So far so good...
The Menopur shot last night seemed like a lot of liquid to inject but we went slow and the bump dissipated quickly. So far I'm feeling a bit sore at the injection sites and a little tired but overall ok. I know the drugs have a cumulative effect so we'll see how things go over the next few days. My first post injection blood test and ultrasound are on Tuesday morning.
I've been reading more about OHSS risks and things you can do to help prevent it. Some doctors recommend drinking 20-32ounces of gatorade per day and eating salty foods. Not sure how that is supposed to help since salt makes you retain water which is exactly what you don't want to do if you have OHSS. I'm going to email the nurse and see what she thinks.
11:45 am - update -
I'm feeling something... I think the ovaries are waking up. All of the sudden, pressure and bloated. I'm drinking a lot of water so that may be part of it but ugh, here we go. One of the symptoms of OHSS is rapid weight gain. I just weighed myself so I'll keep an eye on it. Sad that I've actually lost a couple lbs but I know its muscle mass from not being able to work out for the past few weeks.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Friday, 29 November 2013
11/29 Stim Day One
We woke up early to do the first Follistim shot so we could get it on schedule for 7 am and 7 pm daily. I iced a spot on my belly for a few minutes first and it seemed to help. I barely felt the needle go in at all.
Then we went back to bed. :)
With breakfast we both took Doxycycline
Lunch time I will take my prenatal and a baby aspirin
Dinner time we will take the 2nd dose of Doxy
7pm is a shot of Menopur
So far I feel fine. May even brave some of the black Friday craziness for yarn sales at Michaels :)
Then we went back to bed. :)
With breakfast we both took Doxycycline
Lunch time I will take my prenatal and a baby aspirin
Dinner time we will take the 2nd dose of Doxy
7pm is a shot of Menopur
So far I feel fine. May even brave some of the black Friday craziness for yarn sales at Michaels :)
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Last Day of Birth Control
We're home from our mini vacation to San Francisco. Tonight is the last night I take birth control. Seems silly that they put me back on birth control but I guess it regulates the hormones and they want to know exactly what's in my body. Feeling cramp and bloated so I expect to have a period tomorrow or Friday. Which is great timing for starting the antibiotics tomorrow and the shots Friday. I'm going to feel like a bloated pin cushion.
This kid better be worth it! :)
This kid better be worth it! :)
Monday, 25 November 2013
Base Line Ultrasound 11/25
Had blood drawn and first ultrasound prior to IVF drugs this morning. Dr. says no cysts and everything looks good. Nate and I are off to San Francisco for a couple days to goof off and act like tourists. Dr. doesn't think I'm at high risk for OHSS but after I told him about how I reacted to Clomid he wants me to stay in close contact if I get similar symptoms.
Now to go play!
Now to go play!
Saturday, 23 November 2013
IVF - How we got here and lots of stuff
I realize people are trying to help when they say, "Be patient, relax don't think about it and it will happen" but that unfortunately is not the case for us.
We've been trying to conceive for a year now. After 6 months I made an appointment with my gynecologist since at my age (38) they recommend not waiting to seek help for longer than 6 months after trying.
She sent me for a slew of tests and determined that my FSH levels were a bit high. Not out of the normal range for my age, but a bit elevated and could be causing some issues or be a sign of low ovarian reserve aka I'm running out of good eggs. So off we went to the fertility clinic.
In most cases, fertility challenges are because there is something going wonky on the female side of the equation. The first thing they typically try is a round of ovary stimulating drugs with timed intercourse. I was on 1 round of Clomid in July, 2013 and felt like a balloon had been shoved up inside me and inflated. Not fun at all. I produced several sizable eggs and we did the HCG shot to control the timing of ovulation. We followed the instructions and timing of when to have intercourse, and it obviously didn't work.
In the mean time, Nate was scheduled for a sperm analysis. You'd think this would be one of the first things they do but it takes a few weeks to get in sometimes. Turns out his count is incredibly low, mobility and quality is poor. The chances of us ever conceiving naturally even if I'm in perfect health and have plenty of quality eggs, is 1 in millions.
So we were presented with a choice: Adopt, try IVF or don't have children. We decided to try for IVF.
