I first heard about the use of baby aspirin and pregnancy through the TTC boards. I am not big on taking medicine, so didn't start popping pills myself. I know, shocking, since I am pretty much always looking for the quick fix to get pregnant.
At my consultation with the fertility doctor 2 weeks ago, she recommended I take a baby aspirin a day. She said that even though I had tested negative for the blood clotting disorder, there are some minor disorders that aren't tested and baby aspirin can help treat them. This is often recommended for people who have had unexplained, recurrent miscarriages.
I went to purchase the baby aspirin and found it doesn't exist anymore. I remember baby aspirin from my youth. I think Tylenol has cornered the baby pain market. I asked the pharmacist and she said I need a "low dose" or 81mg aspirin. It is a tiny pill and I started taking it daily with my vitamins.
I have done more research since leaving the fertility doctor and some studies suggest baby aspirin might actually help you get pregnant. Supposedly, baby aspirin increases ovarian activity and increased blood flow to the uterus. This creates a thicker and healthier uterine lining for the egg to implant in and allows more blood flow to help create placenta.
Here is more information on baby aspirin and fertility.
http://www.sharedjourney.com/articles/aspirin.html
http://www.thebabycorner.com/page/1372/
http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcprep/0,,midwife_46td,00.html
Please speak to your doctor before starting aspirin therapy.
Showing posts with label fertility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fertility. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Game On
Hot off the presses, I finally have a surgery date. It will be a week from Monday! I am fully aware it is weird that I am excited for surgery. Truth be told I am pretty nervous but happy to get on with my life. I am having an abdominal myomectomy, it is like a c-section, to get out the fibroid.
I was hoping it would weigh 40 pounds, like those people on Oprah who had now idea why they put on so much weight, but alas, I think it will be about 2 pounds of pure aggravation. I will be in the hospital for 2-3 nights depending on how I am doing. Then recovery is 6 weeks.
I found out that the fertility doc that my OB has been consulting with will be in the operating room, which makes me feel more assured my fertility will be intact when it is over with, but it also makes me feel a little nervous that it is more complicated than my doctor feels comfortable doing herself. I am glad though that she asked him to be in the room in case something comes up and he can give his advice on the spot.
My mom will be coming in and staying with us for about 2 weeks to help me get back on my feet.
And even better news, I should be all healed in time for our trip to Italy (the trip we planned to make me feel better about not being able to try for 6 months).
So this is definitely one of those good news/bad news situations, but I am focusing on the good news.
I was hoping it would weigh 40 pounds, like those people on Oprah who had now idea why they put on so much weight, but alas, I think it will be about 2 pounds of pure aggravation. I will be in the hospital for 2-3 nights depending on how I am doing. Then recovery is 6 weeks.
I found out that the fertility doc that my OB has been consulting with will be in the operating room, which makes me feel more assured my fertility will be intact when it is over with, but it also makes me feel a little nervous that it is more complicated than my doctor feels comfortable doing herself. I am glad though that she asked him to be in the room in case something comes up and he can give his advice on the spot.
My mom will be coming in and staying with us for about 2 weeks to help me get back on my feet.
And even better news, I should be all healed in time for our trip to Italy (the trip we planned to make me feel better about not being able to try for 6 months).
So this is definitely one of those good news/bad news situations, but I am focusing on the good news.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Power of Information
Yesterday, I wanted to see what I could find out about the DaVinci surgery. You might know what it is if you watch Grey's Anatomy. In the 2009 season finale, the Chief bought one of these robotic surgery machines and it was a huge deal.
Now, I am not in the habit of researching the latest medical trends, but lately when I have been on hold for my doctor, I kept hearing one of their ads that 2 doctors in her practice now perform the DaVinci surgery. I then found that it can be used to remove big fibroids.
In fact, recovery is 4 weeks for the Da Vinci surgery versus 6 weeks for the open, c-section surgery. I asked my doctor about it. She and the fertility doctor that she has been consulting with are determining if it would work for me. That's why I needed an MRI.
Knowing that it could be an option, I did a search for fibroids and DaVinci surgery. I found a great website with hundreds of testimonials. I found it so incredibly helpful. You can also YouTube a video and watch a surgery being performed. Don't know why you would want to, but if you wanted to, you could.
This really got me thinking about how much my fertility process has been influenced with the Internet.
I started reading online months before TTC what I needed to do. When I started trying, I googled pregnancy symptoms, I joined babycenter.com and learned more than I ever thought existed about pregnancy, until I was fluent in the language (DH, DD, TTC, TWW, BFN, BFP). I learned about the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and read tons of reviews before I bought it. I then learned how to decipher it with a chat group. I charted my fertility with fertilityfriend.com. I researched people who had bleeding during miscarriages, miscarriages, trying to conceive after a miscarriage.
What I learned was many people, including myself, were just looking for hope. Someone who had their symptoms and turned out to be pregnant or someone who lost a baby but went on to have 3 healthy kids. Now I am looking for success stories of people who had their fibroids out after having miscarriages and went on to uneventful pregnancies.
