#diminishedovarianreserve

[0nein8]

Unless you’ve walked this path...

You really don’t know. 

It’s a common (and personal) to ask, “So are you guys trying to have a baby?” or “When are you going to have kids?” or maybe even subtle hints about how you’ve been married “for a while” and it’s time to have kids. 

This conversation can go in two ways. Fertility is such a private matter, that most people won’t say they’re having difficulty conceiving. Or what I’ve done is actually respond and say, “we’ve been trying, we have some fertility issues.” Then it just becomes this awkward conversation because the person asking wasn’t expecting this answer. Then THEY try to backtrack and say something to make THEMSELVES feel better.

Like, “Oh it’ll happen. Just try to relax.” People never mean anything malicious by comments, but it just becomes an awkward dance... especially when they say “you can always adopt!” as a knee-jerk comment. Little do people know that adoption can cost more than an IVF cycle with the application & legal process.

I don’t think people know that asking such a simple question can be so personal. You never know if you’re asking someone who is having fertility issues or worse— going through a miscarriage or just miscarried.

It also has to be acknowledged that you don’t know the fertility status of women. A woman trying to conceive can be as relaxed and free of stress; but if she has underlying issues such as PCOS, endometriosis, diminished ovarian reserve... relaxing isn’t going to get her pregnant.

I am the biggest advocate for family planning and birth control. But it has to be said that being on hormonal birth control can mask a lot of underlying issues women have and don’t know until they start trying to conceive. You just won’t know until you get there.

[forevertheyoungs]

IVF Intake

My newest blood work confirmed a much higher egg reserve than previously shown, he mentioned that might be because I was on Clomid when he did the draw originally & hormones naturally fluctuate so it could’ve been a fluke low result. My AMH = 2.26 which he said is only “mildly low if at all” so the clock is ticking a little slower THANK GOD!

He said that we should expect ~80% chance of success our first IVF cycle per their track record at the lab; and around 75% chance that we wind up with multiple children from the single egg retrieval procedure from part #1 of the IVF cycle.

HOLY COW!! That’s like... way higher than I read around on Google. He said that our chance of success decreases around 10% or so each year, so if we waited a year to maybe succeed on our own it wouldn’t be the end of the world but he would recommend at least the egg retrieval now to ensure we get a bumper crop for future use.

Based on my history he said we should expect to harvest around 12-15 eggs which will then hopefully be fertilized. From there, the portion that reach the correct developmental stage will be biopsied and flash frozen/stored (insurance not covered). Genetics will be run to ensure the embryos have no genetic abnormalities or issues (and of course insurance covers none of this part of the treatment). Those that clear screening are then ready to use - now OR later!! They only insert one embryo at a time, so there’s a significant reduction in the chance of multiple births. That said, twins run in both sides of our family - if it’s in the stars we won’t shun the blessing!

The whole process takes around 6 weeks and has 2 “parts”. It’s going to be a journey for sure and I want to share with you guys but only what you want to catch up on... figured this would be a great way! Read what you want, leave what you don’t - and always ask if you have questions. If what I have learned and been through these two years can help anyone else in the interwebs - it’s been worth it.

What’s funny is my side of the family said I should snag a second opinion from a doctor who had helped friends of my sister-in-law’s get pregnant... turns out I’d have been seeking a second opinion from my own doctor! Sure we’re in good hands... and we couldn’t be more excited for this journey.

I am so thankful for those amazing few who are helping us finance the requirement to pre-pay the treatment for a whopping $10,000, and absolutely everyone in my world for the love, support, and kindness they’ve shown us every step of the way these last 2 years.

Welcome to our fertility journey blog -- and thank you for being in our worlds!

[gettingsewcrafty-blog]

I am #1in8. This week marks national #infertilityawarenessweek and I am speaking up to say I suffered from #secondaryinfertility for years. At the age of 26 I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve and blocked tubes after countless months, painful tests and much waiting. I underwent surgeries and kept fingers crossed that my miracle would happen...that I would see those two pink lines (again). Since conceiving my older son without any issue my husband and I had no idea the second time around would be so hard. After that scary 1 year mark of #ttc we knew it was time to seek medical help. Thats when we learned my body had very few viable eggs left and that both of my tubes were blocked. We started round 1 of #ivf with a hope and a prayer. We learned how to give shots (I did the ones in my belly and he did the PIO shots in my butt). We learned how mentally and physically exhausting the whole process was. We learned how to parent a 4.5 year old who wanted to be a big brother while trying to complete our family. I had 9 eggs retrieved with 6 being mature. All 6 fertilized and grew just as they were supposed to. However, my body needed a break from the whole process and we decided to freeze the 6 #embryos and do a #FET the next month. That next month we defrosted one embryo, implanted it and waited....the LONGEST 2 week wait ever. We were #pregnant! Nate was going to be a big brother! Jackson was born January 2015 (and boy is that another long story- this kid likes to keep us on our toes). Not all stories are happy endings. Not everyone sees a + pregnancy test after years of waiting, multiple IVF rounds, heartbreak. We are lucky. We look at our Jackson and are so very thankful that he was able to complete our family of four. • • • #infertility #diminishedovarianreserve #blockedtubes #momlife #motherhoodinspired #worththewait #infertilitysucks #niaw

