[lilac]

Becca, I'm sorry to hear you're starting to get AF-like feelings. Nevertheless, I will continue to hope for you until you get AF for sure! If she does come, you know we'll be here cheering you on next time. Keep us posted!

It seems like opks don't work right for a lot of women... I've been using them for 9 months or so and they've always worked well for me, thankfully. They generally predict my ovulation quite well... 7 iuis and haven't used a trigger shot yet. They generally seem to have been timed pretty well nonetheless. That being said, however, next time I'll want to try the trigger just to be sure.

[Becca10]

Lilac, do you do your IUI's au naturel? Do you think you will have to be doing IVF in the future or should I not go there...eek! I am curious what my dr could put me on...clomid is mostly for women who have a hard time ovulating, i think....so i don't know. Finances will def be taken into consideration, seeing as how I'm just a social worker! I know alot of this is about timing from some higher power, we could spend all the money and timing but if it's meant to be I guess it's meant to be, or not. It's times like this that I am glad I found this board. Thank you so much...

[lilac]

Originally Posted by Becca10

Lilac, do you do your IUI's au naturel? Do you think you will have to be doing IVF in the future or should I not go there...eek! I am curious what my dr could put me on...clomid is mostly for women who have a hard time ovulating, i think....so i don't know. Finances will def be taken into consideration, seeing as how I'm just a social worker! I know alot of this is about timing from some higher power, we could spend all the money and timing but if it's meant to be I guess it's meant to be, or not. It's times like this that I am glad I found this board. Thank you so much...

Yes, all my iuis have been au naturel so far. My RE does 6 unmedicated iuis for women that have no detected fertility issues (like single gals whose tests come back clean, like mine did). I did a 7th because I wanted to give it one more shot in the hope of avoiding surgery (and I was too late in my cycle to start meds). However, assuming the surgery goes fine, we should start with medicated iuis after that (and I don't know for sure, but I'm expecting we'll start with clomid). I think clomid is the first try for women who have a hard time ovulating, but it does make you produce more follicles (well, if you respond well to it, anyway) and it's not super-expensive. I'm hoping not to have to do ivf, but I guess I will know more after the surgery (if it EVER comes) when I know what he found in there...

This board is great - I'm VERY glad I found it too. I find it a tremendous comfort.

[peggysue]

This is just a quickie, will read and post later.

My clinic has sent me a list of 3 donors, I have to pick one, and I have no idea who to pick. Could you please give me your initial thoughts. I have to ring the clinic at lunch with my choice.

Brown eyes, dark brown hair, 1.83m, 69kg likes long distance running, writing, music, cinema, comedy, financial advisor, no proven fertiility but new donor.

Hazel eyes, dark brown hair 1.77m, 92kg stock controller likes liverpool football club, music, proven fertility

Hazel eyes, dark brown hair 1.84m 89kg electrician/technician, keep fit, motor sport, DIY, no proven fertility.

My first thought was number 2 simply because he has proven fertility but this morning I'm quite drawn to number 1. Is there anything I should take into account when picking one or should I go with my gut instinct. HELP! I can't make my mind up.

Will catch up with everyone soon x

[kblythe]

I say go with your gut, Susan! Although #1 doesn't have proven fertility, he has to have pretty good swimmers or he wouldn't be accepted as a donor.

I go for my u/s this morning. I'll post later today to let you know how it went. I'm really, really, really nervous.

Kathryn.

[Deej]

Peggy Sue: it is a hard decision, even if you only have 3 to choose from! given the fact you do not have the option to read more or buy baby pictures, i would go for whoever your heart tells you to go for! donors would not be picked to be donors if they did not have incredible swimmers! GOOD LUCK!
Kathryn: i anxiously await your update! saying a quick prayer now, best of luck!

[lilac]

Susan, definitely go with your gut! You can analyze it all to death... I narrow mine down based on what's important to me but in the end, I always end up going with what feels right to me.

Kathryn, can't wait to hear how it goes! Good luck!

[kblythe]

Just back from u/s. Everything went great! The baby is measuring 10 weeks exactly and has a robust heartbeat. He/she was wiggling around so much, we got to see feet kicking and hands swinging. It was awesome!

My two best friends here, Shannon and Amy, went with me and held my hand. We all had a moment. I've been so pessimistic that it has rubbed off on them, and they were as relieved as I was. Shannon actually leaned her head against the wall and said she was just emotionally spent!

Thanks for your well wishes and your positive thoughts!

Kathryn.

[lilac]

Kathryn, that is wonderful! I'm so excited for you - I can only imagine how fantastic it was to be able to see the bean wiggling!

Way to go!

