I'll warn ya now... *TMI* ahead

There have been two things I have noticed in the last week, besides the complete exhaustion I've already complained about in full... both of these things are definitely in the TMI category, but hey, I said I was gonna be up front and honest on this thing, and I intend to stick to that, especially since I'm sure it's just gonna get worse. :) The funny part is, I can't wait! I'm ready for it. Bring on all those annoying pregnancy symptoms and remind me this is real!

Anyway, the first and most uncomfortable issues I am having right now is constipation. It started with the prenatal vitamins, but got worse about a week ago. And when I say worse, I mean, bowel movements had become a thing of the past! I am usually a fairly regular gal, but not so much anymore. It's made me gassy and made my stomach hurt, and I have been miserable in this department. Well, I am happy to say, I finally POOPED! Yup, I'm excited by my execratory progress, regardless of how little anyone else in the world cares. I care, because for the first time in a week, I don't feel like my intestines are going to explode. It’s awesome.

Secondly, its the CM. I, at least, expected this somewhat, but really, not to this degree. I know my body is busy making the mucus plug, and I commend it, but I constantly feel like I have peed my pants or something.... which wouldn't surprise me right now if that did happen since I am peeing all the time right now.

In other news, it turns out my husband is terrified to have sex with me. I'm trying my best to tell him he can hurt the baby, as (a) he can't even reach him or her, and (b) its the size of a poppy seed right now. But it's to no avail. I hate to admit it hasn't really bothered me, though, because I have been so tired. All I want to do is sleep and nap and sleep more. But I don't want our sex life to go downhill either. Ugh, what’s a lady to do?

Just Had To Share

Let me first start by saying the following website is graphic.  Seriously.  Graphic.  BUT, I personally find it very interesting, mostly because I can't see my own, and I have to admit, I've "Google Imaged" pictures before and never found something so detailed.  So if you are at all interested in real pictures of the cervix at various stages, and some CM too, then this link is for you.  If the idea of looking at this just grosses you out, then don't go... really.

Beautiful Cervix Project

CD14 Results!

Sorry, I know I'm a day late with this but it's harder to get around to posting on weekends.  I went in yesterday (Saturday) for CD14 monitoring and here are the results:

Estrogen: 586 (up from 408 on CD13)
Leading Follicle: 23mm!!  (with two additional at 15mm and 16mm)

So, last night, I took my first trigger shot.  It wasn't as bad as I had expected.  A lot of people told me it burned, but it wasn't very bad at all.  I just made sure to take my time injecting it, and that seemed to help.  Anyway, I took it at 10pm, and my first IUI is scheduled for tomorrow (CD16) at 10am.  I'm excited and nervous and happy... a whole mix of emotions.  I can't believe that by tomorrow, we could have our baby!  This might be the longest two week wait, ever!!

The hubby and I decided to have a sort of a date day yesterday.  We spent the day at our favorite winery, followed by dinner, and some personal time together (if you catch my drift).  It was a great day.  Today, I woke up to tons of EWCM, a +OPK, and for the first time, a VERY obvious open, soft cervix.  Its crazy, I never thought things like this would make me so happy!

Anyway, there's the update.  IUI is tomorrow morning, yay!!  Everyone keep your fingers crossed!

HSG??

As you know, I had the "pleasure" of getting an HSG last week, and promised to share the wonderful experience with you. First, let me start by saying this is by NO means how all HSGs go (I tend to have the worst experience with it comes to these things), so please don't let this scare you out of getting one if your doctor recommends it. Despite the unpleasantness, it is relatively quick and will provide you with some very useful information.

So, to start, what is an HSG? Well, HSG stands for hysterosalpingogram, which is an X-ray used to examine your uterus and check for blockages in your fallopian tubes. The radiologist will insert a catheter through your cervix and inject dye. They will then take several X-rays of your uterus and tubes and check for blockages. If they can see the dye fill your ovaries and spill into your body, they can confirm that you do not have any blockages.

So, what makes this whole process so unpleasant? Well, let me tell you my experience. Upon my arrival, I was told that the room where they perform this test was currently occupied, but would be available shortly... 30 minutes later, it still isn't available, so the hospital decides to perform this test in a standard X-ray room. Now, I know that doesn't sound so bad, but let me tell you, without those handy dandy foot stirrups, its hard to get into the necessary position. But after lots of rearranging, and a couple pillows, I finally got into a manageable state and we were able to start the test.

That’s when the fun begins. When they insert the catheter, they have to inflate a small balloon to hold it in place while they inject the dye. Overall, it probably shouldn't have been too bad. I experienced some mild cramping, not much unlike menstrual cramps and very manageable. BUT (there's always a but) unfortunately for me, my balloon wouldn't stay inflated; therefore they had to remove, reinsert, and reinflate the balloon THREE TIMES. By the third time, I was almost in tears. This is likely because of the trouble they were having, and is in no way reminiscent of how this procedure always goes. The good news is that once they have the catheter in place, the procedure only too another minute or so. The dye was injected fairly quickly and was over before I knew it.

You'll also want to be prepared for what happens next. You should expect some spotting or light bleeding. In my case, it only lasted a couple hours, with some spotting the next morning. You should also expect some of the dye and beta carotene (used to clean your cervix before the procedure) to leak afterwards. They will likely provide you a pad to use afterwards, but be prepared and bring one with you just in case. Another thing I noticed afterwards was a change in my CM for several days following the procedure. My CM was thick/creamy, but also very stretchy (like over-powered EWCM), and goopy. TMI alert: Think cloudy/opaque rubber cement... I, of course, immediately got online and was comforted that this was normal and only lasted a couple days, which was true.

