Infertility Options

FB Sister Drama

2012-02-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

OMG my sister is really pushing it. As you know we have not spoken in 3 years. If you missed the drama you can use the search function on the side and it should pop up. Well things have been quiet since she ignores me. Whatever! Recently I had to go down to see my family for something. My family lives about 3 hours south of me.

We drove down and there was a dinner at a restaurant. Each family sat together. I saw my sister and my parents already sitting together and something inside me just snapped. She is about 7 mos pg and I think that I knew I just could not sit there and listen to her go on and on about it. I just refused to sit with them. I am also tired of being ignored. I asked my aunt/uncle and cousins if they had room at their table. Thankfully they did. We had a nice time. I had not seen them in months so it was actually nice to sit with them. At the end my father asked me if I was mad at him. I told him no, but I refuse to sit down and eat next to someone who ignores me and treats me with disrespect.

I got back home and my cousin started a FB closed group that included all of us. The intent was to start a discussion on where to have the next family reunion. This was the first time that my sister and I were on the same FB anything. She stopped speaking to me before I joined FB so we were never friends on there. Well, the first discussion was where to have the reunion. The past 4 years it has been really far away. It was in a place that was about 5 hours away in another state and it was not easy to get to. The reason is my one cousin set it up so she chose the place. She lives the farthest away. Everyone had to drive all the way out there and they did it every year. Every year I asked for it to be moved closer bc I would not drive that far. I never went.

I was so glad to finally have the discussion open up. A few people agreed with me, but my sister kept bringing it up that she wanted to go back to the same place. I was furious. She knows that I won't go there. I made a comment about not being able to travel that far, so let's pick a new place. Last night she made a general comment about having to suck it up bc family is more important. I knew that was directed at me. I was so mad, but I had to sleep on it. I have always told myself that I would not go Jerry Springer on FB in front of people, but now I realize just how hard it is to resist that temptation to stand up for yourself when someone disrespects you.

Someone mentioned an indoor water park place in another state. My cousin said that was too far as it was almost 7 hours from her. I suggested the same park in a closer state. I asked my cousin if that was too far for her bc I understand how it is to drive too long. Then my sister writes back that the water park is not that great and she again insisted that we go back to the first location bc that place that I don' want to go. OMG I wanted to slap her in the face. I am a shy quiet nonviolent person, but this was it.

My DH told me to take a breather and not write anything on FB that I would regret. Then he had a great idea. He found a website that allows you to type in all the addresses and it will calculate the midpoint. Eureka! He is very logical. He said you have to win an argument with math and not emotions. I love him! I did that and found that the midpoint was only about 2-3 hours from me and most of my family. The midpoint was about 5 hours away from my one cousin which is the same distance to that first place.

I wrote up something and had my dh edit it. I wrote about how the focus of the family reunion is to gather family and the entertainment is secondary. I wrote about the midpoint and how it was not necessary for all of us to go 5 hours away when we could find something closer by and be fair to everyone. I even copied the picture of the map to show everyone. I then requested that we find a location close to the midpoint so that we could be fair and maximize attendance.

OMG my heart rate is up. I am so upset with her that she would continually try to exclude me from the reunion. I would never do that to her even though she is treating me this way. I am waiting to see her response. I do not want to get into a FB fight. I promised my dh that I would not send any replies without talking to him first. This group is just my family members but I still do not want to get into it. I can only imagine after seeing my post, that the rest of the family would never consider keeping it at the first place, but my sister is a real nag.

Mega Rash

2012-02-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday after my procedure my back started to itch but I did not think anything of it. Then I woke up Wed morning with a really itchy rash on my chest, back, and neck. I had a delayed reaction to something they gave me. Then it started to creep up my face. A few hours later it started to go down my belly. Then it went to my thighs. I called my doc and he said to do antihistamines and cortisone cream. He said it was nothing to worry about unless I started to have trouble breathing. He said it should go away soon.

The next day it I woke up and it started to go down my arms and onto my hands. I freaked out that this rash just kept spreading even though I had started antihistamines and it was 24 hours later. I went to see my local doc who said the rash was textbook pain med reaction rash. She said to keep doing the same things and if it does not go away in 4 days come back for prednisone. 4 days??? ugh This rash is super itchy. She said it is hard to tell how long it could take to go away bc the reaction itself can go on for a few days and then it takes a few more to go away. She said that one lady had a reaction from hair dye and it took 4 weeks to go away.

The rash on its 3rd day has now moved down away from my face and neck. So I am hopeful that it is getting better. It is still super itchy on my chest and makes wearing a bra unbearable. My arms are also itchy. It is crazy bc the pain med caused more pain than the relief it provided on Tues.

At this point, I am satisfied that I am no longer in danger of dying. I started to freak out when it kept spreading all over like something in a sci fi movie. I hope that it goes away on its own. I don't want to go back for prednisone. My DH is getting really good at slathering lotion all over me. I bought the largest tube of cortisone cream available and I am almost done.

Back From The Hospital

2012-02-08T09:29:00.000-05:00

I am back from the hospital. I had to travel 3 hours to see my napro surgeon but it was worth it. I trust him 100% to be thorough and do everything he can to restore my fertility. We went down Monday night and got a hotel nearby. The ride down was easy since it was mostly highway.

The next morning we had to be there to check in a 9:30 to be in the OR at 11:30. We got there ok and checked in. Everyone was very helpful. The hospital itself is very nice. We went from one check in area to the next. Everything was moving along. We went to the pre op area and had our own little cubby room with a bed and some chairs. There were rooms around the center where the nurses were. It was great. People kept coming in to talk to us and get us to sign forms. The two hours went by quickly. I was starving and my stomach was growling.

The nurse came in to do the IV. I asked her if she was an expert. I told her that I had this done many times and it ranged from going right in to getting stabbed multiple times by a student. She got it right in on the first try. Those suckers still really hurt in the hand, but at least she only had to stab me once.The anesthesia Dr asked me about problems. I told him that it just makes me sick. He said they would give me some stuff to prevent nausea and vomiting. I went into the OR. They started to hook me up to the meds and I felt it in my head and then I was out.

I woke up in recovery. Since I had the light anesthesia and no tube in my throat it was easier to wake up. The nurse asked me if I felt sick. Nope. Then he asked me about pain. I had the worst cramps ever. He asked me what it was on a scale of 1-10. I told him that I have a high tolerance for pain but this is killing me and I needed something. He tells me that he will take care of me and then puts something in the IV. I was thinking it would be something like motrin, but then he says this stuff is better than morphine. YIKES. Then it hit me and the cramps were immediately gone. I told him he was my angel. Then it hit my head. I started to feel really stoned.

They wheeled me back to the post op area where you get ready to go. They brought me in and the first nurse looked at me funny. I can only imagine what I looked like. She says are you ok? I said yes, I am just really stoned. They laughed. She slowly got me to sit up and onto the chair. Then she asked me if I wanted a muffin to eat. oh gross. I said let's start slow with some crackers and ginger ale. I was so stoned that I could not move my head. I probably could have gone to sleep but I knew I had to stay awake, eat, and go home. I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me. I was not hungry at all but I was not nauseous at all either. I ate my four crackers slowly, my jello, and drake my soda. I felt ok. Then another nurse comes by and tells me that I should not be afraid to move. I told her that I was stoned and she laughed. She says oh yeah well they gave you some heavy narcotics and I guess you are a light weight.

I told my DH to take good notes when the dr speaks to him. The good news it that my tubes are clear. They have been clear every time I had checked them, but it has been two years so I wanted to make sure. Then he tells me that the polyps came back. That was my fear. It has been 3 years since I had them checked. They are micro polyps so they do not show up on US. My dh said I had a field of them. I don't know exactly how bad this is until I speak to the Dr at my follow up. I can only imagine that a field of micro polyps would make it very hard if not impossible for a tiny embryo to implant. He also said the inside of my uterus was irritated/inflamed. He told my DH that I was going in the right direction with the immune dr. He also said that polyps are part of the endometriosis package. So at least I have some stuff to work on. The polyps are gone for for how long? Now I have to follow up with the immune Dr to deal with this inflammation.

I sat there for an hour. Then they had me get up to pee. That is the final test that you are allowed to go. I told them that my head was so heavy that I would probably fall over. They got two nurses to help me up and take me over. I was able to pee enough and was told I could go. I got back in the chair and they took out my IV. The wonderful nurse helped me get dressed. She commented on my great choice of clothes. I told her I am an old pro. I had drawstring PJ pants, no bra, long sleeve undershirt, zip up sweat shit. Fuzzy sock and slippers.

(Warning Gross part, read at your own risk)
I am about ready to leave when I got that feeling. I tell her that I am going to be sick and she comes running with a small pink bowel. Well, thankfully it was only water bc I got so sick that I filled up about 5 of those. She had to pass each one off to the other nurse and give me a new one. Then I am not sure what happened bc it started to splash back out of the bowl onto my clothes. It got all over my arm. Then I was smart to move my legs so the next one hit the floor and not my lap. Oh it was terrible. She threw a towel on the floor and one on my lap. Then my DH starts to distract her and ask her why they use such small bowels. I got really mad. I yelled at him that I was busy and needed her full attention. When It was over, I told her that I do not get sick that often, (it had been two years) but when I do, watch out. She was an angel and cleaned me up. She commented that it smelled like strawberries thanks to the jello. I had to laugh. It did not look not like barf at all. If it was, I would have had to strip my shirt off and go home in a gown. She gave me a towel to take home and keep on my lap for the car.
(Gross part over)

Thankfully that was it. I was able to drive home for 3 hours without any repeat. I had a pillow that I keep in the car and I rested/slept the whole way home.When I got home I was not stoned anymore. I was able to have some light foods. I noticed that my skin was itchy. I thought that my skin was dry or annoyed from me laying down all day.

