Birth Control & Belly Bruising

**disclaimer: I like to be open & honest on my blog. It's like a diary sometimes. It's not meant to offend. But be prepared for sometimes colorful language, information you may find gross, and graphic photos as that relate to infertility/reproduction** 

For your typical IVF cycle, there is like a "pre-cycle" leading up to it. Our RE described it as like a system reset. Or like rebooting your computer?! Basically you take birth control pills to shut down the typical reproductive cycle. Everything is kinda in limbo until you finish them and start the stimulation meds.

Unfortunately for me, BCP has ALWAYS made me terribly sick. Just overwhelming nausea, headaches, and it's a migraine trigger. I started out taking them at night, only to realize that was not going to help with my new Midnight work schedule. So I slowly worked them back to AM doses. I'm making it through work now, but 4pm like clock work, I awake from a dead sleep with the urgent need to puke, which I never do! I'm counting down to that last dose!!

Another unfortunate fact, I have a blood clotting disorder, Factor V Leiden, so as a precaution I have to take a blood thinner when on hormones like BCP which can increase clot risks. I'm doing Heparin 2x a day as I did in a past cycle. This should have been pretty simple. I've done them before, it's a simple process, thin med, tiny insulin syringe. Easy peasy!! Only this time I opted for a local pharmacy who had pre-filled syringes. Sounds easier right?! WRONG!! I left with a "Carpuject System" which I'm assuming was created by Satan himself! It didn't even include needles! I had to go back to the pharmacy and BUY them. Basically you add extra steps because you have to load the cartridge into the adapter & then attach your needles. This thing is bulky and the plunger is flimsy! It makes injecting super awkward!! & that first injection? Holy Shit ya'll!! The direction stated it's supposed to have an air bubble, not to tap it out! Well, I felt every bit of that "bubble" go into my stomach! & the bruising! Oh my gosh! I got bruises last time, I mean it's expected when you're actively thinning your blood. But on dose #1?! And it was huge, and black, and UGLY! 

I did have a stroke of brilliance after about 2 weeks, when I was just wishing I had some insulin syringes to draw this mess out and forget the Carpuject! I remembered a good friend and fellow "Cyster" who had sent me some leftover supplies from her last IVF, which included a bag on unused syringes for her PIO! I'm currently drawing out my heparin, swapping to my smaller needles, and my injections are back to nearly painless (it aches a bit after) and minimal bruising much more like I expected! When it's time for refills (soon!) I'll be requesting vials and syringes!! Not pre-filled cartridges! 

I also had a second fluid ultrasound of my uterus as a pre-requisit, since my last one was well over a year ago. Basically they fill the uterus with fluid so it can be seen on ultrasound & check for abnormalities. I'm very glad we did since a polyp was discovered! Having it there can cut our success rate by as much as 20%. Polyps are just masses of tissue. A lot of the time leftover from past menstrual cycles. Non-cancerous. But can prevent implantation of embryos. Luckily we can get it removed and it shouldn't effect our IVF schedule. Scheduled that for Jan 6th! Small surgical procedure, takes like 15mins. No real incisions, they'll go in vaginally & I'll be under anesthesia. More updates on that later!!

Quick Catch Up!

I've been intending to brush the dust off of our Infertility Blog for awhile now, seems it's now or never! HA!

If you don't know us personally, you've missed a lot! I'm so sorry for abandoning ship! Let's play catch up before we get to the BIG news!

March 22nd 2015 something amazing happened. Most of you who know us personally, already know that, despite completely forgetting that I had pre-registered us for another IVF seminar at our fertility clinic, (Sher Institute of Reproductive Medicine STL) we loaded up in the car, late, and made the 3 hours drive! It's so surreal! My husband, who never remembers these types of things, just woke up that Sunday morning like "um,We're supposed to be in STL today" and man was he RIGHT! See, they do these seminars from time to time at their various clinics, and they're very informative. I registered for this one because I had seen they would be talking some about NKC's, autoimmune issues, and intralipids! The first time slot had actually filled up and they had opted to open up a second sitting and then a third. We definitely were not going to make it to our original slot! By another miracle, I was able to get in touch with out Care Coordinator, despite her being busy setting things up, and get us switched to a later time slot! Each couple that attends receives a packet of information and one ticket to write their names on for a drawing.

