A word of caution about First Response Early Results pregnancy tests. I use them religiously said to predict as low as 25IU of HCG in your system (I actually was able to get a positive on one when I had my ectopic pregnancy and my HCG was at 14). Anyway, I kept seeing a weird shadow. This shadow coupled with my cramps convinced me I was pregnant. I finally flipped the stick over and saw that on the back there is a piece of plastic that made the shadow. Why would they design a test that would have a shadow in the exact spot where the line is supposed to show. I can't imagine how many other women got there hopes up like I did.
My last post was all about the fact that I was struggling to get through the two week wait and that I was convinced I was pregnant. Of course I wasn't and I wasted more money on home pregnancy tests (HPT). I can't wait for the day that I pee on one and it shows two lines for once.
A word of caution about First Response Early Results pregnancy tests. I use them religiously said to predict as low as 25IU of HCG in your system (I actually was able to get a positive on one when I had my ectopic pregnancy and my HCG was at 14). Anyway, I kept seeing a weird shadow. This shadow coupled with my cramps convinced me I was pregnant. I finally flipped the stick over and saw that on the back there is a piece of plastic that made the shadow. Why would they design a test that would have a shadow in the exact spot where the line is supposed to show. I can't imagine how many other women got there hopes up like I did.
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I downloaded three podcasts from CreatingAFamily.org to listen to in the car when I'm running around town. I've listed each below with a small summary and my reviews, check them out for yourself.
The other day a friend of mine was telling me how she listens to podcasts on the way to and from work to get her mind off of other things. It got me wondering if there is such a thing as fertility podcasts. So...I consulted Google and found www.thefertilitypodcast.com A women from the UK anonymously records the podcasts and uploads them to her website. They cover a wide range of topics from male factor infertility to Fertility Yoga.
I have found them very interesting. While I already know a lot of the information that she discusses, it gives me ideas to talk about in my next RESOLVE Peer Led Group, or things to bring up on this blog. I particularly liked Episode 11 with Dr. Marilyn Glenville on how nutrient deficiency can affect infertility. She pretty much has couples do a 90 day diet/supplement routine as that is how long it takes for men to make sperm and for the woman's egg to go through the maturation process. I liked it because it gives me faith that what I am doing throughout my 90 day challenge is going to help us in our infertility journey, even if that is just giving me the peace of mind that I did everything I could to prepare for my last round of IVF. I had the Endometrial Function Test done as I was going through IVF#3 my first round of IVF at the Sher Institute (SIRM) in NY. When I had my initial consultation with my new doctor at SIRM he thought that my previous failures were a combination of poor egg quality due to extremely high amounts of stimulating drugs and an implantation issue. He felt this way because I had my daughter after two months of trying and conceived again 9 months after she turned 1 which ended in miscarriage at 7 weeks and was only 31. To look into implantation issues he suggested doing the Endometrial Function Test EFT. This test looks at molecular markers to assess the endometrium's (tissue lining the uterus) potential to support implantation and its ability to contribute to the nutrition of the developing embryo. It is a pretty easy test, it involves taking a biopsy of your uterine lining. We did mine 6 days after I ovulated which for most women would be day 20, for me it was day 28 of my cycle. The test results came in 16 days later and showed that I had Glandular Developmental Arrest. The treatment for this is three months of Depot Lurpon, I couldn't go on it quite yet because I was in the middle of my IVF cycle. We finished the cycle and ended up with 5 frozen blastocysts at which time I immediately went on Depot Lupron (a whole other blog entry in and of itself...the hot flashes were horrible). After 2.5 months of Depot Lupron I was able to start an FET protocol. We transferred two expanded day 5 blastocysts and still failed. So did this work? It did in a way. Later I had a different and new test done called Endometrial Receptivity Array which showed that my lining was receptive so I think it was worth it as it appeared to clear up the Glandular Developmental Arrest. I wanted to look into assisted hatching today after talking about it with one of my fertility girlfriends. My clinic, Sher Institute, NY uses it on all