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Monday, August 30, 2010

August: The cycle that was really off

August:At the start of my cycle I had only 1 day of  TEBB thanks to the Biaxin. No ovulation meds again.
I went in CD 14 to check follie growth. Big surprise. I had two large cysts  and one 14mm. on my right. My peak day was delayed until day 21. (The past 4 cycles have been Peak day on day 15.) Then I spoke to the Dr and he said not to do any triggers this month. So now I have to wait another month before trying Menopur. He had me go back for P+3 us anyway. When I went back which was 10 days since my previous us I was surprised again. Now I had a new cyst on the left. One of the cysts on the right was starting to break down, and there was one just sitting there.
My BW was off too. The last 4 cycles have been very consistant. P around 13 and E around 300. Well this time it was P 4.6 and E 33............UGHHHHHHHH It feels like my body is way off. I am feeling like I am going backwards. For the past 4 months since my surgery I have been extremely consistant with my peak day and my BW levels. This cycle was way off.
I have a theory. I am wondering if it is the B6. I have been taking 500mg for the past 3 months. My condiiton has gotten progressively worse in regards to the cysts in the past 3 months. In fact in May when I did not take the B6 I did not have any cysts at all. I am going to speak to the Dr soon and ask him about this. Maybe I am just extra senstive to it. I am very sensitive to fertility meds.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

October 16th: Feast of St. Gerard

http://www.saintlucy.net/feast.html
NATIONAL SHRINE OF ST. GERARD 118 7th Avenue, Newark  NJ  07104In 1899 a small group from Caposele, Italy introduced to the United States, in the City of Newark, the Feast devoted to St. Gerard Maiella.  Because of their initiative and zeal the Feast has drawn many devotees to our Church which has been declared the National Shrine of St. Gerard. We must also recognize those countless numbers of known, living and deceased, who have fostered and developed the affection for 100 years.  God alone knows the good they have accomplished.
     Only those who have participated in a Feast of St. Gerard celebrated at our National Shrine can really appreciate the unique character of this truly remarkable devotion.  People from near and far, old and young, those in sickness or in health, make any sacrifice, overcome any obstacle to be present on October 16th to demonstrate their faith, confidence and love for this miraculous Patron of ours.  One gets the impression that St. Gerard sets the tone of his Feast each year by gently inspiring his followers to honor him each in his or her own way.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

