Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Half Way? An IVF update

Sick of this yet? Don't you fret, it's almost over. I promise I'm not offended if you decide to stop reading, I guess this is mostly so I don't forget how it all went down.

So, today marks what we are assuming is halfway done with the stimulation injections: Follistim and Menopur. Both are used to stimulate the ovaries to start maturing tons of follicles. On Monday, after 3 rounds of injections, I had a blood draw in the office to check the estrogen levels and such. Pretty much checking to see how well my body is responding to the stims. The phleb usually says something along the lines of no news is good news. Well 5:55pm rolled around and I got a call. The first thing I said to Danica (who I totally love, one of my favorites over at UFC) was "Oh no something is wrong!". She totally laughed at me. No joke. Danica said I'm responding TOO well to the meds and the cut my dose of follistim in half.

Now here's a little side note. I have PCOS. You already know this but its kind of a big deal when it comes to stimulating the ovaries. What a Reproductive Endocrinologist worries about with PCOS patients isn't really pregnancy, once you get to the IVF point, but causing OHSS; Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, read more here. If the OHSS is severe enough it is grounds to cancel the transfer of fresh embryos and start all over and do a frozen embryo transfer. We DON'T want that to happen. So the fact that they are paying such close attention to my levels is a blessing and I'm grateful to have such a great team working to keep things running smoothly.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled for another blood draw and my first, post-stim ultrasound. It's a little crazy how excited I am about the ultrasound but I can't wait to see how many follicles are developing. We'll also have a better idea when our egg retrieval will be. Right now we are aiming for Wednesday Marc
h 26th, but depending on how quickly, or slowly, the follicle mature that day can move.

Things are going so well. I am a little scared to have to much hope and excitement but it's hard not to. I have to keep reminding myself to calm down, relax and enjoy the journey.

Glad I have all of you along for the ride.
First morning of injections, reconstituting the Menopur before injecting. 6:30am and the dogs think it's time to get up...

1 comment:

Bryce & Cherise said...

Good job love! :) So exciting! I loved the ultrasounds to see the follicle growth! It makes it more real for sure.
I know you know all of this, but pllllleeeease be so careful! OHSS is the most hideous thing in the entire world and I don't want you to deal with one bit of it!
Again, not meaning to be ..... whatever but just make sure to tell them if you are worried about Anything.

You're amazing and it's so exciting and awesome that you're doing this. You'll be in our prayers for sure. xoxoxox