I finally got the all clear yesterday for IVF #1.2 or take #2 (however you want to call it) and started BCPs. I'll be on those for 3 weeks (high dosage) and overlap with Lupron by 7 days instead of 3 to make sure I'm fully suppressed due to my last cycle that got cancelled because I wasn't suppressed enough. Stims should start around 1/11 with an ER the week of 1/21!

QOTD: Christmas is a little different this year because we're normally skiing in Vail around this time with my ILs, but to save money we're staying home. We are going to celebrate with my parents, but it's just going to be us and my Grandma, so very small and laid back. We're going to celebrate on Christmas Eve because this will be the first Christmas my DH and I are just the two of us and we have a great day planned that includes breakfast, a fire, opening presents and then seeing Django Unchained - LOL! Traditions - I have a lot from when I was a kid, but to be honest, I'm a little Bah Humbug this year and IF kind of ruins the spirit a bit, but I'm trying. Hopefully next year I'll have a baby and everything will be different, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much! 

Waves hey ASil! Thanks so much for doing this!

After a whirlwind Dec. I recieved clearance from dr. yesterday that I can cycle in Jan on my next CD1. I had to sit out this current cycle due to Chem. pregnancy etc. I am a little eh on having to do it for the 3rd time, but always keeping hope! I am excited to be with familiar faces!

QOTD: What are you plans for the holidays or what did you do for Hanukkah? Do you celebrate at home, go out of town to visit family, go on vacation, etc.? Any traditions? How are you feeling about celebrating this year? Yeah I know this is like 5 questions, but I’m curious and want to GTKY!

This year I am celebrating at home, then go to my inlaws later in the day. I am always up for celebrating the reason for the season, but as for all the other stuff tree etc, it was a struggle to get in the spirit, even for me. I am feeling much better now that my hormones are leveling out lol. Going to see Christmas Spectatcular with the rockettes again tom in NYC with BFF and hubbs so excited. FX that 2013 is our year!!!!! <3

I'm so excited to be a part of the Polar Bears!

I'm waiting for AF to come, and I'm crampy so I'm thinking today or tomorrow. I'll call my RE and get started on BCPs for FET #1 which is supposed to be late January.

For Christmas, my SIL is flying in from NYC and we are hosting at our house. We did the same thing in 2010, but in 2011 my mom got sick and passed away (a year ago today actually.) We had her funeral on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, I REALLY want this year to be better than last so I'm trying to go all out and make this a Christmas to remember. We bought a new tree that is huge, decorated the daylights out of it, and let me tell you - it's a sight to be seen! Saturday night we hosted a Christmas party and it was a whole lot of fun. With my mom no longer here, we no longer will have to travel for the Holidays because my dad moved near us and we will be the new home-base for the Holidays. Now I get to decide all of the new traditions. For Christmas eve, I've decided we will have crab legs and steak as a tradition. And for Christmas dinner, I'll bake a ham with a bunch of great sides, pies, and a friend is coming over to fry a turkey. It's bittersweet, of course, because I no longer have my mom and I really wish we had LOs to share it with, but I'm hopeful that in the next few years that may change. I hope everyone else is having a wonderful Holiday season. *Hugs* to anyone who needs them.

May I join you in this group. We will being doing FET #2 in January/February. I'm not sure if February would be better since the actual transfer will take place in February, but I'll be going through all my appointments and Lupron staring January 6th as of right now. 

Currently, I'm on BCP. 

ETA:

QOTD: What are you plans for the holidays or what did you do for Hanukkah? Do you celebrate at home, go out of town to visit family, go on vacation, etc.? Any traditions? How are you feeling about celebrating this year? Yeah I know this is like 5 questions, but I’m curious and want to GTKY!

We will be going to visit Family for the Holidays. As of now, we really don't hav any traditions. This year I haven't really been in the spirit to celebrate. 

I will be doing FET #1 and starting my estrogen patches when AF shows hopefully around the 28th and tentative ET around Jan 15th. with beta around the 22nd of Jan.

QOTD: This year I'm feeling more like the Grinch and I will be having some drinks for sure. We are spending it with the IL's again which I'm not to happy about. I miss my family, hopefully I will be with them next Christmas with a new addition to the family.

I will be doing FET #1 and starting my estrogen patches when AF shows hopefully around the 26th and tentative ET around Jan 17th. 

QOTD: This year we are just going to hang out at home with my sister n laws and their family and just lay low. No traditions as of right now. 