It is funny how we learn to trust strangers in similar circumstances more than we sometimes trust our friends and doctors. I also wonder if I would even know how to get pregnant without the Internet. I have to be honest, I didn't remember much from Human Growth and Development in fifth grade and I think they were trying to teach us how to avoid, rather than achieve pregnancy.
I feel like this information I have garnered on the Internet has given me the power to make better decisions.
Now, I am not in the habit of researching the latest medical trends, but lately when I have been on hold for my doctor, I kept hearing one of their ads that 2 doctors in her practice now perform the DaVinci surgery. I then found that it can be used to remove big fibroids.
In fact, recovery is 4 weeks for the Da Vinci surgery versus 6 weeks for the open, c-section surgery. I asked my doctor about it. She and the fertility doctor that she has been consulting with are determining if it would work for me. That's why I needed an MRI.
Knowing that it could be an option, I did a search for fibroids and DaVinci surgery. I found a great website with hundreds of testimonials. I found it so incredibly helpful. You can also YouTube a video and watch a surgery being performed. Don't know why you would want to, but if you wanted to, you could.
This really got me thinking about how much my fertility process has been influenced with the Internet.
I started reading online months before TTC what I needed to do. When I started trying, I googled pregnancy symptoms, I joined babycenter.com and learned more than I ever thought existed about pregnancy, until I was fluent in the language (DH, DD, TTC, TWW, BFN, BFP). I learned about the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor and read tons of reviews before I bought it. I then learned how to decipher it with a chat group. I charted my fertility with fertilityfriend.com. I researched people who had bleeding during miscarriages, miscarriages, trying to conceive after a miscarriage.
What I learned was many people, including myself, were just looking for hope. Someone who had their symptoms and turned out to be pregnant or someone who lost a baby but went on to have 3 healthy kids. Now I am looking for success stories of people who had their fibroids out after having miscarriages and went on to uneventful pregnancies.
It is funny how we learn to trust strangers in similar circumstances more than we sometimes trust our friends and doctors. I also wonder if I would even know how to get pregnant without the Internet. I have to be honest, I didn't remember much from Human Growth and Development in fifth grade and I think they were trying to teach us how to avoid, rather than achieve pregnancy.
I feel like this information I have garnered on the Internet has given me the power to make better decisions.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
I'm Down with HSG- Yeah You Know Me
Yesterday was the big day I have been building to for 1.5 months - the HSG.
I worked from home in the morning and then when I went to leave to pick my husband up, I couldn't find my keys. I looked around like a crazy person, called my husband accusing him of taking my keys, and then looked through the garbage. Turns out they were under a magazine on the kitchen counter. Point being, I was so nervous after what I had heard and read.
I might have mentioned it in a previous post but my friend at work told me to "bring a towel or stuffed animal to bite into (for the pain)" and that she screamed "get it out" during the procedure. And she is not a girly girl. She likes hiking and things don't seem to phase her much.
Okay, so we get to the hospital and my husband seems more concerned with getting something to eat than my apprehension. I told him to grab food and meet be back in the waiting room.
So the test is in the radiology department, not the OB department. They give you a pager, like you are at the Cheesecake Factory. Greg came back carrying a tray with tortellini and was lamenting that they advertised a taco salad but they ran out (his biggest concern of the day) and before I could get pissy, my pager went off.
Next I am escorted into a dingy locker room. They gave me a hospital gown to put on and sock booties. It was weird, because you put this stuff on and instantly feel like there is something wrong with you. After changing, you are ushered into the ladies locker room waiting area. I was there for about twenty minutes and they called me. BTW, at no point did I have the option of bringing in my husband- maybe because of the radiation.
As the escorting nurse led me through the hall, I looked like a scared sheep. She said, "you look nervous". I said, "I heard this is excruciating". She said, "I am not going to lie, it hurts, but you'll be okay." Unconvinced, I shuffled on in my hospital booties.
Once inside the room, my regular Ob was there, clad in a radiation vest you wear at the dentist.
You climb up on a stool and onto an x-ray table. They essentially put your butt on what looks like a puppy pad. The doctor told me the results would need to be discussed with a radiologist.
Getting back to the pain, the doctor said this will give me a glimpse into childbirth without an epidural and the nurse said if I have to practice my opera singing (meaning screaming), go ahead.
I asked the doctor if it would hurt the whole time or just when the fluid went in and she said the whole time but different types of pain.
That was then I started practicing the Lamaze breathing you see on TV. I had flashbacks to the Cosby Show episode when Alvin, Theo and Cliff were pregnant. You might recall one gave birth to a boat and one a sub-sandwich.
I have to say, given how this was built up, it wasn't that bad. It hurt but I kept breathing deeply. And before I knew it, it was over. I think it took 8 minutes.
Results: My fibroid is huge and covering a tube and part of my uterus. Since it is impinging on my uterus it has to come out via surgery.
Next steps: My doctor is going to consult with a fertility doctor (I haven't met with a fertility doctor yet, but my doctor will make the contact)this week and get back to me by end of week to tell me what their consensus is (type of surgery).
