Injections, Ultrasounds, & Blood Tests -- Oh my!

After a long week, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I am now done with the "marathon" that prepares you for egg retrieval. I have been to the doctor every day this week, except for July 4th, to have blood tests and ultrasounds done to check my reaction to the stim injections and see how my follicles were growing.

Thomas has been calling me a turtle all week because of how many eggs I'm growing. Isn't that the sweetest? HAHA! 

Quick synopsis of what happens during this stage of IVF:

- Starting on June 28th, I was taking nightly injections of Menopur and Gonal-F--both of which are Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) injections. As soon as you start these, you go every other/ every day for an ultrasound (to check the growth of follicles) and a blood test (to check estrogen, LH, and progesterone).

-Once my follicles got to a certain size, they added a third injection: Cetrotide. Cetrotide keeps your body from ovulating too soon, since they are pumping you full of crazy amounts of FSH. They keep you from ovulating so that your follicles can continue to grow and make more eggs. 

-Once your estrogen levels are through the roof and your follicles are big enough, they decide its time to trigger you for ovulation, 35 hours before egg retrieval. I was triggered with both HCG (Novarel) and Lupron on July 7th for retrieval tomorrow, the 9th.

Now here is more about our journey this week, specific to us:

***Remember this while reading and be amazed by the human body: 

-The average woman produces one follicle / egg when she ovulates naturally.

-The average woman my age has an estrogen level of about 100-200 and even when pregnant during the first trimester, your estrogen is normally between 200-2000. 

- A follicle is normally 18-24 mm before it is able to release an egg. Sometimes they will release around 15 mm.

-Follicle amount will fluctuate below because it is hard to find so many, and some techs don't measure them all if they are very small.

Ultrasound & Blood Test #1: 

I started my marathon of testing on July 1st. At this point, I had 24 tiny follicles growing--the lead follicle at 10 mm. My estrogen level was 225.

Ultrasound & Blood Test #2: 

Meet Minnie. Minnie is my phlebotomist and one of the sweetest and dearest people I have ever met. She's been a rock for us during this journey--from bringing me puke buckets when I can't handle my estrogen levels to hugging and crying with us when we miscarried. We love this friend more than she will ever know and couldn't be more thankful for her.

My second testing day, my estrogen was 690 and I had about 20 follicles (lead at 14 mm) growing and getting bigger by the second. They put me on the Cetrotide this day to make sure I didn't prematurely ovulate.

Ultrasound & Blood Test #3: 

I was so sick this day (and the rest of the week). Crazy high Estrogen levels will getcha. But that was good, because it meant everything was working properly, so I was thankful! 

Also, aren't my socks great? I wasn't kidding when I said it was the little things that brighten my day, haha.

This day, I had 22 follicles, with the lead at 19 mm. My estrogen level was 1578 and they started every day appointments to watch the growth closer. 

Ultrasound & Blood Test #4: 

This day I was back up to 23 follicles, with the lead at 21 mm. My estrogen level was 2488.

Ultrasound & Blood Test #5: 

I forgot to take a picture with our sign this day, so instead here is what my ultrasound looks like. Those black holes are follicles containing an egg. Normally you have one black hole on one ovary for your one follicle. 

I had 23 follicles this day. The lead was at 23 mm-- 8 follicles all over 18 mm, but 16 of the 23 were all over 15 mm. My estrogen level was 3500. 

After this ultrasound/blood test, they called me and told me that I would be receiving my trigger shots that evening. These trigger you to ovulate for your egg retrieval procedure and are very time sensitive. We had to do the injections at exactly 9:30 pm, 35 hours before retrieval. Thankfully, Thomas was off work and able to do them, because one had a huge needle....but Kate tried to take over instead and was clearly too excited. ;) Just kidding...but she did watch and ask a billion "Katelynn questions" and I immediately wished she was there to make me laugh and distract me every injection night before! :)

After the trigger shot night, you go in for a Pre-Op appointment the next morning, where they do one final pre-retrieval blood test and prepare you for the procedure. At this appointment, they go over the procedure and give you a quick synopsis of the day after retrieval, three days after, and then 5 days after--which is the Embryo Transfer Day. They give you your IVF Postoperative Medication Sheet with the dates you begin your next rounds of meds (all oral except for one injection! YAY!). They go over each medication with you and give you your physical restrictions and tell you to be a couch potato for the next 3 weeks or more. 

So after a long week of 26 injections and 6 blood tests, I am done being a complete human pincushion. I do still have a daily injection (for at least 2 weeks), Progestrone in Oil, that I will begin after retrieval, but once a day is better than 4 times a day, so we'll take it. 

Next up: Procedure week. Egg Retrieval then Embryo Transfer at the end of the week. 

We would appreciate prayers as we enter into my procedures. Even though it is a routine procedure, I still will be put under anesthesia. Please pray all goes well and that we get good results from both procedures. And please pray for our emotional health as we enter into this exciting, but scary part of IVF. We love you all.

Abby & Thomas