Good morning, Polar Bears! It is so exciting that we are getting close to starting the IVF fun again (besides all the hell that goes along with it). I am on bcp's until the 26th when I start Lupron. I did not have Lupron in my last protocol, and I am a bit petrified of the headaches I keep hearing everyone talk about. And, of course, I am dreading an extra week of shots. EEK! 

QOTW: MH and I are an interfaith couple (I am Jewish and he is Italian Catholic), so we celebrate both holidays. We do Hanukkah with my family and Christmas with his. We are so looking forward to having both our families celebrate the holidays together, once we have children. Both our families are local, so no traveling for us. It is hard to be in the holiday spirit with all of this going on, but I am trying to keep my head up and think positively that someday we will be the ones with little kids running around and tearing open presents! Oh, and I have to say I LOVE decorating our Christmas tree. I had a lot of jealousy issues with Christmas growing up and always wanted a tree, so I love that I get to participate in all the Christmas festivities now. 

Happy Holidays and good luck to all the Polar Bears!  

I am currently looking at FET#3 towards the end of January.  On BC pills right now & have my baseline ultrasound & saline mock transfer at the end of December.

QOTD:  My family is coming to stay with us for Christmas - starting to arrive tomorrow AM!  We spend the days before Christmas shopping, eating (out & in), going to the movies, and catching up.  I am looking forward to it, but a little nervous because we are telling my family about our IF journey (we've kept it private thus far).  I know they will support us, it's just sad that I won't get to surprise them with a pregnancy announcement like I had always dreamed.

Hi!  I'm gearing up for ivf #2, currently on bcps. Lupron starts on Christmas Day, and stims 2 days after. 

Qotd: since i found out I had a missed m/c on Christmas Eve last year, that Christmas was a total wreck. So, this year I'm looking forward to everything I missed last year. Visiting my nieces, visiting the inlaws. Our tradition is decorating sugar cookies with the kids every year. Lots of frosting gets eaten, lots of sprinkles on the floor, lots of laughs.  

Hello Polar Bears,

I am hoping I can join this group.  Although this is not my first IVF, I wasn't really on the Bump for my first two.  January will actually be my 4th egg retrieval. Due to my crappy response to meds, and DOR, my Dr. suggested we "bank" some eggs. So we did the first round of banking in October and got a whopping 2 eggs! Since my clinic takes the longest holiday break ever - I didn't get to do another retrieval round in Nov. or Dec. As soon as i get my next period - (due around Jan. 5) I can start my meds.  I am not sure what this protocol is but my Dr. calls it his "most aggressive"  I start 10ml of lupron 2x a day on day 3. Also take clomid and menopur (300ml daily). The goal this round is to get as many eggs as we can to freeze. If we get a good amount, we can fertilize and try for a FET in February. If I only get 1-2 again, we will probably do another retrieval round before trying a transfer. Not sure if this is the best approach - but not many other options! 

So even though I won't be doing a Transfer this month, I'd still like to be part of the Polar Bears :) 

 QOTW - This year we are visiting my inlaws. We spend every other Christmas with them.  It will be fun to be around my nieces and nephew.  My in-laws know about our IF endeavors. They were in town for my last egg retrieval and got to experience it first hand.  They have been really supportive without being nosey or annoying. I know I am lucky to have in-laws like that.

Yay!! So glad to get the ball rolling!! :-) I am currently on bcp and I will start my IVF cycle Jan 3rd! I go this Friday to have a Sono-Saline Procedure to check my uterus and a trial transfer. And I also get to pay all the big bucks then as well :-( But maybe this is it!!! :-)

Oh and QOTD:

We will have Christmas with my in-laws at their house. And see all my nieces and nephews get spoiled like crazy! ;-)

J&D2007:

Hi!  I'm gearing up for ivf #2, currently on bcps. Lupron starts on Christmas Day, and stims 2 days after. 

 

Qotd: since i found out I had a missed m/c on Christmas Eve last year, that Christmas was a total wreck. So, this year I'm looking forward to everything I missed last year. Visiting my nieces, visiting the inlaws. Our tradition is decorating sugar cookies with the kids every year. Lots of frosting gets eaten, lots of sprinkles on the floor, lots of laughs.  

Daysie:

May I join you in this group. We will being doing FET #2 in January/February. I'm not sure if February would be better since the actual transfer will take place in February, but I'll be going through all my appointments and Lupron staring January 6th as of right now. 

Currently, I'm on BCP. 

ETA:

QOTD: What are you plans for the holidays or what did you do for Hanukkah? Do you celebrate at home, go out of town to visit family, go on vacation, etc.? Any traditions? How are you feeling about celebrating this year? Yeah I know this is like 5 questions, but I’m curious and want to GTKY!

