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Good morning ladies! So, yes. During the egg retrival they will gather every egg I make, mature & immature. Only the mature ones will fertilize though. I'm actually having ICSI done which is where they directly inject 1 sperm into each mature egg. Thanks! I'm already feeling something esp. on my left side so I'm thinking the growth spurt has begun. How was your weekend? You have an appt. today, correct? For monitoring? Good luck. Keep us posted on how it goes. Dea--I'm glad you're not planning on testing today, I think if you have a beta scheduled for Fri., testing today/tomorrow would be a little too early. DH's are usually good at noticing any breast changes. I always put my DH on boobie watch detail, he's good at his job. LOL! Seriously though, darkening nipples can be a good sign. Promising. Look for veins developing too. Fingers' crossed for you, Dea!

Hi ladies, well, as you know my ultrasound was quite disappointing...my follicles are really small (all under 9mm!) I have to go for another ultrasound tomorrow to see if anything changes. Mega, that is awesome that you are feeling a growth spurt! Hopefully you have lots of maturing eggies in there!! I was hoping that I'd feel some growing follicles too, but so far...nothing. Good luck at your b/w today! So, Friday is your u/s...so does that mean that you could potentially have your retrieval done on friday as well? Dea, any new symptoms? How are you feeling about this cycle??? I can't wait until your blood test on friday so we can get a BFP on here;)

Hi Girls: MEGA: Hope your u/s shows lots of promising follicles!! SO: you have another u/s today too? That's interesting that you ladies can feel them growing. I just felt really bloated-- even after the hcg shot. This cycle, my muscles are very fatigued (especially biceps and quads). I was doing some light yard work and had to sit down!!! I'm ether pg or getting wimpier in my old age....ha!! Veins are showing on my bbs but they did last cycle too. Of course- I did have a beta at 8- so maybe they are another positive sign. I just hope the test on Friday is definitive. Last cycle the 8 was only "slightly positive" & I had to wait another 3 days- that was terrible. Hope your appointment go well to day girls~~~~DUST~~~

So--Not everyone feels growing follies. I have PCOS & polycystic ovaries so I get lots of feeling down in that region. But even if you can't feel anything it doesn't mean nothing is happening! They're probably growing as you're reading my rambling post. :) Hope so! So, So I'm sorry that you were disappointed yesterday but all isn't lost yet. They could still grow & mature. Here's hoping! Thanks! No, the retrival wouldn't be Friday b/c I'd still have to trigger 35 hours before the retrival, but I suppose it could be possible that I could trigger a little earlier than predicted, probably not that early though. If I trigger too early I'm afraid that fewer follies would make it, so hopefully they can control the growth so most of the eggs retrived are mature. I have the potential of having 23 follies or so & seeing as I'm a greedy broad, I want as many of those mature as possible. My RE likes to trigger b/wn 17 to 20 mm, with the assumption that they'll have grown bigger post-HCG shot. I should get the results of my e2 today, hopefully they'll raise my dose of Follistim, that should help grow more follies. Anyway, I hope tomorrow's appt. is much better for you, So! Dea--Did the dr say you had a chemical pg last cycle? Would that be the term? Anyway, I'm so sorry about, I couldn't imagine how stressful those several days of beta & beta and waiting & waiting must've been. I'd always heard that veins on the bbs is a very good sign & the fact that you had those last month with your low + beta does tend to support the fact it COULD be a sign. I hope you don't have to go thru that again. Hopefully this time it will be a nice, HIGH beta. The muscle fatigue could be a good sign too.

Meredith, your post made me smile! Reading all of the "so"s made me laugh...I never thought that I would have such a nickname! Well, today I am feeling a little bit of achiness in my right ovary...kind of shooting down into my quad. I am hoping that means that there is some action in there and I also hope that the follies grew while I was reading your message:) Dea, I am so excited for you. You must be at the edge of your seat waiting to test! I am a test-a-holic (mostly OPKs since I never O) but if I do O this cycle it will be with a trigger shot and the nurse said that I can't use an HPT cause I'd get a false positive so it looks like I will be entering test-a-holics anoymous this month:) Nothing much new over here. I will let you know how tomorrow's ultrasound goes. Wish me luck!