On March 22nd 2015 our ticket drawn as the winner of a **FREE** IVF cycle!!! This is a blessing that we could never have imagined receiving. Something woke my husband up, Something told him that we had to be at that seminar! Something convinced me that we should make that drive even though it wasn't our first seminar and might not have much new information. We feel like God wanted us there in those seats. There in that moment, where he made a miracle happen. 

We are responsible for outside costs such as medications, per-requisite testing and procedures, but the IVF itself is provided! We dusted off the GoFundMe, did a few fundraisers. We have been blessed with amazing friends and family who are eager to help us. We were able to follow through on the t-shirt suggestion and I'm still in love with our design! 

 

So, now for the BIG news.... IVF is happening NOW! January 2016! More to come in subsequent posts!!

It really happened, it wasn't just a dream! You can view the video here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152640189131761

Marching Ahead...

I was able to get the fluid ultrasound last week and I'm super excited to announce that my uterus is just as beautiful as ever (seriously my tech at FAM always says that)

 

 No adhesions, polyps, or endo seen. Everything looked great.

Dr. Dayal also saw what she at first thought was a cyst, but was actually a 15mm follicle on my right ovary. It was CD10 of another 7.5mg femara cycle! We have decided not to TTC until we can treat the NK cells, so we were not going to get monitoring or anything for this cycle, but the sneak peek was exciting to see. Im happy my body is still responding well to the meds. She talked with us briefly about NK cells and their success in treating them. She also agreed to let us do our 3rd IUI there with them and the IV Intralipids. This is our last shot before moving on to IVF, but we're happy to be getting it. She said that timing is a bit harder with intralids and IUI but that we could make it work. We will being going back to injections and getting the monitoring locally (sort of, my OB is still 1 hour away) and then we will need to come in several days prior to O/IUI for the intralipid IV. Whatever it takes! We're crossing our fingers that this was our missing piece!

We also will be going to SIRM in STL on Sunday for a seminar on IVF vs. IUI. They will talk about when each one is the best option and the odds and such of each working. Lots of time for questions and Dr. Dayal said she would be talking a bit on NK cells. So we're excited to get to learn more. Oh and they give away a free IVF at all seminars!! How awesome would that be?! Maybe luck will be on our side 

 We could use some baby dust!

Snapshots of our lives...

Just wanted to share some pictures from the last year or so :)

Dead End?!

2-6-2014
I've not said much because honestly, there isn't much to say... we're at a dead end it seems and are not sure what our next move is.

Apparently my current RE (Dr. Kutteh in Memphis) "doesn't believe in" NK cells as an issue in getting or staying pregnant. He doesn't test for it or treat it. His nurse called after we faxed in our results and said they had been reviewed and Dr. Kutteh wanted to continue with our cycle as planned. I was a bit shocked since to me, that was not an option! Proceed as planned when my NK levels are elevated and we've been told that means it attacks/kills embryos!!? She said she would talk to the doctor again and call me back. Less than 5 minutes later he called me personally but was very hateful, as if it was a waste of his time to even be talking to me about such nonsense and then proceeded to make my last cycle and all of my other ones sound like complete shit. He said THAT is why we are not pregnant, it has nothing to do with NK cells. He also mentioned my BMI still being above 30 and that more weight loss could help.... When at my LAST sit down appointment he bragged super HARD on my weight loss and wanted to try the 7.5mg femara instead of injections BECAUSE it was such a good loss!! My last cycle wasn't good?! We had 3 follicles on oral meds and in my voice-mail about my P4 the nurse said "your progesterone is 15.7 which is fantastic!!" I have it saved!! He even made it sound as though my injection cycle was not ideal response wise... if it was so shitty... why didnt they say "hey your response is shit! and cancel my IUI?!?! I was told we had 2 Good follicles around 18-21 and a possible around 15/16 at trigger! (i forgot the exact measurement) I think that was a very good response! 

We are very confused at this point in time and not sure what our plans are. Except that we will not be back to our current RE. Ive always liked them, so this actually kind of hurt! We will see Dr. Dayal for my Fluid ultrasound on the 13th. And we will talk to her more about the results and what we can do outside of IVF. But my understanding is that SIRM only does IVF cycles.