[crowdstork]

Repost from @ttc_ourlittlepeanut using - 🅗🅞🅟🅔🅕🅤🅛 🅑🅛🅘🅢🅢··· My RE just called and gave me the wonderful news- both of our embryos came back PGS normal! 😭😭 This means that after 2 retrievals, we have 3 little babies waiting to come back into their mama! We need days like this. Beautiful moments where we know our tireless efforts are worth it. And the hope. The belief that I will get to meet these embryos in real life and love them for life. Although, I already do ♥️ Thank you for the endless prayers... My tribe is priceless to me! Retrieval 3, here we come! #ttcsisters #ttccommunity #ttcjourney ##ttcsupport #ttc #ttcover30 #ttctribe #ttcwarrior #ttcmembers #ttcbaby #infertility #infertilitysucks #infertilitysisters #infertilityawareness #infertilitysupport #infertilityjourney #infertilitycommunity #infertilitywarrior #ivf #ivfjourney #ivfcommunity #ivfsupport #ivfwarrior #ivfsisters #fet #eggretrieval #ivfgotthis #1in8 #icsi #diminishedovarianreserve https://www.instagram.com/p/BtbcRSVhFR-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ywmclqcbw1up

[hopingforbabyblog]

Despite someone pulling the fire alarm right before my embryo transfer (see previous post), I was still able to do my transfer. And yes, I had to hold from going pee with a full bladder (required for transfer) while the fireman were inside for about 30 minutes. When I was finally able to go back inside I only had one thing on my mind while they were inserting my embryo..."please don't pee, please don't pee, PLEEEASE!" I had to go so badly now that we were running late for my transfer. Near the last few minutes I could feel my heart rate going down. They told me that because I hadn't been called back when the alarm went off, they hadn't thawed the embryo yet. So my embryo was perfectly fine just chillin' in cryopreservation while I was nearly having a panic attack outside on the sidewalk. The embryologist said my embryo looks "beautiful" and that it was hatching, which I've heard is a good sign. I was able to go the bathroom right after the transfer, THANK YOU JESUS! I cannot believe this happened today, but I'm even more surprised I was still able to do the transfer despite the situation. What a rollercoaster of emotions! Phew! Right now I'm just relaxing in my hotel. In the next few days I'll be writing a detailed post on my blog (see bio) keep checking back to hear more details of my FET transfer. . Follow IG @hopingforbabyblog . . . #ivf #ivftransfer #frozenembryotransfer #frozenembryo #embryotransfer #ivfjourney #ivfsupport #ivfsisters #ivfwarrior #ivfblogger #ivfblog #ivftreatment #ivfcommunity #ivfwarriors #infertilitywarrior #infertility #infertilityblogger #infertilityblog #infertilitycommunity #infertilitysupport #infertilitysisters #infertilityjourney #lowamh #lowamhlevels #lowovarianreserve #diminishedovarianreserve #infertilityover30 #ivfover30 https://www.instagram.com/p/CDcvzVVB0hp/?igshid=yzwrs3i30ffk

[sistereggs-blog-blog]

The call from T

Well, I'm finally up to date in my story, so now I'll be talking about the very recent past and the present.

T called me this morning with the best news. On her ultrasound, it turns out that she had 32 FOLLICLES!  To a woman like me, with DOR, that is insane! At my very best ultrasound I had 11 follicles total. T had 15 on one ovary and 17 on the other. Besting my total on each of her outstanding ovaries!  I could not be more thrilled. I am now sitting here staring at my phone, waiting to hear some of the results that come in today. There are a couple of very important ones that should come in next week. But her Antral Follicle Count of 32 is such great news and a real step in the right direction. I am so grateful to my sister for going to get the 5-6 blood draws and transvaginal ultrasound that were required for this testing. That is not fun, and I would know. I've done it way too often.

