Day 6

Well, we are pushing forward with this cycle. Today at my ultrasound she was able to measure 3 follicles between 13.6-14.4mm. My lead follicle/cyst is 22mm, but even if it has an egg in it, it will likely not be viable by the time we get to egg retrieval (ER). Anything over 20mm can be "over ripe." But my E2 level only went up to 264 (from 212 yesterday) so most likely the 22mm is a cyst, which means it is a follicle that doesn't contain an egg. It's still possible that having a big follicle like that will keep my other follicles from growing (the dominant follicle hogs all the estrogen, or something like that). So I will continue my injections for two more nights and then have my next check on Tuesday morning and hope for some good growth of the 3 smaller follicles. I will also add Ganirelix, the antagonist of my protocol, which will keep me from ovulating on my own (especially necessary in case the 22mm is an egg). It's possible I could have my ER as early as Thursday this week, depending on how the other 3 are growing and how well my E2 levels are rising.

Overall, I feel slightly better than I did yesterday (because one more follicle was measurable today) and I have 3 potential eggs for ER. It is a not a great number. I knew I wouldn't have a great number, but it's still sad that, even with all the drugs, my body can't seem to cooperate. It is hard to stay positive with these numbers, but I have to stay positive and remember that it really only takes one. It doesn't help that physically, I feel pretty crappy. I have a headache almost all the time, I have no appetite, I'm nauseous all day, I'm not sleeping well, and I'm tired pretty much all the time. Which reminds me of this ecard: