Post your TTC story and diagnosis here

[Zagareen]

Hello All!
I'm 28 and my DH is 28 as well. We've been TTC since December 2007. Our first pregnancy in January of 2008 ended as an ectopic and methotrexate was used. Miscarried in August 2009, April 2009, and this month, July 2009.

I have had a HSG done in May 2009, which revealed a normal uterus but my right tube was blocked (probably due to ectopic but the Dr told me I had it in my left.) and my left tube was partial blocked. I had no surgery planned since I'm under 30. I was told to keep trying and slight HPT in June and then postive low serum test. But since I have passed tissue and my cervix was dilated so the Dr. said I was MCing.

This last MC in confusing since my hCG numbers tripled up then stayed the same. I'm going in on Monday to see what trend I am having. I've been reading the some women have a misdiagnosed MC. So I suppose this miscarriage is pending. My DH and I have been struggling emotionally and physically (for me) for our first child. I hope to learn and heal from reading your stories and hearing your advice.

Thank you for all your support,
Cindy

[NATI21]

My name is Stephanie I am 22yrs old and my DH is 24yrs old.

We had our first baby on September 21,2007 and he past away January 14,2008. On May of 2008 we started TTC, it has been 1yr and 2 months and we havent had any luck.

My cycles at one point were 30days and 3 months ago they went back to 28days. We tried charting, having intercourse on the O days, we have tried anything that you can think of without DR's and no luck. We decided to take a break in charting because it was getting very stressful, but I am going to begin again and we will see what happens.

In 3 months from now if we still have no luck we will go see a specialist to get some answers and if it turns out that having our little angel was a one time opportunity we are going to adopt.

I have to confess that the idea of maybe not being able to conceive again scares me and adopting scares me even more.

[Aelith]

Here's my story:

DH has issues, some of which are taken care of with meds, but related inabilities are not taken care of as of yet.

We tried for almost a year without any success on his part. I read about using Instead cups and he is able to, um deposit, in them (sorry :tmi. We are on second cycle trying Instead. I am beginning to think this one was a bust too (the girls aren't as sore as they have been, so I'm pretty sure AF is on her way) though although I'm not out of the race yet.

DH does not want to use more specialized fertility methods until we've tried Instead for a few more months.

I just wanted to update. We were able to conceive twice using Instead Cups (using the "deposit" method), but lost both. First baby, no abnormalities noted, second we didn't have any testing done. I am switching OB GYNs, as the one I went to never did blood work, never tested my progesterone or HCGs and generally didn't seem to give a ****.

I was tested to see if I was having clotting issues, as I have an autoimmune condition (Rheumatoid arthritis), but no issues were noted other than my RA was out of remission. Hoping this new doctor will be able to help/monitor better.

UPDATE 3/2010 Determined I do have a clotting issue - PAI-1. Unfortuntely, after it was diagnosed, I stopped ovulating. Could be stress, could be someone's idea of a cruel joke? This is my first month on Femara and on CD10 the ultrasound revealed one 15.5 mm follie and a couple others that were a little bit smaller. We're now on 18 months of struggling to be parents.

[Toad1979]