As for me, I'm doing my best to get back to exercising and taking care of myself again. I sprained my ankle this summer pretty badly and took some time off, then it was IVF time and I was told not to do anything that made "my ponytail swing" so no working out. Since my Diminished Ovarian Reserve diagnosis, I have gained ten very unwelcome pounds. I am a fairly thin person to begin with, so gaining the weight isn't putting me at an unhealthy BMI or anything. Just rendering my entire wardrobe useless. And before you shopaholics suggest it, yes, I would love to start shopping for a new wardrobe, but after the more than $20K we've spent this year out of pocket for Infertility Treatment I can't really afford it!

So, a few weeks ago I started back on the Couch to Five K (C25K) workout. If you don't have it and you want to start running, download it to your phone immediately. It is the BEST. I am currently on week 5, which in my experience is one of the toughest weeks, but I'm loving it. Talk about a stress reliever. I highly recommend exercise if you're going through something tough. I know everyone says it, but it's so true. It helps so much.

Alright, I'm off to pick Little T up from "school." I'll update as the results come in.

[0nein8]

Egg 🥚 Retrieval is done!

Hoping we get some good news later on today. ❤️ What’s done is done and now all we can do is hope for the best.

Update// Got the call. Out of the 6 eggs, 4 were mature. We are doing ICSI. We wait for tomorrow to see what has fertilized! 🤞🏼

[0nein8]

I was hoping for better news...

So out of the 4 mature eggs, only ONE fertilized 😭 I really don’t understand why. We even did ICSI where they inject the sperm into the egg. Our doctor told us that:

One egg “should’ve fertilized and they’re not sure why it didn’t”

One egg looked like it had some fragments so it was no surprise it didn’t fertilize.

One egg they are keeping because it might just need “more time” though it’s a 1 in 20 chance that it will fertilize.

And our one egg that did fertilize... we have to wait until Day 5 to see if it becomes a blastocyst.

We are mentally preparing ourselves to go through a second round, although I’m not sure what we would do differently... I was already placed on the highest dose and we now know I don’t respond well to the meds.

Recovery from the egg retrieval wasn’t too terrible. I’ve had worse period cramps than this. However I am very bloated. I gained 4 lbs in the span of 2 weeks from the hormones.

I don’t know if I’m in denial, but I just really didn’t think it would be this hard for us to get pregnant! I’m so lost. I didn’t think my fertility issue was this severe to need another round of IVF.

Even if our embryo makes it to day 5, I still need to do a saline infused sonogram before transfer. We will decide on doing another round OR transferring the one embryo we have- If it makes it! 🤞🏼the thought process is that if we want to have another child, it would be best for my eggs to be harvested now.

Well, I guess I’ll know in 3 more days...

[0nein8]

Made it thorough STIMS 💉

I haven’t updated here at all because as soon as I started the IVF cycle, the BLM protests started happening and I just decided to be muted for a bit. 😌

On 5/29 I had my baseline appointment. My doctor saw 9 egg follicles and two of which, looked “bigger” and more dominant. He couldn’t tell if it was an older cyst from the last cycle but we had to wait on my estradiol levels to come back. I really anticipated it to be high just like the last cycle. They called me and told me it was 10- it was 86 last time. So they gave me the green light to start Stims on 5/30.

My dosage for ALL the days were 450 IU of Follistim Pen & 150 IU of menopur. I added ganirelex on Stim Day 8.

5/30, Day 1: I hated the Follistim pen. It injected so damn slowly and I’ve done menopur before so I expected it to sting.

5/31, Day 2: Not feeling any effects yet.

6/1, Day 3: Not feeling any side effects yet. Blood draw 🩸 before work and my estradiol was 83.

6/2, Day 4: Starting to dread injections.

6/3, Day 5: Blood draw 🩸 and Ultrasound. My estrogen was 140 and what we saw on the ultrasound was only 4️⃣ out of the 🥚 9 follicles he saw growing. This was upsetting news since we felt our chances immediately dropped off. I’m unable to go up higher as I’m already on the highest dose.

6/4, Day 6: Was pretty good at rotating injection sites but somehow got a huge nodule on my belly that turned into a huge bruise the next day.

6/5, Day 7: Blood draw 🩸 and ultrasound before work. Received amazing news. Saw 8️⃣ follicles now. Some follicles came out of the woods! Estradiol level was 361. At this point, they believe I’ll need more meds and we will possibly delay taking ganirelex a couple days and the egg retrieval to 6/11 or 6/12. This is the day I really started noticing now messed up the hormones are making me. So mentally foggy that I can’t remember anything and forgetting basic things at work, my coworkers noticed and said, “You’re acting weird as shit today.”

6/6, Day 8: Just tired. Rested most of the day. Started ganirelex, adding a third injection every night. Had my husband give it to me on my arm.

