u/-Near_Yet-

Thanks to all the guidance from everyone here, I’ve decided that it’s time to move on from my unsupportive clinic. Since they were not willing to try anything other than literally the same protocol repeatedly, I’m not even sure what to ask in my second opinion consults because I don’t know what may help/what exists. Tomorrow I have an in-person consult with another clinic very close to me and then two virtual consults (one with a clinic ~45 minutes away and one with CNY).

What should I ask?

I’m also coming off of a failed double cycle, which I feel was a total waste of time/money/emotions and only done to get me off my current doctor’s back (stimmed with Gonal and Menopur from CD3 - CD11 without any follicle growth, 2mg estradiol once a day from CD15 - CD23, and stimmed again with the same doses of Gonal and Menopur from CD24 - CD31 with minimal growth). I’ll be on CD34 tomorrow. My current doctor wants me to wait 3 weeks (!!) then start a 10 day course of provera and go from there - she won’t say what she’s willing to do next other than “not start IVF at this time”. As background, I responded with one dominant follicle in the previous 2 cycles with the same meds and doses due to early leads in both cycles and did IUIs.

I posted last about a doctor in my clinic (not my doctor) calling me and telling me that my failed cycle was “indicative of the fact I will not be able to get pregnant”.

As background, I did 2 previous IUI cycles with injectables (Gonal only the first time and added Menopur the second time), but I had an early lead follicle and only produced a single follicle each time. The cancelled cycle was my third cycle and I produced zero follicles on the same protocol. The doctor who officially canceled my cycle was not my doctor, did not know my history other than my AMH, and told me that my lack of response was indicative that I would not be able to get pregnant. No other advice, just told to schedule with my own doctor to discuss.

I talked to my own doctor 4 days later and told her what he said. Unfortunately she said she didn’t agree with him in the sense that if someone still ovulates even occasionally there’s always a chance of pregnancy, but that she generally did agree with him. I was kind of shocked.

I asked if we could try switching up protocols and she said no, that she would only try adding omnitrope or letrozole or other medications for an IVF cycle. I asked if we could plan to attempt an IVF cycle to have access to those things and she said no. I asked what we could do and she turned it to me and asked what I wanted to do, and I asked about estrogen priming. She said, “If that’s what you want.” so we started that.

Now I’m finding out that the priming protocol she gave me isn’t actually the recommended protocol. She gave me 2mg estrogen only once a day, starting 3 days after the previous cancelled cycle and for 9 days. On the 9th day I went for ultrasound and had no cysts, 2 follicles between 5-9mm. She said I could start meds and then prescribed the exact same protocol as before (225 Gonal and 150 Menopur).

I went in for the follow up ultrasound 4 days later. The doctor, a doctor I’d never met before, was in the room literally less than 3 minutes. Per her measurements, uterine lining and follicles all shrunk? Though there was a totally new follicle that she measured at ~5mm. I noticed she did not take multiple measurements like I’d seen others do, though, and the ultrasound wand was in me for 30-45 seconds. She told me to stay on the same dose of medications and come back 3 days, which is tomorrow. I messaged the portal in the hopes of reaching my doctor, but got a message back from the nurse instead saying that measurements vary between providers and continue the plan.

I feel totally unsupported. I don’t think this clinic believes in my body and I don’t think they care. I understand my chances are low, but I thought the first few treatment cycles should be used as experiments to make tweaks? This can’t be normal, right??

I have a consult with a new clinic scheduled for Monday, but I’m not sure what to say or ask for. I’m not even sure if moving clinics is the right call?? I have started to open my mind up to the idea of donor eggs, but I feel like I haven’t given my own body a real chance yet. Is that fair to say, or is it time to move on to donor eggs??

My 2.5 year old was recently diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech.

I started worrying about my daughter’s speech when she was around 14 months old. I kept holding out hope that the “speech explosion” was coming, but it never came. When she was 20 months old, she was evaluated by an SLP, but we were told that she was “borderline” at the time. The SLP did say that her receptive skills were carrying her overall score, but that she didn’t qualify for services anyway, at least not yet.

I had her reevaluated by a different SLP when she was 26 months old, and she qualified for services. She has been in speech therapy twice a week for 45 minute sessions since then, so for 4 months. She’s more generally vocal at home, more babbling and labeling more frequently, but not really any new words or new pairings. She was basically mute at daycare, though, so they’ve seen a night and day difference there, and her speech is now equal in both places.

My daughter likes her SLP. She can see her easily and frequently because the SLP comes to see her at her daycare (she takes her to a different room). The SLP knows my daughter’s teachers and can give them pointers for how to help her in class. All great things!

However, the SLP has said that she isn’t doing any speciality interventions other than using Kaufman cards. I asked her if she felt specialized enough to treat apraxia (and she’s the one who gave her that diagnosis) and she didn’t give me a clear answer.

Basically, I’m wondering if typical speech therapy with a speech therapist that my daughter likes is enough? Or is it worth it to try to find someone who is specialized in treating apraxia, who she may not be able to see as frequently due to our work schedules? There are no concerns of autism or other co-occurring disorder, she is unbothered by change, and warms to others with relative ease, so this is purely just a question of frequency and specialty.