Pregnant Women are Smug by Garfunkel and Oates

When Infertility StrikesRESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

I know the following article is REALLY long, but it has so much helpful information in it, I couldn't help but to share it.  I especially like the end part "For Family Members" and how to be supportive to someone in the family who is suffering with infertility.

When Infertility StrikesRESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
  

When Infertility Strikes

Although infertility is widely acknowledged as a crisis for individuals and couples, it is less recognized as a trauma that impacts their families. Yet, involuntary childlessness is an intergenerational crisis that has the ability to strain, even damage, family relationships over time by impairing communications and interactions. Invisible losses, such as miscarriages, failed medical treatments, or adoptions gone awry, may highlight a family's inadequate means of dealing with problems. Old family issues, jealousies and resentments may resurface or other family struggles, such as parental illness or the pregnancy of a sibling, may take priority over reproductive difficulties, leaving the infertile couple feeling isolated and abandoned. The lack of acknowledgment of the losses associated with infertility may damage family interactions, particularly if family members use negative coping techniques such as blaming, side-taking, denial or avoidance. However, the family experience of infertility also has the potential to bring out the best in the family system, promoting growth and well-being for the members. This article will examine family dynamics impacting infertility and discuss ways to help deal with the demands infertility places on the family system.

Family Systems

Some families faced with infertility grow closer and find ways to provide support, compassion, and understanding in the midst of the maelstrom of profound loss and despair. These families are able to handle the myriad of negative emotions of infertility, and weather the pain of its many losses. They acknowledge the despair of this unique loss and its impact on the family as a whole, not simply on the individual or couple. Family members listen, openly communicate warmth and compassion, and ask for what the couple wants or needs during the infertility journey. And, they are willing to provide support in a variety of ways, including participation in rituals for commemorating losses as a family (e. g., attendance of service after a miscarriage) and a willingness to adjust family life to accommodate the realities of the infertile couple's situation (e.g., adapt gatherings to meet treatment plans or emotional needs). However, even strong, healthy families can find the challenges of infertility daunting and draining, particularly the pain of being an observer in a drama in which your loved one is suffering and there is little one can do to relieve that suffering.

Involuntary childlessness is an interruption of the family life cycle. Family building is a developmental stage that represents generativity or fostering the next generation. It is a life cycle stage in which each and every member of the family transitions from one developmental stage to another, and in the process assumes new roles and new role responsibilities: couples move from being spouses to parents; their parents become grandparents; their siblings become aunts or uncles; nieces and nephews become cousins, and so on. Infertility is the obstacle blocking these normal transitions and preventing family members from assuming new developmental roles.

Interruption of normal life cycle transitions can highlight a family's unique flaws, precipitating negative behaviors such as; parental favoritism; poor communication; and/or unhealthy coping strategies. Infertility may also require family members to re-examine some long-held family beliefs if they cause increased distress. For example, the belief that an offspring is not an adult until he/she is also a parent, or children owe parents grandchildren. In short, infertility has the ability to distress not only infertile couples but also, also, their families, resulting in 'collateral damage' that lingers long after the problem of childlessness has been resolved.

Interfamily Relationships

Very often parents of an infertile couple feel caught between their infertile child and their 'fertile', sometimes pregnant, child(ren). Naturally, both offspring may expect to rely on their parents for emotional support at this significant time in their lives. While this is a realistic expectation, many parents may, for a variety of reasons, end up providing more support to the 'pregnant' child than the infertile couple. Sometimes this happens when a parent is more knowledgeable about providing support around pregnancy and parenthood issues than about infertility. Other times, it may be that pregnancy and grandparenthood is a happier, more enjoyable experience, while infertility brings sadness, loss, and a variety of negative emotions. In addition, the infertile offspring may not have asked for parental help, keeping infertility a secret, or may have asked for assistance that is impossible to provide. Many parents become paralyzed by their child's pain and feel helpless to know what to do. Sometimes they feel trapped in the middle-or worse, their children demand they declare a specific loyalty or that they take sides. It is important to remember that parents still set the tone for family interactions and values, even in adulthood, and must refuse to take sides.