Update: 2-10-2014
This morning Dr. Kutteh called me singing a very different tune. He still does not believe in NK cells as an issue in pregnancy and miscarriage/implantation failure. But he wanted to review my results again and was very polite and friendly. He said that another patient had gotten some sketchy NK test results for free and now the lab was wanting $1800 for further tests. I told him that wasn't the case for us, but I do appreciate that he thought of us and wanted to be sure we were not in the same boat. He talked to me in a much friendlier tone about why he feels the way he does about NK cells and honestly, he has some valid points. He says that the research is all very new and controversial at this point. There are studies supporting both sides, but he is not convinced. He says in tests on women who have had a miscarriage it is true that results often show elevated NK cells, but that it can not be proven what came first. Are the levels elevated because of the lost pregnancy and the body responding. Or did the body attack and cause the miscarriage because of the elevated numbers. He also says that you can not differentiate between overall NK blood cells in the blood and those within the uterus. He feels that we have made a lot of progress and are on the right track, he doesn't want us to waste time chasing after this. He also said that if we wanted a second opinion he would be glad to refer us to someone for one.

Im not sure who or what we believe. We feel like Dr. Kutteh has made some valid points and I do appreciate that he took the time to call me this morning and was much more clear and polite. Im not sure If that is enough to make me want to continue cycles with him after the conversation on Thursday.

We do plan to talk with Dr. Dayal and get her thoughts, treatment options, information etc from someone who DOES believe in NK cells. We want her side of the story and what research supports this. I know our own personal research showed a lot of women with recurrent losses in the past having a successful pregnancy after treating the NK cells with intralipd infusions or steroids.

We have made the decision to go ahead and start femara this month, better late than never? It is CD7... not sure how this will work out, but it can't hurt! And we will see Dr Dayal for her side of things prior to ovulation. If we are convinced this is an issue for us, we can skip BD and just let the cycle work itself out with no chance of pregnancy. If we are not convinced, we will do TI at home. 

Sigh of relief...

Exhale!

Our appointment today with Dr. Dayal at SIRM St. Louis went very well. Her and her staff were super friendly and we got all the information that we had came for despite a big oopsie with our records not being sent over from FAM in time. She was very positive and although she seems to lean towards IVF (because as we all know, it is better odds) she did not seem to feel like IUI was hopeless for us and mentioned the old standby of 3 IUI before moving on. So it is very likely that if the Femara works, we will give it one more go. She talked with us about her opinion that based on my regular AFs, I likely have more weak natural O's than I think and that my LH just isn't high enough or the surge is too short. This is a good thing and she feels that we will likely need less stimming. She mentioned Micro-IVF on her own and that we may be candidates for it if my AMH comes back good like she suspects (PCOS+ under 30yrs old). She wanted to get a repeat SA and the Hubby went ahead and did that today. She also mentioned that although we have no autoimmune history, she would like to test me for Natural Killer Cells that could be preventing implantation. She said that with the occasional natural O and our lengthy med cycle history, it just feel like maybe something else is going on. She also wants a SHG to be sure that sonething isn't a polyp or other issue in the uterus. We got the NKC lab work today. We will be scheduling the SHG for next cycle along with the AMH & basic labs. Overall we're really happy with the appointment and the information we received, including pricing for conventional and MicroIVF.  We would feel 100% comfortable at SIRM when we get ready for IVF and are anxious to get our labs and test results to see if IVF is the next step. 

With this new information, we decided for certain to forgo any IUI until we know my results from the SHG and NKC tests. No use in wasting money when these things could cause it to fail. However, once those results are back, we will do atleast one more IUI with our current RE (if the femara works) We plan to get an u/s when we get a +OPK and then a p4 to judge my response & continue the femara and TI in the mean time.

We're torn on how we feel about the results to the NKC test and the SHG, bcus clearly we hate to have more issues, but at the same time, natural killer cells or a polyp preventing implantation, would give us something to blame for the ovulation cycles not resulting in pregnancy. & both are treatable!! If everything is clear and no NKC, we're still sitting here scratching our heads wondering why with 3 good follies and 27mil sperm in an IUI, we had NO baby. 

