Follistim

 Tonight I started my round of Follistim (the drug that the pharmacy substituted for Gonal F), the drug that is supposed to 'rev-up' my ovaries into producing lots and lots of eggs. My mom and dad came over to visit, and Mom came upstairs with me while I did my shot. I used the special Follistim injector pen, which came with an instruction book and a ton of steps. I had read through it yesterday to get the general idea but I still took my time to make sure that I did everything right. Mom said it was a good thing that she didn't have to do all of these steps to get pregnant or I might not be here!  :-)
 The medicine stung a bit after I gave it, but otherwise it was pretty painless. My abdomen did feel really heavy about ten minutes after the injection, but that seems to have passed now. Three more days of this drug (at the 225 unit dose) and then I return for another ultrasound to determine the next step.

Progress

 I had my first ultrasound today, along with bloodwork to check my hormone levels. The blood tests aren't back yet but the doctor said my ovaries looked good and we are good to go for the next phase. I will continue the Lupron for two more nights (tonight and tomorrow) and will then start the Gonal-F (which the pharmacy substituted for a different med that our insurance will pay for...I have to see what that one is called, but it is supposed to work the same.) I go back for another ultrasound next Tuesday when Ryan is in preschool.

 My period started today, so I will go to the fertility clinic office on Wednesday to have bloodwork and an ultrasound to determine if I am "down-regulated". If I am, I will stop the Lupron and start on the next round of drugs. I am supposed to continue the nightly Lupron shots until my office visit.
  The shots have been going well, with the exception of two nights ago. I was rushing around, trying to get Ryan ready for bed and decided to just give myself the shot while standing up. There is a reason that they tell you to sit. I couldn't get a good angle and it hurt like hell. So I sat down and tried again. It was easier but it still stung much more than usual and it hurt for a good twenty minutes afterward. Last night I did it in my usual reclined position and had no problems. Lesson learned: stop rushing, take the time to do it properly and it will work out fine. (Kind of applies to life in general, too.)

First Shot

 I did the first Lupron injection this evening. I had no problems and it was actually much easier than it was last time around. Last time, I remember hesitating and getting a little panicky before the first shot, and I started to wonder if I could even do it. This time, I didn't hesitate and didn't even feel a thing. The site (to the side of my belly button, on my left) did itch afterward, which I remember from last time, but otherwise it was an uneventful start to this journey. I feel confident for the days ahead.

How We Make a Baby

My medications arrived via Fed Ex on Wednesday, February 9th. Ryan was very interested in seeing what was in the box, but once he saw it wasn't toys he quickly lost interest and took off with the cardboard box.

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our Baby-Making Blog! I wanted to chronicle our fertility adventures again, just as I did when we were trying for our first baby, Ryan. (Otherwise Mommy-brain will strike and I won't remember a thing!)
  Currently we are in the pre-activity phase, aka hurry-up-and-wait. John gave his semen sample a few weeks ago, l had my bloodwork and we both signed a flurry of forms. We are both on Doxycycline (an antibiotic to clear out any STDs that we might have, according the the IVF nurses- LOL).  I talked to the mail-order pharmacy today and my fertility injections will arrive via Fed-Ex next Wednesday. Now there is nothing to do but wait until next Thursday, when I will start giving myself the first injections of Lupron.
Once again, we are working with Dr. Sharif Awadalla and the awesome folks over at Cincinnati Fertility Center.