CD32 -Triggered

Got myself the trigger shot tonight at 8:30 pm. I'm as ready as I can be and hoping for the best on Tuesday.

CD30 - getting pessimistic

Well, everything is basically still as OK as the last few days, but today I asked the RE how many (usable) follicles we can count on, and the answer is seven (...).

Last time (yes, 2.5 years ago) they retrieved 14 (of which eight were fertilized, of which only two were good enough to be transferred). So I'm a bit scared that it won't work this time. I know you only need one great one, and some smaller ones could still mature over the coming two days, but hmm, I'm a bit blue. Oh, and for the records, estradiol level is 2621 pg/ml today.

But the good news is that we do have a date set for ER and it will be Tuesday, so exactly the same cycle length as last time, even though I'm reacting differently to the stimulation and the dose for the last few days is also much higher than for IVF #1. I guess that's due to being 2.5 years older than last time? So tonight and tomorrow night again 225 IU Puregon injections, then triggering Sunday night.

Update: the RE's secretary called to say I should change back to 150 IU Puregon for tonight and tomorrow night (based on my pretty high estrogen level).

CD29 - second u/s

We all had to get up very early this morning so I could make the 7:30 am appointment at the clinic for u/s and blood draw and hubby could catch his 8 am TGV. This meant waking up our son at 6:30 am, which he did not appreciate at all - try to change his diaper and get him dressed while he was throwing a 'I don't want to wake up yet' tantrum, give him a bottle, deliver him to the neighbors (which hubby did, by that time I'd already left) who took him to the nanny... I was about 10 minutes early at the clinic, the female RE was there again and early as well, again just one person in front of me, so my turn was exactly at 7:30.

Lining was great at 8 mm. Then she looked at the follicles and first said ER would either be Saturday or Monday, but after closer inspection decided it would rather be Monday or Tuesday. I didn't ask the exact numbers but apart from a few that are already too big, there seem to be about five on each side which are now around 14 - 16 mm. I'll try to get more details tomorrow.

Got my blood work done right after that and just got the results: estrogen level is now at 1597 pg/ml.

I have to up my dose of Puregon from 150 IU to 225 IU tonight and then come back in for another u/s and blood draw tomorrow. When I asked the RE what time she said she didn't know yet. Told her about this morning with our little one. She told me I should just have asked to come in later, they could have taken me between patients... Secretary just called to confirm the dose for tonight and told me that the RE had mentioned I could come in at 11 am tomorrow (when she's starting her regular schedule)! Yeah, that relieves me of quite some organizational stress as hubby won't be back from his business trip until tomorrow evening. Have to get my blood work done earlier though, so they will have the results the same afternoon.

CD26 - First ultrasound

I had to be at the clinic this morning at 9:30 for the first ultrasound and blood draw to see how the stimming is going. I was early, only one woman in front of me and the RE (a woman whom I hadn't met before) was early too, so everything went pretty fast. I didn't get exact numbers, but the RE murmered something of about five follicles on each side. I don't know if that means 10 in total or 10 usuable in total, because there were some that were already measuring 17 or 18 mm and she told me those would be 'discarded' and the focus would be on the ones now measuring around 13 mm. In any case, I seem to respond quicker to the drugs than two years ago - when after six days of stimming follicles were only measuring around 10 mm. My estradiol level seems to be telling the same story: 545 pg/ml (while two years ago it was 310 on the same cycle day). Don't know if this is a good or bad thing or that it really doesn't matter...

I have to continue with the daily 150 IU Puregon and come back for the next u/s on Thursday morning. This time at 7:30 am - which will be a bit of a logistical nightmare as this is a day our toddler normally doesn't go to the nanny and on top of that hubby will be away on business. So hopefully with the help of my neighbor, who's kids go to the same nanny, and some flexibility on the nanny's part, I will be able to get it all sorted out.

I also had a consult with the anesthesiologist and went by the admission's office for my pre-admission. Everything was fine, but I have to get some additional blood work (coagulation) done, but will do that on Thursday, didn't feel like getting stabbed with the needle twice within a one-hour period.

CD20 - stimming day 1

Started with 150 IU Puregon again today. Six days at home (or actually on ski vacation right now!) and then going in for the first u/s on Monday. Same protocol as last time.

We met with the embryologist last Friday. Not much news, she went over our bloodwork and admin stuff again, same thing the RE did in October.

There was however one thing we wanted to check with her. Hubby's sperm test results in October showed some tiny presence of streptococus, so the RE had prescribed him antibiotics and to redo the test two weeks after the treatment. He did take the antibiotics right away, but could only redo the test a few weeks ago because of my mom's passing and everything. The result was about the same, so he again got a letter from the RE with a prescription for an antibiotics treatment. However, he had just taken one a few weeks ago, this time for dental surgery, so we were a little hesitant to start a third round of antibiotics when the previous two apparently hadn't done their work.

The doc still advised to take the antibiotics, but wait until I had been stimming for about four days, so the meds would still be active just before ER and there would't be strep in the culture used for the IVF. So that's what he'll do now, hopfully that will all work out OK.

WiseGuy and Lola

My heart aches for WiseGuy, whose little Lola passed away two days after birth. WiseGuy was kept in the dark for almost a week. If you want to help remember Lola, please visit Kristin's blog.

We're on again!

Yes! AF showed her face again yesterday after a 2+ month absence. I don't think I've ever been so excited about it (we IF'ers live weird lives). So IVF #2(bis) is on!

Went to the nurse yesterday with toddler in tow to get my decapeptyl shot. It was obvious to him the nurse was going to do something to his mommy and he didn't like it. Could not be distracted by the big empty syringe the nurse offered him to play with. Just held my leg and wanted a hug when it was over.

Stimming starts in 19 days (during our ski vacation, but hey, at least u/s won't be until a week later so I don't have to drive back and forth from the Alps, or worse, cancel the vacation, or even worse, postpone the cycle - which I was all nervous about when I booked the trip a few weeks ago)...