Now that I’m on CD5 (damn you, AF!), I figured I would share the TTC changes I’m making this cycle.
One new thing that I’m very excited to try this cycle is the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor. I stalked eBay, put in several bids (and lost several auctions), and ended up buying a gently used monitor at the super discounted price of $64.98 (originally $69.98, but there was an issue with the shipping - I was charged $2 to pick it up from the post office because there was postage due on it. I contacted the seller, and they were amazing enough to refund $5 for the hassle). Not a bad deal at all, considering they retail for $130-150. The one downside to the CBEFM is that the test sticks usually sell for about $40 for 30 sticks. Quite an increase when compared to my previous $14 for 40 Wondfo ovulation sticks and 10 pregnancy tests from Amazon. With any luck, it will help us right away and I won’t need it for more than a couple of cycles (which should only use one box of 30 sticks). Once we no longer need it, I’ll either stash it away in storage or resell it to another TTC-er and make back the money I spent on it. I think it was a pretty good investment.
Another new thing that I’m pretty excited about is my “exercise regimen.” I say that in quotes because I don’t really like to exercise (not a good thing), and I don’t do this regularly, but … I have started to kind of get into yoga for fertility. This consists of different yoga poses that help the flow of energy and blood to the reproductive areas. I don’t know that I really believe in all of that (well, I get the blood circulation, but energy? Meh) but I figured it can’t really hurt. At the very least, it helps me relax and that’s a very major benefit to me. Currently, I’m trying some stuff I found on YouTube because I didn’t want to have to pay for it if it turned out it wasn’t for me. If I start getting more into it and notice a lot of benefits and changes, then maybe I’ll purchase a DVD. Actually, I’d really like to go to a class, but living in a small town means yoga classes aren’t readily available. Maybe some day …
I also made a few minor changes to my diet. I’m attempting to eat more leafy greens (I say attempting because - lets be real - eating spinach salads for a week straight got old fast. Taking a break for a couple weeks, then trying again with a much smaller supply of spinach), I’m trying to eat more protein (yum! eggs!), and I’m going crazy over fresh fruit. I’m still working on portion sizes and well-rounded meals, and I just can’t seem to kick my chocolate cravings - there’s definitely room for improvement.
I’m pretty proud of myself for attempting to make some changes and trying new things, and I’m always looking for more suggestions, if any TTC-ers want to share.
Just don’t say acupuncture. I won’t do that. :)
25 July 2012
21 July 2012
17 July 2012
Progesterone Level Results
When the results showed up on my online chart Monday morning, the first thing I did was a search on Doctor Google - you can’t give me information and not expect me to investigate on my own. Doctor Google gave me some interesting information (that I took with a grain of salt), but most of what I read online was kind of confirmed by the amazingly sweet OB/GYN nurse I talked to this afternoon.
My level was an 8.22, which is kind of on the low end for ovulation according to the nurse. I should have asked if what I learned from Doctor Google was true (most things I saw on Doctor Google said that above a 5 means you ovulated, 10 is preferred). I’m sure there are other questions I should have asked also. I guess I can just write them down and ask them the next time around (because odds are, there probably will be a “next time”).
The doctor looked over my results and thought it looked promising enough I guess, because the nurse said the notations stated if I started a new cycle, then we would go with the 50mg of Clomid again, as well as the monitoring and reporting that I did this time around. Before I hung up, the nurse said “I hope you’re pregnant! Have a great day!” - I really appreciated that :). So I guess I’m going to go along with my original plan of waiting for AF next week and testing if she doesn’t show up. Fun times :).
My level was an 8.22, which is kind of on the low end for ovulation according to the nurse. I should have asked if what I learned from Doctor Google was true (most things I saw on Doctor Google said that above a 5 means you ovulated, 10 is preferred). I’m sure there are other questions I should have asked also. I guess I can just write them down and ask them the next time around (because odds are, there probably will be a “next time”).
The doctor looked over my results and thought it looked promising enough I guess, because the nurse said the notations stated if I started a new cycle, then we would go with the 50mg of Clomid again, as well as the monitoring and reporting that I did this time around. Before I hung up, the nurse said “I hope you’re pregnant! Have a great day!” - I really appreciated that :). So I guess I’m going to go along with my original plan of waiting for AF next week and testing if she doesn’t show up. Fun times :).
15 July 2012
6DPO?
Or maybe 5? Or maybe not at all?