Does that make sense to anyone besides us?!?

Here Goes Nothing!

Welp, nothing really funny, insightful, or witty to say tonight. Just an update.

Tomorrow is the free consult with SIRM St. Louis we received as a consolation in the I Believe Contest. We're excited to get a fresh perspective from Dr. Dayal, although we have no issues with our current RE. He and his staff have been amazing. It's just going to be interesting to see if her thoughts are different and what she recommends.  We are very interested on her opinion of IUI as a treatment plan for us and if she feels another could be successful. We are hoping to get more information on Micro-IVF and IVF in general as well. We would love to hear that IUI could work since It is far more affordable than IVF, but when push comes to shove, If it is unlikely to work, and IVF costs upwards of $15,000... it's best not to knowingly waste money. Or atleast that is how we feel about it.

So fingers crossed for good news and new insights. I'm nervous and anxious as usual! Dreading this drive for sure!!

Side note, I think for this current 7.5mg femara cycle, we have decided to use it as a test cycle and just see how it works itself out. We will do the OPK's and I've been temping. Go in to my OB with a + for a follicle scan, but forgo the IUI and then get the p4 labs following O, if there is one.  We want to see how my body responds to the femara, since in the past it was never enough. But we are hopeful that with the most recent weight loss and a few natural O's, that I will respond better!! And if it I do and we are reassured of the odds, we will plan to do a 7.5mg femara cycle with IUI next round

New Year, New Plan...

We had our first appointment with our current RE in over a year yesterday. It went pretty well. I forgot to ask some things, but I'm pretty happy with how things went.
I had planned to talk about.

• New lab work, since I've lost more weight.
• His opinion on our IUI/Inject cycle
• Is it worth it to try another IUI
• To try Femara  in the mean time, at a higher dose (7.5mg ideally)
• Prices on IVF and financing options.

What happened?

• He went over just about anything and everything we have done. My past Femara cycles and p4's 
• My weight loss since he first started seeing me and bragged a lot on me. That part was nice because I'm actually up about 8lbs since the Holidays and was feeling pretty shitty about it.
• My husbands SA results and the post-wash numbers from our two IUI's. He seemed pleased with the improvements in the last numbers and explained more about what they like to see in post-wash samples. 
• He said that since I've reported a few spontaneous natural ovulations he would like to try Femara again but maybe 3 pills instead of 2 (that would be 7.5mg!!)
• He would plan for us to do an IUI but we would do OPKs at home and one ultrasound locally with our OB when we got a positive. Then trigger and come in for the IUI. He will also get orders for a p4 at our OB following the IUI.

He was so positive and encouraging that I just couldn't bring the mood down by asking about IVF. We will save that for a later date. Me and my husband have discussed things and we think that we will cancel the IUI for this month and just let the 7.5mg Femara play out to see how it works. If we see good results, then in February's cycle, we may give the IUI one more go!! We are curious to get a follicle scan and just see what is going on in there with just the femara since we were never monitored on it previously. So we're up in the air as to if we will cancel the IUI before or after we get a sneak peek!! Also undecided on if we will take the Ovidrel Trigger when we get the +OPK or just see if my body goes on its own. I will update when we know!!

Last night was CD4 so we started and Im excited to see where this goes!! Just happy to be doing something :)

Crying Over Spilled Milk...

...or fingernail clippers! Yup, you read that right, crying over fingernail clippers. That was me Saturday afternoon. I promise I can explain!

It's one of those, the last straw kind of stories. It wasn't really the fact that I just spent 30 minutes hunting all over my house for fingernail clippers, only for my husband to find them in the very first place I looked (btw this is when the tears started pouring). It wasn't even really the fact that my house is a mess and I'm so frustrated with never being able to find anything and trying to get it organized amidst Holiday chaos.

It had a little to do with hormones and a lot to do with Aunt Flow. So, as we've discussed, she is pretty regular for me. Even annovulatory cycles for me end with a lining shed/breakthrough bleed. Whatever you want to call it. And until I was TTC, I never knew it wasn't the real deal. So every 28-30 days, wanted or not, AF shows up... until this month. Day 30...31...32 I barely even noticed, I mean im not on any meds. Im still on "break" technically and still not tracking temps. We didn't try to time anything plus with the male factor issues, would it matter?? But then 34?!? I was confused. Could I be? No!! ...35! Should we test?! Is something wrong? We decided to wait one more day and then If no murder scene, hubby would go get us a test!!

