[Sarahlouise1980]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I have not posted this week, DH and I decided to try not to think about this stuff and concentrate on my parents who were in town for a visit. Of course it is always in the back of your head however much you try to ignore it, as I'm sure you all know only too well. I hope everyone is doing well.

DH and I saw a specialist yesterday. They did another SA with a centrafuge (sp?) and again it was a big fat zero. But the doc was amazing! I would highly recomend Dr. Lipshultz in Houston to anyone, he really is as amazing as I had heard he was. He did a pretty thorough exam, and concluded that there was no vericole, which we were expecting. Then spoke to us about how detrimental T-replqcement theray is to ttc. He said it completly stops your body from creating testosterone by itself and completly shuts down sperm production, arrrrg!

Anyway, he prescibed my DH hcg to "reboot" his system aslong with an estrogen blocker. He wants us to come back in 6 weeks for another SA, and is hoping to have us near to back in buisness within 3-6 months! Hopefully it will at least be enough to try an IUI, if not enough for a natural pg.

Oh and also DH is scheduled for and MRI on Monday of his patuitary gland to check for a tumor, which would explain his low testosterone.

Hope everyone is well. ttyl

[SFBaygirl]

Dreamer: Is the success rate of an IUI only 15% even with injectables? I guess the question now is whether to do IVF. The cost is certainly greater initially but if there are multiple IUIs it may end up the same in the long run. How do you feel about IVF? Are you feeling as impatient as I am? I just want to be pg and have a baby so bad. I am stupid and set a goal for myself. I want to be pg by this time next year. I am hoping I am not setting myself up for heartbreak. My DH doesn't know any of this as I don't want him to feel pressured as he already feels bad enough.

Sarah: Good to "see" you! I am glad you got to put IF on the back burner for a bit. I totally understand what you mean about it always being in the back of your mind though.

It is wonderful that your visit with your RE went well. We felt the same way after our visit with Dr. Turek. I really hope you have success with the hCG. Is the estrogen blocker Arimidex? My DH may have to go on that, we aren't sure yet. Is there a reason they didn't put him on Clomid? How is he taking the fact that he has to have injections?

Wow, that was a lot of questions, sorry about that .

Well ladies, it is seriously close to Friday now. This week has been at least 18 days long I swear!.

[3rdtimesthecharm]

lostandconfused: best of luck with your scan; hopefully your follies are cooperating. Also, GL to your sister. Sounds like you will have a lot going on!

SFBaygirl: I don’t think there is anything wrong with checking out the due date threads. I know I check on occasion to see where the ladies are at that are due when I would have been due. I aspire to be able to post there.

amy: if I wasn’t worried about security, I would have every door and window open while I’m sleeping right now! The good news is that each day I get one day closer to no more Lupron!

Dreamer: It was tough, especially since I was driving about 3 hours each way to do it and then going into work…I would leave the house at about 2:30 so I could be in line for b/w and u/s at 5:30 and then be back at work by 10:30 when it was all done (I’m so happy I drive less than 30 minutes now). That on top of the fact that DH was deployed. In truth, I think it gave me something to focus on other than the fact that DH was gone, and that’s part of why I say it became a habit. That’s wonderful that your insurance covers IVF! I wish more insurance companies saw a benefit to it and were willing to support us. And oh yes, hot flashes and so much more are in your future with IVF…but for the chance to hold a little one, it is all worth it!

Sarahlouise: it sounds like you have a plan, and that is always wonderful. That would be wonderful if everything is back in business!! GL!!!

[Atiz]

SFBayGirl, I'm sorry to hear you are feeling down... Wish you good luck with the job.

Oh, yes, ultrasound check-up tomorrow at 9 a.m. - please, keep your fingers crossed for me - Doc says we should see at least 8 good follicles... I now get the strongest shots (max. dosage) - with the prevoius one I had 6 follicles at the same check-up. Also, my ER date will be pointed out tomorrow. I'll get back to you on MOnday with the results.

[Kris79]

Lost - Good luck with your ER!! Happy birthday a day late!!