Fertility Friend says I might have ovulated between CD19 and CD22, but I haven’t gotten crosshairs and ovulation hasn’t been detected. According to MyFertilityCharts.com, I definitely ovulated on CD20 or CD21 (it originally was 21, then I entered my CM data for a few days that I had forgotten to enter, and it switched to 20). I also got 2 positive OPK’s, on days 19 and 20. All of that information made for one confused lady.
On Thursday, I called my doctor’s office on (as I was instructed at my original appointment) to let them know that I think I had an ovulation event, and they put an order in for me to have my progesterone levels checked today (Sunday). (Side Note: According to the nurse I talked to, the OPK data is considered more reliable than BBT data - I thought that was kind of interesting. I don’t know if I agree/believe that necessarily, but it’s good to know.)
I’m very anxious for my results! If I am 5-6DPO, then I guess I’d POAS after July 24th. As exciting as it is, I’m not really expecting anything this cycle. I’m really trying to stay positive, but I have to stop getting my hopes up. Besides, I just don’t have that kind of luck. Who knows, maybe the universe will prove me wrong. Just in case I’m not wrong, I have a trick up my sleeve for the next cycle … but I’ll get to that at another time ;).
Fertility Friend says I might have ovulated between CD19 and CD22, but I haven’t gotten crosshairs and ovulation hasn’t been detected. According to MyFertilityCharts.com, I definitely ovulated on CD20 or CD21 (it originally was 21, then I entered my CM data for a few days that I had forgotten to enter, and it switched to 20). I also got 2 positive OPK’s, on days 19 and 20. All of that information made for one confused lady.
On Thursday, I called my doctor’s office on (as I was instructed at my original appointment) to let them know that I think I had an ovulation event, and they put an order in for me to have my progesterone levels checked today (Sunday). (Side Note: According to the nurse I talked to, the OPK data is considered more reliable than BBT data - I thought that was kind of interesting. I don’t know if I agree/believe that necessarily, but it’s good to know.)
I’m very anxious for my results! If I am 5-6DPO, then I guess I’d POAS after July 24th. As exciting as it is, I’m not really expecting anything this cycle. I’m really trying to stay positive, but I have to stop getting my hopes up. Besides, I just don’t have that kind of luck. Who knows, maybe the universe will prove me wrong. Just in case I’m not wrong, I have a trick up my sleeve for the next cycle … but I’ll get to that at another time ;).
10 July 2012
Chicagoland, Minor Home Redecorating, and Birthday Cake
That’s what our weekend consisted of … and it was so freaking busy!
B and I spent pretty much all day Saturday in Chicago and the surrounding ‘burbs, which was really fun. We started the day at IKEA - I love that store. I did some window shopping, and I think I might throw together a post of my wishlist later … we’ll see how motivated I am. We ended up spending a little less than $90 there, and it was a good haul! We bought a new coffee table and a new curtain (and rod and brackets) for our dining room. I am super pleased with our purchases - the coffee table is HUGE and it was only $40, and the new curtains are awesome. Our dining room is definitely one of the ugliest rooms in our house, but now I kind of like it.
After IKEA, we went to Exchequer Pub and shared a heavenly deep dish pizza. Seriously - so freaking good! I could eat it every day (and then I would die after like a week because there’s just so. much. cheese. Yum!). The original after dinner plan was to do some shopping/walking in Downtown Chicago, but I decided against going to my favorite Old Navy store because I’m trying to spend less money. Instead, we went driving around the ‘burbs of Chicago.
We browsed at a couple of shops in Ravenswood/Lincoln Square - Orange Beautiful, Amy’s Candy Bar, and Hoard Antiques. We drove by a couple of Chicago’s famous landmarks - Wrigley Field and The Weiner’s Circle, and I did some window shopping/drooling at Paper Source (aka heaven).
After wasting a bit of time, we finally drove over to Aragon Ballroom for the Tenacious D concert (the reason why we spent the day in Chicago). It was super hot in the ballroom, and we didn’t last long on the floor with the huge crowd. After scouting the place, we settled in a less populated area on the side of the stage - we had a decent view, and it worked well (until I started getting sick from the heat and ended up leaning against a wall the whole night). I didn’t care for the opening band, but I enjoyed listening to Tenacious D (for the most part - there was like 5 minutes of Jack Black just being weird … I wasn’t really into that). I realized that I’m too old for concerts that don’t have seats - I’m getting lazy in my old age :).
