Waiting for more Success Stories!
Thanks for sharing Ladies, it makes all the difference in this world!
Love
Momma Kath

As some of you may know, my dh has 2 children by a previous marriage
and had a vasectomy. Last April, he had it reversed at the
Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio. Dr. Anthony Thomas
was the man and he did a fine job! (lol)
We have been trying since that time.
His SA went from 9 million count after 4 months to
90 million in January after 9 months. The only problem was motility,
it was at 25% and should have been closer to 50%. But that was still
over 20 million strong swimmers! The doctor said it was just a matter of time.
I had been charting for over 6 months and had really gotten sick of it.
I had become way to obsessive and I started to think that was affecting my chances.
So I quit charting and temping in February. I knew that I ovulated
and it was always around the same time each month.
Every day just became about what my temp was that day etc.
I'm sure most of you go through the same thing and it is hard.
This month I thought I O'd a little earlier than usual,
I usually O on day 15 but this month it was like day 13.

Things that were different about this month--
I went the Ob/GYN for my annual check up on the day I ovulated.
I don't know what he did when he was checking me out,
maybe pushing on my ovaries pushed that little eggie out, who knows,
but it worked. I also started BDing earlier and did it no sooner
than every other day (male factor thing). I did take alfalfa from af to O,
just one or two tablets a day. EWCM was nothing out of the ordinary some here
and some there. The real clue for me was at 9 dpo, I had some spotting which
was totally out of the ordinary for me. It was pinkish then turned to a brown
and then cm with brown in it. That stopped completely on 10dpo.
I took a test at 11 dpo and I used Fact Plus Select, not the early one.
I could see a line, but it wasn't pink like the test line. I kept thinking,
if this line was supposed to be blue then maybe there is a chance.
I then read the directions (duhhh!!) and sure enought it was supposed to be blue!
So I ran to Walgreens at 7 am
(pretended I was going for bread)
and picked up 2 of the Fact Plus early tests I came right home
and took one and the other line turned pink right away!
So I have been testing every day since that. I told DH, I had a card
(that I bought in July) that had a tiny little crib on the front
and nothing else and said underneath, "It's the little things in life"
and then I wrote on the inside that we are getting a wonderful present in December,
a new baby!! He was shocked! I also gave him a little present that I had been saving.
We collect Dept 56 Snow Village houses. When we got married
we got the church and the couple with the minister as a gift.
Well I gave him the couple with the baby, which is the piece for the church
for a baby's christening. It was very touching and I cried a lot.
So far in the past few days the only symptoms I have are an aching back,
I'm sleeping very restlessly and I felt slightly nauteous this morning.
I'm also not very hungry, I just want to pick at things and snack.
(Trust me for me that is weird).

Well thanks for listening and this board has been a tremendous support
for me I wish everyone great success and
I know you will all get what you are looking for!
Love,
Melissa

Oh yah, one more symptom--
major gassy stomach and I am going to the bathroom a lot.
I hear a lot of constant rumbling going on in there.
(kinda of gross, sorry)

I have waited a few weeks to post my success story to make sure everything was okay. This web site has been a real blessing throughout this whole event!

I am 29. DH is 31. We have a son who is 3 and a half. He was relatively easy to conceive, normal pg, and normal though painful induced vaginal delivery. I had planned since he was 1 when to conceive #2. I wanted them to be about 3 and a half years apart. I charted for months before officially TTC and had been off the pill for over a year due to headaches. Everything looked textbook, I knew Taking Charge of Your Fertility by heart by then. I also read about the Shettle's method so we could try for a girl. Started trying in April of 2000. First month we tried for a girl by stopping intercourse a couple of days before O. I just knew I was pg, had all kinds of symptoms but no go. I told dh that the Shettle's method was out the window, I just wanted to be pg! Just knew that the next month was it too! NO! My best friend was already pg with #2 after one unprotected night and my other friend got pg that month after a tubal the month before and her first was only 9 months old! I was being lapped! Over the months, everyone I knew was getting pg or having babies! I saw my OB/GYN in Aug. and he just laughed and said it takes most people a year. Not what I wanted to hear. That month wound up being anov. anyway. By November I was getting antsy. Saw my reg. family doctor and told him I was not getting pg after 8 months of really trying and that I had real short periods. I also gained about 20 pounds from worry I guess and was having hot flashes. He checked my thyroid but it was fine. He sent me to a knew OB/GYN in December who helps with infertility. He was going to send me to an RE but my HMO wouldn't cover it. I saw new OB/GYN on DEC. 20th. He said to have dh sperm tested and after next period I would have and HSG done to check out my tubes. I aslo started using the Clearplan Fertility Monitor that month, loved it too. Dh sperm was fine, my HSG was fine, monitor looked fine too. Still not pg. I was told to try for 3 more months and if still not pg we would do more tests and a LAP. Well, best friend told me about losing weight and I decided to join her since TTC was not working and I was too big anyway. I lost 11 pounds in the month of February! I was still using monitor, but quit taking all extra supplements, just took prenats. You guessed it, I got pg that month! Around 10dpo I was feeling exhausted and was real pale. I got pink eye in both eyes then too! I laugh and say it must be a girl then! I tested positive at 11 dpo with an Early First Response. I have already had first visit and everything seems fine. I have had some morning sickness, but not like with #1. Mainly, I stay tired all the time! So, after 11 months of really trying, the one month I was focusing on somethin else I got pg! I prayed the whole time and thank the LORD for his blessing!