Good luck tomorrow, So! Is it any wonder I like to call you that? Seeing as I tend to use that word A LOT! :) Glad my post made you laugh & hopefully that achiness is a good sign of some major follie growing going on. Plus it's a proven factor laughing makes follies grow. Okay so I made that up.Sounds good though, right?! It should be true at any rate. Good luck this cycle fighting your POAS addiction! Lots of people on this board are similarly afflicted. **Grow follies grow, grow follies grow***

Hey ladies! SO: they say to not use a HPT if you have had a trigger shot but, it depends on the dosage. A lower dosage will leave you system faster and then you can test. My triggers are out of my system usually a week after I take them. MEGA: The dr never said what had happened. If I get another low beta though- I will be asking A LOT of questions. It was frustrating to be "this close" to a viable pregnancy. Exciting too, but mostly frustrating. With 23 follicles- do you feel bloated at all?? The good news is that you will have some follicles even if it's not all 23. My cousin went through all this stuff-- with her first cycle she never got more than 4 eggs and only 2 fertilized. 2nd cycle, 3 eggs with only one fertilizing. She never achieved a pregnancy and as far as I know she and her husband have called it quits. She doesn't know what dh and I are gping through (noone in the family knows at this point) and I've been tempted to say something more than once...I know that having you ladies is certainly a great support system. In my family, women in the same room with their dh's get pg. But with me and my cousin- it sure seems impossible. I hope appointments show promise girls!! ~~DUST~~

Dea--I couldn't imagine how frustrating it must be to be that close to viable pregnancy. I hope that's just a one time thing for you & the next pg is a sticky bean. But yes, if it does happen again ask for tests or whatever will ease your mind. I'm so sorry for all your cousin has been through. Did they tweak her protocol the 2nd time & she was still a low responder? There are other suppression drugs out there that may help her grow more eggs if she decides to do IVF again & can afford to do it again. I can understand not wanting to let people know, though maybe you & your cousin could help eachother. But this board is by far my best support system! A lot of my family knows, a lot of friends too. In a way it's nice that they know what's going on but occassionally I wish that I never told anyone. And I esp. don't want my family/friends asking me how this cycle turns out b/c if it's a BFN, ouch! And if it's a BFP, we want to make sure the pg is off to a healthy start. I want to wait til we see & perhaps hear the hb, DH wants to wait even longer than that. We'll see. I don't keep my secrets very well. Other peoples' I do though. :) I've been trying to explain to a few people that if I get pg I'm not going to announce it for a while. I hope I did a good job & didn't hurt their feelings. I know 23 is an awful lot, might be a pipe dream, but we'll see. PCOS women do tend to produce more eggs than most women though, however they're not always highest quality. No, I'm not too bloated yet, though that's coming. I am so excited for Friday, I keep feeling a lot of twinges down there so I can't help thinking that means there's a lot starting to grow.Oh & my e2 was 212 so I guess that's a good rise this early in the game. They didn't end up raising my dose of Follistim so I guess it's working. You getting ready for Fri. beta? Any new signs/symptoms? The ones you mentioned earlier sound good. I've got my fingers' crossed for you! So--You have your next follie check today, right? Good luck! Post back when you can. I hope they've been growing quite a bit!

Angela--How'd your u/s appt. go today? Any posititive news in the growth dept? Good luck!!!

My u/s went pretty horribly. Actually, I can't really imagine it being any worse:( I am feeling pretty upset right now and I can't seem to pull myself together. My follicles are not maturing at all and my cyst has grown even larger. I have to go back on Friday for another one. It is so heartbreaking NEVER getting any positive news. I can't believe that I have been TTC for over a year and I have never ovulated once. I don't know how much longer I will be able to handle this constant disappointment. Also, I can't keep taking time off work for these appointments/ultrasounds every second day! Sorry for being such a downer.

Angela--I'm soooo sorry. You're not being a downer, this is a tough situation. Vent to us anytime you need/want, that's what we're here for. You CAN & WILL O, you're just a bit more of a challenge that's all.There IS a med out there that can & will make you O. It's just you're a better candidate for injectibles I guess that's all.. Or at the very least you weren't on a high enough dose of Clomid. As frustrating as this is (& I know first hand that it is) it's all trial & error, finding what works for you. The good news is there are tons of options and hopefully sooner, not later you'll be getting some posititive news. I have kind of a radical option you could run by your RE, but only if they do agree you have PCOS, there is something called Ovarian Drilling. I had it back in Feb. when I had a laporoscopy. It's a short term fix to be sure, but I started responding to Clomid again & my response to injectibles has been excellent. I O sooner in the cycle too. However Ovarian Drilling is only good for PCOS women & it doesn't work for everyone. Some REs believe in it, some think it's old fashioned. My dr only did b/c he was in the neighborhood (doing a laporosocopy to make sure I was endo free). I only mention that to show there are options out there. Hang in there! I'm sorry you're going thru this.