I woke up this morning and my skin was very itchy. I thought maybe I should take a shower to wash my skin. I went to look in the mirror and I had a huge rash all over my neck and chest front and back. It was creeping up on my face. It was not on my arms or legs.It was so itchy I had to take my shirt off. I tried so hard not to scratch now that I know I have a rash. I called the Dr just now and I am waiting to hear back. I am having a delayed reaction to something. I googled dilantin and it said you could get a rash from that. The rash is getting worse. I am not sure if I just need some cream or an internal medicine. It is weird how it is central to my face, neck and then down the middle of my chest/back to my belly button.

The nurse called me and said right now they are thinking delayed reaction from the anesthesia meds and to treat it like a basic rash with some cream and some bendryl. She said it should start to go down and be gone by the end of the day and to call back if it does not go away in a day. Thankfully I am home bc I cannot wear a bra. I would have to wear a potato sack. I have to go back tomorrow so I hope it is gone by then.

I Survived a Baby Shower

2012-02-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

Over the summer my MIL introduced me to a woman about my age who was also struggling with if. We were both doing napro. She was about to have her first surgery with the same surgeon and since I was an old pro my mil gave her my number. We spoke on the phone and had an instant connection. I gave her all my pointers on the surgery. A few months later we met in person with our DHs. All four of us hit it off.

Then about a month later, my dh got an email from hers saying that she was pg. He wanted to be sensitive and break it to us gently. It was very sweet and thoughtful of them. At first I was thrilled for them. She had been trying for 5 years prior to the surgery. Then it only took her a few months after the surgery to have success. After I was happy for her, I got really sad for myself being that I had surgery two years ago and nothing happened for me.

Time went on, and I saw her again. I got over my sadness and I became happier for her. She invited me to her baby shower. I was happy that she invited me bc I did not want my if status to make things weird but at the same time I was not sure if I could handle it. I decided to try and see what happens.

The first hurdle was getting the gift. I knew I could not handle going into babies r us without having a melt down. I went online and looked at her registry. I decided to buy the most useful, basic, not cute thing I could find. I decided to get a stroller. Then I decided to order it online. I did do in store pick to save on shipping. When I got the email that my order was ready, I was able to just go to the customer service desk and pick it up. It was already paid for so I did not have to get in line.

Yesterday was the shower. Overall I am happy that I went to support her. There were times that I almost cried, but I didn't. It was really hard when she opened something really tiny and really cute and then every single person in the room would go ooohhhhh aahhhhh how cute. Then they would reminisce about their children. There were also a few women there who brought young babies. It is hard to be surrounded by reminders.

I am glad that I went. It was really hard, but that is life. I think the part that made it bearable was the fact that she was ttc for so long and they had sympathy for me when they told us.

Speeding Ticket

2012-02-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Last month about 2 weeks after I got my new car, I got a speeding ticket. I was driving down a road that looked like a highway but it was only a 45. I was going somewhere unfamiliar and had the GPS on. It was early in the day and there was nobody on the road. I was not really paying attention to my speed bc I was worried about making a wrong turn.

All of a sudden I saw a cop with his lights on. He told me I was going 70. I really had no idea, and it was a total accident. He gave me a ticket and told me to appear in court on Feb 1 bc I could try to talk it down. I waited a whole month and today was my court date.

I drive 30 min to the town court. I get on line to show my ticket to the clerk. The room is full of people so I am thinking I will be here awhile. I brought papers to correct just in case. She sees my ticket and tells me that if I plead guilty I will get 6pts on my license and have to pay court fees on top. Since they suspend your license at 11pts, this is a large number of pts. It turns out they do not assign pts on first offense etc. They just assign it based on the crime. She tells me if I plead not guilty then I can come back another day to talk it down. I must have had a really dumb look on my face. I told her that the officer said to come tonight to speak to the judge. She said nope, tonight is just to chose guilty or not. So I got really mad, but I had to keep my cool. I said so, I could have just mailed this in.....

I was also confused bc I was guilty, I did speed, but if I admit that then I do not get a chance to explain and ask for leniency I think she caught on bc then she says, if this is your first offense just plead not guilty. I really had no choice bc the penalty of 6ts is too high. I would also have to pay court fees, and then the DMV gets you for $300 for the driver responsibility program when you get 6pts in 18 months. REALLY??? So for my first offense this is what I could get....ughhhhhhhhh

So I had no choice, I plead not guilty took the paper she gave me and left. Then I read that I have to come back NEXT month for a pre-trial meeting with the ADA. If we agree to something then I do not have to go to court. If we do not agree then I have to go back to court. OMG so I am not sure what will happen. This is my first offense but I was driving 25 miles over the limit. That number sounds outrageous to me but the road was empty and my new car has a super quick acceleartaion. I barely tap it and I am going 40.

I am going to tell the truth. I am going to bring my car receipt and tell them that I just got a new car two weeks prior, so I was not used to the acceleration since my former car was 14 years old. We will see what happens. Even if they reduce it one point I will not have to pay the stupid responsibility fee. It is crazy that I drive without issue for 18 years and I never get any reward but I screw up once and I get hit hard. By the time this gets settled it will be months later.

Repurposing Syringes for Math Class.

2012-01-31T18:29:00.000-05:00

My pms is kicking in. Last night I could not sleep due to hot flashes off and on with cold flashes.I have one large red swollen (look at me) zit right in the middle of my face.

I was at a meeting today when I overheard someone mention a surprise pg. This is her second child and she was commenting about how inconvenient it will be to be large over the summer. OMG I wanted to rip her hair out. I sat in the car thinking that I just can't do this anymore. I am getting so sick and tired of losing. Thankfully next week is my procedure. I am praying that they find something small enough to make me want to continue or large enough to get me to quit. No more grey areas.

There is part of me that wants to give up but there is another part that tells me try one more time or you will regret it. I got home and saw a comment from TCIE, it was nice and made me feel better. She mentioned also wanting to try everything possible before giving up. Our stories are similar except she has pcos and I have lufs.

I teach math. Today we reviewed customary capacity. Before school, I dug through the recycle bin to find a gallon, quart, pint, and cup sized container. Then I found some that were in between. We pretended it was like the price is right and they had to estimate the size of the mystery containers. They did a great job.

Tomorrow we are going over metric. This is basic bc it is only liter and militer. I rememebr when I was young seeing the eye dropper in the math text book and thinking is it the drop or the whole dropper? We never got to play with a real one to find out. Well since I have been taking so many shots over the past few years, I finally found the answer. One ML is not just one drop it is about 20. I saved my finished neupogen bottles and I got every last drop out. Then I got some food coloring and put back one ml back in since the bottle's capacity is only one ml. I thought it would be cool to show them how much one ml is in the bottle.

Then I found some unused syringes from when I tried pio shots last year. I was able to unscrew the needle. I cannot belive I ever let my dh stick me with that. The barrel makes a cool plunger and the ml are marked. I will let them use the syringe to try and fill up one liter. Of course after a few minutes they realize 1,000 ml will take all day. I was glad to be able to repurpose my syringes into math materials.

misc updates

2012-01-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did a test and it was a BFN. I did not cry this time. I got mad. This month I took a break from the hard core meds that treat my blood clotting and my NK cells so in my heart I knew it was not going to happen. I was mad bc I keep reading about women who stop their meds and poof magic happens. I was mad that I was not one of those lucky ones. I was mad that I have to continue to torture myself with shots. At the same time I guess I should be thankful that I still have some chance. Then again I am getting to the point where I wish it was black and white and someone could prove to me that I had no chance and should stop.

Next month I am going to get another hysteroscopy done since my last one was 3 years ago. I am trying to remain positive and hope that there is something in there that needs a spring cleaning. I had to make sure the timing was just right since I have to get it done cd 5-10 and my dr only does this on certain days of the week. I am taking my progesterone a few extra days so that everything will line up. Now I just have to pray that we do not get a huge snow storm that week. I am going into the hospital to be sedated, but at least it should be a lot easier to recover from than from a surgery.

My refrigerator has been making noises. I ignored it at first bc I did not want to deal with it. Then it kept up and I started to panic that it would die and I would lose thousands of dollars of meds I have stored in my fridge. My DH called GE, they said they will service up to 25 years old. We had no idea how old it was since it came with the house, but it seemed older. They look up the serial number and found out it was 21 years old. The same age as my furnace. The previous owner was renting the house out before we bought it so we are thinking that they updated the appliances before they got the tenants. The GE tech is coming on Monday so we are hoping that it just needs to be dusted out or have a small fan replaced etc. I do not want to have to buy a new fridge. Mine works just fine. I have a fridge thermometer in it to make sure the temps are ok.

I bought myself some of my favorite ice cream and some hot fudge. The best flavor in the world is Girl Scout thin mint chocolate. I love that kind and it only comes out once a year when they are selling the cookies. So at least I get to enjoy that this week.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2012-01-21T08:24:00.001-05:00

Last night I got home and it was 55 degrees in my house. The heat would not come on. My furnace is 21 years old. It was old when we moved in and could not afford a new one. Now we have the money but we don't want to spend it on a furnace unless we have to. We were ready to face the fact that she died. I called the repairman. He came after two hours. In those two hours, we bundled up. Thankfully we had an electric blanket and some items that go in the microwave to heat up. It was not too bad.