Here is my story.
I went off the pill in 2006. Took a few months, but got pregnant pretty easy actually. I did use the OPK because I wasn't sure when I was ovulating - worked the very first month!
Went to our first doc app at 12 weeks (they wouldn't see me before then), and the ultra sound wasn't good. They were pretty sure I was going to miscarry. Had to wait a week while I got my blood taken every few days. My levels never dropped, but my doc was pretty sure it wasn't a viable pregnancy. My second ultra sound confirmed it. Since I wasn't have any symptoms of one I decided to go with the d & c procedure. This was the very end of October 2006.
For most of 2007 I didn't really care.... I just wasn't ready I guess. However, we never used protection, so I was always hoping that maybe it would just happen! As I've said before, it doesn't seem to "just happen" for my husband and I. My periods that year were very spaced out, one month they would be around 42 days and then the next they would be closer to 50 (I think). It was like that the whole year though, so to me it seemed normal! When we decided to start trying again at the beginning of 2008, I finally got a blood test taken (after trying for a few months with no BFP), and it showed I wasn't ovulating. So, I went on clomid and got pregnant the second month. Miscarried that one very early. In fact had I waited another week or so I probably wouldn't have known that I was pregnant.
After that I decided to get the testing done. Tons of blood work - which all came back normal. HSG test showed a closed tube and filling defect in the uterus. At that point I was referred to a fertility specialist.
My first meeting with him was awesome. He said that he had a feeling that my HSG test was normal. He looked at it and said that the filling defect didn't look like anything and that my tube was probably ok... I guess when getting an HSG test done, the tube can spasm sometimes and make it seem like it's closed when it's not.
He decided that I needed to have laparoscopy and hysteroscopy to see that the deal was. He also had a feeling I had endometriosis and he diganosed me with PCOS because my history of not ovulating.
Had the procedure done in August of 2008 and everything he had thought was true - no closed tube, both were open. No filling defect in the uterus, but bad endometriosis. It was growing on my pelvic wall and floor. He said he got to it just in time. It was also starting to grow in the uterus, but wasn't full blown yet. He cleaned me out and basically said that my 2 m/c's were crappy luck. I guess I'm lucky that there wasn't anything wrong, but sometimes I almost wished there were so that it could be fixed, you know?
Anyway, I had to wait until November before we could start trying again. Went back on the clomid and tried until February. Nothing had happened and since I hated being on clomid and was becoming mental over not getting pregnant, I went off. I thought "screw this!"
What's weird is that I continued to have normal cycles and positive OPK. We tried for a few months on our own, and still nothing happened. In May I decided to be done for awhile. It became like to much of a "chore" and that's not what all this is supposed to be about, right?
We are now trying again and on Thursday I'm going to my first acupuncture app. I'm still not on clomid as my cycles are regular. The doc assistant at the clinic said that since my cycles are regular and I'm having positve OPK's then I'm probably ovulating. I can always do a blood test just to make sure.
I think I want to do some of the acupuncture though... see how that goes. Hopefully it will help with the stress level and get things in my body to where they should be.
Sorry for the long story - I'm just one of those people that can't do the short versions of stuff!
Love the site and love chatting with everyone out there. It's so comforting coming here. Thanks for listening everyone.

[mommytoababyangel]

Would like to say Welcome to you all.Even thougth I wish none of us had to STC.
Take care,
Tiffany

[fusbriil]

Thanks for sharing. It's great

[elle77]

Hi all,

DH and I have been together 5 years, married 2. I went off the pill in January 08, our goal was to conceive by April. Began some half-hearted charting that summer, but was in my last year of grad school so not focusing on TTC as #1 priority yet. Months went by, then a year. Since I had been on the pill to regulate cycles my gyno said not to wait any longer and begin rounds of Clomid.

The first month I did not ovulate, that was on 50mg. We upped it to 100mg and the 2nd month I had three big eggies! Ovidrel injection, but alas, no BFP and we are back to the drawing board. This round is 100mg again. Doc says if I'm not pregnant in two more cycles she will check for any blockages in my tubes, etc.

DH has strong fertility, all of my levels are normal. There is no reason they can tell us as to why we are having difficulty. I know we've only been at it for a little while and been through only a fraction of what some here have, but I was very happy to find this forum and it has gotten me though some emotionally difficult moments these past 6 months. As you all have experienced, infertility is a tough thing to talk about with friends and family. Thank you for being here!

Right now I'm feeling optimistic, on my 3rd round of Clomid and all is well. I struggle with issues of jealousy (2 good friends are pregnant on their first tries) and depression, but my DH is awesome and helps me through. Anyway, it's nice to meet you all and I hope to get to know you better!

[Cammie]

Hello! First time posting here. Been married since 2005 and decided to try for our baby early in '06 and got pregnant on the first attempt and Alexander was born 6 weeks early in Sept 06 since I developed Pre-Eclampsia. Decided to wait until he was 2 to try for a second. So we've been trying since May '08 without any luck. We've used OPK strips, I've charted my ovulation, etc...and not successful at all. I've even done a round of Clomid last month and got my period today so I'm quite bummed about it.

Just want to see how others are handling it since every month I'm feeling worse and worse about not getting pregnant. I'm 32 and Hubbie is 31.

[hopefulcaw]

Hi! So, I'm not very good at keeping it short when typing, unlike when I'm actually talking, but I'll try!