The benefit is we can still have a child from both of our DNA. All they need is one healthy, normal shaped sperm for every healthy egg. Nate's count is low but he still produced more than enough for what we need. So here we go again.
We're on the calendar for December 2013 transfer. These things take planning and scheduling way ahead of time. A date, and sometimes time specific, calendar was created for us along with a very long list of stimulation drugs. Of course insurance doesn't cover IVF procedures and medicines so we are paying for this out of pocket. I'm very grateful we are in a financial position to be able to afford this. My heart goes out to those who want to try but financially cannot make it happen.
The drugs scare me. The list is so long and so many injections. Ovaries are typically the size of an almond. With all these stimulation drugs to get me to produce more eggs at once, they can grow to the size of your fist. EACH. How does that fit inside?? Sigh. One day at a time.
I have a starting point blood test and ultrasound on Monday 11/25 then Nate and I both start Doxycycline (antibiotic) twice a day for 10 days, on 11/28. 11/29 is my stimulation day 1 with a morning injection of Follistim and an evening injection of Menopur, one baby aspirin (81mg) and continuing with the antibiotic. We continue this for several days.
On stimulation day 5, 12/3 I have my first blood test and ultrasound after starting the drugs. They'll be looking for how the ovaries are responding, and the dr will tell me if he wants me to increase or decrease the dosage.
2 days later on 12/5, stimulation day 7, I may have another blood test and ultrasound. I'm instructed to bring a 3rd injection drug called Ganirelix which is to help keep the eggs in my ovaries since they'll want to ovulate with so many jammed in there. There may be a 4th injected drug called Lupron and I forget what it does but the dr will tell me if I need it. From Stim day 8 and on, I'll have daily blood tests and ultrasounds to check growth. Once the Dr. determines there is enough they'll schedule the HCG shot to stimulate the body to get ready for ovulation. This is a specific timed drug. They may tell me to wake up and inject at 2 am depending on when my retrieval appointment is because my ovaries with dump everything in 36 hours regardless.
Wednesday 12/11, stimulation day 13 is the possible retrieval day. I will be knocked out. They go in vaginally with a thin needle to suck out all the follicles. I may have to start yet another drug called Medrol, which is a low dose steroid to help my body not reject the eggs once they're implanted back inside.
On the day of retrieval they'll get a fresh batch from Nate and go to work in the lab. They will fertilize as many eggs with as many healthy good sperm as they can then watch them grow.
I can stop the stimulation drugs, but have to take the steroid and oral and vaginal hormones to help support the healthy environment for the fertilized eggs once they are back in my body.
Post retrieval day 3 or day 5 may be when they transfer them back in. It really depends on how many grow and how fast. They'll choose 2-4 best ones and freeze the rest. Again the number depends on the day they go in, how well they've grown etc. Then, we go home and think happy thoughts.
Post day 14, which will be 12/25 if everything lines up, is the time for the pregnancy test. Of course that is Christmas day so not sure the labs will be open but we can go the next day for sure.
That's enough for now. Lots of information. If my family or friends who are following this have questions feel free to post and I'll answer the best I can. Your prayers and positive thoughts through this process will be much appreciated.
We've been trying to conceive for a year now. After 6 months I made an appointment with my gynecologist since at my age (38) they recommend not waiting to seek help for longer than 6 months after trying.
She sent me for a slew of tests and determined that my FSH levels were a bit high. Not out of the normal range for my age, but a bit elevated and could be causing some issues or be a sign of low ovarian reserve aka I'm running out of good eggs. So off we went to the fertility clinic.
In most cases, fertility challenges are because there is something going wonky on the female side of the equation. The first thing they typically try is a round of ovary stimulating drugs with timed intercourse. I was on 1 round of Clomid in July, 2013 and felt like a balloon had been shoved up inside me and inflated. Not fun at all. I produced several sizable eggs and we did the HCG shot to control the timing of ovulation. We followed the instructions and timing of when to have intercourse, and it obviously didn't work.
In the mean time, Nate was scheduled for a sperm analysis. You'd think this would be one of the first things they do but it takes a few weeks to get in sometimes. Turns out his count is incredibly low, mobility and quality is poor. The chances of us ever conceiving naturally even if I'm in perfect health and have plenty of quality eggs, is 1 in millions.