MEGA: We both have big days this Friday!! I couldn't temp this AM because of a bout with insomnia last night. I never slept the minimal three hours needed. My cousin is now 41 so I think her age was an issue...plus she only has one functioning ovary. She had a lot of things working against her. Hey! I am the same way about secrets--- mine, I can't keep. Others, I am silent as the grave. Our families don't know about all this stuff or that we are even trying. But, I think a lot of them are suspicious or think we are trying. It's the Italian way- there is no escape from it. :o).....SO: I know it's so hard, but try to stay positive. Like Mega said- there are A LOT of options to help women o. Clomid was a start. Even I did better with the injections (6 eggs instead of 2). That was the lowest doasge. After a year I was feeling the same way. I am now on month 26. It's hard to believe we have been ttc this long. But, there is hope-- stay positive, sister. We are here for you. ~~DUST~~

Dea--Yes, we do. You esp., BETA day! I'm guessing tomorrow played a big part in your insomnia last night. So how do you feel? Do you feel like there's a good chance it'll be + or not? You know, I've never had a beta test. My clinic does them standard for IVF'ers, but IUI'ers only get on if AF is a few days late. I'm thinking my left ovary will have a TON of follies, it's been cramping a lot these days esp. when I'm active. But not much seems to be going on on my right side so that makes me a bit nervous. I'm ready for tomorrow! I'm wondering if they'll end up moving my ER up a day or two. Guess I'll know more tomorrow. At 41 yes age probably did play a part in things for your cousin. My mom has a friend is 43, she hasn't found Mr. Right (or even Mr. Good for Now) yet and she's always wanted a child so she's just started this whole TTC thing this summer. I think she's going to do embryo adoption or doner eggs at least b/c of her age. You & I started TTC around the same time, I hear ya I can't believe it's been 2 years already. Geez! So--How are you feeling today? You've got an appt. yourself tomorrow, right? We've all 3 got busy TTC days tomorrow. I agree totally with how Dea phrased it, for a lot of women, that's all Clomid is, a start. (Well put Dea!) This baby makin' stuff is a big time committment but as I remind myself every day "Eyes on the Prize!" It'll be worth it in the end. Hang in there!!!

Dea, sorry about your insomnia! Hopefully it is a good sign of a BFP coming! I am the EXACT same way about secrets! I can't keep by own! My whole family and all of our friends know about our difficulties ttc. And if (I mean, When) I end up with my BFP I'm sure that I am going to spill the beans right away. Mega, good luck with the follies tomorrow. I sure hope that you have lots of mature ones in there! Dea, please bring home a BFP!! As for me, well, I am going to try to stay in control in case I get bad news again. I just hate that the process is so slow. Since this is my first cycle being monitored they are going to make me wait it out so they can get an idea of what my body does. I am trying to stay positive though. I just finished watching this movie "the secret" it is about the Laws of attraction. I highly recommend it. I don't know if it is b/s but is very uplifting. Anyway, gals, I'm going to go watch some TV. Good luck tomorrow and thank you so much for all of your support. You ladies always make me feel so much better.

Well, ladies, more bad news. My cyst has grown once again. They have stopped monitoring me because this cycle is a bust and they can't continue with any treatment until the cyst goes away. So technically we have to stop TTC for now. Well, the nurse called it a break. I go back on sept. 14th to see if the cyst is gone. If it is then I will proceed with provera and then start injectibles. If it is not gone I will have to wait another month and go back mid oct. to see if it is gone. If not, then I will have to have a cyst aspiration/laparascopy. I am at my wits end. Anyway, I am really going to try not to be here as often because it makes the days go by so slowly and I really need the next three weeks to fly by. I wish you all the best and I'm sure I'll be back here soon.

Dea--Good luck today with the Beta, hoping you get good news today! Angela, so sorry that the cyst is continuing to get bigger. Hopefully it'll go away on its own soon. That's entirely possible, it's happened to me before. Hang in there. While I'll miss you on your board break I understand. But please post back after your Sept. appt to let us know how you're doing.