6/7, Day 9: This should’ve been my last night of meds. Feeling more and more tired. Breasts are so tender and painful!

6/8, Day 10: Blood draw 🩸 and ultrasound before work. My estradiol level was 863. 6️⃣ follicles growing bigger. Not sure what happened to the other two that was seen previously, but maybe they didn’t grow or are hiding. This was the MOST tired I’ve felt. Really took a lot to function at work today. Had to order two more days of meds resulting in an extra $1,000! 😩 All delivered same day to me so I could have meds for tonight and tomorrow night.

6/9, Day 11: Feeling so accomplished to have finished 27 injections!

6/10, Day 12: Injected ganirelex in the morning to prevent ovulation. Blood draw 🩸 estradiol level was 1,201! Ultrasound showed 3 mature follicles >18 mm and 3 maybe mature follicles about >14 mm. Trigger injection happened at 7 pm! 🥳

No shots tomorrow 🙌🏼 and Egg 🥚 Retrieval is on Friday at 6 am! 🙏🏻🤞🏼🙏🏻🤞🏼

I remain very hopeful that we will have 3-4 embryos that make it to Day 5! ☺️

[0nein8]

Starting Over... Again.

Cycle Day 1 arrived on 05/17/2020. And so, birth control started once again on Cycle Day 3 through Cycle Day 13. This time, a higher dose of birth control was prescribed. Last attempted cycle I took Loloestrin which had 10mcg of Ethinyl Estradiol & Apri has 30 mcg of Ethinyl Estradiol.

I’m tolerating this birth control better than the lower dose, actually. My head is hurting a bit but much less cramps and mood swings compared to last time. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m hoping that this cycle will be better 🤞🏼yeilding more follicles. I feel different this time, I am less amped up. Just going with the flow. Riding the waves as they come.

Here is the updated calendar...

[0nein8]

IVF Cycle Cancelled

04.24.20// Well, that didn’t go very far. Fertility treatments is a lot of stop and go. I’m finding myself anxiety-ridden through the entire process. Though, I imagine this is what all women feel like during this time. There is just WAY TOO MANY VARIABLES during this process!

 I started my period on 04/12, followed by starting birth control on CD 3 to CD 13. My last day of birth control was 04/21 and my initial appointment was today. The appointment started with a blood draw, leaving a urine sample, and having an ultrasound. The ultrasound was what worried me the most. In my past IUI’s I had 9, 7, and 14. That 14 was either a lucky month or clomid the months before brought some follicles out of the woods.

Today, I had 8 follicles, and two were already measuring about 10 mm. Which is little “too dominant and larger” than what they’d like to see. I was shocked when he told me I only had 8 follicles. Though I shouldn’t have been, for some reason I was hoping to have at least 12. But this is what diminished ovarian reserve is... 

The visit ended with a COVID test up my nostrils. They are testing everyone as a precaution prior to starting a treatment; which is great but if it actually came up positive, the results wouldn’t be back until 4 days and at that time, I would’ve been doing stim’s... 

I asked my doctor if he thinks we should proceed, since I don’t have as many egg follicles. He told me he would proceed, unless my estradiol levels were higher than the range they were looking for. Three hours after leaving the office, he called me to let me know that my estradiol was higher than he would’ve wanted... so it was best to cancel it. (It was 85, and they wanted it less than 60.)

During the ultrasound, I had a sinking feeling- like it wasn’t time to do the cycle yet. I think that feeling was mostly due to paying the $5,000 coinsurance and knowing I had to overnight Follistim which is $2770. FOR EIGHT DAMN EGGS. I just felt like my margins were too thin. When the doctor called and told me that he thinks we should wait another cycle to start... I instantly felt relief. Which was then immediately followed by grief of going back to the unknown.

What if my egg follicles were even less the next month? I have to take birth control AGAIN for 10 more days? I have to wait another cycle? (Which I don’t even know what cycle day I’m on anymore cause the 10 days of birth control threw it all off.) So another 2-3 weeks and 10 days of birth control again to go back to my baseline appointment, back to square one. UGH HOW FRUSTRATING! This is definitely more of a process than IUI.

For the first time since this TTC journey, I’m starting to re-imagine our future without children. It’s really making me emotional to think/say that. But, if this first round of IVF doesn’t work... financially, emotionally, and mentally... and the toll this is taking on our marriage... I don’t think I can do it again.

I’m also coming to terms with my diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve. I am 33 right now and my antral follicle counts hover between 7-11 then even in my mid-twenties I must’ve had lower than average antral follicle counts. Time is truly a thief. 

[0nein8]

And so it begins...

