Fit For Future Families - March 2011

Jessica_Lo

and your diet helps with it since it's metabolic?

What a frustrating thing to have! :frown:

fitterpam

I've been so glued to the Japan stuff that I haven't had the chance to get on here yet Such a sad thing. I have coworkers there, and havne't heard anything from them yet (but I wouldn't expect to.....they have enough on their plates, so I am stuck thinking about them and worrying)

Thanks guys. We were completely on board with adoption but then neither of us would have a genetic link to the child.....I can see major issues from his parents (it took them 2 years to come to terms witht he idea of our adopting and there are competition thoughts between them and my family). DH has cousins where his uncle adopted his wife's 3 kids and everyone refers to it until today - I don't want that for DH or my child - it's almost an all or nothing idea. He's really not happy with the idea, but feels it would be selfish of him to say no because then we might not have children at all......I understand that. I think what we're going to do is the first cycle we can ask that it be embryos from him, if possible and after that, don't tell me......

We're not eligible for the guarantees because we've both had fertility issues (mostly because of the low counts) and they can't validate the quality of his "inventory" and that's a single cycle (not looking so cheap now huh? :laugh: ) Subsquent cycles would be about $1500 providing we had remaining embryos.

Kind of looking forward to counselling session, but I think I know where we're going now.....so not sure how helpful it's going to be. I'm one that talks things to death (can you tell?!?!). As for keeping it a secret, we're thinking at this point, we're nto going to tell anyone, but that may change. I'm thinking about telling my friend that just had the baby in Dec. She's really discrete and is really good at comforting, etc.

Jessica_Lo

O man...I hope your coworkers are ok. I can't watch TV at work so I'm choosing to be ignorant about the whole situation .Until I get home anyway. Bad? Maybe but I'd be glued to it.

Ok for a single cycle. That makes much more sense. 1500 isn't so bad for each other cycle if you have embryos.

I think the counseling would be good for you even if you do make your decision beforehand. It's always good to have an unbiased party to probe questions about things you might not have thought about.

If you trust your friend and are comfortable with it. Do it. You can never have too big of a support group!!

ucaminax

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this thread (though not new to myfitnesspal). I had a MC and D&C about a month ago. I was almost 12 weeks along. Well, I was kinda secretly just hoping to get pregnant right away, but I don't think that's happening. I think I feel AF around the corner, and all pregnancy tests have been negative. I think the idea that maybe I could conceive right away kept me going these last few weeks, but now that I think I'm not-the whole MC has hit me a little harder tonight. So I decided that at least maybe I can lose a few pounds and put myself in a healthier place before I (God willing) hopefully conceive again. I had lost about ten lbs before I got pregnant, though I know I've gained a few back. I'm not sure how much I weigh now but I think I'll do my weigh-ins on Mondays. So it looks like everyone posts their weekly goals on Mondays?
Thanks!
Kate

fitterpam

Welcome Kate! So sorry to hear about the MC - at 12 weeks is rough because you're almost "in the clear". The group of women in this particular forum are exceedingly supportive, hope you find with us what you're looking for I also weigh in on Mondays for this board...and post my goals!!

kah78

Welcome Kate--I post mine on Fridays, but that's just because trying to keep myself accountable over the weekend with a weigh-in on Monday just sabatoged me. So, this way, if I have a little fun on the weekend, I have the workdays to get back to a place I want to be. So sorry about the MC--I hope you find the support you are looking for here.

AFM--spotting has started, right on cue. Thanks for holding out hope, those of you who did. Superegg was just not to be, I guess. I'm going to a wedding this afternoon--should be fun--we'll see what the food diary looks like by bedtime. There won't be any alcohol, so I guess that's a bonus, and since I'm not eating white flour, I guess the cake is out too (Ooo, I can still eat the icing.)

Happy Saturday everyone.

Karen

fitterpam

Sorry Riliye - I just caught your post.I've been diagnosed with PCOS for almost 10 years now and am just starting to get myself under control by diet - the first time I tried Met it didnèt work for me. Basically, the best advice I can give is to try and eat as close to a diabetic diet as you can. I've added to that by removing as many chemicals as I can and learning a bit about how the body metabolises food.

