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@endymion4: Since it's a frozen embryo transfer, can't you schedule it for a Friday? Then your husband would just need to take one day off.

@endymion4: It's so hard when our husbands work non traditional schedules. I need to have my sister do my intramuscular pio she's twice a week for me because my husband won't be home those nights. I totally understand not wanting to wait longer than you need to. I hope you get the rest you need! I'm excited for you to have that FET!

@agold: I'm not sure if I'll test at home either. My only motivation would be so that I don't have to get the bad news in the middle of the day at work. I'm really weird with at home tests. Every time I've taken one (4 times) I've been 99% sure it was going to be positive since I had already missed my period. I'm not sure I could handle seeing a negative result!

@endymion4: OMG are you my twin?? Our stories are almost exactly the same. I have a 3 1/2 year old son and we've had 3 MCs in the past year that are unexplained. I just had my retrieval this past Friday and we are doing PGS/PGD as well. How many embryos did you start with and how many did you end up with after testing? We're waiting on our Day 5 results tomorrow- it's very scary :(. My FET will hopefully be in a few weeks- I haven't started any drugs except Endometrin so far. The suppositories are a bit groady. I suppose it's better than shots but 6 a day is going to be super annoying! I've been doing 3 a day. My only advice is that you should probably wear a liner or pad because there is some, um, leaking. Sorry- not trying to get too graphic :).

We don't have any family nearby either so I can totally empathize with the child care issue. I had to take a cab to the hospital for my transfer because it started at 7am and my husband had to drop off my son at day care. We've had to deal with the logistics of this kind of stuff for so long that it barely phases us anymore but it's really tough! These are the times that I give myself a pass and let my son play with the iPad and watch movies all day- sometimes that's the only option :).

@Amorini: I've also heard the "it's gross" thing, which is why I was wondering if there are any tips!! I'll be on 3 estrace and 3 endometrin per day. And I didn't see what meds you're doing the overfill on, but we had SO MUCH overfill on our Follistim! (which was great because we are totally out of pocket and had to refill Menopur 3xs bc they increased the dose!!). We did our retrieval meds through Walgreens, but doing the FET meds through Win

@endymion4: Yes, the overfill I was referring to is Follistim. I've brought the used cartridges in to my nurse to have her draw up / consolidate the overfills. Is that what you did? I'm not sure if the pen allows you to use the overfill otherwise. And plus it would take like 6 shots to get my dose!

Thanks for sharing about your PGS results. What is the difference between PGD and PGS? I've never heard of the latter. It's amazing there are cells left to make the baby after they biopsy! Science is cool. Best of luck to you!

Quick u/s update: 22 little follies were counted in the 5-10 mm range. I was told my ovaries have "blossomed"... Good to know all that Follistim is doing something! I go back Friday.

@Amorini: I might be wrong (all of this information has been so overwhelming), but I think PGD is looking for one gene (i.e. if a couple is concerned about whether the embryo has Cystic Fibrosis or something), whereas PGS is slightly more comprehensive and looks at every chromosome (which is why it takes longer). But again, don't quote me on that!!

We just used the overfill in the pen for Follistim. It will only let you click to how much is in there, so in one cartridge, for example, we had another full dose and the next dose I just did two shots instead of 1 (used up the rest of the cartridge--the pen stops only at how much is actually there and then subtracted the difference to dial up the next dose from the fresh cartridge)

@dookie32: I agree about getting bad news at work. I'm trying to decide between accepting the call or letting it go to voicemail. I'm pretty tough and took all my calls regarding negative iuis while at work, but since i fell completely apart yesterday when re called to tell me only 2 of 5 made it to freeze, I'm leaning towards: leaving a little early from work and checking voicemail in the car. If it's positive, I have a little surprise box I made for my husband, oh, like two years ago, to tell him we are pregnant. I still want to give it to him to sort of "surprise" him that he's going to be a dad even though it's clearly not a surprise. And shoot - I'm so sorry you had to take a cab to the hospital! I wish I was there to drive you!

@Amorini: thank you for your nice comments and understanding. You perfectly summed up how I was feeling. But "two in the oven and two in the freezer" is perfect! Thanks, again. I hope you are feeling good!! And 22 follicles!!! Woo hoo!! That's such a great number! I hope they all continue to mature wonderfully!

@endymion4: that's great you have three great frozen embryos! As for follis tin, I did the same as you - every other day I had to do two shots from two vials of follistim. It sucked, but I was happy to take advantage of the overfill. And so I'm just so sorry you don't have anyone to help you during your bed rest. I wish I could come over! Maybe you can quickly join a moms club!

@Amorini: what overfill are you talking about having your nurse consolidate? The little tiny inaccessible bit of follistim juice in the cap part of the vial? I always hated throwing that away but didn't know how to get to it.

@NorthStar: we are thinking of you, too!

@PurplePumps: your Greece pictures look amazing. I'm glad you are hanging in there and doing what you need to do.

@waiting4you: Stims did not make me hungry, but you talking about tortellini pasta does!!

