On Saturday 4/4, I went to my Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) for an ultrasound and blood work. My estrogen level was right on track. At this point in the stimulation phase, estrogen should be at least 250; mine was 267. By ultrasound, she found that I had 8 follicles growing. Eight is not really a great number, but for ME, it was good news! My RE said that over the next few days I could start growing even more follicles or that the 8 I had may not fully develop, meaning that I would end up with less. This news kind of shook me. Up until now, I was focused on how many embryos we would have and how many we would get to transfer. It never occurred to me, until this point in time, that we might not even get ANY embryos--I might not have enough eggs, or the eggs that I do have will be of poor quality. It's a harsh possibility that we must consider, but I am now prepared for that outcome if it does happen.
On a better note, we got great news today! We had another ultrasound and blood work. My estrogen has continued to rise (now 1,087), which is what should happen now. My uterus is looking great; the thickness of the lining needs to be at least 8mm, and I am currently at 7mm. My RE expects this to be on track at our next appointment. Looking at the ovaries, she was able to see 11 follicles! An improvement since Saturday. They are growing appropriately, and she is now estimating that we will be ready for egg retrieval on Monday 4/13. Based on my AMH level, she expects to retrieve eggs from 70% of the follicles (meaning that 30% of the follicles are expected to not have eggs). If the retrieval does in fact take place on 4/13, she also estimates that the embryo transfer will be ready on 4/18.
So, it seems that the injections are doing their job! But, if that wasn't enough, Andrew's sister and her friends created a Follicle Growth Dance to aid in our success. (Ok, so there is a back story to this. If you know Andrew's family, you won't be surprised.) You can view the video yourself. Enjoy!
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