When we last left off, we went to the injections class to learn how to give myself the injections of stimulation meds to get my ovaries to get off their lazy asses and finally release some eggs. Since the meds are "special" you can't just walk into your neighborhood Walgreens and fill your prescription. So, we ordered them and waited for their arrival. Meanwhile, I was on another medicine to induce my cycle. My body can really do nothing on it's own!
First Try
I don't remember all the details as this happened last spring and I now have a full on case of baby brain. So, bear with me. This time, to induce my cycle, Dr. M put me on birth control. Because of that, I could get my baseline before my actual cycle started. Or something like that. I went in for my baseline and everything was looking good. I got the go ahead to start my medicine. I was prescribed Menopur 75 IU (he started me on a low dose b/c I have a plethora of eggs and didn't want to overstimulate me). The first night, B and I got the medicine out ready to mix it all up. I decided that I would mix and he would shoot. I was so nervous and freaked out that I knocked over one of the vials with my shaking hand. B banished me to the other room to lay down and just wait for him. He was so awesome through this whole process, I can't even say. I am so lucky that I got to marry him. He got the meds all mixed up and came in bearing the needle. Now, I should say that the needle really is nothing. It's like half an inch and tiny. But, again, I was terrified of needles at this point. So, that day, I was wearing a dress and had to lift it in order to do the injection in my belly fat. I was already nervous and felt very vulnerable. So, as I laid down to get the shot (agian, scardey cat!) I pulled the covers up to cover myself. B thought this was hilarious and ridiculous. Thankfully, it kind of cut my tension and made me relax a bit. The shot itself wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
I was trucking along with my shots and monitoring visits. Mid way through the shots, Dr. M upped my dose to 150 IU of Menopur since my lazy ovaries just weren't doing their thing just yet. This is the cycle I realized I was allergic to the "don't ovulate too early" medicine. I just got a major welt on my belly at the injection site and it was crazy itchy. Dr. M decided to just take me off of it and said it was no big deal at all. I finally had a nice thick uterine lining and one good size follicle. It was time to trigger! Then, 36 hours later, it was time to do the deed. Obviously I won't go into too much detail here, but let me just say that early morning, timed, mandatory sexy time is actually the exact opposite of sexy. But, we made it work. Fast forward two weeks.....aaaaaannnnnd big fat negative. I'm very grateful that my clinic only makes you come in for a blood test if you get a positive at home. It's much easier to bear when you can mourn in the privacy of your own home. All in all, I think my cycle, from day 1 to trigger was 10 days or so. According to the nurse, this was on the long side.
Second Try
We decided to jump right into the second attempt just as soon as we could. Luckily, my body actually started my cycle on it's own, so we didn't have to wait for that. This time, we started with 150 IU of medicine since it realy kick started my ovaries the previous cycle. This cycle went much faster. I only had to have like 2 monitoring visits vs. 3 or 4 the previous cycle. I had one good follicle this time and a great lining. Now, this is the cycle that during which we found out about B's awful SA. So the negative wasn't as shocking or hard this time around. I was ready for it. Don't get me wrong, it still stings. A negative always does. But, far less so when you know it's coming.
Third Try
So, third time is supposed to be the charm right? Plus, it was supposed to have our highest odds, so we were really hopeful this round. We had taken a month or so off, making sure B's numbers were where they needed to be. We were there and ready to go. This time, we decided to go for IUI. This was our last shot, so we were bringing out the big guns. And, being the planner that I am, I was prepared. My insurance doesn't cover anything for an IUI cycle, meds, visits, the procedure itself, nothing. So, during my last cycle, I totally over ordered my meds and had enough to get me through this cycle. Yay for thinking ahead! At my baseline ultrasound, I talked dosage to Dr. M. He wanted to start me on 150 IU again and maybe move up from there. I asked if we could start at 225 IU and move down if need me. This was our last shot and I really wanted to do everything in my power to make this work. He agreed that that was a good plan and we went through with it. He was going on vacation, so I wouldn't deal with him for the rest of the cycle. Usually a nurse is who does the ultrasounds, but I was lucky this time to get a doctor each time. Dr. C was the one did my monitoring visits in Dr. M's absense. I was in great hands. My first monitoring visit she saw all my eggs and was like, "if you do IVF you WILL be successful, you have so many eggs!". I just laughed it off. This cycle did take a bit longer than the previous one, but still not crazy long. But, it did get a bit hairy for a minute. Some of the time, during a monitoring visit, they monitor your progesterone as well. You don't want that level to get too high. That means you're being overstimulated and are at risk for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. You DO NOT want that. It's bad news. So, when they took mine, they noticed it was a bit elevated. They lowered my dose back down to 75 IU and had me come in the next day. Needless to say, I was less than happy about this. There was talk of cancelling my cycle. I was devestated. So, on a Saturday morning, B went with me, and we took a look. I had FOUR follicles!!! FOUR. This was great news to me. Now, for Dr. C she was a little apprehensive since that could potentially mean four babies. But, with IUI I think 4 is their cut off. Had I had one more, I would have been cancelled. My progesterone levels were still on the high side, but not too high. We were in business!! They did change up my trigger shot to something else and gave me a pill to take for 10 dyas to prevent hyperstimulation. 2 days later, we went in for our IUI. B's numbers were fantastic again. The nurse did the procedure and the whole thing only took a few minutes. It was uncomfortable, but not painful. A friend had told me to visualize the sperm swimming up to meet my egg(s). As I attempted that, I ended up singing "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo. Typical. I took the day off work to relax and keep my hips elevated all day. I think this did a world of good. The next two weeks were the longest of my life. This was our last shot at having a baby of our own. We were out of money and out of options at this point. A lot was riding on this cycle. Patience has never been my strong suit. Like ever. So, two Fridays after the IUI (less than two weeks) I woke up super early from a dream. In the dream, I took a test and it was positive. I had the same dream my first cycle, and we all know how that turned out. But, this time, I was sure it had to be true. It just had to be. So, at 4:45 I got out of bed and went and took the test. It was positive. Holy shit, I'm pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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