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Monday, April 28, 2014

Ballin'

I did ovulate this cycle, which is good news I suppose. However it was pretty late. Like Day 22 or 23. I think we had sex the day before the temperature spike or maybe two days before (I'm so good at this, right? It's a total shock I haven't gotten pregnant with this accurate measuring!), so I'm not sure if we caught it or not. I'm not feeling very good about this cycle anymore, but I'm okay with that.

Next week I'll start playing sand volleyball two nights a week and softball one night. Summer is very busy for us, because Bobby also plays on a men's softball team, in addition to a co-ed team we're both on. So that means we're playing something four nights a week. It's a good way to get outside, and a fun distraction from infertility (I think I will have ZERO pregnant teammates this year--probably the first time that's happened in four or five years!). The summers do go quickly, and we're not able to vacation much. And then it's right back into coaching in mid-August for fall volleyball pre-season. But I love it. I'm a crazy competitive person, so I'd much rather be playing sports than just going running or lifting. Plus, I'm more likely to run and lift because it makes me stronger and faster for the games--which motivates me more than anything else.

Last summer, I was convinced it would my last year for softball. I thought I'd at least be pregnant by this summer, and I feel way less confident about playing softball pregnant than volleyball (of course, my mother often reminds me that she played softball when she was pregnant with both me and my sister--why? I don't know. My mother is basically identical to Ross and Monica's mom Judy Geller in Friends. But she treats me waaaay more like Monica than Ross. I am not the favorite). The base running that makes me nervous. Or more specifically, the opposing team's infielders' ability to accurately throw me out and not hit my stomach. I've been hit in the arms and legs while running; and while painful, it doesn't do much damage. But I'd be very nervous about hauling around a pregnant belly. Do you see how crazy I am? How much I've already over-thought this simple hypothetical. I annoy myself.

It's been raining nonstop here for a few days, and the forecast is solid rain for the rest of the week. I'm antsy to get out and hit some bp. At a park near our house, there's a decent batting cage where Bobby and I like to hit. It's where the high school's JV baseball team practices, so the cage is a little short for slow pitch softball, but still effective. It's a great option when just the two of us want to hit, because we don't have to spend 90% of the time chasing down balls. Neither one of us is a great pitcher, but it's a fantastic stress reliever. I know many of you have success with massage and yoga or whatever, but I'd seriously recommend pounding the crap out of a bucket of softballs for an afternoon if you're looking to release some stress.

So, I have a few questions for the more experienced infertiles out there. I'm not ready to go to an RE yet, and apparently according to my GP, that's the next step. She won't refer me to an OB at my local clinic, I'd have to drive at least an hour to the nearest RE. Should I try to get a (local) OB referral first? Or just wait another six months or so until we're ready to seen an RE--if we decide to even go that route? My GP said she didn't want to put me on Clomid or Femara because she's worried about multiples. Is that a serious concern when I haven't been consistently ovulating at all, and I haven't conceived on my own after trying for almost two years?

What can I do about my late ovulation and short LP (outside of prescription)? Are there any supplements/teas/herbs/diets/exercises I should be doing? This may not be the issue, but if there's something harmless I could try, I'd be willing to give it a shot. Or is a slightly shorten LP not that big of a deal anyway, as long as I know I ovulate late and adjust our scheduled coitus (thanks, Jane) accordingly?

Any other advice that's better than bundle up and go hit the cover off some softballs?

10 comments:

  1. I am probably no help on this because I say talk your OB into Femara or Clomid and take progesterone for your short LP. I do know that Femara usually causes you to have less follicles and better quality and also doesn't dry up your CM. If you are not ready to see an RE then maybe keep doing what you are and then when its time, go see him/her and get busy! There is also over the counter progesterone cream you might try to help lengthen your LP and B12 (it helped lengthen mine by a day or so).

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    1. That is helpful. I didn't know you could get progesterone over the counter, but it's definitely worth looking into. Thanks!

