Writing this post from the other side. Another IUI on the books. Outcome yet unknown.
Everything went as well as it could have, I would say. I went for the ultrasound Monday, still not having seen my LH surge. The doctor saw two dominant follicles, one on the right and one on the left, and one smaller. Measurements were 23 and 26mm, definitely triggerable size. There is a chance that the one on the left was the cyst, which had grown some. The doc thought it was likely new, though. I gave myself the trigger shot that night at 11pm, having still not seen a surge. IUI scheduled for Wednesday morning.
It was going to be at 11am, but I had a lunch meeting scheduled with a group of my birth mom's high school girlfriends, which was important to me and I wanted to try and make if I could (I will share about that visit in another post). The fertility center was kind enough to move my appointment up to 10am and S was kind enough to get into the office to make his deposit an hour earlier, at 8am. Thanks, baby! He was so nervous about the whole thing, it was endearing. Maybe I'm jaded after have done several of these.
I did get a little nervous the morning of the IUI... part of the reason is the importance of timing in a natural cycle. S had to be on time, or else my procedure could be delayed. I had to be on time or it might be detrimental to the sample. We never saw each other, but our actions were very coordinated and interdependent! We texted back and forth the whole morning.
The IUI went like clockwork. I was told the doc I had trained most of the ObGyns in the East Bay. I wouldn't be surprised because it was the quickest, most efficient IUI I've ever received. Before the procedure, they made me look at the vial three times. For some reason, I didn't want to see it! I kept thinking, "Just get it inside of me!" lol It was such a small amount, too, I was surprised. I guess they separate out the swimmers from the fluid, so it reduces down a lot. They told me that the numbers were great (120 million, and they want a minimum of 20 million) and that S gets an "A." I told him, and he obviously felt good about it. :-)
I have a question for those of you who have had IUIs: Did they encourage you to lie down for a while afterwards? I did with all my other IUIs, but at this place, they didn't seem to give much value to this practice at all. He was like, "You can stay for a few minutes if you want, but if you have somewhere to be..." I didn't actually end up staying too long but it was at least five or 10 minutes.
As I'm writing this, I just remembered I have to take my first progesterone pill tonight. I'm not looking forward to the side effects, but I know mine has been low so I'm happy to have the help. Here's hoping!
Showing posts with label PFC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PFC. Show all posts
6/06/2013
5/10/2013
Fertility Appointment News
It's almost mid-May! And here we are in the middle of another cycle. I have to admit the last one really threw me for a loop. I was pretty deflated and sad after that BFN... and mad too! Not mad at anyone, just generally mad at getting jerked around by all those deceptive signs and symptoms.
In retrospect, it was totally the Vitex, and I totally ovulated on Cycle Day 19 - four days after S and last tried. And we really thought we covered our bases, too, trying a couple of times after I thought I had ovulated. Then, everything just *looked different* than a normal cycle, so it made me get more and more hopeful... just to crash back down to earth. I guess I kind of hibernated after that for a while.
But I'm back in the driver's seat and feeling some hope again. On Tuesday, S and I went to the fertility doc at PFC in San Francisco. He obviously knew his stuff. I had to sit through another "Your chances are so low, they are barely on the chart" speeches. I know they have to give them, so there's no use fighting it. Afterwards, it did feel good to see him get surprised and excited about the two fat follicles growing on my right ovary (remember how my last doc said I had an awesome right ovary?). Apparently, I responded quite well to the higher dose of Femara I put myself on (7.5). I have a smaller one on the left side that he didn't think would likely ovulate. My total AFC remains similar at around eight.
My next steps are getting a couple blood tests (D and Prolactin) that they want done. If this cycle doesn't work, then we decided to do one more on that dose of Femara, since the response was so good. I will add in a trigger shot and an IUI, though. The following cycle, should we get there, would be an injectable/Menopur cycle. I just entered the two-week wait for this cycle, though, so I'll keep you posted.
Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the most significant findings: His ultrasound machine was quite powerful, and he saw that my cervix is like a little obstacle course for S's swimmers. The fibroid may be pulling/altering it, but basically it is shaped a bit like a corkscrew. Okay, that just sounds odd and makes one picture a water park slide! Anyway, that's the word he used, and he also said that there is a right angle to enter the uterus. Though still possible to navigate, this could be contributing to difficulty in conceiving AND is bypassed by doing an IUI. Yay to a tiny modicum of control!
I'm running out to do some errands, then S and I are going to our swing dance class tonight. Tomorrow I have to work registering HS students at my community college - boo! - but only until 2pm. We plan to take a bike ride in the evening. I love that the days are getting so much longer! Hope you all are well. I've been reading along with those of you who have blogs and commenting when I can.
In retrospect, it was totally the Vitex, and I totally ovulated on Cycle Day 19 - four days after S and last tried. And we really thought we covered our bases, too, trying a couple of times after I thought I had ovulated. Then, everything just *looked different* than a normal cycle, so it made me get more and more hopeful... just to crash back down to earth. I guess I kind of hibernated after that for a while.
But I'm back in the driver's seat and feeling some hope again. On Tuesday, S and I went to the fertility doc at PFC in San Francisco. He obviously knew his stuff. I had to sit through another "Your chances are so low, they are barely on the chart" speeches. I know they have to give them, so there's no use fighting it. Afterwards, it did feel good to see him get surprised and excited about the two fat follicles growing on my right ovary (remember how my last doc said I had an awesome right ovary?). Apparently, I responded quite well to the higher dose of Femara I put myself on (7.5). I have a smaller one on the left side that he didn't think would likely ovulate. My total AFC remains similar at around eight.
My next steps are getting a couple blood tests (D and Prolactin) that they want done. If this cycle doesn't work, then we decided to do one more on that dose of Femara, since the response was so good. I will add in a trigger shot and an IUI, though. The following cycle, should we get there, would be an injectable/Menopur cycle. I just entered the two-week wait for this cycle, though, so I'll keep you posted.
Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the most significant findings: His ultrasound machine was quite powerful, and he saw that my cervix is like a little obstacle course for S's swimmers. The fibroid may be pulling/altering it, but basically it is shaped a bit like a corkscrew. Okay, that just sounds odd and makes one picture a water park slide! Anyway, that's the word he used, and he also said that there is a right angle to enter the uterus. Though still possible to navigate, this could be contributing to difficulty in conceiving AND is bypassed by doing an IUI. Yay to a tiny modicum of control!
I'm running out to do some errands, then S and I are going to our swing dance class tonight. Tomorrow I have to work registering HS students at my community college - boo! - but only until 2pm. We plan to take a bike ride in the evening. I love that the days are getting so much longer! Hope you all are well. I've been reading along with those of you who have blogs and commenting when I can.
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