Cycle 2 of shut-down, also a fail!

Well, not going to try the "third times a charm" theory.  I used the progesterone cream days 7-26 and still ovulated on day 37 and had a 15 day luteal phase (longer than usual - unless TCOYF and I are both off on O date?).  I don't think that I will go for another shut-down cycle, seems to not be doing what it's supposed to do and just delaying ovulation rather than suppressing it which is making for longer cycles than before even!  So.... not really sure what's next.  Menses started today, will think more about it tomorrow.

Progesterone shut-down cycle FAIL!

Well, this was an interesting cycle to be sure.

I was attempting to suppress ovulation, take lots of progesterone to correct the ration of estrogen to progesterone in my body and give myself a wee break from the ttc madness.  The plan was to do 3 cycles.  I took 96mg of USP progesterone cream on day 7-26.  I took my temp regularly though didn't always chart them right away.  I noticed cm and other symptoms but kept shoving them back in my brain telling myself I was "on break".  I did not record in my journal, have not eaten well, have rarely exercised.  I was really taking a break... or so I thought.

I just this afternoon went to enter the last 5 days of bbt temps in my TCOYF chart and realized, huh, those have all been higher.  Entered the data and lo and behold the chart gave me an ovulation date of cd 25 - about a week ago.  If I think back, yep, did have a bit more cm around then - yep, I do remember feeling tender/sore and yep, I did also have abdominal twinges around then.  It wasn't as severe as recent cycles but the signs were there.

So, guess we're in the 2 week wait - about a week through it actually, which is nice.  I don't expect much, but will be watching with interest.

Will be considering future cycles, will probably continue as planned, I don't know?

Progesterone shut-down cycle #1

Today is day 26 of my cycle. I used 96mg of progesterone cream (32 in AM and 64 in PM) each day from day 7 - today.  Tomorrow I will not use it and hopefully within a couple days will get a period (withdrawal bleed).  I have had quite a few side effects / symptoms this cycle, most notable being:

1)  Moodiness - tense and "on edge" much of the time.  Teary and weepy other times.
2)  BBT higher - fairly steady around 97.7, some fluctuations at a couple points during the cycle but no ovulation which is one goal.
3)  Acne - my skin has been the worst it's been in a LONG time, my face has had several places break out, not all over but the ones that were there were big and red and sore.  :-(
4)  Sleep disturbances - night sweats and restlessness, lots of dreams which is very rare for me.
5)  I had some abdominal cramping off and on, days 22-24 I was sore and tender like around ovulation but it didn't happen.
6)  Sore breasts on a few days but not all cycle.

I think that's it.  I'll update when my cycle starts over and let you know how that goes, any changes, etc...  It's been interesting.  I hope that next cycle is better, it did get better toward the end of this one and I am attributing much of this to the temporary rise in estrogen and activation of receptors that is expected at the beginning.  I plan to do 3 total cycles and I'll keep you posted!

The beginning...

New cycle began yesterday. I had another 16-day luteal phase with the help of hcg, which is great, whole cycle was 39 days long. We have decided to do a 3-month "break" during which I will use progesterone cream on days 7-26 of 3 cycles. It will help dissolve any cysts, reduce estrogen dominance and just give my body a break. This amount of progesterone will suppress ovulation (thus the break from ttc), when I stop the progesterone on cd26 it will induce a "period" (actually withdrawal bleed) and create a better pattern of shorter cycles. We will begin ttc again in December. I will also be working on exercising more and returning to better eating habits during this time. I hope to lose about 20# before December. This will also give us a financial break from the meds and appts. We may try to do a couple more diagnostic tests toward the end of the break to make sure things are clear and a "go" for December. Hopefully all will line up that month and we can have a fall 2012 baby!

Radiology report

NaPro Dr kindly forwarded me the radiology report so I could read for myself all the details (fitting, since they ARE my ovaries - why we don't get them automatically is beyond my understanding!).

Here we go - FINDINGS:
"Examination shows endometrium to be normal for age with the uterus measuring 8.5 x 3.1 x 4.9 cm. Calcification is suggested adjacent to the cervix which could be seen secondary to prior inflmmation or delivery. The right ovary measures to 3.7 and the left to 3.4 cm in size. Multiple cysts are seen bilaterally within the ovaries with the largest on the right measuring 2.3 cm and the largest on the left measuring 1.9 cm. No free fluid is identified. Small nabothian cyst is noted which may reflect earlier inflammatory or post surgical change."

