Tuesday 25 June 2013

What a Difference a Day Makes...

My BFN from IUI#3 was punctuated with an exclamation point by AF's prompt arrival. Typically, her entrance is heralded with some light streaks -just enough to tease my hopes about implantation spotting. Not this time; there was no courtesy warning. Only hours after my POAS confirmed what I already knew,  I was in full flow. My CD1 was a full 24 hours earlier than expected. Since my hysteroscopy in February, AF has arrived on every fourth Friday. I have been Mary Perfect with the predictable cycles -until now. What a difference a day can make; not only do I lose the convenience of my Saturday monitoring appointments, but Husband is away at the end of the month and is unavailable if an IUI needed to be performed a day earlier.    

AF's earlier arrival has called so much into question for me. My mid-cycle monitoring fell right over Memorial Day weekend. Presuming the office would be closed for the long holiday weekend, (they were closed the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Saturday of Easter weekend) I made plans to go out of town, and did my ultrasounds on Friday and Tuesday. It turned out that they had enough patients who needed evaluation, so they were open on Saturday and they arranged to see a few patients on Memorial Day. (Had I known this could have been a possibility, I would not have booked my trip) It may not be relevant, but as my cycle started a day earlier, I wonder if I had been scanned on Monday, would my follicle have been ripe enough that my RE would have instructed me to trigger that night? Could that day have made a difference?

We've been discussing what our next steps will be, but one decision was easily made -we will not be doing an IUI this month. I've been reminded that even with manipulation, my ovaries are not mine to command. I don't want to proceed with a cycle that could be compromised from the start. Interestingly, even with my unpredictable ovaries, cycle monitoring and timed intercourse will still be in play for us. I know it seems a bit inexplicable that trying au natural may be more feasible than an IUI cycle, but apparently, that's the difference a day can make. We also decided that we could use the money earmarked for this month's cycle and will take some cross-fit classes. Yes, we are jumping on that bandwagon -when you can't have kids, you turn toward fitness.

For the record, this marks the fourth time that Husband and I will be away from each other around the time of my ovulation. The first time, I queried if the Universe was mercifully pulling us out of the game, like a baseball manager relieving a struggling pitcher. However, as the Universe hasn't shown us any favours even when we have managed to be in the same place at the right time, I'm convinced that the force within the Universe is indifferent at best. It does foster more of my frustration toward the fertiles who are oblivious to their cycles and still manage to conceive (as they have working gametes). Especially, when they view your cycle monitoring and tracking as being detrimental and instruct you to "just relax and let it happen". It feels like they are the students who don't bother to study and yet still ace the test; while we're the studious nerds in the library, and despite all our preparation, not only do we receive a failing grade, but we have to see the teacher after class.

Oh, what a difference a day can make. For this month anyway, it means no letrozole pills, no trigger shot, no vaginal ultrasounds, no awkward small talk with my RE. It has meant digging out my Clearblue fertility monitor and getting up at 0530 on the weekends to test my first morning urine. It brings concerns for performance anxiety related to scheduled coitus, but the difference of day means I don't have to scramble for excuses to leave work. It has meant appreciating a break and accepting that changing our strategy is not the same as giving up.

11 comments:

  1. I am so sorry about this cycle. It sucks. :( Sending thoughts your way!

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  2. Timing has always been a question/concern on my mind as well. This last cycle, I'm almost positive I ovulated before my IUI, and though I know there is a 24 hour window afterwards, I still felt like I failed at giving it a good chance. Did they have you trigger before you were fully mature? I've heard that getting your IUI early rather than late is better, as the "guys" can hang out in there for a few days waiting.

    At any rate, I hope you enjoy a break from all the medical hoopla and have some fun with au natural. :) Will be wishing your BFP comes soon!!

