Cycle Day 9 - day 8 of stims...

I had my 2nd ultrasound along with blood work this morning since starting the stim meds. The first one on Wednesday wasn’t very exciting so nothing really to report then, lol. Today is CD9 (cycle day) and last IVF they had me trigger on CD9- meaning they had me give myself the shot that forces ovulation and then the ER (egg retrieval) was the next day. This time they are having me go more slowly because I responded very quickly to the meds last time and they think that my eggs may have been too mature. Dr. B said there looks to be 15-20 follicles that are growing (squeee!). My uterine lining is at a 7.6 (optimal is at least an 8) and everything is progressing as it should. I go back on Sunday (CD11) for another ultrasound and blood test. Dr. B said this morning that if he had to guess he thinks the ER would be either Wednesday or Thursday of next week (CD14 or 15). I’m waiting to hear from the nurses this afternoon to see if there is a change in my meds. So far this is what I have been doing:


5iu (International Units) of Lupron. This is what my meds look like – please keep in mind they yours could look different.

Using the syringe in draw back 5iu of air, put it into the plunger of the vial and release the air in there. Then I draw back 5iu of the liquid. The needle is very small but I still ice my stomach before I inject it.
Next is 75iu of Menupor.

This one has 2 vials. One is filled with liquid (saline maybe?) and the other a power form of the medication. This is kept in the refrigerator. I put that plastic cap on the end of the syringe (it’s already on the syringe in the picture) and draw back 1iu of air. Then using the cap (it has a sharp end) I click it onto the top of the vial with the liquid and inject the air. I draw back 1iu of liquid and immediately throw the vial with the liquid away. I then switch out the cap for a needle and inject the liquid into the vial with the powder (I throw away the liquid vial because now that the powder is dissolved into the liquid they look very much alike). I draw ALL of the now dissolved powder into the syringe. This needle is small but it might be a little thicker so I use the ice to numb my stomach before I inject it.

Last but not least is the 150iu of Follistem.

This was the only medication I was on last IVF as well as the 2 IUI’s I did with injectable meds. This one is very simple. It comes in this handy case with a “pen” application. The vials are separate and this medication also needs to be refrigerated. You put the vial in- it’s long and skinny and I just keep it in the “pen” until the vial is empty and I need to put a new one in. Screw the pen top on and you turn the dial on the bottom to the number you need, in my case 150. The needle is very thin – you can hardly see it in the photo. So I usually just pinch the skin on my stomach and stick it in without ice. There is a button at the bottom of the “pen” that you slowly push to dispense the meds. Easy peasy.

I want to explain everything that I’m doing and what I’m going through because when I did the first IVF I was unable to find a blog that told me everything that was going to happen. Of course the blogs I found were wonderful to read on experiences and the emotional aspect of this journey but I wanted someone to tell me what I was going to expect and what I could possibly have to do. What are all these meds they are sending me and what the heck am I supposed to do with them? Of course the nurse sits down with you and goes over everything but I wanted to know NOW not when I was at the appropriate part of my cycle, haha. Knowledge is power and I feel like if I know what I’m going to expect then I’m more relaxed about it… I think that’s why I don’t have that much anxiety about this second IVF because I did it once before and I kind of know what’s going to happen – even though so far all medication protocol is completely different than what I did before.

I just got a call from the nurse and all the meds stay the same – my estrogen is 999, which I’m guessing is good (I’ll have to consult Dr. Google). So I go back in on Sunday and we’ll see what happens then 