CD #1 was on Friday, 04/10. Birth control was called in for me to start on CD #3 for 10 days. Today I received the tentative IVF calendar. 📅

More meds will be shipped on Wednesday... I know it’s here but it still feels far from Egg 🥚 Retrieval. Also confused about getting another period after 10 days of birth control. Is it a real period? Is it to keep the follicles I have from this cycle? 🤔

[0nein8]

What infertility feels like

Standing still, while watching everyone walk past you. Watching families growing with their second or third pregnancy. Watching babies become toddlers. Seeing your news feed with pregnancy announcements. While you are at a standstill. Life just pauses. Month after month, just coming and going. Seasons passing. More inadvertent self-isolation. Feeling sad when your birthday arrives because it’s another year closer to the 35th mark where your eggs “drop off.” Bittersweet feelings when your wedding anniversary arrives. A silent battle you face while wearing a “happy” mask. And losing hope at the pace of sand falling in an hour glass. This is what infertility feels like. 💔

📌If we got pregnant with our first IUI procedure... I would have been due this Month, March 2020. 

We had our first IVF consult with a fertility clinic in Newport Beach last month. We wanted to follow our doctor who did my entire infertility workup including our 3 IUI’s at Kaiser Permanente. We switched from Kaiser Permanante to PPO this year for IVF 💉benefits. In October 2019, this fertility clinic told us that they were working to be in contract with our insurance and should be covered by 3/1... but still no coverage yet.

While checking for providers in our network, another doctor popped up that was actually the medical director of the KP Reproductive Endocrinology Dept. Off a whim, I decided to schedule a consultation to see how I felt and the clinic felt “right” for me. Going in for our second consult next week to start this process. First IVF cycle will likely take place in May...

Feeling so exhausted, emotional, and empty. AF is due anyway now. 🩸

[laurasgroi]

I remember being pregnant over the holidays in 2016.  Summer babies are made in the winter. During the holidays, I would add! If you would like to have a baby in 2021, the time to plan is now. Be mindful of what you do, eat, and drink. Stay active. Don´t forget your supplements and keep any appointments you might have scheduled. Choose your health insurance plan for 2021 and budget for everything, from conception to post-partum. Please take it easy, sleep in, stay positive, and test negative for COVID! I would love to support you with a Virtual 90-Day Fertility Coaching Program Starting in January 2021. Information and Bookings: E: coaching@laurasgroi.com P: +17863558780 Happy and Fertile Holidays! Your Well-being and Fertility Coach, Laura 📸: My sister and comadre @isisantana.photography ~ Recuerdo que estaba embarazada durante las fiestas navideñas de 2016. Los bebés de verano se hacen en invierno. ¡Durante las pascuas, agregaría yo! Si deseas tener un bebé en 2021, el momento de planificar es ahora. Sé consciente de lo que haces, comes y bebes. Manténte activ@. No olvides tus suplementos y asiste a las citas que hayas programado. Confirma tu seguro médico para el próximo año y presupuesta para todo el proceso desde la concepción hasta después del parto. ¡Tómalo con calma, duerme hasta tarde, mantén una actitud positiva y tus pruebas COVID negativas! Te puedo apoya con un programa virtual de coaching en fertilidad natural de 90 días a partir de enero de 2021. Información y reservas: E: coaching@laurasgroi.com P: +17863558780 Felices y fértiles vacaciones! Cuenta con tu coach de bienestar y fertilidad, Laura . . . . . #miamifertilitycoach #fertilitycoach #fertility #1in8 #lowamh #diminishedovarianreserve #ttc #ttcjourney #fertilidad #infertility #infertilidad #coachfertilidad #fertilitylifestyle #fertilitymindset #fertilitylifestylecoaching #fertilitymindsetcoaching #estilodevida #mentesanacuerposano #fertilidadnatural #fertilityfriday (at Home) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIqz13xr3nD/?igshid=1f9hfwl5xpod1

[laurasgroi]

Aloha! On this rainy Friday in Miami, I would love to talk about fertility as many cultures around the world associate rain with fertility. Most of you know my journey to becoming a mom and you can read more about it #linkinbio For inspiration purposes and as a message of hope for my fertility coaching clients, could you please share your story along with what worked for you? Thanks in advance for opening up, we all need to make this vulnerable topic less taboo for women and men trying to conceive. Grateful, Laura . . . . . #miamifertilitycoach #fertilitycoach #fertility #1in8 #lowamh #diminishedovarianreserve #ttc #ttcjourney #fertilidad #infertility #infertilidad #coachfertilidad (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGap2o6ATx5/?igshid=1umr2kko2a6hh