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.