So, this is the boring part

I starting taking the birth control pills on Tuesday. Both Brad and I started the antibiotics on Tuesday too. After some phonetag with the nurses, I finally got my next appointment scheduled for next Thursday. I'll be going for my protocol review (find out what the heck I'm actually doing) and my uterine sounding (where they just poke me with a tube and have me tell them when they're hitting something - fun times).

I also ordered my medications today from the mail-order specialty pharmacy. I don't even know what all I ordered... I do know that my stimulant medications are going to be Bravelle and Menupur, which is pretty normal. I'm getting a truckload of drugs and I only had to pay $200 in co-pays (as opposed to many thousands of dollars that I would have to pay if I didn't have my wonderful insurance coverage).

I also found out that the pharmacy can ship my meds to the local Fedex location (instead of my house) and I can pick them up in the evening. I wish someone would have told me that before when I got drug deliveries and had to run around like a nut trying to find someone who could sign for the package during the day (and put the drugs in the fridge). So that'll make life a little easier and I can pick up my meds at Fedex (nearby) on Tuesday.

And so it begins

Oh, the irony is killing me. Sheryl Crow never sang about taking birth control pills in order to conceive. After our IVF orientation session today, we picked up our prescriptions. And to add more humor to the situation, the pharmacist-in-training advised me that the antibiotic I'm taking may interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills. I'm sure she wondered why I snorted.

Tomorrow is the official start of this fun ride. Cycle day 3. In the morning, I will be going for my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) test. A cycle day 3 FSH test is an indicator of ovarian reserve (ie. how old your eggs are). It helps the doctor to determine your IVF protocol (what doses of meds to start you on, etc).

Brad and I also both start antibiotics tomorrow. We have to take them twice daily and the nurse warned that they're killer on your stomach, so they should be taken with a full meal. Should be fun times.

Basic Overview of IVF

Here is a basic overview of how a cycle of IVF (in vitro fertilization) goes. It's actually 2 menstrual cycles long.

• Cycle 1 consists of suppression of the ovaries and preparation for the actual IVF process. Generally this involves ovarian suppression drugs (sometimes birth control pills, sometimes lupron which causes a kind of menopause). Antibiotics are also recommended to clear out any possible infections in both the man and woman.
• Cycle 2 is where the real action happens. First 2 weeks are ovarian stimulant drugs, which require ultrasound and blood test monitoring every few days. The doctor checks for follicle growth and adjusts the medications accordingly. It's a tight balance between getting lots of eggs and overstimulating (causing serious side effects).
• When the follicles are mature, an injection of hcg (pregnancy hormone) is given which matures the eggs (and causes ovulation if no action is taken). Exactly 36 hours after the hcg, the eggs are retrieved through a surgical office procedure.
• Then the eggs are mixed in a dish with sperm and hopefully fertilize.
• The woman starts and pregnancy support drugs (progesterone and others).
• 2-6 days later, the embryos are transferred back into the woman (painless office procedure). My doctor advises 2 days of "lounge rest" (laying on the couch) after transfer.
• About 10 days later, a blood pregnancy test is done. If it's positive, the pregnancy support drugs are continued until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Starting at the beginning...

If you're reading this blog, it's probably because I invited you here to follow our journey through IVF. But in case you stumbled here, I'll give you a quick recap of what's happened so far. My husband, Brad, and I have been trying to have our first child for about 3 years now. In those 3 years, I've been pregnant 3 times. I lost one very early and the other two at around 6 weeks. We have no explanations as to why it's so difficult for us to get pregnant and stay pregnant. Other than my slightly whacky cycles, we're both perfectly healthy and normal. My last pregnancy was in late summer of 2006 and I would have been due next month.

And that brings us here. To IVF. This is our last shot. We have insurance that covers $25k of infertility treatment and drugs. We plan to exhaust that benefit and then get off this crazy roller coaster and move on with our lives. Hopefully, this works and we'll have a baby next spring. If not, we will pursue adoption. One way or another, this is going to be over soon.

The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone informed. I know I have a lot of people rooting for me and I don't want to leave you all in the dark. But I also don't want to deal with daily phone calls asking for updates. If I can write it down, you all can read it at your leisure. Comment if you want, but don't feel obligated to.