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    1. I reviewed my stats:

      IUI#1 CD 11 lead follicle 18 mm, CD 12 Trigger @ 2100, CD 14 IUI @ 1000
      IUI#2 CD 11 lead follicle 21 mm, CD 12 Trigger @ 2200, CD 14 IUI@ 1100
      IUI#3 CD 12 lead follicle 23 mm, CD 12 Trigger @ 2200, CD 14 IUI @ 1100

      Follicles should be at least 15-18 mm, but the minimal size of 15-23 is considered "controversial". I just wonder if I had been monitored on Monday and if my follie was 22 cm, maybe I would have triggered that night and IUI's on Wednesday. I can handle getting a BFN for an IUI, but it's annoying when you feel that it wasn't given a chance as it was possibly mistimed. As I knew (at that time) that I would most likely being missing a cycle this month and didn't want to miss two in a row, I was really keen to press on, and I'm really annoyed they didn't let me know that there was a possibility of being open over the weekend. When I asked in my previous cycle, my RE just said "well, let's see if you get pregnant" Thanks for avoiding my question, as some of us are trying to live in the real world.

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    2. Ugh, that is annoying. I know what you mean. They always advise me to trigger between 6-8pm and then IUI two days later...but depending on what appointment is available for IUI, sometimes that would end up being 44+ hours after trigger. When clearly everything I've read indicates you typically ovulate 36 hours after trigger. So I wonder if I was missing timing all along. Last night I took matters into my own hands and triggered at 11pm, which will make my timing 36 hours exactly. It is frustrating that I have to research and worry about this on my own and don't feel like I trust them 100%.

      It looks like you were at 37 hours each time, which is good. My RE had even had me prolong ovulation a couple times to get into the 21+ size as supposedly odds of fertilization were maybe better the more mature they were. But I always get the "we don't really know what is preventing it from happening so we just have to keep trying", so I still don't know what is optimal size, timing, etc.

      It's a frustrating journey...hope it's over soon for both of us.

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  3. Taking a break is not a bad thing. I've taken many breaks on this TTC journey and sometimes the breather is nice. Plus, you have the added bonus of TI having a chance to work! (If you and hubby are together around that time.)

    Crossfit seems AWESOME! I'm sure it will be great for your brain (and body)

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  4. sometimes a break is awesome. i hope you can enjoy parts of it! i didnt invision you as a bandwagon jumper, so i cant wait to hear about the classes!

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  5. It feels like they are the students who don't bother to study and yet still ace the test; while we're the studious nerds in the library, and despite all our preparation, not only do we receive a failing grade, but we have to see the teacher after class.

    This. Is. Perfect. This is exactly how it is, and is the perfect description of IF and Fertiles. Pretty cool about the fitness classes. Hope this break brings some new experiences.

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  6. So sorry it didn't work out. :(

    And I agree that TI makes total sense. Actually, part of me thinks my odds are better for getting pregnant by TI...maybe not my 'per cycle' odds, but my overall odds - given that I'll do a lot more TI cycles than ART ones. It doesn't help that on my IUI cycle and my IVF cycle, I only got one egg each time!

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  7. Definitely not the same as giving up! Not at all... in fact, even if you were to take a full break from TTC-ing this month, I'd endorse that, too. The back-to-back IUIs are really killer and you start to need an occasional break from the rollercoaster. Hope you can enjoy this cycle away from the clinic!

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  8. NOOOO! Don't join the CrossFit cult!! Just kidding (kind of)...I have a good friend who's so into it now, she just competed in a CrossFit games and placed sixth. I hardly ever see her and when I do we have to find a place to eat where she can go Paleo (because being obnoxious about food goes along with CrossFit, apparently). I have to admit I'm both jealous of her fitness successes and aggravated by how all-consuming CrossFit has become in her life. If you start blogging about FRANs and muscle ups, I might have to fly down and smack you. ;)

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    1. Thanks for the heads up! I have a few friends who are into cross-fit and it seems a little cult-like. That being said, some of them are looking great, and I need to break out of my current fitness rut. It's quite expensive, so I'm hoping just to do for a few months to lose some extra pounds. Yes, please monitor me and let me know if I become obnoxious about it!

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