I donèt know how much you know about the condition, but that basic understanding can definitely start pointing you in the right direction. About 50% of all women of childbearing age have some form of PCOS - women with the condition suffer from irregular periods, erratic ovulation, sub-fertility, excess hair, acne, hard to lose weight gain, etc. PCOS occurs when there is an imbalance of the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. High levels of insulin is also produced. The bodyès insulin receptors on the surface of the cells seem to switch off and stop listening to the signals saying that the body has enough insulin (insulin resistance), so you have an overproduction, which further disrupts the fertility hormones. By enhancing the bodyès ability to interpret the insulin signals and all the other hormones tend to re-balance. Just as a side note, insulin resistance is also known as pre-diabetes....there is a good chance that if you change your habits now, youèll never develop diabetes.

So really, dealing with PCOS is about being insulin-aware. Sticking to a low-GI diet, avoiding high sugar foods, keeping caffeine levels to a minimium all really help with the condition. Exercise is critial to helping to balance out insulin levels, so women with PCOS shoudl be exercising a minimum of 30 minéday. This is one that I really struggle with......By keeping your insulin levels in check, youèll find that your body naturally burns fat - itès the insulin level issue that means that most women with PCOS gain weight and have trouble shifting it.

(sorry about the funny characters - my keyboard is set to French Canadian and I cannot reset it back to English...LOL)

nkster781

Hi All, Happy Weekend!

Welcome to all the newbies. Everyone here is super supportive and have a lot of knowledge.

Karen: Haha, the frosting is one of the best parts anyway... Sorry about super egg:(

Jessica: Your profile picture is beautiful. It screams "We are so in LOVE!" I love it!!!

So today I am one week from my predicted AF start. I really don't feel this will be the month but there is always a small part of me that really hopes it is. I hate the waiting game!!!!!!!!!!!

We need someone in this board to get a BFP! I feel like we are all in a lottery, haha

Baby Dust to all!

~Nichole

fitterpam

2011 SW: 241.8

Week 1: 237.9lbs (-3.9 lbs)
Week 2: 235.5lbs (-2.4lbs)
Week 3: 238.9lbs (+3.5lbs)
Week 4: 236.2lbs (-2.7lbs)
Week 5: 238.1lbs (+1.9lbs)
Week 6: 235.2lbs (-2.9lbs)
Week 7: 234.3lbs (-0.9lbs)
Week 8: 236.6lbs (+2.3lbs)
Week 9: 236.3lbs (-0.3lbs)
Week 10: 237.0lbs(+0.7lbs)
Week 11: 236.7lbs (-0.3lbs)

Blah - guess I cannot call it water weight anymore. I will have to own up to the fact that it is real weight (although, based on my cal consumption most days (even the days that I was pity partying) that should not have equated to 2.4lbs of gain in 5 weeks.....argggg. Guess this is just a sign that I should keep to 1400 cals, but burn 100-200 a day. I have been so off the wagon from an exercise point of view.....excuses excuses.

Redoing my goals from last week - they are my blueprint for a healthy lifestyle. I have to nail them to the door and not let them go again.

kt4au

I am on my phone so I can't do a lot of replying right now but what a crazy weekend. I was supposed to be doing my IUI tomorrow but my little egg decided to come early so we are headed there now. I will update later on the whole story but any prayers and baby dust you ladies have would be appreciated.

epa422

Bummer, Katie! I hope they catch the egg!

Pam, you can do it. Just one foot in front of the other.

I didn't get any workouts in this weekend, though I did spend 4 hours cleaning on Saturday, so surely that counts for something. I was down over 2 lbs this morning, but tomorrow is my official weigh in. I consumed mass quantities of cranberry juice this weekend which kept me over my calories, but I guess I must have done better on sodium than I usually do, because I'm typically up on Mondays. Same goals as last week.

kah78

Hi All! On Fri I was down .8--yay. I'm probably back up and more since this was a weekend of food porn, but i have till Friday to mitigate the damage. Didn't log it, so don't bother looking, any of you food porn peeping types! I will not drag you down with me. Haha. Back on the wagon today.

