Thursday, August 8, 2013

Here I Go Again- FET #2

Our natural cycle did not work unfortunately, despite all of our best intentions. We timed everything perfectly, followed all the rules, but with only 1-2% chance of conceiving on our own, I am by no means shocked at the result; Especially when Aunt Flo was only in town for one. measly. day. Sure, there is always room for a miracle from God, and He can defy all odds. However, in this case He chose not to. Realistically, I don't need an MD at the end of my name to know that if my period only lasted for one day, I probably didn't build a thick enough endometrial lining to give anything a place to implant, even if there were perfectly fertilized blastocysts floating around in there looking for a nice cushy place to land.

I had my baseline ultrasound today, finalized our schedule for FET #2, and then proceeded to rock out to some Whitesnake in total rebellion.
Here I go again! Seriously though, I think the lyrics are actually pretty fitting right about now. And because I love you all so much, I will provide you with this classic at the mere click of a button...



I will not be walking down this road alone though of course. The dearest hubby will be by my side once he returns from FL in 12 days (working on his MBA). A few minor changes with this FET as compared to last time:

1) On days when I only take estradiol twice daily I will be doing one dose orally and one dose vaginally. (Last time I did both orally). This will hopefully give a tiny extra boost to my endometrial lining, since meds taken vaginally are absorbed even more than those taken orally.

2) I will have my lining check later in the FET cycle (3 days later than normal). I did this mostly for scheduling purposes (so hubby will be back & able to attend this appointment) but it also gives my lining a good 3 extra days to grow more than it did last time (8.1 mm). I would love to reach 9 mm!

3) We will have our transfer scheduled 8 days after the lining check (1 day more than normal). This was done mostly for HUBBY'S 37th BIRTHDAY scheduling purposes. We have both sacrificed so much in this process, and we have a special day planned for his bday. I want his day to be special because he deserves ALL of the attention on HIM. I opted not to have my feet in stirrups that day, and we'll wait until the following day for the transfer.

4) We plan to transfer two embryos this time around. We were given about 35% chance of conceiving when transferring one embryo, and using two brings our chances to about 50%. I gave up believing in statistic long ago. They mean nothing if it doesn't work obviously, but if doing two will raise our chances while not increasing risk by much, then we figure we may as well go for it. We still have 4 embryos on ice, so we have enough for two more FET's. Hopefully this will be the one though!

5) Lovenox??? I am torn on what to do about using this as part of my protocol again. My RE does not believe it increases pregnancy rates, even in those with blood clotting disorders, like myself. However, I do have a script for it and can get it filled. He said it can't hurt anything, other than the fact I could bleed to death if I am in a car wreck or something. No biggy there!

But here is the kicker....I HATE THIS SHOT. The only way I can do it is to ice the area on my belly 10 min. before & 10 min. afterwards. Anyone who knows anything about TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) knows that the goal is to keep that area, and your whole body for that matter, WARM while TTC. That is just one rule that is not to be broken and one that has been followed for thousands of years in Eastern medicine. Remember, Eastern medicine has been used way longer than Western medicine has even existed, and I do believe in a lot of the principles.

I have hesitations to do these shots again for all these reasons; the pain & stressfulness, my RE's belief that it won't help until after I get pregnant anyway (to prevent miscarriage), and the whole freezing of my uterus issue.  Plus, I did use it with our last FET and it wasn't exactly the magic bullet .... a lot of hassle for nothing ultimately.

However, could it possibly help? Who the heck knows!  I've also considered starting Lovenox later in the cycle (around transfer time) instead of early like I did with our last FET (CD5). This way I wouldn't have to endure it nearly as many days and would still have the benefits of having the extra blood thinner during the time when an embryo would be implanting. Doctor's who do Rx Lovenox during IVF/FET seem to fall into two camps: Those who prescribe it early on and those who prescribe it at time of transfer.

My brain hurts from contemplating Lovenox and all the other autoimmune protocols I've seen floating around in infertility cyberspace. Part of me wants to just follow my own doctor's advice and believe in his protocol AS-IS with no tweaks or changes of my own. He has been doing this for quite a long time with good results, and I believe he's a good doctor. Another part of me feels like I should cover my bases with more than just baby aspirin to keep my blood flowing optimally. What's a girl to do?

