Day 3

Today I had my first blood work monitoring. My last treatment cycle, my estradiol (E2) level did not rise like it was supposed to. The rise in E2 shows that the eggs/follicles are growing and that the uterine lining is thickening, so at this point in the cycle, the number should be going up and should double about every 48 hours. Last cycle, mine dropped before it started to rise and was barely doubling in 48 hours, so I was very discouraged. I was on a very conservative dose of medication though and the goal with IUI is 1-3 mature eggs, where as the goal with IVF is as many mature eggs as you can get basically (without compromising quality, it's a delicate balance).

Anyway, my E2 more than doubled so I will do the same dose (150IU Bravelle and 75IU Menopur) of meds tonight and tomorrow and then go back for my next monitoring appointment on Saturday morning. I will also have my first ultrasound of the cycle, so I am hopeful that I will have a lot of follicles growing. Some women get a lot of eggs during IVF, upwards of 20-30+. Because I have diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) I will be happy if we get between 5-10 mature eggs. My doctor said she would be pleased with 5-8. So as I write about the numbers, don't be discouraged for me if the numbers sound low. This is to be expected and we are focusing on quality vs. quantity for my cycle.

This is the part of IVF that is supposed to be "exciting." It is supposed to move fast. It's where all the action happens. ha ha I don't mind the injections, but I do mind the drive to the appointments. Our clinic is in Quincy and we live in Middleboro. In no traffic, it is about a 30-35 minute drive. Quincy is about 10-15 minutes south of Boston, so there is no such thing as no traffic on a weekday morning. So I take the earliest monitoring appointment I can get (usually between 6:45-7:00, the latest they do them is 8:30) so I can leave my house around 6:00 and get there on time. Today traffic was pretty bad, so I was late. I left my house at 6:15 for my 6:55 appointment but didn't get there until about 7:10. For those that have ever driven with me, you know I do not tolerate stupid drivers very well. It is a challenge for me, but I have just had to let go of all of that because I want to keep my stress level low. So I always go prepared with water and a snack and listen to music and try to enjoy the drive. And then I take a nap when I get home. :-)

Overall, I am feeling pretty good for now. It is still early in the cycle and I will know a lot more this weekend when I have the ultrasound. Physically, I feel fine. I don't have much of an appetite, but that is how I felt last time I did injections. I read about some women who can't stop eating while doing injections, so I'm glad that hasn't happened to me. I have a little nausea and some occasional cramping, but nothing too crazy. And so far, no bruises on my belly from the injections. John does good work. :-)

This was traffic on my way back, at about 7:30am. I was at a complete stop, waiting for my turn to merge (people in MA are very bad at merging). Good times.