Life Abundant Blog

living life abundantly in spite of PCOS

Follistim Cycle 4, CD 19 Update: Triggering and Bracing Myself for Ovulation

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Follistim 4 CD 19

Cycle Update

  • CD 2: Started 125 IU Follistim
  • CD 5: E2 = 163; USN = 3mm lining, 31mm cyst, two follicles (23mm, 21mm); HSG exam; lowered Follistim to 100 IU
  • CD 8: E2 = 136; USN = 6mm lining, cyst collapsing, maybe 1-2 leading follicles; increased Follistim to 150 IU, started 21-Day Fix & Shakeology
  • CD 11: E2 = 77; USN = 5.7mm lining, cyst GONE, 1 follicle (13mm); increased Follistim to 200 IU
  • CD 15: E2 = 953; USN = 7mm lining, 4 follicles ranging 12-17mm; decreased Follistim to 150 IU due to crazy high E2!
  • CD 16: E2 = 1,452! Decreased Follistim to 125
  • CD 17: ultrasound canceled due to ice storm
  • CD 18: USN = 8.7mm lining, 7 follicles ranging 13-20mm, 20 follicles 10mm and less
  • CD 19 {TODAY!}: 10,000 unit hCG trigger #1

UUGGHH.

I have so many feelings right now.

My ultrasound yesterday left me completely speechless… unable to think, speak for myself, make decisions, anything. The good news is my uterine lining is perfect (8.7mm thick) and ready for a baby. The bad news is I am over-stimulated considering this is a non-IVF cycle, and I am trying to remain calm.

[Read more…]

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Follistim, CD 12: Keep On Keepin’ On

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Stats:

  • CD 3: E2 = 42; started 100 IU Follistim
  • CD 7: E2 = 90; lining = 4mm; found 40mm cyst + 5 follicles (one perfect 18mm, the rest are long and skinny); started alternating 75 & 100 IU Follistim
  • CD 11: E2 = 66; lining = 5mm; found that the 40mm cyst shrunk to 27mm (yay!), plus 4 of the 5 follicles from CD 7 were completely gone; turned up Follistim to 150 IU
  • CD 14: E2 & ultrasound pending…

Yesterday, I had another E2 and follicle ultrasound and this is what we discovered:

CD 12 Update

[Read more…]

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Natural Ways to Encourage Embryo Implantation During the Two-Week-Wait

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This post contains affiliate links.

Today I am 8dpIUI! This means that if one of my eggs fertilized in the IUI process, it should have started to implant into my uterine wall between yesterday and the next couple of days. This is incredibly humbling to think about. There could be a little embryo floating around right now, looking for a safe place to call home for the next 8 months.

So, little embryo, if you’re in there, please do me a huge favor and don’t implant down at the bottom of my uterus. We don’t need a repeat of last time, k? You have plenty of other places to choose and 10mm of lining to snuggle into. Glad we had this talk.

I’ve mentioned in other “how to” posts about how I am preparing my womb to receive life, knowing very well that my efforts may be in vain. I could take extra steps and still be barren, or miscarry, and it’s not because of anything I did or didn’t do. Only God knows each life before it is conceived, and only He can knit a baby together in my womb {Psalm 139:13}. If we conceive, it’s all His glory, not mine, not a superfood’s, not a regimen, not anyone’s. I realize I am repeating myself, but I feel like it’s important for me to remember and to be humble… I can try to receive life, but it’s not my miracle if it happens. It’s God’s.

All that to say, I am trying to be a good steward of the womb He gave me. Here are some things I’m doing to naturally encourage embryo implantation:

Encourage Implantation

[Read more…]

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Follistim Cycle #2: CD 13 > Entering the Two-Week-Wait!

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Drive-by update:

  • CD1: E2 = 66; 4mm lining; started 100 IU Follistim
  • CD4: E2 = 122; 4mm lining; increased to 125 IU Follistim
  • CD8: E2 = 220; 5mm lining; three follicles: all 13mm; continued 125 IU Follistim
  • CD11: E2= 243; 10mm lining; three follicles: 18mm, 19mm, 20mm; Novarel trigger shot (10,000 units hCG) administered at home! Stopped Follistim!
  • {TODAY} CD13: IUI!