He showed up and came right back with an issue. There was a large mouse nest in the furnace. OMG Really?? I was so embarrassed. He said he had never seen one in a furnace but he sees them all the time in the ac units. It was very large. I am glad that it did not catch on fire considering it was made of tons of dried grass clippings from the lawn mower parked next to it. It was near the flame so I guess he was cozy. A few months back we did an extreme clean up of the garage. We took everything out and cleaned. We found a few nests in old boxes of paper that have not been touched in years. We got rid of all the old boxes and got more shelves etc to get things off the ground to to discourage them from staying. I guess the mice decided to upgrade to that deluxe apt in the sky.

We cleaned out the nest and then he found out that there was no gas coming in. He then tells me that he is all done and I have to call the gas company. I pay him 50 dollars and call the gas company. I found their emergency hot line and they picked up on the first ring. He says they will be there soon, but so did the repairman. The guy arrived 30 min later. I was so happy bc at this point it was around 8 at night. He confirms that there is no gas. Then he goes outside and bangs around and comes back. It seems that the meter died so it shut off the gas. He replaced the meter and then the furnace came back to life. YEAH so I only had to pay 50. I was relieved. The gas guy said I could call the company and get my 50 reimbursed since it was the gas companies faulty meter. YEAH so now it is free.

I told my DH that I was really freaked out about a mouse nest in my furnace so it was really good timing that the meter broke. I have been here for 8 years and I get that furnace cleaned out every year so this is a new thing. I am sure it is just bc I got rid of their other hiding spots. Now I have to find a way to keep them out. He said to put moth balls in there but that did not sound too safe. I may just sprinkle some around the base to keep them out.

What a Great Day!

2012-01-14T07:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a great day!

I woke up and had a pos OPK. I love seeing those two blue lines bc they might just be the only ones I ever see. It is also a reassurance that part of my system is working. This happened on CD15 which is great. That is back to my usual. Last month it was much later due to stress. I took my trigger.

Later on that day my dr's office called and made an apt for next week. I was happy to hear back and have something written down. It was Friday, dress down day, and a pay day, so that just made it even better.

My work situation continues to improve. My boss gave me a compliment on something I did. I had to work on something with the teachers that I had an issue with in Sept. I did a great job collaborating and then I came up with a great idea and everyone loved it. I was so happy to hear that. I enjoy working there and I want to be able to move forward.

After school I was just cleaning my room when my cell phone rings and it was my napro Dr. =) I told him that I just made an apt to talk with him next week. =) He is so great. I love the compassion and positive energy in his voice. We spoke about doing the lap surgery. He said that there is a possibility that if he takes away too much tissue I could go into early menopause. Yikes. At this point I am not willing to risk that. Then we talked about how all my napro stats are great. I mentioned the polyps and how I was worried that they may have come back in the past 3 years. He agreed to do the hysteroscopy and also check my tubes. I am so thrilled. I told him that I need to know that my uterus is in top shape before I get into any more medications. The dr that did the last one 3 years ago was not napro so I am excited to have my napro surgeon get a good look and give me his expert opinion.

We also spoke about using nsaids to calm down inflammation. I have heard many people talk about using them. I have always avoided them due to my lufs, since nsaids can make it worse. My Dr said that there is some research that a specific nsaid can help with implantation. He suggested that I only use it post peak after the threat of lufs is over. I also have thick blood, so this will thin it also. I did a google search and found an article on piroxicam and implantation rates The implantation rate was 12.3 vs. 7.7% (p-value = 0.04) and the clinical pregnancy rate was 25.5 vs. 10% (p-value = 0.015) in the piroxicam vs. control groups, respectively.

Even though the article is talking about IVF, we can use this information for non ivf too. It mentioned prostaglandins which is something people like me with endo have issues with. It said that they can increase uterine contractions and decrease receptivity of embryo and nsaids block prostaglandins. I am going to try this after my procedure.

Frustrations

2012-01-10T19:55:00.000-05:00

I have been waiting to hear from my napro dr about whether or not he will do another surgery on me. I am trying to be patient but, it has been driving me crazy. At the end of today I had still not heard from him, so I decided that I would call the office tomorrow.

I get home from work and eat some Kashi cookies. I eat them a lot bc they have chicory in them and this helps with digestion. Then I go upstairs to see about ordering some chicory bc I thought maybe I would just want the pills if I ever get tired of the cookies. Well, Holy crap. I start to see some stuff pop up about how you are not supposed to eat chicory when you are pregnant. They said it stimulates AF to come on and can cause a mc. Now they did not mention the amount you have to eat, but still OMG. I eat chicory every day. So now I start to freak out but I am running late for zumba. I leave and get to class on time. One of my friends says she tried to call me but it went straight to voicemail. I did not get any message icon. I had to reboot my phone and then I see two missed calls and text.

After class is over, I find out that my Dr called me TWICE............ERGHHH I was so pissed that I missed his call. I was embarrassed that he wasted his time, when I was there at my phone all along but the stupid thing did not register the calls. Then I listen to his message in the parking lot. He is unsure about this bc he is afraid that if he takes out too much ovarian tissue that I could get hot flashes. Then his second call he said to call him back and then we could discuss it briefly. OMG. So I started to cry. It sounded like he gave up on me. He did not say oh not let's not do surgery bc I have some other great ideas................ugh........I know that I need to talk to him first before I get too upset. I think the chicory thing on top of this made me extra sensitive. I know that he is a great dr and is very conservative and always tells me the worst case scenario so I can make an informed decision. I remember he told me that too much folic acid can cause cancer. That he did scare be but Hot Flashes is another story............I am not sure what to do..............ugh... I may just see about the doing only the hysteroscpy bc I am more worried that my polyps came back......

Now I cannot eat my favorite kashi products bc even if there is a small amount of chicory I cannot take the chance. UGGGGG

Herbs to Avoid During Preconception and Pregnancy
http://www.leslieoldershaw.com/articles/LOarticle2-herbs-to-avoid.pdf

New ideas?

2012-01-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

Today is CD10, so AF already came and went. No surprise there. My DH was sweet this month. I usually do not tell him when I get a bfn, I will just wait for af, I guess I still cling on to that last chance miracle. This time I told him the day I took the test. He came home that night and brought me a rose. It was a sweet gesture. We usually do not even talk about it. This time it was nice to bring it out into the open. We talked about the future. I am getting to the point of hitting another dead end. I have been here before. Last year I was at a dead end with my LUFS and then I found something to treat it and also my immune issues.

My latest plan was to address the blood clotting disorders with lovenox. I did that for three months in a row. I am not sure if it is doing anything. I see the hematologist in March. I am taking this month off from the us monitoring apts, and lovenox This way I can let my body relax from the welts and bruises from the shots and the blood thinners since they have a risk of osteoporosis. I am still going to take the trigger so I do not get a cyst. I will most likely take the progesterone. I need to take a break while I go over my options.

I would like to have another napro surgery. I wrote my Dr. a letter and I am waiting for his call to discuss it with him. I had my endo removed 2 years ago. I had uterine polyps removed 3 years ago. My right ovary is now covered in endo and does not work. I am worried that since it took me two years to discover my immune issue that my polyps came back. I do not even know if my tube is still open. We all know that surgery can be a game changer for many. My friend had been TTC for 5 years. Then she had surgery and bam 3 months later got pg.

I have also been searching the web for anything else I have missed. I found some information on Ferritin levels. It seems that if your level is too low that can cause infertility and if your level is too high that can also cause infertility. So you cannot just take supplements if you do not know what your level is. I am going to ask to get that tested. My CBC came back normal last week. Your hemoglobin measures your short term iron levels and the ferritin measures your long term storage. Has anyone ever had this checked out? I am the point of checking anything that has even the slightest chance.

I found these articles
http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_f-n/Infertility-effective_natural_treatment.html
http://www.irondisorders.org/Websites/idi/files/Content/854256/HHC%20FACT2010.pdf

Then I saw something about thyroid that sounded just like me. My tests came back normal but yet I have the symptoms below. I know that many women get their thyroid treated and it works. I am not sure if I want to mess around with my thyroid.

"If you have a tendency to constipation, cold intolerance, dry skin and thin hair, and/or temperatures which run under 98.2 during the day, there is a good chance your thyroid may be slightly underactive despite normal blood tests. In the absence of underlying heart disease, a trial of a low dose of thyroid hormone (e.g. Armour Thyroid 1/2 grain a day) may help you get pregnant and has a low risk of causing problems."

My plan for now is to research new ideas and wait to talk with my Dr. I am hoping to have surgery next month, see the hematologist in March and then have a new plan in April.

Jamie's Success Story

2012-01-04T17:30:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Jamie for sharing your story. ________________________________________________________________________________________

HowI Ended Up with Two Beautiful Boys through Napro

Myttc journey begins earlier than most’s-before I was even married. But let me start at the very beginning so youhave an appropriate timeline of my various diagnosis and treatments. In 2000, probably, a cryo surgery done oncervix due to overabundance of mucus producing cells as well as hpv; alsoalways told I had an "angry" cervix or irritated and treated forcervicitis over and over and over again to no avail. Then, in April 2003 I metmy future husband and we began dating. I already knew, at that time, I had endometriosis but doctors wouldn’tnot believe me. My sister had it and Ihad the symptoms. I found had the magicsymptom that got me treatment (pain during sex) and so then my doc believed meand in June 2003 I had a diagnostic lap done and endometriosis was found andlasered by ob/gyn #1; followed up by 2 lupron shots and some anti hot flashtype med for side effects (norethrindrone). In the summer 2005 I stopped using pill and having premarital sex basedon conviction of Catholic church's teaching. I believe what I had been told, that the pill was good for endo, so onceI went off of it, I knew I still needed to keep the endo at bay. I had many Catholic friends who were chartingusing the Creighton Model, and they had mentioned it was for health reasons aswell so I started charting using CrMS before I was even engaged. I went to the intro and most of the followups by myself.