cases. Because of this, I never questioned it nor even thought about it until my friend said her clinic was going to be doing it during her upcoming IVF. When she talked about it, I thought maybe it would be a good idea for me to do a little research on it myself. So...it sounds like a simple procedure performed on the embryo just prior to embryo transfer, whether that is day 3 or day 5, or even just prior to a Frozen Embryo Transfer FET. Immediately before implantation, the blastocyst must "hatch" from the outer shell of the embryo (called zona pellucida). For some women, the out shell may be too thick to hatch on it's own. An embryologist performs this procedure by holding the embryo under a microscope with a pipette on one side and with a hollow needle dissolving part of the zona coating with an acid solution. There is a small risk of damage to the embryos from the procedure. Who is a good candidate for assisted hatching? Women who are older than 37, those who have failed 2 or more rounds of IVF, women who have an elevated day 3 FSH, low amh, low antral follicle count (AFC), and those with poor quality embryos. So, I have had this done on the 4 blastocysts transferred from IVF#3 during my FET#1 and FET#2, neither resulted in implantation. See the "My Journey" tab for my full infertility timeline. I've heard time after time breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You need to eat a well rounded breakfast so that you can start your day off right and not set yourself up for failure. I have always been a big proponent of these statements but with my fertility challenge I make sure my breakfast is well rounded. I eat an egg, two organic sausages, some sort of green, a small side of oatmeal, and a cup of green tea. My Favorite Oatmeal Recipe:
I recently bought Physician's Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara in black. I have used it for about two weeks now. I would give it 3 out of 4 stars. It doesn't go on as easy as my old mascara brand and I find that if I try to layer it, I still can't get it to give me the additional volume or length I am used to. Sometimes I notice that some of the mascara has transferred to my upper eye lid, it comes off easily but I have to keep an eye out for it. Overall, it definitely provides the definition that I am looking for and I will forgo the volume and length my old mascara gave me for the peace of mind I get using a product that I know doesn't contain ingredients that cause health concerns. So for an afternoon snack I always have a fertility smoothie. There are so many fertility smoothie recipes on the internet so you can easily find one that caters towards your taste. Here is my recipe, click the links for the actual products I use:
I would normally ovulate between days 15 and 18 and would have had several signs two days before telling me that ovulation is near. We are at day 18 and still nothing. My temp hasn't shifted. I have no ovulating pain. My cervical mucus hasn't increased. I am super exhausted, although my mood has improved. This is the cycle coming off of an IVF retrieval and my cycle after IVF always seems a bit wonky. After looking online at some forums it appears that this is a normal occurrence so I guess I need to learn to be patient.
With that said, I thought I would look up articles on ways to increase your patience. 1. Accept That Everyone is Different: This doesn't really pertain to this situation. 2. Share Your Skills: Again doesn't really pertain to this situation because I'm not frustrated by others lacking skills that I may be better at and can teach them. 3. Act Instead of Reacting: This means do something about your situation for example stay busy so you don't have time to be frustrated. I need to remember this. Today I didn't stay busy so I thought about not ovulating a lot and it definitely impacted my whole day. 4. Slowly Count to 10: This seems to pertain to a situation where you have reached your limit, so it doesn't seem to make sense for my situation. 5. Look at Things From a Different Angle: If you try to see the situation from the other person’s point of view, you will often be able to offer compassion instead of frustration. You may even be able to find a solution you hadn’t seen before. I like this...I think I should look at this situation as well I was able to afford a round of IVF while many others can't and since it's the IVF that is throwing things off, I just need to put up with it and carry on. |
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April 2015
Author I'm a 33 year old Mom to one and Step Mom to another from Philadelphia, going through my 3rd year of secondary infertility. I am spending 90 days preparing for my last round of IVF, through diet, supplements, mental health, acupuncture, and exercise hoping this will make the difference. Categories
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