AngieW #2 EDD 11-7-01

Andrea, 29y/o, cycle 11, TTC~1 since March 2000 EDD 12/10/01

Where do I start? I had gyn trouble about 5/6 years ago and was diagnosed with PCOS in one ovary. Since then I had aches and pains on one side and very light periods. I got married in March 2000 and was very eager to get pregnant asap! Each month I was really hopeful only to be more and more devastatated. It began to take over my life - all I could think about was how much I wanted to have a baby and to be a mother. In May/June 2000 I went to visit my doctor. I had been having further period problems including a strange brown discharge. He referred me to a Consultant at the end of September 2000. After doing an examination and ultrasound the Counsultant told me that I had a very large mass in my abdomen which had to be operated on as soon as possible. I was operared on a few weeks later. The mass was an endometrial cyst which was the size of a large pineapple! Unfortunately it had destroyed my left Ovary and Fallopian tube. Despite this my doctor was still hopeful that I could get pregnant - I wasnt so sure and prepared myself for years of Fertility treatment.

Two and half months after my surgery we made a half hearted attempt to get pregnant and not surprsingly it didnt work. In addition my cycles had gone haywire (25/21/18 days). I was really upset and decided that I would do everything I could to get pregnant. I began to take the following suplements - Evening Primrose Oil with Flaxeed (2000mg)
Agnus Castus (15-20 drops twice per day)
Kelp (4 tablets)
Asprin (1 Baby Asprin)
Vitamin C
Vitamin B complex
Estroven - which contains soya isoflavenoids and other minerals.

That month I noticed that there was alot of CM for about 4-5 days. I have read the book TTC and my DH and I were able to BD on the right days. I ovulated on Friday 19th January 2001 and we BD on the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For the following ten days I felt nothing new at all. I can remember lying in the bath and complaining to my DH that it hadn't worked again! However that week a colleague in the next office to me received a bouquet of flowers and gave me a pink rose to cheer me up. I later read that if your are sucessful in becoming pregnant a Saint (St Jude I think? - Momma Kath help me out?) finds a way to send you a rose. At around day 9/10 I began to get very irritable and emotional. I just thought it was PMT. On day 10 I was exhausred and noticed a strange metal taste in my mouth. The next day I had barely noticeable nausea and my eyes were really dry. I also had alot of sticky yellow CM. On day 11 I did a ClearBlue pregnancy test and got a faint negative. I have never got any sort of a positive before! I couldn't believe it! I immediately showed the line to my mother and sister who agreed that it was positive. My DH did not believe it and said that it was wrong and to wait a week or two!! Needless to say I ignored him and went to my doctor the next day who did a blood test. The blood test showed that I was pregnant!!!

I went for an early scan to rule out an Ectopic pregnancy as I have only one tube. My doctor suspected a multiple pregnancy at that stage. A twin pregnancy was confirmed a few weeks later. I couldn't beleive it - twins do not run in our families. My doctor said that there were 3 sacs but one sac did not develope at all.

I am now going into my thirteenth week of pregnancy. I cannot put into words how happy I feel about being pregnant. I am the luckiest person in the world. I am amazed to see our tiny babies when they are scanned. They are so beautiful and precious to me. I love them so much. I cannot wait to see them and to care for them. I worry constantly that they are ok and that I am putting them in danger by what I do or eat. Even though I have been very nauseaous and have generally not felt well - Its all worth it a million times over!

All I can say to anyone TTC is that I really know how difficult it can be and that each failed month is devastating. Go to your doctor but also think about alternative therapies like accupuncture and herbal medicines. Most of all DONT GIVE UP!.

Thankyou God for my answering my prayers.
God Bless. Tons of baby dust to everyone!
***************************************************
Andrea & The "bubs".
***************************************************

Details! -LONG!(m) Posted By: ARIANE 13 dpo 98.6 50 mgs clomid days 5-9 2 ++++ tests! Tuesday, 13 March 2001, at 11:29 a.m. Okay, well I am 22, and DH is 24. WE have been trying for 20 months! Yikes. Anyways, I had a cyst for the first few months, so didn't even have AF. Went on the pill to get rid of the cyst and it went away within one month. Then, we tried, but I noticed I had a short lp (9 days) and tmeps were always at a plateau, always staying the same temps, and they were low after O. I didn't know much about ttc at this early point, though. Then I started getting really, REALLY bad AFs, and went back on the pill. I started taking Vitamin b6 and that made my lp 11 days. The dr said that was better, but still not good. Anyways I eventually found out that I had low progesterone (8.5 on 7 dpo). day 3 blood test, Dh's SA, and tranvag u/s were all fine. This was my first month on Clomid for low progesterone. I've always O'ed late and on my own. This month I took 50 mgs of Clomid days 5-9. Here are symptoms:

2 dpo- crampy
3 dpo- crampy ( I thought this was due to Clomid)
4 dpo- VERy, VERY crampy!! (also throughout this whole cycle I've been moody and not in the mood for sex.)
5 dpo-9 dpo cramping on and off also at 7 dpo- had a dream that I was folding boy onesies- an endless pile of them, and they all said "jesus" on them (i am a born again Christian)
10 dpo- went snow tubing and some guy said something to me kinda in a mean tone and I just started crying!! I never do that!!REALLY tired, going to bed a few hours earlier than normal!! (that has been continuing)
11 dpo- I had this weird, overwhelming peace come over me! I just completely trusted Jesus to help me get pg!!! I had an aversion to chocolate and sweets, which was WEIRD because I LOOOOOOOOOVE junk food!!! I also had a craving for American cheese and health food.
12 dpo-had a lower backache and thought AF was coming, because I always get a lower backache before AF. However, this backache was not like I normally get! Instead of only being in one spot, it was all around my lower back. VERY gassy (sorry, but it was so true!) I REALLY thought AF was coming, so I told DH to stop at a store and we'll get a HPT. I just wanted to know for sure that I wasn't pg if I wasn't, so that I could concentrate on the next cycle. To my surprise, the test was +++ in 1 minute! Also, bbs started to be sore. That never happens to me before AF. It usually happens after O until AF.
13 dpo- today! Had another +++ test and I have to go pee A LOT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Posted By: tiffanie, ttc#1, 3rd round
Tuesday, 13 March 2001, at 3:43 p.m.
I'm preggo!!!

I've been dying to put this on the board.

Here's my story...I've been "officially" trying for 9 months. The last three on clomid (50,75 & 75mg). I bought the clearplan monitor this month and got an egg symbol on cd13 & 14 so we bd'd both days. I o'd on cd15. On 7 dpo I got sick and threw up and I started getting a metallic taste in my mouth. On 10 dpo I finally gave in to my urge and tested with a First Response Early test and it was immediately positive! I freaked out, not expecting to see a +!

I just got the blood results back and I'm due on 11/24/01!!!

I'm so excited! I still can't believe it! For all you ladies, don't give up hope, I was psycho on clomid, crying, emotional, driving DH crazy, stressing and all - and i still got pregnant!!

Positive thoughts your way and lots of baby dust!!!
Tiffanie

Posted By: EmilyP ttc 31 3+ years
Tuesday, 13 March 2001, at 11:12 a.m.
Congrats to all the new preggers and add me to that list!! (m)

Ok i posted yesterday that i tested with an ANSWER brand HPT at 9dpo and got a faint pink line(in less than 2 mins) that faded away to like a greyish pink strip. Tested again this morning with Clear Blue Easy... INSTANT LINE!!!!! and at 10 dpo..

It was mentioned yesterday that testing with Answer and getting a + so early could mean twins.. anyone have any info that could support this? I would LOVE to have twins!!! Or MORE ! he he .. My chart is below, and here is the only thing i noticed different about this month

2-3 dpo my breasts were larger, but they felt soft and mushy? 5dpo breasts got even bigger and now they are hard and firm. I also had that snotty yellow CM. 7dpo I started getting SOOOOO hungry and all I wanted to eat was roast beef sandwhiches. I also had that yellow snotty cm this day. also when I woke up that morning and I stretched in bed I had a sharp shooting pain in the left side of my abdomen.

For those who check. My cm has been kinda sticky/creamy and (sorry this is gross) it's almost been like tissue.. except for it's white? I've never had that before. My Cp from 1-5 dpo was really low and hard. My CP now is higher and starting to feel kinda mushy.

Good luck to all ofyou!
I am sooo excited! Going to my dr's office today to DEMAND a beta (you all have me a bit weirded out about the twin thing) and to make my 1st appt in person :-)
EmilyP

We're finally pregnant---here's all the details! *m*
Posted By: KrisAnn ttc#1 since 5/99, 15dpo. We're having a lil gobbler! EDD 11/23/01
Tuesday, 13 March 2001, at 10:04 a.m.

We’ve been TTC since 5/99 and found out yesterday that we are definitely pregnant!—beta was 135 and progesterone was 34.9. Our due date is the day after Thanksgiving! What a wonderful blessing!

This cycle, I definitely did not think I was pg. I just started seeing my second RE (we’ve had unexplained infertility), and he put me on 50mg Clomid (days 3-7) and planned our first IUI. On day 10, I got a positive OPK. I went to the dr’s on day 11 for a follicle scan and they saw one—it was 24mm. I got an HCG shot that morning (10,000miu) and returned the next morning for the IUI. My temp shot up that morning, so I thought for sure that I had ovulated the night before, especially since I got the + OPK 2 days before. Their office reassured me that the egg was still viable. DH’s washed sample gave us 22 million with 99% motility and rapid advancement. Also, I’ve been taking 100mg B6 and baby aspirin for almost 2 years.

I left the doctor’s feeling quite discouraged, and continued to feel that way throughout the 2ww. I started mentally planning for the lap I was supposed to get in April. I temped for a while, but wasn’t really into it because I’d gotten my hopes up one too many times because of temps! Here they are:

Monday, 2 April 2001, at 4:40 p.m.
Wendyl - IVF/ICSI #1 success. EDD 12-06-01
Thank you all so much for you kind messages and prayers. My beta did double. (more and very long)

I feel so much better now. My beta was 85 on Saturday and today it is 180. My u/s is scheduled for two weeks from today. You gals are all so wonderful. I printed out all of the congrats to put in my book. I truely never would have been as educated as I am right now without being a part of this board. I learned so much from all of you and that info helped me with my IVF. I love you all and I know you will all be great mommies.