A significant challenge to parents of adult children is knowing when and how to provide feedback-particularly when it may not be wanted or appreciated. How does a parent say, "Telling me to support you by asking that I reject your sibling is inappropriate. I will support you in any way I can, but not by being hurtful to your sibling." Or "While it is wonderful that you are overjoyed with your new baby, I expect you to be compassionate of your sibling's feelings while they struggle to have children." Parents must be aware that watching a sibling move through the stages of pregnancy is typically most difficult for the infertile couple.

Parents faced with their children's infertility are often baffled by this crisis. It is an 'invisible' loss that involves private marital issues, complex medical treatments, and a rollercoaster of emotions. They may know how to support a fertile child, because of their own experience, and may be less clear about their role of support for infertile child. As with other experiences in parenting, they may have difficulty dealing with different children, with different needs, and coming from two very different life experiences.

Families dealing with infertility must find ways to help each member feel respected and acknowledge, despite their differences. It is important to define goals for strengthening the family which help to keep the group intact, communication open, and strengthening the functioning of all members.

The following suggestions are advice for family members and couples struggling with infertility and is based, in part, on Patricia Irwin Johnston's Understanding Infertility:Insights for Family and Friends:

For Family Members:

• Acknowledge infertility as a medical and emotional crisis with a wide variety of losses, disappointments and 'costs': physical, financial, social, marital. Do not attempt to deny or minimize involuntary childlessness either by avoiding the topic or offering empty platitudes like, "Everything will be fine" or "Just relax". Avoid offering unsolicited advice and never interfere by taking sides, blaming, or imposing rigid expectations or limitations.
• Be sensitive to the pain, stress, and emotional pressure of childlessness or the inability to expand one's family as desired. If it is difficult to know what to say, tell the couple rather than saying nothing. Ask them what you might say or do that would be helpful. Try to frequently convey care and compassion and do not 'forget' the couple over time as the months and years of the infertility struggle drag on. Be cognizant that some junctures in the journey may be more difficult than others such as after a miscarriage, failed in vitro fertilization cycle, or surgery that fails to produce the hoped for results. Remembering the couple with a card, phone call, donation in their names, flowers, or some other kind gesture can make the journey less difficult.
• Be supportive. Do not assume you know what supportive means to your loved one but, instead, ask how you can be supportive: what would they find most helpful and useful? If you are able, consider ways in which you can assist emotionally (listening during a 'good cry') and functionally (offering financial assistance). Offer to simply listen and be ready to listen when called upon.
• Emphasize the importance and value of the couple (and each partner) in the family. Encourage and welcome their involvement as a couple or individually in family events and activities. Once it occurs, infertility becomes a part of the family's history; how a family adapts and copes with the events and stress will be forever part of the family's past. Like any stressor, infertility can strain family functioning or improve it. Families need to be sensitive about the needs of the infertile couple, particularly around child centered family gatherings. It is important that they understand the infertile couple's decision not to come may be important.
• Always keep the lines of communications open. Stress the importance of honesty, candor, tact, and diplomacy in family interactions. It is not a good idea to hide pregnancies 'out of kindness' or not invite the infertile couple to child-centered family events; or keep secrets out of fear of upsetting the couple. Always think about how things are told as much as what is being told: tact, kindness, and privacy can go a long way to soften the blow of difficult news. Open communication also means being able to express concern if there is evidence of significant emotional distress. When expressing concern always offer suggestions for help, such as seeking support and counseling through RESOLVE or an infertility counselor.
• Respect the boundaries the infertile couple sets regarding their infertility. Some couples prefer a high level of privacy about infertility. Other choose a more open approach. When in doubt, ask the couple their preference.

National Infertility Awareness Week

1 in 8 people are dealing with or have dealt with infertility, such as myself. It's a crisis not often understood or discussed, but has a huge impact on that person's life. During National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), (April 24th-May1st) please take a moment to learn a little more. If you have been effected or know someone who has, please repost this to spread awareness!

