Looking for input on cycles (kinda long and TMI)

[tinksmagic]

It's been 3 months since my d&c with the twins and I've been trying my hardest to get healthy, increase egg quality and quantity and raise my estrogen and progesterone. Here's what I've done so far and I'm looking for advice please.

To recap:
D&C March 29, I hemorrhaged at the hospital, 2 and 5 days later and bled pretty consistently for 8 weeks (it was supposed to stop after 2!!!) I have a feeling that on April 27 I got AF, but I was bleeding lightly up to then, then it got real heavy and bright pink, then spotted and lightly bled for a couple more weeks. Based on what I thought, I figured if that *had* been AF in April, I would have my next on May 25th. It showed back up on May 23 so I was OK with it. Let me preface that I changed my eating to whole foods in mid-March when I accepted the twins were gone. I also started taking Vit C, calcium, magnesium in addition to the Vit D, prenatal and Folic acid I had been taking.

I also had my bloodwork done and it was determined I went from 16 to 13 on my Vit D that past year, my FSH went from 12 to 7.6 the past year (I was at 7.6 in May) my prolactin and iron was normal, my TSH was normal (don't think they tested my T3 or T4, which I need due to the Hasimoto's) but my estrogen was like 6.7 and I had virtually no measurable progesterone. I was only put on 50,000ui of Vit D3 since. I have 1 more month to take that. To my supplement cocktail I've added and am now taking daily:

5 - 800mcg Folic acid
4 - 500mg Vit C (from rose hips, pill)
2 - multivitamin
1 - Cal/Mag + Zinc (can't remember exact amount but Cal is 3x Mag and zinc is 5mg)
1 - 2.5mg Melatonin at sleep time
2 - Omega3 fish oil
1 - 1300mg Eve Prim Oil
1 - Magnesium (calcium is too high in other pill, and I get wicked leg/foot cramps otherwise)
2 - 200mg COQ10 (from veggie sources in the pill)
In conjunction to the supplements, I have 2 tsp (morn and night) Royal Jelly & Bee Pollen, 1 shot of reconstituted Wheatgrass, Apple Cider Vinegar, occasional Brewer's yeast, and I only eat whole foods, no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol or caffeine (latter 2 in over 10 months). I eat veggies and fruit that improve fertility and are high in antioxidants, a mixture of nuts and seeds, and very little meat. I also mix up a smoothie most mornings or an egg, and have started juicing a few times a week. You would be amazed at it all!!! Hubby is out with an injury so I've been dragging hubby to health food stores, specialty stores, and even China Town! I also try to drink decaf green tea and red raspberry leaf tea daily. I was taking Maca Root powder, but ran out, need to get more.

I've bought but have not started taking B-Complex, 100mg B-6, B-12 (can't remember mg), DHEA for the preceding 4 months before IVF. I am contemplating Vitex or Chasteberry in its pure form as well.

So, that being said, I got my next AF on May 23, so I figured April 27 was the return of AF. Both times were bright pink, I actually got cramps in May for 3 days straight!!! That has never happened and from what I read, both changes were positive changes!!! I was so happy I wanted to tell everyone! I used to be very regular once they did the thyroidectomy: AF at day 28 and O on day 11, like clockwork, but I never had cramps (and got quite a few surprises!!) and it was always a deep dark red, heavy for the first 2 days, then nothing on day 3, then dark brown gook on day 4 and sometimes 5. Now I have a heavy bright pink bleed for the first 4 days and a regular day 5. Days 6 & 7 I *might spot* and I might have a light tinge the day before AF starts.

So I figured next AF would be June 20, but it shows the 19th, so I'm not 28 anymore. The kicker is, in May, I think I O'd on day 8 cuz I had a lot of EWCM, which I had more than I ever used to get, but it was tinged with blood and hubby and I had DTD so I wasn't sure if it was CM or him so I read him the riot act about no longer leaving it in cuz since I'm going through a ton of changes, I would probably get preggs with triple girls with our luck.
Before the IVF I would get CM on days 10 - 12 and it was a normal amount. For June, I got so much CM on days 10 -11 I was kinda freaked out at how much I'm now producing. The downside is, it's still tinged with blood both pink and brown and it's stringy and that lingers into days 12 - 13. I'm OK with the CM on days 10 -13, but the blood has me concerned cuz it's like it (the blood) doesn't really give me a break from the end of AF to O.

In addition to all of this, I'm trying to balance out raising my estrogen and progesterone without spiking either. I won't have my blood drawn again until July so I don't know where I'm at.

I guess ideally I would like to know best way to continue to raise estro and progestro, get a few more days in between AF and O and stop the spotting during O. I refuse to even consider cycling again until after October (that will have given me 6+ months of healthy living).