As promised, here is my story if you are interested. We started ttc last January. When we did a seman analysis, we found that dh had 0 sperm. We had an examination done and found out that he had an absent vas, which meant that he had sperm there was just no way for it to get out. Our options at that time were either IVF or donor insemination. We chose donor insemination at the time because it was cheaper and we thought we would be more successful that way. We did three diuis all with 50mg of clomid and all of them failed. I then took a three month break and did a fourth one, which failed. My RE suggested at that time that we do a lap and a hysterscopy. They found endo II all over my ovaries, bladder and other places. I also had a fibroid tumor in my uterus. They cleaned me all up and I did another diui with clomid at 100mg. That one failed also. We tried a cycle using follistim, that cycle failed. Finally I switched RE's. I did one cycle of perganol with him and that cycle failed. By doing the two injection c ycles before my IVF, I learned that I was a poor responder, because my E2 levels never rose very well. Because of this, my RE put me on a mircrodose lupron plan for my IVF. That did the trick. My E2 rose nicely and at retrieval time, I had 13 eggs retrieved and my E2 was just over 2500, almost right where it should have been. Out of the 13 eggs, only three fertilized. I was a bit devastated at first when I heard that, but then I realized, that was all that I needed and then I was very thankful for the three that God did give me. I transferred 6 days later two of them, the third one was really behind. Out of the two, one was 1 grade away from perfect, the other was graded in the middle somewhere. We transferred them, and here I am. I really never expected it to work. When I saw two lines on the hpt, I actually tried to convice myself that I was not seeing the 2nd line, because I just knew it did not work. We were able to use dh's sperm also by doing IVF instead of using donor sperm.

As far as signs and symptoms go, I actually did have a few. 3 days after transfer, I started spotting really red stuff. That lasted about a day and then it turned to brown stuff. I actually had brown cm for about 5 days, then it stopped for a couple of days and then returned again. That is why I thought for sure that af was going to make an apperance. 6 days after my transfer, I started feeling dizzy quite a bit. 8 days after transfer, I ate a carmel candy that I eat all of the time and it made me gag. I tried one later in the day and the same thing happend again. This past Saturday and sunday, I cramped or pinched off and on for awhile. Some of them were pretty bad cramps, but they would only last a few minutes at a time. Finally, I had a dream about twin babies during the week and another dream about one tiny baby with a really big head. I have never dreamed of babies any other time that I had done IUIs. That is about it. I did a hpt on Saturday morning, because I though for sure things were over, that was ++ then I had the ++ beta later that morning.

The best advice I can give is to put your trust with God with all of this. In the beginning I used to get really hung up on the number of follicles, their sizes, uterus lining size, progesterone numbers, and e2 levels. It drove me absolutey crazy. We all know and have seen that the best cycles don't work sometimes and the worst cycles end up being the ones that take sometimes. This is all really out of our hands and in Gods. If it is meant to happen, it will, it just may not be in the time frame we wanted it done in. I really do believe that if we choose to stick with this, it will eventually work out, one way or another. This is the first cycle where I just tried to ride things out and not get too overly upset with how things were going. I had to re-adjust my thinking once during this cycle when only three fertilized, but when I did, I calmed down and felt much better. You gals are really the greatest group of people I know. I truely would not have made it without you. I would have never have been educated e nough to push and question my REs. ++++ thoughts to all of you wonderful ladies.

Dh and I had been ttc for 5 months with no luck.
This month we decided to use real egg whites.
I used a syringe without the needle to insert the egg whites.
I also used the pillow to prop myself up during intercourse.
And then I stayed in bed until the next morning without getting up.
We used them the day before ovulation and the day after.
Fourteen days later we found out we are pregnant.
I also know two other women who got pregnant recently
and the only thing they did differently that month was the egg whites.
I would recommend it to anyone!

Jamie & JellyBean
edd 11-28-01

I'm nine weeks pregnant and here's my story. DH and I had been ttc for one year following m/c. I'm 43 and was aware that I was producing much less cm than I used to. Most months I am not aware of any ewcm.

I read about the egg white in Feb. and tried it only once a few days before ovulation. I took an egg from fridge, broke it open and sucked up some egg white with a medicine dropper. Took in into the bathroom and inserted it into my vagina and squeezed tight as I walked to the bed. We dtd, and I got pregnant!

My dr. says it's an absolute miracle. I believe he's right, however I didn't tell him about the egg whites. I'm keeping that my little secret until I find out the genetic testing comes out okay. Then I will tell him all about it.

As I sit here typing, I am 13weeks and 6 days. We dealt with infertility for 17 months. We were told that short of a miracle we could not get pregnant without medical assistance. To start off with I am completely annovulatory, even on Clomid I did not O. We tried Clomid starting at 50mg a day all the way to 250mg a day without any luck. We tried taking a vacation to relax. We had +LH surges according to the OPK's but never O'd. We finally bought a Clearplan Fertility Monitor since the OPK's were obviously not giving us accurate information. Still no O. I temped and were always all over the place mytemps.

My progesterone levels were never adequate and even with Crinone suppositories it didn't bring it up very well. We were referred to a RE since my dr couldn't figure out why my body refused to cooperate. In the meantime, I read "I Got Pregnant, You Can Too" it was a very positive and uplifting book. From there I decided to work on my attitude a bit, learn to relax, and try some visualization exercises.