SFBayGirl - Sorry you are feeling down...it stinks to have the job thing to worry about in addition to IF. As for the Due Date Buddies...I used to check them out some too...mostly to follow my Azoo friends, but then I'd read a lot. I think it's good if you find it helps you stay motivated, but if it makes you depressed, probably better to not look at them. As for setting timelines...I did the same thing. Last year on our anniversary (9/23) I told my DH that the next year by that time, I would either be pregnant, or at least have a better idea of how we'd have our family (embryo adoption, adoption, or IUI/IVF). I think it really helped me to have a date in the future to aim for.

Sarahlouise - Glad you were able to have a nice visit with your parents. I'm also glad you liked your Dr. so much. That's so important!! I hope the drugs he prescribed get your DH back in action!!

3rdtimes - the hot flashes sound terrible...hope they subside soon!

Atiz - Good luck with your follie check today!!!

ArmyWife - Welcome to the Azoo thread...I'm glad you found your way over here!

Hi to everyone I missed!! Happy Friday...I will second the fact that this week must have been 18 days long...and I even had Monday off of work!!

[joy_bugg73]

Just dropping in to say HI…DH is feeling much better and I am still in my 2ww (3dp5dt).

I have read a few post and some of you are disclosing who you all are using as a UR. I would love to recommend Dr Witt to anyone in the south east. He is in practice at RBA in Atlanta Georgia. Dr Witt specializes in post cancer (chemo/rad) reproduction as well as reproductive preservation pre chemo treatment. I am not fond of his office staff on the 4th floor however his office staff on the 6th floor is wonderful, he is also WONDERFUL, and I would say the same thing regardless of the outcome of the TESE. He did lots of research regarding the chemo my DH had so many years ago as well as several other test to help determine if a TESE was worth the “trouble” and risk. The only thing I really do not like about the office is they are rather insistent on having back-up DS available on the day of ER, so the cycle is not lost if there are no viable sperm to be had…We chose to insist on freezing my eggs if there were no sperm…so we could have clear heads and time to explore other avenues. Lucky for us sperm were found. We have 2 embryos cooking and 3 on ice. If after we “use” all embryos with out resulting in a live birth DH wants to do another IVF cycle with DS. Pray it does not come to that…Trying to keep and open mind and focusing on the 2 little ones I have snuggled inside.
Keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers.
Remember, God will not led you to a place where he can not carry you through. The only requirement is that you have faith.
My God bless each and every one of you.
Joy

[Kris79]

Joy - Good luck getting through the rest of your 2ww!! I'm praying your little ones stick!!

[Singingirl96]

It seems as if I'm gone for ages... its only been 5 days....

Kris! Congrats on being right that it was a boy! I really thought it was a girl.... darn I was wrong.

SF - Seems that dh's appetite has normalized. Maybe he was imagining things.

Armywife - This is a very personal decision you'll have to make, but frankly, I would kill to be in your situation! A simple FNA (fine needle aspiration) would find plenty of sperm for several ivf cycles. The cost sucks, so yeah you may have a problem there, but there is no price on being able to have a biological child with your husband. At least most of us here think this way.

everyone else, hello!

[SFBaygirl]

Joy: I am so glad you had a great experience with Dr. Witt. I will keep my fingers crossed for the remainder of your 2ww. How are you guys passing the time? I am finding it fun to see all of the little kids in their Halloween costumes. I can't wait to have a LO old enough to take trick or treating.

Kris: Thanks for the kind words. I am glad I am not the only one with a goal, I only hope it is realistic. I love seeing the progress on some of the older due dates threads as they go through the trimesters all the way to birth, almost like a novel. It is a bit scary but as I am not actually pg, it isn't so bad. I am afraid it has become a bit of an obsession. I imagine it helps distract from the work stress. I have also been playing lots of video games .

3rdtimes and Atiz: Thank you too!

Well at least it is Friday. I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.

Hi to all you ladies and good luck next week to everyone with upcoming procedures and those in the 2ww.

[Sarahlouise1980]

SFbay, sorry to hear you are feeling down, this IF stuff is so draining, and to have other big problems on top of that, no wonder you're feeling bummed.

