Possible Good News, Yet Losing Some Hope

I got my TSH re-test/additional test results back last Friday. My TSH was a 1.530!!! Here are my other results:

T4: 11.4 (normal levels are 4.5 - 12.)
Antithyrodlobulin Ab was < 20 (normal levels are 0-40)
Thyroglobulin: 7.7 (normal levels are 0.5 - 55)

My question is this - if my TSH level came down that much after just being on the medication for two weeks, does that mean that I'm now in danger of having HYPERthyrodisim? LOL. If it's not one thing, it's something else. While I'm trying to stay as positive as I can about being able to start the IVF process, considering all of the obstacles I've faced so far, until that day actually comes, it will be hard to believe that I made it there.

Regarding acupuncture, as much as I have truly enjoyed my past two appointments (last Tuesday's appointment was simply heavenly), I think I'm going to postpone any more until after my IVF cycle if it results in a BFN. $95/session is too expensive for us right now and the impression I'm getting from my acupuncturist is that he can help me more if he does acu for me in conjunction w/ herbs (which I won't be able to do while stimming). So, I plan on taking a good three month break IF my IVF cycle doesn't work. During that time, I will go whole hog w/ the acu and herbs and see if I can get a natural BFP while my body is not all whacked out on meds and artificial manipulation.

As for how I'm feeling as I'm gearing up for yet another baseline appointment on Saturday, I'm starting to lose a bit of hope. I'm not really feeling confident that I actually will be able to cycle again. My cycles typically are about 23 days. These birth control pills (BCPs) have artificially put my body on a 28 day cycle and I have a feeling that my body wants to stick to the shorter cycle (I've been experiencing cramps during times that I shouldn't be experiencing them and I feel like I was having PMS symptoms last week meaning that I should get AF this week (but can't because of the BCPs); therefore, my body won't respond to the stims the way that other ladies who experience regular cycles do. Considering I have been on BCPs for two cycles, I also have a nagging feeling that I will be too repressed or I may have even developed cysts. At this point, I really have absolutely no confidence in my RE at all. Why does Shady Grove put everyone on 21 days of birth control pills prior to their assigned protocols? If my cycles are shorter than other women's cycles and my follies probably start to develop even before I get AF, wouldn't being on 21 days of BCPs confuse my body even more? I'll be especially upset if I can't proceed with this next cycle because he didn't do anything to address my high TSH level prior to when I was supposed to start last cycle. I didn't have any cysts and my other blood levels were good to go, so last cycle could have been my successful one. I really have a feeling that my RE has no clue as to what he's doing. Maybe I'm mistaken and judging unfairly, but he has given me no indication that he knows what he's doing. A phone call to alleviate any of my fears and misguided assumptions would be greatly welcomed, but we all know that won't happen since when has my Shady Grove office ever taken the iniative to show that they care or know what they're doing?

Goodbye Dear Sammy

We will miss you forever. We couldn't have asked for a better cat. You were caring, loving, gentle, generous with (and very skilled at retrieving) gifts, comforting, funny, a skilled hunter, and oh-so-wise, thoughtful, and contemplative. Every time I watch Animal Planet, I will think of you and your intense fascination with that and other nature television shows. I will never forget how much you enjoyed being pampered ("brush brush," in particular) and getting in the shower, even while the water was running! Are you sure you really were a cat?

We know that you are enjoying your reunion with your brother and best friend, Lil' Fella, and we also know how much fun you are having with the birdies, squirrels, and vast wildlife up in heaven. Say hello to your other siblings Nugget, Sheba, Uh-Oh, and Bi-Bi for us and the many friends that are there with you, too. We will eagerly wait for the day where we can be re-united with you again. Until that day comes, please know how much you are and will always be loved.

First Acupuncture Appointment

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with my first acupuncture consultation and treatment. I was a bit skeptical as to how sticking a bunch of small needles in our bodies can have any type of positive effect on our bodies, but considering it probably can't hurt, I wanted to give it a try to see if it could help.