Dh and I also read about Vitex and decided to try some herbs and prayer. I went to the Nutrition Store and the Herbalist there recommended something called Maca instead of Alfalfa. She said it was excellent, and I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. We began taking Vitex (250 mg capsules) 5 tablets a day and Maca (500mg capsules) 5 capsules a day. I read some information online about Maca and found it dates back B.C. and was used for cattle when they weren't reproducing. In the meantime, we had an HSG and found out that both tubes were blocked, the right at the distal end and the left in the middle. I cried at first and then I made up my mind not to let that rob me of my blessing.

I began doing visualization exercises visualizing my tubes opening and passing an egg through. Well, surprise, surprise! On day 18 I got a big O sign on the monitor! We actually didn't bd much that month and had kinda hung up hopes for any success this month. Well my temps were looking the best they ever had. We went to see the RE, he began rattling off different things that was wrong with me: annovulatory, insulin resistant, PCOD, failure to produce adequate progesterone, double tubal blockage...need I go on? Well he rolled his eyes when I told him we were trying herbs and prayers this month.

It made me mad. I was spotting pretty heavy when we went and had been for several days. He did some more tests and scheduled me for a lap and planned to do tubal repair during the surgery. We went home and went about our business (oh yeah, I stopped taking Vitex and Maca 2dpo and began taking Wild Yam for my progesterone.) The bleeding continued on and off. I began making excuses for everything: heartburn was from what I was eating, sore boobs was from wacky hormones. One weekend while at work, I ate a jar of pickles, someone jokingly told me I was pregnant, ofcourse I laughed and replied I wished!

That Monday morning when I got off work, I got sick while eating breakfast (I blamed it on a stomach virus). So I went straight home. On the way home, I started thinking that maybe I should take another test just to make sure we didn't need to go to the dr and have my tubes checked for an ectopic. Got home and started helping dh bathe our dog...I ran to the other bathroom and took a test, a few minutes later there was a real light line (aimstick). I took it to dh and asked him what he saw, of course he had no idea what I was thinking. So I ran back to the bathroom and did another one...another light pink line. I showed dh, he said he saw two lines and now explain what it means. I told him it was supposed to mean we were pregnant and we kept on washing the dog like it wasn't happening (neither one of us believed it.) We had blood work drawn that evening HCG 151 Progesterone 17.6, the next levels went up and everything continued to rise, despite the bleeding (which lasted 2months and sometimes got real heavy and included clots.)
Now we are expecting our little miracle in October.
KKMedic

Momma Kath,
THANK YOU! I got the official word yesterday! So, here's my story...

I'll start at the very beginning...
All last summer, I felt very uneasy, unsettled. I thought of taking classes or doing something uncharacteristic like taking acting classes. I felt that I had no clue what my purpose was. It was even affecting my marriage b/c I felt bored and subtly blamed my dh. Well, one horrible weekend in early Sept., I hopped in the shower to relax. While I was in there, I felt strongly that God was telling me it was time to start my family. My purpose was to be a mother! I got out of the shower, feeling overwhelmed that I had felt God's presence and then thought I'd gone crazy. But, I told my husband what happened and he just sat there. He believed me and said he'd been thinking about it. We'd only been married for6 months, so it seemed a bit early. However, since it seemed to be a call from God, we decided to give it a shot.

I decided to talk to my DR. first. I had been on BCPs for YEARS simply b/c I had very irregular cycles. I had even mentioned this to my OB/GYN before I got married and she said, "Don't worry. We'll get ya pregnant!" I have remembered that for years! So, when I went in, I reminded her of my fear of not getting pregnant and she told me to try for 3 months, then get back to her. (I didn't have to wait a year to be labeled b/c of 1) my age, 2) my irregular cycles, and 3) my mom took 10 years to conceive me-heriditary)
Well, I was forced to wait 3 months before even trying b/c it turned out I needed a Rubella immunization. (That's another tortuous story, but I got it within a week, by God's grace!)

During those 3 months, a friend at work (Who was trying to get pg) told me about NFP. I borrowed her book, got a basal therm., and started doing the temp. thing. (she got pg in Oct.) It took a while before I would check mucus, but I finally learned. (I NEVER got the hang of checking CP.) Well, it became obvious after 54 days that I wasn't ovulating. I called in and was prescribed Provera. I started my period and a new chart. After 35 days with no apparent O, I was put back on Provera and promised Clomid for the next cycle. Well, when AF arrived, my DR. and her nurse were gone for the week. Another nurse called in the Clomid-50mg days 5-9. I took it, kept charting, started baby sex every other day, and Oed on cd17. I was so excited. The night after the surge was one of the sexiest nights! My DH was SURE he'd gotten me pg-he even made a bet with me.

Well, 2 weeks passed with no sign of AF. I thought I might be pg, but HPTs kept showing up -. Finally, on day 16, I realized I wasn't pg when my temp. dropped and cramps hit me hard right after I'd peed on the stick. I started bleeding imediately and had the most painful period in my entire life. It was a very somber day.

Luckily, just the day before, I found you guys. I truly believe God led me to you! I had other wonderful women who knew what I was going through! I didn't post for a week or two, but soon felt comfortable just from reading your warm messages to each other. I was accepted with open arms and knew I'd found a safe haven.

