u/fuzzblanket9

Hi everyone!

My husband (24M) and I (25F) are starting the process of IVF in the coming weeks/months after almost 18 months of TTC. I am almost completely anovulatory - I MIGHT ovulate once or twice a year on my own, meaning I do not have “natural” menstruation. I do ovulate with Letrozole, and have done two rounds of that.

For those of you who have done IVF and don’t have cycles naturally, how were things timed for you? I know a lot of things are based on CD1 when doing IVF, but I never really have a CD1 without Provera. Did you do Provera to induce things throughout the process?

Thanks for any info you’ve got :)

Hi all!

I wanted to share my recent HSG experience I had a few weeks ago for any anxious girlies like myself. The buildup to it was terrible, but the procedure itself was not bad at all.

An hour before my appointment, I took the max dose of Tylenol and ibuprofen. I had asked for a Valium or other anxiolytic, but was ultimately not prescribed one.

The nurse took me into the procedure room and let me drop off my things. Then, she took me to the bathroom and had me give a urine sample for a pregnancy test. After that resulted, she walked me through the entire process and had me sign a consent form. I got undressed from the waist down and laid on the table. The doctor came in, walked me through the procedure again, and then we got started.

The speculum was inserted, which felt like nothing. Maybe some slight pressure, but if you’ve had a pap, you already know what to expect from the speculum. Then, he cleaned my cervix, which also felt like nothing. He then inserted the catheter. He warned me that I could feel some mild cramping or a twinge of pain, but I actually felt absolutely nothing with insertion of the catheter. It actually came out at one point and needed to be reinserted and I didn’t even know! Literally 0/10 sensation.

Next was the dye. This was strongly uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t say extremely painful. My fallopian tubes felt very full and tight. It was uncomfortable enough for me to grimace and say “ouch” out loud, but other than that, no real reaction. I’d give this a 6/10 - mainly for the discomfort, not pain.

Once the dye was instilled, he had me lift my
hips to one side, as the dye was a little slowed on one end. I did this and it ran out. He immediately removed all the tools from my vagina and it was over. The entire procedure lasted maybe 2 minutes, from insertion of the speculum to removal of the tools.

Once we finished, he had me sit up so we could review the radiograph images together. I was able to visualize both of my tubes and see the dye in them, which was pretty cool! I work as a nurse, so I love the more nerdy/science side of TTC. Both my tubes were open and clear!

Afterwards, I got dressed and left. The clinic provided me with a pad since the dye will leak for a bit afterward. I was mildly crampy and a little bloated - I took it easy for the evening and felt better by the next day. I did 100mg of doxycycline for 5 days BID after as a prophylactic. My husband drove me home (his SA was at the same time), but I could’ve driven myself.

I was a mess before the appointment. I cried the whole way there. I am a very anxious person at baseline, but truly, my experience was manageable. I share this to say: if I can do it, so can you!

Hey all!

My first appointment with RE is Tuesday after 2 failed letrozole cycles (ovulated once but no pregnancy, then no ovulation on round 2). Diagnosed anovulatory PCOS.

For those who have went to RE, what was your first visit like? It’s scheduled to be about an hour long. I just have no clue what to expect outside of typical intake and maybe labs?

ETA: I’m a nurse but have a ton of health anxiety, so knowing what to possibly expect would just help calm my nerves.

Hi folks!

I’ve been TTC for 13 months, have anovulatory PCOS/PMOS, and am currently on my second cycle of letrozole 2.5 unmonitored.

I ovulated last cycle and had a pretty perfect cycle, just ovulated slightly later than what a “normal cycle” would be. I was using OPKs and my Oura Ring for BBT, and between LH tests and my BBT, I managed to pinpoint ovulation on CD22. Extremely textbook cycle.

My baseline OPKs are usually very light - anywhere from 0.05-0.2 on Premom. Even last cycle on letrozole, they were right at baseline, very normal/exactly what I have experienced in all prior cycles.

This cycle, they’re hanging out much darker - anywhere from 0.35-0.51 on Premom. Since the beginning of the cycle! I know the ratios don’t matter, just trying to give a mental image of what my tests look like. They are *significantly* darker than last cycle. It’s currently CD30 and I haven’t ovulated yet.

Has anyone experienced this? I know letrozole can darken your OPKs, but they weren’t dark last cycle, and they’ve not lightened or darkened at all this cycle - just consistently dark.

Curious because I see a myriad of different jobs mentioned in this sub all the time - how much do you bring home a month, and what do you do for work?

Are you happy with your compensation?

Are you in your career yet, or just working a random job until you get to your career?

Do you work full-time, part-time, etc.?

Do you go to school, or just work?

I’ll go first: I’m a nurse - I bring home about $6k a month. I’m decently happy with my compensation, but I do work a full-time job AND a part-time/PRN job, which is quite a lot of work (ends up being 4-5 days a week, anywhere from 45-54 hours a week). This is my career (my second career actually) and I have been in the field for about 6 months. I’m also a full-time student.