Moving forward

Sorry to keep you all hanging for so long, but I have been taking a little break from blogging, forums, etc. while I process the results of our first IVF cycle. I definitely needed a few mental health days. I was pretty sad and discouraged for a few days. Luckily, I have a very compassionate and caring doctor and she was able to work me into her schedule right away for a follow-up appointment so we could get the ball rolling for cycle #2. I also have an amazing community of women who rallied around me and were there for me. I know it's hard for my family and friends who haven't experienced infertility to really know the right things to say or how best to be supportive, so I will just say that a phone call or quick message or text to say you're thinking about me really goes a long way. So thanks again for your sweet comments here and to those who have shown me support in other ways.

My doctor and I had a good visit and we have a plan to proceed for the next cycle. I will be doing a similar, but more aggressive, protocol. Every IVF protocol involves some kind of suppression with a goal of equal egg growth and to prevent early ovulation. Last cycle I did 2 weeks of oral birth control pills for suppression. This time, my protocol is Estrogen Priming Antagonist. So in about 3.5 weeks I will start an estrogen patch for a few days. Then I will do 3 days of Ganirelix injections. After I get my next cycle, I will go in on day 2 for baseline blood work and ultrasound to make sure I don't have any cysts. Then, hopefully, I will start Bravelle and Menopur injections that night. I will start at twice the dose I was on last time, with the hope of recruiting more eggs this time around. Then I will add Ganirelix again the last few days of stimming to prevent premature ovulation.

So now we are just waiting. One of the hardest things about all this is the waiting. We waited a long time to finally get to our IVF cycle. We made the decision last October, started with our new doctor in January and finally started our cycle the end of May, only to have it end just 13 days later. It was all very anticlimactic. But hopefully this wait will lead to better results. My body needed some time to physically recover from the failed cycle (which it has) and mentally and emotionally I needed some recovery time as well. John and I were able to go away to Vermont with some friends this last weekend and it was great. We had some beautiful weather, made some new friends, and didn't have to think about IVF or anything at all. I will take the next few weeks to keep working on preparing my body for pregnancy and taking care of myself. I have many online friends who are going through IVF and I am continuing to support them and cheer them on. Many have already had success (even after previous failed IVF cycles) and I am so happy for them and it gives me hope that my turn will come soon.

Moss Glen Falls, VT