Back on the "Pill" :o)

Well yesterday was the start of my IVF treatment. My sister came with me as DH couldn't get time off work. She is also my backup plan incase neither me nor DH can do the injections!!

From the start...I was taken in to an examination room where I was given a Trans Vaginal Ultra Sound (TVUS). Not the most pleasant with AF still hanging around! Anyhow, the doc showed me my uterus and my cervix then when on to count the follicles which she read out to the nurse and she wrote them down. The doc was saying to me, there's 1, 2, 3, 4...I honestly only saw dark shapes and had no idea...luckily it's not really up to me to work these things out!! But she seemed to know what she was doing :o) Sounded like there are 4 either side...don't know if this is average, a good thing or a bad thing or what!!!

She also noticed that I had "congestion" and asked if I had painful periods. This past weekend has been thee worst period pains I've ever experienced. Was saying to DH that if this works out I think it'll need an epidural as soon as I go in to labour as it doesn't appear I've got a strong pain threshold...oh no!!

Anyway, doc didn't say whether this congestion was a good or a bad thinh? She also said my cervix was open which didn't sound too good to me because it surely shouldn't be open at this time of the month? Again, don't know if this is a good or a bad thing...think I really need to start asking more questions!

Then it was on to the mock transfer, boy did this hurt!! It felt very similar to the HSG and I was trying the whole time to relax but my body seemed to involuntarily spasm every time it hurt! However all went well. She showed me the catheter and told me come day of egg transfer my baby would be on the end of it (this really made me smile). She had no problem going through cervix which I was glad to hear because when I went for the HSG the doc doing that said she struggled a wee bit and I wondered if this was due to the laser treatment I'd received for abnormal cells.

So the doc and the nurse between them, one using the catheter and the other the ultrasound wand on my tummy showed me the catheter on the screen inside my uterus so got the green light and go ahead to start the IVF! :o)

After I got dressed I was showed in to another room with desk and chairs to wait on another nurse to explain everthing to me.

She was lovely, in fact they all are there (although the receptionist doesn't seem too keen on smiling). The nurse came in with a small bag and explained to me using a calendar what was going to happen, starting off with taking the contraceptive pill. It's Microgynon 30ED and I've to take one per day until Thursday 24 September 2009.

The next day, the 25th, I've to start with the injections! She showed me what to do and let me have a go. She took out a vial with the Buserelin in it, a syring and 2 needles (a big one and a smaller one). The big one just screws on to the syringe and this one is used to draw the liquid (I've to take 0.5mls). Once the liquid is inside the syringe I've to take off the larger needle and put the smaller one one, this is the one I'll inject myself with. She gave me a rubber pad thing and I stabbed the needle in and squeezed the plunger down. It didn't go down as fast as I thought and you do need to use some pressure.

After this she showed me a calendar (which was strange as it had the start of the week being a Thursday!) and from the calendar told me when everthing will be happening. It went something like this:

Contraceptive Pill:     04/09 – 24/09

Buserelin injections:  25/09 – 01/10

Scan to see if ovaries are quiet, if so, start on stimulating injections 01/10 (but I’ve also still to take the Buserelin which I thought sounded weird)

If everything goes to plan I should expect egg retrieval from the 08/10 onwards and embryo transfer soon after.

Pregnancy test last week in October.

This is if all things go to plan, the hard part is not knowing how my body will react to the drugs and if it’ll play ball and stick to this schedule (hope it does).

My parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephew will be away on holiday when the ER and ET is due to happen and my Mum did sound a bit disappointed but I'm glad she'll be here when I find out the results the last week in October....I'm going to make a calendar and count down the days!