Back again!

[tinksmagic]

I wasn't going to post on the GD forum, but I decided perhaps I should.
I went through miscarriage #3 back in March. It sucked, as they all do.
From there we got in with a wonderful doctor and fertility clinic. We BOTH followed the doctor's protocol from April to "never looking back"! I however am on a variation which has proved to be the best protocol out there for me.
I also started a few experimental hormones and drugs. I became the Queen of Temperature Charting! I joined positive healing groups specific to my condition and have blood monitored every 3 months. I sent my hashimoto's into remission, which is unheard of! But living proof! For once, my thyroid levels were optimal.
In those months, we stuck to it. We're both down 30# each and feel amazing!
Then this past Saturday, at 9dpo, on a hunch, I got my BFP! Strong and quick! My hcg at 11dpo was 227, 13dpo is 664! There is NO WAY I got pregnant earlier, temp charting is dead on the last 5 months!
A little discouraged that I have faint brown spotting today (14dpo) but it's now gone. Progesterone and estrodile are perfect! My nurse is amazed at my levels and I'll be going for my u/s next Wednesday. She's thinking twins. I'm fearing molar. Staying positive! Please send positive vibes. If you have anything negative to say, please keep it to yourself! We're a lot further this time without IVF than in the past.

[Kelbear]

Hi tinksmagic, I am a relative newbie here (only been doing swaying for a few months) so I don't know you from before but I wish you all the best and hope that you have one or even 2 healthy sticky beans. Sending you warm wishes for a safe and healthy pregnancy and congratulations :happy:

[MrsGoodies]

Hi tinksmagic,

Many congrats on your pregnancy. I thinkma number like that is twins...or even triplets.

What kind of supplements and protocol were you on?

How long did it take to see results?

[ELP]

This is amazing news all round!! Congratulations on your bfp, H&H 9 months xxxxx

[Pink Pony]

Congrats, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy

[purple]

Hi :) Congrats on your pregnancy!

Looking at those numbers they look pretty good / normal. Doubling time is 31 hours (assuming you did it about the same time of day) which is in the normal range. I wouldn't be stressing about molar.

Good luck!!

[GirlieCat]

Congratulations Tinks. Hoping this is your sticky bean (or two).

[atomic sagebrush]

OH wow how exciting! :cheer:

[Katt2275]

Congrats Tinksmagic!

[tinksmagic]

Thank you everyone! I'm still very cautious. Scan is Friday and still looking at twins.

Third beta - 15dpo but only 43 hours between is 1,128. Nurse thinks this is good and said not to worry, they start to slow down once they reach 1,200 and it would have doubled had I gone in 48 (guess tripling slows down too?). This is still very high for 15dpo.
Just very paranoid about losing another pregnancy.

[tinksmagic]

Hi MrsGoodies
I had to get my thyroid levels optimal, which I did through natural desiccated thyroid hormones. Next step was the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet to reduce inflammation. My RE prescribed LDN also for inflammation. My husband has been doing Atkins since May. I also have been charting my temperature and knee just what night to bd.
That's everything we did differently. I knew we had to do something about our quality, but his and mine, and we weren't doing enough. We've had every test under the sun and every doctor said "age" except one - he says diet! We tried it his way, it's working!
Everyone wants to believe it's the woman, not always, it's the man too. This is one of the first times hubby went through drastic changes in diet.

[MrsGoodies]

Hi Tinksmagic,

That AIP diet looks exactly what I ate to conceive FIVE boys in a row so i think you are on the right track! I avoided dairy, nuts, sugar and alcohol and ate organic meats, fruits and vegetables. I rarely ate bread bc it was too fattening.

Now i am eating the exact opposite for my girl sway...i did conceive a girl but mc and now i'm not getting pg.

Not sure if i should go back to my old diet or not. I have enough boys already!

What were you eating when you had your girls?

[MrsGoodies]

I would like to add that i have seen dramatic changes in my day 3 hormonal profile since starting this girl diet.

My FSH dropped from 8 to 6
My e2 dropped from 160 to 110
My p4 dropped from 3.5 to 1.2
LH stayed at 5
Testosterone dropped from 1.2 to 0.5

I am happy about the FSH, e2 and p4 drop bc these were all too high when i was doing my hi tech cycles. Not sure if they dropped toooooo much though???

[tinksmagic]

I'll message you back later tonight.

[tinksmagic]

Did anyone at 5 weeks have a drop in progesterone? Since my insurance company won't cover the suppositories, my RE calling in injection in oil. My progesterone went from 24.3 last Friday to 15.3 today and of course the lab screwed up my hcg and didn't test quantities! They only listed "positive". I'M LIVID! The only good thing is my Estrodiol went from 234 to 307. Please someone calm me down.

[tinksmagic]

OK! Finally got hcg! 21dpo = 3460. Please tell me I'm ok! It's slowing down, but they said over 1,200 slows down AND is still high for 21dpo.

