My doctor started the stimulation a bit higher because of my age and AMH level. She believed my ovaries would respond very well and wanted to push them a bit farther. If needed, she could always dial down the dose, but it is the initial dose that paves the road for estimation of eggs for retrieval. One of the main components of the blood work that the team looks at, is Estrogen level. They do not want it to increase too high to quickly so they closely monitor the levels every day.
This next part is mainly for myself to remember so feel free to skip right over! The oral medication was from May 1st-May 25th, 2016. My active treatment began on May 30th, 2016.
Treatment Day 1: 0700 blood draw, ultrasound and purchase medication. Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000.
Treatment Day 2: Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000.
Treatment Day 3: Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000.
Treatment Day 4: 0700 blood draw, ultrasound and purchase medication. Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 5: Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 6: 0700 blood draw, ultrasound and purchase medication. Gonal-F 150units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 7: Cetrotide 0.125mg at 0530, 0700 blood draw, ultrasound. Gonal-F 125units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 8: Cetrotide 0.125mg at 0530, 0700 blood draw, ultrasound. Gonal-F 75units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 9: Cetrotide 0.125mg at 0530, 0700 blood draw, ultrasound. Gonal-F 100units and Menopur 75units at 2000
Treatment Day 10: Cetrotide 0.125mg at 0530, 0700 blood draw, ultrasound. Trigger shot tonight and tomorrow morning! Lupron 0.8ml at 2230
Treatment Day 11: Blood draw, pre/post op forms, Lupron 0.8ml at 1030
Treatment Day 12: June 10th, 2016. Egg retrieval at 0830! We arrived at 0730 to get ready. Starting the day of retrieval, Letrozole 10mg daily for 5 days
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| I was craving fast-food SO hard during stims so to ENSURE that I wouldn't cave, I stocked up on these delicious seaweed snacks for the drive home from the clinic every day. I never caved but I may have had one full package of these a day... |
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| Cetrotide injections started on Day 7. It ensures that you will not ovulate any of the eggs |
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| The Lupron trigger shot was given at 2230 on June 8th and again at 1030 on June 9. This medication tells the eggs in the follicles to separate from the wall and float within the follicle fluid space. This allows the doctor to aspirate all the fluid from each follicle with the eggs along with it. |
I was very nervous for my retrieval that morning, June 10th. We arrived at Hannam around 0700 and proceeded to an area of the clinic that I had never seen before. It was called Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine (the Toronto site). The clinic had a whole other area specifically for surgery, recovery and embryo transfers and was the sister site of the Colorado lab. Was it ever fancy! The staff were very kind and joyful and took their time with me. My nurse sat with me in my bay and went over everything step by step. She took my vitals, gave me an Ativan and started the IV fluids. She then ran Gravol and Ancef prior to me heading in.
The OR was your typical room, other than it had a small window in the wall near the end of the table where the embryologists are handed the test tubes for egg count. The procedure itself went much better than I thought! I was very comfortable throughout and my doctor lowered my anxiety just by seeing her. She was previously an obstetrician and a gynaecologist and has now been in reproductive endocrinology for over a decade. She is very experienced, kind and I can't get enough of her mannerisms! The procedure itself took just over half an hour.
Back in recovery I couldn't believe it was over. So many months of hard diet work to aid in healthy egg development, supplements, other preparation, and a lot of prayer (years of it)! My faith has increased even more over the last few months and my trust in the Lord is solid. His timing is perfect and the months and years of waiting were worth it alone for those gains.
As I rested in recovery, we were waiting for the embryologist to come see us to let us know the egg count. I remember during the procedure I could hear them counting and giving updates to the doctor as she handed them test vials. The last one I heard was "18", and I was happy with that. It wasn't long before one of the embryologists came to see us and let us know that 30 eggs were retrieved. We were thrilled with that number.
The next updates were the next day, day three, five and the final day six. We were so excited to receive those phone calls and see how our embryos were doing and how they grew. <3 We loved them before they existed so that first phone call was surreal. Those living, growing, part of Mitch and part of me, were here.
I will write again soon with that six day wait and our end results. For now I will say we are forever blessed and overjoyed. We constantly prayed for the perfect amount of embryos and our prayers were answered. God is good.
The next updates were the next day, day three, five and the final day six. We were so excited to receive those phone calls and see how our embryos were doing and how they grew. <3 We loved them before they existed so that first phone call was surreal. Those living, growing, part of Mitch and part of me, were here.
I will write again soon with that six day wait and our end results. For now I will say we are forever blessed and overjoyed. We constantly prayed for the perfect amount of embryos and our prayers were answered. God is good.
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| Waiting to head into the recovery area to be admitted! |
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| Signing the consent forms. |
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| After the retrieval. |
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| 30! |
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