Day 17 on BCP

Tw....o....mor...e.....da....y...s of birth control. Whew. Two more. I can do this.

Wednesday is my suppression check to see if the birth control has quieted my ovaries enough for the clinic to be satisfied. They hope not to see any cysts or Other Weird Funky Things in my uterus and on my ovaries. They hope to find a pristine, glowing, shiny and sparkly unicorn uterus. And I plan to deliver!!

Once "cleared for takeoff", I start loading my injections and piling them into my belly. Day after day my ovaries will swell with little fat eggs growing and growing. And every day I will pump them up even further and further. Bring it on! (Can you tell I'm feeling cocky tonight?)

And you wouldn't think I would be so cocky given times are a' chaos right now as we just obtained another golden retriever to the clan. We may or may not keep him, but it has certainly given me a glimpse into what adding a newborn may be like. Huge change, everything's crazy, everyone's bickering and ooohing and awwing and enjoying new time and new memories, feelings of jealousy and of projection. Ahhh, good old human emotions. :-)

Every day since the day I started this process I've been crossing off the days and milestones on my IVF calendar. My desk sits looking out to the wonderful trees so it's a little weird to see this hugely prescriptive schedule with a gorgeous natural background. I say weird, but I mean..... comforting. I love crossing off days on the calendar.

Day 4 of BCP

I have my suppression check ultrasound on April 27th.

This will let them know if my ovaries are quiet and ready to be attacked full throttle. If they are, and if there are no cysts, school buses or other crazy things harboring in my uterus then all systems will be a go and I will start stimulating my eggs on 4/29. Stimulating my eggs! Weird! Awesome.

Two weeks left on the BCP. I've definitely been more nauseas this time around on this BCP but I'm powering through. Better get used to feeling ill if we're successful!

Potential Schedule (updated)

My last natural month

Well, two things arrived. My period, and my IVF schedule. Both mean significant things. Both bring excitement and newness.

So, with my period - I now need to get bloodwork out of the way. I set up an appointment this Friday to get that done (Day 3 testing it's called).

"As part of a basic fertility work-up, your doctor will likely order blood work to check your FSH levels, specifically on day 3 of your menstrual cycle. Sometimes called the Day 3 FSH test, it is a simple blood test meant to measure the amount of FSH in your bloodstream.

FSH, otherwise known as follicle stimulating hormone, is a hormone that tells oocytes, or premature eggs, to begin growing. Each oocyte is contained within a follicle, or little fluid sac. The growth and development of the oocytes is the first part of the process that will, ideally, lead to ovulation."

Then, the doctors create my protocol and order my medication. Then I freak out, shit my pants, and get ready to party.

No, but really.

Here is our schedule + or - a couple of days:

Apr 9 - Start BCP

Apr 26 - Stop BCP

Apr 29 - Start stimulation meds

May 4 - Add antagonist meds

May 10 - Egg Retrieval

May 15 - Day 5 Blastocyst Transfer

If this were the case, my fancy iphone IVF wheel app tells me the following:

Due Date: End of Jan/Beginning of Feb

End of First Trimester: end of July

End of Second Trimester: end of October

So, if that's the case, I'll be my biggest in the coldest of weather and that sounds fanfuckingtastic to me. Big long bulky sweaters and coats and not having to sweat out the four days of unbelievable hotness we have every summer? Sign me up.

In emotional news, I feel a little weepy knowing this is my last unmedicated menstrual cycle. I'm a huge fan of my Womanness and it feels less so when under the control of hormones. In fact it feels quite out of control. So, I shall live up these next 4 weeks or so, and by that I mean taking baths when I want, relaxing when I want, living up my last remaining weeks being solely on loan to Jonah, and try to just appreciate. Which often seems like the biggest challenge in itself.

These cramps feel good, and I think you know what I mean.