Let the Lupron begin!

I called the NP (nurse practitioner) today to plead with her to let me stop these damn birth control pills and start Lupron. Can you believe it? I want to start LUPRON???

But I do.

And they said yes.

Thank god! I've been on BPCs since June 8th with out having a period and sorry if this is way too much info, but holy crap am I bloated! I HATE birth control pills in a regular IVF cycle, where I'm usually only on them form 2 weeks or so, but we're pushing 4 weeks now and this is getting ridiculous! I feel like a stuffed sausage and I'm a cranky bitch. (Sorry Tidy)

A few days ago, I started spotting on them, which is the sign that my body is really ready to move on to the next step. And I have a hormone headache to boot. So, instead of waiting until next Tuesday to get my calendar and risk my body doing something to screw up the timing of this cycle, I took the bull by the horns and said.. please, please, let me start Lupron so I can stop these damn pills!!!

My lovely NP consulted with my lovely RE and they said yes. THANK YOU! I feel like this is going to give me so much relief.

And with that, I am back into the sisterhood of the bruised bellies.. and I'm so proud.

Oh, also, just a quick plug. If you haven't had a chance to vote for the best blog (I'm one of the nominations) for RESOLVE's Bust a Myth campaign entry, please do so soon! The voting closes on Monday, July 11th. Thanks!

Walking Pharmacy

Ovulating a big follicle (23mm) kind of hurts! Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to ovulate all the eggs you grow in an IVF cycle? OUCH!

I triggered my 1 little persistent, Lupron-defying follicle on Thursday night and can definitely feel ovulation pain today. Its amazing that it is occurring just about about 36 hours after the shot. My body does actually respond to SOME type of med in the right way.

Also, I started a plethora of other shots and pills for luteal phase support today. I'm a walking pharmacy.Here's the list:

• Progesterone (2x daily Crinone gel) - I like this WAY better than the PIO. Hate hate hate those shots in the bum. Oh, and welcome back Prednisone! You know how much I love you.
• Baby Asprin (1x daily 81mg) - See note below in Levenox.
• Estrace (3x daily 2mg tablets) - Anyone else take this much estrogen during their 2ww?
• Prednisone (1x daily 20mg tablets) - I took this for my last 2 transfers and it seems to help with the feverish feeling I got with my first 3 transfers.
• Levenox (aka - low molecular weight Heparin. 1 40u SQ shot daily) - This, along with the baby aspirin above can help those with high APAs (which I have tested positive for, although this topic is heavily debated). I figure, it can't hurt, and maybe it can help, so I'm willing to give it a shot.

Yes, this may seem extreme, but I'm willing to try anything at this point.

Desperate? ... Maybe.

A Dr Google whore?... .Definitely!

Lush Lining

There is definitely a theme to this cycle, and that theme is the letter "L".  Maybe that just means it will finally be my lucky cycle, huh? (Yeah, reaching... I know... but a girl can try, right?)

A few days ago, I posted about my "Lupron Limbo" and now it seems that I have a "Lush Lining", lush enough to decide that it's just too pretty to pass up and our FET will now, not only NOT be delayed, but moved forward about 5 days from the original plan (pre-Lupron Limbo). We will now be PUPO on MONDAY!

Here's how we came to that decision: I went into the RE today to check to see if the follicle that I had been growing while on Lupron (which, my RE says usually only happens about 5-6 times a year for them) had shrunk after a week more on Lupron. And of course, as I had known yesterday after a nice showing of the fertile lady juice, it had not only NOT shrunk, but had grown from a measly 14mm to a nice big whopping ripe follicle of 23mm.  So of course I was thinking our FET would most definitely be delayed until mid May.

But, my lining was a beautiful thick and luscious 10mm.

So my RE's husband, who just so happens to also be an RE at the same clinic and was doing the ultrasound this morning, said, "Wow! Look at that lining! Picture perfect. This is just too good too pass up. Let's see if you haven't already ovulated (by taking my progesterone and LH levels) and if not, we'll trigger that follicle and do the transfer early next week"

WHAAAA?

I didn't even know that was a possibility! This isn't a natural FET, because I was on Lupron, but it also didn't take any estrogen to prep my lining because it was all my own... So what do you even call this?

So they drew my blood and after it confirmed that the big, fat 23mm follicle has not ovulated, they said it's a go! I am to trigger that sucker tomorrow and start my progesterone this weekend and we will thaw and hopefully transfer all 3 of my remaining day-2 embryos from my January IVF cycle on Monday and as quick as that, I'll be back in the 2ww.

I must say, I really like this way of going through a cycle... not even knowing you are prepping for it makes it all that much quicker.

And then tonight, it occurred to me, we can also not only use our frozen embryos but we've got a nice ripe follicle to boot... and with a little "hubba hubba" (for those Simpson's fans out there think the episode abotu  Mindy) this weekend, there's a possibility (albeit an infinitesimally small possibility) that we could be the proud parents of quadruplets 9 months from now. Now wouldn't that just be a dramatic way to end a fertility journey... ha!

Seriously though, at least one would be fantastic.

Lupron Limbo

I went into my RE today for my baseline ultrasound to see if my body was suppressed enough by the Lupron so we could start our FET cycle... After 4 years and 4+ IVF cycles, I've been getting pretty good at looking at my ovaries on a sonogram screen. As soon as my right ovary came into view and focus, I knew right away that our FET would be on hold.

My body just didn''t want to listen to the Lupron this month and it decided to grow its own follicle... grrr. 1 follicle, 15mm, E2 = 102. And today is CD5 after my birth control period.  Oh, and a bunch of antral follicles to boot. So I have to stay on Lupron for a week and go back in to see if it has shrunk. But my hunch is that it won't (ie, it's a "functional cyst") and we'll have to be sidelined for one more month.

But I'm not really that upset. I guess maybe because I've been through this so many times (not the growing follicle thing, but just cycling in general) that what's one more month, right? And part of me thinks that maybe, just maybe, this is the universe's way of saying, hold on girlie... your brother is getting married out of town in early December and there's no way we want you to be late in your third trimester during his wedding, especially since it involves an airplane ride and such. So we'd better make you wait another month or so... Gee, thanks universe... really... thanks... because, um, we could have just done this a few months ago instead when I did my IVF clinical trial and already HAD the baby by his wedding....but NO...

I digress.

So here we stand, in Lupron Limbo for another week, and most likely another month...

Oh, and a strange side note for those of you who believe that our bodies should be and used to be more in tune with nature. The 'functional cyst' thing that happens to many of us in an IVF cycle when they are trying to suppress us with luteal phase lupron, occurs MUCH more frequently during the spring (per my RE).... hmmmm..... Spring = Fertile time of the year?????

I think it just goes to show you that no matter how much we try to and think we can control the human body, there are other forces out there at work laughing at our futile attempts.