First Shot Done

First shot done, wasn't too bad little sting, heard that Lupron can cause ya to be all hormonal so this should be fun :) Also starting Predisone 10mg today to that will help lower my immune system. Only 31 more days to go till transfer. And a ton more shots in between then and now and then another 9 months of them if we get a bfp. I'll be poking myself from this day forth lol Crazy that this is all for a maybe a slight chance at that ever elusive bfp we all dream about and prayerfully a live birth too. Makes me mad thinking on past comments that those who do IVF are creating a baby without love, it takes more love, more determination, more work, more sacrifice and coaperation in our marriage to support each other through this then those who just hop in bed on a one night stand. We love and want this child more than many! Praying that everything we have gone through the past 10+ years has led us to the answers and medications we finally need to bring about the child He has planned for us. With God anything is possible and believing his hand in is every step of this cycle helping us along the way and creating life. 

 

The First step of a FET is to suppress the pituitary gland. This is necessary to reduce the chances of ovulation occurring unexpectedly. Lupron shots are used for pituitary suppression. For most women, this will require approximately two weeks of daily Lupron injections. (I am also suppressing my immune system this time around with Predisone starting today too)

The second step in a frozen embryo transfer cycle is to use hormones to duplicate the changes that normally occur in the uterus during a regular menstrual cycle. This requires the use of two hormone medications: estrogen and progesterone.

*Lupron acts by suppressing the pituitary gland (the gland which is normally responsible for triggering ovulation). However, before suppression occurs, Lupron will briefly stimulate the pituitary causing an increase in the pituitary hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone). If the Lupron is continued, it will eventually stop the pituitary from producing LH and FSH. This is known as the suppression phase. Since it requires an extended period time to reach the suppression phase, Lupron is usually started a few weeks before starting the other medications needed for a particular treatment. This allows the patient to “get past” the stimulation phase and into the suppression or desensitization phase.  

FET

Dates Finally

FET - everything looked clear to start today with my RE and u/s.

I had to wait while they typed up a calendar for me but I finally got one. Then I asked if the nurse could go over how to give myself the Lupron shots and then she showed my husband how to do the Progesterone shots in my butt. Not sure if I like the idea of him poking me lol.

Just e-mailed Dr. Kwak-Kim my RI all the info and working on setting up things with her. Starting meds tomorrow. Really nervous this time around.

Kinda my estimated dates below:
6-27 - did U/S to confirm ovulation with Dr. Olive RE
6-28 - Begin Lupron, Begin Predisone 10mg
7-8 - 10:00am Baseline visit with Dr. Olive: trial transfer, u/s, estradiol blood work, begin estradiol 2mg 3xday (collect blood for Dr. K to be sent to IL lab)
7-13 - Begin Lovenox 40mg daily
7-22 - Ultrasound to check lining and blood flow with Dr. Kwak-Kim in Vernon Hills IL 12:30
7-23 - Intralipids IV treatment
7-24 - Discontinue Lupron, continue asprin, lovenox, estradiol, add progesterone shots100mg/day in AM, prometrium 200mg orally in PM
7-29 - estimated embryo transfer
8-8 - Pregnancy Test
8-9 - Intralipids IV treatment if we get a BFP

Please keep us in prayer this is going to be a busy and trying month for the both of us. Keeping myself focused on the end goal will help get me through all the medications and shots this time around. I have hope that God will bless us. 

Calendar

June

July

August

 

UPDATE:

 
Heard back from Dr. K
The following are your thyroid results dated 6/24/13 and recommendations per Dr. Kwak:  

TSH 2.71 FT3 3.61 FT41.21                                                                                                    

Recommendations:
a. Increase the Synthroid to 50 mcg daily
b. Repeat testing in one week

Very relieved tonight that both Doctors are on the same page and things are rolling along now. Huge weight off my shoulders. Not sure what made my Thyroid spike though after it's been so good for months but at least they are on top of it with monitoring it.

Stressed

Found myself stress eating a bag of chips this afternoon and lots of anxiety over my apt. tomorrow with my RE in madison. I am suppose to have a u/s to make sure I ovulated then start meds on Friday but I have such a bad feeling about it all right now. Feeling like my RE is not on top of my case, I have no calendar of dates he promised me weeks ago, no news on the Intralipids and if nothing tomorrow I am going to have to make the difficult decision to postpone this FET or find a new RE. Can't begin to describe how much of a mess I am right now. Need prayers!!