WWW.RESOLVE.ORG 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/infertility-awareness-10480319

Menstrual Cups and Devices

Since I don't have a whole lot to report today, I figured today would be a good day to discuss menstrual cups and devices. We all have grown up hearing about tampons and pads, but up until about a year ago, I'd never heard anything about sea sponges, cloth pads, menstrual cups or anything of the sort.

Sea sponges are exactly what it sounds like. Sponges from the sea that are used to soak up menstrual blood. Cloth pads, also very self-explanatory, pads that are cloth that can be washed and re-used each cycle. Menstrual cups, now this is where things get interesting, for me at least.

There are many types of menstrual cups out there and it's not a one size fits all type of thing. I highly recommend doing your homework before shelling out the money on a cup only to find it's not that comfy for you. So, the basics of a menstrual cup are, it's a device that is shaped like a small cup, usually with a stem on the bottom of the cup for easy removal. It does exactly what it sounds like it does. It fits comfortably inside the vagina, around the cervix and catches the menstrual flow. You remove and empty the cup, as needed, and insert it again. It is VERY comfortable and very eco-friendly.

Perks to a menstrual cup:

Environmentally friendly

No waste-there is nothing to throw away with a menstrual cup, it is reusable.

Most menstrual cups last for 10 YEARS

No bulky tampons to fish out of your purse. You know you all have had at least one embarrassing moment trying to be discreet fishing a tampon out of the purse and have knocked a tampon out, of course in front of people.

The COST!!! This to me is a HUGE perk, being the cheapskate that I am. I spent $35 on my Diva Cup, that will last me 10 YEARS. So break that down. A normal woman will have a cycle every 30 days, (I am not one of said "normal" women though) so 12 cycles a year, $2.91 per year. Break that down over 10 years and the cost each cycle is $.29 each cycle. Now tell me, how many of you all can say you spend $.29 on feminine supplies for a cycle? I can!!! I was easily spending $35 every 2 MONTHS on tampons for me. (and my daughter) And was having garbage cans full of used tampon applicators only to fill the landfill.

I did have some problems with my Diva Cup in the beginning, mainly due to the fit and my anatomy. This is why it's important to do your homework before impulse buying one. I bought a Diva Cup model 2, that is meant for women over 30 OR who have had children already. Model 1 is meant for women under 30 years of age and who have NOT had children. The difference I have found in them is the length. The length of mine was a bit long, especially with the stem. You can cut the stem off for comfort which I did. I was still having problems with it, feeling like it was falling out anytime I peed. I have since learned that if one is experiencing that discomfort, simply flip the cup inside out, and wear it that way. It makes the cup a bit shorter, and I have not had a problem with it since. I love that I can wear it on days that I am spotting, bleeding heavily, passing clots, etc! It doesn't make a difference and there is no risk of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) as there is with tampons. I used to have horrid cramps with tampons, and after removing the tampon, I would feel instant relief. Since wearing my cup, I have no cramps associated with the cup, only the common AF cramps.

For more info or to buy a Diva Cup here is the website's link.

http://www.divacup.com/

And a picture so you all can get a better idea of what I have been talking about.

This Cycle's Game Plan

Well AF showed shortly after my last post and I have never been so excited for her arrival in my life!!! Even though I didn't end up with my BFP, it did confirm that I had O'd this cycle. That is huge for me, especially considering I have not O'd since November!! I have decided to not change what is actually working for me and I'm going to do another cycle of the NPC and see if I O again. So, I will be starting the NPC tomorrow, applying 1/4 tsp, which works out to be about 25mg. I will apply it morning and night from CD 5-26, then stop. I will be continuing to take the Metformin 1000mg/day, Vitamin D 2,000IU/day, Calicum Citrate 1000mg, and Liquid B Complex throughout my cycle. I'm hoping to get DH on board to BD every other day, as soon as AF leaves, until after O. With as much as I have neglected him over the last few weeks, I'm sure he'll be game!! ;)

How Fitting

"Today, and to some degree the entire Mercury retrograde period, is about the willingness to try and try again, Libra. It seems that, scientist or not, your life right now is about trial and error learning. This could have something to do with programming code you cannot find the correct reference for, or trying to get someone to understand you. Whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish is likely to be something you've attempted before and are attempting again with a fresh approach. Success may come in a way you don't expect."

