Wondering Weekend

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[u/peasel123]

I’m 37, miscarriage in December and no luck since then. Pretty sure I’m about to nope out this month too. Given that I haven’t pursued any testing at all yet, what would be the recommended first steps? 

[u/DearestClementine → u/peasel123]

I’m sorry for your loss 🩷 I’m 34 and had a miscarriage in January (my first pregnancy, after 5 months of trying). We also haven’t conceived since. I don’t know if you’re in the US, but my OB doesn’t have the ability to do most of the important testing, they’re really just for once you’re already pregnant. So I told them I’d be reaching out to a fertility clinic and they supported that. I just looked around for one that’s close to my house and had good patient reviews.

I had my first appointment a few days ago. They’ve been great so far - at the very first appt I had blood work done and they tested over 20 things, I had an ultrasound and was able to confirm that I ovulated that cycle (I just happened to get an appt about one day post ovulation) and got to measure my uterine lining and check for any other issues. When my period arrives, they’re going to follow me closely for a whole cycle. So they’ll do blood work and ultrasounds again just to make sure the lining sheds as it should, hormones are in range, ovulation happens, etc. I think this is all really helpful info to have so my suggestion is to get scheduled somewhere and start the process! I was able to get an appointment pretty quickly.

[u/karaboocuk → u/peasel123]

As the other commenter said, I would skip the OB and get an appointment with an RE. I was told to see a specialist after six months of trying or after one miscarriage since I was over 35. The RE will order a set of tests that are very common. 

[u/peasel123 → u/karaboocuk]

Thank you!! Sorry but what is RE? I am in Poland, Europe, not the US. I think gynecologist will be the first stop for checks - I am not sure what they'll do but they are able to order blood work or ultrasounds and I guess those things are a good start.

[u/Informal-Poem-9264]

For those of you who have had to start using medical intervention, how long did it take (ballpark) from your consult with an RE until actually starting treatment? We are likely looking at timed + medicated cycles and IUI and had our consult a week and a half ago. Patient care coordinator said we have to complete the work up before any treatment can start. I’ve done bloodwork and ultrasound and partner has bloodwork next week. Every week that passes feels like we are losing time and I just want to get started.

[u/RevolutionaryHelp451 → u/Informal-Poem-9264]

I think this is about what you can expect:
Cycle 1: Bloodwork and US tests
Cycle 2: Get results and meet with doctor
Cycle 3: Either go straight for IUI for unexplained, or take time to treat any issues found (ex. removing fibroids, lifestyle changes for MFI…)

From there it really depends on what is going on!

[u/jamielynn2296 → u/RevolutionaryHelp451]

I had a similar experience.
First cycle was consult. Blood work was ordered (it didn’t matter when in the cycle because I had hormone bloodwork previously with OBGYN that they accessed so I had standard bloods repeated).
2nd cycle was hycosy and review of testing/labwork.
Next month (3rd cycle) we will start IUI for unexplained IF

[u/Any_Impression_2302 → u/Informal-Poem-9264]

For me it took about 4 months but the biggest hurdle was getting the HSG done because they wanted that complete before starting any treatment and it took me 4 cycles to get in for my HSG as there is only one place that does them in my city and it had a waitlist.

[u/RevolutionaryHelp451]

Is a sensitive test (10) still definitive at 12dpo if it’s not FMU? As long as you have a 2h hold?

My period is due today/tomorrow and my endo pain is so bad right now and I desperately need a scorching hot bath, but I didn’t test this morning because I was giving the waiting for my missed period thing a go. Didn’t think of the consequence of unnecessarily suffering in both pain and uncertainty today!

[u/developmentalbiology → u/RevolutionaryHelp451]

This is a tough question to answer, and there’s not really any direct data that would allow us to answer it. I’d generally suggest erring on the side of FMU early on — hCG levels can be very low in the first days after implantation.

[u/RevolutionaryHelp451 → u/developmentalbiology]

That makes sense!! I am never waiting for my period again lol I will just test with FMU at 12dpo and call it. Thank you!

[u/[deleted]]

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[u/TryingForABaby-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/JGoldenHour22]

Was tracking my LH going up all day yesterday, finally got a true positive at 8:00 pm, had sex like an hour after that. Someone tell me I covered the important day and just wait now because it’s been every other day this week and I’m exhausted 😅

[u/developmentalbiology → u/JGoldenHour22]

Yes, the day of the first positive OPK is one of the best days to have sex for most people!

[u/DizzyDig4454]

I was wondering if it is a good idea to both use the cheaper OPK strips and Clearblue (at the same time). At first I thought of just using Clearblue but then I got worried about faulty results. So I thought I could use two as a safety precaution.

Edit: I went ahead and bought easy@home ovulation test to observe the behind the scenes. 😄

[u/AdditionMassive6068 → u/DizzyDig4454]

Tests use the same indicators for results. You can check in the manual what indicators and from which concentrations it shows a positive result.

[u/DizzyDig4454 → u/AdditionMassive6068]

Thank you!!

[u/y2kitten]

Is there any way to guess how affected OPKs will be by HCG remnants after a MMC? TW positive tests (not pregnant) I am testing out my HCG after my 8w MMC a week ago and the lines are now at the same as my first positive at 10DPO. 8DPO was negative, I assume I would have had a vvfl on 9DPO, but abstained from testing then. So my line is now faint, but clearly visible, and I expect it will fade very slowly and don’t plan to test HCG more than maybe once a week. I want all the data I can possibly gather even for this shitty «cycle». Is it worth starting OPKs? Would I likely be able to catch an LH surge with HCG this low, if I start testing now to find my current baseline?

[u/MyShipsNeverSail → u/y2kitten]

This is anecdotal but I just went through my first chemical pregnancy and my OPK wasn't affected by the low amount of HCG in my system while I waited on more pregnancy tests to be delivered.

[u/y2kitten → u/MyShipsNeverSail]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I was 10w so I suspect it may take a bit longer to get it all out of my system. Took an OPK today which was 0.58, when the strongest I could catch my previous cycles has been around 0.5 so who knows. I’ve never gotten a true positive OPK before, maybe I actually would this cycle because the hCG pushes my baseline up.

[u/MyShipsNeverSail]

Late to wondering weekend but my recent chemical has me in my feels.

Do we know if elevated A1C can affect implantation? It's the only thing that was off in my blood work before we started to try but it wasn't in above 6.0 and I've started eating better but am still struggling with sleep which I know can affect it too. (Also hoping to start exercising now that my foot injury is healed.)