This brings us back to Saturday morning. Woke up. No pool of blood... still no cramps... none of my usual symptoms, just like all week! That little bit of excitement kicks in! My heart was racing. I woke up Tom and sent him off to the store. I know his hopes were up to since he got up willingly and was heading out the door in no time. Got my trusty test cup (my TTC ladies likely have one too!) And as I was finishing up, there it was. That little tint of pink. And my heart sank. It's like a punch in the gut really. All the breath is just knocked out of you. And ofcourse then i'm kicking myself for even being hopeful to begin with. Why do I do this?? I texted the hubby and told him nvm, come back home. And I put on my brave face. He just looked soooo sad coming in the house. He is usually the tough one. It just broke my heart.

But we do what we do best, and we just go on about the day and we move on to the next cycle. We eat waffles, we watch TV under our blanket on the couch. He plays his Playstation. I browse Facebook... cute baby picture... status about baby doing something funny... someone is in labor... someone is pregnant!!... funny baby picture... status about baby being cute... someone's officially got a bump!! and so on. I decide to go take a shower. I break a finger nail on the faucet (ouch!). Ofcourse the crooked jagged nail is driving me bonkers. It's freezing. The house is a mess. I can't find the leggings im looking for. Nail is snagging on everything I touch. Grrrrrrr must fix it! So the hunt begins. And we all know how that part of the story ends. With me on the couch in tears, seemingly crying over a damn pair of fingernail clippers!!

Fundraiser

After a lot of thought and inquiries about ways to help us along on our journey, we've decided to create a GoFundMe account to help us raise the money we need to continue treatments. If you are interested in making a donation, please visit our page. Please remember, the price tag may be large, but even the smallest donation gets us one step closer to the goal amount.

We aren't just asking others to pay fro our treatments, we are going to make weekly "donations" of our own to the fund. Starting with $25.

Tick Tock

Eeeeeeeeps!! Today is the day finalists for the "I Believe" contest will be announced! We are on pins and needles and are super anxious to know!! I'm not super confident, we got sooo many votes and a lot of support, but who knows how many any one else had plus the judging factor. I will just be glad to know if we make it to the next panel of judges or not. Who ever wins will be 100% deserving and we may be disappointed, but we will be happy for whoever gets this amazing opportunity to have their prayers of a baby answered. You can't be mad at that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Kq1vURcL8  -- this fits my feelings today so well! LOL


Side note, If we do not win this amazing opportunity, I think I have decided that we will pursue the fundraising thing. If people can do it for their band's big trip, for their boob job, and to pay for their sex change surgery... I can do it to complete my family. We invited a combination of 2,100 people on Facebook last night to an event to rally votes for the final day... me and my husband did some math and If every one of those people gave just $5.00... less than the typical meal out to eat fast food... we could have the $10,000ish for IVF. Plus it is a great way for us to put our own money away in a dedicated fund. We ourselves can "donate" a specified amount each week. We know that not everyone will be interested in donating to us, and that's okay. that is the bonus of donations, it is an option. And we're hopeful that some people will choose to donate. Any amount raised would be a blessing and help us get one step closer to the treatments we need to have a baby.

If we do not win, we have an appointment scheduled with my original RE for January 8th and we will repeat some labs and maybe start oral meds in the meantime just to see how it goes. We will do our 3rd and probably final IUI as soon as we can afford it (roughly $2000.00) If we are not successful, we will likely have no choice but to move forward with IVF.

It's Go Time!!

The I Believe contest voting is now live!! Please follow the link to vote for us and to share this with others if you can!! Me & my husband have been struggling with infertility for 4 years now and have never stopped praying and asking God to help us find the right path in this journey. We've undergone a lot of fertility treatments and recently stumbled upon and entered a video journal contest with a very well known specialist at Sher Institute of Reproductive Medicine. The winner will receive a free round of IVF. This is truly the chance of a lifetime since most insurances do not cover any infertility and the procedures cost thousands out of pocket. We believe that sometimes people are a victim of circumstance and that God answers prayers through doctors and the miracle of medical interventions. I also would like to request prayers for ourselves and the other couples who are going through similar struggles. Infertility is a heartbreak that can not be described. Please pray that all the couples keep strength during the struggle, faith that their blessing is coming & peace during the wait.

http://haveababy.com/ibelieve2013householder/

This is an interesting turn of events...

