First stimming update!

I'm back from my first ultrasound and blood test on this, day 5 of stimming.... the results are in:

Estrogen: 275
L: follies at 12 and 11 plus some small
R: follies at 12, 11, 10 plus some small
Endo: 8mm

So how am I feeling? Pretty happy, I think! I was perhaps hoping for a few more follies, but that was probably unrealistic. My antral follicle count a couple of cycles ago was about 10-12 but I didn't know how reliable a measure that was/is. So for some reason, I was hoping for 15 follies which might well be physically impossible!

Now I'm just hoping that some of those small ones (Doctor said about 2-3 each side) join their big brothers and sisters and get in the game :)

Main reason for my sense of peace right now is my endometrium... I know that 8mm is the minimum recommended for transfer (at least, that's what Zi.ta We.st says) and, in my previous IUIs, I only got to 8mm the day before the procedure with the help of estrogen tablets. You may remember that one Dr said I would need a D&C before having IVF because my endo was so thin.. or at least aspirin and viagra. But today the Dr (a different, more experienced one) was completely happy with my 8mm :)  And hopefully it will continue to grow all nice and warm and soft ready for an embie or 2!

So I'm continuing with the same meds and feeling optimistic. Maybe the acupuncture with Dr F is really having an effect, both on my endo and my mood... I've never felt this chilled out about something so incredibly important to me :)

By the way, the picture is one I sneakily took at my clinic. You can see the guys and gals gathering round the consultation room window hoping to get seen first. Inside this room there was probably a woman in stirrups and/or being given life-changing news... better than TV, eh?!

Welcome to ICWL!

Welcome if you're stopping by from IComLeavWe April!  Thanks for coming :)

If you're new to my blog, here's a quick-ish summary of our story...

My bloke and I are from the UK but have been living in Asia for about 10 years, the last 4 in China. After TTC for over a year, we started fertility testing and found out that my bloke's motility is fairly bad. There was also some confusion over whether my tubes were clear and if my uterus was bicornuate (shaped like 2 horns/cones). So I had an MRI (still some confusion... have I also got fibroids?!) and then a lap/hyst which showed nothing major to worry about.. a slightly heart-shaped uterus, some inflammation and mild endometriosis, but that's all. :)

We did 3 IUIs, 1 unstimulated, 2 on Gonal-F... all BFN. Then I took a couple of months off to rest, wait for spring (our clinic gets the best IVF results in Spring!),  improve my diet and have acupuncture.

Today is now day 4 of stimming (225 of Gonal-F) on our first IVF long protocol cycle after downregging with Decapeptyl (0.1mg for 2 weeks, now on 0.05mg per day).  So far, so good :)

But the story above is just the facts and figures. It doesn't convey what it's been like to go through a diagnosis of infertility, infertility testing and treatment in a foreign land where, in more ways than one, I don't speak the language. There have been frustrations, disappointments, moments of desperation and despair.. but also many moments of heartfelt gratitude for support from friends, both in real life and online. There have also been comical moments where, as my Mum always says, 'if you didn't laugh, you'd cry!'.

And how am I feeling now? Hopeful, certainly... optimistic might be pushing it (being a natural pessimist, as I am) but genuinely feeling like we're doing everything we can to give this cycle the best possible chance.

The Art of Queuing...

Today was my CD5 visit to the clinic.. my first since starting downregging and my chance to see how a 'normal' IVF visit works.  I got there at 8.15am to register and knew I needed to do my blood test as early as possible but wasn't sure if the test had already been entered on my clinic 'credit' card (and if I had paid for it). I managed to grab one of the English-speaking postgrads to ask and, yes, I was all set to go.

Had my blood test and went to wait for my ultrasound with the Doctor. It seems that you have to wait for the blood test results before you can meet with the Doctor. So I waited... and waited... and waited. Waiting is not a new theme for this blog, but I have been implementing a new 'Zen' approach to the craziness of the Chinese clinic and this was my first chance to really put it to the test. So I read my book, sent a couple of emails and listened to my iPod. I didn't constantly go to the window of the consultation room to see what was happening. I didn't ask the Doctor if they had my file/test results (in other words.. 'I'm here and waiting.. please see me!'). I just waited calmly.

This gave me chance to observe how the other girls spend this time. Having the advantage of a common language, they mostly chat together (Yes, I feel left out. Yes, I know I should have made more effort to learn Chinese). Others had more productive occupations... One girl was doing Sudoku, another knitting what looked like slippers and another doing cross-stitch which I loved as a kid.. now thinking it might be time to get back into it!

At about 12.30 I got to see the Dr... quick ultrasound and all must be fine with the tests because I can start stimming! Gonal-F.. 225 IU for the next 4 days and a return visit on Friday.

Then followed the usual trek to different floors to pay and then pick up my meds - mammoth queue of about 30 girls formed to pick up meds/learn how to do injections/get injections from the nurse. Luckily I was about 8 from the front, so I was home by 2pm.

6 hours of my life I'll never get back!  Luckily I remembered to ask if I can go home whilst waiting for the blood test results and I can. At least I can wait around in the comfort of my own home next time (5 minutes walk from the clinic).

Now drinking lots of water and hoping those eggs are forming :)

PS: the pic above is a comparison of usual British vs Chinese queuing systems. Luckily, the clinic is an exception or my 'Zen' would really struggle!