all this.

Sorry it's so long-winded! Good luck--come back and let us know how it's going, from the shots to the whole process in general.

Holly by Golly

Hello Ladies,

I trust everyone is well. To Holly, Sunflower and Fortyfour I'm sending you mass amounts of Baby Dust. Think very positive thoughts and relax. I know it's easier said than done. If you can, take some time to visualize those embies super-gluing themselves to that wonderfully homey and cozy uterine lining. Pretty soon they'll be ordering womb-service ;).

For those of you just starting, Coleen and Suzy, this is a great place to feel normal. I'm just finishing up my stimi meds and I love reading what Holly, Sunflower and the other ladies have to say. They usually make me feel like I'm right on track. It's a great feeling. There is nothing worse than feeling like you've just been dropped onto the “IVF Locomotive Super Train” only to find out you're suppose to be the driver and you have no idea how to do the job. This little sounding board makes you feel like you're getting a crash course on how to physically and emotionally handle IVF and will soon be totally qualified to make this journey. Confidence is addictive.

I'm very excited. We go in tomorrow to see if the stimi meds have been doing their job. Hopefully we get some news that will take us out of simulation purgatory, and let us know the date we can go in for ER.

I 'm creeping ever closer to those progesterone shots. I must remember, ice, relax and rub, ice, relax and rub--this is great, I've found a new mantra!

Best wishes to all.

helena, holly, and susy,
Thank you so much for your kind welcome and your advice. You definitely make this whole process seem doable. I will definitely be taking your tips regarding the needles.

On a separate note, has anyone had any experience with acupuncture. I have been doing it for the past 2 months or so in preparation for my hopeful transfer. Just wondering if anyone has done it and the positive or negative experiences you might have had with it. It is hard to tell if it is making a difference. I figured it can't hurt.

Good luck to all with your ivf adventures!
Colleen

No acupuncture for me but I have heard good things about it.

Baby dust to you all! I am in my 2ww and I just got of bed rest so I am raring to get to it! Good luck to everyone! Always stay positive and have HOPE!

Hi Colleen,

I've been doing acupuncture for the last month in preparation for my upcoming IVF. It's a funny thing, in that it's difficult to measure how effective it is. I think it is much like any medicine, western or far east, it's most effective when you believe in it. My acupuncturist described it this way: When you plant a seed you need to make sure the ground is fertile in order for the seed to take root and grow. That is what acupuncture does for the human body. Also, there has been a few studies that link acupuncture to stress reduction and the lowering of NK cells. I for one am a believer. Plus, there is something therapeutic about being proactive, knowing you're doing everything you can possibly do. It has a mentally calming effect. I think this is especially helpful because during this IVF journey my mind has been racing out of control with what ifs. We'll see. No matter what comes to pass, acupuncture provided me one hour, sometimes two a week all to myself where I could relax and get centered. With a two year old running around that's not the easiest thing to accomplish...in fact it's a miracle.

Just a side note. Tai Chi (sp) is another wonderful stress reducer. And since most of us will be on modified exercise regimes for a while, its a great way to stay active, minimize stress and get an hour all to yourself. Okay, I'm off my soap box.

Talk to everyone soon. Baby Dust to all

Helena,
You are right. I definitely find it very relaxing. If nothing else, that must help through this stressful process. Thanks for sharing your experiences. You really explained the whole process of accupuncture so well.

I had another random question. My husband and I are at the Lupron shot stage. I have been having my husband do the shots so that he gets used to doing it (although I wouldn't mind doing them myself, but I want him to feel at ease with it). Sometimes immediately after he gives me the lupron shot, a few drops of the medicine seem to leak back out the hole usually accompanied by a drop or two of blood. Is this normal for everyone or are we doing something wrong?

Please advise,
Colleen

Colleen,
We had that happen a few times as well but I don't think it made a difference. Good luck to you with your shots!