To make everything worse, like I don't have enough to worry about, hubby is now saying this will be our last cycle, he's getting too old; if everything I'm doing to improve at this point doesn't work, nothing will and I hate to agree with him, but if that's the case then, I'll chance it to Mother Nature from then on for another year regardless of gender. But I'm pretty stubborn, we'll see who wins that fight :/

I'm only 41, I am sick of Dr.s telling me to get donors or that what I'm doing won't work. I'm counting on you ladies for my sanity You're all my "clinical trials" and everyone is proving the medics wrong!

Obviously I'm not swaying since we're doing IVF, so I'm 100% focused on correcting me and my eggs' chromosomal abnormalities. I want to do low stims next round too.

[LolaInLove]

Hey there, gosh I am so sorry about your twins. ): I think you are doing everything perfectly to increase egg quality moving forward, though. Are you exercising or doing yoga or anything? I would add that in. Increasing blood flow to your ovaries is a good thing, and the stretching and exercising helps with that. Also, have you tried DHEA? Maybe pm NBP about that, or look up some threads. Ask your RE what he/she thinks about you taking that and monitoring your hormone levels while doing so. I mean, your FSH is great (mine is the same, and I'm 36), but there is evidence that it helps egg quality.

TONS OF LUCK for your next round!!!

[nuthinbutpink]

I hope you are switching REs. The way they handled the early loss last time was not right to let it continue like it did.

I think at 41, IVF is going to be a challenge. I think we've had this chat but if you look at the SART.org page and go to your age bracket, you can see what kind of odds you are facing just to have a realistic approach. TTC naturally and IVF are two different species and if you choose to go natural, you may have no issue whatsoever conceiving that way. A low dose of meds may not be realistic at this point. I would stay on DHEA and consult with another RE if you haven't done so already and see what protocol they recommend for you. I would also consider GSN since you have had an early miscarriage just to see what is going on there.

[tinksmagic]

Thank you ladies! I did make an appointment to see my ENT dr. He was the one who diagnosed me with autoimmune disease (hashimoto's) and did my thyroidectomy. I have been reading up on that and that's going to be a huge challenge to fix before going forward. I'm to understand I will probably have to be on hormones now the rest of my life, but it's time to fix it as it now appears I've passed it on to my oldest daughter. (She's NOT happy about it, she just started seeing an endo).
Lola,
I'm adding in Yoga and acupuncture this month, and going back to my chiro as well. I try to exercise more at work by walking around the lots, but my feet still swell and that's not helping!

NBP,
I'm in contact with CHR in NY, so far, they're the only ones who have been answering my questions! Hubby is OK with going to NY which is a huge plus! I have to ask who's used them and get their input. They said they specialize with people in my situation and are firm believers in DHEA.

I am having more bloodwork done in the next 2 weeks, I'm actually excited to go forward (though hubby doesn't want to try again if this time is a bust). My OB says I should have no problems if I ttc naturally, but if it's another girl... unfortunately, from what I'm reading, thanks to my autoimmune, I'm prone to having girls (something like 75% chance!!!) because they'll have a higher survival rate, my body is more apt to attack a boy. Hubby and I were just talking that all my "lates" in the past may have been boys trying to make it. Mind you, I only had like 3 a year but we DTD so often that maybe I have lost more than I realize.

At this point, starting from step 1 with the ENT Endo then take it from there. Suck part is, my eggs fertilize fine and implant, my body is fine with pregnancy, it's just the darn eggs and thyroid!

[tinksmagic]

NBP
I see in your siggy you did DHEA for 8 months? Is that right? I have read no more than 4 months.... I would love to start the sooner the better to help as much as possible!!!

[nuthinbutpink]

4 months was the minimum receommended time per the study and the study says that the longer the patient was on it, the better the results

[jils04]

It worked a treat for me too tinks.
You are doing great with the supps and health kick. This is your best shot, give it all u got and youll have no regrets. Good luck

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[nuthinbutpink]

There is a 40-year old in the member section that just cycled. She had 3 day 5 embryos go to Day 5 GSN for testing and has 1 normal for a FET now. She also used HGH prior to her cycle to help with quality. There are several options for older cyclers but you have to find the right RE and obviously know what underlying issues there may be like you have discovered. This is her 4th cycle.

[tinksmagic]

There is a 40-year old in the member section that just cycled. She had 3 day 5 embryos go to Day 5 GSN for testing and has 1 normal for a FET now. She also used HGH prior to her cycle to help with quality. There are several options for older cyclers but you have to find the right RE and obviously know what underlying issues there may be like you have discovered. This is her 4th cycle.

What's "HGH"? I am doing more research on DHEA. I'm up for it, though SIRM doesn't seem to want to use it, but I haven't contacted them yet.

First things first, or second, lol, health kick has been first (and doing well on it) see what the ENT says next week. Without fixing that or trying to, I'm fighting a losing battle.

Thanks for sticking with me on this!!! I can only hope for healthy boys next time and hopefully everything I'm going through will help someone else. I am so mad I lost so many years! I wish I listened to the ENT in '98 when he told me this was going to happen!!!