10 Reasons to Choose NaProTechnology Over InVitro Fertilization

I just read a great article titled: 
10 Reasons to Choose NaProTechnology Over InVitro Fertilization   Here is the link.  
1. NaProTechnology Focuses on Disease If a couple cannot get pregnant, it makes sense that the first thing the doctor must do is to find out why. This is THE goal of the complete NPT program. With IVF, the cause of infertility is not important and in the underlying problem it is completely ignored.
2. Success Rates are Better with NaProTechnologyRecent data from the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, NE, show that NaProTechnology success rates are 1.
5 to 3 times better than IVF (23.5% versus 38.4%-81.8%). In a 4 year study of 95 NPT couples who had been trying to conceive for an average of 6.1 years and had 176 failed attempts at an Artificial Reproductive Technique (ART) Boyle[1] reported that there were 123 conceptions. Life table analysis demonstrated increasing success the longer that couples remained in the NPT program with 26.2% pregnant at 12 to 17 months rising to 32.6% at 18-25 months.
3. Destruction of EmbryosAn analysis of ART data[2] from 1983 to 1986 demonstrated that the transfer of 1,372 embryos (3.2 per woman) resulted in 81 live births. From this data, it is necessary to create 16.9 living embryos to produce one live birth. The higher reported rates of success for IVF procedures usually means more embryos are being transferred which increases the risk of multiple births.
4. Infanticide: "Selective Reduction"One of the most objectionable things about IVF is that it can result in a situation where a woman is forced to deal with a dangerously high multiple pregnancy rate. Pregnancy risk increases dramatically with the number of babies in the womb. Frequently, women are compelled to selectively "reduce" (i.e., kill) additional babies in the womb due to unacceptably high pregnancy risk.
5. Natural Sex versus a Laboratory ProcedureIn IVF, the sperm and eggs (gametes) are collected through masturbation (male) and harvesting (female) where they meet in a laboratory to form embryos which are then reintroduced into the woman's body. NPT, on the other hand, relies on a natural act of intercourse to achieve pregnancy.
6. NaProTechnology is more cost effectiveAccording to Collins[3], the median cost of one cycle of IVF in the United States in 2001 is $9,226. $20-30,000 expenses are not unheard of, however, because IVF clinics prefer to sell discount packages (multiple cycles) in order to increase success rates and allow for "shared" risk. In comparison, at one medical center in Duarte, CA (Santa Teresita), NPT has been cited as costing approximately $9,290 which includes a physician evaluation, hormone and ultrasound evaluation, and outpatient surgical treatment of infertility.
7. Pregnancy OutcomesThere is growing concern that IVF may have significant adverse effects on the children conceived with this procedure. In a study of birth defects after ICSI and IVF procedures, Hansen et al.
[4] reported that ICSI and IVF babies were more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with a major birth defect by the end of one year of life (8.6% and 9.0%) as compared to naturally conceived babies (4.2%).
8. You could get pregnant again!Because natural fertility is restored with NPT, these couples are often able to get pregnant again. In the Boyle study[1] of 89 births in women who had failed ART, there were 14 women with 2 live births, and 1 woman with 3 live births. Since IVF does nothing to correct the cause of infertility, there is no benefit toward subsequent pregnancies.
9. What will you have to show for it?Ironically, in some cases IVF procedures cause additional harm to the female reproductive system in the course of treatment. For example, some IVF clinics will perform surgical removal of a blocked and swollen fallopian tube in order to increase success rates[5]. In these cases, when IVF fails, fallopian tube repair is no longer an option. This approach is contrary to the natural and restorative orientation of the NPT physician and surgeon[6]. NPT is designed to restore (not destroy) reproductive function. If nothing else, NPT couples have had the underlying cause of the problem addressed which often results in better overall health.
10. What happens after you get pregnant?This is perhaps the most important question. Frequently, couples who pursue IVF have not thought about what happens next. Success equals pregnancy. Unfortunately, ignoring the underlying problem that leads to infertility in the first place can adversely affect the pregnancy and even lead to miscarriage. With NPT, restoring health and fertility begins before conception and continues throughout the pregnancy with the aim of preventing miscarriage and promoting the optimum health of the newborn baby and mother.
References1. Boyle, P., NaProTechnology (NPT) � After previously unsuccessful Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART). 2004. 2. Cvetkovich, L.L., The reproductive technologies: A scientific overview, in The gift of life: The proceedings of a national conference on the Vatican instruction on reproductive ethics and technology, M. Wallace and T. Hilgers, Editors. 1990, Pope Paul VI Institute Press: Omaha, NE. 3. Collins, J., Cost-effectiveness of In Vitro Fertilization. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 2001. 19: p. 279-289. 4. Hansen, M., et al., The risk of major birth defects after Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection and In Vitro Fertilization. New England Journal of Medicine, 2002. 346: p. 725-730. 5. Nackley, A.C. and S.J. Muasher, The significance of hydrosalpinx in in vitro fertilization. Fertility and Sterility, 1998. 69: p. 373-384. 6. Hilgers, T.W., The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTechnology. 2004, OmahaArticle Search, NE: Pope Paul VI Institute Press.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Copyright 2006 Majella.us
David Picella helps couples who are trying to conceive naturally without the use of expensive artificial reproductive techniques. You can read more articles published by him and by other experts in this area at:

July

At the start of my cycle the TEBB returned ugh...So I did not have high hopes for this cycle. No ovulation meds again. I went in for my us on CD 15 and the follicle was already 18mm. So I took the 2 ovidrel triggers the next day. I went back in P+3 and it was still there, but now it was 32mm. This is the same thing that happened last month. It still amazes me that two shots of ovidrel did not work. I remember when I was back with the RE and every month I had cysts and I asked him about taking more than one ovidrel. He told me that if I took the shot then I must be releasing. He would not use the US to check..........ugh to think of all the time and money I wasted with the RE when I had LUFS all along.......
I had my cycle review. P+7 bloodwork was P:15 and E:385. So again, my hormones are working fine, but the physical part is still off. Took prometrium P+3 to P+12. Next month we are going back on the antibiotics and will use Menopur as a trigger with the ovidrel and hope that it helps to release the follicle. Menopur has LH in it. I remember that the Dr told me that LUFS was hard to treat so I am trying to remain optomistic. It is hard because this is the last piece of the puzzle. The dr said if we can get this part to work then I should be able to get pregnant.......I am excited about next month because I have never taken menopur, so something new means new hope.