From my most recent conversation with FS:

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"...so just call me when you want to do another cycle. Although you'll probably go off to Singapore and call me saying you got pregnant all by yourself and don't need another cycle!"

"Really?"

"No. I'll see you next year." O...kay. "Til then, have a good Christmas and just forget about it."

Right.
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Today is cycle day one. Or "CD1" as we in the biz like to call it. And guess what I didn't have during this luteal phase? Anyone? (Clue - look at the labels down the bottom. Hint - I did have the lap/hyst/dye, and I'm still on break).

Also - I appeared to ovulate around CD13. I have done that exactly once before, that I know of. I'm a 16-19 day gal. This year, it's been anything in the twenties, and only then with help from our friends the injectables, except for that last cycle where I started injecting on day 8 (or was it 9?) and ended up ovulating on day 17. So - unaided, day 13. I wasn't expecting that.

Now I know what you're thinking. Did I really ovulate that early, or did I have a strange and stunted luteal phase? And I'd be thinking the same thing, except... on CD12 of the cycle in question I suddenly thought, "Fuck! I think I'm ovulating!" and I marked the day down on my little fertility friend chart, and predicted that today... that's right, today... would be CD1. Which it is. So.

Now, I did have a little spotting on the day after the lap/hyst/dye, so it hasn't been completely spot-free, but I'm ignoring that because hell, if you can't spot for 24 hours after a lap/hyst/dye when can you spot?

So.

So...

Several theories come to mind.

1. It's a coincidence. See what happens next cycle and this time, buy a bloody OPK to give yourself some credibility.

2. The physical handling of your uterus during transfer is causing the spotting. Well, it was pretty firmly handled during the lap, so why didn't I spot like crazy because of that? The dye cleaned things out? Maybe? And what about that first cycle - you only got a little spotting and that was at about the time your period was due? Lots of holes in this argument, I'm afraid. At any rate - no transfer, no pregnancy so even if this is the reason, there's no solution.

3. The luteal phase hormones he's given you are causing the spotting. But the spotting wasn't worse with higher doses of hormones. And those hormones are supposed to prevent spotting, so this would be a really perverse thing for your body to do. If this is the case, over the next few (rest) cycles you should get a normal luteal phase length with no spotting. Easily tested. And then I guess we can discuss completely natural cycles, and see what happens.

4. That durrned embryo is causing the spotting. The amount of spotting seems to have been more or less inversely proportional to your hCG reading on beta day. You spotted the most with the BFN, and the least with the first cycle, which produced the highest beta. Although, to be honest, there were less spotting days with the BFN than with the next cycle, even though the spotting was heavier, and... I just think you're being dodgy, that's all. At any rate, what are you going to do about it? Monitor, OPK, record, gather more data, try to achieve some statistical significance.

5. The mental stress of cycling was causing the spotting. Relax and it will happen! (Hahaha - gotcha.) Alternatively - it's the power of springtime! Lucky I'm moving somewhere equatorial then, isn't it?

In any case, what I have to do seems pretty clear. OPK, record, monitor. See what happens. Mull. Draw shaky conclusions.

And he told me to forget about it!


8 Comments

Bea said...

In the spirit of following up on a post - I actually do agree my Grandma is a sweetie. Tactless - well, that's one word. "Straightforward" is better suited. Somehow she gets away with being upfront. It's a fine line, something about body language or tone of voice.

But how adaptable! From anti-IVF to IVF Patient Supporter in sixty seconds - and done with such grace. "I know a couple who..." "You should relax more..." "It could be worse..." "Why don't you just adopt?" and any number of awkward and irritating comments were not made by my Grandmother, who managed to be neither awkward nor irritating, and under fairly pressing circumstances.

One day I wanna be that wise.

Bea

Serenity said...

HA! As if it's possible to just "forget about it."

I am not sure why either, but the month of my hysteroscopy I ovulated on CD 15 - a full WEEK earlier than I normally do. Best explanation I could come up with was that my ovaries were self-conscious from having their pictures taken. And they wanted to look like they knew what they were doing. :)

ColourYourWorld said...

Aah forged aboud id ! - ( Said in my Mickey Blue Eyes accent)
Who is he kidding !

This is a short cycle for me too which is unusual also, I am a 16-18 day girl. This cycle is CD12 I thought it was because it was straight off a medicated cycle but then had a look at my natural IUI cycle and I O'd on CD 19. The only thing that was different was the LP support, so may be it has something to do with the progesterone from last cycle.

Sorry not sure if it helps with answers, just trying make sense of it all.

Carly said...

Ovulation??
What's that??
LOL

Seriously, what an uncomfortable conversation with the FS!!
Forget about it... HA!!

I truly hate those stupid "forget about it" & "relax more" attempts at advice.

Anonymous said...

I get my opk's off ebay, wayy cheaper than the shops!

Now go rest and forget about it, k?

StellaNova said...

Forget about it? Yeah, right. Easy.

After all of my surgeries, I have ovulated later (around day 14/15) - I am usually a day 11/12 girl.

So ... go figure?

It's never an exact science. I just wish there were some things we could predict ... sometimes ...

Lut C. said...

How loudly did you laugh at FS's suggestion?

Straightforward, adaptable and wise, those are excellent qualities. :-)

If you like theories, some scientists have been investigating a theory that some women's chances of conceiving increases after surgery. Even if the surgery doesn't change or remove anything. They think the trauma causes some kind of response that improves conditions in the womb. Probably, this only applies to certain women, only they don't know which ones yet.

Unknown said...

When will these people learn that we don't forget about ANYTHING? We have become professionals at the charting, thinking, worrying, stressing, and swallowing frustrations on a daily basis. Oh to be young and fertile and naive and forgetfull~

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