@Amorini: I did two/day prometrium and it honestly wasn't that bad. I did have some discharge, so I was always wearing a panty liner and the discharge would happen a couple hours after I put it in. I have to do something else (more like a tampon) after IVF and I've heard that it's much worse.

@dookie32: I hear you on trying to arrange for care during this whole process. We have a 3 year old and live 2.5 hours away from our RE, so it's been interesting. We also have no family in town, so we have to do our best to line up stuff ahead of time (if possible).

@PurplePumps: oh my gosh!! So beautiful and much deserved for you!

@jaguar: hugs to you We hit our 2 years TTC mark for #2 in August and that was SO hard. It took a year for DD, but this one takes the cake. Hang in there. November will be here in a matter of weeks..

I'm just hanging out wait to see if AF shows up early next week and attempting to keep up with you ladies and your posts! lol.

Just got back from 1st monitoring appointment after 4 days on stims. Us started on right side and looked excellent (8 or 9 follicles)! Then the left side.... 1. 1 follicle that was moving along. So total of 10. Honestly, I'm disappointed. Given my great response in the past to 50 mg of clomid for my IUI's, (4 and 5 follicles), I was optimistic that these numbers, with all the meds, would be higher. I know it takes only one, but knowing the attrition factor, 10 has me worried.

The other thing...ICSI. I was apprehensive about this. REALLY wanted to avoid if possible. Well, due to the lower follicle numbers, they said they'll be doing ICSI for sure. That not doing it would be like "doing another IUI in a dish instead of inside". Don't know why I'm upset about this, but I am (I can blame it on the drugs right?)
I guess there's some good news...they said ER will most likely be on Tuesday and transfer Sunday. This is a shorter timeframe than I had expected, which is great! (No extra meds. Ended and fewer days of shots!! Win win) Most likely starting gannirelex (spelling?) tonight. Any feedback on this shot? Does it burn? Any side effects?
Hoping some of these "lazy" follicles get their butt in gear and pick up the pace, but not getting my hopes up.
Back for another US and BW tomorrow morning.

@jaguar: I'm so sorry you are feeling sad. IF, and especially IVF, is so tough. I feel like the waits involved with IVF are the ultimate of TTC waits. I'm well past the two year TTC mark so I feel your pain. You have such good knowledge and input so please come on here and share anytime you want. Everyone will appreciate it. But of course be sad in any way you want. I've been so ridiculously sad at some points during the last week and I'm only a few days into my TWW. IF is ridiculous at some points. The days are long but the weeks/months are short. Your time will come up quick!! Hang in there!

@GreenThumb: Congrats on the good news!! I hope you get set on the right cycle and have minimal delays.

@NorthStar: Or maybe you are waiting for AF to not show up at all!!

@waiting4you: I'm so sorry you are feeling worried. I was in your exact same spot just a couple of weeks ago. I was expecting about 18 follicles based upon prior personal experience, and then had 10 throughout the monitoring process. I was devastated. But at retrieval, I did end up with 11, so you could get a few more. Did your RE tell you that you have additional smaller follicles that he isn't really counting at this point??

I've had to significantly reign in my expectations because when they haven't been met I've been crushed and that's no good on one's body. I don't think that the stim meds make you produce more follicles. They just help grow the follicles that are there. (Correct me if I'm wrong, ladies.) So there's nothing you or anyone could have done to give you more or less follicles. As for ICSI, its standard procedure at my RE. Like @GreenThumb: said, ICSI just helps make the most of your IVF cycle. Why leave anything to chance if you don't have to? It's great you will have a shorter than expected stim cycle. I remember ganirelex being an easy needle - tiny like the follistim. And it didn't burn like menopur did. You will do great and get through it!! Tuesday will be here before you know it!

@PurplePumps: What a trip!

@jaguar: each year mark is so hard! We're a little over two years for #1, and I keep thinking about how some women who started TTC at the same time are pregnant with #2. I'm glad your embryos are better quality- did you do anything different this cycle?

@NorthStar: I hope you get your last-minute miracle!

@GreenThumb: why do they think you might have autoimmune issues? (Sorry, hard to remember everyone's details.) I have elevated NK cells, so this is my fourth cycle On prednisone after ovulation.

@waiting4you: did your RE have any idea why one ovary was much better than the other? My right ovary seems to make two follicles each month on femara while my left ovary seems lazy. Let me know if they have any insights.

@agold: wishing you a quick 2WW!

@dookie32: 10 is great, hoping for good results.

I heard about someone doing IVF who had 15 eggs, none fertilized. They tried ICSI after they realized but it was too late. Has anyone heard of this? I'm already worried about so many IVF things, and hadn't considered this. DH has low morphology at 5%, but great counts and motility, so RE isn't worried about him.

@AmeliaBedilia: I had some bloodwork (twice) that showed elevated anticardioplipin antibodies (sometimes diagnosed as antiphospholipid syndrome). Apparently this can lead to early MC (I had chemicals during 2 of the last 3 FETs). So I think the treatment might be daily injections of heparin or Lovenox and baby aspirin to prevent blood clots (per one RE, but not another one) but we are going to the hematologist to get a better understanding/diagnosis/treatment - for my own health and for a potential pregnancy. It is unclear to me whether I really have an issue here or not.