I went to Tulsi Holistic Living in Washington, DC and met with Dawit Assefa. I wanted to have a consult with Dawit because his profile on the Tulsi webpage stated that he has advanced knowledge and experience in treating infertility. I must say that I was impressed with Dawit's knowledge of the ins and outs of this infertility stuff. He knew all about high FSH and its role in creating havoc on a woman's reproductive system. I was also comforted by Dawit's quiet confidence in my ability to get pregnant. Since I am getting ready for an IVF cycle, Dawit recommended that I see him once a week until egg retrieval (and then probably some additional ones around egg retrieval and transfer time). He said that he would not prescribe any herbs for me while I was going through an IVF cycle, but if this cycle were to be unsuccessful and I wanted to try going a natural route in order to get a break from the stims, he would have some suggestions for me at that time. I got the feeling that Dawit really believed that I would have a greater chance in getting pregnant naturally with a combination of acupuncture, herbs, and some dietary modifications. However, he did not try to influence my treatment decisions one way or the other. I liked his no pressure approach and really liked his positivity as to my situation!

As for the acupuncture session itself -- It was nice and relaxing. I barely felt the needles; in fact, I thought he was just pricking me with them to prepare me for actually inserting them, when he really was inserting them at that time. After he inserted the needles, he put a relaxing eye mask over my eyes, led me through a guided meditation to relax, and left the room to let the needles do their work. Since this was my first acupuncture appointment, I didn't realize how long you just laid there, but it was relaxing. I really didn't feel any type of other sensations that acupuncture might evoke, but I was just happy to feel relaxed. Time will tell if this is working and creating a better atmosphere in my body, but in the meantime, I will have faith in it and enjoy its relaxation benefits!

Looking Ahead

I received my game plan for my next cycle. I am supposed to start taking my BCPs again on Saturday, the Fourth of July, for another 21 days. I will return to SG on July 23rd, two days before my scheduled Lupron / baseline appointment. If the TSH level is at it should be on the 23rd, I should be ready to go on the 25th and then start stims on the 28th. I won't list my specific stim protocol until I reach that point because I don't want to get ahead of myself. It's my understanding that it can take up to six weeks for the thyroid medication to be reflected in my system. Let's hope my body is an over-achiever this time and gets everything regulated in four weeks!

Also, so I can stay more in the loop with specific test results, I asked my nurse to send a copy of the results to me. Here are my levels from my first Lupron / baseline appointment:

Estradiol: 34.3 (Normal Follicular Range: 25 - 200 pg/ml)
Progesterone: < 0.20 (Normal Follicular Range: 0.1 - 1.5 ng/ml)
Beta: < 1.00 (Obviously)
TSH: 3.19 (Should be < 2.5)

IVF # 1 - Cancelled Due to High TSH

That's right - cancelled not because of high FSH, but TSH!

I saw my wonderful PCP (Dr. Ian Shantz) on Tuesday and expressed my concerns about my TSH level that could be impacting my fertility. (If you remember, my levels have ranged from a 3.4 to a 4.3 and my RE was "keeping an eye on my levels"). So, he ordered a TSH test in conjunction with some other routine bloodwork I ended up getting drawn on Thursday. When I got home from work yesterday (Friday), I received a voice-mail message from Dr. Shantz's associate, Dr. Freas. I was surprised that someone, especially a doctor, had gotten back to me so quickly. Dr. Freas informed me that all of my bloodwork came back fine -- except for the TSH, which shows that I could have an underactive thyroid gland (a/k/a hypothryoidism) and which could have a great role in my infertility problems. I didn't know what the level was and it was too late to call him back, so I pondered whether or not I should bring this concern up with my nurse during today's "Lupron Evaluation" / IVF baseline appointment. After consulting with my wonderful Fertile Thoughts forum ladies, I reluctantly decided to let her know since the general consensus was if my TSH level was too high, it could impact my IVF cycle. And why go into an expensive IVF treatment if my chance for success wasn't as optimal as possible? Yes, it would really stink to have to wait for yet ANOTHER cycle, but what's another month of waiting in the broad scheme of things if it means that I will have a greater chance for that cherished BFP?