Could this horoscope not be anymore fitting for today?

Mystery Solved

Looks like I won't need a HPT afterall, BUT it also means that I DID in fact O!!!!!! My temp plummeted to the coverline this morning. I guess I should expect AF any time now. This makes me excited to know that I O'd, but now leaves me feeling confused as far as which way to turn next. If the NPC made me O (which is the only thing in the past that has worked) do I dare start the BCP's, once AF starts, or take another cycle of NPC? I was never really WANTING to go on them anyways, just felt I had exhausted my options and didn't know where else to turn. I certainly do not want to change something that I know works for me.

On a side note. We had company over last night for poker, and one of the couples has a newborn baby. She was quite inconsolable, as she has colic. She had been passed around to each adult trying to get her soothed. I busted out my Moby wrap (the one thing that Lance let me keep when he said I had to get rid of all of Emma's belongings) and I showed the Dad how it works. She still wasn't having it and was quite upset. So, I held her while Dad took off the Moby. Instantly, she was quiet, and within seconds, she was fast asleep in my arms. I held her for almost 2 hours, and honestly, I was in heaven!!! I cannot wait until I get to be holding our baby in my arms again.

O or No O? That is the question

So, not sure if I should say anything, for fear that I just might jinx myself, but I'm about 75% sure that I Ovulated. Early on in my cycle (Cycle day 7) I got my tattoo, and was in extreme amounts of pain. So much so that it affected my sleep. During that week, my temps were sky high. Lately, my temps have been super high, and the only time they're EVER that high is during my Luteal Phase. So, knowing that sleep disturbances can affect temps, I disturbed those temps, (CD 7-14) and got my egg on my chart!!! It would totally explain why Aunt Flo is STILL not here after 7 days of stopping the NPC (Natural Progesterone Cream) sore nips still, no more attempts at Ovulation, etc. IF I did O, (and not Pregnant) temp should drop tomorrow and Aunt Flo should show shortly after. Part of me is wishing and hoping that I DID O, as it would show me that my body IS needing the extra progesterone to function normally. So, until then, still waiting.

Still waiting...

Not a whole lot to report, except that I'm still waiting for AF's arrival. I've never had to wait for her to show up after stopping NPC. Actually the 2 times that I did the shutdown, I O'd and AF showed up at the end of my LP, right on time. I really don't know when to expect her arrival, but got to thinking maybe I O'd and am in my TWW and that's why AF hasn't shown? IF I O'd, I didn't get a clear thermal shift. But, if you were to take out CD's 8-14 temps, it really DOES look like I've O'd, Which would make sense as to why 1) AF hasn't shown yet, 2) why my body hasn't attempted to O again, 3) explains the sore nips I only get in my TWW. I just don't know though. If that theory is correct, AF should show up in 2-3 days. Again IF I O'd, we covered it with Bd'ing the day of (suspected) O and the day after. So, I would still be in the running of a BFP this cycle...again IF I actually O'd.

Oh where, oh where can she be??

Well, I stopped the NPC 3 days ago, and am still waiting for AF to arrive. Usually AF shows the day after stopping the NPC, so I'm in the continual waiting game now. Something kind of odd though, I have had tender nips for the last 3 days! Odd b/c I usually do not get tender nips, and if I do, only in the TWW. I don't think I've O'd, let alone be IN a TWW. Not sure if it could be tied in, but this all started a day after starting calcium supplements. Odd?

I have to say I am still soooo torn about taking BCP's again!! I DON'T WANT TO!!! I know about the waiting game for them to get out of your system, I know they can sometimes be more harm then good and mess a body up more. BUT, part of me remembers that it helped me get my Emma. I was using the Nuvaring for 2 cycles b/c of irregular cycles, but DH made me stop d/t MASSIVE mood swings. That very next cycle, I got my BFP! That part of me is holding out hope that this will be the missing link. But, I'm still so torn! I don't have much more time to think about it, as after AF shows, I am supposed to be starting them.

