September 2009 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Mrs. Mo (Or other people who know lots about IUI/IVF)
ok, help a BNOTBer understand some of this.
A very good friend of mine is having a lot of problems TTC. She wasn't ovulating at all, went on Clomid. Has done 4 rounds, #4 she finally ovulated. But apparently it wasn't "a very good egg" or something, they actually had to induce AF because her body wasn't doing it on it's own. Her doctor wasn't her to do one more month of Clomid, but then they'll likely have to move to IUI. Which I'm gonna be honest, I don't totally understand how all this works. I've picked up a lot from you all, and I feel bad asking her too many questions because I know this is just heartbreaking for her.
Can I get an IUI 101?
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Re: Mrs. Mo (Or other people who know lots about IUI/IVF)
IUI 101- Since she's working with female infertility (I'm supposing that she has already had her H's sperm tested), she'll likely go on a course of injectable medication and have monitoring ultrasounds.
A basic course in a 28 day cycle goes something like this:
CD1 (1st day of period) call dr, get prescriptions and protocol
CD3 have ultrasound, where they'll check her ute, lining, etc. to make sure she's clean for the cycle
CD3-13ish she'll continue the shots, have monitoring ultrasounds to measure growth of egg follicles and their maturity (likelihood that she is producing eggs able to be fertilized)
CD14ish she'll have a "trigger" shot that will release the egg(s)
CD15ish she'll go to the doctor and have the insemination
CD16-28= 2WW
Stand up for something you believe in.
Most doctors recommend 6 consecutive months of Clomid max, so that's why they're telling her it's time to move onto IUI. I haven't been through this, but from what I understand. They'll give her trigger shots to make her ovulate in office, then do the turkey baster procedure. It works the exact same as regular baby-making. They're just medically inducing ovulation and inseminating right there. If it doesn't work right away, she'll probably go through a few rounds of that before they begin looking at IVF.
I'm trying to think of other things to address. Do you have specific questions? In general, insurance covers it. (Ours covers up to 8 procedures over the course of your lifetime, but no IVF). The trigger shot/ovulation are really painful, but other than that she shouldn't have any side effects. Hmm. I trying to think of what else I asked. HTH!
Stand up for something you believe in.
thanks, that's all very helpful!
So the injectable med is different from Clomid how? Isn't Clomid supposed to be helping her produce eggs?
Oh and yes Mary, the issues are on her end. Her H (my cousin) is testing fine.
Clomid is supposed to stimulate ovulation but it is an easier drug for most people's bodies. It is super inexpensive (generic for $4 at Walmart without insurance cheap) and you take a pill. Some people just aren't good responders to this, just like any medication.
Injectable meds are more serious- depending on what the dr thinks her issue is (some people have issues with egg maturity, some with egg quality, some with implantation, lining etc) they can prescribe a more specific drug that will work differently in her system. There are usually higher side effects, they hurt like a *** to inject (most of them have to be done subcutaneously into fat, so frequently into legs/ stomach), some of them burn or cause muscle cramping, and then the trigger shot is usually an intermuscular (IM) shot that has to be done into a major muscle group (frequently back above the hip). Those hurt like no other, and cause cramping because they force the ovaries to release the follicles immediately.
Stand up for something you believe in.
Ok, so is Clomid supposed to be helping with the egg growth, or the egg release?
I'm so clueless, sorry!
Clomid is supposed to stimulate both growth and ovulation, but in the context of your body's natural process if you respond ideally (ie: your body will release when it decides to, it can't target deficiencies specific phases of the cycle)
Stand up for something you believe in.
ok, gotcha.
Thanks ladies, this helps a lot. And if there are any spare T&Ps out there for another TTCer, I know she's appreciate it. She's jsut absolutely heartbroken over this, she wants nothing more in life than to be a mom. I just feel so helpless for her.
Sooooooooooo sorry I am just seeing this now !
I think Mary & DD covered it, though.
Clomid is the cheapest option but doens't always work that well. It is a general concensus that a woman shoudl not do more than 6 rounds of clomid in her lifetime, though. Clomid is know to thin the uterine lining so some woman may produce good quality follicles, but implantation would be impossible.
Injectibles are more expensive & more powerful. They generally produce better quality eggs, though, than clomid does (just the nature of the beast).
If she is just having egg quality (not quantity) issues, clomid + IUI won't give her much more of a chance to get pregnant than clomid + just sex.
For egg quality issues (like AMA- advanced maternal age or my thyroid issues), IVF can be the best option. The goal is to produce as many mature follicles as possible and they can do ICSI (where they literally inject 1 sperm into 1 egg) and watch how each grows. This gives the best chance b/c, well, they can literally watch how each embryo is developing and choose which they want to transfer back into the woman for the best hopes of it working.
Dx: Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism After 2 years TTC & failed IUs,we have our IVF baby born 9/24/11
LO#2 aka 'Miracle Baby' Orig. EDD= 9/28 EDD moved to 10/3/13
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -- Dale Carnegie
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." --Thomas A. Edison
No worries! I'm not sure about the quality/quantity issue. At first, it sounded like a quantity issue, but this last time when she DID ovulate, it sounds like it was a quality issue. Obviously I don't know all the details.
And ps, to all of you, thanks. Reason #899 why I love this board. Without y'all, I'd be left googling all this mess and trying to figure it out myself.