40 comments:

  1. Wishing you the best Emily! Praying this time everything goes perfectly with a sweet baby in your arms in about 9 months! And for peace in deciding what to do about the Lovenox!

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    1. Thank you my dear! Very sweet of you to check in. I hope life is treating you fabulously!

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  2. Making decisions like that is so hard!! I wish I had the answer for you. My advice is to just follow your gut.. Trust yourself :) xoxo

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    1. My gut needs to get with the program, because it can't make up it's mind! Thanks Aubrey. Maybe a couple more nights of sleeping on it will help.

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  3. I can't help with the Lovenox decision as I have no experience, but wanted to wish you luck with this cycle and I truly hope this is it for you.

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    1. Thank you Bethany! I didn't realize you had a blog, but I'm going to be following your progress now too. Best of luck to you as you await your result. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

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  4. What a decision! I wish I could help a little, but I know absolutely nothing about lovenox :( As far as the estradiol goes though, I think you'll notice a huge difference taking it vaginally as well. It was almost an immediate reaction when I switched from orally. Plus my bbs got huge which was an awesome side effect! :) I love the timing of everything, it all sounds so great. Fingers crossed this is it for you!

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    1. I don't know why they don't just have everyone do their nighttime dose vaginally to begin with on the days you take two doses per day, but glad I'm doing it this time around. Hoping it will make a difference. Glad it worked for you!

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  5. I vote for Lovenox! The path of no 'what if's' and no regrets. Just do it! You are very strong, don't think about it, just do it. Best of luck this cycle. Can't wait to hear good news :)

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    1. One vote for Lovenox! But when....beginning now or at time of transfer? That is the million dollar question. I think I can wrap my brain around starting it at time of transfer...would save me from doing an additional 22 shots. Plus, the half life is only 24 hours, so not like it builds up in your system before the embryo is transferred really. Not sure how much of a difference it makes to do it so early on vs. time of transfer. Hmmmm, decisions decisions

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    2. I'm going to email my friend that did a lovenox cycle on her one and only successful one (now she has twins). I'll let you know.

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    3. Awesome! Very interested to know if you find out.

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    4. Hi Emily, just wanted to let you know that I did email Whitney that same day, (August 9th) but haven't heard back. She might be busy with her twins, so sorry.

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  6. Hmmm... I don't know anything about Lovenox, but I was JUST talking with a woman the other day who believes that Lovenox (now) and some other blood thinner (previously) led to her successes. I'm not sure when exactly she started it though.

    It's a tough choice, more pain and stress does not sound good, but if blood clotting truly is your issue...tough. Do you have any idea how long Lovenox takes to work? If it's fast, I think I'd go with time of transfer, but that's just me!

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    1. Well if you happen to talk to the said woman again, do feel free to ask her for my little poll here please. I am curious. My understanding is that Lovenox begin working immediately, because it has a 24 hour half life....meaning it lasts in your system for only 24 hours before you need another dose. Seems like that means it works immediately and for only 24 hours?

      I am guessing that some doctors do it early to counteract the clotting effects of the estrogen already being taken during the whole cycle to thicken the lining? Estrogen makes blood clot more, so that would make sense also. I might even consider starting a few days before transfer, so as not to do anything "new" the day of transfer, which kind of weirds me out.

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  7. I don't know anything about the Lovenox, but praying for a peace and wisdom so it's an easy decision for you!

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    1. Thank you Caroline! There is always extra room for peace and wisdom!

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  8. Ugh, tough choices! I hope the Lord guides you to the perfect decision! Praying for you ...

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    1. Thank you dear. Btw....I just added you to my blog list and will be following and routing you on. :)

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  9. Sounds like a big decision and I wish I could weigh in, but I'm not very familiar with Lovenox. I know you'll make the right one though.

    I'm wishing and hoping and twinkling fingers at the screen right now sending as many positive vibes as I can! I are one strong gal and I'm so ready for you to be done with all of this.

    BEST of luck...I'll be thinking of you constantly! xo

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    1. I can totally see you twinkling fingers at the screen. Ha! Bring on your positive mojo, cause we need it!

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  10. Praying that this is the one for you Emily!! Even more prayers that you end up with twice the sweetness and are blessed with twins!!