[MrsGoodies]

Tinksmagic,

Dropping progesterone is never a good sign. :(

It was my first sign of miscarriage/not viable pregnancy. even though my hcg beta were doubling every 48 hr (reaching a high of 20500 before levelling off), my progesterone started at 85 nmol/L (4w2d) and dropped to 60 (5w 1d) then it plateaued at 45-50 (6-7 w) while i started PIO shots...

After my us at 7 weeks showed very slow hb and embryo week behind i stopped the progesterone. It took another 3 weeks for the mc to happen and the baby had chromosome problems.

I think the progesterone just delayed miscarrying and didnt help at all.

If the embrto is healthy it causes a feedback loop with the CL to churn out more progesterone. If the embryo has problems then the CL drops progesterone so miscarriage can happen.

[MrsGoodies]

Here is a good calculator.

Progesterone levels in pregnancy: chart and unit conversion - www.wantbaby.info (http://www.wantbaby.info/calculators/progesterone-levels-in-pregnancy)

My progesterone levels went from Viable to Equivocal and then I mc :(

[1moregirl]

I have just been doing some reading about this and in a viable pregnancy it does say progesterone should continue to increase (except between week 7-10 when the placenta starts to take over from the CL, as then progesterone can even out a bit or slightly decrease before coming back up again). Hopefully you can get onto progesterone and see if that helps. I'm not sure about hcg levels but I had a pregnancy last year where my levels were higher than normal for where I was with the pregnancy and my ob was concerned about twins. Anyway, an ultrasound showed I didn't have twins...but I did miscarry at 10 weeks and I have since read that, other than multiples, higher HCg levels can also indicate chromosomal abnormalities (which was most likely the case with myself). I really hope and pray that you have a healthy and sticky one in there and it all works out OK for you. Xx

[tinksmagic]

In not holding my breath here. We've lost our last 3 to chromosomal abnormalities. Now we play the waiting game. Just wish I could get an ultrasound so I could see what's going on in there.

[1moregirl]

Fingers crossed for you Tinksmagic. I hope and pray this one is healthy and sticks for you. Have you had any more blood work done? Waiting for things like this is just awful I know. Xx

[tinksmagic]

Not sure what to think at this point, and again, not holding my breath. Should be 6 weeks today. Hcg is over 9200. Ultrasound shows 1 sac in perfect shape but doesn't appear to have anything in it (though she didn't spend much time looking, just long enough to take measurements) and is measuring 5w1d. I go back in 11 days for another scan. My ob isn't concerned, she said everything looks great at this point, numbers are going up and symptoms are all strong. I'm on progesterone finally and not much more we can do except wait.

[GirlieCat]

Sounds frustrating to not really know Tink but glad OB says not to worry. Really hoping this your stickie bean.

[atomic sagebrush]

Fingers and toes crossed!!

[GirlieCat]

Hi Tinks, you said you were going back for a scan this week so I wanted to say good luck and I hope it is nothing but really great news. Thinking of you.

[tinksmagic]

Thank you!
So yesterday I had a second scan (7w4d). apparently because I'm a large woman and have had several kids, things are "very 'big'" in there and she had to zoom out 3 times to see anything. In doing so she lost resolution. We can see something in the sac, she thinks it's the yolk sac and maybe something else, but couldn't get the resolution. She did say the sac is measuring 7w1d (it's catching up), has a great round shape and has the "ring" around it (all very good signs). Added to it that my hcg 12 days ago was actually 9538 (not 9200) which puts it as doubling normally and I have no signs or symptoms of miscarriage.
I go back next Friday for another scan. Doctor said to stay cautious because we aren't seeing the baby, but other than that, everything is still good. If next week they will can't see anything, I have to have an ultrasound at the hospital because their machines are much better.

[MrsGoodies]

Hi Tinksmagic,

First tri is so nerve-wracking isn't it?

Were you able to find a heartbeat at your u/s? I think once you hear it, it would go a long ways towards easing any anxiety.

[tinksmagic]

It certainly is! No, no heartbeat yet.
Today I had very light (tinged) brown spotting, might be from the ultrasound the other day. And very slight cramping (might be pants are now very tight, it stopped when I unbuttoned them).
But yeah, very frustrating! One more week and maybe we'll finally know!

[atomic sagebrush]

OH that's so nice to have some good news!!! :pray: and happy thoughts coming your way.

[MrsGoodies]

Thinking of you at your u/s this week Tinksmagic!

:bluecheer:

[Katt2275]

Good luck tinksmagic! I know having to wait like this is probably driving you crazy.

[tinksmagic]

33573
So this is from today. They won't 100% say this is the yolk sac and fetal pole, though they said it could be. I'm 9 weeks, sac is only measuring 7.
I go for a second opinion next week at the hospital which has better machines. My doctor is an idiot, she's all "we'll send you for a second opinion" then says "and do a D&C next Friday"! Um NO! We'll wait and see what the hospital says first.
She also couldn't find the heartbeat or baby, so I'm preparing for the worst. No miscarriage symptoms at all, still strong pregnancy symptoms, but she said that's because of the progesterone.

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this...still :pray: for a miracle.

[MrsGoodies]

:pray:

[GirlieCat]

So sorry Tinks. Praying.