Okay, so let me start off by saying PRAISE GOD IN THE HIGHEST! It is only through Him that any of this fertility treatment is working, and only through Him will Psalm 139:13 come into play. God is so good and has been so faithful through this process, even though I was too blinded to see it just a couple of weeks ago. He has taught me a lot about trusting Him and just letting. it. go.

The Ultrasound

You don’t have to be a math genius to see what has happened within a 3-day period. From Friday 11/20 to Monday 11/23, my uterine lining grew from 5mm to 10mm. My three 13mm follicles grew to 18, 19, and 20mm. That is crazy good growth! 125 IU of Follistim is the magic bean!

CD11 usn

[Read more…]

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15 Fertility Superfoods

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Hey, hey! This is something I’ve been wanting to put together for a while now, and after much research, I finally got around to writing it. I hope you find this useful. What I have pulled together includes 15 fertility superfoods, and of course the reasons why. For some, I include a few ways to prepare these things or sneak them into your diet. I realize these aren’t on everyone’s “favorites” list, but when it comes to fertility superfoods, sometimes we just have a find ways to get them in.

15 Fertility Superfoods

1. Avocado

This superfood is probably my favorite on the list. The healthy fats within an avocado are excellent for women. To top it off, avocado is rich in folate and vitamin E! As I’ve mentioned before, vitamin E is an excellent way to boost your uterine lining to make it nice and thick for implantation, so eat up! I tend to load up during the days leading up to ovulation and for a few days after. An avocado makes a great mid-morning snack. Just slice it in half and top with sea salt and cracked pepper. Yes, I even do this at work. At my desk. 😉 You should see the looks I get. I simply don’t care.

2. Broccoli

In addition to the folic acid that broccoli is known to have, it is high in vitamin C (bet you didn’t know that one!), which apparently helps your eggs mature. Say what?! The vitamin C and egg maturity thing is new to me, so I can’t speak much on that, but the folic acid alone is a good reason to consume broccoli on a regular basis. Roast it with a little olive oil and lemon juice!

3. Salmon

The omega-3 in salmon is excellent for fertility because it helps regulate hormones and apparently increases bloodflow to your girly parts, which means it likely contributes to your uterine lining getting nice and plump, and to your ovaries producing better eggs. Bingo! Loaded with protein, it’s a wonderful, lean option to get good protein into your diet. I like to grill it on the Foreman with olive oil and lemon. SO good!

4. Pomegranates

I’ve been a big advocate for pomegranate juice for some time now, because paired with vitamin E and a few other fancy things, it helps that uterine lining get thick for baby. It works. Whatever is in those things, it works. Add on the “antioxidant” tag, and it’s perfect for this superfoods list.

5. Spinach

Spinach is loaded with folate and iron. Iron is good for your blood and that uterine lining. Try to sneak in spinach as much as you can. If you’re not a fan, stick a handful into a smoothie and I promise you won’t even taste it!

6. Eggs

Rich in protein and a little something called choline, eggs are an excellent fertility superfood! This was new to me, but apparently choline helps protect your newly developing fetus from neural tube defects. I try to get in eggs whenever I can – boiled, scrambled, fried (don’t judge).

7. Coconut Oil

I mainly cover this one in my coconut oil post, but coconut oil is excellent for supporting a healthy pregnancy and helps with keeping your hormones balanced. Use it to saute some shrimp with a little curry powder!

8. Maca

Maca is a major fertility superfood that can be consumed in pill format since it’s not as easily found in its raw form here in the States. Maca helps increase progesterone and balances your hormones. I covered more about this one in my post on improving uterine and ovarian health.

9. Almonds

Almonds are rich in protein, but they’re also rich in vitamin E! They’re so easy to just keep around for snacking, too. I usually keep a jar at my desk at work. Did you know that 10 almonds = 1 oz of protein?

10. Asparagus

This is a green that is loaded with folate! This is one of my favorite vegetables ever. My favorite way to cook it is broiled with lemon pepper and sea salt.  Add plenty of olive oil! It’s also good steamed.