Aftercharting a few months, I saw a napro trained primary care doc and he wrote me areferral for the “best of the best” he said, Dr. Hilgers. His referral actually meant my HMO BC/BS hadto cover him as in network. I rememberthe nurse that wrote the referral said I didn’t really need to go to Omaha if I didn’t want,that there were plenty of good docs here. Very grateful I ignored her! Itseemed like it took forever for the nurses to call me back and even longer toget the surgery scheduled. I was veryimpatient, but good came of my repeated calling! I found out through one of thenurses that there was also such thing as having Dr. Hilgers review mycharts. I scheduled the surgery in Dec.2005 for April 2006, and in February I received the letter back with additionalrecommendations. Some meant I wouldexpand my stay in Omaha (for an ultrasoundseries) and expand what would be done during my surgery, and the hormone serieswas something I could do at home and then send in to Omaha. Dr. Hilgers said I didn’t have to do them right away, since I wasn’tmarried, it was really my call. However,I received the letter just a few days after being proposed to began the hormoneseries draws immediately.

InApril 2006 I spent 2 weeks in Omaha,mostly for the ultrasound series that followed ovulation. I also had a hysteroscopy, laporoscopy,selective hsg, biopsy and culture, all during my surgery. I got diagnoses with several things throughthis process-all were correctly and immediately diagnoses as a result and allwere immediately treated. I wasdiagnosed with low pre and post peak progesterone, low estrogen, lutenizedunruptured follicle syndrome, T3 problems, ureaplasma urealycticum (aninfection, a mycoplasma), polycystic ovaries (but not the syndrome?),endometriosis, and factor V leiden(heterozygous). The treatment for thismountain of problems could have been seen as equally intimidating: I was on 25mg clomid on days 3,4, and 5, 2000 units hcg shots post peak days 3,5, 7, and9. T3-22.5mcg 2x daily, B6 daily, 500 mg amoxicillian (3x daily) on CD 11-15,and mucinex CD 15-peak plus 3. 2 weeks of doxycycline for DH and I and babyaspirin per my local ob/gyn. I must say,though overwhelmed, I felt incredibly proactive. It always feels good to be doing somethingtoward your problems. I knew I was ingreat hands and would easily have paid out of pocket for it all, should it havecome to that.

InAug. 2006, I got married and we began actively ttc. I did cycle reviews monthly on the phone withPope Paul VI and did Peak plus 7 blood draws for estrogen and progesterone. The meds were tweaked a little over time. The first change was Dr. Hilgers halved myhcg after a side effect (my hands got red, felt hot and swollen), so 1000units. Had two cycles where I mistakenly used the SF instructions foravoiding rather than achieving. Third cycle I corrected the error and,low and behold, we got pregnant! Unfortunately, Dec. 21st, 2006 we had a miscarriage at 10 weeks(Michael). During the preg I got regularhcg draws, reg ultrasounds, and reg blood draws for prog. I was on max dose prog shots duringpregnancy. After the miscarriage, my blood work indicated low postpeak estrogen. Dr. Hilgers added estrace 2mg P+3-12 (started with 1mg, neededmore).

However, I do know now that Ishould not have been on estrogen with factor V, as a precaution. We tried again to achieve a pregnancy andwere successful on our 2^nd cycle trying (after the break Dr. H askedus to take to heal). That baby was Gabbyand she was conceived on July 23^rd, 2007. After this we decided to have a consult withDr. H (Aug 2007). We learned he highlysuspected that our infection was to blame. I had good prog levels medicated, but TEBB brown blood was persistent. He suggested a longer dose of orals forhusband and myself, based off the work of Dr. Toth. We read up on Dr. Toth and did a phoneconsult. Dr. Toth agreed with Dr.Hilgers’ assessment and so we complied and took 21 days of biaxin, then first10 days of each cycle ttc.

InJan 2008 we conceived our son after 3 cycles of trying. Immediately got on 10day ambulatory IV of clindamyacin per Dr. Toth. We did thislocally. As with other pregnancies, took prenatals, baby aspirin, T3until Dr. Hilgers discontinued around week 28, progesterone levels drawn every2 weeks before due and shots 1-2x/week, amt dependent on results. I had noantibiotics during pregnancy other thanIV. None (as in zero) intercourse during pregnancy. In March 2008, whilepregnant, we did Infection followup testing in NY for husband and I and we gotclean bills of health on all accounts. Icontinued Chlamydia (CT PCR) testing 2 more times-one done locally and mailedto DT for results and one done locally and run locally). On Oct. 8, 2008 I delivered Charles Raph.ael,who was 7 lbs 80z, 19 inches, had IVduring delivery for good measure.

I nursed him one year and didn’t getmy cycle back until Oct. 25th, 2009. Cyclereturns. First two I wait, 2nd get blood work (estrogen and progesterone atP+7), 3rd medicated, and 4th get go ahead to try to conceive.
OnFeb. 14th, 2010 we conceived our second son on the 1st cycle trying useall same protocols with Charlie; get IV after hcg doubles. Saw heartbeat on3/17/10. This time there was a new Dr. Toth protocol. We continued orals (10 days worth) every 8weeks throughout pregnancy (new this time-and no PCR testing) and still do IVat delivery; again no intercourse at all. On Nov. 11, 2010 Anthony James was born at12:30am, after a quick delivery. He was past his due date, water brokeday before scheduled induction around 4:30pm on the 10th. He was 8lbs 10 oz, 20 " and very healthy! Inursed him a year as well and my cycle returned exactly one month after I quit,to the day, Dec. 11, 2011. Dr. Hilgershas repeated my thyroid panel and added .075mcg of Synthroid due to a lowT4. I will retest in 6 weeks. I will not go back on post peak estrogensupport due to my Factor V diagnosis, so we will see what the future holds. For now, I am grateful for what I do have,two beautiful boys thanks to Dr. Hilgers’ work!

This filewas updated 12.31.11. To see where I amcurrently in my ttc journey, and also for resources, help and support aroundNaprotechnology and working with Dr. Hilgers long distance, please see my blog:http://tool4god-myjourneywithgod.blogspot.com/

NaPro Surgeon Signs with Richmond Hospital

2012-01-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Today I got an email from a reader who is also trying to help support napro. She mentioned that a new napro trained surgeon will be opening up her practice in Richmond Virginia in August of 2012. I am so excited to share this news. We need to keep passing on good news like this, so that everyone can see that napro is growing. Here is some info about the new dr with a link to the full article.

http://www.nfpworksblog.com/2011/12/14/napro-surgeon-signs-with-richmond-hospital/

Christine Louise Cimo Hemphill, M.D. is an obstetrician/gynecologist who is completing her fellowship training in Medical & Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY with Dr. Thomas Hilgers, co-creator of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System.

In August, 2012, she starts at a new practice at St. Francis Medical Center, a hospital within the Bon Secours Hospital System in the Richmond, Virginia area. Her focus will be mainly infertility patients, but will continue to practice general obstetrics and gynecology.

It will be great to have another surgeon on the east coast. If you are FCP in the Richmond area, be sure to mark your calendar.

Christy's Success Story

2011-12-30T12:18:00.000-05:00

I met Christy on the Yahoo catholic IF forum. We had a connection since we both had Lufs. She recently got her BFP so I asked her to write her story to encourage others to try napro. Thank you Christy for sharing.

______________________________________________________________________________

I got my first period in 8th grade and from that time on, I had 1 or 2 periods a year. When I did get a period, I would bleed for 3 weeks, it was awful! I was terrified in high school because I never knew when to expect my period and when it started it was almost immediately a very heavy flow. Even scarier was that no doctor could give me an explanation for what was happening and why my body wasn't functioning as it should. I started seeing the gyn when I was 16, I cried because I was very modest and couldn't bear being examined by a male doctor, but my mom was really concerned about me and didn't know what else to do. This doctor had delivered all of my siblings and he was apparently a "good Catholic doctor." When I was 18 he shamed and scared me into starting the BCP. He told me I would get cancer otherwise and he told me while my mom was out of the room, "Is your mom gonna give me grief about the BCP because you are Catholic?"

I was on the pill for 2 years and it caused me to gain weight and become depressed and have panic attacks. So I took myself off of it. After graduating from college with a degree in biology/chemistry/philosophy minor, I wanted to pursue bioethics. I still wasn't having regular cycles and getting responses like "you might have a brain tumor or why do you want to have regular periods, are you trying to get pregnant?" from the docs I saw. Eventually I became so jaded I just stop seeing doctors altogether. Until I met Dr Hilgers. A good friend of mine was working for him as a research assistant and told me he was hosting a bioethics conference at the Pope Paul VI Institute. So I went and I love every minute of it. Dr Hilgers kept saying how much research needed to be done and I told him I would love to conduct research for him. After he got a grant he asked me to work for him, so I moved from Cleveland to Omaha and got started. I loved my work, it was fascinating! At the same time, I got trained as a FertilityCare Practitioner and also worked for Dr Hilgers teaching his patients how to chart the Creighton Model. I also started seeing a Practitioner and began charting and made an appointment with Dr Hilgers. He took one look at my chart and said he was 95% sure I had polycystic ovaries. He did some blood test and an ultrasound to confirm. Finally at 25 years old I had a diagnosis!! He started me on progesterone therapy and I have had regular cycles ever since. He also told me that I might have difficulty conceiving when I got married, so I was somewhat prepared for the infertility journey I would face.

