Starting again

My doctors appointment last week went very well.  I was able to get tons of information and have my questions answered.

1. Should I be concerned that I have had 2 miscarriages? (Because I am)
My doctor told me that at my age he expects 10% of pregnancies to end in miscarriage.  He was explaining to me that an early miscarriage is normally our bodies way of protecting us from something that wasn't right;  either the egg or sperm wasn't normal or there was a problem with the cells dividing properly.  So he told me he wasn't too concerned and that my next pregnancy had a 70-80% chance of being normal and carrying to term.    

2. Are there tests we can run for repeat pregnancy loss (RPL)?
Yes, we could run a repeat pregnancy loss panel.  This would include taking blood from me and my husband, checking for chromosomal abnormalities in both of us, and also checking for immune and clotting problems in me.  

3. Do we continue with iui? If so, how many?
Yes.  When I first met my RE he told me that with IUI your best chances for getting pregnant are in the first 3 IUIs.  My early miscarriage was IUI number 2, does this mean we only do one more IUI or do we start over counting to three?   My doctor told me he would support doing 1 or 2 more IUIs since the process had actually worked for us, but the choice was up to me.  

4. Do you think the miscarriages could be due to poor egg and/or sperm quality?
Possibly was the answer I heard. My doctor had stated that early miscarriages are your body protecting yourself from something that wasn't right; either caused by poor egg or sperm quality or the cells not dividing properly.  

5. If the miscarriages were due to poor egg/sperm quality, would IVF be a better choice since the development of the embryos can be watched?

My RE stated that he would support a decision to move on to IVF if that what we chose.  With IVF they would be able to see which embryos were developing properly and if we had great concern we could test the chromosomal make up of the embryos before transferring them to make sure they are normal and healthy.  


What have we decided and where are we going from here?  After talking to my doctor and my husband we have decided to try 2 more cycles of IUI before moving on to IVF.  I was given the go ahead last week to start a new IUI cycle since my hcg level was back to 1 which is considered not pregnant.  

I am now cycle day (CD) 8 and have been following the same protocol as last cycle:

CD 8: Hopefully last night of injections

CD2: ultrasound and blood work: I was given the all clear to start a new cycle
CD3: Letrozole 2.5mg (6-9am)
CD4: Letrozole 2.5mg (6-9am)
CD5: Letrozole 2.5mg (6-9am)      Gonal-F 50iu  (6-9pm)
CD6: Letrozole 2.5mg (6-9am)      Gonal-F 50iu   (6-9pm)
CD7: Letrozole 2.5mg (6-9am)      Gonal-F 37.5iu  (6-9pm)
CD8: Gonal-F 37.5iu (6-9pm)
CD9: ultrasound and possible blood work


Tomorrow morning I will be going in for another ultrasound to check for follicles.  If any of the follicles are close to being mature I will have blood work done.  In the afternoon my nurse will call and tell me what the next step will be.

I will keep you all updated

XOXO
Brooke

Still Dropping

I went this morning for another blood draw to check my hcg levels again. And as awful as it is I was glad to hear that my levels are dropping on their own, now down to 18.  This means I don't have to worry that this was an ectopic pregnancy or about having to have a d&c. 

I will be headed into the doctors office on Tuesday to talk with my doctor about where we go from here. 

For now I'm going to enjoy my frozen yogurt, Pitch Perfect, and snuggling with my husband on the couch (since he'll be working all weekend).

Will keep you updated, hope you all have a great weekend!

XOXO

Brooke

Excitement followed by disappointment

On Sunday morning I took a home pregnancy test as instructed by my doctors office and was shocked to see a SECOND line appear!! I quickly found the stash of clearblue digital tests I had been saving for this moment and used one. The word PREGNANT appeared on the screen!  I was in total shock. I hadn't thought this cycle had work, but thankfully I was wrong. I couldn't wait for my husband to get home from work ( he's currently working the night shift) to tell him! He was so excited!

I went to the doctor on Monday to have my blood draw to check my hcg levels and my first beta was 110. Which was a good number since my nurse said they like to see at least 80, so my number was above that :)

Today I went for my second blood draw to confirm that my hcg levels were rising appropriately. Unfortunately the news I received was not what I wanted to hear: my levels had dropped from 110 to 73.  My nurse said I have to go Friday for another blood draw to see what the levels are doing. 

I am at a loss for words. I tried to remain cautiously optimistic but I couldn't help getting excited. I have been able to get pregnant twice now, once last March whcih ended in a miscarriage at 7 weeks, and now almost a year later, which seems to be a chemical pregnancy or very early miscarriage.  I am trying to remain positive that one day I will get to be a mom but it is hard when I feel like my body is failing me. 

Will keep you updated on my numbers Friday and where we go from here.

XOXO
Brooke