So, I went to today's appointment not feeling very optimistic. Here I thought all I had to worry about were cysts and if I had any antral follies, not hormone levels already! While I was getting my blood drawn (they just test for pregnancy, progesterone (p4) and estradiol (e2) during the "Lupron Evaluation"), I mentioned my most recent TSH test. The nurse told me that Shady Grove just changed their TSH IVF cut-off from a 3.9 to a 2.5! That means that I could NEVER have been able to cycle if my levels varied from a 3.4 to a 4.3 in the past! So why didn't they do anything to address my levels back in the beginning of the year? And they would have let me cycle this time because testing for TSH is not part of their standard protocol. Someone dropped the ball. Anyway - since I didn't yet have Thursday's TSH result, my nurse said that they would check my TSH level today, too.

While I was waiting for a call-back from Shady Grove, I contacted Dr. Freas, who turned out to be incredibly informative, supportive, and kind. He told me that my level was either 4.8 or 4.9, which was way too high. He told me of a story of a patient he had who had who was trying to get pregnant and had a level similar to mine. Soon after she started her thyroid medication, her levels stabilized and she got pregnant immediately. He offered to call a prescription of Levoxyl into my pharmacy in case I would be allowed to start my IVF cycle in conjunction with the thryoid medication. However, he did advise that it would probably be best to hold off on cycling until my levels came down to ensure the best possible response to my IVF, not to mention that a high TSH level could cause ovulatory problems, problems w/ implantation, and problems with the development of the baby. He also told me that he was going to go ahead and see if the lab could do a full thyroid work-up with my blood from Thursday (hooray if I don't have to get poked again!) to get a more complete picture of what could be going on to affect my fertility. I can't tell you how much I appreciated Dr. Freas' call and his proactive approach in helping me.

Back to my Shady Grove results -- Lo and behold, they were too high -- 3.19. [Sidenotes of Interest: 1) This is actually the lowest reading I have had so far (and BCPs typically cause levels to be higher) and 2) This reading differs by 1.61 from Thursday's bloodwork! Hmmm.] The doctors told me that I should not proceed with this IVF cycle in order to get my TSH levels under control. I informed the nurse who called me back that my PCP had already sent a prescription for me to take 75 mcg/daily of Levoxyl. She relayed the information to the RE on call who said that was a good plan and that I was to follow-up with my nurse on Monday in order to see what's next. In the meantime, I should discontinue my BCP and baby aspirin.

So, while I am disappointed that I can't join the "varsity" ART league, I feel at peace with waiting until I know that I will be at my best for my IVF cycle.

Mock Embryo Transfer and Injection Class

I had my sono (saline?) hysterogram and mock transfer done yesterday. I didn't know that they were going to do the hysterogram - I just thought it would be the mock transfer. I had a bit of cramping, but it wasn't too bad. The RE who performed the procedure told me that everything looked good.

Then we went to the injection class. It was pretty helpful. I don't think the injections should be too bad, either. Well, other than the IM one, but I think that we will see if we can get a nurse to administer that shot on trigger night.

I have two more days left of the birth control pills. I then go back to the RE's office on Saturday (June 27th) for my baseline appointment. I expect to start my stims on Tuesday, June 30th.

Gearing up for IVF # 1!

Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands to check on the insurance status. Good thing I did b/c they hadn't even opened a case number on me yet b/c apparently they didn't have my doctor in the system! And some paperwork fell through the cracks, too! I asked them if they had the clinic's name in the system and lo and behold they found it! Ugh! However, the good news is is that I spoke w/ a wonderful case manager who told me that it would be approved as long as my insurance policy had some rider in it. She went ahead and looked up my informatoin to see if I had the rider and I do, so basically I'm approved!!! Something interesting to note was that they don't even go by that two year wait period anymore! If our policy has the rider for the 3 IVFs, they will approve it! So I could have started w/ IVF a while ago! Hindsight is 20/20.

I will be on the Ganirelix Acetate Protocol. I'm happy that they're going to start me on that. My research shows that this is an Antagonist Protocol that is used for poor responders. I started BCPs on Saturday and will take those (and baby aspirin) for 21 days. I will return to the RE's office on June 27th for a baseline appointment (ultraound, E2, P4 and the required Beta) and then start stims on June 30th. I will have my specific protocol information at that time. If all looks good during my baseline appointment, my tentative ER date will be July 12th! I'm so excited to start this IVF cycle b/c I'd really like to see how my body stims. I'm hoping and praying for 3-6 mature eggs! I know that if we can get that many for me, I will have a good chance of getting pregnant with my own eggs!