My husband and I discussed adoption as an option before we got married to make sure we were on the same page. Having accurate information actually made me feel more empowered and it also made me feel that infertility would be something my husband and I dealt with together, I wasn't going to be alone in it.

A year after we were married, we flew back to Omaha (I had moved back home) and I had an ovarian wedge resection. I recovered very easily from the surgery but Dr Hilgers said that he was concerned about adhesions since my ovaries were pretty "fried" from the many years of untreated severe PCOD. I also had minor endometriosis. He also discovered I was hypothyroid and started me on T3. 2 cycles after that we conceived, but it was a chemical pregnancy. A few cycles after that I started clomid and letrezol and we conceived again, only to lose the baby at 8weeks. I was devastated! 18 months later, we had a repeat Lap and Dr Hilgers lasered some adhesions and minor endometriosis and made sure both tubes were unblocked. We stared back on clomid and letrezol and Dr Hilgers monitored my hormones to see if any medication changes increased them enough for us to start trying to achieve again, with less risk for miscarriage. But nothing raised my hormone levels, they were rock bottom for years. During this time I was on many medications and also getting periovulatory blood draws and post peak blood draws (about 6-8 blood tests a month) and having to ship the blood samples to Dr Hilgers overnight with dry ice. (He was monitoring the quality of ovulation with the blood tests). One time I went to Dicks sporting good store to purchase a small Styrofoam cooler to use to ship the blood sample and the clerk accused me of being a drug dealer! He was a former policeman and apparently people who buy these coolers to ship things with dry ice use them to cure marijuana. I didn't tell him I'm not a drug dealer, I need this to ship my blood because I thought he would freak out even more! After a few years of low hormones on ovulation induction meds, I asked Dr Hilgers if he would do an ultrasound series and he did and discovered I had LUFs. So I tried about 6 months of ultrasounds and HCG trigger dose and no pregnancy. He also treated a uterine infection with 6 months of antibiotics.

In the meantime we discussed adoption with Dr Hilgers and he said he was in full support. We started the process in 2007 (5 years TTC) and adopted our oldest daughter Gianna as a new born in May of 2008. What a miracle (TTC!

Then I had a third and forth surgery. Dr Hilgers didn't have his current adhesion prevention protocol in place when I had my wedge resection, so he was still concerned about adhesions. So I had a third Lap and he lasered extensive adhesions and covered my ovaries in gortex to allow the surface to heal without causing scaring or adhesions, then a week or so later he did another Lap to remove the gortex. The ovaries looked good! About 6 months after that, he discussed cortisol treatment for adrenal fatigue. I was one of his first patients to start this protocol. I suffered from constant severe fatigue and was diagonosed by Dr Hilgers with severe adrenal fatigue. I felt like a new woman on cortisol! I find it truly amazing how tirelessly Dr Hilgers searches for a cure for infertility. At this point, I had been a patient of his for nearly 10 years (ttc 7years) and he never gave up on me, he was always looking to improve my health and make me feel better, besides helping us to conceive. After 9 months on the cortisol and starting synthroid, we found out we were expecting our second daughter Catherine, who was born a happy and healthy progesterone fed baby in May of 2010. After 7 years of infertility! God is so good!

When Catherine was 6 months old we thought about actively trying to achieve again. I knew I had LUFs and Dr Hilgers was looking at a new protocol for that from a doc in Japan. He asked me if I wanted to try it and I said sure! So in June of 2011 we started our 1st cycle of Neupogin and HCG trigger and I ovulated!! But no pregnancy. We continued for a few months and no ovulation, just ovarian cysts. I took a month off and we stared up again. I told myself, I will try this until December and then I am just going to focus on enjoying my 2 girls, my 2 gifts from God. And on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception we found out we are expecting! Wow! I still can't believe it! So far my progesterone levels are good, so that is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy. I can't wait to see my local ob/gyn and say we are expecting again, she thinks Dr Hilgers is a bit of a quack and I love proving her wrong!

Hope my story is helpful. Thanks for posting it.
Christy

Dog Fight and a Jacuzzi

2011-12-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

I made it through another infertile Christmas!! This is a long post which starts out a little crazy but ends well.

This year we drove down about 2 hours to visit my family. I get out of the car and see my Aunt and she says congratulations I hear you are having a baby. UGH nope that is my younger sister....awkward.

My uncle and my cousins love dogs. They visit shelters and rescue dogs that are about to be euthanized and find them homes. Most of these dogs are very large and some of them are pit bulls. Currently in his home, he has two new rescues that he has had for a year. They are large but very sweet. They are young and playful. He shows me their toys. Then he gives one a piece of meat. All of a sudden the other dog comes over to take it. They start to fight right in front of me. I panicked bc they are huge. They are attacking each other at the neck. They are thrashing around. My uncle gets in there and tries to separate them. They are his dogs so I let him take the lead. It starts to feel like forever and I did not know what to do. It looked like they were going to kill each other. Finally he gets them apart and we notice that one of them bit him on the arm.

Holy crap. It was a large gash. We sit him down and get the bleeding to stop. The dogs are still in the house. I run to get my cousin and have him get the dogs out. My uncle starts to turn white and sweat. We get him some water and juice. I am thinking he should go to the hospital but he wants to wait until my Aunt gets out of the shower. I am freaking out bc I think he is about to pass out. They are all calm and it takes her forever to get out of the shower. I am thinking about all the germs from the dog's mouth etc. We finally convince my cousin to take him to the hospital.My dh and I are just sitting there freaked out. I have never seen dogs fight like that where they are trying to kill each other.

Later on everyone comes over and I am still trying to relax from it. My sister comes over and hides in the back room until more people come in. She is very pg and of course everyone has to talk about it. They all give her first child cute toys and go on an on about him. I almost barfed. He runs around the house screaming and they keep putting on this singing Santa to entertain him. The noise was driving me crazy.

I took my mom out to show her my new car and that is when I found out that my sister just bought the same color make and model................OMG so my DH is laughing. I guess I had to do it too.

Later on things picked up. My dh had a nice chat with my dad about my sister. If you missed the post about her drama here is the link back He admitted that she was wrong, but he is afraid that she will take away his grandchild..............ugh I had a nice time seeing my relatives. I tried to block my sister out. I started to have fun. Then we had the swap and I got a George Foreman Grill. My uncle came back from the hospital and had 6 stitches and a tetanus shot. He was afraid to tell them the dog bit him bc he did not want the police to take the dog away. He told them he cut his arm on a saw.

We left my Aunt's house and then we went to a hotel. My DH planned a nice romantic get away. If you have been ttc as long as me then you know that BD becomes a chore and it is not fun anymore. We decided that we needed some fun. We got a room with a jacuzzi. We had a lot of fun. I need to keep this post G-rated but let's just say that we had lots of fun. The jacuzzi had colored lights that you could turn on under the water. That was really cool. We also had bubble bath in it. It was amazing to relax and have some fun.

Dec 2011 p+7

2011-12-20T18:23:00.002-05:00

So here were are again, another p+7. I was a little nervous bc I did not follow the follicle with us this month due to not having a car. Then my peak day was delayed five days. My numbers were typical for me E118 and p14.8 both in the normal range so I will take it. I am taking supplements so I know that my progesterone would be single digits without it. Now another week to wait.

Other News:
My neighbor just annoyed me. She is usually a good neighbor so I am trying to keep that in mind. She rings my door bell to show me a new drain spout she had installed. You might think who cares? Well I live in a townhouse so my house is attached to hers. She should have discussed it with me first. We are supposed to get approval etc to make sure everything looks nice. She has a bad habit of not getting my permission. Now there is an ugly drain pipe on my side in my flower bed. She wanted to know if it was okay to move it a few inches further into my flower bed bc she did not want the water to drain out of my bed into her driveway. I told her no and that I was not happy it was in my flower bed. She said it was common property (we will see about that) and she could not have it in her driveway due to ice. I said my pipe is in my driveway and I get ice. Then she wanted to put up a board in the bed so the water would stay. I said no bc that would make the water back up in my house. ergh..The gutter guy rec a plastic tube that rolls up and unrolls when it rains. Does anyone have this? I googled it ..http://www.guttersupply.com/p-Rain-Drain.gstml
I want to sell my house soon so I do not need an ugly pipe. I guess in the spring I will have to plant something to cover it up.

Work is going better. I decided that if I can't beat em that I have to join em. I devised a master plan to make my situation better. I don't want to give away details yet, but so far my boss likes the plan. This will make it better for me and I will be able to live the changes. It was not my first pick but it is my second and it will be so much better then what I have now.

My Birthday

2011-12-18T08:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my 35th birthday. I have been dreading that day for the last five years. Ever since I can remember even back to when I was a little girl, it was common for people to say that once you hit 35 you are at high risk to have a baby with birth defects. That is why I had the plan to have one at 30 and the second at 32 and be done before that age. Now I am 35 and childless.

I know that technology has advanced and women are now having babies into their 40s. My DH's mother had him at 40 with no issues. That number still haunts me. I started to feel quilt about TTC and putting my baby at risk.

Then I had to stop listening to the what ifs. The what ifs sit on your shoulder and whisper in your ear all the possible horrible things that can go wrong. They will make you crazy if you listen. I told them to go away.