[kblythe]

Thanks, Lilac! I wish I was sufficiently articulate to explain how relieved I am!

Now I'm off for a meeting with my city council woman!

kathryn.

[Teri01042008]

hey ladies..how are you all? i'm okay..i just got my bill from the lab & it was $955!!!!! now, i have a question..i am going to end up with 2 separate bills, one from my dr & one from quest diagnostics..i am thinking that i would be better off paying the dr first & then quest ?because this is becoming much more expensive than i ever thought it would be..

[kblythe]

Yes, this process is expensive. Does your insurance not cover diagnostic stuff? Mine did, but it covered nothing else. I paid for stuff using a 2nd mortgage and then a credit card. But I hope to pay it all of by the end of the year.

Kathryn.

[Deej]

kathryn: yes yes yes! all day i have wanted to check and see how the u/s went! i am so happy that it went well and you got some relief, along with your friends! i love how you desrcibed the baby moving its arms and legs!
terri: the costs are crazy! my insurance did not cover any of the lab work, i now pay labcorp 124$ a month for 10 months... i try to warn ladies to get the initial lab work requested from their ob/gyn as some of it is truly pre pregnancy testing! i can understand not covering the fhs but some of the others, it is ridiculous! call quest and tell them you can pay $50 a month until it is paid off, or more if you can afford more. they should not charge interest... also, they should give you a 15% discount if paid in full!

All ladies: i hope everyone is doing well. my car broke today and i am afraid of what it will cost to get it fixed... off topic, but it made me think sitting out another month aint a bad idea!

[jencat215]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in...

Becca...clomid is the first drug of choice for unexplained IF. I have never had a issue with ovulation, but my ob/gyn put me on clomid, then my RE did. And I have gotten pg on my own, with clomid and with clomid and IUI. Now I just gotta get my body to keep 'em! Anyway, supposedly not only does clomid help you ovulate if you don't (and it doesn't always), it is supposed to help you make better quality eggs. Clomid is WAY cheaper than injectibles. Definitely worth a shot. For some woman, IJ isn't worth it. My RE doesn't think it is for me...it would just make me produce more follies, but doesn't mean I would be able to keep the pg (of course, there are other methods for that and my RE has me doing them now).
So, for my humble opinion, go for the clomid. And take it at night so the s/e are less.

Hi DeeDee

[ELOVE]

Hello Ladies!!! Boy I missed y'all! I can not begin to tell you how incredibly busy I've been the past three days. We have a huge award competition coming up on 30 Jan (3 days long) and I literally have been working from 6:30a.m. til 7 or 8pm for the past three days. I'm trying not to stress too much but I must say...I wish my 2ww could go by this quickly 'cause I cannot believe how quickly the weekend has come. I have so much crap to do its unreal. Well, enough whining.

Yay!!!!! Kathryn! One more milestone achieved...AWESOME! I am thrilled you can breathe a little easier and your little bean is doing great.

Ona if you're still on here--I totally respect and understand your decision. I am praying you'll consider the anonymous donor. Have you really sat down at looked a financial aspects like insurance covering diagnostics? I tell you what, I wasn't financially prepared for this journey either so I took out a loan which has already been used up. I was serious when I talked about my income tax return. My goal is to get to 6 iuis (well I hope I get pregnant before then) then stop, get a part time job, deploy, and save for ivf. I'm hoping it will only take me a year and I'll be 37 1/2 years old. I hope your kd will reconsider and you move forward.

Well tomorrow is cd5 and I'm trying again. I've been too busy to even pick up my prescription of clomid, but I guess I HAVE to tomorrow.

Becca--I'm on clomid but not for ovulation problems. I've produced at least 3 eggs (on my good side) every time. This is great because my doc checks follicle size and decides when I should get the trigger. For the amount of money donor sperm costs, I don't mind clomid at all.

Susan--I hoped you're happy with your selection. I'm sure you're gonna have a smart and beautiful baby!

Teri--I would say pay your doc first. I don't know how it works for you, but my doc won't even perform the iui until it's paid up front. Do you have insurance? Can some of it be billed as diagnostic work?

Su--Your midwife came to your house? I don't think I've ever heard of that before.

Jen--Still no word yet? Please tell me how the wait is going. Something inside me says I might actually enjoy a litte "forced" time off.

MsV & Stacee--How are you?

DeeDee!!! Today I'm celebrating YOU!!! You give me so much inspiration. You help me to keep faith and hope alive in my heart.

Good night ladies!! The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy with trying to get to the docs for my appts in between getting ready for this competition. If I don't post regularly over the next two weeks, know that I'll be thinking of all of you.

Erica