11. Kale

Apparently kale is excellent when it comes to helping your liver detoxify, which is only beneficial when you think of how many toxins we end up ingesting and breathing in on a daily basis. Kale is delicious roasted with a little olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper.

12. Black Beans

These beautiful beans are my favorite from the bean family! They are a great source of protein (and carb, so tread carefully), and they’re also a great source of fiber. Did you know that fiber helps regulate insulin levels? I didn’t either! Black beans for me, please!

13. Quinoa

Did you know that quinoa is a seed, not a grain? It is loaded with protein (yay!) and iron (double yay!), and let’s not forget the fiber (woohoo!). This is one of our favorites because it’s so versatile. I like to use it in place of rice for stuffed peppers. Add a little lean ground turkey, tomatoes, black beans and spices, and you’ve got a perfect meal.

14. Oysters

This one might be tough for some people to stomach, but I honestly love oysters. Mainly smoked oysters. These suckers are rich in zinc. Did you know that zinc deficiency is a thing? I didn’t! Apparently zinc deficiency can slow down your egg production. Not cool. This smoked oyster stew with bacon is so delicious and a great way to get in lots of zinc! Glenn loves the bacon in it. Of course.

15. Berries

Blueberries are probably one of my favorite fruits. They are rich in antioxidants and apparently help protect your cells from damage. When I think of cells, I think of my uterine lining. Popping back a 1/2 cup of blueberries with a side of almonds is a favorite snack of mine – a great afternoon boost!

What are your favorite fertility superfoods?

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The 8 Most Popular Life Abundant Blog Posts of All Time

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8 most popular posts

Hey ya’ll! The other day I was going through my WordPress stats and looking at the most popular posts that this blog has ever seen to get a hold on the type of content that people are looking for. I wanted to draw a little attention to 8 of them. On one hand, it breaks my heart that SO many women are facing this infertility struggle, and that SO many of them are battling a thin uterine lining. On the other hand, I’m so thankful and blessed to know that whatever I had to say on the subject was popular and is working for others. I can see when you guys are linking these posts in message boards to share with others. I can see what keywords you’re googling that brought you here. I promise I’m not a creepy stalker – this is the blog life. It only reminds me how important it is that I keep researching for you, for me, for us. That I keep trying to bring awareness to these infertility issues. This is more than just PCOS.

And let me just add as a side note, you can totally tell which ones are older, ha! Especially due to whatever image I have on there. This blog has come a long way and changed a lot over the last year.

7/8 posts are specific to infertility. The last one is specific to one of my favorite people on this planet who experienced a heart-wrenching infant loss.

Without further ado, I present to you the most popular blog posts Life Abundant has ever seen:

1. Possible Ways to Thicken Your Uterine Lining and Improve Implantation

2. How to Naturally Thicken Your Uterine Lining – It Really Works!

3. Progesterone – The Phantom Pregnancy

4. You Were Just Diagnosed with PCOS… Now What?

5. What Happens During a Follicle Ultrasound

6. What PCOS Feels Like

7. Tropical Fertility Smoothie: Kickoff the Two-Week-Wait

8. With a Heavy Heart {{for Jocey}}

What post is your favorite? What brought you here?

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Dear Clomid

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Clomid 150mg

Dear Clomid,

Oh, hi.

It’s a new month.

It looks like we’re reunited.

We’ve spent a lot of time together in the past, you and me. We first met in 2009 and you were pretty generous to my ovaries. For that, I am very thankful. Since then, I’m not entirely sure what the problem is, but I’m giving you another shot. We’ve seen some successes and some pretty epic failures, but overall, we haven’t quite crossed the finish line on this journey to conceive #2. On a whim, I decided to give you another chance, but it’s going to be short lived. 150 of your milligrams for 5 days…

You get three months.

Three.

To many, that may seem foolish and like a waste of time. To me, it feels like a chance.

We’ve already danced together several times over the past 2.5 years. You’ve been kind to my ovaries on many occasions, but a complete punk to my uterus. What’s the deal, man?! This is why we’re only going to dance together three times before taking another break. I don’t think my uterus can handle more consecutive months of your abuse. And no, I’m not going to give you the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech… it’s definitely you.

So this is your chance.

Consider yourself lucky – your step-sister Femara was useless and 100% non-responsive for me. You’re clearly the less evil twin for my ovaries.

