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And impatiently waiting for the call. The call to trigger that is. We need to trigger (induce ovulation) at a safe number and I have a history of an E2 level that skyrockets overnight. We went in for our ultrasound scan. There were lots of follicles growing and if this were an IVF cycle we’d be getting more than 5 eggs. This is ideal for us. We are battling male factor infertility and therefore the more targets we have the better our odds. Of course our RE mentioned the multiples talk and did say it was our choice but that given our track record and how many cycles we’ve already done this was a good deal for us.
For the last few posts I’ve talked quite a bit about follicles, eggs, ultrasounds and E2 level. I should explain what they are.
E2 = Estradiol level. Ideally it should be at 200-600 per follicle to indicate a mature egg. Of course this like everything else it can vary and smaller follicles do contribute to the number. More information.
Follicles & Eggs = A follicle is the basic unit of female reproductive biology and is composed of a roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary. They usually contain one oocyte (ovum or egg). A follicle is considered mature when it reaches 18mm and in a non-medicated cycle a woman typically will only have one mature follicle. The follicle will become the corpus luteum during the luteal phase (post ovulation). The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals, involved in production of progesterone, which is needed to maintain pregnancy. Progesterone is often supplemented in medicated cycles in the form of suppositories or the shots I explained in an earlier post.
Ultrasounds = These are given trans vaginally to measure the uterine lining & number of follicles present.
This is a stimulated ovary. The black spots are follicles. The pink dots are used to measure.
So, we wait. And hopefully our doctor will call in the next couple of hours to let us know that it is safe to trigger. If we do trigger our IUI will be Tuesday morning.
I just returned from an ultrasound to check on follicle growth. I have two 14’s, two 13’s and two 12’s. He says he only measures the leaders. My doctor also did a blood draw but I won’t have those results for a few hours. I am going in one day this weekend for an ultrasound and another blood draw. And the IUI will be Tuesday or Wednesday.
Today is cycle day 6 (CD6) and that meant an early morning ultrasound. I had two 10’s, one 9, and two 8’s. Which is a decent start at the cycle. The doctor gave me a shot of Menopur at the office 225iu (the most ever) and for the next two days I’ll be at 175iu of follistim. He’s thinking we may doing the IUI Monday but I think that may be a little early but we’re excited to be moving forward on another cycle.
I have been posting lately since we’ve been on a bit of a break. We started shots on Saturday. We’re doing Menopur & Follistim again. My doctor is going to be a little less aggressive with the meds this cycle since we ended up with so many mature follicles last cycle.
We also received the IVF paperwork from what will be our new clinic if the IUI doesn’t work. The paperwork is about an inch thick and covers everything from our health history to what to do with any frozen embryos in the event of one or both of deaths. I never would have imagined how detailed they have to get. It is completely understandable but at the same time very difficult.
Lastly, we pulled the offer on the house we made a month ago because the homeowners aren’t cooperating and providing the bank what they need to do a short sale. So we spent yesterday looking for homes again. But if we do not find something soon we’re going to put this on hold for another year.