Also, I think it is so weird how different REs think about low morphology… of the 3 REs we've seen, all have recommended IVF w/ ICSI because of DHs really low morphology (<2%, counts/motility are good). But I've definitely heard of other REs who don't think low morphology is even an issue if the other measures are good. Kind of crazy how there is all this science to get us pregnant, but they don't always agree on even the basics.

@GreenThumb: your history is similar to mine in terms of labs, except I've never been pregnant at all. RE tested NK cells which were very high at 34%. Normal is under 10%. The treatment he has me in is prednisone 20mg plus aspirin. I start after O, and wean off if not pregnant. He will probably do that most of the pregnancy (if it ever happens).

@dookie32: 10 embryos is a great number to be working with!

@AmeliaBedilia: Thanks, lady. I think ICSI is a no-brainer. What am I missing on this subject? Why would someone consider skipping it?

@GreenThumb: My husband had a small morphology issue, but the RE said no issue at all. Since they wash the sperm and pick out only the number of sperm needed to match the number of eggs, then surely our guys will have 10ish outstanding sperm to contribute amongst all their other oddly shaped sperm. I always think its crazy that there is so much science to get us close to being pregnant, but there is nothing science can do to get the embryo to implant and continue to grow.

@waiting4you: my cycle day 1 estrogen was 36. My cycle day 6 lining was 7. That's the closest numbers I could give you to what you requested! After cycle day 1, i was never given specific numbers for blood work. I actually didn't even get any calls regarind my blood work unless the doctor wanted me to change my medicine dosages.

@GreenThumb: agree, the differences in thought are crazy! Like you discussed, my husband has low morphology at just under 2%, however because of the quantity the doc says that the morphology doesn't matter. We had conflicting info today too. RE says to ...how do I say this... "Clean the pipes" on Friday for a Tuesday ER. Yet the embryologist says Sunday. Who do you trust? Who's advice do you take?

@agold: Did I miss that you were on bed rest after ET? Are you feeling ok? Sorry about that! No better way to go TWW-stir crazy than having to be on bed rest!

The little end of the Follistim juice is the overfill I was talking about. My nurse drew it up in an insulin syringe and I think there are about 1000 IUs in there. Unfortunately, I haven't used it yet because I'm not confident I'm reading the syringe scale correctly. The pen makes it so easy! I'm going to ask when I'm in tomorrow. It's over $300 of stim juice and I wanna use it!

ETA: I don't know if IUs and ml and cc are the same. I tried googling but it was inconclusive. Thus my confusion over reading the syringe! So I have 1000 somethings to use up!

@endymion4: Thanks for your explanation for how you used the overfill. I should've done it like that from the beginning... Also thanks for sharing about PGS. Best of luck to you!

@PurplePumps: Your photos are amazing! That's exactly how I would want my Greek holiday to look, plus lots of feta and dolmas and lamb chops! Hope O comes soon! How great (like "great" within the scheme of things) that you can have a u/s for less than a cafe latte! The coffee would be more enjoyable, but the u/s will get you some answers.

@jaguar: I'm sorry this has been so hard ... All of this waiting is such an ordeal. There doesn't seem anyway around not getting sad about IF. It just completely sucks. Sending giant hugs!

@NorthStar: I have a 2-hr drive to our RE, so we're in the same boat, but I do my monitoring and labs locally which helps so much. We also got a plan of sorts (not as great as your, more like a "bulk discount plan" with no guarantees or refund). Anyway, the local monitoring and labs were reduced from the price because I'll pay the local stuff directly... I'm hoping that difference is similar to the price I would've paid, if I'd gone directly to the RE. I wouldn't have been able to afford the time off for those drives!

@GreenThumb: Always great to get positive reports from the RE, huh?! I hope the further visits and SA give clear answers and direction. FX-ed for health specialists that actually agree with each other on what's best for your health and fertility!!

@AmeliaBedilia: I really hope you get your fairytale dream BFP au naturale, but if not, you have a fabulous plan mapped out for getting that LO!!!

@dookie32: Wonderful news about your PGD results. I'd say that's super promising that you only lost four in that process, when quality is the issue! Hooray! Yes, there must be some good, sticky ones in there! How long is the ramp up for FET? Once you have your consult, do you have everything you need to "go"?

@Amorini: I could have paid for the all in program that excluded monitoring, but then if this doesn't work, then that portion wouldn't be refunded. Plus, they only let the first few ultrasounds be done locally and want the rest in their office, so really, I wouldn't have saved much money. I'm just trying to get the first available ultrasound for each day at 7:30 and will be getting up at 4am those days! ick! I should be able to get to work by 10am, so I'll only miss a few hours (hopefully)...

@Amorini: oh wow! yeah, if that is how my RE did it, I would miss so much work! That, or I'd have to stay in town overnight a few nights and work from our office in that town. But, I don't want to do that to DH or DD.