DH and I have been married for 3 wonderful years. In August 2009, after TTC for over a year and never having regular periods in my life (anywhere from 28 days to skipping a month and different each time), I found out that I have mild PCOS and a hypothyroid. My doctors put me on Metformin for the cysts and Levothyroxine for the thyroid. Has anyone else had this same combination of medical issues with a success story? After 6 weeks, a blood test showed that my thyroid level went too far the other way, so I've been about a week and a half on a decreased dose. I know I've had one m/c for sure, and they said it was a blighted ovum, but now that I've done some research, I wonder if I've had at least two others. There's no way I'll ever know now because I didn't test, but I've decided that if I have I have pregnancy symptoms, I'm testing and not waiting. I don't know how long to wait before I ask my OBGYN about Clomid and for an u/s to see if the cysts are gone. I just had two 38 day cycles in a row, which can't be good for ttc. Do I wait one more? Do I wait four more weeks until I have to go for another blood test and hopefully hear that the thyroid is between 1 and 2? Would an OPK even make sense since my cycle is so long? I don't want to get too anxious, but I don't want to wait too long for the next step, either. I'm 31 and DH is 35, and we would like a large family if God will allow. Thanks for any advice/encouragement anyone can give on this situation! GL to everyone!

[rach_9667]

Hi! So, I'm not very good at keeping it short when typing, unlike when I'm actually talking, but I'll try!

DH and I have been married for 3 wonderful years. In August 2009, after TTC for over a year and never having regular periods in my life (anywhere from 28 days to skipping a month and different each time), I found out that I have mild PCOS and a hypothyroid. My doctors put me on Metformin for the cysts and Levothyroxine for the thyroid. Has anyone else had this same combination of medical issues with a success story? After 6 weeks, a blood test showed that my thyroid level went too far the other way, so I've been about a week and a half on a decreased dose. I know I've had one m/c for sure, and they said it was a blighted ovum, but now that I've done some research, I wonder if I've had at least two others. There's no way I'll ever know now because I didn't test, but I've decided that if I have I have pregnancy symptoms, I'm testing and not waiting. I don't know how long to wait before I ask my OBGYN about Clomid and for an u/s to see if the cysts are gone. I just had two 38 day cycles in a row, which can't be good for ttc. Do I wait one more? Do I wait four more weeks until I have to go for another blood test and hopefully hear that the thyroid is between 1 and 2? Would an OPK even make sense since my cycle is so long? I don't want to get too anxious, but I don't want to wait too long for the next step, either. I'm 31 and DH is 35, and we would like a large family if God will allow. Thanks for any advice/encouragement anyone can give on this situation! GL to everyone!

Out of all these pages of posts and yours was the last one I came to that I could positively say something about-lol. I can't give you a success yet as I am still TTC but we did have one loss since I had my thyroid taken out (cancer) last year. Since I had to take radiation, we had to wait an entire year from the LAST dose to start trying again and so we've been trying for 6 mos now, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when my son was a few months old so I know the worries you have that it could be causing you conception problems. I cut my own Synthroid b/c I am on 300 and that is a l o t and I read that hyperthyroidism can cause miscarriages, too. I am also polycystic and it was one of those cysts that claimed my left ovary and tube. Coincidentally, it was also the side that burst due to an ectopic pregnancy (it had been repaired afterward), so the side I do have, I'm hanging on tight to! I had miscarried before my thyroid was removed but I still took it as a sign that I should think about quitting (we are in our mid-thirties) but really want just one more (isn't that what they all say-haha). I'm holding on to hope for this month but if it doesn't happen I'm not sure how long we'll keep it up.

That's my story - I'm happy to be here and to get to know you all

Rachael

[Katetastrophe]

My diagnosis: NPP/TTC since Nov 2005 (depending on the day you ask me LOL). One suspected but unconfirmed loss in March of 2006. Diagnosed PCOS in June 2006. Diagnosis confirmed in September 2006. Actual TREATMENT of PCOS to begin Jan 5 2007. Does not ovulate. Husband is deployed till Jan 2008.

This was my post. Update:
Husband came home Jan 2008. Finally began ovulating - still did not concieve. Tried Clomid - had horrible reaction to it - did not concieve. Had an adoption fall through. Husband deployed again in Oct 08, expected to return in May 09.

Finally seeing some progress with the PCOS - but struggling every day to stay hopeful.

Yet another update: DH returned from deployment as expected. I had lost 32 lbs, and cycles were more regular. DH has since left the military and we have moved. Have a new doctor who is fantastic, who doesn't believe the entire problem is my PCOS. Working on figuring out what it's going to take to get us there! Currently trying Dexamethasone CD 5-9, and getting DH an S/A (finally!). Assuming that comes back normal, next step is HSG.

[barbara_s]

In case you don't know me or my story, here's the abbreviated version:

I'm Barbara, DH is Jeff. We're both 33. Been NPP for two years now, off BCP since Oct '07. We started actively TTC fall of '08. Bloodwork last spring came back fine. Got our first BFP June '09 only to have an early term m/c. Waited until Sept to start TTC again, then another m/c last week.