Started spotting today. I expected it. It still hurts. But all in all, I'm doing much better than last month when I just felt like I got hit by a bus when it showed up. I have my CD 21 bloodwork this morning--place your bets for the progesterone levels, ladies...hint--low numbers seem to be in the running. Results in a few days. Hubs wants to get on the RE appt--he's ready to be "done" with this baby-limbo land. I want a break, because I don't think it will be that easy--I guess I'm just expecting the worst, but if he's on board, we will probably go ahead and make the appt, after I get my referral from the Dr on Friday when she tells me that Clomid didn't work. Duh. (Sorry--sometimes the sarcasm is a bit thick--coping mechanism. My apologies.)

I'm off to run a few errands, meet the hubby for lunch so he can take over boy duty while I go get poked at the Drs, and then hopefully both of us will get a nap. This daylight savings time is kicking my butt this year!

Baby dust Katie--and everyone else too!

Karen

ucaminax

Thanks everyone for the welcome!! Well, today my first AF started after my D&C, so I am looking forward to another chance to TTC this month, God Willing! I also weighed in at 162.2, which was about what I thought I was (hadn't really tracked my weight much over the last months and weeks) so I guess I am only a pound over where I started when I got pregnant in December. So I have several goals this week:
1. To get back down to 155
2. To complete Week 1 of the Couch to 5K program
3. To get to bed no later than 10:30-11 pm (I am an insomniac and I truly see the link between weight gain and sleep deprivation!) and to get up by 6 am

Oh ok I guess I have 4 goals-I want to start keeping track of my BBT-never really did that before, as I tend to wake up at different times. But I am going to make an effort to go to bed and wake up at consistent times so I can do this. Any tips anyone? I know it's basically just taking your temp and recording it at the same time each am, before getting out of bed. But recording this just tells you after you've ovulated, right? I will also be doing an OPK.

Good luck to everyone, and sticky baby dust, and "slippery" extra fat that just slides off lol
Kate

naesue

Just a quick question for those on here with PCOS. How long was the longest you ever went without a period? I just passed my 7th missed period. I have never gone that long without having a period. Granted I have also never been this heavy before. Hoping to lose the weight so I can concieve by my 2nd Anniversary in May 2012.

epa422

Karen, I find sarcasm helps me quite a bit, too. I hope that they can give you some ideas for next steps. Baby-limbo land is the worst, but I'm here so you have good company at least.

Katie, welcome! I'm so sorry for your loss. As for temping tips: Same time every morning when you first wake up. A sustained shift of three days will tell you that you've ovulated. Some women experience a dip the day of ovulation, so you can look for that as well. I have really stable temps and after 6 months of charting, I could actually tell when I was about to O from temps about three days before. It also helped that I nearly always O on Day 15... but hopefully, you won't have to temp that long!! OPKs will definitely help, though you might want to test twice a day in case you have a short surge. I actually only ever got a + OPK twice because I have a very light, short surge. I'm a freak, though.

Also, I love the "slippery fat." That cracked me up.

epa422

Just a quick question for those on here with PCOS. How long was the longest you ever went without a period? I just passed my 7th missed period. I have never gone that long without having a period. Granted I have also never been this heavy before. Hoping to lose the weight so I can concieve by my 2nd Anniversary in May 2012.

Welcome! Glad you found your way over here. I would definitely talk to your doctor. They can give you something to jump-start your cycle, which might help you get back on track while you're working on the weight loss. Have the tried metformin for your PCOS?

naesue

The only thing Metformin does for me is help with my facial hair. It is a little difficult though getting treatment at the time being as I am having a hard time getting personal health insurance. Until I married my husband I had medicaid as I was a single mom but now that I am married and my husband makes a good living being self employed I need to find personal health insurance and have been denied a few times now because of my BMI and Pre-existing conditions.

epa422

Granted, I'm no expert, but if it's helping with the facial hair, then I suspect it was helping with the hormone imbalance. It might just have needed more time to work on your cycles and get your body to a point where it ovulates on it's own. Pam wrote a nice post on Saturday about following a diabetic diet for PCOS. You might page back a few days to find it. It could be helpful to you.

naesue

Thanks. I already follow a no refined sugar diet because I am Hypoglycemic and right now I am on a no carb (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cereal) diet for Lent. When I get insurance again I will get back to the doc and get back on some meds but in the meantime I am going to try the diet, excorcize and counseling thing.