Afterwards, I felt crampy. But not horrible at all.
Bottom line was, it really isn't that bad. Take 2 Advil before you go in and try to relax during the procedure. I wouldn't rush to do it again, but if a friend had to have it, I would say, it isn't so bad, it will hurt for a couple minutes, but nothing you can't handle.
If you have questions I didn't address, drop a comment and I will get back to you.
I worked from home in the morning and then when I went to leave to pick my husband up, I couldn't find my keys. I looked around like a crazy person, called my husband accusing him of taking my keys, and then looked through the garbage. Turns out they were under a magazine on the kitchen counter. Point being, I was so nervous after what I had heard and read.
I might have mentioned it in a previous post but my friend at work told me to "bring a towel or stuffed animal to bite into (for the pain)" and that she screamed "get it out" during the procedure. And she is not a girly girl. She likes hiking and things don't seem to phase her much.
Okay, so we get to the hospital and my husband seems more concerned with getting something to eat than my apprehension. I told him to grab food and meet be back in the waiting room.
So the test is in the radiology department, not the OB department. They give you a pager, like you are at the Cheesecake Factory. Greg came back carrying a tray with tortellini and was lamenting that they advertised a taco salad but they ran out (his biggest concern of the day) and before I could get pissy, my pager went off.
Next I am escorted into a dingy locker room. They gave me a hospital gown to put on and sock booties. It was weird, because you put this stuff on and instantly feel like there is something wrong with you. After changing, you are ushered into the ladies locker room waiting area. I was there for about twenty minutes and they called me. BTW, at no point did I have the option of bringing in my husband- maybe because of the radiation.
As the escorting nurse led me through the hall, I looked like a scared sheep. She said, "you look nervous". I said, "I heard this is excruciating". She said, "I am not going to lie, it hurts, but you'll be okay." Unconvinced, I shuffled on in my hospital booties.
Once inside the room, my regular Ob was there, clad in a radiation vest you wear at the dentist.
You climb up on a stool and onto an x-ray table. They essentially put your butt on what looks like a puppy pad. The doctor told me the results would need to be discussed with a radiologist.
Getting back to the pain, the doctor said this will give me a glimpse into childbirth without an epidural and the nurse said if I have to practice my opera singing (meaning screaming), go ahead.
I asked the doctor if it would hurt the whole time or just when the fluid went in and she said the whole time but different types of pain.
That was then I started practicing the Lamaze breathing you see on TV. I had flashbacks to the Cosby Show episode when Alvin, Theo and Cliff were pregnant. You might recall one gave birth to a boat and one a sub-sandwich.
I have to say, given how this was built up, it wasn't that bad. It hurt but I kept breathing deeply. And before I knew it, it was over. I think it took 8 minutes.
Results: My fibroid is huge and covering a tube and part of my uterus. Since it is impinging on my uterus it has to come out via surgery.
Next steps: My doctor is going to consult with a fertility doctor (I haven't met with a fertility doctor yet, but my doctor will make the contact)this week and get back to me by end of week to tell me what their consensus is (type of surgery).
Afterwards, I felt crampy. But not horrible at all.
Bottom line was, it really isn't that bad. Take 2 Advil before you go in and try to relax during the procedure. I wouldn't rush to do it again, but if a friend had to have it, I would say, it isn't so bad, it will hurt for a couple minutes, but nothing you can't handle.
If you have questions I didn't address, drop a comment and I will get back to you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Putting my Best Foot Forward
I had my weekly Reflexology appointment tonight and I asked my reflexologist why she thought reflexology helped fertility. She attributed it to a couple of reasons.
1) overall stress relief
2) when you stress about something (getting pregnant) your body, unbeknownst to you, stores tension in those areas (you can actually feel this as she works your feet, it feels tender in areas you are holding tension)
3) it brings balance to organs and systems (endocrine system), so reflexology helps balance your hormones.
I have to say it has definitely worked for me. She also has mentioned that reflexology couple with acupuncture can be very effective. I feel like I am not ready for that additional step. It isn't so much the needles of acupuncture, as the time commitment. It is hard to bust out of work at 5 on the dot, commute home and then walk over to the reflexologist every week.
Sometimes when it seems a bit too hokey, I think about that fact that people have been doing these practices for a thousand years and it has sustained itself. Have you had success with getting pregnant by using alternative medicine?
1) overall stress relief
2) when you stress about something (getting pregnant) your body, unbeknownst to you, stores tension in those areas (you can actually feel this as she works your feet, it feels tender in areas you are holding tension)
3) it brings balance to organs and systems (endocrine system), so reflexology helps balance your hormones.
I have to say it has definitely worked for me. She also has mentioned that reflexology couple with acupuncture can be very effective. I feel like I am not ready for that additional step. It isn't so much the needles of acupuncture, as the time commitment. It is hard to bust out of work at 5 on the dot, commute home and then walk over to the reflexologist every week.
Sometimes when it seems a bit too hokey, I think about that fact that people have been doing these practices for a thousand years and it has sustained itself. Have you had success with getting pregnant by using alternative medicine?
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