This is one of those TMI, for my hardcore infertility ladies posts. But any of you are welcome to follow along!! (I'll add a list of common abbreviations at the bottom)

After close to a year on break of no tracking, no temping, no OPKs and no TI ... I think I might be ovulating this month! Its not very often that I get good signs of impending O unless I'm on meds, although I do suspect that once in a while I sporadically ovulate on my own. These O's appear to be weak with low progesterone and a short LP just like my femara alone O's.... but anywho!! Working on my video for the SIRM I Believe Contest has kicked up my baby fever and that urgent feeling to start treatments. So after a day at work with the craziest CM I've ever had, I couldn't resist dragging out my giant bag of OPK's and peeing on one! It looked positive!!!

"don't get excited. you know this happens from time to time and its no better than an O on femara."

That was this past Wednesday night. So, given my track record of the worlds shortest LH surge, we BD just in case it was the real deal, I mean it can't hurt? And I decided to do another OPK Thursday morning. I was shocked to see that it was still positive!!

"still surging?? this is not normal for you!! maybe you are rusty and are just reading them wrong"

Fast forward to Thursday night. Was still having some crazy CM so I peed on another OPK and got yet again two very DARK lines.

"okay, they are defective. You usually ahve a surge so quick that you can miss it while testing twice a day. There is no way you are still detecting a LH surge 24hours after the first"

A little more BD... ya know... just in case!! Then I tested again on Friday morning. STILL POSITIVE! My heart actually sank a little.

"okay. It's a bad batch. They are going to pop positive no matter what. you're not ovulating"

So I did what any logical person would do... I made my husband take an OPK! & Guess what?? He is NOT ovulating!!

"dude!! this could be the most epic natural O ever!! Maybe the most recent weightloss is having an impact?"

I had some cramping and tenderness in the lower tummy/ovary area Friday and Saturday. Got some more BD in, ya know just in case, and am annoyingly bloated today!! Is this some magical miraculous O? Im not sure, and really won't ever know for sure, but its crazy unusual for me and I will take it! Maybe it is a sign that my hormones are trying to straighten out after my weight changes. Maybe its just another crazy sporadic weak O that means nothing. But it's an interesting turn of events!



OPK= ovulation prediction kit
TI = times intercourse
O = ovulation
CM= cervical mucus
LP= Luetal Phase the 2ish weeks after O
LH= Luetenizing Hormone - rises right before O
BD= baby dance (baby making)

I Believe Video Posted

Our submission to the SIRM 2013 contest to win IVF. Voting will be open from November 18th until December 1st at http://haveababy.com/believe-2013-videos/
Please share our video and vote for us if you like it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkuG1LyLK0I&feature=youtu.be

Vitamin D...Are you Deficient?

Yup, no cutesy or creative title for this one. Straight to the point I guess? Or maybe i'm just slacking.

I was reading a friends blog the other day ( http://notcrazyjusthypo.blogspot.com/ ) and one of her readers mentioned Vitamin D issues. That reminded me about my experience with Vitamin D and I want to share the little bit of info I have gathered about it.

Basically, contrary to popular belief, we don't get the majority of our Vitamin D from drinking milk or other foods, we get it from the sun. We adsorb it through our skin. And we, as a society, do not spend alot of time in the sun anymore. So its actually VERY common for Americans to suffer vitamin D deficiencies. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that influences virtually every cell in your body and has been positively linked to health conditions ranging from cancer to heart disease. Including Infertility!!  Some signs of a Vitamin D Deficiency are fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, insomnia, poor immune system, mood swings, and depression.

Vitamin D deficiency is very common in women with PCOS and can greatly increase your risk of infertility. Vitamin D can help to regulate the ratios of hormones in the body including progesterone and estrogen. also, women who have insulin resistance or diabetes along with their PCOS could have even lower numbers, as Metformin (commonly prescribed to treat these conditions) can leach vitamin D from our systems. A study i found of 67 infertile women showed that only 7% of them had normal levels of Vitamin D. The rest were either low or clinically deficient!! That's 93% that were below the normal levels!! 