Waiting for my next cycle for full recurrent m/s panel and u/s. Gut feeling is LPD. Hoping to get some answers soon.

I guess I'm hanging out more in here lately because the high turnover rate in TTC room is really frustrating.

Update 5/2010: Saline ultrasound (CD9)showed good lining, no interfering fibroids and good follies. M/c panel came back ok, but irregular thyroid numbers. Endocrinologist reran tests and numbers were fine. TTC again starting in April, taking progesterone supplements.

[pink_piggy]

Hi all, thought I would share my story as everyone else has. My name is Shannon I'm 30 and my DH is 31. He finally gave the OK to try this January. I started charting in Dec. and in Jan it looked like I didn't O, but since that turned into a bad month with different waking times I didn't think much of it. My dh got sick as well so there was no chance in dtd when I should have O'd either. I started my cycle on Jan 31 and it looked like I may have O'd in Feb. I test BFN. Get bloodwork done since I had an apt and that came back negative. Beginning of April I made an apt w/ an RE as it started to look like I may have PCOS. He diagnosed me with anovulation and set me up w/ an apt for the next day for an u/s and bloodwork. My u/s looked normal I guess and after b/w results I began provera since it didn't look like my cycle was going to come. I finally got af after a freaking 84 day cycle on April 24 and went in for cd 3 b/w on tuesday. Today I'm on cd 6 and have begun clomid. My hubby is freaking out b/c he's scared of multiples but twins run in his family so even w/o clomid there is that chance. His dad is a twin and his half bro had twins... The weird thing is I used to have very irregular periods when I was younger, but haven't in the longest, so the last cycle came out of nowhere. Here's wishing all of us here get our

[june]

Hey Girls!

I've never posted, but have been reading the forums for a number of months now.

I'm 25 and my sweet husband is 36. We've been married since Sept 2008 and have been TTC since Dec. 2009. I got off birth control Nov. 2009 for the first time in 4-5 years following a LEEP procedure for pre-cancerous cervical cells via HPV. Neither of us have previous children. I've been textbook regular for 28-30 day cycles my entire life except once when I was 16 (I was training athletically at an elite level at the time) and once last month (38 day cycle while TTC - what a TEASE!).

DH has a history of difficulties with his "system" including varicocele surgery in adolecence, hydrocele surgery about 4 years ago, and was diagnosed last year with a pituitary cyst/testosterone imbalance. He's been taking testosterone injections bi monthly since then. In February 2010 he stopped taking his injections when his endocrinologist's PA mentioned that it would lower his sperm count. They immediately put HIM on clomid (to raise his counts - but didn't do a baseline count first - I thought not doing a baseline was bizarre). After 3 cycles of Clomid, he will have a count taken next week and his hormone levels tested again as well.

I go in for testing in June. I'm going to ask specifically for thyroid testing (a lot of issues on my paternal side) and Hep B Antigen testing. I was vaccinated for Hep B as a child, but underwent extensive blood testing after being approved as a bone marrow donor match a few months ago. Tests came back showing positive Hep B antigens (what?! - I've only had two sexual partners my entire life, have never used drugs or had a tattoo AND as I mentioned previously have been vaccinated for Hep B). This is a result that is often falsely positive, however.

Whew.

I got a phone call from a sweet girlfriend from college last night who told me that after trying since Dec (just like us - she doesn't know we're trying) she and her DH are 13 weeks along! I could not possibly be more happy for her, OR more FRUSTRATED for me and my DH.

I realize many of you have been trying much longer than we have, but the arrival of a period each month after trying, trying, trying to have a positive outlook for a BFP test is really wearing on me!

Thanks for your ear. Sorry to rant. Any ideas yall have are always appreciated.

[susi]

I'm Susi,
I am 29 and have PCOS I recently had 2 m/c within in the last 6 months. I m/c both at around 6 to 8 weeks. On 1500 metformin and currently 3 days late. I have been TTC for 2 years .

[pink_piggy]

for you Susi and for all of us struggling.

[lissabee79]

Some of you may know me from the TTC main room...I sorta haven't joined here because I feel like all this time we haven't been "trying" just waiting. I guess after 21 months of NPP and no BFP I qualify as struggling.

We went off BC in August 2008 (I was on Nuvaring). I started charting in March 2009 and found this site about that time. I started noticing my cycles getting longer and longer and was increasingly frustrated by my lack of O. Sometimes I think genuine CH would be as good as a BFP!