I called my DR. to prescribe the next round of Clomid. She called in for 100mg this time. Turns out, I was supposed to start on 100 b/c my DR. finds it to be more efficient. The other nurse had made a mistake. I took it along with a prenatal, took TUMS for Calcium (Which I now know is not a good idea anymore), and tried 1 baby aspirin a day. I chose to take both pills in the morning b/c I got different opinions and i figured that would be easier for me. CD17 came and went. So did cd18, 19, 20....I soon began the Pre-2ww club for those who were waiting longer to O. It was fun to have a group of us, but I prayed we'd all O every day. I made some of my closest friends on the board during that-Thanks Paige, Kathleen, Susan, Kat, and others-you made the wait bearable! Anyway, I never Oed. I didn't understand why I wouldn't O on 100mg when I did on 50. My Dr. said it was possibly the baby aspirin. Sometimes, in some women, it inhibits O, apparently. Started Provera AGAIN, then tried 100mg again. This time, I took a regular multi-vitamin, kept using TUMS, and took the pills separately-one in the am, one at night. CD17 passed, then 18, 19, and 20. The night of the 19th, an OPT finally showed a surge. It did again on the morning of cd20. DH and I used the 3 days around that time to try our hardest.
Pillow under the butt, legs in the air for at least 30mins...
Lifecycle said I Oed cd21.
My temp climbed slowly.
I immediately felt different.

The next night, we went out to eat at a nice restaurant. The waiter asked if we were celebrating anything special. After he left, I laughed and said to my dh, "Yeah! That I Oed!" Little did we know what was going on inside me....
The next day, I left to go on a trip with the ladies in my S.S. class. I talked about how my DH was going for an SA the follwing Monday. We talked about my TTC journey, etc. They told me they'd continue to pray. (My class already was praying for us.) My face breaks out from time to time, but my face EXPLODED that day (2dpo.) I also had a lot of yellow cm and gas. (Luckily, it was internal!) My poor roomates were awakened early by the sound of my therm. since it beeps every four seconds! They were sweet about it. Later that morning, we had a devotional about things we have a hard time handing to God to take control of. I shared my fears and felt so much love from the girls!
I came home with so much joy and hope! It was so wonderful! The next day, I went with DH for his SA b/c I wanted to help him rather than him look at a bunch of porn. Turned out, I left work early for nothing. We didn't do THAT part, but poor dh was checked in all sorts of uncomfortable ways!
Meanwhile, my breasts were feeling like I'd been lifting weights, even though they didn't hurt to the touch. For fun, i looked up what my EDD would be. Since it was close to Christmas, I thought it'd be neat to get a + on Easter.
(We took dh's SA in on Good Friday.)
A couple of days before, after getting up to pee in the middle of the night
(not unusual since I drink A LOT of water), I started to wonder if pg women really get a metallic taste in their mouths. Literally, that second, I got that taste. I knew for sure that all the symptoms I thought I had must be in my head. I started craving sugar so badly at 5dpo I blew Lent off by eating 2 large cookies, thus givin in to sugar. I didn't have much of an appetite during the next few days, but would crave sugar BIG TIME at the end of the day.
At 7dpo, my temp. dropped and at 8dpo it went up and I had tiny drops of blood in my cm. That's when I really got suspiscious and decided to test on Easter-what the heck? Well, my temp. dropped again at 9dpo which scared me. I wondered if A) AF was coming, or B) I had 2 implantations (twins?) Internet DRs told me not to read so much into BBT charts, so I let it go. But, I had brownish-yellow CM for days 8-10dpo. I tested at 9po (Saturday). It was a complete -, but I decided to test on Easter just cuz I said I would.
It was -, but turned a very very very very faint positive about 20 mins later. I thought it had to be a ghost line, so I did another one 2 1/2 hours later.
It came up with another faint line, but a tad darker than the first. DH and I got a little excited, but weren't sure.
I did another which turned out slightly darker.
I e-mailed Momma Kath and she said any line meant a +.
Still too scared to be disappointed, we didn't say anything.
NOONE in either of our families have EVER said a word about us having kids.
Ironically, dh's cousin asked out of the blue,
"When are y'all going to give me a baby cousin?" I just said, "How about you pray for that?"
I was shocked!
I did another test when I got home-another faint positive.
Still unsure, you wonderful girls reassured me and gave me advice.
I took another Mon. am. The line was no darker,
so I became discouraged.
(BTW, I had been using Aimstick dip sticks from the TTC store-the Baker's Dozen.
Meredith suggested I do an EPT and if ANY line showed up at ANY time, I'd know. I took one and within 10 mins, a faint pink line showed. At the advice of more wonderful ladies, I ran to get a blood test and spent the day unsure.
Yesterday, at only 12 dpo, another EPT showed up a much brighter pink, but I wasn't convinced until my DR. called to say, "CONGRATULATIONS!" my hCG at 11 dpo was 106. (DH had called an hour earlier to say his SA results came in and he was normal-DUH!) We were going to wait 10 weeks to say anything, but i needed to praise God and give HIm the glory, so we told our families and close friends. I'm still a bit paranoid about miscarriage, but I have hope and faith in God. He gave me this blessing and miracle. The power of prayer....! God is GOOD!

Ok...my symptoms not already mentioned;
I lost my appetite at 9dpo and could no longer eat big meals, though I was constantly hungry. If I eat a lot, i get bloated and so much gas pain, my shoulder blades hurt! Yesterday, I began to feel nauseous throughout the morning, but it's not too bad. I just snack on animal crackers or pretzels. I burp a lot! I have little cramps here and there. I just sit as much as I can. I'm not doing anything until my dr. checks me out and says I can go on with life! I'm refusing to stress. My entire outlook on life has changed.