I am starting to accept that life does not happen as we plan it. It just happens. I am starting to accept the fact that I may never have a child and that my life will still be ok. Will it be perfect? No, but I can not try for perfection anymore, I have to work with what I have.

My dh and I celebrated my birthday in a quiet calm way. I was not really in the mood to celebrate but I did not want to get sad over it. We went out for dinner and enjoyed being a couple. I ordered chocolate cheese cake for my birthday cake. I was too full to eat it last night, so I am going to eat it for breakfast today.

I love my new car. Is it is a baby substitute? No, but it does make me feel very happy. It is so great. I love how it rides. I love the comfort of the seats. I am not usually a person who shows off my stuff, but if my coworkers are able to constantly show off their baby in the latest cute outfit or video of something cute they did, then I feel that I should be able to show of my car. It felt great to get some attention.

Yesterday I got two great surprises. I got a call that the dealer ordered me free floor mats and they were in. I did not know he ordered them. Then someone made a great offer on my broken down car that was of no value to me. He gave me 700 in cash. I used some of that money to get a remote car starter.

I went to the store and was looking at clear floor mats. My DH laughed at me and said you are going to get floor mats for the floor mats. Well, yes I was thinking about it for the snow. I had to laugh when he said it out loud. I guess I really love my new car and want to take good care of it.

Gianna Center Seeks to Expand Beyond New York

2011-12-15T07:04:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine just sent me this link to a new article about napro and the Gianna Center. I try to search Google for articles but they are sometimes hard to find. If you see a new one, please contact me. I always make a post about it and then I add a link to my section on articles.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/gianna-centers-pro-life-medicine-seeks-to-expand-beyond-new-york/

This is a great article bc it goes through the histroy of the Gianna Center and how they had to adjust when St. Vincent's closed. Now they are part of St. Peter's and have opened up two locations. They are working on opening more.

Here are some quotes from the article.

"Now the Gianna Center is back in its original office in Manhattan, run by Nolte, and has opened a second office at St. Peter’s Hospital, run by Dr. Kyle Beiter, an obstetrician-gynecologist who delivers babies and performs surgery, while specializing in NaPro technology as well. Under the auspices of St. Peter’s Hospital, the Gianna Center accepts health-insurance plans again and there are plans afoot to open additional offices across the country."

“The work of the Gianna Center is totally consistent with our Catholic principles and our special emphasis on women and children,” Rak said, pointing out that St. Peter’s Hospital is sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. “Their approach to medicine fully complements what we are doing at St. Peter’s, and we are looking to expand these services beyond the confines of New Jersey. Patients come from very long distances for their services because they cannot find this kind of care where they live.”

Although most people think of NFP as only a Catholic Church-approved method to delay conception, the Gianna Center is serving many women from across the country who seek help with infertility problems through NaPro technology.

Maureen and her husband were married nearly five years without a child when they found that physicians in their area did not know how to treat infertility in a morally acceptable way. The Catholic couple rejected in vitro fertilization, which is prohibited by the Church because it separates conception from the conjugal act by joining egg and sperm in a petri dish. The couple found a NaPro family physician in New Jersey, who eventually referred them to Dr. Beiter at the Gianna Center, where surgery was performed to treat endometriosis.

Two months after the surgery, Maureen became pregnant. She said that she and her husband are expecting a child in April, and hope to have a large family. “You have to trust God,” said Wilkins, who is 30 years old, “because you never know what will happen.”

My New Car and TTC update

2011-12-13T18:39:00.002-05:00

Last night I could not sleep due to the anxiety of not getting my car and the unknown of today. My DH also had a cold so he kept me up. I got a ride to school again from my BFF. I called the car buyers helpline and asked them about the checks. They said the bank should have given me two checks. She called over there and had them get my check ready for me to pick up.

I went over and asked to speak to the branch manager. She had my check ready at the front desk. I explained to her how I was embarrassed and inconvenienced since I had to get a ride over there. She was very nice and immediately apologized and admitted fault. She said that the bank will be calling me to issue me a gas card. Oh Yeah.I expressed my gratitude and mentioned that I have been a loyal customer and I usually get good service.

I took my check over the the dealer and picked up my car. She is beautiful. They gave her a wash and wax and buffed out the small scratches. He went over the car with me to make sure I knew how to work it. I loved driving it. It is so comfortable. I love it.

TTC News:
I have not really had much news this month. I started the cycle and then my car died. I probably should have just sat this one out, but I had already started the AB so I thought I should keep going. I did not have a car so I could not go to any monitoring appointments. I did not get baseline and I did not monitor the follicle. I am very regular and I usually get a +OPK when the follicle is mature so I was not too worried.

I did my charting and watched my opk. I usually get a + around CD15. This time CD15 came and went. I started to panic since I had no idea what was going on in there. I checked my charts and for the past year I have been right around cd15 so this was really abnormal. My first thought was that since I stopped the co-Q10 for the first time in a year, maybe it was making me more regular and I jsut messed that up. Then I thought about stress and how not having a car is stressful so that could be messing me up. I tried not to stress but that never helps. Finally last night CD19 I got a +opk, so I knew that I was ok. I took my trigger shot and today I got a super dark opk.

Heads Will Roll

2011-12-12T19:16:00.000-05:00

Today I was so excited to go get my new car after work. My DH got a cold yesterday so he stayed home. He picked me up around 3:45. We went to the bank to sign the loan papers and get our bank check to take the the dealer. Then we went to the local dealer where my old car has been hanging out. They have been so nice and patient with me by letting me keep my broken car there without storage fees or nagging me etc.

I got there and the service manager tells me that the plates are stuck bc the bolts are rusted. I had to laugh bc the plates have been on there for 10 years and the bolts are probably the original 14 years old. They had to use some heavy tools to cut them off. They did not even charge me. You can see the tool marks on the plates.

I then went to clean out the car. On the way out some random guy offered to buy my car. I was straight with him about the pricey repair and he was still interested. I took his number and told him I would think about it.

Then we left to go to the new dealer which is 30 min away. We go there about 6pm. That is when he asked for our check and the look on his face told me something was wrong. He said the bank was supposed to give us a check for the entire price of the car. They only gave us the loan. Since we are financing half of the cost, I thought they gave us our down payment and would fax over the loan or something like that. I was so embarrassed. I was so mad. I tried to think outside the box like using my credit card or something but they would only take a bank check. I was so frustrated that I started to cry. I told them I was not upset with them just the bank who messed up. I could not tell them that I am also infertile and my patience for waiting has been used up. I thought this was a done deal and now I have to wait some more. UGHHGHH

I know it is only one more day but ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh So they felt really bad for me and offered to send their shuttle out to meet me half way. I was fine with that since I have a friend who lives half way so she can drop me off on her way home from work.

I am still really mad at the bank and I will be calling over there tomorrow since I still need that check. I am going to ask (demand) that they bring the check over to my work since I do not have a car to pick it up. I do really like that bank so I do not want to take my loan elsewhere but I am tempted to tell them that.......UGHHHHHH I do not know what else I can ask from the bank. It is not like when you complain at a store and they give you coupons......We will see what they say. Maybe reimburse my gas money for driving over there for nothing????

Royal Blue

2011-12-11T09:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday the car salesman offered to meet us half way since he is 30 min away from us. We met at a shopping center with a loop around it bc I thought it would be easy to do the test drive. We met at a restaurant that was not open yet so that lot was empty. We met him and saw the car in person for the first time. The outside looked great. It is Royal Blue. The only small issue was the color of the interior. It was a light tan, so I can only imagine the potential stains. I cannot get caught up with that since I am buying used and the price, mileage, and year are all great. I figured I would just stock up on car cleaner, get some seat covers etc. Then we drove it around. It was really easy to drive. I was in love.

He went over all of the buttons and switches. Newer cars now have a mp3 jack so I can hook up my ipod in the car. My first car 1989 came with a tape player. LOL so I had to install a 10 disk cd player in the back. It was very pricey when I bought it, so I took it out and transferred it to my second car 1997 which also came with a tape player. Wow I thought 10 cds were great, now my ipod has over 50 and I have only filled 1/3 of its capacity. Later on I went home and dusted off my ipod. I burned more of my cd into I tunes and created some playlists. I had to order a cable to connect the ipod to the car.

There were so many buttons that I had to ask him what they were for. Then he says oh that is for child safety seats. You look under there and see a metal clip. He said that is where you hook the seat to. Hmmm I don't think my last car had them but then I never looked either. So I am not sure how I would have hooked a car seat in. I remember in the past when I babysat just using a seat belt but who knows?? He goes on to tell me how safe this car is for children etc.

We loved the car and decided to get it. YEAH I finally have a car after 3 weeks. I get to pick it up on Monday. Yeah.

My DH and I go to home depot on the way back. We start to talk about the car. I mentioned to him that I felt sad about buying a car that was safe for children when I can't have any. Then he turns to me and says maybe God did not want us to have children until we had a safe car. That is when I started to cry. He did not expect that one. I told him that I didn't either.In fact writing about it now is making me cry again.

I have decided that I really wanted that car and I am going to enjoy it whether or not I have children. I can't live my life with what ifs anymore. I have to move forward and enjoy life. It is great to have something to look forward to that I can really enjoy. I waited 10 years for this and even though I did not think about it every day for those 10 years it is great to feel like I accomplished something.

I got a new phone last month, new car this month, what is next?? I am hoping to sell my house in the spring. oh and of course a baby would be nice....just saying in case you did not know.