We will be going to visit Family for the Holidays. As of now, we really don't hav any traditions. This year I haven't really been in the spirit to celebrate. 

daiseydooda:

I will be doing FET #1 and starting my estrogen patches when AF shows hopefully around the 28th and tentative ET around Jan 15th. with beta around the 22nd of Jan.

QOTD: This year I'm feeling more like the Grinch and I will be having some drinks for sure. We are spending it with the IL's again which I'm not to happy about. I miss my family, hopefully I will be with them next Christmas with a new addition to the family.

JSM0801:

Good morning, Polar Bears! It is so exciting that we are getting close to starting the IVF fun again (besides all the hell that goes along with it). I am on bcp's until the 26th when I start Lupron. I did not have Lupron in my last protocol, and I am a bit petrified of the headaches I keep hearing everyone talk about. And, of course, I am dreading an extra week of shots. EEK! 

QOTW: MH and I are an interfaith couple (I am Jewish and he is Italian Catholic), so we celebrate both holidays. We do Hanukkah with my family and Christmas with his. We are so looking forward to having both our families celebrate the holidays together, once we have children. Both our families are local, so no traveling for us. It is hard to be in the holiday spirit with all of this going on, but I am trying to keep my head up and think positively that someday we will be the ones with little kids running around and tearing open presents! Oh, and I have to say I LOVE decorating our Christmas tree. I had a lot of jealousy issues with Christmas growing up and always wanted a tree, so I love that I get to participate in all the Christmas festivities now. 

Happy Holidays and good luck to all the Polar Bears!  

jenn0620:

IVF 2 here! After having a crappy start trying to figure out meds I am thrilled I get to be here! On Lupron now waiting for AF to possibly start so I can lower my dosage. Start stims on the 29th! They doubled my dosage from last time because I only had 5 retrievable eggs and none were mature. I'm a little nervous on how I respond, hopefully well. I go to both my parent's house and my Inlaws for the holidays. DH and I just go back and forth between houses. I'm sure that will change if/when we have kids.

Cheering you on my friend!!!! <3 I am putting stock on you cycling better this time around!!! <3

After many many many discussions with my DH about when to move on after our loss last month, I'm happy to say that I'll be joining you Polar Bears for FET #1.  I'm excited and scared out of my mind.

I started BCPs today, have a saline sono on the 26th "because we had a loss" according the RE, and Lupon starts on the 28th.  Transfer is likely the last week of January.

Cheering & praying that we all get to graduate in the VERY near future!

QOTD- We both come from divorced families so we're all over the place every year.  This weekend is Christmas with DHs extended family out of state, Christmas Eve is with my Mom, Christmas Day is with DHs Mom, day after DHs Dad, and we fit mine in whenever.  I gain 80 pounds before it's all over...

This is starting to feel so REAL now that we have our first CHECK IN!!!  Eeeeeeek!!!!  So ready to get this going.  This will be IVF #1 for us and technically our first attempt at anything since this is our only flipping possible way to have kids.  I'm so nervous!!!!  I'm waiting for AF so I can start BCPs although that could be another 2 weeks or so (plus or minus a week).  We're also hoping and praying we receive a grant being announced in January and are holding off on our class until they announce the recipients.  So hope and pray with us that they announce early and we're blessed enough to be on that list!  So excited to be able to support each other thru this!!! 

QOTD: We're traveling to Tennessee to visit my ILs and friends.  Excited about some family time away from work and IF stuff so we can come back home and be ready to move forward (hopefully refreshed!).

I started BCP for IVF#2 over the weekend.  I start Luron on Jan 3rd and start stims around the 13th. 

For Christmas, our families are local so we just do a lot of visiting.  I'm Italian so on Christmas Eve we do the Seven Fishes at my parent's house.  The holidays will be a little harder this year since the C/P, but thankfully no one that we see has a baby.

I can't wait for AF to come so I can schedule my appointments!

To vent a little though, I have to tell you that I had a pap smear today at my Ob/Gyn and he said it looked like I have endometritis (inflammation/infection of the linning). When he took the sample my cervix started bleeding like hell so he wasn't even sure the lab would be able to use it. He made me completely insecure by saying that this could have been the reason my last FETs didn't work. Now he prescribed doxycyclin and metronidazol to clear it up. Uugh, I'm so tired of this... I think I'm going to call my RE before I start the antibiotics and ask for her opinion.

