Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The No Picture Post

Yesterday but a bit trying. I am all kinds of confused with this IVF cycle. Being as this is my first one (and I believe I have lost confidence in my RE) I have no idea what is normal and what I should worry about. Yesterday started my CD1. I would believe that either I shouldn't have at this late stage in the injection cycle or that it should have come earlier. 


If I think about how normal cycles work, CD1 is the shedding of the uterine lining and by CD14 your body should produce and egg from the ovary while the lining is starting to build back up again where it will either wait for an egg to implant or shed again and back to CD1. Now I'm sure I didn't pay alot of attention in High School Health class but I'm sure that's the way things go. SO...If I'm supposed to have an egg retrieval on the 22nd. (5 days from now) shouldn't I NOT be at CD1 but somewhere like CD10?


I asked the RE about it last night at my appointment and the answer was a bit vague. She was slightly shocked to see I was at CD1 (even though my calendar has me as 2 days late) she said I should have some bleeding but not full on bleeding and I told her that this is full on and that I has asked about this at Friday's appointment. Her response was "well it shouldn't matter as you are progressing slowly anyway and the date of the retrieval may need to be pushed back." 


So it seems as my E2 levels are slowly rising and so is the development of my follicles. I really want to trust her but my faith in her is shaky. I don't know what to believe anymore and ultimately I feel like I'm being setup for failure. I can't prove it but I think that because I lack patience every little bump causes me to worry. 


On a more positive note, I am told I have 7 follicles on the left and 11 on the right. Let's see how things so, I have another appointment and scan today.

8 comments:

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  2. I know that every clinic and RE has different protocol and guidelines but that retreival day seems a little early to me. How many days have you been on stimulation medications?

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  3. Here from Toni's blog. Please remember that each person is different with IVF and will respond a bit differently to each protocol. To answer your question, in a natural cycle, CD1 is where you shed your uterine lining, but your ovaries also start growing a follicle/follicles that will be released with you ovulate (this can change month-to-month, but many medical professionals still think of this as CD14). So the first part of this IVF process is to focus on stimulating your ovaries. As time goes on, your lining will build, but it happens pretty quickly.

    The big thing in all of this is to remember that the rules from the natural cycle don't really apply here, as they are introducing hormones into your body. What I would focus on at the moment is where you're at with the stimulation process. How long have you been on the meds? Don't worry too much about things growing slowly, just focus on the fact that they are growing. Retrieval is always tentatively scheduled, so that day can move easily.

    Good luck today with your appointment!

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    1. I started the stims (Menopur and Gonal-F) last tuesday. It was CD24. I thought that was odd but she is the RE. and to KelBel, nope no nurse. Her practice is small and it seems like the Office Manager wears a lot of hats but I don't think there's a nurse there.

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  4. I agree with Toni, the ER seems early. Do you have a nurse that you can contact with your questions? Good luck!

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  5. No nurse? That is a little strange. I can see why you are having some hesitation with this cycle. If you have to try a 2nd round of IVF, I would suggest asking around for personal referrals for a new doctor with more of a support staff. But I hope you won't have to worry about that!

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  6. I have learned no matter what you need to follow your gut....I recently switched doc bc my gut just wasn't happy and I would question everything she did...even though she was supposed to be "one of the best in the country". Turns out she did screw up two of my cycles. So trust yourself...

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  7. There will be no second round with her. No matter the outcome of this cycle, she will not see me there as a patient again. I have started to look for the bigger 'programs' and have already picked a new one. I was already feeling a bit shaky about her but when she obtained a pre-authorization from my insurance company I decided to give her 'small' practice a chance. I was originally there for a tubal reversal. I hadn't found any other doctor here in this state to do one. Once she told me it couldn't be done due to where my tubes were cut I was gonna leave to go to the 'big' practice for IVF but then she got the insurance approval. Maybe the IVF was her plan all along and to just milk my PPO to fund her small practice for a few months.

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