When should I cycle? Chapter 3,871

Okay, I know I keep posting about this, but now that AF is finally here, I have a better idea of when I'm going to be Oing (even though I don't really expect AF to be quite regular at first).

So I got my AF back this past Friday, and I usually have cycles that are 30-32 days in length, sometimes longer at first after weaning.  I figure that I'll probably be Oing at the beginning of the month.  Uch, exactly where I DIDN'T want to O!  Kelley at HRC told me that when they refer to cycling in such and such month, it means the month you O in, not the month that you start AF in, so I guess Mom2RJ just got lucky when she Oed two days into the next month when they weren't supposed to be MSing anymore but they let her anyway.

I wanted to cycle in March and then again in April if it didn't work, but if I cycle in March, I will only have one fully post-weaning cycle (plan on being done nursing by the end of this year) before I ttc (December to January cycle I will still be BFing during half of it, January to February cycle will be post-weaning, then February to March would be MS/IUI #1).  I feel so nervous about that, I feel like it's too soon.  Just based solely on years of reading people's stories on this site, it seems like conceiving two and a half months or less after weaning, especially using high-tech, results in a higher than average miscarriage rate.  But that's just from reading this site, I don't really know what the actual stats are.  Still, it makes me nervous.

Anyway, the alternative is to wait until my March to April cycle to cycle, but then I'd most likely only have one shot at MS/IUI unless/until they get another extension, and who knows, they might and there might be no gap in service at all, or they might just end up waiting until word comes from the FDA and I might not get another shot until 2010.  But hey, I could be a OHW, right?  And if I'm not, who's to say that twice in a row wouldn't be a wash, right?

Of course, I might not even have a choice, they might be full in March and I might have to wait until April.  But in case they're not, I'd like to be firm on what cycles I want before I talk to the scheduling nurse.

So what do you all think I should do?

I think you need to schedule for March, if they have a spot. Then, you need Dr. P to confirm whether you have potential issues 2.5 mo's after ending the bfing. Wow, I'm so glad you wrote this b/c I'm still nursing and I plan to start IVF in 4 weeks approx. I'm really rushing b/c I turned 38 and I want to have 2 more DCs- and be able to space them apart. If I have 1 more and it's a healthy baby (hopefully a DD, i'll thank G-d).

I asked a Miami RE last week if I had to fully wean to IVF and she said no. She said just keep it to a reasonable amount of bfing per day. When I found out that my insurance doesn't actually cover IVF and the fertility drugs, I'm going to be fully weaned to start. It makes sense that waiting a few months would be better. I have had AF for 7 months and it's totally regular/strong so I thought that was nearly good enough. However, the stats for high tech show that it's different and good to do everything to avoid m/c. I do think being in the trial is most important. I'm going to have to speed up weaning also b/c I want to maximize my IVF chance. Esp. at 38 yrs old. GL! Jen B.

JenB:

I think you need to schedule for March, if they have a spot. Then, you need Dr. P to confirm whether you have potential issues 2.5 mo's after ending the bfing. Wow, I'm so glad you wrote this b/c I'm still nursing and I plan to start IVF in 4 weeks approx. I'm really rushing b/c I turned 38 and I want to have 2 more DCs- and be able to space them apart. If I have 1 more and it's a healthy baby (hopefully a DD, i'll thank G-d).

I asked a Miami RE last week if I had to fully wean to IVF and she said no. She said just keep it to a reasonable amount of bfing per day. When I found out that my insurance doesn't actually cover IVF and the fertility drugs, I'm going to be fully weaned to start. It makes sense that waiting a few months would be better. I have had AF for 7 months and it's totally regular/strong so I thought that was nearly good enough. However, the stats for high tech show that it's different and good to do everything to avoid m/c. I do think being in the trial is most important. I'm going to have to speed up weaning also b/c I want to maximize my IVF chance. Esp. at 38 yrs old. GL! Jen B.

