Since I'm actively in a cycle I could give everyone an update. It's weird because I'm not doing all that much so it does not really seem like a real cycle.
I started Lupron a week ago. I stopped BCP's on Friday. That combo isn't doing much for me. Headache, nausea, fatigue. If I didn't just have an u/s I'd think I were pregnant. I'm hoping this wont last too long. On Wednesday I get a blood test. I think I will start the estrogen that day. I think that means the donor will start stims around the same time.
I have a blood test on Monday Nov 3rd and blood test-u/s Nov 7th. ER is scheduled for the week of Nov 10th. So depending on the donor's progress (and my lining) I may have another u/s that week.
I intend to write the donor a letter. Is that weird? I just always thought I would write one so that she could know me a little (while preserving my anonymity). It's just always felt weird to me that I got to know so much about her and she doesn't know anything about me. Also, It's my only opportunity to express my gratitude. What would/did you include in such a letter?
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Day to day struggles, complaints, observations while trying to build a family despite infertility (Primary and Secondary and now with donor eggs), have a career, and live a meaningful life.
Followers
About Me
- Peeveme
- married, mother to a toddler after infertility, step-parent to teenager who lives with us, trying to have baby #2 with an astounding lack of success. Finally successful once we tried donor eggs. Currently trying to balance complaining and appreciation.
Blog Archive
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2008
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October
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- Confession and Other Sacraments
- Cycle update
- Compassionate realization
- A completely unexpected moment of compassion
- Is this a giveth or taketh away moment?
- Compassion
- Today's episode of Obnoxiously Pregnant Co-worker
- Another episode of the Obnoxiously Pregnant Co-Worker
- BCP induced Psychosis: A whole lot-a crazy going on
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October
(9)
I Capture
Perfect Moments.
TTC History and current status
Trying since Jan 2004 when I was 33. I have one Daughter who is 2. Trying for another baby for over a year. One m.c and 2 IVF's later we are preparing for IVF#3 with Donor eggs. . I am 38.
Diagnosis= unexplained..but what that really means is poor egg quality.
FSH
April 2008: 11.8
March 2008: 10.7
November 2007: 6
November 2004: 3.9
Considered a poor responder but I have gotten OHSS on inject/iui cycles. Go figure!
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IVF #3. Donor eggs. Success. Healthy baby girl born Aug 19, 2009. 7 frozen blasts.
IVF #2no BCP...Antagonist protocol with a little estrogen priming . Gonal-f and Menopur. Maximum medication. 7 egg retrieved. 5 mature. 6 fertalized. ET 3 embys: 2-8celled, 1-6 cell. BFN
IVF #1 April/May 08 On max meds...produced 4 mature eggs and a bunch of smaller ones which did not grow fast enough..2 survived to ET (1-8 celled, 1-5celled)...BFN.
Oct 07-Jan 08- 4 iui's on lots of Gonal-F. Most times I had 3-4 mature follicles..BFN. Oh and I got OHSS twice.
April 07- Inject /iui BFP! Not to last very long. At 7 week u/s we were measuring behind. HCG not doubling as it should Waited for over a month to m/c naturally. Had to wait most of the summer for HCG to go down. Increased my wine intake from "moderate" to "heavy". I don't want to complain about that Summer but let's just say I wont be making any custom T-shirts with Summer 2007! emblazoned on them.
March 07- 1st inject/iui for baby #2. BFN
Feb 07- Stopped breast feeding to start trying for baby #2. I loved breastfeeding and hated to stop but I felt I needed to get a move on with baby #2.
Aug 06- Healthy-live baby!
Jan 05-Oct 05- 7 clomid/iui cycles and 2 inject/iui cycles BFP on 2nd inject cycle
Jan 04-Jan 05- Natural cycles with Charting..actual sex
Diagnosis= unexplained..but what that really means is poor egg quality.
FSH
April 2008: 11.8
March 2008: 10.7
November 2007: 6
November 2004: 3.9
Considered a poor responder but I have gotten OHSS on inject/iui cycles. Go figure!
____________________________________________
IVF #3. Donor eggs. Success. Healthy baby girl born Aug 19, 2009. 7 frozen blasts.
IVF #2no BCP...Antagonist protocol with a little estrogen priming . Gonal-f and Menopur. Maximum medication. 7 egg retrieved. 5 mature. 6 fertalized. ET 3 embys: 2-8celled, 1-6 cell. BFN
IVF #1 April/May 08 On max meds...produced 4 mature eggs and a bunch of smaller ones which did not grow fast enough..2 survived to ET (1-8 celled, 1-5celled)...BFN.
Oct 07-Jan 08- 4 iui's on lots of Gonal-F. Most times I had 3-4 mature follicles..BFN. Oh and I got OHSS twice.