In August 2009 after a round of blood tests by my OB/GYN she determined that my Prolactin levels were too high (41 when the should be like, 10?) At first she was thinking of the main cause for most women, a growth pressing on my pituitary and was about to order an MRI (which I hate). Then she mentioned "since you're not on an anti-psychotic" That's where I stopped her and said, but yes, I AM on an anti-psychotic (for my Bipolar). She was like, huh, I guess you are and told me to schedule an appt after I got my psychiatrist to take me off of it. Just shows how much we should advocate for ourselves!

So after nearly a year of trying to convince my psychiatrist of this he FINALLY has agreed to take me off of it. I have titrated down and been without it for a week. He also put me on another med that is not known to raise prolactin in the blood and I think this is really helping me stay stable.

So I guess now I should schedule with my Ob/Gyn and see what's what.

[laura88]

Hi.
I started TTC again last year, but had some issues, so we decided to wait. While TTC at the start of this year I started to realize I was in pain, and it rapidly got worse. Right now I have no actual diagnosis, it's "suspected adenomyosis" but until they get the pain down, they aren't concerned about determining what "it" is. I'd need an exploratory surgery to rule out endo to make sure that's in fact not what it is. We hope the pain will be dull enough soon to really try. I;m supposed to start trying in Sept either way, but right now I'm on hormones in an attempt to get the pain down. If the pain goes away, I can stop the hormones and start, but no luck yet!

[Songbird_kay]

I have never added my story to this thread... mostly bc I didnt want to take the time to type it all out- hahahah. Where to start....

My periods have NEVER been regular since the day they started when I was 11. I had 3-4 a year and that's it. So, I always kinda figured it would be hard to have a child. I just had that feeling from a young age, ya know?

When I was 22, in 2003, I had my first OB/GYN appointment ever and was diagnosed at that time with PCOS. The Dr did some blood work to confirm it, but it was pretty clear. I have a pretty classic case of PCOS... male pattern hair growth/loss, weight gain, absence of menstruation, excess androgens, excess estrogen, insulin resistance, oily skin, skin discolorations, skin tags, elevated blood pressure, and cysts on ovaries. She started me on BCP right away to start regulating my cycle. I was on BCP until a month before I got married in Dec of 2006.

My first cycle after stopping the BCP started two days into my honeymoon (not the first withdrawal bleed, but actual AF.) We weren't trying, but we also weren't always using protection either. We found out on Feb 13th of '07 that I was pregnant! I was excited, Aaron was scared out of his mind! hahaha Everything seemed to be progressing normally. I even had to get some maternity clothes a few weeks later bc I was so uncomfortable in my regular clothing. At my first u/s appointment (11 weeks) we found out I had a missed miscarriage. It was DEVASTATING. I named the baby Jonah Dominic, which means "a dove belonging to God." I had a horrible time dealing with the loss and, long story short, made a serious attempt on my life at the end of June. I took 90+ blood pressure pills, wrote a note to my family, went to bed and did not expect to wake up. God totally did a miracle and saved my life. I honestly should have died or AT LEAST had some major organ damage. I didn't. I DID have a stay in a mental hospital and it was honestly the best thing that could have happened. MORAL OF THIS PART OF MY STORY: it is so important to deal with the loss of a child, even if it is an early loss and people around you think you should just 'get over it.' I did not let myself grieve and that was the worst thing I could have done.

Moving on... I started temping in july of '07 and found right away that I had wacky cycles. I called my Dr and got some blood work done and also got her to give me metformin. She wanted to just throw me on clomid, but I knew (with the help of some APA friends) that would not be a good idea. With PCOS, the first thing one should do is get on Met ASAP. So, I have been on Met since july or aug of '07.

