Great News! Grow Follicles Grow! You can do it!

Sorry its been so long since my last blog. Well, I received great news from my doctor in Montgomery. My ultrasound (u/s) showed no cysts on my left or right ovaries. Cysts at this point in my cycle can delay IVF. In the back of my mind my main goal for this visit was to find out how many follicles I had on both ovaries and what size they were. (For my friends and family that are new to the infertility world a follicle is another word for possible egg. The follicle needs to measure 10 to 12 on the u/s to be considered an egg. I know almost enough to be dangerous!) Anyway, the u/s revealed several follicles growing but none measured 10 to 12 yet. The NP said that it was to early in my cycle to start measuring. She did say she would measure them at the next visit, Sept. 23rd. Of course, I am impatient and would love to know how many eggs I have so I know how many possible tots (I will refer to my eggs and fertilized embryo as tots for now) Jason and I will have to transfer. My blood work was great. My hormone levels are wonderful and my Beta was less than 5. (which means I am not pregnant imagine that) Ok, everyone knows that I love surprises. However, I have been very disappointed at the level of fun you can have at the doctors office when they say the word surprise. On my IVF calendar (the bible), it said so many abbreviations for things that I didn't have a clue what to expect. The abbreviation US CATH means they are going to stick a small catheter (IUI cath) in your uterus and drain fluid to culture. This was my surprise for the day! We want a baby! We want a baby! I repeated this the whole time they did the US CATH. This seemed to help because the NP said I did fine. A little cramping and a little spotting later we were off to pay for our procedure. We paid for IVF with the sweet receptionist and were headed home. In the waiting room, as we were leaving, I met a wonderful couple from Slocomb that were 8 weeks pregnant and in Montgomery for an ultrasound. Thank you Lord for this much needed push that everything we are doing is not in vain and the reminder that our time will come! On Sunday I will start my first STIM injection. This is two different medications, Gonal and Menopur, given in one injection that will stimulate my ovaries to produce numerous eggs. These medications make your ovaries swell because of the stimulation. The goal is to stimulate the ovaries just enough to produce lots of quality eggs. However, the ovaries should not be over stimulated or you can have a condition called OHSS Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. This can cause pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and in rare circumstances hospitalization. Please pray for the doctors as they find the perfect level of stimulation during the next 2 weeks. Egg retrieval is scheduled tentatively for Sept. 29th or 30th. IVF is scheduled for possibly Oct. 4th. Jason and I want to thank you for all your sweet comments, emails, calls, and prayers!