We spent the last 8 months apart. You get three rounds before we break up again. And in the meantime, I’m going to be using all the natural remedies that have proven themselves to me in the past to help my poor uterus survive your little “fight club”. My dear friends pomegranate juice, red raspberry leaf tea, and vitamin E… they’re going to tango with us. And you, dear Clomid, are going to play nice, ya hear?!

Three months. Let’s finish 2014 out with a miracle, shall we?

Sincerely,
A Cyster & Her Mister

P.S. I know you like to show off with all kinds of symptoms when we do our little dance. To that I say: bring it on. Bring on the hot flashes! Just leave the lining of my uterus in tact! Let it be thick and squishy… the end.

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Fertility Supplements on Amazon

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FertilitySupplements

I have been taking fertility supplements since our canceled IUI in January. At first I was buying them from a local health store, but they were pretty expensive. I started looking around online and discovered that Amazon is a GREAT place to order supplements! Not only are they priced really well, but they offer free shipping when you spend $35 (which you probably will), or you can do a prime membership and get “free” two-day shipping anyway. They also have the option to sign up for shipment subscriptions, which is really convenient.

I currently take maca root, l-arginine and royal jelly, which I’ve written about many times. I take these to improve ovarian function (and hopefully ovulate) and to thicken/strengthen my uterine lining so it’s receptive to implantation. I also try to get red raspberry leaf tea in me during the follicular phase of my cycle to tone up my uterine lining, but recently found that I can take it in a pill format, which is sometimes more convenient. Here is what I’ve been buying:

Buying on Amazon has saved me a lot of money. Amazon makes it easy to get what I need at an affordable price. For me, it’s approximately two months worth of supplements for around $40, and considering that it’s four supplements I get for that price, I’d say that’s pretty good. Plus, I forgot to throw in that my husband also takes the maca with me, so we’re both covered with that one.

Here are some of my other posts if you want more info on why I chose these supplements:

Royal Jelly for Infertility: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Possible Ways to Thicken Your Uterine Lining and Improve Implantation

How to Thicken Your Uterine Lining – It Really Works!

More Natural Ways to Improve Your Uterine and Ovarian Health

Have you seen fertility supplements cheaper anywhere online?

This post contains affiliate links.
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Tropical Fertility Smoothie: Kickoff the Two-Week-Wait

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Tropical-Fertility-Smoothie

I’ve blogged about this before: Rumor has it pineapple aids in implantation because of the heavy concentration of bromelain within the core of the fruit. It’s said that bromelain makes your uterus more sticky and receptive to a fertilized embryo – that it increases cervical mucus, which can in turn promote implantation. There isn’t a ton of evidence to support this, but a lot of ladies in the infertility community swear it helped them, so it can’t hurt to try, right? After all, pineapple is good for you and is so delicious when fresh. The hard part is making yourself consume the core. Ick.

Late last year when I was going through infertility treatment, I was attempting to eat pineapple core from 1-5 DPO and it was horrible. You’re supposed to take one whole, fresh pineapple and cut it into five sections so you can consume it during the five days after ovulation – the meat AND the core. However, the core is so stringy and tough, I wanted to vomit just trying to shove it down. And I LOVE pineapple… but the core was just, ugh. No thank you. Some ladies don’t have any trouble with this, but I really struggled… big time.

So I decided to try something new, and while it’s said that you should try to consume only warm things after ovulation to keep your uterus warm, it’s 90 degrees in the south right now. I do coffee in the morning, but I am not about to eat warm pineapple. No thank you. I figured the only way to convince myself that I can eat pineapple core is to freeze it and put it in smoothies. It’s warm enough outside for my uterus, I don’t think a cold smoothie is hurting my chances any more than anything else. That said, here is the smoothie recipe. This is a single-serve recipe that I whip up in my new Ninja!

Ingredients

1/5 of a fresh peeled pineapple, meat and core (frozen), cut into small chunks

1/2 banana, peeled and sliced (frozen)

3/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or other milk of choice), plus extra as needed

1 T coconut oil

2 T shredded unsweetened coconut

1 small handful of baby spinach

Blend it up, add some extra ice if it’s not cold enough for your liking, and enjoy! The point of this fertility smoothie is to encourage your body to be receptive to implantation, so it’s best to enjoy this every day during the five days after ovulating. What a tasty way to kickoff the two-week-wait!

