I did say I’d come on to post about what our f/s had to say at our WTF appointment yesterday. The weirdest part of the day was realizing the visceral reaction my body now has to the clinic. My heart starts pounding as I walk up to the doors of the building. By the time I’m in the waiting room I can feel it rushing on. I had to seriously force myself to take some deep breaths and try to relax.
So that type of reaction MUST be helpful when trying to conceive. ‘Cause stress is excellent. And overloading on adrenaline must be even better. (See me rolling my eyes.)
Anyway, the appointment was short, as expected. F/s was a bit confused as to why we were waiting until the fall, but I think we explained it in the end. He’s endearing the way it seems to boggle his mind that we can’t just magically pull out thousands of dollars and hand it to him to get started again RIGHT NOW. Dude- I’m a graduate student. If it weren’t for Q. being clever enough to already have a PhD and get a permanent job, we’d be living in a van. And we’re not giving you any more money until we finish paying off the IVF!
The good news: he now wonders if my thyroid antibodies could be a problem, and wants to put me on three new medications next time round in case my body rejected the embryos (hooray for our drug plan). One of them was called Frag.ment. I can’t remember what the other two were- I think they’re all blood thinners. Since I bruise easily anyway, this should be barrels of fun.
The bad news: he still doesn’t think that my TSH has anything to do with the cycle’s failure (his test finally came back at 4.7- if I’d known that, I would have cancelled the cycle immediately. Gah.). He is, at least, quite willing to run a TSH test well before we start to see where I’m at.
So the plan right now is to start BCPs around the end of August (and let me tell you, even thinking about taking bcps is weird after this much time pill-free) to aim for a transfer in mid-October. That’s when Q. and I should be settling into the new school year, so I should be less stressed and able to sit back and coast for a couple of weeks. It turns out I don’t have to stim to get my useless body ready for the FET, just take estrogen. Suits me.
My f/s said yesterday that when they can get the frozen embies to be as good as the fresh he reckons no one will do fresh transfers any longer. He feels your body is just put under too much pressure during the stim cycle. Makes sense to me- I know I certainly didn’t feel normal after my IVF experience.
So that’s where we left it. We have a plan, and I still have my summer to do my own thing. And hopefully next summer we’ll have a baby coming.
—
More news on my friend’s baby. They did an MRI to try to explain the seizures, and it turns out that along with getting the GBS she also had a stroke (!!) at some point during delivery or just afterwards. They hope she’s going to be just fine; she seems just fine now, but they’re going to have to just wait and see and visit a lot of specialists. The whole thing is just awful.
I find it strange that a dr. doesn’t feel high TSH levels are important?!? I don’t agree with that…but then again, I’m not a doctor. Hard to argue with them sometimes, I guess.
That’s great you don’t have to do stims for the FET
.
Glad to hear from you, hope your summer is lovely!
Your plan sounds great!! I hope you have a relaxing summer that is worry free ( or as close to that as possible;) ((HUGS))
Oh, trust me — EVERYONE is anxious when going for these appointments…and at practically every step along the way. You are so normal! And no, it’s not going to affect your chances at all, as you know….
Am so glad you have a solid plan for moving forward. I’m sure it will help you enjoy the time off even more, to have clear steps for action mapped out when you’re ready to come back.
Hi! I am new to your blog and I am in the same boat as you are, sort of. My first IVF failed. I have hypothyroidism. My first IVF yeilded 2 eggs which turned into 2 embryos that were both put back and neither took. We are left scratching our heads trying to figure out what happened. I just finished all of my blood testing. I asked for it all (you can read back on my blog what was tested). They said all of my tests were clean and my TSH was “in normal range.” I’m going to have to call I guess to see what that means. I’m currently reading a book about hypothyroidism that has helped a lot and they say for your TSH to be between 1 and 2 for pregnancy. I am a teacher and I am planning IVF #2 to be October also, for the reasons you stated. Are they not testing you for blood clotting disorders? My RE tested me and said the results would justify whether or not I went on blood thinners?
I like a relaxing summer idea!! Sorry about the doc’s seeming lack of concern and the stress of going to the clinic though. I don’t think I realized how stressed and worried I was for the 18 months we were trying until recently (as in a month or so ago). I seriously wondered if that has anything to do with our unexplained diagnosis. Blah.
In any case, I hope you get to enjoy some nice weather (it’s been cold and rainy here in New England) and get to do some fun things with Q.
Thinking of you sweetie.
~~HUGS~~
Hi,
What the other commenters said … ! Plus, just wanted to add I know someone whose baby had a stroke in utero and it turned out mom (baby too) had blood clotting issues … worth knowing if your friend decides to ttc again in the future (I realize likely the farthest thing from her mind, now, but FWIW). Beyond that, as I understand it (admittedly, not well) clotting disorders can be serious and need regular treatment/monitoring, so if your friend’s doctors aren’t already suggesting this, she may want to self-refer to a specialist if possible. My best wishes to her and her family.
HI – I just stumbled on to your blog. I too have PCOS and have been going to f/s for almost 3 years. Every time I walk up to the big double doors of their office, I almost lose my stomach – so you’re not alone
Take this summer to breathe and just rest – mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’ve done the same for the past couple of months, and oh the sanity it has brought!! Good luck on your journey!
I just stumbled upon your blog through some other fertility blogs I am following. Wow, it’s so interesting reading what others are going through. I feel like I’ve found my people!!
I have the VERY same reaction to doctor’s appointments. I love my doctor, LOVE my nurses even more, but man, when I approach that building, I nearly lose my breakfast. Glad to know I’m not alone. Good luck, and baby dust to you!