Shortly after this I started bleeding..... and bleeding... and bleeding. Seriously, 65/70 days I was bleeding. At one point I was bleeding so heavily that I was using a DIAPER as a pad. We found that somewhere in all that bleeding I had a chemical pregnancy. Shocked the hell out of me. That was in September. I continued to bleed through september and october. In november it stopped and I ovulated. I again got an early BFP (9DPO, I think) that turned into a negative a few days later. That time I had to induce a m/c with provera. Then, once again, I was bleeding. It went on, and on, and on. During this time I changed OBs THREE TIMES in hopes to find just one that would help me. Ya.... that didn't happen. In Jan of '08 I was scheduled to get an u/s (bc I demanded it) to check for endometriosis, but our insurance ran out right before I had it So, I continued to suffer with this horrible bleeding and pain that was getting progressively worse. In March, I had yet another chemical pregnancy and at that point decided it was time to avoid pregnancy until I could get someone to help me figure out what was wrong with my body.
Which brings me to April '08. I had been having the heavy bleeding off and on for a long time at that point, but one day I started bleeding so heavily that I passed out at work. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital where I was passing HUGE clots. Clots so big my cervix was actually dilated to a 2 to be able to pass them. But, in the ER all they have to do is stabilize you and then they can send you home. So, by the end of the day I was still NO WHERE. My DH found out about this low cost clinic in town and made me an appointment. This Dr was VERY concerned and wanted to do some tests- FINALLY! A Dr who wanted to figure this out! I was prescribed provera to stop the bleeding and had an endometrial biopsy a few days later. BTW- they hurt like a MoFo! hahaha

A couple weeks later I got the devastating news that I had Complex Endometrial Hyperplasia. It is a condition that is precancerous. I was told at that time that I would take provera for 21 days and then stop for 7 to get a withdrawal bleed and repeat this for three months. If the hyperplasia was not gone after this I would have to have a hysterectomy. This was a totally old school Dr that did not have a clue about the new studies concerning CEH.... In three months (aug '08) I had another biopsy and there was absolutely no change in the condition. I started freaking out thinking I was going to have to have a hysterectomy. Thank GOD there was a different OB treating me that day! He knew of this med called MEGACE and told me it is a new treatment that he did not know a lot about, but I should try it first. Megace is a cancer medication.... it made me feel like SH!T and I lost a lot of hair. While on the megace, we got insurance again (through my new job at the time) and I made an appointment with an OB/GYN/RE. I saw him in nov '08 and had yet another biopsy. This new Dr had treated two other women with CEH in the last year and both of them had the CEH resolve and got PG. I was so excited... until I got the biopsy results. It was WORSE. The lab could not tell if it was atypical or cancerous and I had to have surgery (D&C) to get a larger sample to make sure it was not cancerous. I also started taking the highest dose of megace and he upped my metformin to 2000mg. THANK GOD- it was not cancerous, but still very serious. Atypia means it is just one step below cancerous... I continued the megace and metformin until march '09 when I had yet ANOTHER biopsy. THE CEH-A WAS TOTALLY GONE! No trace of it at all! HOORAY!

Now the baby making was on full force! 150mg clomid for 5 days in the first cycle- no viable follies. Tried it again- same outcome. 150mg for EIGHT days- had 1 slow growing follie that made a VERY weak ovulation. I was planning to do ovarian drilling until we had to change insurance plans to Kaiser which meant I had to start all over again. *sigh* I did all the paperwork and initial appointments with Kaiser in sept and oct of '09 and thought we were moving right along. Until the the dreaded semen analysis. My DH had one done in July with the previous insurance but we never got the results. Come to find out... it was HORRIBLE- 1.5 mil TOTAL, ugh. They repeated it- 500,000 TOTAL. He started on Clomid, 50mg a day for THREE MONTHS STRAIGHT. In January '10, his s/a was a little better as far as mobility and such, but was still only 1.5 mil total. We decided to go ahead with an IUI- or at least that was the intention. I started on injectable medication and was just SURE it would work. ummm.... nope. The dr estimated that I had 75 +/- small follies after stimulation. Because of my severe PCOS, I had lots of follicles to stimulate but bc so many were stimming none of them were growing anywhere NEAR large enough. I was told at that point that it would be near impossible to get me to stim even for IVF w/o having a severe risk of OHSS. Plus, due to my weight it would be near impossible to even get to my uterus through my fat (at my ovaries hide behind my uterus making it even harder.) I was told to "try to get on Biggest Loser bc I have such a compelling story" or look seriously into weight loss surgery. I REALLY wanted to do biggest loser, but DH would not have it. He said he did not want to be a part from me for that long- Grrrr. So, I started the process for weight loss surgery.