Benefits of Vitamin D - Vitamin D3 Supplements

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Benefits of Vitamin D - Vitamin D3 Supplements

There is a vast body of science showing the many health benefits of vitamin D. You may be surprised to learn the important role that vitamin D plays in your health.

Maintains Your Calcium Balance

Maintenance of blood calcium levels within a narrow range is vital for normal functioning of the nervous system, as well as for bone growth, and maintenance of bone density. Vitamin D is essential for the efficient utilization of calcium by the body.¹

Aids Your Cell Differentiation

Cellular differentiation results in the specialization of cells for specific functions in your body. In general, differentiation of cells leads to a decrease in proliferation. While cellular proliferation is essential for growth and wound healing, uncontrolled proliferation of cells with certain mutations may lead to diseases like cancer. The active form of vitamin D, inhibits proliferation and stimulates the differentiation of cells.¹

Boosts Your Immunity

Active vitamin D is a potent immune system modulator. There is plenty of scientific evidence that vitamin D has several different effects on immune system function that may enhance your immunity and inhibit the development of autoimmunity.⁸

Has a Role in Insulin Secretion

The active form of vitamin D plays a role in insulin secretion under conditions of increased insulin demand.⁹ Limited data in humans suggests that insufficient vitamin D levels may have an adverse effect on insulin secretion and glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetes.^10-12 More studies are needed on the role of vitamin D and diabetes.

Blood Pressure Regulation

Adequate vitamin D levels may be important for decreasing the risk of high blood pressure.^13-15 Again, more studies on vitamin D and hypertension are necessary.

Vitamin D and Diseases

According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D may play a role in the following diseases.

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Vitamin D and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is most often associated with inadequate calcium intake. However, a deficiency of vitamin D also contributes to osteoporosis by reducing calcium absorption.³³ While rickets and osteomalacia are extreme examples of vitamin D deficiency, osteopororsis is an example of a long-term effect of vitamin D insufficiency.³⁴ Adequate storage levels of vitamin D help keep bones strong and may help prevent osteoporosis in older adults, in those who have difficulty walking and exercising, in post-menopausal women, and in individuals on chronic steroid therapy.³⁵
Vitamin D deficiency, which is often seen in post-menopausal women and older Americans, has been associated with greater incidence of hip fractures.^39-41 In a review of women with osteoporosis hospitalized for hip fractures, 50 percent were found to have signs of vitamin D deficiency.³⁵ Daily supplementation with 20 800 IU of vitamin D may reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures in elderly populations with low blood levels of vitamin D.⁴² The Decalyos II study examined the effect of combined calcium and vitamin D supplementation in a group of elderly women who were able to walk indoors with a cane or walker. The women were studied for two years, and results suggested that such supplementation could reduce the risk of hip fractures in this population.⁴³

Vitamin D and Cancer

Laboratory, animal, and some preliminary human studies suggests that vitamin D may be protective against some cancers. Several studies suggest that a higher dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D correlates with lower incidence of cancer.^44-51 In fact, for over 60 years researchers have observed that greater sun exposure reduces cancer deaths.³³ The inverse relationship between higher vitamin D levels in blood and lower cancer risk in humans is best documented for colon and colorectal cancers.^44-50 Vitamin D emerged as a protective factor in a study of over 3,000 adults who underwent a colonoscopy to look for polyps or lesions in the colon. There was a significantly lower risk of advanced cancerous lesions among those with the highest vitamin D intake.⁵²
Additional clinical trials need to be conducted to determine whether vitamin D deficiency increases cancer risk, or if an increased intake of vitamin D is protective against some cancers. Until such trials are conducted, it is premature to conclude you should take vitamin D supplements for cancer prevention.
Read more about the latest studies involving calcium and vitamin D reducing the risk of cancer

Vitamin D and Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is associated with an increased risk of hip fractures because many Alzheimer's patients are homebound, frequently sunlight deprived, and older.⁵⁶ With aging, less vitamin D is converted to its active form. One study of women with Alzheimer's disease found that decreased bone mineral density was associated with a low intake of vitamin D and inadequate sunlight exposure.⁵⁷ More investigation on vitamin D and Alzheimers Disease is necessary.