QOTD: We'll be flying to my parents for a week (we alternate between my parents and DHs each year) and after Christmas we'll go for a week to China and spend New Year's there. We used to live there so it'll be fun to see friends and visit all the restaurants I love. Hmmm

So excited to be starting up again! This will be FET 2 for me. On OCP'S now and will add Lupron at the end of this month. Transfer at the end of January!!!

QOTD: My husband and I will have his two kids Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day. We will find a way to see both my parents and his. Not any traditions for us yet. After my BFN earlier this month I was devastated and didn't want anything to do with the holidays this year. I turned to my faith and kept my head up and have been doing much better since. We are also getting a new puppy on Thursday so that helped a little too! :-) 

Hey all!!  This is IVF #3 for us but our 4th cycle (1st one was cancelled). I'm getting my meds tomorrow (minus my Lupron because Cigna is being a major butt!!!) and should be good to start stims on December 27th. We're pulling out all the stops for this cycle...adding in growth hormone, taking CoQ10 and DHEA supplements (maybe Vitamin D, need a blood draw first), AND my biopsy yesterday coupled with the fact we're doing AH this haaaaaaaaaas to work oh my freaking goddddd.

QOTD: What are you plans for the holidays or what did you do for Hanukkah? Do you celebrate at home, go out of town to visit family, go on vacation, etc.? Any traditions? How are you feeling about celebrating this year? Yeah I know this is like 5 questions, but I’m curious and want to GTKY!

Our holidays are always a little off since DH is a police officer and I'm a C.N.A.. He is working Xmas Day and I'm working Xmas Eve. Luckily I'm only working until noon so we'll be spending the day with my ILs. I'll stay at their house on Xmas Day when DH goes to work. My parents are snowbirds, and who could blame them with the Chicago winter, so they are gone for the holidays :(  Side note....DH and I already exchanged gifts last night :)  Neither of us wanted to wrap the gifts, LOL we're so lazy :P

Hi All,

 I'm a delayed Snow Bunny and super excited to officially be a Polar Bear!  I went to RE today to check if the large cyst that delayed me is gone and it was!  Plus, my AFC is 14!  It was about time for good news.  My doctor and both nurses all hugged me they were so excited for me.  DH was pumped, too.  He said that "it's exciting because it's the closest we've been to being pregnant".  

 I begin stims Dec. 22 and we are looking at ER around January 1.  I'm hoping that 2013 is THE year for all of us :-). 

 My DH is from Australia and this year his parents are visiting for the holidays.  We will be spending Christmas with both sets of parents and the rest of my family.  Good times. 

Yay for our first check-in!  How exciting! 

No updates here.  Just plugging along with BCP.  Should be getting my box of meds within the next few days or so.

QOTW:  Christmas is pretty huge in our families.  We have traditions that begin this Saturday and go through Christmas night.  We have many Christmas get-togethers/celebrations and see both my family and DH's family.  We don't travel far because they all live close by.  As for how I'm feeling, I'm excited about it.  I'm like a kid when it comes to Christmas.  I was hoping to be pregnant by Christmas this year, but we found out that wasn't going to happen early enough to come to terms with it.  I'm still excited, though, because I'm hopeful for 2013.  2 days after Christmas is when I start Lupron, so it's pretty much right away.  DH and I had really counted on being pregnant by Christmas, too, so we had made plans a while ago to each buy something for the baby and wrap it up for the other one to open.  We still decided to do that, so there are two presents under our tree for someday baby.  That makes me happy. 

QOTD: What are you plans for the holidays or what did you do for Hanukkah? Do you celebrate at home, go out of town to visit family, go on vacation, etc.? Any traditions? How are you feeling about celebrating this year? Yeah I know this is like 5 questions, but I’m curious and want to GTKY!

Hi everyone! We are on IVF #2. I am on BCP now an start Lupron on 12/30.

QOTD: We are visiting my parents for four days and my in-laws for days - both out of town. The day we get back, I start injections. On top of trying to wrap everything and pack, I'm also trying to prep for the cycle (cleaning, a massive grocery store trip, etc).

I am trying hard to get in the holiday spirit, but having trouble. I'm hoping that once I am around my family, things will get better!

After appt. today we are set for IVF #1 in Jan. on BCP for another week and start follistim and menepur on Dec 29. 13 is our lucky number as a couple. We were even married on Friday the 13th. So I am confident that I m going to get pregnant this cycle so we get pregnant and have our baby in 2013.

QOTW. We are traveling all over the state to visit immediate and extended family. Thinking next year they will have to visit us and the new baby. Trying hard to be positive.