After obtaining legal clearance, it was time for medications! Now I love me some Google, and sure enough, Google did not fail to provide LOADS of information on what to expect while preparing for IVF. And sure enough after my meeting with the doctor, I was reassured that yes, I would need to get familiar with needles because I would soon be dealing with LOTS of them. Apparently, there's a lot more to getting pregnant with someone else's baby than just "implanting an embryo."
The good news was, at least for me, I got to take baby steps with the meds. After my first ultrasound, the doctor had ordered me to start estrogen patches to improve the thickness of my endometrium lining (the inner wall of the uterus). This is monitored closely, because a thin lining is no good, but neither is one that is too thick either -- looking for that happy just right place of 8-12mm. I began the Vivelle-Dot estrogen patches on April 15th. I applied 2 small patches to my lower abdomen and reapplied 2 new patches every other day. I was scheduled for an ultrasound on April 27th but was rescheduled due to a note in my file that said the doctor wanted me to go up to 4 patches a few days before the ultrasound. So I added more patches and rescheduled the ultrasound for the following week. The patches were easy and I did not feel any side effects from them. Yay for a easy first start to meds. On Tuesday, May 1st I had the ultrasound to have my uterine lining reassessed. The doctor said my lining looked great! It had thickened to 8.4mm (originally it was only at 3mm prior to the start of the estrogen patches). The doctor gave me the green light to move forward with a new cycle!
The good news was, at least for me, I got to take baby steps with the meds. After my first ultrasound, the doctor had ordered me to start estrogen patches to improve the thickness of my endometrium lining (the inner wall of the uterus). This is monitored closely, because a thin lining is no good, but neither is one that is too thick either -- looking for that happy just right place of 8-12mm. I began the Vivelle-Dot estrogen patches on April 15th. I applied 2 small patches to my lower abdomen and reapplied 2 new patches every other day. I was scheduled for an ultrasound on April 27th but was rescheduled due to a note in my file that said the doctor wanted me to go up to 4 patches a few days before the ultrasound. So I added more patches and rescheduled the ultrasound for the following week. The patches were easy and I did not feel any side effects from them. Yay for a easy first start to meds. On Tuesday, May 1st I had the ultrasound to have my uterine lining reassessed. The doctor said my lining looked great! It had thickened to 8.4mm (originally it was only at 3mm prior to the start of the estrogen patches). The doctor gave me the green light to move forward with a new cycle!
So a few days after my second visit to the doctors, this GIANT box arrived...
This box included everything I would need to get me through the transfer and a little beyond. The box came with less scary items like prenantal vitamins (though they were the prescription kind and bigger than any over-the-counter prenatal vitamin I had remembered taking with my first two pregnancies, and I was asked to take two different vitamins, which I had also not done with my first two pregnancies), more estrogen patches, and four different bottles of oral pills. And then there was the scary stuff - the alcohol swabs, the needles, the fluid for the injection, and the bio hazard container!!
In addition to staying on the estrogen patches, I was also asked to take an oral pill, called Provera, for 7 days - these pills would induce my period, so that I could begin the other meds and prepare for an IVF transfer. After my period arrived, the fun stuff began... injections! I was asked to do one daily injection of Lupron. This medication would temporarily suppress the pituitary and ovarian hormone production and prevent ovulation from occurring.
Preparing to give myself my first injection of Lupron...
Surprisingly, this injection was not bad at all! It's a very small needle, and you pinch the skin in your stomach before injecting. I was able to do this myself and felt no side effects from the Lupron, other than a little weird hand tingling on day 3. But it went away after a day or so.
The Monday (5/14) after my period
arrived, I went in for lab work. The results were good, estradiol (estrogen) level was 22 and progesterone level
was 0.6. At the time, I honestly did not know what these numbers meant and actually still do not understand them even now. :) But the nurse tells me they are good, so I just go with that. All meds remained the same, daily Lupron injection, and 2 estrogen patches changing every other day.
On May
21st, I went back in for lab work, estradiol level was 211 so I was
instructed to increase to 3 Vivelle-Dot estrogen patches beginning 5/22,
changing every other day. I went in for a final ultrasound before the transfer on 5/25, and had my lining reassessed, now at 9.44mm! Doctor said it looked perfect, just as it should. And we were ready for the transfer in one week. I took my last Lurpon injection that morning. And would start the infamous big, nasty, progesterone injections the next day.
Up next... preparing for the transfer!
~The Baby Fairy
Up next... preparing for the transfer!
~The Baby Fairy