So as far as why they put him on hcg instead of clomid, the doc explained it to me like this...the T-suppliments work by putting testosterone directly into his system, bypassing the pituitary gland and not having to use FSH or LH. So therefore the body stops making testosterone in the testicles completely, and no testosterone in the testicles equals no sperm. So he said that we are going to have to “jump start” his body with hcg into making testosterone again by stimulating the hypothalamus to make LH and FSH, and therefore make testosterone. With me so far, lol? He said that when his body is making sperm again we could maybe switch to clomid then. I guess you could ask your doctor why he thought clomid would be better in your situation. I think that some docs like to try clomid first because it is covered by most insurances and hcg isn’t. It costs about $300 a month! Also it is invasive, Dh has to have a shot EOD, which doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest, it would make me crazy though. I went to you tube to watch a video on how to prepare the hcg and saw a guy take a dose and it actually looked pretty painless, the needle was tiny. Oh and the estrogen blocker was Amidrex I checked.

What I found interesting about our visit was that the doc wanted to investigate what cause my DH to have such low testosterone in the first place. His was very low, about 60 before the androgel. So he is scheduled for a MRI on Monday to check for a tumor in the pituitary gland. I am very nervous; did your DH ever have to have that done?

Thirdtimes- Thank you for the well wishes. Being back in business would be amazing; I am probably going to keep my fingers crossed for the whole three months, lol.

Kris- Thanks, I am really optimistic about the drugs, for the first time in a while I think I am feeling hopeful.
Do you guys want to hear something “funny”? For the very first time since ttc I am late, lol. I can’t imagine how excited I would have been if this was months ago. It figures right, lol.

[Singingirl96]

Happy Halloween Ladies!!!

[SFBaygirl]

Sarah: I know what you mean about being late. I am too this month but assume it is due to stress.

What you said about the Clomid and hCG makes sense. I was wondering if your DH had low FSH and LH as well as low testosterone. My DH has the very high FSH in my siggy as well as borderline high LH. I wonder if that made a difference. We have about 2 more weeks on the Clomid then retest the T levels. If not helping the EOD hCG injections are next.

Singing: Happy Halloween to you too. It is a huge deal in San Francisco.

Kris: My DH just got his blood drawn for the chromosonal analysis today (Kaiser finally approved it). I think you said it took about 3-4 weeks before you got results. Is that correct? I will be waiting anxiously for that and DH is already nervous about it.

I hope everyone else is having a good Halloween night and will enjoy an extra hour of sleep tomorrow morning.

[ArmyWifeStrong]

SFBaygirl, Atiz, 3rdtimesthecharm, singingirl :

If only I could convince him to do the procedure. I am met with a stern "I am not doing anymore poking & prodding to my body and its not fair for you to keep asking me to do it."

*SIGH*

I guess since he has 2 kids of his own...with his ex-wife...and he has gotten to experience it already...he doesn't feel the need to go through that procedure to experience it with me. He very nicely said that any child would be "our" child...but if it is possible to REALLY have our child...that's what I would soooo love to do....

This is ripping my heart out...

[ArmyWifeStrong]

3rdtimesthecharm:

I forgot to type...
I also have gotten DH invloved in the sperm choices...reading profiles and so on...he hates it too...but REALLY doens't want to get anymore procedures...so it isn't helping to change his mind. I was hoping seeing so much of my hair fall out...and the hours I spend agonizing over donar choices and me telling him how I just want it to be his would help, but no. I am also NOT doing a matching to have the donar look like DH...instead going dark hir like me nd so on. That didn't turn him around either.

I am just falling apart over here. I go through deployments, I run the FRG for his unit, I put up with his ex-wife...who is horrible, help take care of and pay for his 2 children...why can't I just have this? And saying anything like that to him just puts him on the defensive...

[schatzi]

ArmyWife - I'm sorry you guys are having to deal with this.

SFBaygirl - I hope the job uncertainty works itself out soon. It's hard having to think about that and all of the IF stuff.

Sarahlouise - I hope you get some good news after the MRI and there isn't anything serious.

LostandConfused - you got some good news at your follie scan.

Hello to everyone I'm trying to catch up here and take advantage of the last bit of weekend. I really dread Monday mornings!