April 07- Inject /iui BFP! Not to last very long. At 7 week u/s we were measuring behind. HCG not doubling as it should Waited for over a month to m/c naturally. Had to wait most of the summer for HCG to go down. Increased my wine intake from "moderate" to "heavy". I don't want to complain about that Summer but let's just say I wont be making any custom T-shirts with Summer 2007! emblazoned on them.
March 07- 1st inject/iui for baby #2. BFN
Feb 07- Stopped breast feeding to start trying for baby #2. I loved breastfeeding and hated to stop but I felt I needed to get a move on with baby #2.
Aug 06- Healthy-live baby!
Jan 05-Oct 05- 7 clomid/iui cycles and 2 inject/iui cycles BFP on 2nd inject cycle
Jan 04-Jan 05- Natural cycles with Charting..actual sex
I Capture
Perfect Moments.
12 comments:
I wrote my donor a letter. Like you, I wanted her to know a little about me and what it meant to me to receive her eggs.
It was a difficult letter to write, though! I started and stopped so many times. Some were too "gushy." Other versions I felt weren't personal enough. I finally ended up writing about why I needed donor eggs and how I came to decide to use donor eggs (vs adoption or some other way) to try to have kids.
I am excited for you to have things so underway!!
I am not sure what I would write, I think I would write what was in my heart and then edit it not to be too terribly sappy, as I tend to gush.
I wrote my donor a letter, I didn't find it hard at all. It came out more or less by itself. I wanted to let her know what kind of people we were, why we picked her, that we knew what she was doing was difficult, why we were so grateful to her, and that she should feel free to contact us in the future if she wanted. If I had to do it over again I would have cut short the "here is the horrible road we have travelled already" part of the letter, I think that was more for us than for her. We got a beautiful note back from our donor as well, which was above and beyond the call of duty. She said she was particularly grateful that we recognized the discomfort she was having from the drugs and that it was nice to know we were specific real people. My clinic says the donors LOVE these letters.
I have no idea what I would say! I mean, what an incredible thing to do for someone. I think I'd just really want her to know how grateful I was.
So excited that you are starting your cycle!
I start estrogen in a few weeks also. I just read an article that says when your estrogen levels are high, you are more focused than any other time. Seems positive, so I think I'll latch onto that.
I think it made me feel hot-flashy. Let me know if you feel the same way.
I have no idea what I would say to a donor, I choke up just thinking about it. How emotional for the both of you.
I read in a conceive magazine a story about a woman who used a donor egg to have a baby. I don't know what's in the hearts of women who take this route, but this article I read left me curious, did you get much of a choice in picking a donor? and if so, what did you look for, what made you pick her?
I hope these aren't insensitive questions, I just remember the article glamorizing these options and I wondered if they really exist.
I'm so glad to hear things are moving along for you.
We had our ER today, and I wrote my letter to our donor last night. It actually came out easily, maybe a bit sappy but I'm pretty emotional and I wanted her to get an idea of *me*. I thanked her for all she went through, told her a bit about how we met, what we like to do, and general beliefs. Our nurse told us it was customary to give a small gift to the donor as well at this clinic anyway, so I got her a snuggly bathrobe, that will hopefully feel good in the next few days; and a beautiful necklace with her birthstone (garnet) designed by the man who made our wedding rings. Sappy, but I just loved it, and I hope she does too.
I am so happy that your cycle is under way. I think that it is great to write the donor a letter. I think she will really appreciate learning more about you.
I am really hoping for this cycle!
I love the idea of writing the letter and I think that most donors would love to hear about you and why you chose this path. If you speak from the heart, it will be the right thing to say.
Keep us posted on this cycle...I'm so excited for you!!
I think a letter is a great idea, I'd like to write our future donor a letter as well....I just haven't thought too much about content. Hope you find the right words for you.
(sorry for the above)
Hi, I just found your blog. We are in a DE cycle now, just a little ahead of you. We're now waiting for the donor to get AF and go in for her baseline. Estimated Nov. 2. Then she starts the stims.
We thought a lot about how/if we would talk to the donor. We thought about writing her a letter, but we have decided to meet her. That is if I don't chicken out. The meeting for us is really to serve a dual purpose: we would like to express our gratitude, but we also would like to say that we have met her so that if we are fortunate enough to get pregnant, we could tell our kid(s) about her. Just thinking about it makes my stomach flip a little. I hope you update with what you decided to write...I may steal a little of it. :)
I think it is awesome of you to write her a letter. I imagine doing the same thing one day when/if we get to that point. I think just some general things about you and DH as well as your gratitude for what she's done would be good. I am so exicted for you and I look forward to hearing about your ER/ET and BFP :)
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