Car Accident

2011-12-09T18:44:00.001-05:00

This week I have been carless. I am lucky to have a great friend to drive me to work and a DH to pick me up. It is tough to rely on others when you are a very independent person. I also do not want to take advantage of my friend's generosity. My DH gets crabby at the end of the day so I don't want to deal with that either.

I have been searching for a gently used car. I found some great ones. I am using a carbuyers service through my bank. They call the dealer and negotiate the price. They also ask you what your total price is and then they figure in the cost with the tax etc so you are not hit with a huge amount more than the price of the car. I found a 2009 with only 12,000 miles on it. The service called and got me a great price in my range. I called and got an apt to go test drive it tonight.

My dh had to get out of work early so we would have time to get there before they closed. We were on the road and the traffic was heavy. My DH was getting impatient and switching lanes driving close etc. I was getting mad and said be careful don't get into an accident. Then while we were stopped at a red light. BAM someone smacked into our car. UGH OH CRAP. Now I am going to miss my apt. There were three cars in the accident. We were in front. I called 911. We moved into the turning lane to get out of the road. The last car was too badly smashed up so it was in the road. Cars had to go around and they were beeping. It was nuts.

It took 10 min for the cops to arrive but it seemed like forever. Thankully nobody was hurt. Our car was fine. Just a little dent in the side of the bumper. The middle car had enough damage to need a repair but it was still drivable. The ford sign in the front flew off into the road and the front part came loose. The hood was crooked. The last car back was all smashed in the front.

We had to call the dealer and tell them we would not make it. UGH..... Then we had to wait around for the officer to gather info etc. It felt like forever bc I had to put up with a crabby husband who reminded me about how he took off from work early......etc. and now he does not have time for me tomorrow.........ugh It was so annoying. I was trapped. I wanted to yell at him about how I have had no car all week and I had to deal with it so he can deal with one day. I knew better not to fight when I was trapped in the car.

After we were cleared to leave, the traffic on that road was horrible. It was now rush hour and this was a main road. So we took forever to drive home. I had to hear him complain the whole way.......OMG
So glad to be home.

Hopefully we can work something out tomorrow. I want a car. This one sounds great and I am hoping that it is also good in person. It is certified by Honda so it should be fine.

How I met your Mother

2011-12-08T19:50:00.001-05:00

Does anyone watch How I Met Your Mother?

I am not sure how I feel about the last episode. The one before it ended with Robin announcing a surprise pregnancy. Of course I was like oh no not another oops baby on TV. Then this week they turned it around. She was not pregnant and then she finds out that she cannot ever have a baby. They did not give an explanation and she had no idea. In fact she said she was very regular.

At first, I felt sad for her and I actually cried. She goes into a baby store with her pregnant friend and she is really sad about her IF. Then she decides not to tell anyone. I thought it was really sad that she had no support and felt that she needed to hide it

Then I got mad at her bc she kept saying that she never wanted to have kids anyway and they would only get in her way etc. I am not sure if that was her way of dealing with the loss or if she really felt that way. At the end of the episode the narrator makes some comments about how she became very successful etc.and made it sound like she never had kids.

I would like to know your thoughts. I was shocked that they threw IF into the story line. Then I was happy to see it be brought out into the open onto TV. Then I was mad that the story ended in one episode and they made it seem like oh well if you can't have kids then you will be happy with your busy career. I would have liked to see more about her dealing with it. Getting support. Telling her boyfriend etc.

I do not know if this will be the end of the storyline but they sure made it seem like it. I remember vaguely back awhile Lily and Marshal could not conceive right away. They did not really go through too much but I was happy to see the story line.

I feel like the show is trying, but I also feel like I should write them a letter. How many episodes are dedicated to Lily and her pregnancy? I feel that Robin's IF should get more than one.

What are your thoughts?

Co-Q10 and CRVs

2011-12-04T18:16:00.001-05:00

TTC News:
Yesterday I went online to buy more Co-Q10. A little birdie told me to make sure it does not interact with my blood thinners. (I have been taking co-Q10 since last January based on the RI's recommendation.) I have only been taking blood thinners since Sept. I did a search and came up with the following.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/coenzyme-q10-000295.htm
http://www.drlam.com/opinion/blood_thinners_and_nutritional_supplement.asp
http://coq10wellness.com/coq10-side-effects/

It seems that they are saying that Co-Q10 will make your blood coagulate or thicken so it will go against the reason I am taking blood thinners. I am really glad that I checked. I did not order any more. I have mixed feelings about this discovery. I am mad that I possibly wasted a year of TTC since I have been taking it that long. I am glad that I found out bc maybe when I stop it will make the blood thinners work better and I will finally have success. Who knows? UGG it is so annoying that I have to check everything that I take for more than one issue, my ovulation, my immune system, and now my blood clotting issues.

Other News: I have been enjoying the rental too much. I have to give it back tomorrow. I still do not have a car so that means I have to get rides to work or continue to pay the rental fee. I am not really sure what I want, but I am going used so it makes it harder to be picky. I thought by the time I had to get another car I would have kids and need a car suited for that. My DH does not really think that I need the kind of car I want. It is rough to face the fact that I don't really need it now. I want a small suv like a honda CRV or something in that neighborhood. I could get one now and be able to afford it or get something smaller and save some money. I wanted this kind of car 10 years ago and could not afford it so I got a civic. Now 10 years later I can afford it. I feel that I should just get what I want bc I am tired of waiting around. If I can't have kids, at least let me have a nice car.

I went online and saw some good deals. I am going to check some out and then see what the real deal will be. Hopefully I can get something this week.

Results of Lovenox PC Survey

2011-12-03T08:23:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all the ladies who responded to my question about lovenox preconception. I decided to collect all the answers in one place for my future reference and anyone else thinking about the same thing. I only used the first letter of someone's name to protect their privacy. I got some responses from my blog, the immunology yahoo forum and the MTHFR yahoo forum. There seems to be a lot of variation.

I am also wondering how much your weight makes a difference since some people mentioned weight. If I go by the 1mg per kg, then I should be taking 60 a day. My napro Dr does not want to increase my dose, he wants me to talk to my hematologist which is the responsible thing to do. It is just more of a pain bc I get monthly cbc but I do not see her, I go to the lab and then she just checks the results. Now I have to make an apt to speak with her,but the practice is huge with more than one Dr and it is a nightmare to call and try to get through to her office.

Then there is talk about a perinatologist which might be another avenue. I don't know what I want to do, I may just give my dose a few more tries and then decide.

Immunology Forum:
AEB has you start on CD6...30mg if you are under 140lbs and 40mg if you are over
140lbs...once a day until a positive pregrancy test and then twice a day with a
pregnancy thru 36 weeks. I hope this helps.
-H

Dr.B now had take 30 mg and start it on CD3. After taking it for 7 days he had a Heparin Anti-XA level drawnto make sure my dose was high enough.
-K

I take 40 mg once a day. It was the doserecommended by two RI's, my hematologist and OB. I have MTHFR, evidence of APAand history of miscarriage. Hope that helps. Oh and I started it around CD 5 but
Dr A was not strict on when I start. I requested I start it early,otherwise he would have me start on BFP.
-D

I am dx with APS, lupus anticoagulant. I have a history of m/c as well as a history of a blood clot. My hematologist believes in dosing lovenox at 1mg per kg. I am a bigger woman, 5' 11" and I weigh 236lbs, so my hematologist has me on 100mg of lovenox twice a day. When I was ttc, I only did one a day starting on cd6, but as soon as I got a BFP, I went to twice a day. My hematologist doesn't believe in doing Anti XA levels until the anatomy of my body begins to change due to the growing pregnancy. So I believe he won't adjust my dose until 20 weeks + and then he'll adjust based on my AntiXA essay. But for now, it's simply 1mg/kg. He does monthly CBC's on me to make sure my blood count is okay and that's it for now. I'm currently 14w6d. This is the farthest I've ever made it...so fingers crossed
-A

MTHFR:
I am homo MTHFR CT and take 40mg twice a day starting at my BFP. My peri calls this a therapeutic dose (higher than a prophylactic dose). I had my anti-factor Xa tested, and it was .64 - for a therapeutic dose, it should fall between .6 and 1.1. Both my doctor and I are happy with it being on the low end, because I have no history of clots. The MTHFR alone is not enough for most doctors to recommend 40mg twice a day, but my history of a (first pregnancy) stillbirth at 31 weeks, (second pregnancy) ectopic, (third pregnancy) placental abruption at 28 weeks, and (fourth pregnancy) miscarriage at 9 weeks indicates that I need a therapeutic rather than prophylactic (which would be 40 mg once a day)dose.

I'd definitely get a second opinion through a pre-conception consult with a perinatologist or RE and have that doctor's recommendations sent to your doctor. I did a pre-conception consult before my current pregnancy to outline everything that would be done and be sure I underwent all the tests recommended before ttc.

-W

40mg 1/day I know Dr. B would def. put you on lovenox 40mg 1/day. that's what he did for me.

-J

He can order an Anti Xa Test or Heparin Anti-Xa test that will show if you are taking enough.

I did not take Lovenox preconception, only starting at positive pg test. I have FVL and MTHFR both hetero. With one pregnancy I took 40mg/day Lovenox and did fine. With my next, I clotted at 9w in my leg on that dose. We did an Anti Xa test and it barely showed I was taking anything. Changed dose to 30mg/twice a day, Anti Xa test again, and result was not much different. My OB was also reluctant to increase my dose so I asked to see a perinatologist. Eventually, using the Anti Xa test, he got me up to 60mg/twice a day which put me at a low therapeutic level on the Lovenox.