[tinksmagic]

Had my ultrasound at the hospital today. I wish I had a black and white answer. I'm more conflicted now than ever!
First one was with a full bladder. Now mind you, my uterus had been mildly hurting all day, either from nerves or overdoing it at work all week. (I did "strain" earlier which may have started some light spotting).
So the tech does the first ultrasound and 20 minutes later she's done, said she's unsure, going to do trans.
I empty out and the pain hits like I'm having a kidney stone pass! That's when I had a slight spotting start. I go back to the tech and tell her I'm spotting. She's genuinely surprised! Like she wasn't expecting that! She calls in the radiologist. They examine the screen. Finally he tells me he's surprised I'm spotting and that seems odd. He tells me the sac is measuring 7w5d. I told him last Friday it was 7w and 10 days earlier it was 7w1d. He asked if I'd had hcg drawn recently. No, not since week 6. He says to have to drawn again to see if my levels are still rising or if they dropped because of the spotting.
He tells me the sac grew 5 days worth in 6 days and (here's the kicker) he says from what they're seeing in the sac, even though they don't see what they should see at 10 weeks but he's seeing growth and progress. He says once in a blue moon they see cases [like mine] where there's "enough" to correct itself and in a few weeks they see a baby and everything progresses as normal. I told him my doctor wants to do a D&C tomorrow. He said, it's my choice, to talk to her, but he feels I should wait it out. He almost sounded like he wanted to talk me out of it, but he can't say and to discuss it with her. Well, considering she didn't call to schedule tomorrow, I'm hoping he sees something more than he could tell me and advised her to wait it out.
Fortunately, the spotting stopped and the pain is gone.
I'm beside myself. I'm going to wait it out and let nature take its course even if it miscarries on its own. We're also concerned that if, by some miracle, it becomes a child, will it have a genetic disorder?
Looking for prayer warriors and 1 HUGE miracle!

[Babygirlquest]

I'm sure I read that sometimes this can happen up until 8 weeks. I'm going to try find a link for you. I would definitely wait it out as it could be a viable pregnancy.

[Babygirlquest]

Can't find the exact article but try googling misdiagnosed miscarriages. I do not wish to give you false hope but a lady on here was told she had miscarried and in fact her baby caught up and all was fine in the end. I'm sure in the uk it's advisable to wait until 8 weeks before diagnosing miscarriage based on lack of feotal heartbeat. I truly hope all ends up being well.

[tinksmagic]

I've been on the forum (misdiagnosedmiscarriage) in the past and again this week reading about the miracles. Thank you!
I would love to be one of those miracles. In 25 days now we've seen the yolk sac, then fetal pole, now??? Seems bizarre, but I'll hold out for hope! Worst that will happen is I miscarry.

[Babygirlquest]

Could be the shape of your womb/uterus too that makes it hard to see? I'm praying that all turns out just fine x

[1moregirl]

Hi Tinks. Good Lord....what an emotional roller coaster you have been experiencing. Maybe the spotting and pain was just from holding onto a full bladder for a long time and you might've burst a blood vessel from straining? Anyway, I will be hoping and praying for you that this story has a positive end to it and that yuo will be holding your sweet little babe in 8 months or less. All the best. :)

[tinksmagic]

I'm reading through the radiologist's report. It's not good. Yes, there is a large yolk sac seen, but no definitive fetal pole and the one they think they see is malformed. He mentions finding a few other things that may have indicated a fetus tried to form. It would take a true miracle for this to continue on to a healthy child. If it were to continue, I fear it will be chromosomally abnormal and we're agreeing that is not in our best interest to leave a child to its siblings with birth defects.
I am making the decision to let a natural miscarriage happen because it's less on my body than the D&C. It took me 4 months to recover from my last one and we really are hoping to by cycling by then.

[MrsGoodies]

Trust your body Tinks, it will know what to do.

:bighug:

[Babygirlquest]

So sorry Tink :-(

[GirlieCat]

So sorry Tinks. My heart breaks you for and how difficult this time must be.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm so sorry Tink - I personally recommend having the Dand C because time is not our friend here. 4 months is a long time for those of us over 40 to wait.

[tinksmagic]

Final update on this pregnancy. I miscarried naturally on Monday after stopping the progesterone. Luckily I'm healing quickly. We BOTH started on supplements recommended by cny. The freaking hospital screwed up the DNA test so now we don't know what abnormalities it had or gender.
Will be starting our cycle after the first of the year. Hubby never did his testing so we're starting with that.

[tinksmagic]

And also a huge thank you to everyone for your support!

[Babygirlquest]

So sorry for your loss and all the best on your next attempt.

[1moregirl]

Sorry to hear it Tinks but onwards and upwards Hun and I wish yuo all the best for your next attempt. Xx

[MrsGoodies]

Oh Tinks,

My heart is breaking for you!

I am so glad your body knew what to do and you could avoid the surgery at least.

I pray you will recover quickly and conceive again soon....your ovaries have been bathed in pregnancy hormones for the last few weeks which helps with egg quality (its why ladies are more fertile after mc)

:bighug:

[atomic sagebrush]

I"m so sorry for your loss...thinking of you.