On April 12th '10 I started the pre-op diet and did really well, but I Still decided to go ahead with weight loss surgery. On June 21st I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy ('the sleeve') where they take out 80% of my stomach leaving a small sleeve of stomach. I have lost 110 lbs total. DH has continued on the clomid since his IF urologist said it can take up to a year to see the full results from the clomid, until recently. He did his latest s/a and it shoed only 200,000 swimmers- NO GOOD. He did some research and found out SSRIs can cause MFI. SO he stopped taking his prozac and we will check again in december to see if going off the SSRIs has helped. FXed! He has also lost about 35 lb so far, but has a lot more to lose. The more he loses the better it is for the swimmers as well. I just made my post surgery goal weight an dhave been cleared to NPP! Hooray! We should be clread for medical intervention in December
I feel really good and hope and pray losing all this weight will make a difference in my fertility. I know FOR SURE, when I do get PG (thinking positive here!!) I will be so much more healthy. My risk for pregnancy induced hypertension, gestational diabetes and much more will be reduced. And I will be able to be a better/more healthy mother as well. :-)


*Phew* that was a long story... HAHAHA

oh, you can look at my blog to see before and after pics of my weight loss if ya want.

[Scopa3]

Praying that your dream comes true soon, Robin. Your blog is very inspirational and with that sort of dedication, I'm sure you will reach your goals. We've all struggled, some less, some more, but such perseverance gives you the best shot at success. Don't give up.

Norah

[Songbird_kay]

thank you Norah

[laura88]

Your story is intense, emotional and amazing. I have been through the ringer myself, but not nearly as bad as you. I wish you luck on your journey to getting healthy and pregnant!

On a personal note. The chronic pain from the adenomyosis is severly and quickly coming back after each cycle and is taking longer to see a dcrease in symptoms. I'm doing a hail mary and going on Seasonique to see if the small amount of hormone during they cycle will help. If not, it looks like a hysterectomy is going to happen in December. I am blessed to have one child, and that just may be all the blessings I get in this lifetime. I know I can always adopt in the future, but I si wanted to have a second baby. At this point, I am also concerned about loosing my husband. We can't bed at all b/c the pain is so intense. At some point he will need that in his life. As of now, my pro list for no hysterectomy is diminishing rapidly, but that doesn't make the choice easier.

[mistyone1]

TTC since Jan 2008. unexplained inferility. 6 failed IUI, 1st IVF-BFP.
1st US done, but dignosed with SCH. Babyis doing ok. Hope things to work out.

[KMyers]

My story: well where do i start.... 4 losses starting November 2002, next one was Oct 2003, 3rd one was April 2004 and last was April 2005. i havent been able to conceive since. Each one miscaried at about 7 weeks. after the first - we did progestrone when i got pregnant with the second. then we started on clomid, glucophage (to lower slightly elevated insulin levels) and folic acid 4mg per day. I finally got frustrated and went off of everything except the folic acid and 1 baby aspirin per day. we did ultrasound monitoring with the clomid and each time at 6 weeks there was a heartbeat, the next week when i would go back there would be none. One time the preganancy was completly gone! Its been a year now and i get more sad by the day since nothing has happened. The next step...Gonal-F injections and HCG injections. Unfortunatly i dont have the extra $$ for the Gonal-F and my insurance doesnt cover much of it. So now what???? my husband and i are both 33 years old. We are kind of settled in our life now (i have 2 step children) but i still want to have one of my own. My step kids are great, but they have a mom.... I know i am lucky to have them, but is it wrong for me to wish i had at least one of my own? Now all of my friends are starting families too.... it breaks my heart that i am having so much trouble but on the other hand i am so happy for them.

No it's not wrong to want one of your own. I wish none of us had to go thru ttc. My prayers are with you and your DH. I hope someday it will turn out as you are wishing.

[KMyers]

I have never added my story to this thread... mostly bc I didnt want to take the time to type it all out- hahahah. Where to start....And I will be able to be a better/more healthy mother as well. :-)


*Phew* that was a long story... HAHAHA

oh, you can look at my blog to see before and after pics of my weight loss if ya want.

WOW Kay, you have an incredible story. Congratulations on loosing the weight, that can only be a good thing. Good luck with the remainder. I admire your (and DH)'s strength and determination thru all of this. I don't know where the courage comes from...but it is inspiring! I'll keep you in my prayers that everything works out. Thank you for sharing with us your journey.

[jli]

I am not sure that this is write place for me to be posting but i just joined this website at the recommendation of my sister who used it when she was having miscarrages. That is not my issue, but I have been feeling really sad and overwhelmed and thought i should give this a chance.

