Yesterday morning I went in for a teaching visit with one of the nurses. It just happened to be one of my favorite nurses too! I really like working with Teresa. She has a very calm voice and always explains what she is doing and why. We sat down in the conference room and she began going over the protocol I will start next week if everything looks good.

I have an ultrasound and blood work scheduled for Monday morning August 10. That will also be the last day I take my birth control. As long as things are looking okay on the 10th, I will start on the 13th with a micro dose of Lupron twice a day about 12 hours apart. This is an injection I am getting from a compounding pharmacy here locally. The rest of my medications will be shipped to me overnight from a mail-order specialty pharmacy. I continue the Lupron thru Friday the 14th and then add two more injections on Saturday the 15th. That will be a total of 4 injections each day. 2 in the morning and 2 at night. In addition to the 20 units of Lupron in the morning, I will add 150 IU Bravelle mixed with 1cc of saline. Then in the evening, I will inject 20 more units of Lupron and a second injection of 300 IU Menopur mixed with 1cc of saline. All of the shots will be administered around my belly button. I had a little bruising the last round of IVF and that was just 2 shots a day, so we will see what happens this time around.

I will continue this protocol through Wednesday the 19th and will go in Wednesday morning for another ultrasound and blood work to check on the progress of my follicles. At that appointment, they will either keep all the dosages the same, or make any adjustments they feel are necessary. I have a calendar with specific and detailed information on each day as to what to take and when.

In addition to the injections, I’m also talking a large dose of Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Co-Q-10, baby aspirin, and prenatal vitamins. I typically take all my pills right before bedtime and it feels like I’m taking in a second supper! With the different dosages of vitamins, it usually adds up to 8-10 pills.

The retrieval is scheduled to take place Thursday the 27th. Hopefully all will go well and that date will remain the same. The only side effect I experienced last time with all the medication was bloating, which is common because your ovaries are working over-time to produce so many eggs at once. I will have to stop doing cross fit while I take the stimulation drugs because of the chance of my ovaries twisting during this time due to how large they become and from what the doctor has told me, this is very painful. Plus, the only way the ovary can be untwisted is by surgery and your IVF cyle will be cancelled because of the process of how everything has to be timed just right.

It’s a lot of information and I am still trying to wrap my head around it all. I’m so glad that the clinic I to to has such a supportive staff and that they welcome questions or concerns at anytime. I’ll update again after my appointment on Monday!! Have a great weekend!