And it Begins :)

Well guess what surprise I got today - was thinking it was not going to happen till next week - but I must be more and more regular since doing the new meds - so only 29 days and AF is here TODAY!! So Day 1 of FET has begun. Just e-mailed my Dr. and told them and will call Monday morning too cause I need a schedule so Scott can plan days off. Also have to make sure the Dr. checked with Dr. Sher to get my Intralipids prescription ready so I can also set that up. Around 6/28 will be first u/s then 6/29 Lupron starts. AHHH!!! Now I am nervous!!

Medications for FET

Medications are arriving. Have last of them coming tomorrow in the mail and 1 to pick up at the pharmacy yet. Seems so surreal that everything is arriving and getting ready to go. I'll have to do a picture of them all when I get the last box. It's a lot. Less than IVF but more cause of the extra things from Dr. K. Now all there is to do is wait for my period to show up. Praying this time around we get our take home baby.

FET Meds - lots of shots this time around

FET starting in JUNE :)

Was all set to start my FET plan today I'm on CD4 BUT my RE is not doing any IVF transfer the last two week of June and so that makes this cycle out as transfer would of fallen in those weeks.

FET will have to start with my June period which won't come around again till the week of June 10th and then a 21 day wait to start in on Lupron end of June. He is going to call in Intraplids for me to Coram Specialty Infusion place I found in WI (he is talking to Dr. Sher on the dosage and order info) and get all my other meds on order so they will be here in plenty of time.

He is a little skeptical of any of the additions by Dr. K of Intraplids, Predisone, Lovenox, Metanx will make a difference as he feels there is not enough studies to show it does. He's not against me doing it and is willing to go along with it but just said he felt he doesn't know if it will help. I'll be his first patient doing Intraplids. Also going to do PIO and oral Progesterone instead of Crinone this time around.

I know there is no guarantee's but I feel I got a good plan going cause of the testing I went through and even though immune protocol is not proven by papers published I know it works through testimonies in the immune group I am in.

So June is the month - I think I may go crazy waiting though!! I was so ready to get it going now.

Around 51 days to continue to work on my exercise, weight loss, chiropractor care etc. We have a yard sale too we are working on for end of May and also give us time to save more for travel expenses and the intraplids that insurance won't cover. 

Somehow time will go by and June will get here and prayerfully by end of July transfer and a BFP :)

 

 

IVIg and/or Intraplids

One of the challenges of needing a Immunological protocol for my FET cycle is trying to get my insurance to agree to the medications and cover them. Even though the field of reproductive immunology has been around for a long time it's not widely recognized as anything other then experimental, even though thousands of woman have been helped by this protocol to go on to have healthy pregnancies.

Right now my stress level has been going through the roof trying to get my insurance to say yes to covering IVIg IV infusions. I have a feeling they will not and I will have to go to plan b Intraplids. Dr. K feels Intraplids are not as effective as they are synthetic and not a blood product so in order to do them instead I have to get my RE to prescribe them.

Why do I need this treatment? During my immunology treatments I was found to have elevated levels of the below. It's a good possibility because of this and the blood clotting issue that this is the reason for my infertility and repeated mc. Correcting it should allow me to go on to have a normal pregnancy.

NK assay:
50:1 32.1 should be 15 or less
cd56 9.9 should be 12 or less

Th1/Th2 cytokines:
TNF 44.5 should be 30.6 or less 
IFN 18.9 should be 20.5 or less

In order to lower these levels to prevent them from attacking the embryo they do a IV infusion of a blood product (made from antibodies extracted from the blood plasma) called IVIg (but it's very expensive and not always covered by insurance) or the alternative (but Dr. K won't do it as she feels it's not as effective) is something called Intralipid another IV but it is a synthetic product composed of 10% soybean oil, 1,2% egg yolk phospholipids, 2.25% glycerin and water.

With plan A not looking so promising I hope my RE on Monday's visit will be able to help with setting up Intraplids instead and pray they will be just as effective. I'll probably still have to pay out of pocket for Intraplids but from my research the cost of the medication is significantly lower, hopefully my insurance will at least cover the infusion of it with a nurse.

Would appreciate your prayers that one of these options works out for us soon as well as the rest of the medications so we can start our FET cycle soon. 

UPDATE: Insurance DENIED IVIg so it's on to plan B Intraplids for us - makes me really upset but nothing I can do. We could appeal but that could take forever and still be a no so hopefully Intraplids will work out instead. Will have to trust God to do the rest.