Cramps suck. They suck when they signal the arrival of an Aunt that you didn’t really want to see this month. They suck when they turn your pre-menstrual blues into actual pain. But I think they suck the most when they occur in the midst of the Two Week Wait - that neverending space of time between an embryo transfer and the first day that you can take a blood test, your beta, to see whether or not something’s a’growin’.

While cramps during the TWW can cause a little panic and anxiety in addition to the normal discomfort, they are totally normal and, unfortunately, not indicative of anything. In fact, they could simply be a common side effect of progesterone. Trust me. After about an hour on the internet this morning and a few more calls to a doctor, no one is willing to place any significance on cramping (or not cramping), spotting (or not spotting) during the two week wait.

Argh.

So, I’m leaving you with some Cramps that are a little more fun:

3 days post-transfer. Feeling fab.

I always think that I’m going to enjoy the mandatory “don’t do anything” for the 24-hours immediately after transfer. But after the first few magazines, boredom can easily set in. Here’s how I whiled away my “don’t do anything” time this time around:

1.) Read about half of this great book I picked up at a used book sale this spring.

2.) Had a “discussion” over whether or not lying on my side or stomach was allowed, or if bedrest really meant “flat on my back.” (update: on the side = ok. on the stomach = notsomuch, at least not for the first 24 hours)

3.) Enjoyed some subversive cross stitch. Really enjoyed the subversive cross stitch. I may need to get more.

4.) Tried to mentally weigh every item in my apartment. Did you know that when they say, “don’t lift anything over 10 lbs.,” that equates to roughly a gallon of milk??? My laptop and cord = just slightly under 9 lbs. My beloved dakine hemp bag with all of my stuff in it? 10 lbs. Argh.

5.) Saw that Michael’s heart rate accelerates and his palms get sweaty anytime he is asked to cook. It’s not that he won’t. He’s just terrified of “messing up” as he puts it. Luckily in-laws and my mom were around this week to lend some hands.

6.) Started some Christmas gifts early (but who haven’t I given a scarf to yet? Anybody need a scarf?)

7.) Had another “discussion” over whether or not pulling open the door to our elevator counts towards the 10 lb. limit. (update: nurse says, no. not really. Take that hubby.)

8.) Found out that progesterone suppositories don’t count when they say, “nothing in the vagina for a week.” Nope. No such luck. They’re a gift that keep on giving.

9.) Fell in love with our new bed all over again.

10.) Realized that I really can unplug from my computer and not think about work for a 24 hour period and everything will still be OK.

Picture the scene:

Tiny, tiny waiting room.  Hubby and I are there, still sweating from the bumper to bumper traffic and dash from the parking garage to make it here on time. Slightly frazzled, but excited.

Next to us, another couple, not nearly as excited. From her body language and a nurse’s comment (”I wish we weren’t seeing you today…”) which nearly loosened the tears she had been holding at bay, I had to guess she was here for a D&E or other process to end a pregnancy that never quite got where it needed to be.

Seeing her so sad quieted my heart. Seeing her husband, with his LAPTOP open and on his lap made me insane.

Their names were finally called. Once they left earshot I hissed at Michael: “Can you believe him? His wife is sitting there in agony and he’s on his frigging laptop? What the F is he doing? Answering emails? Playing solitaire? Have you ever seen someone so insensitive? If you did that, I would KILL you…” And on and on I went until finally M said,

“Dude. Relax. He was showing her their cat at home. They must have a video cam hooked up to the computer and they were spying on their cat. Didn’t  you see? It was the one and only time she smiled?”

Oh. Um. No. I didn’t.

“Well then super sleuth, do you think you could chill out and think positive thoughts? Because we should be next.”

And into our frozen embryo transfer (FET) we went.

##

Here’s another lesson learned: Friday Freebie means frees stuff for Fertility Notes readers! You have until July 31st to enter to win a $40 Fertility Scope from  Miracle Light Labs. Click here for details on how to enter.

Well, we did it. We bit the bullet and bought WWE’s Great American Bash on pay per view tonight. (ok, well, we sort of did. We talked M’s parents into going halfsies with us). Why? Because it’s darn fun and my husband Michael is currently the resident blogger at b5’s Jab and Grapple.

If you’re into wrestling, go check out my predictions for winners on tonight’s PPV. Hint: I’m almost always going to go with the hotties.

Oh yeah, in fertility news, less than 48 hours until the FET…

##

So, I may not pick all the winners tonight, but I will be picking the winner of Freebie Friday. Enter to win a $40 Fertility Scope from Miracle Light Labs by clicking here and leaving a comment.