-C

My Blog:

I started out at 40mgs 2 x day, and I was already taking it when I went to Dr K-K for that Doppler Uterine Biophysical Profile, which still revealed an elevated resistance index in the spiral and radial arteries. I then went to 60mgs 2 x day, which was subsequently decreased when my aPTT (pro-thrombin time, a blood test to see if your blood is clotting too slowly) was really long. I was decreased to 60mgs 1 x day.
-T

Lovenox Preconception

2011-11-29T18:33:00.001-05:00

Workshop:
I have been enjoying my rental. It is a small suv. I always thought by now that I would have a mini suv filled with kids. So it is weird to drive it empty. I will be spending the next 3 days at a workshop with members of State Ed. It is great bc my state involves teachers in their test creation. There are many different committees that are needed throughout the test creation process. I am working on item review. We have to sign a confidentially paper stating that we will not give away the questions.We get to see potential questions. Then we evaluate them to make sure they are aligned to the standards, are age appropriate, clear, rigorous etc. Most of the questions were fine, but there were some that we had a heated debate over. Then the leader suggests changes and we debate them. Sometimes we just vote to reject the question. We spent all day from 8 to 5pm taking math test questions and debating them. It was very interesting to hear the rationale behind the questions and all that goes into them. I got to speak to other teachers and learn about the upcoming common core.We had lots of snack breaks and had a great free lunch including chocolate cake.

On to some TTC News
My only immune issue is elevated NK and I control that with neupogen. I have 4 blood clotting factors. MTHFR homo, Pai homo, Factor V hetero, and low protein S. I tried lovenox two months in a row at 30mg once a day starting on CD6. I am wondering if I am taking enough. I asked my Dr to double the dose and he is hesitant. I know that sunshine commented on here the other day that most women take it twice a day.

If you take/took lovenox preconception, can you please tell me what your dose is and how often you take it? Did you have success? How long did it take you?Thanks in advance,
Simone

Car Drama

2011-11-28T19:54:00.001-05:00

My mom called me over the weekend and asks me if I want to buy a new car. HMMM well yes I would love to but I am saving for a new house, adoption. etc. Then she tells me that she gave my sister money when she crashed her car last month. So she wants to give me some. I told her it was not necessary but realized that I had to take it since my sister has not spoken to me in 3 years I think my mom feels guilty etc. I agree to take it but she won't tell me how much bc she wants me to having something to look forward to.

Then she tells me that my sister is having another boy and she keeps wishing for us. That is when I lost it and started crying. She said she wanted to give me good news and then bad. She had a lot of sympathy for me which she is getting better at. I think she finally realized that I am really infertile.

After I got off the phone, I spoke to DH and we decided to put the money towards the house. My car is 14 years old but I really wanted a new house.

Two days later my brake light comes on and then the brakes die. I had it towed to the dealer. They told me that the brake line rusted and fell off which made the brake fluid drain out. They said they have to replace the brake lines and the fuel lines and it will cost around $2,000. I just had it in for brake pads two weeks ago. There are also some other issues that had decided in the past not to fix so I knew this would not be the end or repair bills. This was the breaking point, so now I am getting a new to me car. It is crazy bc I am sad to lose the house money but I am really glad that my mom decided to help me out days before I really needed it.

I got a rental. The dealer gave me their discount which is about half off. This way I can take my time and not get something bc I have to.

Teachers Pay Teachers is Having a Cyber Monday Sale

2011-11-25T08:05:00.001-05:00

Teachers Pay Teachers is a great site where teachers create lessons and activities and post them online. The site gets a portion of the sale and the teacher gets the rest. I have a store and I also buy stuff from other teachers.

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Monday Sale. The site is offering 10% off with this promo code CMS28. Many of the teachers listed are also having a sale in addition to the 10%. I am throwing a 15% sale, so if you buy from me you will get 25% off. The coupon says up to 30% off because the teachers can give a sale up to 20%. Any sale we give subtracts from our commission, but the sale offered by the company does not.

Please check out this site There are many great activities and lessons all created by teachers. This is great for any teacher, tutor, homeschooling, parent etc.

**********************************************************************************
My store is http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Simone if you buy from me on Monday, you will get a total 25% off. You will see the 15% when you click on an item and then you will get the 10% when you use the promo code CMS28 as you check out.

My most popular items are my math bingo games. I have order of operations, coordinate grid, solving simple equations, solving proportions, exponents, and customary capacity If you give me a topic, I can make one for you.

My newest items are my math flash cards. It is almost impossible to find flash cards for the specific topic you want. I have created them for my topics that I teach in my class, but I can make some for yours. The cards are made to be photocopied so the answer is on the back. Since the answer is on the back, students can work independently and check themselves. I use them with games boards often. Students who finish early can grab one of the baggies I have premade with different flash cards to work on independently. You can mix the topics to make a mixed review or keep them separate. Right now, I have decimal place value, decimal rounding and exponents. I am going to list more in the future.

Test Day Nov 2011

2011-11-23T08:11:00.001-05:00

Today is p+14.

The past few days I got excited. I reminded myself of everything that went well this month. I had a great baseline, follicle development, CM, lining and P+7 numbers. I was very relaxed this month and had no stress. No PMS. This was my second month with my new protocol of using blood thinners. I kept going back and forth between getting excited and then remembering that I have a bad track record.

Then today came and reality slapped me in the face. Another BFN. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I am in shock and cannot cry about it yet. That will probably happen when AF arrives in a few days after I stop the progesterone. I am numb right now.

So now is the time to evaluate what went wrong and what I should do to correct it. Everything that I can measure was in perfect working order. So now I am wondering if I am taking enough blood thinners or if there is something wrong with my uterus or tubes. Every BFN makes me want to have another surgery just to be sure. In the spring it will be two years since my last lap/tubes check and 3 years since my last hysteroscopy when they found polyps.

I am going to talk to my napro dr about upping the blood thinners to twice a day which is what pg women take. Right now I take them once a day. If that does not work within a few months, I am seriously thinking about a spring cleaning.

At least I have today off, so I can bum around the house. =(

My New Vitamin

2011-11-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

For the past 5 years I have been taking Promise Prenatal http://www.promiseprenatal.com I originally chose this one because it had a high dose of folic acid and all the other vitamins I thought I needed. It was small and I liked the idea that they had 3 stages although I never moved out of stage one. I never had any issue with it and every time I thought about changing to something new, I always came back to this one.

Once I found out I have a double MTHFR gene mutation and other immune related issues I started to have new demands for my vitamin. I have been searching for 3 months for something better. At first I was looking for the immune issues. I cannot have any wierd herbs in my vitamin bc I never know how they will affect me. The average person wants to enhance thier immune system and would love those immune boosting herbs. I want to stay away from them.

Now with MTHFR, I decided that I no longer want folic acid. We have been brain washed into thinking we need folic acid. In reality we need folate to prevent birth defects. Folic acid is synthetic and converts to folate. Natural food such as spinach contains folate. The FDA has fortied our food with folic acid. I never knew the difference until I learned about MTHFR. If you have MTHFR, then you have trouble converting folic acid to folate. Too much folic acid building up in your body is not good for you. It was really hard to find a vitamin with folate and not folic acid. I started to give up on the idea that I had to have a prenatal and started to look for multivitamins. Most of the more natural vitamins that actually had folate also had lots of herbs..UGH so it was almost impossible.

Then last week when my B12 level came back really high, I started to read about B12. I read that the synthetic form of b12 in our vitamins is cyanocobalamin From wikipedia "Cyanocobalamin usually does not even occur in nature, and is not one of the forms of the vitamin that are directly used in the human body However, animals and humans can convert cyanocobalamin to active (cofactor) forms of the vitamin, such as methylcobalamin.This process happens by equilibration, as cyanocobalamin slowly loses its cyanide in surroundings that contain no cyanide.

This just really grossed me out bc that is what was in my prenatal. I got really frustrated and started to search for whole food vitamins. These are made from real food and not created in a lab. I found a few that were interesting but had to deal with the herb issue. Then I found my new vtiamin. It is not a prenatal. It is a multivitamin that has folate and real B12 and is made from real food. I went with http://www.megafood.com/ I got the one daily http://www.megafood.com/one-daily-multi-vitamins/one-daily
I found a local green grocer and went to go get it. It was only $21 for a month, which I thought was a great price. The cashier commented on how they are great vitamins. I am happy to have found something that seems healthier and has a reasonable price.

So until I find something better, I am happy to have this.

Folate and B12

2011-11-18T17:06:00.001-05:00

Over the summer I tested positive for the MTHFR mutation. There is a lot of disagreement among doctors on whether or not this can cause miscarriage. People who have this mutation in their genes have a harder time converting folic acid to folate. Everyone knows that folate helps reduce birth defects. At that point I could not tell if MTHFR was even a factor in my infertility but I thought just in case I get lucky I do not want to worry about birth defects. I did not want to worry that I was not getting enough folate or b12 so I decided to start supplements.

I waited for three months and then I got my levels tested. I went off the supplements for a few days before the test. I was shocked when the results came back. They were very high. My folate came back at 2,451 (normal is 468-1,258). My B12 was 1,577 (normal is 211-946)

I freaked out that I overdosed. I went to the internet and most sources said that it was better to have too much than not enough. Being deficient in folate or b12 can really mess you up. I even read that low levels can cause fertility problems.

I do eat a lot of salad and broccoli and they both are high in folate so I guess I do not need the supplement every day. I may take one a week to be sure. It was interesting that they said a high folate level could mask a B12 deficiency. Well I do not have to worry about that.