My NaPro doc said that the larger cysts are consistent with physiologic follicles (follicles preparing to release an egg). He also said that he can't tell from this report whether my ovaries are consistent with PCOS or not. The cyst and calcification on my cervix was not mentioned to me by either doctor, but is a bit alarming to me.

So... now what? I don't know. My NaPro Dr. has moved to MO and requested that I find local care. :-( The family doc here offered me a referral to the ob/gyn in their practice and I may take them up on that for further testing and treatment. Planning to sit down with my hubby tonight for some R&R and discussion.

ANNOUNCING!

My new book is ready! It can be purchased through lulu.com and I think you will be very pleased with it. Here's why:
1) Great size, 6x9 that can be slipped into a purse
2) Sturdy glossy covers and spiral binding
3) 2-page spread for each day; 100 days worth of pages
4) Spaces to record weight, bbt, opk, foods, supplements, medications, appointments, etc...
5) In the front, there are 4 bbt charts to fill in if desired and be able to show your doctor
6) A sample page in the front to help clarify what the different fields are for
7) A blank page for each day to record extra symptoms and journal your feelings
8) Pre-filled common fertility supplements and medications make it easy to check off
9) Extra spaces to customize your own supplements
10) This journal can be used by those struggling with infertility, and those who are trying to avoid naturally through fertility awareness.

All of these things have been an immense help to me on my fertility journey and I hope it will be to you also! I am so excited to offer this journal to you. Click on the links here, or in the sidebar to purchase. :-)

Ultrasound

Went in for the ultrasound of my ovaries today. All I know is that she took about 50 pictures, made quite a few measurements and I am pretty sure that I saw dark areas that indicate cysts (monitor was turned away from me though)... Tom was able to see the screen more clearly and I have showed him pics online of various types of cysts and he doesn't seem to think he saw anything other than normal follicular cysts. We'll see though! I should get results in the next couple days and then we will see what the docs have to say.

Appt yesterday and another Monday

My NaPro doctor moved from NC to MO and he has been helping me via e-mailed charts and prescriptions, etc... This last cycle just was not looking as good BBT wise as the previous one and I was asking him what else we could do. We discussed upping my meds dose and he recommended getting an ultrasound of my ovaries prior to that so that we could make sure there were no large cysts or a lot of unruptured large follicles. I found a family doctor locally who would see self-pay patients (harder than I imagined)! I met with him yesterday. We talked for a while about my history, current treatment, what I needed and he palpated my belly and pretty quickly found my right ovary seemed enlarged and likely cystic. I guess with PCOS, that isn't a big surprise, but I was still disappointed. We have the ultrasound scheduled for Monday afternoon to get a good look and see what is going on there, how many cysts, how large, what kind and how the follicles are looking. It's a relief to finally be getting a "look-see" but intimidating nonetheless. I am also considering and discussing with both doctors trying to get an hsg done to check on blockages and see what my tubes and uterus are looking like... costly, but seems worth it? We are also going to check into getting a semen analysis done, it hasn't been pushed by doctors since Tom is "proven" :-) but a lot can change in 10 years and he is around a lot of chemicals and nasties in his work, so probably worth another check. We figure that throwing over $200 at meds a month, we should be good and certain nothing else is blocking the way. So, that's the update here. It's funny, now that the Dr. pressed on my ovary and I felt what it felt like (tender), I can find it now and feel the cysts. Eeek! I am nervous about the news of what all we find in there.

I've been feeling a little more "off" for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Ever since 10dpo last cycle, not sleeping real well, night sweats, temps erratic. Grrrr.....

Fertility Journal rewrites

Got some great feedback from my fertility journal "testers" and am beginning final edits tomorrow and hope to have them done by the end of the week. I hope to have them available for sale before too long!

May & June cycles

We gave in and have tried some new meds the last 2 cycles. I have taken Femara (letrazole) days 3-7 and hcg injections days 3,5,7 and 9 dpo. These are to stimulate a stronger ovulation and to jump start the corpus luteum into producing progesterone. The cycles have definitely improved, but I am not yet pregnant. They have both been 35 days long and ovulation occurred around day 20 which makes my lp go from 12 days to 15 days - very nice! I am encouraged by these things and thankful that my follicular (estrogen dominant) phase and luteal (progesterone dominant) phase are waaaay more balanced - this is so much healthier for me over all. My bbt chart the 1st cycle on the meds was beautiful and I was very hopeful. The 2nd cycle (ended yesterday) was not as good, temps went up a bit, went up some more but then by 10dpo they were dropping and stayed just barely above coverline the rest of my lp. I also had a tiny bit of spotting on 10dpo and a headache the day before menses (with migraine "aura" the night before the headache), all of this indicates low progesterone to me. So... keeping on keeping on. Sent an e-mail to my Dr and FP tonight to see what's next and if any changes are in store for the next cycle.