Sunday was not a day of rest for us at all. B woke up early to do his side job and record his podcast, and I woke up and put together our new coffee table. I wanted to put the new curtains up also, but removing the old ones was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I attempted to remove the old curtain rod myself, but failed. B also tried, but that thing was not budging. We ended up having B’s parents come over to help us (after we went to their house to fix their internet connection). Stupidly, I only grabbed 2 brackets at IKEA for hanging the curtain rod, so we had to get creative with supplies from ACE Hardware. B’s dad made some adjustments to a plant hanger, and it all worked out in the end.
The highlight of my weekend occurred Sunday afternoon after the curtains were installed - I got my first positive OPK! I had given up on this cycle and then - BAM - it appears as though I may have ovulated (or will ovulate soon?). I don’t know for sure - my chart doesn’t look that great - I had another positive OPK on Monday, along with slight temp rise, and then today, my temp was back to where it was before with a negative OPK. I guess my plan now is to wait a few days (FF says I could ovulate up until Wednesday) and then call my OB/GYN office and see if they want me to come in to have my Progesterone levels tested or whatever.
We ended the weekend by celebrating the first birthday of a very sweet little girl. It was nice to spend the afternoon with our friends, and the birthday girl looked extra adorable with frosting all over her face. It was a very busy and entertaining weekend … I think I need another weekend just to recover.
02 July 2012
Medicated
Now that I’ve finished taking the Provera and Clomid, I thought I’d take some time to post about my experiences with these particular medications.
As far as side effects go, I feel like I only experienced very mild ones with the Provera. It pretty much just felt like regular PMS symptoms - moody/emotional, bloated, low energy … but nothing too drastic, which was a relief. I had read online that AF typically shows up 5-10 days after the last dose of Provera, and I was right on schedule at 6 days. I reacted really strongly to the medication - probably a good thing considering it had been so long in between cycles. It made for a very uncomfortable week though :(.
On CD5, I started taking the Clomid. I was really nervous about it because I have a co-worker who had awful reactions to the medication, and I had read a lot of the stories that pop up online while searching for information about Clomid. Because of some of the side effects (blurred vision, hot flashes, etc), I decided the best time for me to take the meds was before bed, and that worked out really well for me. If I did experience any side effects, I didn’t notice them.
The instructions that I was given when my OB/GYN gave me the Clomid prescription stated that ovulation should occur between CD14 and CD19 (5-10 days after completing the Clomid). Today I am on CD13 and my ovulation sticks have been negative (I started on CD10 just to get in the habit - I’m using the lovely cheapies from Amazon, so it doesn’t really matter if I go through a few extra). I’m hopeful that some time this week, an eggie will decide it’s ready for take off. I’ve penciled in some BD time for the next week to hopefully catch the hypothetical egg. And after that … we wait.
If I do ovulate, I have to call the doctor’s office to inform them and then I’ll have to set up an appointment to check my progesterone levels. I’m hoping that I won’t need to go through another round of medications (and that this is our cycle … that would be awesome) - even though I didn’t have terrible experiences, I also don’t like being on medication so … I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
As far as side effects go, I feel like I only experienced very mild ones with the Provera. It pretty much just felt like regular PMS symptoms - moody/emotional, bloated, low energy … but nothing too drastic, which was a relief. I had read online that AF typically shows up 5-10 days after the last dose of Provera, and I was right on schedule at 6 days. I reacted really strongly to the medication - probably a good thing considering it had been so long in between cycles. It made for a very uncomfortable week though :(.
On CD5, I started taking the Clomid. I was really nervous about it because I have a co-worker who had awful reactions to the medication, and I had read a lot of the stories that pop up online while searching for information about Clomid. Because of some of the side effects (blurred vision, hot flashes, etc), I decided the best time for me to take the meds was before bed, and that worked out really well for me. If I did experience any side effects, I didn’t notice them.
The instructions that I was given when my OB/GYN gave me the Clomid prescription stated that ovulation should occur between CD14 and CD19 (5-10 days after completing the Clomid). Today I am on CD13 and my ovulation sticks have been negative (I started on CD10 just to get in the habit - I’m using the lovely cheapies from Amazon, so it doesn’t really matter if I go through a few extra). I’m hopeful that some time this week, an eggie will decide it’s ready for take off. I’ve penciled in some BD time for the next week to hopefully catch the hypothetical egg. And after that … we wait.
If I do ovulate, I have to call the doctor’s office to inform them and then I’ll have to set up an appointment to check my progesterone levels. I’m hoping that I won’t need to go through another round of medications (and that this is our cycle … that would be awesome) - even though I didn’t have terrible experiences, I also don’t like being on medication so … I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
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