Jessica_Lo

Karen....sorry about the spotting. This TTC stuff can be so emotionally draining. I'm not looking forward to the emotional cycles of going through IVF and I can't even imagine what most of you go through on a monthly basis hoping and the dissapointment. I think my blessing in disguise is I know there can never be a surprise pregnancy or a natural one so it's not in my thoughts every day but it will be once we start the process. I am not looking forward to that.

I really took this all for granted when I had my boys. No one knows what we go through either which makes it so much harder. It's the little things like not being able to surprise my husband with telling him he's going to be a daddy. There's no way to surprise him....he'll be waiting for the phone call with me. It's those little things that are taken for granted that I wish I had back.

Anywho....now that I had my own little pitty party....

Nichole...thank you for the comment on my picture. It's ridiculous how much in love we are. My son is always like...how can you two stare at eachother for so long. lol I think that's why I love the pic so much. We have those moments daily.

the slippery fat cracked me up too.

nkster781

Well got AF unexpectedly today. That gives me a 24 day cycle for the past 2 cycles. If it is again 24 next month I think that is my off the pill normal cycle. Progress, hopefully!

Janet39

Hiya, I have followed you across from trying to conceive.

It is nice to know I am with others in this boat.

I am 39 this year and my husband of 7 years and I have just decided to start trying for a family. I have PCOS too, and the thought of not having children is driving me nuts.

My periods are erratic to say the least, I have a cycle between 28 days and 35 days. I am currently trying ovulation kits to try and guess when my fertile part of the month is, as it can be out by a week.

I am sorry to hear about the issues Naesue is currently facing. I am on this site from the UK and it seems unreal to me that you are unable to get medical cover, we really don't know how lucky we are with the NHS.

I too am curbing my carbs, I suppose I am doing a GI diet, my trouble foods are Cheese, bread and butter.

I hope we can all tackle these issues together over the coming months.

Big Hugs, Jan

epa422

Welcome, Jan!

Don't get me started on health insurance... I have great health insurance... until it comes to fertility issues. :grumble: And some stupid health insurance companies consider PCOS as a fertility issue and not a health issue, which is what it really is. I hope naesue doesn't run into that trouble!

nkster, sorry about AF, but hopefully this is you getting into a regular cycle. With cycles that short, you may be ovulating really early. I can't remember if you're temping or OPK testing or anything, but you might want to start getting busy around CD 8 and going every other day until CD 16.

Jessica_Lo

What is AF?

epa422

Aunt Flo. Other threads use TOM for time of the month. I'd rather not think about creepy TOM visiting me. :laugh:

Jessica_Lo

OoOoOo geez. I started using TOM recently because being off the BC it makes it yuckier more painful so it has to be a man.

fitterpam

Katie - Fingers are crossed for you!!!

Erica - heavy cleaning (I consider 4hours heavy!) does count cause you don't do it every day!!

Karen - I'll have to check your diary for the porn....LOL (read the paragraph above.....DANG!!!) Glad you're doing better though! DST is kicking mine too - I had to wake up at 3:30 (last week's time) this morning...imagine the horror!!!!! Sarcasm helps EVERYTHING - especially when those on the recieving end don't get it :P

Kate - Love that you wished the slippery kind of fat for me. I sure have the velcro stuff right now!!!

Naesue - Definitely go to the doctor - mine was 6 months (only ended because I went to emerg because DH was freaking out). A few years later with a pre-cancerous condition that can be alleviated through medicated cycles (it's common with an excess of estrogen that goes along with no AF - that's why they say PCOSers are at an increased risk of cancers). They'll give you progesterone for 10 days (10pills) and you'll start a cycle. I won't let mine go over 60 days anymore.....YOu can also try red raspberry leaf tea (or some other natural thigns) but I've never found them to work for me. If you don't have the health insurance, if you can get the insulin under control, you might be able to regulate the hormones naturally.