I don't think you'll have a problem, JenB.  When I said high tech I really meant MS/IUI.  IVF is a whole different ballgame, it's so different and so artificially-manipulated hormonally and whatnot that I think it matters less how close to weaning you are.  I think someone who was a PGD/IVF OHW pointed this out to me on here before.  JJN, maybe?  Also, how old is your baby?  Mine is turning one next week, and I just had my first post-birth AF last week.  I wouldn't worry so much about weaning if I got my AF back earlier and had a strong and regular AF like you do, but with my first baby I didn't get a real AF until the month after I fully weaned him (right after he turned one) and then it was all weird for a few months after that.  This time this AF seems not 100% normal but also nowhere near as weird as the first ones did the first time around.  It's not over yet, though, so idk.

Also, I hope to be ultimately cycling at GIVF, so I'm going to ask the NP there my questions about weaning and hormones and whatnot.  Idk, the standard line is to wait until you've had one or two normal cycles post-weaning, so if everything with my AFs goes as I think it will, I guess I'll be okay for March or April using the standard advice. 

Ahimsa_Malozzi:

Kelley at HRC told me that when they refer to cycling in such and such month, it means the month you O in, not the month that you start AF in, so I guess Mom2RJ just got lucky when she Oed two days into the next month when they weren't supposed to be MSing anymore but they let her anyway.

I would suggest asking this question at GIVF. That is where I had this experience. Sometimes you just don't know exactly when you are going to O, and when the ovulation window is close to the end of the month, you can't predict what month you will actually O.

But the FDA rules also may be different this time. When I did my first cycle, they were up against an FDA birth limit, not a time limit. I was factored in to the allowed number of births, so it didn't really matter that I ovulated a few days late which turned out to be a different month than expected. If the FDA has really said that they have to stop at the end of April, they might really have to observe that.

Have you ever talked to Nancy Galucci? I think she could probably answer all of these questions for you and clear up the confusion about whether or not they have actually gotten another extension.

Yes, Nancy is the one that I've talked to every time at GIVF.  She is the one who told me April is the end of their first extension, and she is the one who said that the six months more thing was inaccurate. 

As far as time limit goes, unless my cycles are totally textbook 28 day cycles right off the bat (and I haven't had a cycle that short since college), I will be Oing sometime during the first ten days of the month, which is definitely not ideal.  If it was later in the month, I could wait another cycle to let my hormones regulate and still be sure of getting two cycles in before April 30th.  The way it will probably be, I'm only going to have two more cycles, only one of which will be completely nursing-free, before ttc if I decide to go for March in order to have a safety net if it doesn't work the first time or something goes wrong and I can't cycle.

So do you think I should go for March or do April?

Hi there and your title to the post made me laugh!  I know you have so much weighing on your mind and many decision to make.  My personal vote is that you wait as long as you can for April or May and allow your body to "level" out hormonally.  Because the hormones are crtical to the success of your cycle.  You need your Progesterone and Estrogen balanced out and waiting a little longer will give your body time to get back to "normal".  I would get your progesterone and estrogen levels checked to get a baseline soon after you wean if you plan to do the IUI in quick time after weaning.  This way they can adjust your meds to balance off the hormones IF necessary.  It would just seem to make sense that the longer you wait after weaning it gives your body more time to balance out and hopefully increase your odds of getting preggers with IUI/MS.  However, I can totally relate to your sense of urgency and eagerness to get pregnant quickly and have success!  Definitely call Nancy G back at GIVF and get some clarification from her.     I hate to even say this because BF is so wonderful and so healthy but can you consider weaning your baby early to allow your body to switch gears to prep for your IUI/MS.    I hope I do not get hate pm over that suggestion.  I only say that because you have a unique situation and a lot at stake and giving your body time to get your hormones switched from a BF machine to a FERTILE MYRTLE would make sense given your time frame and unique situation with the timing.    xoTJ

minime:

I hate to even say this because BF is so wonderful and so healthy but can you consider weaning your baby early to allow your body to switch gears to prep for your IUI/MS.    I hope I do not get hate pm over that suggestion.  I only say that because you have a unique situation and a lot at stake and giving your body time to get your hormones switched from a BF machine to a FERTILE MYRTLE would make sense given your time frame and unique situation with the timing.    xoTJ

Thing is I kinda have been weaning early.  Ever since six weeks ago when the doctor said DS2 wasn't gaining enough weight and told us to start supplementing with formula, I've been cutting back on BFing because I feel like he isn't even satisfied with it anymore.  I've been down to two short BFings a day for two or three weeks now, and I finally got AF back last Friday.  I'm shutting down the milk bar completely before New Year's.