Acronyms...UNLEASHED!!

  When it comes to TTC(trying to conceive), there are so many acronyms, if your not 'in the know', you can feel a little lost. Here's a list of the ones I will most likely use:

TTC- Trying to Conceive
FVL- Factor V(5) Leiden
PCOS- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

OPKs- Ovulation Predictor Kit
2WW- 2 week wait
BFN- Big Fat Negative
BFP- Big Fat Positive
CM or CF- Cervical Mucus/Fluid
O- Ovulation
HPT- Home Pregnancy Test

HSG- Hysterosalpingogram
AF- Aunt Flo
BD- Baby Dance(aka-SEX! c:)
CD- Cycle Day

IVF- In vitro fertilization

IUI- Intrauterine insemination
DPO- Days Past Ovulation
Dx- Diagnosis
IF- Infertility
LP- Luteal Phase
PG- Pregnant

Rx- Prescribed

  That should cover it for me, but in case there are any I forgot, or if you see something on another site, here's a link to a pretty extensive list! Abbreviations for newbies! :)
  I hope that helps and I also hope to be back to posting on a more regular basis...I'm taking a semester off from school, so that will help, but that means I will be working more. Hopefully I can find a good medium.  :)

Happy Wednesday!

Busy week!

I haven't updated in a while...it was a busy weekend, and has been a busy week. It's been SO ridiculously hot here, and I think it caused me to wake up with a migraine this morning, so I've been taking it easy today. I decided I have too many things going on this week, and will start my diet next week. I had a cookout Tuesday, another one yesterday, another one coming up on Saturday, and my stress level has been super high with school, work, and TTC. I got a positive OPK yesterday, but DH and I didn't get to take advantage of it. I don't really know what to do about TTC anymore. DH and I talk about things, and he says one thing, but his actions don't really match up with his words. It's beyond frustrating, and I guess we'll have to talk about it again. I guess the good side of this is I can drink at the bbq tomorrow, and not have to worry about it! I just don't know what to tell my OB. I guess we'll figure it out when we talk. Since I don't really know where we're going on that front, I'm not sure how much TTC I'll be talking about anymore. I will be working on weight loss, and I guess we'll see where we go from there. :)
  I'm still planning a post on TTC acronyms, but it's taking a little longer to compile than I expected. :)  I hope you're all having a good week and a happy 4th of July!! :)

Walks, weigh-ins, and work

 Just got back from a nice long walk w/ DH and my 'furbabies', another step in the weight loss direction. :)  I was planning to start tracking my food intake, but I haven't done a very good job this weekend, so I'll officially start on Monday. I weighed myself on Wednesday night, and  I was at 165.. I don't like that number! It's the highest it's ever been for me, and I don't want to see it get any higher! I am officially starting weekly weigh-ins on this blog on Monday's. If you want to join me, just post your weight, or something in the comments below!! :)
 I am working early this weekend, so this will be a short update. I am working on another post about the acronyms of TTC, but it's past my bedtime, so I will try and have it posted tomorrow. I am also starting OPK's tomorrow, and I'm going to try and post pics of the results, so I'll have them for the week, all in one convenient place! I hope you all have a good rest of the weekend!!

Factor V Leiden...explained!

 This is the most basic and easily understandable explanation that I have found of FVL, pulled from the Mayo Clinic:

Factor V(Five) Leiden is a common inherited genetic disorder that can increase your chance of developing abnormal blood clots (thrombophilia), usually in your veins. Most people with factor V Leiden never develop abnormal clots. However, some people with factor V Leiden develop clots that lead to long-term health problems or become life-threatening.
Both men and women can have factor V Leiden, but women may have an increased tendency to develop blood clots during pregnancy or when taking the hormone estrogen.
The abnormal blood clotting of factor V Leiden can be associated with a variety of serious and potentially serious complications, including:

• Pregnancy complications. Although most women with factor V Leiden have normal pregnancies, the mutation has been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage and possibly other complications during pregnancy, including pregnancy-induced high blood pressure (preeclampsia), slow fetal growth and early separation of the placenta from the uterine wall (placental abruption). If you're a woman with factor V Leiden and you get pregnant, be sure your doctor monitors you carefully throughout your pregnancy.

There is more information on causes, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment at the link above, but that is the basic information. According to my OB, when I get a + pregnancy test, I will call the office, and get a Rx for Lovenox, and make an 8 week appointment. I am currently on Cycle Day(CD)14, and I usually ovulate(O) around CD 20. I will start using an ovulation predictor kit(OPK's) on the first, and we'll go from there.  :)
 On another note, I'm trying to make some better decisions when it comes to food, and reduce my sugar intake. I also need to start working out, but that is going to wait until I finish my last class...only 2 more weeks left!! :) I will write a post about my weight and weight loss on another day...now it's time for bed!

Good night!