I hope I didn't leave anything out. I hope you're not asleep from reading my novel! I just loved reading the success story details, so I felt I needed to include everything in case it gives ANYONE hope!
Trust God...I found this verse today-Psalms 113:9
He honors the childless wife in her home;
He makes her happy by giving her children.
Praise the Lord!
++++++++++++++++++thoughts and heartfelt
thanks to EVERYONE!!!!
I love you guys!
Love,
Cyn

Hi all you TTC'ers!

Just letting you know how much your information and support meant to me!
I am 9 wks pregnant today! 1st baby been trying for almost two years.
One m/c last march.
On Monday 4/23/2001 I heard the heart beat for the first time.
I learned so much from all of you and from this site!
My Dr. even prescribed baby aspirin!!!
My heart is full of joy and my belly is full of baby!
+++++++++++++++++++
thought and hopes and prayers and love to you all!
Laurie F -
Minnesota Mommy to be
Lolomom

Posted by: SallyF, age 32, TTC #1 since June '99, mild endo.,
2nd IUI/clomid success, EDD 12/6/01, 7+ weeks

This will probably be really long, sorry! We tried to concieve for almost 2 years. After the first 6 months or so I read TCOYF and began charting. After 10 months I went in to my gyn for my annual exam. He is an older man who told me temping was a waste of time. He couldn't possibly understand how important it was for me to get the disappointment earlier by seeing my temps drop, before jumping the gun & doing a HPT. Anyway, he did lots of blood work & scheduled a HSG at the hospital. It wasn't as painful as I had expected, maybe because they couldn't really get the catheter all the way in to the uterus. When it was over, the guy who did it informed me that my uterus was severely retroflexed and he said, "This may effect your pregnancies or your ability to get pregnant." He didn't know not to say something this vague to a woman who is in the fragile state of TTC. I was too stunned to even ask any questions, I just wanted to get dressed & go home. On the internet I found some things that said a retroflexed uterus is common and no cause for concern, and other things that said it oculd be caused by endo., PID, etc. so of course I was very worried. It took forever, at least a month, for the X-rays & report to be sent from the hospital to my gyn. In the meantime I had a endometrial biopsy that was so painful that afterward I thought, "Maybe I should adopt!" The good news was that the results from the biopsy were normal. When my gyn got the results from the HSG, he said that there was a bend that began at the end of my cervix, causing my uterus to be retroflexed. Also, there was something showing up in one of my tubes that needed to be investigated further, another source of worry for me. At this point I was referred to an RE, who was much more sensitive & responsive, who scheduled a Lap right away.

I had to go outside of my insurance for the RE because the wait for a new patient appt. at the RE who accepted aetna was 4 months. No way was I going to wait that long to find out what was wrong with me. I was extremely depressed during this time. Whenever I heard about someone else being pg I would burst into tears. The RE quoted me a price for the lap but ended up doing a hysteroscopy as well, so the whole procedure cost us about $2000 out of pocket, live & learn. During the lap, the RE saw no problem with my cervix, uterus, or tubes, but found mild endo. He prescribed 2 months of lupron depo shots, which forced me to take a break from TTC. That was a good thing.

I realized that my cup was really half full rather than half empty, and started enjoying life again. After the 2 months off I was back on the TTC bandwagon again, trying to improve my diet & taking FSO & EPO. I switched over to the aetna RE in the interest of saving money. I started taking clomid in Jan. of '01, right after I'd had LASIK surgery. That month I had some blurred vision, which in hindsight was probably from the LASIK rather than the clomid, but anyway had to discontinue clomid after only 2 doses & cancel IUI that month.

The next month I did fine with the clomid & had the 1st IUI. I was trying so hard to be positive & optimistic. I was pretty devastated when it didn't work. Around this time I had 2 revalations. One was finding this website. The other was a book called Conversations With God, an uncommon dialogue, book 1, by Neale Donald Walsch. I am not a religious person, I don't go to church, but this book helped me so much. The main premise is that everything we do either stems from fear or from love. When you let go of your fears & worries, all your thoughts, words, & actions come from love. Also, when you pray for things you don't have (like a baby), that implies that your life is lacking, & you perpetuate your own state of wanting something. When you are thankful for all that you have, & truly enjoy life, good things are more likely to come your way. This is an oversimplified explanation of the book, but it helped me let go of all the stress & trust that everything would work out according to God's plan.

Before my 2nd IUI in March I was told that the clomid was thinning my lining too much & that the next month I would need to supplement clomid with some injectibles. They postponed the IUI for a day in hopes that my lining would thicken. Incidentally, I had begun taking RR & baby aspirin that month after reading about them on this website. I kept telling myself "My lining is thick & healthy," & "I choose to be fertile, therefore I am fertile." Lo & behold, about 9 days after the IUI I began having symptoms. I felt "flushed" & warm, & began waking up in the middle of the night with cramps that felt more like severe gas pains than like af cramps. I had the "fluttering" sensation that I have heard people describe, & also a sharp pain sometimes when I would shift or sneeze or cough. Also I had/have major constipation & some insomnia. I was alternately irritable & teary, & having vivid crazy dreams (not baby related though) & remembering them all. I had implantation spotting (brown) from about 11-15 dpIUI. On 11 & 12 dpo I got a faint positive with a generic HPT that didn't show up right away. At 12 dpo I had the positive beta. My temps never went triphasic but remained high. Now I am 7+ weeks, & we heard the heartbeat at our 1st ultrasound this week. I am so excited, glad I can share this with all of you since I am not telling many people other than family until I hit the 2nd trimester.
My only regret is that I didn't find this website sooner.
GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!!!!!!!! KEEP THE FAITH!!!!!!!!! = )
SallyF

