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.....