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

Getting ready for my doctor appointment

Tomorrow I'm headed back to the doctor to just meet, kind of regroup and find out where do we go from here. I have so many questions that I feel like I need to write them down and organize my thoughts so I don't forget during my appointment. 

When my husband and I first met with our RE (reproductive endocrinologist) he diagnosied us with unexplained infertility. He explained to us that on our own we only have about a 4% chance of conceiving each month, that blew my mind those are not good odds. He also explained that just adding medicine to help with ovulation wouldn't up our chances, but combining medication and iui would up our chances to about 20% each month, that would at least increase our chances to that of a fertile couple. And if we were to get pregnant using iui the first 3 cycles would be our best bet after that the percentage of pregnancies decreases significantly. 

This past cycle was our 2nd iui. Now I'm wondering if we count it as a success since I did get pregnant or as a failure since the pregnancy ended in miscarriage.  

I have compiled a list of questions I hope to remember during my appointment:

1. Should I be concerned that I have had 2 miscarriages? (Because I am)

2. Are there tests we can run for repeat pregnancy loss (RPL)?

3. Where do we go from here?

4. Do we continue with iui? If so, how many?

5. Do you think the miscarriages could be dur to poor egg and/or sperm quality?

6. 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?

Those are my questions so far. I'll keep you updated on what I learn at my appointment. Have a great night. 

XOXO
Brooke