Stim Day Six.
E2: 127 (yes, really)
Right Ovary:
9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6
Left Ovary:
9.5, 8, 6, and a few smaller
So, 15 measurable follicles, but, as the nurse sadly observed, “They’re all really little.”
I go back on Monday morning, “To see if the follicles are growing at all.” We are still at threat level orange for cancellation, according to Nurse Eeyore. E2 remains low, but surely the fact that it nearly tripled is a good sign? I would love to hear what you think of my numbers. I have googled and googled till my googler was sore, and I am giving up.
The appointment with hematology was a spectacular disaster that deserves its own post, so I will be back this weekend with the story, provided I am not arrested in the meantime for keying the good blood-doctor’s car, or sticking pre-filled heparin syringes in a Hematologist voodoo doll, or throwing a brick through her window with a blood clot tied to it. I am full of good ideas.
19 Comments
Your E2 is rising, that means the follies have to be growing, right? I hope that things keep progressing. Being cancelled sucks.
I never know what to say to these posts since I am a dunce at all the hormone measurements. I’m hopeful because your E2 rose so well and I’m praying for a growth spurt for your follicles over the weekend.
And I? Would use the Heparin syringes on the car. Mix it up a little.
xo
My ovaries are notorious for sandbagging.
For your clinic vampire, subtlety might be the key: use a permanent marker on the inside of your arms to draw skull and crossbones and write out, “You’re next”.
Good luck!
I think things are going great. My follicles never started growing until my e2 was 100+, and at that point they then grew at a rate of 2mm / day. I don’t think it’s a big deal at all that you were a bit of a slow starter - you have a nice crop that are ready to take off! I think your Monday u/s will show a number of much bigger folderols.
Sorry about the hematologist - I like the blod clot on a brick idea:-p
I started off on a really low dose of Repronex, 100 IU (on an unsuppressed IUI cycle), and had an E2 of 56 and a similar assortment of teensy follicles. I went into a first-class panic about being a poor responder, but a dosage bump to 150 IU did the trick, and I finished out with 4-6 mature follicles.
Has there been any discussion about boosting your stim dose a smidge? It’s a fine line to walk between under-stimulation and OHSS, which is where I eventually wound up. I can tell you I’d do it over again in a heartbeat to get pregnant, but it was the most miserable experience of my life, and now I understand much better why my RE was so concerned about avoiding it.
Here’s hoping your cycle proceeds apace!
NOW I know where all the follicles went this month! YOU’RE hogging them all, Alexa. You…follicle-hog.
Anyway, it seems to me that if the E2 is going up, things can’t be all that bad, right? And Nurse Eeyore can just go scratch a tree. Hang in there, mamacita. Where there’s follicles, there’s hope! (Ungrammatical, but encouraging.)
Sounds absolutely fine to me. It just means you were good and suppressed to start off with, so it’s taking a while to get going. Being able to see all those follicles means they are growing, and it also means you’re stimming nice and steadily. I think the US clinics like to get the stim phase done in 9-10 days, but there is no evidence that this is better than stimming for 13-14 days or so. Hang in there, as you say the fact the E2 is rising is great news.
It is a great sign that your E2 rose at that rate. It sucks that they can’t tell you more about why or what is going on, but everyone is different. It was very frustrating if I remember correctly. The number is good even though they are small. My old RE was a proponent of a slow start for PCOS patients.
my last IVF (or maybe the one before, or before that…) I had a very sloooowwwww response. it wasn’t until day 10 or so of stims that my stubborn ovaries really woke up. don’t give up hope!
I’m with the rest of the gang, I think this is encouraging news. And the best news I see is so many follicles at around the same size - no big fatties hogging up all the stims and holding the others back. I think you’re lined up for a nice, slow, steady stim. A nurse at my REs office said that’s what the like to see.
Your experience is reminding me that an IVF cycle was so different from an IUI cycle for me because the emotional stress was mostly in the stim phase rather than in the waiting phase. By the time you’re done with the stimming roller coaster, the less than two week wait will be a welcome reprieve from stress.
The joys and wonders of stimming! Ugh. Hang in there.
I agree with Bittermama, its great that they are all similar sizes. When mine developed slowly for IVF #1 they just kept me on the same stim dose a few days longer, so put your foot down if they try to fob you off with a cancellation. Good luck.
I don’t know anything about stims except for what I read on your blog…so I have no advice. I can offer you lots of good-luck vibes, though! Sending them north as we speak. I hope Monday shows good things and growing follicles.
Oh, and your comment about a blood clot tied to a brick? I about died laughing!
Did you sign up for the extra worry cycle? You’re so early in the cycle - I don’t know any clinics that would tell you about a follicle measuring six, seven, 8, etc. - should I stop commenting? I just can’t stand that you’re worrying so early - this should be the easiest stage! Can I send you an ativan or a bottle of wine or something?
Hopefully those 15 grow. I’m going to be stimming on such a low dose that I doubr I’ll even get 15.
Good luck.
What’s the latest? I’m worrying about your worrying and now my LACK of worrying. Cycles are so much fun, aren’t they?
I am on day seven of stims with a 236 E2, and am lagging six days behind the golden “ten day” trigger shot. My RE is threatening to cancel. This post gave me a lot of hope. I became pregnant with twins six months ago, lagging two days from the ideal. (Lost the twins at nineteen weeks to a fatal genetic illness…long story.)So if I was able to become pregnant lagging four days with twins, why would lagging six days be cancellation-worthy, I ask you? Thanks for this post. It has lifted my spirits.
OOPS, correction: with my first IVF, I lagged four days, not two. I got two babies out of it.