So that was my experience. Like I said in the beginning, no matter how unpleasant it was, my doctor recommended it for a reason, and I'm glad I went through with it. Luckily there were no blockages. I've also been told that many women who have an HSG have an increased rate of pregnancy in the next 1 to 3 cycles following the HSG, because it essentially flushes out your system. So fingers crossed there!

Lastly, here are some other links on HSGs. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask your doctor!

All About HSG

WedMD: Hysterosalpingogram

Picture: Normal HSG

Picture: Abnormal (Blocked) HSG

Getting Started - Knowing where to begin...

If you're new to the TTC game, here is some advice on how to get started:

First and foremost, HAVE FUN!  This could very well be the most stressful moment of your life, and the more you stress yourself out, the harder it will be.  My first piece of advice is to just have fun and relax.  Enjoy yourself and each other.  Stop your birth control methods, and keep in mind that in most cases, it takes a normal couple 3 to 6 months to get pregnant on their own; granted, some people is takes only one try, while others it takes years and years.  Everyone is different.  If you've been on the pill, keep in mind it can take up to 6 months or more to get the hormone completely out of your system, so your cycles may be crazy at first.

Talk with your doctor.  Let her know that you have made the decison to start trying for a baby and ask for her advice.  More than likely, she is going to say pretty much what I did above, but its good to let her know where you stand.

If after a couple months you aren't where you'd like to be, start tracking.  I recommend Fertility Friend to track your cycle. There is alot of useful information in the site. The membership is free, but you can pay a small fee to upgrade to VIP membership. I really recommend the upgrade.

Basal Body Temperature

Measuring your Basal Body Temperature, or BBT, each morning, is a great place to start.  You can buy a basal thermometer at most drug stores.  I personally use one from CVS, and I have no complaints.  You should measure yout BBT first thing in the morning before getting out of bed or moving very much at all.  It will usually take one full cycle to see a pattern.  Once ovulation occurs, you will see a rise in temperature, usually about 0.5 to 1.0 degrees.  Once you see the rise in temperature sustained for three days and more, you can safely assume ovulation did occur, typically on the day preceeding the termal shift.  Remember, its the pattern that is important, so do not stress over any outliers. 

There are also some other physical changes in your body that can be monitored to determine whether ovulation is near; cerival mucus and position.

Cervical Mucus:

Throughout your cycle, you will notice several changes in your cervical fluid.  Some women notice this more, while others need to check internally to track the changes.  In short, the following physical properties will be noted:

Dry: At the beginning of your cycle, prior to ovulation you will likely produce little to no cervical mucus. Also right before your period should start your cervical mucus may become dry again. If you do not notice cervical mucus you will want to record this on your chart as dry.
Sticky: You may notice sticky cervical mucus prior to ovulation. It feels sticky to your fingers when you touch it.
Creamy: As you get closer to ovulation you will notice thicker, creamy-looking cervical mucus. This mucous looks and feels similar to lotion.
Eggwhite: Eggwhite cervical mucus is the term used to describe the mucus you have during ovulation. It looks like eggwhites and is slippery, clear, and stretchy.
Watery: Watery cervical mucus is wet and may be stretchy. You may notice this type of cervical mucus during ovulation or before having eggwhite cervical mucus.

More information on tracking cervical mucus

Cervical Position:

Tracking changes in your cervical position is probably one of the most invasive measures taken.  I myself only recently started doing it, so if you don't feel up to up, don't worry.  You have enough at your disposal to determine ovulation.  If you are going to track your CP, be sure to follow two imporant rules:

1. Be sure to clean your hands beforehand - you do not want to introduce any unwanted bacteria into this very sensitive area, and
2. If possible, do not check every day - Your cervix is very sensitive and can become irritate and/or inflammed.

Basically, before ovulation, your cervix will be low, firm to the touch (similar to the feeling of the tip of your nose), and closed.  As ovulation nears, your cervix will rise high, sometimes out of reach, will become very soft (similar to feeling your lower lip), and it will open.

More information on tracking cervical position

Ovulation Predictor Tests:

Lastly, there are OPKs, or ovulation predictor tests (the "K" is for kit, as they are usually sold as such).  If you do decide to use OPKs, please remember they can often be difficult to read.  Unlike home pregnancy tests (HPTs) where the present of a second line, regardless of shade or size, confirms pregnancy, with an OPK, the test time must be as dark as or darker than the control line to be considered positive.  This can make them easily mis-read.  First, be sure to read the enclosed instructions, but a few general rules do apply:

1. Do not read the test after the time limit has expired
2. Do not use FMU (first morning urine); your LH (the hormone detected in OPKs) will surge mid-day, and may be missed if you are only using FMU.
3. Try and hold your urine for 2 to 4 hours and limit liquid intake before taking the test; this will help assure your urine is not too dilute.
4. Test daily, and once you get closer to your expected ovulation date, testing twice a day may be necessary.
5. Remember that LH is almost always present in the body, so you will almost always see some result in the test window.  This is why you need to be sure the line is as dark as or darker than the control line before considering the test positive.

The BEST information I have found online for OPKs is PeeOnAStick.com.  I really recommend it.

GOOD LUCK!!