And apparently I was naughty. :P I still have a hard time not getting excited when I get a package, and today a very special one was delivered. Oh, my...
I am doing a Ganirelix protocol, so I'll stop taking Lo Loestrin (the pill) on 8/1 and then I'll just have to stick to my prenatal and baby aspirin for a few days. I don't have any reason to suspect that I have a clotting disorder which is what the baby aspirin is about. I think Dr. D figures, however, that if you are spending mega-bucks on an IVF cycle, let's not have something bad happen that a $5.00 bottle of medicine could have prevented.
Once I get the all clear from my baseline scan, BJ and I will both begin a Z-pack. Occasionally an infertile couple will have some underlying infection that has created a problem with conception. The antibiotic will knock that out.
Starting 8/5 I have Follistim and Menopur which are both Sub-Q injections that will go in my tummy. They will help me lay lots of eggs...we're shooting for 20! I'll use one in the morning and the other in the evening. I can't wait for the first time I have to excuse myself from company so I can go shoot up. "Excuse me I gotta go shoot some stim." I would have never made a cool drug addict...
Depending on my response, about midway through my stimulation meds I'll start the Ganirelix. This medicine prevents an early surge of luteinizing hormone which is the hormone that makes you ovulate. It is yet another sub-q injection so I'll be up to three a day! Yippy!
The IVF coordinator and Dr. D will tell me when to trigger with my Lupron injections. It's a series of two sub-q injections that have to be given EXACTLY 36 hours before my egg retrieval. It's typically used to treat prostate cancer in men. So kinda strange, but they have found it helps prevent OHSS during controlled ovarian hyperstimulations...anway, it will ripen my eggs so they are ready to become babies and halt the progression of my prostate cancer. Two-for-one!
On the evening of my egg retrieval, I will start taking my progesterone in oil (PIO) injections which have to go in my hip, and are pretty nasty because the oil is so thick. I'll also start wearing Vivelle patches which are estrogen supplements. (I'm not sure at this point, if I'm getting ready for gender-reassignment surgery, or pregnancy.) Those drugs are supposed to beef up my lining so that it is the consistency of peanut butter by the time I get to my transfer. After my transfer, I'll take start taking Endometrin and Prometrium to help with my progesterone deficiency. I'll stay on the last two until I have a negative pregnancy test (boo) or until my regular OB/GYN says I don't need it anymore at the end of my first trimester (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!).
So let's compare:
Peace, Love and Spawning
 |
| (All my meds for my IVF cycle!) |
Once I get the all clear from my baseline scan, BJ and I will both begin a Z-pack. Occasionally an infertile couple will have some underlying infection that has created a problem with conception. The antibiotic will knock that out.
Starting 8/5 I have Follistim and Menopur which are both Sub-Q injections that will go in my tummy. They will help me lay lots of eggs...we're shooting for 20! I'll use one in the morning and the other in the evening. I can't wait for the first time I have to excuse myself from company so I can go shoot up. "Excuse me I gotta go shoot some stim." I would have never made a cool drug addict...
Depending on my response, about midway through my stimulation meds I'll start the Ganirelix. This medicine prevents an early surge of luteinizing hormone which is the hormone that makes you ovulate. It is yet another sub-q injection so I'll be up to three a day! Yippy!
The IVF coordinator and Dr. D will tell me when to trigger with my Lupron injections. It's a series of two sub-q injections that have to be given EXACTLY 36 hours before my egg retrieval. It's typically used to treat prostate cancer in men. So kinda strange, but they have found it helps prevent OHSS during controlled ovarian hyperstimulations...anway, it will ripen my eggs so they are ready to become babies and halt the progression of my prostate cancer. Two-for-one!
On the evening of my egg retrieval, I will start taking my progesterone in oil (PIO) injections which have to go in my hip, and are pretty nasty because the oil is so thick. I'll also start wearing Vivelle patches which are estrogen supplements. (I'm not sure at this point, if I'm getting ready for gender-reassignment surgery, or pregnancy.) Those drugs are supposed to beef up my lining so that it is the consistency of peanut butter by the time I get to my transfer. After my transfer, I'll take start taking Endometrin and Prometrium to help with my progesterone deficiency. I'll stay on the last two until I have a negative pregnancy test (boo) or until my regular OB/GYN says I don't need it anymore at the end of my first trimester (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!).
So let's compare:
 |
| BJ's Meds (yes, those are gummy vitamins) |
 |
| My 60+ needles... |
Clearly, fertility treatments are sexist...
Peace, Love and Spawning
Fertility is definity gender biased! ;) Loved the pictures.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be praying, sending out positive thoughts, etc. etc. for you all to get some good news. You certainly deserve it after going through all that. IM shots are the worst...
Side note- Lupron is also used to treat endometriosis pain. It is a GnRH agonist. It works in a weird way because they give it as a depot shot (releasing slowly over a month or three month period). You initially have a burst of FSH and LH, but with the constant dosing the body adapts and you stop making FSH and LH putting you in a "chemical menopause". It even causes bone loss.
I've had it three times (which is why I have the bones of a 40-50 year old). Effective for me except the last time I used it...but I wasn't using it for fertility, but pain control. Two totally different ways to use it with different effects. Weird isn't it??
I did know it could be used for endo. I was at the point where I had to either choose to go ahead and get help having a baby or try something more drastic like lupron to slow the endo down and relieve the pain. It's a crazy drug, but I definitely don't want OHSS, so I'm all for trying it. I'm like you, and after depo provera I don't need anything else that depletes my bones! Have you found anything that does work for you since it didn't help this last time?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
Since it didn't work the last time, we decided it was time for baby #2. It pushed our time table up some, but I think it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteI had a much easier time getting pregnant the second time. No miscarriages for me this time either.
My second daughter is almost 5 months old. I'm already starting to have pain. We moved states while I was pregnant, so I don't have my same dr who saw me in NC. The dr who delivered her was great...until now. She apparently doesn't handle anything outside of being an OB. She told me I might be having back pain because I have two little kids. I thought I was going to hit her in the office. I'm old enough to know the difference between a muscle pull and lower back pain because my uterus is tilted to the back.
**Shameless plug- I have my own blog and I wrote about it here- http://featheringthecrownest.blogspot.com/2011/07/one-mad-mommy.html**
I'm looking for a new dr. When we first moved I saw an RE to monitor the beginning parts of the pregnancy. But the office has closed. I just need a dr that will take me seriously. I mean it's been 10 years since my first diagnosis I know when I'm in pain. I really would like to avoid hysterectomy as long as I can since I don't want to damage my bones anymore than they are. Mirena has been suggested to me. We'll see.
Still praying for you all!