Other Diseases Vitamin D Deficiency May Affect

Autoimmune Diseases - Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, are each examples of autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body launches an immune response to its own tissue, rather than a foreign pathogen. Treatment with vitamin D has beneficial effects in animal models of all of the above mentioned diseases. Studies have found that the prevalence of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis increases as latitude increases, suggesting that lower exposure to sun light and associated decreases in vitamin D synthesis may play a role in the development of these diseases.
The results of several studies also suggest that adequate vitamin D intake may decrease the risk of autoimmune diseases. Evidence from animal models and human studies suggests that maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels may help decrease the risk of several autoimmune diseases, but more studies are needed to draw any solid conclusions.

Vitamin D and Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

The results of epidemiological and clinical studies suggest an inverse relationship between serum vitamin D levels and blood pressure. Data from epidemiological studies suggest that conditions that decrease vitamin D synthesis in the skin, such as having dark skin and living in temperate latitudes, are associated with increased prevalence of hypertension.⁷¹ In randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation, a combination of 1,600 IU/day of vitamin D and 800 mg/day of calcium for eight weeks significantly decreased systolic blood pressure in elderly women by 9% compared to calcium alone,⁷³ but supplementation with 400 IU/day or a single dose of 100,000 IU of vitamin D did not significantly lower blood pressure in elderly men and women over the next two months.^{74, 75} At present, data from controlled clinical trials are too limited to determine whether vitamin D supplementation will be effective in lowering blood pressure or preventing hypertension.

Vitamin D Toxicity

It is very rare to have a vitamin D overdose. Vitamin D toxicity induces abnormally high serum calcium levels (hypercalcemia), which could result in bone loss, kidney stones, and calcification of organs like the heart and kidneys if untreated over a long period of time. When the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D, published studies that adequately documented the lowest intake levels of vitamin D that induced hypercalcemia were very limited. Because the consequences of hypercalcemia are severe, the Food and Nutrition Board established a very conservative UL of 2,000 IU/day (50 mcg/day) for children and adults.²⁸ (see table below)
Research published since 1997 suggests that the UL for adults is overly conservative and that vitamin D toxicity is very unlikely in healthy people at intake levels lower than 10,000 IU/day.^{36, 76, 77} Vitamin D toxicity has not been observed to result from sun exposure.
Certain medical conditions can increase the risk of hypercalcemia in response to vitamin D, including primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and lymphoma.³⁶ People with these conditions may develop hypercalcemia in response to any increase in vitamin D nutrition and should consult a qualified health care provider regarding any increase in vitamin D intake.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for Vitamin D

Infants 0-12 months- 1000 IU
Children 1-18 years- 2000 IU
Adults 19 years and older- 2000 IU

Vitamin D Drug Interactions

The following medications increase the metabolism of vitamin D and may decrease serum D levels:

Phenytoin (Dilantin), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), phenobarbital (Luminal), carbamazepine (Tegretol), and rifampin (Rimactane).

The following medications should not be taken at the same time as vitamin D because they can decrease the intestinal absorption of vitamin D:

Cholestyramine (Questran), colestipol (Colestid), orlistat (Xenical), mineral oil, and the fat substitute Olestra. The oral anti-fungal medication, ketoconazole, inhibits the 25(OH)D3-1-hydroxylase enzyme and has been found to reduce serum levels of 1,25(OH)D in healthy men . The induction of hypercalcemia by toxic levels of vitamin D may precipitate cardiac arrhythmia in patients on digitalis (Digoxin).^{78, 79}

Vitamin D3 Supplements

It is not always practical to get your vitamin D from sunshine, and quite difficult to get adequate amounts from your diet so for many people, a vitamin D supplement is a practical way to ensure adequate levels of this important protector are always available in your bloodstream.
Since a large body of science shows vitamin D works closely with calcium and magnesium, it is best to take your vitamin D in combination with calcium and magnesium to maintain a proper balance. Recent literature also shows most calcium supplements have too little vitamin D to be effective. And some of them use synthetic vitamin D2. A much better form is natural vitamin D3 which stays in your system longer and with more effect.

