IT BEGINS WITH IVF

After all, The Unexpected

Before we began our official first day of IVF, we sat down with our nurse to go over what’s called IVF calendar. The calendar consists of the medications and the amount of meds Michael and I have to take. Yes, you heard it. Michael is also physically involved in this, but not much. 😂

Thankfully, because of the insurance Moni’s current employee provides, Progyny, ordering meds was extra smooth. Our doctor sent the prescription to ProgynyRX and overnighted the medicines to us. Things got a little exciting here. Packages full of meds that needed to be refrigerated got stuck in Memphis and were delayed 24hrs. We immediately called ProgynyRX and learned that the Low Dose HCG would have to be discarded right away and that they would send a new one to us. Yay 🎉

What we learned from this situation:

1. Most medicines need to be refrigerated or kept cold at all times. Some meds need to be at certain temperatures and that’s why all meds have to be overnighted so that they can be in the fridge at 36-34 degrees

2. Package delay can happen. So make sure the meds are delivered to the house 1 day before your first day of meds begin so that there’s still another day to resend the meds. Meds shelf life is short so no need to order way in advance.

3. When package delays happen, let your doctor/ nurse know so that alternatives can be discussed.

It’s very normal to be panicked😭 We all are human.

Day 1 has arrived

We started our day with taking antibiotics (am & pm). Moni also took aspirin to slow down the blood’s clotting that could be caused by all the injections Moni is taking.

At 8 pm, Moni injected 325 units of Gonal F and 20 units of Low Dose HCG. 💉Note that, the dosage will be different based on the individual. Moni isn’t a big fan of needles. Thankfully, Michael was there, by Moni’s side, to help Moni get through it. ❤️ We continued to follow the same instruction for meds until Tuesday October 5th.

We went to PREG for labs and ultrasound. Again, more blood taking out of Moni. Ultrasound went well.

Blood tests were done to help doctor better understand

1. progesterone,

2. LH and

3. estrogen level.

Ultrasound was done to help doctor better understand

1. If there’s growth in the follicles

2. If there’s any abnormalities, like cyst (which is normal when patient uses tons of meds)

What’s next….?

Blood tests will help determine ovarian reserve and hormone levels, while the ultrasound will help examine the uterus. This sort of testing allows our fertility doctor to properly tailor the IVF procedure and any other fertility treatments to our needs.

We should hear back from the nurse and the doctor on what to do next. This could mean

1. Continue the same meds and same amount, basically same routine.

2. Increase the amount of Gonal F and/or Low Dose HCG

3. Increase the amount of Gonal F and/or Low Dose HCG AND add another med to prevent the release of the eggs so that the mature eggs can be harvested directly from the ovaries. This med is called Cetrotide

We are waiting patiently to hear from our doctor. They are usually pretty fast at the results because they understand and know that the procedure is timely.

Moni is actually getting better at injecting meds into her belly each day. But this just will never get old.

We learned having each other and supporting each other along the way is so important. Know that you are not alone ❤️

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