u/Intelligent-Waltz988

Had my follicle study this morning and two follicles are in the mature range (18 & 22mm respectively) so expecting my doc to say I can trigger later and inseminate soon. Send me good vibes please — second medicated cycle but we’ve been at this for over a year 🤞🤞🤞

Update 5/19: triggered this morning! My provider explained that my actual measurements yesterday morning were 16.7 and 22.1 - so she suggested waiting another day or two to give the 16.7 a chance to grow a bit more. I was worried about the 22.1 overmaturing, so gave it exactly 24 hours from yesterday's measurement, then triggered! At-home inseminations will be tonight and tomorrow night, so roughly 12 and 36 hours post-trigger. Here we go!!!!!!!!!

Hi all. AF showed up yesterday after my first cycle on 2.5mg letrozole on CD4-8, saline sonogram/bubble test (tubes were clear, nothing concerning, light bleeding for maybe 12-24 hours after the procedure) on CD8, Ovidrel trigger shot on CD10, at home insem attempts CD10 & 11.

Gearing up to go in for baseline ultrasound and hop back in for another cycle (with higher dose of letrozole this time) but am curious about my period. It’s been a lot browner than usual (it’s almost never brown at all tbh), and I’ve had virtually no cramps (usually I cramp a lot on CD1). Is this something anyone else has had? Maybe a side effect of the sonogram or the meds? I’ll talk to my doctor this week but interested in hearing from the community.

Part of me wonders if the ‘debris clearing’ effect of the bubble test could be the reason?

Currently in TWW after my first medicated/monitored cycle (2.5mg letrozole CD4-8), a saline sonogram + bubble test on CD8, and a trigger shot on CD10 with at home fresh donor sperm ICI CD10 & 11. Had roughly 10 non-med attempts prior, CD3 labs all normal except low AMH (0.32) but I’m also 38yo so that didn’t shock me so much. Even when I was just doing OPKs and temping, fertility stuff was all I could think about - but now with the extra hormonal influences from the meds, I am also constantly physically feeling something related (bloating or cramps, dizzy or tired, moody etc) and am just plain hyperfixated.

I know the stress is bad for fertility, but I’m struggling to find calm or relaxation in the things I seek out to counter that feeling (acupuncture, yoga, walks, baths, etc) and instead find my mind racing with questions about the minutia. I cut out running (to see if less high intensity exercise helps), edibles (legal where I live) and alcohol this cycle (I cut it out some cycles, and generally have cut way back since TTC) but really wish there was some other way to forcibly relax!!! Anyway, mostly venting, but if you have extra relaxation tips, send them my way! I have a toddler (my wife was the gestational parent) so that presents some limitations in the relaxation department, but also makes it even more important for me to try and be more present…I don’t want my child to suffer because I’m fixated on trying to give her a sibling 😫

I keep searching ‘conception chances’ and ‘best odds by day for ICI’ etc to calm my nerves about the timing we had this cycle, but would love to hear from folks re: what worked for them? I did a trigger shot at 12:30pm Thursday, then did ICI (fresh donor sperm) 7:15pm Thursday and again 8:15pm Friday. For more context, this is the first medicated/monitored cycle I’ve done after ~10 cycles of just self-monitoring attempts. I had a 21.9mm follicle the morning of my trigger shot. I also added acupuncture this cycle. Throwing everything at the wall!!!