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    1. You know, our goal isn't twins and this whole time we have been trying to be extra cautious. However, at this point I am starting not to mind the idea, even with the inherent risks. Not sure I ever want to go through this again if we're successful ya know. Twins and we're done might be nice.

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  11. I'm thinking of you and praying for a sucessful FET for you! I am sorry about the tough decision about the Lovenoz, though. I know that has to be really tough, and I don't know what I'd do, either. I pray that whatever you are supposed to do will become very obvious to you and that this FET is the ONE!

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    1. Thanks Farra! Hope you're doing well lovely!

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  12. I'm going to chime in on the lovenox. There is a level you can have drawn (I know more needles for you) called an anti xa (ten a) that looks to see if the lovenox is therapeutic. It may be something to ask your doctor if you can have done. If he is willing maybe start your lovenox a week before transfer, have the lab drawn and make sure you are good to go before transfer.

    The other thing I am having a hard time grasping is why is this lovenox so painful for you.... It makes me wonder if you are administering it correctly... I work with children who take it and they never complain of pain lasting more than a couple of seconds with it. No I don't think your a big weany maybe more that someone didn't show you the best way to give it. May be something to ask your doctors office about because my experience with lovenox (not personal experience, just the one administering it) is that it shouldn't hurt as bad as your experiencing. That would make most people not want to take it!

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    1. Pretty sure I'm administering the Lovenox correctly. The shot is idiot proof as far as I can tell. I have been told that it contains pork derivatives and that some people are especially sensitive to that. There are scores of women on infertility boards who have the same issues with the intense burning and who hate this shot. Do a Google image search of "Lovenox bruises" and you might be pretty grossed out by the side effects that happen.

      Of course there are also people (the lucky ones) who have no issues at all. Perhaps the children's version is formulated differently or they are lucky enough not to have this problem? No clue. All I know is that without using ice, that shot f'ing sucks! It's not the needle that hurts, it the burning of the liquid.

      Thanks for the info. on the testing. Will def check into it. I have heard of this test but didn't know the name... just that it is used to assess if the actual dosage is enough, etc.

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  13. Hi there! I'm Sara. I've been following your blog for a bit, as my hubby and I have done 2 IVF retrievals and 2 FETs. The first one resulted in a miscarriage at about 8 wks (it was a day 6 embryo) and the second one, well, I'm 6 weeks pg tomorrow! First u/s next week. I just wanted to share, that we did chromosome testing on all our embryos and I believe that has drastically improved our success. This second time, the only thing we did differently, was we added Heparin (I only did aspirin last time). I also have MTHFR. Hoping your next cycle is a success! Best wishes to you!

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    1. Big congrats to you on the pregnancy. Our RE has suggested if neither of these last two FET's work that we will want to consider doing a Day 5 microarray next time. We were open to doing it the first time around, but they said it wasn't necessary. We shall see. Hopefully we won't need it and get can pregnant and STAY pregnant with our remaining embryos.

      As for the heparin, that is great! I'm curious...when did you begin the heparin in your cycle?

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    2. Thanks! Yes, with each retrieval, over 1/2 of our embryos (which is apparently typical) were chromosomally abnormal and would either miscarry or never implant. With some of my other health issues, we didn't want to risk putting back chromosomally abmormal ones that I would eventually miscarry.

      I started the heparin a month before my transfer and will continue it through 12 wks of pregnancy. (with my RE and FETs, I do 4 wks of Lupron, then 3 wks of lupron and estrace, then stopping lupron and adding in Progesterone in oil with the estrace 5 days before transfer).

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  14. Hi, I'm on Lovenox for APA syndrome but my Hematologist didn't want me to start it until I had a positive pregnancy test. I was worried about that because it seems like everyone online starts it either when they start stims or at transfer. But he said there is no data to support it helps pregnancy rates and my RE agreed with him. It's such a tough decision I wish you peace in deciding and the best of luck in your cycle.

    I also had a lot of pain and bruising from the shot but I started injecting it really slowly taking 45 seconds to finish the shot and now it doesn't hurt at all and I haven't had anymore bruising.