I am 30 and have been diagnosed with PCOS since i was 17. I am atypical as I am thin with minimal hair growth, no blood glucose issues. I was married April 09 and we went off the pill feb 2010. in the beginning we weren't exactly trying just not full on trying. But by november of 2010 we were trying. My cycles can be long up to 30 - 50 days depending. Some months I just won't even get a positive ovulation at all. But I still wanted to see if I was going to be able to do this on my own. Negative...after getting incredibly frusted trying to figure out of the are going to ovulate between day 11 or 25 and trying to have sex around that time it gets pretty stressful. I finally went back to my dr in september and she said yup on the months that your cycle is > 33-35 days you probably don't have a viable egg released. My last ultrasound on this cycle performed on CD 12 showed my largest folical was 7mm way to small. my progesterone level was low on day 21 and I never got a positive ovulation. Plan is that I am going to wait until i get my period however long that takes, today I am cycle day 30 and start clomid on day 3 100 mg x 5 days. This will be my and my husbands first round with treatments. Just nervous and scared about this road ahead of us. I know I am young and have plenty of time. its nice to know that other people are going through the same things I am. any recommendations would be great! I am excited to be here.

[kissybears]

I am 30 and hubby is 35.I have PCOS, high blood presure, and I tell you what I can grow a mustach,goati and a beard, lol,got to laugh at that when i kiss hubby on the back he unstands what the poking hairs feels like.

Anyway we been togther for 10 years and married for 7 come halloween. We never used protection and kept hoping for the best. Cause even when we were not trying, trying, it was still disappointing. We had his swimers checked and they were great, i knew it was me. Both are moms passes away 6 mth apart,I'm the oldest grandchild and the last to make a greatgrandchild. Hubby wants kids so bad it make my heart hurt. I feel like a failure as a wife for not being able to give him the family he longs to love.

We have finely said lets go to the doc and see what will happen on the 24th of last month. Doc put me on provera for 10 days, i start 3 days after that on CD5 I started 50mg clomid, on the 27th we went for the U/S and he found 2 follies( spelling bad) one was 17.3 and the other was 20.5. He say i should release this weekend, then the bloodwork on 4th to see if i did. I just don't know where to look, who to ask.

It really is alot of emoitions rolling around in a bucket, it seem you never know which one is going to pulled out or when.

Hoping all work out for everyone.

[Villeladyx]

Hello. I am new to the message boards. I thought this would be the best place to get help/advice for my issue. I will start with a bit of background info as you suggest.

I had been on BC since 1997, until recently (March 2011). Doctor took me off b/c I wanted to try and conceive. I have had multiple issues with BC throughout the last 16 years. They tell me it's b/c I had been on it for so long. I had to change pill types about 8 times and even tried Depo for a year. My periods had always been irregular. My last OB did exploratory surgery and found there was a great deal of scar tissue and a few cysts on my ovaries. He removed the cysts, but left the tissue. The surgery caused even more scar tissue. I had another surgery in 2010 to remove my appendix. The physician saw that I had a huge cyst, but neglected to get it taken care of at that time.

Jump to 2011: After coming off of BC, my first month was horrible. I stayed on for almost 20 days. At this point, my (new) OB decided to do a vaginal ultra sound. He was at a loss for words due to the amount of scarring that had taken place. At was extremely upset that earlier physicians had done nothing to correct the issues I was having. He immediately scheduled me for an HSG (think this is what it was called). Although the pain that comes with these is horrible, I survived. It showed good flow. He then scheduled me for another exploratory surgery. With this surgery, he cleaned up most of the scarring, removed a few cysts, and took my right tube. He wanted to take the left, but thought that it might have a chance.

Jump to now (Nov 2011): I now have BV infections every month. He says, "they are just bad luck". Everything should clear up. I am worried about further scarring due to these. I had only had a few in my lifetime, until now. I have been trying since surgery to get pregnant and have yet to do so. For the BV, I have taken 3 cycles of the meds for this with no end in sight. I am worried that I will not conceive ever.

I joined to get advice on everything I can and need to do, to try and conceive asap. I am now 32 years old and honestly don't want to get pregnant after next year.

Looking forward to everyone's help,
=)

[Cricket56]

TTC baby #2 since 2008 2 chemical pregnancies and my husband was diagnosed with a variocele we just had the surgery to fix that back in august his 3month check up looked really good and we dont get the 6month checkup until august to see if the surgery was fully successful

[turpkm]

I too have very similar symptoms. Conceived our son almost 4 years ago one first try using OPK. Now ~ four years later we have been trying for 8 months, get LH surges each cycle with OPK. Progesterone levels indicate that I am O and recent HSG was normal. However, each month after I O about 4 days later I will have mild lower back pains and mild cramps on my right side. MD suspects endo and wants to do a laparoscopy if we don't conceive in the next two cycles. May I ask about your symptoms of endo? Am trying do some research before next visit.