Medical Mumbo Jumbo

So I mentioned in previous posts that I have PCOS, which is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and FVL,  which is Factor V Leiden. I'm going to try and explain these as best I can and without too much medical-ese, for lack of a better word! :)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a disorder that affects 10% of premenopausal women. Diagnosis begins with a medical history, physical exam, pelvic exam, blood tests, and vaginal ultrasound. PCOS is confirmed with the presence of at least two of the following symptoms: oligomenorrhea(no period) or anovulation(no ovulation), clinical and/or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism(too many androgens, or 'male' hormones), and polycystic(lots of 'cysts'!) ovaries.
  Some of the other symptoms may include acne, weight gain, infertility, and insulin resistance. Many women have difficulty losing weight and being overweight causes more severe symptoms. This vicious cycle can lead many women to experience low self-esteem, and sometimes depression. ‘Polycystic’ means multiple cysts and can be misleading; it actually refers to the numerous follicles below the surface of one or both ovaries, and not actual cysts. Due to the hormonal disturbance, approximately twice as many follicles than is normal will develop, resulting in slightly larger ovaries.
  The exact cause of this syndrome is still unknown. The two main disturbances are an imbalance of sex hormones, produced by the ovaries and an increase in insulin production, or insulin resistance. There seems to be a genetic influence, with PCOS being more prevalent in woman with a family history of Type II Diabetes. It is also possible that it can be inherited from either parent; in men it may manifest as premature balding (prior to the age of 30). There is currently research being done to determine the gene or genes responsible; genes that control insulin, sex hormone production & action, and control weight are of particular interest.
  Current treatment focuses on management of the symptoms, as there is no cure for PCOS. There are medications that can be taken to regulate your menstrual cycle, help ovulation, and/or reduce excessive hair growth. If pregnancy is not a goal, low dose birth control that contains a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone may be advisable. They will decrease androgen production and give the body a break from the effects of constant estrogen. This also decreases the risk of endometrial cancer and corrects abnormal bleeding. Another option would be to take progesterone for 10-14 days each month. This would regulate the cycle, but does not improve androgen levels.
  A surprising treatment option is the use of Metformin(Glucophage), which is a medication used to treat Type II Diabetes. It improves ovulation and helps regulate the menstrual cycle. It can also slow the progression of diabetes and aid in weight loss if paired with a healthy diet and exercise. Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid) is an anti-estrogen medication that is to be taken in the first part of the menstrual cycle and induces ovulation. If Clomid alone does not work, the addition of Metformin may do the trick. Gonadotropins, Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and Luteinizing hormone (LH) can be administered by injection and also induce ovulation.
  For women who are anovulatory, and develop adverse side effects from other treatments, there is the option of laparoscopic ovarian diathermy, also known as ovarian drilling. It is not commonly used, but can be a last resort. It is a surgical treatment where electrocautery or a laser is used to destroy a portion of the ovary. Doing this may restore regular ovulatory cycles; studies have shown that ovarian drilling results in an 80% ovulation rate and a 50% pregnancy rate.

 That was actually from a research paper I wrote on PCOS for my biology class last semester. I think it brings a lot of information to the table, but if there's anything that doesn't make sense, please, don't hesitate to ask!! The second half of this post is going to have to wait, because it's past my bedtime!! :)

Have a great Thursday!!

Don't give up on me!!

I'm working on my next post, but it's kind of medical, so it's taking longer than I expected. I'm hoping to have it up by tomorrow, but it will be posted soon!
  If you were linked here from my blog on SoulCysters, thanks for stopping in!! :) I don't have much yet, but I hope to keep things going...
  I do want to say, I watched 'Extreme Makeover: Weigh Loss Edition' tonight, and it was really inspirational...I know my weight is something I really need to work on, so that will probably become another aspect of this blog.

Have a great Wednesday!! :)

To bring you up to date...

So, the fall of 2008 we were married and stopped using protection; we weren't really trying, but I admit, I knew more of what was going on than my husband did. :)
   The day before we had been married 6 months, I lost my job and w/ it, my health insurance. Since pregnancy for me would require lots of monitoring, and medication because of FVL, it was not a good idea for us to continue trying. I was unemployed for 4 months, started back to school(more on that later!), and found a part time job. During this time, we took a TTC break which ended up being about 2 years. I was then able to move up to full time and get health insurance. In December, it was recommended that my husband get a semen analysis(SA) to make sure there were no other issues at play. When we got the results back, it was found that DH(Darling Husband) had a slight motility problem, but after talking w/ the Dr., he felt it wasn't something to be concerned about. In January, we were given 4 more months of trying on our own...that brings us up to now. Due to my PCOS, I don't ovulate on a regular basis, so 4 months turned into 6. July will be our last month trying on our own...I have an appointment w/ my OB on July 18th for my yearly physical, and to discuss our next steps. As far as I know, that will include doing an HSG(hystersalpingogram), which is a test to make sure all my tubes are open, and then we'll start on Clomid, which is a medication to induce ovulation.
  I realize I didn't really explain either of my conditions, so I plan on writing a post to explain them both a little better. If there's anything that I post that I don't do a good job of explaining, just let me know, and I'll do my best to elaborate. I added some links to this post, so I hope that helps. :)
  I'm hoping for this blog to become like my daily journal, but would love any and all feedback...if you'd like to share your story w/ me or just want to talk, comment below; I'd LOVE to hear from you!!!

First off...

Hello everyone out there!! :)  Let's start with some introductions!
If you read the about me section, you already know the basics, but we'll start there anyway! :)
My name is Kat, I am 29 years old, and I have been married to my love, J for 3 1/2 years. In 2 months, we will celebrate having been together for 10 years, and it's been a great 10 years. I don't know what I would do or where I would be w/o him. Now, to back-up a little; in February of 2001, my eldest sister gave birth to my nephew, A, 8 weeks premature. She developed preeclampsia and other complications due to undiagnosed Factor V Leiden. A is now a happy, healthy 11 year old boy, and she went on to have a second normal pregnancy w/ medication. Because of her experience, everyone in the family was tested, and my results came back as being positive and homozygous, which means I inherited the mutated gene from both of my parents. Due to this disease, when I get pregnant, I have to be on the blood thinner lovenox to prevent miscarriage and other complications. Then, in the spring of 2006, I was diagnosed with PCOS, and I was told it may be more difficult for me to conceive. J and I got engaged in August and knew we wanted to start a family, but decided to wait until we were married(what a concept, huh? c: )
 We were married in the fall of 2008, and it was the happiest day of my life. :)  This is where our journey begins, and where my next post will start. I have to give some back story before we can get to where we are today...I hope I didn't bore you too much!! :)