One More Day To Go

When your struggling to TTC, countdowns become a very crucial part of your existence. The countdown to O, the countdown during the TWW when you can POAS next, then comes the countdown to when AF is gonna show. Throw in supplements into the mix, then it becomes the countdown to when you can stop a supplement and move on with your cycle or the next supplement. This is where I am now. I've been doing Dr John Lee's shutdown in which you take NPC (natural progesterone cream) twice a day for 21 days, (CD's 5-26) then stop and let AF come. During this time, the goal is to suppress O so that the hormones can get a break to "reset" and level back out to where they need to be. I only have one more to day to go before I will stop the NPC and let the countdown begin for waiting for AF's arrival.

Dr Appointment-Follow Up

Had my follow up appointment yesterday and it went very well!! I cannot say enough how much I love this doctor and am so sad that my next appointment, in 3 months, will be my last with her. It's gonna be a long one, so get comfy. :D

We're keeping my Metformin dosage where it is at since my body is still having a hard time getting adjusted to it. (ie., gastric upset) She asked me if I had taken the P.O.P BCP's that she gave me last time, which I had not. I wanted to do one cycle with just the Met to see what it would do to my cycle. Since I didn't O, I brought on AF with NPC (which she is VERY supportive of doing) and did NPC throughout this cycle. I wasn't keen on putting synthetic hormones on my body, which again she was very supportive of. She did explain to me that just the progesterone will not help me in my situation.

We discussed how women with PCOS have too little amounts of estrogen. The estrogen levels slowly increase at the beginning of the cycle, until they reach a peak. During that peak, is when an egg is released. It made soooooooo much sense for my situation, despite the fact that I have always read that women with PCOS have estrogen dominance, aka too much estrogen. I told her that I seem to be stuck at the stage where a follie grows (I can feel it taking place) but it never releases, hence all my fake out O's. She agreed even more once I told her that, that my estrogen levels are too low, and suggested that I go on a estrogen/progesterone combo pill. I am reluctant just b/c I am TTC. She took one look at my charts and confirmed the low estrogen, with all the waves of my body trying to O, but never being successful.

Then, we got to talking about Vit D and bone health. Estrogen also plays a role in good bone health. Top that off with low calcium and low Vit D levels (which she said that most ALL people who live in the NW are, so much so, they quit testing for it, and just tell everybody to take 2,000IU/day of Vit D/day, which I've been doing for the last 2 weeks) that it is a recipe for osteoporosis. My mom was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 35 after she twisted her ankle and shattered it into tiny little pieces!! So, she wants me to get in the estrogen BCPs if nothing else for my bone health.

I was more receptive to taking the BCP's, b/c of what she said about my bone health and how well she explained the PCOS/O connection. It made so much sense. I was on the Nuvaring for 2 cycles prior to getting PG with Em. So, something (most likely the estrogen) helped reset my body, and now that I know what I know about too little of estrogen, it makes sense!!

So, gonna finish out this cycle with the NPC, only have 2 more days of taking it, and will stop to let AF come. Then I will start the BCP's while continuing the Metformin, Vit D and now starting on a calcium supplement. I go back for a follow up in 3 months, which will be my last appointment with her, since she is retiring. I'm still on the new patient waiting list at the place she referred me to. I will continue my care there, once I can get an appointment.

Again, she told me that I need to teach others all my knowledge of FAM/NFP and charting. She mentioned the local Christian church teaches NFP, and I should look into doing that. Then after finding out that I'm not religious, she figured it might not work with the church. SO she suggested instead to hold a conference type meeting, charging 35-$40 per person and teaching a FAM/NFP course. That made my wheels start turning!! (and my DH's after I told him) That would definitely be something I would LOVE to do!!