Reflecting back

I was looking through old posts and came across this post where I listed all my current symptoms and ails. I am amazed at how much I have improved over the last couple of years. The biggest thing has definitely been diet and weight loss. A great motivator for sure! Sometimes, over time you forget where you've been and this was a great reminder.

Soooo looooooong....

This cycle has been incredibly long and ridiculous. I am on CD 64, 12dpo - I assume af will arrive today. Had a migraine yesterday, low back pain and a bit of cramping, still some of the same today though the headache is much better. Hubby and I both gained almost 10# while we were on vacation, so hitting the diet pretty hard again - eating only meat, veggies and fruits (no beans, grains, sugars, nuts or dairy). We are gearing up for a serious try on the next cycle. I have some new prescriptions, started back to serious diet-watching, and am planning to be very focused this next cycle. I'll keep you posted!

Discouraged

Well, here I am at cd43 and no sign of ovulation or af yet. It is very discouraging to say the least. I am feeling okay, have had a few days of being moody/angry - my joints are pretty achey - I am tired. I actually am wondering about my thyroid, I had a temp of 95.8 this morning - eek! I have been having cold hands and feet again too. Bummed 'cause it was doing so much better, wonder if I am sensitive enough that the leak in Japan is bothering me? I stopped all supplements this month except the Metformin, wasn't really a conscious decision - just got so busy. Just had a phone consult with my Creighton Practitioner and sent off an e-mail to my NaPro Dr. I am hoping that my 8 months of charting and almost 6 months on Metformin will earn me something... labs at least? I am getting tired of being patient, especially when I'm not seeing improvement. So, that's where I am currently. I'll keep ya posted!

To the printer at last!

It has been a very busy spring for me on our little farm and I must apologize to you ladies who have volunteered to test the fertility journal. It has taken much longer than I anticipated to get these edits done. However, I have sent them to the printer and will be picking them up on Monday this week. If you haven't yet, please do send me your address and I will get your copy right out to you! Thank you for your patience. :-)

Finally... ovulation, whew!

Crazy cycle finally balanced out and I ovulated last week. I am glad that's finally done with and I can relax and look forward to the next cycle. I feel good and temps seem to be nice and high, so hopefully progesterone and my body's response to it is improving. Time will tell. Here's to 12 days of rest...

Calling fertility journal testers!

I had a couple ladies comment a few posts back about wanting to be a tester for my fertility journal. I have used it for a full cycle now and have a few adjustments to make and then was going to have some printed. If you are still interested, please send me your address so I can mail one to you. There are 100 pages, enough for 3 "normal-length" cycles (ha for us PCOSers!). I will send a questionnaire to you every 30 days for 3 months, so I can find out how you like it and what suggestions you may have. Thanks for being willing - and if you are reading this for the first time - I could use 1-2 more testers, so comment below and INCLUDE your e-mail addy so that I can contact you.

A name

So hubby and I agreed on a name last night. In the past, we have not been able to do that until a few weeks from birth. I couldn't believe that we both liked a name and settled on it so easily! It's a girl name, and we are hoping for a boy, but I really like it. :-) Not going to share, we don't do that until baby is born and this one isn't even conceived yet! BUT, I did look up the meaning this morning and I will tell you that it means "Purely Desired Life"... how awesome is that!!!?

Update: We have also agreed on a boy name now. They both would work really well together also, if anyone else out there is praying for twins for us. We would LOVE that! The boy name means "Jehovah God is my Lord and Helper".

Not saying that they won't change. Who knows? We'll have 9 months to think about it. But, it's fun to think we've got that down already! :-)

Cycle update

Okay, so haven't updated here this cycle yet - in short, it's been disastrous!

I upped my dose of soy iso like I had planned and I have been spotting continually, estrogen has been spiking and plummeting making my bbt chart look like the rocky mountains. I so rarely have mid-cycle spotting that this has been very strange for me and discouraging. I literally have spotted 20 days out of the 26 days so far in this cycle, and am annovulatory so far.