A few notes…

-When I first made this and prepared my pineapple, each section was just cut in half. BAD IDEA. It was so hard to blend up, ya’ll. This is what I recommend: when you slice the pineapple into five portions, cut up each portion into small chunks, especially the core. Store each cut-up section into a separate small ziplock baggie so it’s easy to grab and blend. This would also be a good time to add the sliced banana into the same baggie. Starter smoothie packs. 😉

-I use banana because one contains 25% of your daily value of vitamin B6, which apparently also increases cervical mucus to aid in implantation. B6 is tied with increasing fertility. Like pineapple, the increased chance of implantation is not 100% proven, but it can’t hurt to pair these together, right? (read more here) Plus, it’s a natural sweetener. I buy an entire bunch of bananas dedicated to smoothies, then go ahead and peel them all, break into smaller chunks and freeze.

-I personally use almond milk because it has some protein in it and doesn’t mess with hormones the way soy milk does. Plus, I’m personally sensitive to dairy so I limit it to cheese and yogurt, not milk. This would probably be really good with coconut water as well, I would just modify your other measurements to accommodate how watery it is.

-I add coconut oil because it promotes hormone balancing and supports adequate fat stores for pregnancy. This was something new to me in my research to create a smoothie recipe for hopeful implantation (read more here).

-The unsweetened coconut is optional, but I really like the texture added to the smoothie. I don’t really add it for any other specific reason.

-Baby spinach is highly recommended in any fertility diet! It’s loaded with iron, which is good for the blood, and as we all know, we need good, happy blood pumping to the uterus for implantation.

-Because I struggled so much with the frozen core due to my own absent mindedness, I blended the pineapple and almond milk first before adding anything else. I also found I’d end up needing extra almond milk because this would blend too thick. Play with the measurements, starting small and work your way up to the smoothie consistency you prefer.

That’s it, friends! I really enjoy this smoothie and I hope you do, too. Please let me know if you try it and if you have any suggestions for modifications. There are so many options out there, this is just one way to sneak in that pesky pineapple core. 😉

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Quick Update: Maca & L-Arginine are Working (I Think)

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Ladies, I wanted to give you a really quick update on how Maca and L-Arginine are working for me. My last medicated cycle was January when we did 150mg of Clomid. Since then, I started taking Maca and L-Arginine daily in hopes to naturally reset my cycles a bit, improve egg quality and heal my uterine lining while we’re on a TTC break. I also do raw Royal Jelly during the first half of the cycle since it’s really just for egg quality, I don’t want to waste it, I guess. While I can’t speak 100% on egg quality and uterine lining since I’m not being monitored via ultrasound, I can tell you this: I’m having natural cycles. This is kind of a big deal for someone with PCOS.

My first cycle after Clomid was 32 days.

My second cycle after Clomid was 40 days.

My third cycle after Clomid was 29 days.

So basically, 2/3 of my cycles post-Clomid have been textbook perfect. That middle one wasn’t too bad though. This is a really big deal for someone with PCOS, who used to not have natural cycles on her own. I’m hoping the second cycle post-Clomid was a fluke and that I’ll continue on a better path. I’m going to continue to take Maca and L-Arginine daily for a few more months and will report back on how that’s going after a few more cycles. I also just ordered the Royal Jelly in a capsule format to see if I can swallow them. It’s made by the same brand I always buy and so far, their capsules have all been the same size so I am hopeful that they are tolerable. I’ve gotten used to how the pure, raw jelly tastes but it’s still a little weird to me. I’ll finish out the jar and then move on to the capsules once they arrive.

That’s it for me! Since I’m moving onto a new job on June 2, I’m going to hold off longer on any medical help with TTC. I might wait until this fall. For now, we’re obviously not preventing because, well, there’s nothing to really prevent, ha. I am hopeful for a miracle. I hope and pray I can be a living testimony to Maca and L-Arginine leading to pregnancy, but I won’t be too let down if it doesn’t happen.

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