Hi Colleen C - As a nurse it is normal to have fluid come back out with some blood after a shot. Just put pressure on the area right away for 2-3 minutes and it should be fine. There are so any tiny veins an capillaries in there they are hard to miss. Sometimes I hit a gusher and have to keep pressure on for 5 minutes. ( I am on baby asa also). Take care. Ps I do my own shots and could not if not for ice. Baby dust to all.

Fortyfour,
I wish so much luck next week!

Laura

Hi ladies! I went for my 1st hcg test today and it was positive!!! :) Unfortunately with a big BUT. My levels are low (14). The nurse wouldn't tell me what they wanted it to be, but online I have read somewhere in the 40s. They also told me that many pregnancies maintain with low levels of hcg on the first test, but it is possible that I could miscarry. I go back on Friday for the 2nd one. We are hoping to see the numbers double. Anyone else had low hcg levels?

Colleen - I did acupuncture leading up to my transfer as well. I have found it extremely relaxing. And as Helena says, it makes you feel like you are doing something to help the process. My acupuncturist stops treatment once transfer takes place.


Baby dust to everyone!
Desiree

Good luck Desiree with your second test! Much baby dust!

Read the whole thread, so just a few asides:

#1 I'd love to hear how the person was able to do Progestrone shots themselves in the tush??? PLEASE SHARE the technique.... I did them on a rare occassion with great difficulty and blood dripples. I guess my arms are too short, as I can't reach around to the more chubby part of the tush. I had to take progestrone SHOTS for 7/8 weeks until the m/c happened. Fortunately, I recruited 3 great girlfriends-all older than me (late 40s) and hoping to community aunts-we almost made it! They did shots while my DH was away with the reserves for a two-week stint. I rotated and traveled with my little progrestrone kit. I practiced with oranges with my girlfriends. DH did the bulk of the shots with great distress-but he gritted his teeth. He did it fast and never had a blood dripping problem.

#2) Accupuncture=there's a thread under alternative treatments. I did it for a while and found it helpful-however the rigamorole of squeezing in appointments was a bit much and caused me more stress.-so I stopped, but would go back once I get through all the house guests and summer events. There's a well known statistical study published in Sterility and Fertility Journal (medical) about 2 or 3 years ago regarding accupuncture. Good improvement for women in the 30s doing IVF (not IUI or Clomid). I recall the improvement was something in the range of 30% increase in pregancy rates. No studies for women in 40s....probably not statistically significant numbers.

Asunflower-I know exactly what you mean about the 2WW and the cycling of up/down in talking yourself as pregnant or not pregnant. I swore I wasn't last IVF cycle, but blam, it happened...I just forgot to talk myself into a complete healthy pregnancy....so here I am again going to the home stretch before retrevial on the weekend.

Much baby dust to all!!!

Hello Ladies,

Colleen, I think the “dripping” problem is a common one. You're doing great.

Deslynn, don't second guess good news. Just enjoy it for what it is. I'm finding with this whole process there is a very large range for "normal." Congratulations. BABY DUST, BABY DUST, BABY DUST!

DianeEvans, I'm sending you good wishes for a smooth and successful transfer. BABY DUST, BABY DUST, BABY DUST!

Sunflower and HollyByGolly, I hope you are both doing well, resting and thinking positive pink and blue thoughts. I'm sending you positive vibes!

I went into today to have a look at my follicles. All looks great. I go in Sunday for a quick once over, if everything has progress sufficiently the will instruct me to administer the HCG to push the eggs through the final stages of maturation. I'll head in on Tuesday for ER and Friday for transfer. WOW! This is all going very fast. It's exciting. I started Lovenox today. Talk about a dripper. It's a blood thinner so there was a nice little trail of blood dribbling down my tummy. It stopped in 30 seconds. I was warned that that might happen, but it was still strange to see. Is anyone else taking Lovenox?

Also, is anyone having to do IVIG treatment?


Good Night!