Jessica - isn't it crazy how many people don't know all this stuff, it happens BY ACCIDENT to some It's amazing to me everyday that there are any babies born at all in this world AF is aunt flo (refers to the start of your cycle)

Nichole - Unexpected is always the worst!!! 24 days is a little on the short side.....either you are O'ing really early in the cycle or you may have a short LP. Have you ever been diagnosed with either?

Janet - Welcome!

AFM: ***TMI NOTE***I've been battling a yeast infection since last week. Going to the doctors later this week if the treatment doesn't start (I am already done it) to work shortly!!!!! Anyone know if intestinal yeast infections could be the reason for the uncomfortable bloating/water retention (LOL No, I'm not desperate to explain the gain...but I can't understand it, unless this is athe cause) I've been completely off sugar...but it does also explain the cravings I've had over the last few weeks - I have monsters in my tummy

andreamichelle82

Hi all!

Sorry I have been MIA this week, I have been trying to avoid thinking about TTC during the 2ww!!!

Welcome all those who have joined since I've last posted! I look forward to getting to know you ladies a little better! Actually, I hope that happens on the pregnancy board, and that we are all outta this board soon!!!

Nik, AF is no fun, but it's great that you've had two consistent cycles in a row! Do you know when you ovulated?

Jessica, that is a great profile pic! Love it! I wish you the best of luck with you IVF

Karen, Yay for down almost a pound! I always tell myself it's fit of clothes, not the scale, but MAN does it feel good when that scale moves!!! I'm glad you and DH have been able to move forward somewhat in your discussions. It's so hard to understand how guys feel in this kinds of situations, and it's so hard to struggle with something you have little to no control over.

Erica, Yay for your weight loss, too! We're on the same challenge board, too! I've never done that board, is it any good? Are you drinking the cranberry for fertility? I JUST heard about that this past week, and bought some this past weekend. The guy is supposed to drink this, too, right?

Katie, FC!!!! Let us know the details! Hope everything is going well!

Pam, It's so hard to get into an exercise routine! I was in a really good running one a couple years ago, and I was in the best shape of my life! Then, I got busy, and started dating my now husband, and more excuses Once you get into that routine, you'll not even want to miss a workout! Also I hope the infection clears up quick!!!

AFM, as I said before, I have been trying so hard not to think about TTC during this 2ww. Today is CD28 and I am 12DPO. Last month I had a 30 day cycle, with a 13 day LP, and the month before was 27 day, and I don't know when I ovulated, so I don't know how long my LP was. I tested CD10, Satuday, as we were going to the casino to celebrate my BIL's engagement (yay sooo excited for them) and knew there would be smoke, a lil alcohol, etc. BFN, of course. I'm not sure when I want to test though, haha. I should probably just wait until Thursday, and if AF doesnt show up, test then. My boobs have been creazy sensitive and feel so friggin enormous, so of course I'm making up symptons in my head!

epa422

Andrea, I'm drinking the cranberry juice to ward off a UTI from a week of BDing every other day. I was feeling the first twinges of one on Saturday, but it seems to have left my system. I haven't seen anything about it helping with fertility. Maybe just the vitamin C? I was drinking it every day there for awhile last summer and I didn't get pregnant then, so I don't know that I believe that. I did gain 10 pounds, though, so it's really great for weight gain. :laugh: CD 10 is really early for testing. I wouldn't count yourself out. And you're probably not making up symptoms; it's probably the progesterone. Such a fun hormone that causes both PMS and pregnancy symptoms. :grumble:

Pam, I've never heard of a YI causing bloating, but I think anything is possible.

andreamichelle82

Pam, I hadn't heard of it for fertility either, but a couple that just had a baby in December said they tried for four months, heard about cranberry, did that and got pregnant the fifth month. I'm chalking it up to coincidence for them, but hey, it can't hurt to try! (Accept for the 10 lbs!) Hopefully logging it in MFP will help with that. CD 10 is super early, and I don't know what I would have done differently that night if we did know, but those places are so smoky that I may have cut out early of something if I knew for sure. And you're right about the progesterone (what a punk it is!). I don't remember my boobs hurting this much or feeling this big, so my guess is that the serverity of it is in my head!

Pam - This is a weird corollary, but since yeast makes bread rise, maybe it can make you bloat?