Posted by: Alison
TTC #1 for 16 months

The Lord has answered our prayers after 16 months of trying. I am a healthy 31 year- old and my DH is a healthy 32 year -old. We went to the doctor after 6 months of trying to see if there was anything wrong since it seemed to be taking too long. My DH had a SA that was perfectly normal. A couple of months later, I tried Chinese herbs and acupuncture for 2 months. My cycle was regulated immediately with two 28-day periods. I was happy about that but impatient to know if there was something else wrong that only Western medicine could find. So I discontinued the Chinese medicine and went to my OB-GYN for more tests. I had a hysterosonogram to see if there was anything wrong with me structurally and to clean out my tubes without the radiation and X-ray that an HSG exposes you to. The doctor said my tubes were open and that I would probably get pregnant soon. I asked the Dr. for Clomid in case I wasn't ovulating every month (even though every time I used an OPK I was surging) and to make more follicles to speed things up.
I was on Clomid for 3 months with no success.
Being on Clomid was an emotional rollercoaster for me.
The first month , I had 1 follicle; the 2nd month,
2 follicles; the 3rd month 3 follicles.
I figured my chances were doubled and then tripled
and got my hopes up only to be let down.
We then tried many months naturally and nothing happened.
I just got to the point where I thought maybe we just couldn't
get pregnant, but in the back of my mind I knew
I was destined to be a mother someday.
One day in March I made an appointment with a fertility specialist
for May 8, 2001. In April I decided to try Chinese herbs
and acupuncture again to regulate my cycle.
This time I decided to commit to the natural approach for at
least 6 months and I canceled my appt. with the fertility specialist.
I just didn't want to go through anymore invasive testing until we
had tried for at least 2 years. Well, I began to think of other things.
We went to Mexico for Easter (when we conceived)
and I planned a trip to Spain with a girlfriend.

I was busy planning a piano recital and
I just didn't think it would happen for awhile.
Last week, I found out I was pregnant.
I got the positive blood test results from the Dr.
the same day that I was supposed to go to the
fertility specialist before I canceled the appt....May 8th!

The other strange thing was that
2 weeks before we conceived I had a mystical dream.
I dreamed that I was walking up a gigantic staircase with a baby boy.
He was about 1 year old and taking huge steps.
I looked at him about half way up and said, "Wow!
There sure are alot of stairs!" He just looked at me and kept walking.
I was amazed at how determined and strong he was.
When we got to the top I was exhasted and again said,"Whoa!
Those were alot of steps!!!" Again, he looked at me like
it was just part of the process and no big deal.
He then looked back and waved good-bye to his caretaker saying,
"Bye Nanny!"
I then woke up and immediately wrote down the dream (something I never do).
I had an amazing sense of peace and calm come over me.
I realized that for me the process was long, hard,
and arduous. For the baby spirit,
it was just part of the process and the way it was supposed to be.
I am convinced that this baby was ready and determined to
come to me on it's own time (with God's help).
The baby was strong and prepared to let go
of the life it had before making it's way to me.
I tried everything in my control to make this pregnancy
happen and what I have learned is that it is not in our control.
I finally let go and decided I would try to make my body as healthy
as possible naturally (with the herbs & acupuncture)
but that I wasn't going to put myself through any more
stress with the Drs. or tests. My DH and I are thrilled!
It has been a long, hard road and there was NOTHING wrong
with either of us. My husband just started a brand new job today.
One that holds much promise for the future for us.
There is a plan for each of us and God is working for
you even when you think you're the forgotten one.
Hold on to the hope and faith that it will happen for you!
When the time is right for you, your husband,
and for your baby, it will.

Alison

I can't believe it! We're finally pregnant!
After 2 years of ttc including 3 months on Clomid and 2 iui's,
God has decided that it is time for us to have a baby.
I'm 6 weeks pregnant as of today (5/1),
and we're going for our first ultrasound this Thursday (5/3).
I just hope and pray that everything looks like it should.
We're hoping for twins, but we'll be thrilled no matter what,
just as long as it's healthy. It still hasn't completely sunk in yet.
I haven't had many symptoms at all.
I've had sore BBs pretty much constantly,
but no real change in their appearance.
I've had cramps which were constant but
have slowed down to just every once in a while.
I feel slightly nauseated now and then,
but not enough to really call it morning sickness.
Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones.
No matter what though,
I've vowed not to complain about anything.

I'm too happy! To God be the glory!!!!!

Best of luck to everyone else!
Steph

Hi Momma Kath!
All those funny feelings I had
down there were implantation cramping.
I ampregnant!
Clomid rules!
Jennifer the stranger with lots of questions!

Wendy

Hello
I just wanted to say that
I think your site brought me some extra luck this month!
I've been ttc for a little over a year and nothing ever happened
till I started reading all the info posted at ttc.
Today I took 3 hpt's and all came back positive!
The only symptoms I had were that
I thought for sure AF was on her way.
That was a week ago!
Thank you so much!!
Katie