Beta this morning, waiting for the results

I went in for a beta this morning, which was the day they told me to come for a test when I had the IUI. Today is technically 13 DP IUI, so the beta is one day early, but my regular office doesn't operate on Saturdays. I've not had a double line on the HPT's since last week when I was testing out the trigger. I have had menstrual-like cramps on an off since Wednesday, so I really feel like I'm going to get my period. I always have one full day of cramps before "AF" arrives. I actually took 2 advil yesterday morning, thinking that my period was imminent. Feeling pessimistic, since I haven't had a positive HPT. I'll get "the call" this afternoon and go from there. If this one fails, we'll meet with the RE to see what the next steps are.

BFN, so far

I tested yesterday and today (10 and 11 DP IUI) and both were BFN. It's still a bit early, though. If I make it to Friday without my period, I'll go in Friday morning for a beta. No idea what my temperature is doing, but feeling like this one probably didn't work, as I expected. No biggie. On to bigger and more expensive drugs.

7 DP IUI

I'm at our beach house for the weekend for some much-needed R&R. I didn't bring any tests with me so I wouldn't be tempted! We'll get back Monday afternoon, but I have a night class, so I probably won't test again till Tuesday, which will be 10 DP. I tested yesterday to see if the trigger was gone, and I still had a very faint line, but the trigger is probably gone by now. I'm having no unusual symptoms, other than a backache and some GI issues which I won't elaborate on! ;) Yesterday was our 5-year wedding anniversary, and we're going out for a nice dinner tonight in Ocean City. I've been feeling very good mentally over the last few weeks and feel somewhat at peace this cycle. Hopefully I won't lose my sh*t if I get a BFN, like I did last time.

I skipped my progesterone test yesterday! It wasn't my fault. My doctor only does them between 7am - 10am. I had to be in Court at 8 AM, and the court is nearly 2 hours away, so I couldn't stop by in the morning. I called the doctor and they said it would be OK to stop by before 3pm, but my case was moved to the afternoon and I didn't get out of court till about 3:30! So, I totally missed my chance. I was wondering if I could just show up at a lab down here and get the test done, or if I need a slip from the doctor's office. Hopefully they won't be mad at me for skipping it. I know with 100% certainty that I ovulated.

IUI was today!

I had the IUI this morning. DH's post-wash was a little over 10 mil, which is an all-time low for us. We ended up BD on CD13 (we were told to do it on CD12, but didn't feel like it) so I think the extra day of abstinence would have improved his count. The doc said that anything over 10 mil is OK, so at least we made the cut. I'm having MAJOR ovulation pain today, mostly on the left side, and feel super bloated. Having some friends over for dinner tonight, and planning to kick back and relax tomorrow. Hopefully this 2ww won't make me crazy. Next weekend is our 5-year wedding anniversary and we'll be spending the weekend at our beach house. I'll be very busy the next 2 weeks, so hopefully it will go by fast. I'll check back in a few days.

Jolly follies

Today was the CD12 ultrasound and holy crap, I have 5 follicles! I can't remember the exact details, but I believe there were three on the right (largest around 20, the others in the 15-16 range) and two on the left (I think around 19 and 16). I don't know what my lining was (they never mention the lining). The doctor said "you always have such beautiful follicles!" It doesn't provide much comfort after 2 failed IUI's. The IUI will be on Saturday morning (which has totally f'ed up my weekend plans, as I was planning to go to the beach on Friday night). We'll see how it goes, since I'm in class till 10pm every night this week and we are supposed to BD tonight. I'll check in again after the IUI.

CD 2 - here we go again

AF arrived yesterday, a day early. I called my RE's office, who are only open for a few hours on Saturdays, to ask them to call in the Clomid prescription so I can start it tomorrow. They never called it in, so I'll have to pester them again tomorrow to call it in. I estimate that the IUI will be around June 4. Let's hope third time's a charm. This will probably be my last Clomid cycle.

Mexican infertility remedies

I have a lot Mexican and Central American clients, whom I love dearly. Most of them come from very poor indigenous backgrounds with little exposure to Western Medicine. Many of them offer me folk remedies for various ailments. When they find out I'm infertile, they like to offer solutions to my infertility. It's often just the usual "have relations 10-14 days after menstruation and stand on your head!" advice. Today I was chatting with a client who asked if I have kids (as they often do). I explained that I haven't been able to have a child and she told me that she had the same problem. She said that she had a "vientre frio" (cold uterus) and that I should drink "te de ajo" (garlic tea) every night. I asked how you make it and she said you peel a head of garlic and boil it in a liter of water, then drink it nightly. Yuck! It's amazing how similar this hot/cold advice is to Traditional Chinese Medicine, which also talks about a cold uterus and ways to heat up the body. It makes me think that maybe there's something to it.

The Ovidrel arrived today and AF should be making her appearance on Sunday. So I should be starting the Clomid sometime next week. Looking forward to a beautiful weekend so we can get some housework done and refinish our deck!

Gearing up for IUI #3...

I'm getting ready for IUI #3 this coming cycle, which will start around May 24. That would make the IUI around the 4th of June. This will most likely be my last IUI on Clomid. If this one fails, I'm pretty sure the doc will put me on injectables or something else. I haven't met with the RE since our first meeting - they wanted to do the 3 IUI's and then go from there. We have been taking a total break from TTC the last two months. I wanted to have an IUI this month, but we were out of town on Day 12-14. So much for that!

I found a clinic in this area that has a very interesting IVF program. If you have extra eggs during the IVF process, you can donate them and the clinic will "comp" your IVF procedure! This could be a good option for us, since we have no fertility insurance coverage.

The months of June and July will be somewhat stressful due to some work issues, so hopefully that won't affect the IUI's.

Spring has sprung!

Well, Spring has definitely sprung here in NJ. The trees are blooming, flowers everywhere, it's really gorgeous. We took a nice trip to Florida (though the weather wasn't so great) and had some nice quality time with my hubby. I have taken a total break from dealing with my infertility. (I mean TOTAL - I suspended my fertility friend account, no OPK's, no charting, and I don't honestly know what cycle day I am on). Though I still think about it every day, it's not an all-consuming obsession like it has been the last few months. I ran a 5K last Saturday and have been spending time with family. We may not do the 3rd IUI in May - some family activities are interfering with the scheduling of it and we would be out of town on CD12 and 14. So, it may be June or July. No biggie, this break has been great!