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  2. I don't have too much to offer but after a little over a year of TTC we did go to an RE who didn't find anything wrong and we would have stayed there but couldn't afford treatment at the time and we have no fertility coverage on our insurance. I went back to my OB who agreed to let me try clomid 50mg (the first time gave us our first pregnancy & miscarriage). She has let me try it two more times but now I have to go in for a consult so we may be headed back to the RE. We are in a better place now and can afford a couple IUI's. I guess my opinion would be if you can financially go to an RE I would do it. It's been 2 1/2 years for us now and I sure wish we could have done something sooner. Granted, it's a matter of what ya'll feel like doing :)

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    1. This is sort of where we are. We could probably go to an RE to get all the tests done, but if it comes back as unexplained, I'm not sure we'd want to move forward with IUIs, especially since we'd have to drive so far to have anything done. And even if there is something "wrong," I'm not sure we'd be able to afford to address it. Thanks for this advice though! I may need to try to talk my doctor into a prescription.

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  3. Apologies if I missed this somewhere (you need a TTC timeline!), but have you had a full blood and ultrasound workup done? My GP did that right off the bat, as it's easy to do (bloodwork on day 3 of your cycle, a uterine ultrasound whenever) and gives you a baseline of information to start from. I can see why they might not want to start prescribing fertility drugs to you before they at least get that stuff figured out. Then again, I skipped 99% of the preliminaries (straight to IVF, thank you shitty eggs) so I'm not sure what my doctor would have done if I wasn't such a dire case. You say you're not ready for an RE...but at the end of the day, they're the experts. A friend of mine from work was plugging away with her OB for ages to no avail, went to my RE on my recommendation, and had her baby this week.

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    1. I made a timeline just for you (but there's really nothing exciting on it)! I haven't had any tests done because my GP said she doesn't do them. And she made it sound like there aren't any OB's at my clinic that do testing either, which is why I'd have to go straight to the really expensive, out of network RE (Mayo Clinic, Rochester). I wonder about seeing a local OB for testing at least, so it would be close to home and based on our results we could decide if we wanted to pursue the RE route. Thanks for the advice!

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  4. Hmm. I never went to my GP for any fertility stuff, it was all through my GYN, who was perfectly happy to hand over the Clomid RX after we'd be trying about 8 months, even though I ovulate regularly (I still haven't taken it, but probably will in the next cycle or two). In my experience it does seem that most GYNs will at least prescribe a few rounds of Clomid, and some even do IUIs in their offices. I think it would be worthwhile for you to at least talk to one. Do you see your GP for everything, including gyno exams?

    It's so crazy how different doctors deal with infertility stuff. I have read everything on blogs from people being given lots of drugs/treatment options right away to being given the brush off even after years of trying. So annoying, there should really be some standard of care for people who have been trying that crappy "over one year".

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    1. It is strange. I've read blogs where they talk about going to their gyno (who is different from their GP) for their yearly pap and "well woman" check up. My GP has always done my pap smears, gyno exam, STD tests, etc during my annual physical since I was 16, and she was the one prescribing me birth control. I've only seen a OBGYN a few times when I was dealing with vaginisimus, but I had to get a referral from my GP first.

      My GP made it sound like no OBs at my clinic do infertility stuff, but I'm not sure that's true. I know for sure of some friends who have at least been prescribed Clomid and had blood work/SAs done. I think I'm going to push for an in-network, local OB referral first for at least the testing. So if its something easy to fix (ha, yeah right!) I can save a lot of time, money and travel. Thanks!

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    2. Interesting, I have only ever seen a separate GYN for vagina stuff since I was a teenager, never done any of that with a GP or was even told it was an option. It probably doesn't matter much for general check ups, but dammit, I feel like we have a enough going on in there, it deserves special attention!

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  5. Here's my two cents...I think you should at least get to an OB...though not the same level of expertise as an RE, they would have a different perspective than your GP. Side note: I used to get my annual exams from my GP...once (long time ago) I went to an OB for things unrelated to infertility, and then again went to my current OB after about 8 months of trying. My GP never said ANYTHING about my pap/pelvic exams, but the first words out of both OB's mouths were, "Wow, you're uterus is tilted way back there!!" Though it's not really an issue, it is interesting that the OBs both pointed it out and the GP never said boo. OBs have just seen more vaginas, I guess.

    You've been trying long enough to start looking for some answers, if you are interested/ready. Some basic blood-work and low-level interventions could/should be able to be done with an OB. Do you even have to get a referral? If so, don't just push for it...request it. And it's possible you don't even need the referral (though I'm not sure how your insurance works). I always thought I needed referrals from my GP for my insurance, but later found out that I could schedule appointments with specialists on my own so long as they were in-network and taking new patients.

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