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    1. Thank you so much for weighing in! My hemo and RE both agree with what your doctor's said as well...no real proof of increased pregnancy rates using it before confirmed pregnancy. I am happy to hear you became pregnant without it and only began once you already became pregnant. I need to hear both sides of the coin on this, so thank you.

      Oh, and if slow is 45 seconds, you should see me take that silly shot. It takes me more like 90 seconds. Someone needs to invent a pill for this wonder drug, seriously. ;)

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    2. Oh no! That really stinks that even going slow it still hurts :(. I wonder if maybe my poor skin has just become so damaged that is the reason it hurts less now and not from going slow. I'm not sure if you're on the regular Lovenox or the generic Enoxaparin but maybe one would hurt less than the other? Wishful thinking probably.

      It was really a tough decision for me about when to start and I considered going rogue and starting earlier but ultimately I decided to trust them since they all seemed to be in agreement about it.

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    3. I have the generic version made by Winthrop. I have heard that different brands do feel differently, which seems odd, but still I have heard varying complaints regarding different brands in regards to the needles and also the level of burning. Who knows?

      Ultimately, no burning in the world would keep me from doing the shots if I knew it would help us become pregnant. But like you, I have both my hemo and RE telling me there is no proof that using Lovenox will increase our chances...and of course then there are all the other women out there claiming it's most likely what helped them. But is there any way of knowing that Lovenox was THE THING that helped them? There really isn't. It could have just been a better embryo in some cases ya know. There are so many variables coming into play in each person's IVF cycle that when it does work no one can say "xyz" is what actually made it work.

      A big part of me just wants to follow my dr.'s protocol to the letter, despite having nagging thoughts that adding the Lovenox could help. I have a hard time deciphering between intuition and my tendency to overanalyze, which it what makes it tough. Thank you so much again for being a voice of reason from your viewpoint...esp. as someone coming from the same place of wondering what to do, that I am in right now.

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  15. So excited for your next cycle and so sorry about all of the pain that comes along with lovenox. I certainly wish there was another option for you...I'm assuming heparin isn't strong enough? That's what I was on during my pregnancy and although it was far from pleasant, it doesn't sound as bad as what you've been through with lovenox.

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    1. Thanks Em. I was only prescribed Lovenox, and it was supposed to be used "upon pregnancy." Sounds like you were on blood thinners DURING your pregnancy as well and not before. Yes, it's my understanding that Lovenox is stronger/lasts longer and is safer during pregnancy.

      It's not just the pain factor alone in my decision. Sure, it would be an easier no brainer if this were some easy breezy inexpensive pill to just pop, but I do feel like sometimes less is more and that I need to feel confident in my own RE's plan too...I don't want to second guess the whole cycle and get wrapped up in worry.

      So just gotta weigh the pros and cons of trying something (that's an additional PITA) that may or may not have any bearing on the outcome. Of course if this FET doesn't work I'll wonder "what if" either way, whether I do the Lovenox or if I don't. If only I had a crystal ball!

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    2. I totally hear you on the less is more thing. I kind of doubt that we'll do heparin with our next (if there's a next) pregnancy. It's such a hassle. It's uncomfortable. It's not expensive, but it's still an added cost. Etc. And since the docs I talk to are 50/50 as to whether it would even make much difference, I'm leaning towards skipping it. Wishing you confidence in your decision, whichever way you go with it.

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  16. Good luck, Em! If you're not sue what to do...try to trust the doctors, knowing how hard it can be. That shot sounds like no fun at all. But now I'm questioning my method as I did ice my stomach for the menpur shots last time. It took away some of the sting. Maybe that was a bad idea?

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    1. Thank you Jessah! I am leaning more and more towards just trusting my own doctor instead of everyone else's. I think I remember writing a blog about relinquishing control a while back? Hmmm, what happened to that? haha!

      I don't think you could make or break an entire cycle from only icing an area during stims and then stopping. I was icing the area for the Lovenox shot the entire FET cycle, including the day of transfer, and the whole wait period afterwards. It didn't even cross my mind until after transfer and I was like DUH! Probably not too great to ice a region I'm supposed to keep warm with warm foods, warm feet, etc. Could have made no difference at all, but just counter intuitive to what TCM suggests, so I'd rather not ice anything down there if I don't have to.

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