IVF Update... Day 11??

Yes, you read the title correctly... day 11! It has been 11 days since I started my IVF injections. Normal stimulation time is between 8-10 days, but my follicles are taking their sweet time to get mature enough for retrieval. The nurse told me today that it could be taking longer because I was on birth control prior to starting IVF (which is standard protocol). So my follicles might be taking a little longer to respond to the medications. Nevertheless, she also told me that I am still on track and that sometimes women just need a few extra days on meds to catch up. And I am ok with that!

So this morning was my day 11 ultrasound and bloodwork. My lab results are as follows: progesterone was 0.386, LH was <0.100, and estradiol was 1965. And my follicle measurements were: (left) 15.95, 13.16, 13.42, 13.83, 15.5, 10.81, 10.61; (right) 14.33, 15.28, 14.17, 10.06, 11, 9.6, 15.2, 14.34, 16.36, 14.25. The average sizes right now are 14-16mm, which means they only grew about 1mm per day since my last checkup. Normally, follicles will grow between 1-2mm per day. So the fact that there was growth, even on the low end (1mm), is good. They say that having follicles grow/mature too quickly can sometimes compromise the quality of the eggs. So I would much rather have slow-growing, quality eggs than rush into retrieval with a bunch of duds. It is also possible that not all of the eggs listed above will be mature enough to fertilize successfully -- specifically the ones currently between 9-11mm. Odds are they will probably not reach the 18mm minimum mark by the time of retrieval like the others will. But you never know! I at least have 10-12 eggs that may make the running. And, as long as they are quality eggs, that is more than enough for me!

LEFT Ovary and Follicles

RIGHT Ovary and Follicles

My doctor would like for me to come in tomorrow morning for a followup ultrasound and more bloodwork. Since I am getting closer to the "mature" follicle range of 18-22mm, they want to watch me closely to make sure that we do not miss our opportunity. I am still going to take 150 units each of Menopur and Gonal-F tonight to help my follicles continue to grow. I will also still take 250mcg of Ganirelix, which prevents my body from ovulating before it is time. Depending on my growth over the next few days, I may continue to take these shots until the doctor feels that the follicles are of optimum size and ready to be retrieved. Right now, they are guesstimating that the retrieval could happen on Sunday or Monday. I should know for sure within the next day or two. We're getting closer!! :-)

On a side note, my nurse mentioned on Monday that I would probably need to order refills of my medication, just in case. I only had enough to last me through Tuesday night, and the meds ship out from Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy in Pittsburgh, PA. These are not meds you can just go to your neighborhood Walgreens to pick up on the way home from work. They have to be overnighted. So right after I left my appointment on Monday, I called to place the refill order. They confirmed that the meds should deliver to my home the next morning. My sister-in-law Megan was going to watch for them so they could be put immediately into the refrigerator. Around 4 o'clock yesterday, I texted Megan to make sure the meds had arrived. She said they had not showed up yet. So I called Walgreens, and they showed that the package was left on our front porch around 10:40 that morning. The box was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I started panicking. If I didn't get those meds in time for tonight's injections, the whole cycle could possibly be ruined. So Walgreens shipped out a duplicate order, but this time I had them delivered to my work instead. They showed up at 10am today, and I was so relieved! Thanks, Walgreens, for rescuing me!! And UPS... thanks for nothing! ;-)