So we were presented with a choice: Adopt, try IVF or don't have children. We decided to try for IVF.
The benefit is we can still have a child from both of our DNA. All they need is one healthy, normal shaped sperm for every healthy egg. Nate's count is low but he still produced more than enough for what we need. So here we go again.
We're on the calendar for December 2013 transfer. These things take planning and scheduling way ahead of time. A date, and sometimes time specific, calendar was created for us along with a very long list of stimulation drugs. Of course insurance doesn't cover IVF procedures and medicines so we are paying for this out of pocket. I'm very grateful we are in a financial position to be able to afford this. My heart goes out to those who want to try but financially cannot make it happen.
The drugs scare me. The list is so long and so many injections. Ovaries are typically the size of an almond. With all these stimulation drugs to get me to produce more eggs at once, they can grow to the size of your fist. EACH. How does that fit inside?? Sigh. One day at a time.
I have a starting point blood test and ultrasound on Monday 11/25 then Nate and I both start Doxycycline (antibiotic) twice a day for 10 days, on 11/28. 11/29 is my stimulation day 1 with a morning injection of Follistim and an evening injection of Menopur, one baby aspirin (81mg) and continuing with the antibiotic. We continue this for several days.
On stimulation day 5, 12/3 I have my first blood test and ultrasound after starting the drugs. They'll be looking for how the ovaries are responding, and the dr will tell me if he wants me to increase or decrease the dosage.
2 days later on 12/5, stimulation day 7, I may have another blood test and ultrasound. I'm instructed to bring a 3rd injection drug called Ganirelix which is to help keep the eggs in my ovaries since they'll want to ovulate with so many jammed in there. There may be a 4th injected drug called Lupron and I forget what it does but the dr will tell me if I need it. From Stim day 8 and on, I'll have daily blood tests and ultrasounds to check growth. Once the Dr. determines there is enough they'll schedule the HCG shot to stimulate the body to get ready for ovulation. This is a specific timed drug. They may tell me to wake up and inject at 2 am depending on when my retrieval appointment is because my ovaries with dump everything in 36 hours regardless.
Wednesday 12/11, stimulation day 13 is the possible retrieval day. I will be knocked out. They go in vaginally with a thin needle to suck out all the follicles. I may have to start yet another drug called Medrol, which is a low dose steroid to help my body not reject the eggs once they're implanted back inside.
On the day of retrieval they'll get a fresh batch from Nate and go to work in the lab. They will fertilize as many eggs with as many healthy good sperm as they can then watch them grow.
I can stop the stimulation drugs, but have to take the steroid and oral and vaginal hormones to help support the healthy environment for the fertilized eggs once they are back in my body.
Post retrieval day 3 or day 5 may be when they transfer them back in. It really depends on how many grow and how fast. They'll choose 2-4 best ones and freeze the rest. Again the number depends on the day they go in, how well they've grown etc. Then, we go home and think happy thoughts.
Post day 14, which will be 12/25 if everything lines up, is the time for the pregnancy test. Of course that is Christmas day so not sure the labs will be open but we can go the next day for sure.
That's enough for now. Lots of information. If my family or friends who are following this have questions feel free to post and I'll answer the best I can. Your prayers and positive thoughts through this process will be much appreciated.
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Beginning IVF
Today I went and picked up over $4k worth of drugs that are not covered by insurance for the IVF cycle starting in December. The giant bag of drugs scares me more than the financial cost of doing this. I'm concerned about risking my health mostly. The side effects can be extremely uncomfortable and rarely, but not SO rare at 2%, have ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome which can be life threatening although treatable.
I'll add more later since we have a performance of Zombie Prom tonight. Finding the IVF support group on Facebook has been helpful.
Why does this feel like a competition? One of my Facebook acquaintances just announced on line that she is having twins. Its so hard to be happy for her and not just plain mad.
I begin taking Follistim and Menopur injections next Friday.
I'll add more later since we have a performance of Zombie Prom tonight. Finding the IVF support group on Facebook has been helpful.
Why does this feel like a competition? One of my Facebook acquaintances just announced on line that she is having twins. Its so hard to be happy for her and not just plain mad.
I begin taking Follistim and Menopur injections next Friday.
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