Vitamin D levels can be checked by your Reproductive Endocrinologist, Fertility Specialist, OB/GYN or just your regular Primary Care Physician! Its important to be sure they are checking your Vitamin D3 and not D2.  I decided to have mine checked after a "cyster" in one of my forums informed me that after several failed cycles, including a failed IVF, she was tested for Vitamin D deficiency and sure enough was critically low. After treating the deficiency and starting a daily regimen to keep her levels normal, she was later able to conceive with oral medications alone! My PCP ran my test and after getting my results, started me on a script fro a high dose of 50,000iu Vitamin D  1x a week for 6 weeks. After that she said I could take a OTC supplement. I am currently taking a 4,000iu Vitamin D immunity complex  daily, that I buy at Walgreens. I have definitely noticed that when i take it regularly, i feel much better, I have more energy and just feel different. If i start missing doses I start to feel a little tired and lethargic again. It hasn't magically cured my infertility yet, but Im 100% sure that this is a key factor in why our cycles thus far have failed! Other ways to boost Vitamin D include adding more eggs, fish, and dairy to your diet or taking cod liver oil. Spending 20 minutes in the sun will also boost your bodies natural production of vitamin D3. Forget the sunscreen though since it will  block the ultraviolet light that produces Vitamin D. Being out in the sun for just a few minutes a day, you're body can make 10,000 to 25,000 IU of Vitamin D.

I recommend that everyone have their levels checked. Even if PCOS or Infertility are not issues for you. It can improve your moods, energy levels, immune system, PMS symptoms, irregular periods, joint pains, and is linked to SOOO many other health issues.

**http://natural-fertility-info.com/fertility-vitamin-d.html**for more information on Vit. D&Fertility

Fun With Fertility Symbols

Sooo.... Maybe it's just me & I'm crazy, but I love researching and finding symbols associated with fertility! I love finding objects and animals thought to represent fertility and also Deities, Saints, and Gods from other religions and Cultures. I think the stories are so interesting!! And Hey! It can't hurt to have one of each and cover your bases right?! :)



Hazelnuts- in ancient Ireland the Hazel Tree is considered a fertile being by the Celtics. They would string them together to wear as necklaces or carry one in their pockets. Interestingly enough, hazelnut oil can help naturally regulate blood sugars and insulin, which can aid in fertility.

Pomegranate- in Feng Shui, the pomegranate is a symbol of fertility because of its large amount of red seeds. Experts suggest placing a painting of a pomegranate with alot of seeds or an artificial pomegranate in your bedroom.

Lotus Flower- in the Hindu culture the lotus flower is the highest symbol of fertility. It represents purity because lotus flowers grow in muddy waters but remain untouched by the impurities.

Frogs- across South and Central America, depictions of squatting frogs are used to represent giving birth to new life. The Romans linked frogs to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and procreation. In ancient Egypt, large numbers of frogs appeared each year when the Nile flooded. Because Egyptian civilization was dependent on this flooding, frogs became a symbol of fertility.

Fish - in China, fish are a fertility symbol because they produce so many eggs. Fish are often pictured floating through clouds or leaping. According to Feng Shui, a double fish statue made from glass or metal should be kept in the southwest corner of the bedroom.

Venus- is the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy 

Saint Anne- in Catholicism, St. Anne is the Patron Saint of Infertility and Women in Labor. Her and her husband were barren for 20 years before conceiving their daughter Mary (the Virgin Mary). She is believed to be very highly favored and her intercession is invoked by other couples dealing with infertility. She believed motherhood was very important.

Kokopelli- is a Native American Fertility Deity usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head. He was believed to carry unborn children on his back and pass them out to women.

Ayida-Weddo- is the Haitian Voodoo loa of fertility, rainbows, wind, water, fire, and snakes. She is known as the Rainbow Serpent. Her ceremonial colors are white and blue. Appropriate offerings to her include white chickens, white eggs, rice, and milk.

I'm sure there are SOOO many more that I haven't found or just haven't listed!! If you know of any you want me to research and add, just comment below!!