I now feel guilty for taking the soy against my better judgement, it was a "compromise" to hopefully avoid the clomid or femara. It has really messed me up this cycle and I pray it clears quickly and we can move on. This has likely set me back with the Dr. at least 2 months as far as getting labs done and moving on... :-( He knew I was taking it and even said last month that it seemed to be helping along with the metformin, but it wasn't prescribed.

Today, I am very crampy and have leg aches and twinges in my R sciatica, I am very hopeful that this is the end of the cycle coming... but hard to say. I'll let you all know how next cycle works out.

Thanks for your prayers and hanging in here with me.

GF pizza crust

Got this recipe from this site and made a few alterations. Here is how I prepared it. I am SO excited to finally have an easy, very yummy pizza crust that holds together well and has the right consistency. Everyone liked it and we look forward to pizza/movie nights again!

4 cups almond flour
2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup finely grated white cheddar (didn't have parmesan, but think it would be good with it!)
2 pinches salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
garlic salt, parsley, oregano to taste (opt)

Mix dry ingredients. Beat eggs into yogurt and slowly add to dry mixture. Beat until well blended. Mixture will be batter-like and not dough-like, spread with a spatula or back of a spoon onto sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, about 1/4" thick.

Bake at 350 for 30 min. Top with whatever you desire, and stick back in oven until cheese melts.

Makes 7 mini pizzas or 2 reg round pizzas or 1 large rectangle pizza.

Sciatica

Really struggling with this again the past 2 weeks. I actually had to take Ibuprofen and spend a day in bed on Wed with ice packs and just trying to reduce inflammation and tightness so that it could relax and stop being stretched/pinched, etc... I am doing some better and on Monday and Thursday this week actually was able to be pretty active and not notice much, but the next days were a bit more painful. I guess I am able to push myself, but not sure that's the best long-term. It is a throbbing/aching/pulling pain from below my hip bone in back and down through the buttocks and into my leg. I also at the same time get pain and a deep internal itch in my right hip where the hip bone sticks out the furthest - which can drive me crazy and the pain can get pretty intense especially at night when I try to sleep. I cannot lay on my right side for long which is annoying. I have noticed this time that I am also very constipated these last 2 weeks and that can make the pain and pressure much worse (enemas relieve it a bit). I can imagine everything in there inflamed and rubbing/pinching/constricting, not a good combination. It really makes me wonder about endometriosis on the sciatic nerve, uggh... I know I likely need some exploratory surgery, but uggh..... :-(

34 days!

That's how long this past cycle was (starting tonight). An improvement over 42 days for sure! I am encouraged by that and plan to up my soy isoflavones to 200mg and add royal jelly supplement this cycle to improve egg quality. Thankful for a fresh start! :-)

Plans (occupying my mind)

Hanging in here!  I am trying very hard not to look for signs, but it's hard!  8dpo and nothing exciting to report, my lp is 12-13 days normally.  We'll see.  I try to use this time to consider the cycle and what worked and what changes, if any, to make for next cycle should it come (that way I have something to look fwd to if af shows).  I am thinking that I will take the soy isoflavones again at 150mg days 5-9 and I also will commit to getting maca in me.  I really, really dislike the taste of maca and just cannot get it down in smoothies or by just guzzling it in a bit of water (that was about disastrous).  I am planning to capsule it and commit to taking 4 capsules a day which should equal 2 tsp.  Starting Monday, I also plan to exercise for 30 min daily whether af comes or not, and work more on eating well - low carb whole foods.  I did get a menu made for this week and did grocery shopping based on it yesterday so that shouldn't be too hard!

Oh, one thing to make note of is that I have had the sciatica pain on my right side and that strange itchy nerve pain in my right hip for the past 4 days.  It seems to be subsiding today.  Very annoying, painful and frustrating!

A new resource!

I have spent time on Natural Fertility Info website often over the past year, Heather has some great info there and now she has opened a new community/forum for us IF/ttc folk to use.  Head on over to Natural Fertility Community and check it out.  She is even running a big launch party give-away!

Some improvements this cycle

Well, my chart looks even better and ovulation came a few days sooner and definitely stronger than last month... now we are in the two week wait which can be so hard, but I try to look at it as a break from all the tests and observations that I have to be so careful about in the follicular phase, I still temp and track cm but no OPKs, no microscopes, and it's just waiting.  :-)  I am encouraged by this cycle so far.