New to this board

[momwannabe]

Hi!
I'm new to this particular board, but not new to IF or FT, as you can see in my signature. We're taking a 3 month "try on your own" rest while we consult with Cornell (appt. on 3/29) and I give my body and mind a rest from IVF. We won't cycle again until the summer at the earliest, so we might be at it for more than 3 months. I did the OPKs and BBT during my last rest cycle and found that my luteal phase was only 9 days, so this time RE gave me prometrium to start 2 days after O.
Figured I'd hop on this board and get to know you all as I have a feeling I'll be doing this for a bit and I'm getting frustrated with this cycle already. I'm on CD 26 and no O yet. Been using the sticks since CD 10. OP sticks picked up LH last Sunday, but only a very faint line and it's either been faint or no line all week (My sticks need to be as dark or darker than the control to indicate a surge). BBT confirms no O as I'm still in the 97.2-97.4 range. Usually goes up to 98.0-98.2 after O. So here I sit, waiting around...My last cycle I O'd on day 26, so I knew it might take a bit, but it's taking way too long! My CM hasn't even started to come in yet (sorry if TMI), so I figure I have a few more days to go at the least.
Thanks for letting me join you all! Hope we all end up with the miracle that we're trying for.
Robin

[BC-Maura]

Hi Robin! Welcome to the bb!!! I hope that your time here is short and sweet and we'll try to help you however we can.

Tell me more about your cycles.... do you always O around cd 26? Did you ever talk to your doctor about trying to move O up so that you ovulate earlier? I know you've been doing IVF for a while now, but I'm wondering if you tried Clomid before you went through IVF?

I'm glad you'll be taking progesterone after O. Good for you for spotting that your LP was short! Now you can take steps to lengthen it, which is so important for implantation.

What a pain to have to take OPKs for so long.... I'm wondering if you have an established O time of around cd 26, then maybe you could start your OPKs a bit later and save some money? But maybe you've had a shorter cycle recently, in which case you do have to start them earlier so as not to miss O.

Anyway, look forward to getting to know you!

+++++++++++++++++++good luck
Maura

[momwannabe]

Maura,
Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I had been on birth control of some kind since I was 16 due to recurring cysts and losing my ovary at 14 to a cyst. In March of '03 I had my last shot of Depo Provera (I had been on it for a year) and by September I had still not gotten AF (the shot should have worn off in June). I had started temp charting in August and temps were all over the place. OB/GYN had me take provera for 10 days, but still no AF, so she told me to give it another month and see as the Depo Provera can cause a delay in return of cycles. Made appt. with RE for Nov of '03. Still no AF and temps were still all over - up and down with no set pattern. RE put me on bcps for a month and lo and behold AF arrived in mid December! At that point, b/c we suspected adhesions around my tube, RE suggested IVF as he thought it would be the quickest and safest way to get me pg without having to worry as much about an ectopic. So we were doing the preliminary testing for IVF and I wasn't paying much attention to my cycle at that point. After the first IVF, my cycle was 32 days and I had a very large cycst on ovary, so went back on bcps until the cyst shrank, but didn't BBT or OPK. After the second IVF, my cycle was 35 days, but again, didn't BBT or OPK. After my m/c, we decided to try on our own in between IVFs and that was when I resumed BBT and added OPK. O'd on CD 26 and then AF came on CD 35.
So to make a long story short, I really don't have a clue as to what my normal cycle should look like. That's why I started on CD 10 as I didn't want to miss anything. I get my OP sticks from the internet, so it's not that expensive - I think I payed $45 for 50 sticks and 15 hpt sticks. I figured that would last me for a while, but at this rate, who knows!
I know that the IVF drugs can also affect your cycle,so I'm wondering if that isn't what's happening as well.
At what point do I throw up my hands and say that I'm having an anovulatory cycle? Also, is there a point where you've O'd so late that the egg isn't going to be viable? (I know in IVF you can "overcook" an egg, so to speak)
Thanks for all your help and support!
Robin

[BC-Maura]

Hi Robin. Thanks for the cycle info and history... I think it's great that you're temping and trying to get a handle on what your body does naturally.

About long cycles... there is some indication that it might be a little harder to get pg with a long follicular phase, but there are certainly PLENTY of people who do. And a cd 26 O is not all that late really. Since you O'd last month on cd 26, chances are you'll ovulate around that same time (give or take a few days), esp. since the cycles you've had while off meds seem to be about 32-34 days long (which suggest that your O time is pretty consistent). So I wouldn't throw out this cycle as anovulatory yet!

BTW, when counting how long your LP phase is, you don't count either the day you ovulate or the day AF comes. So, if you ovulated on cd 26 and AF showed up on cd 35, then your LP was only 8 days. As I'm sure you now, LPs should be between 12-16 days in order to allow implantation to occur (LP of 10-11 days is considered borderline, with anything less than 10 days considered too short).

I think you are wise to focus on extending your LP. And otherwise, as long as you BMS regularly and pay attention to your cm, you will probably time things right with respect to BMS and O. OPKs might cause you to BMS on a day when you otherwise might not have, but if you BMS every other day during the time when you expect you might ovulate and BMS EVERY day that you see ewcm (unless you have male factor), you should be good.

GOod luck and keep us posted+++++++
Maura

[BC-DKNY]

hi robin!! welcome to the board

i just read thru your post and maura's replies as well, and i think i'm up to speed. you've really had quite a confusing journey.

i agree with maura that BBT'ing should be very helpful.

let us know what we can do to help! i hope your stay here is short and sweet.

[momwannabe]

Thanks Maura & Dina!
I don't know what's going on with this cycle. I'm now on Day 28 and the line on the OP stick was lighter today than yesterday. Temp is still down and cm is not anything close to even being somewhat thick, let alone ew. I can feel something going on with my ovary - the discomfort in my side has gotten increasingly worse in the last 2 weeks, so I'm assuming it's the follicle growing, but I'm beginning to wonder if my follie turned into a cyst. Can a cyst interfere with O? I'm used to getting them, but I was always on bcps when I had them or I wasn't paying attention to when I O'd (inbetween IVF 1 & 2)
Any thoughts?
Thanks!

[BC-Maura]

Hi Robin: I think whether a cyst interferes with ovulation depends on what kind of cyst it is and how big it is and where it is. See, e.g.,
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/ova...ariancysts.htm

Would your doctor give you an u/s to see if any cysts have developed and whether they might be affecting your cycle? If not, I guess the only thing I'd suggest is that you not let too many days go by without BMSing. I know it's such a pain to keep up with the "forced BMS" when your cycle is so long, but then it would be a shame to miss it too! And just keep doing what you're doing with cm checking and bbt.

Even if your doctor won't give you an u/s, it is probably worth talking to him/her just to see if he/she has any ideas on how to approach this cycle.

I hope that O is soon! Keep us posted and good luck+++++++
Maura

[jessica]

Hello Robin! What a journey you've been on!

I just want to wish you luck, I though I was never going to O this last cycle either, But thank the good Lord I did, although we have yet to see what comes of it!

Hang in there and keep us all posted!

Good luck++++++++++++++ Jessica
:stickyvib