Thank you so much for your well wishes! Please keep wishing a little longer - transfer is delayed just a few more days.

Sorry for the lapse in posting. I’ve been feeling a little woozy (and sleepy and bloated and crampy) since my doctor decided to ramp up my estrogen intake. My lining measured a measly 6 mm on Monday - not quite what it needs to be for an optimum FET (frozen embryo transfer). A thickness of 8 mm or more is preferred by most Reproductive Endocrinologists.

I won’t lie. I was disappointed, angry (at my body), sad. My nurse tried to cheer me up by pointing to the ultrasound and showing me how “beautiful” my uterus looks. So that’s been my consolation prize this week. Michael is getting a huge kick out of exclaiming, “oh my goodness, I’ve never seen such a beautiful uterus!” at random moments.

So, me and the girls will be traveling to the clinic again tomorrow morning for another ultrasound, which will hopefully reveal a beautiful and deliciously juicy ute.

In the meantime, I have some catching up to do, don’t I? Check back often as I try to cram(p) a week’s worth of fertile news into the next few days.

image source.

Despite comments from fertiles that assume otherwise, trying to conceive (and being unsuccessful so far) really isn’t that much fun.

But I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl. Let’s talk about some of the peaks on this roller coaster ride.

I’ve already mentioned the glow that my skin takes on in the estrogen-filled days leading up to a FET (frozen embryo transfer).  I found another body bonus this evening.

Girl, my titties are looking fine. I mean, FINE.  With a capital F.
And I plan to dress them up and take them out on the town to-night. And sip club sodas.

For those of you following my FET, me and these bad girls will be taking the train to the RE on Monday to see how my endometrium is measuring. If it meets the thickness benchmark (for my clinic, that’s a score of “8″ - not sure which “scale” that would be on…) then the transfer will occur Friday.

Friday!

You know I love Pilates, but now that I am getting ready for another FET (frozen embryo transfer) I still don’t have answers as to how much and when I can reintroduce Pilates back into my routine post-transfer.

I’ve finally decided (after a few false starts) that I am down with Yoga. But I’m still not sure which is the best for me - the uber-competitive evening Ashtanga class with the hot instructor? Hatha, taught by the hippy and full-hipped lady in the morning? Which yoga would suit me and my fertility? I know I still have a lot to learn about this practice.

How cool that I no longer have far to look for more Pilates and Yoga info! Help me welcome Susan and Kelly at the Health & Wellness Channel’s newest blog: Grounded Fitness. I laughed when I read Kelly’s open apology to yoga because I remember so acutely my frustration during my first yoga class. I remember yelling silently at the instructor in my head during the (then) dreaded corpse pose, “But I don’t want to focus on the present! The present is what I want to change!!”

And there are still some things about my present that I want to change, but I am hoping that yoga and pilates will get my mind and body in shape to help me make those changes.

Best believe Grounded Fitness is getting bookmarked right now!

By the time you read this post, I will be enjoying a mandatory 24 hours of bed rest. But I didn’t want to miss out on another B5 Media Science and Health theme day! So, here are some quick links to previous discussions here at www.fertilitynotes.com where Nutrition played a central role:

• Why Would I Listen to Harvard Anyway? What’s all the hype around the Harvard fertility diet? Is any of this news? Is it worth believing?

• Seeds for the Seed Because every dish is better with pumpkin seeds.

• Fertile Foods? I can’t go into Wegmans without a plan. I need a plan. Here’s my grocery list of foods that purportedly boost fertility.

Last week, my acupuncturist also gave me a list of foods she suggested would improve my “chi.” She encouraged me to get good portions of “warming” foods such as beef and fish, which was really all the encouragement I needed to enjoy my burger dinner that night, justify the purchase of a london broil, and put in a request for a piece of flounder stuffed with crab meat for my post-transfer meal.

Now can someone please find a study that suggests that daily doses of dark chocolate improve the odds of a successful pregnancy? That would be great.

I’m suffering from some serious writer’s block this evening. No news story seems interesting; no health care fact intrigues me. What, dear readers, can I share with you?

Perhaps I should just tell you what’s on my mind.

It’s this week. My FET (frozen embryo transfer) is scheduled for this week. And it’s really all I can think about. In a good way.

I have a fairly uncomfortable medical procedure to undergo tomorrow morning to prepare for the transfer. Then my meds will change, just in time for me to cart them all along (needles and all) on a two-day business trip. Then I come home. Then we take a short trip to get me knocked up, as it were. After that is a mandatory 24 hours bedrest, which will be fine, as long as I arm myself with a good book, some good vibes, and a stack of magazines.

Feel free to send good vibes my way this week. I’d appreciate them.