My Personal IVF Pharmacy

Yes it has been awhile since my last post…and yes I was supposed to update you more often but what can I say life happened.  IVF is a very time consuming, exciting, stressful, emotional, and possibly life-changing journey.  It is not for those who aren’t 100% dedicated and that is as a couple….it takes two! Not only for the emotional sidekick that you must lean on when you become slightly overwhelmed with what is going on…but your partner will be the to assist you with some of the medications you will need to take.  (taking all the medications is where part of the dedication comes into play!!!)

Since I mentioned medication lets just talk about it for a second.  At the IVF Q&A they spoke about or shipment and what will be in it.  I was not prepared for the size and sheer amount of medication I would receive…I thought I was but when the COOLER arrived at my door it was shocked to find that it was packed with filler ice…it was packed with medication.  (I used a mini fridge because it would have taken up a lot of space our regular fridge).  The cooler they sent was the old school Styrofoam coolers…so yes, that’s a lot of medication!!

The question most people ask about the medication (whether they are thinking about attempting IVF or just want to know for the hell of it) is how much does a cooler full of IVF medication cost?!?  Well, like I explained earlier Elise and I are very lucky (and it was one of the reasons I went first) because my job (as much as I hated where I worked) covered fertility treatments…including medication.  (if you are from SC and work for the state you’re in luck…they cover fertility costs and most medications). 

It is important to note that I did not take the normal IVF hormones…I over-responded to the medication so was allowed to use IUI medication for IVF so our costs were significantly lower than most…yet still not cheap.  You will have to get a variety of medications; my prescription included 8 different medications (and I had to get refills).  So our medication WITH insurance coverage for our initial order totaled $1500 (without insurance the medication can go anywhere from $5,000-8,000). 

The medications were a combination of injections, pills, and suppositories (by far my least fav but the one I took the least).  To begin with I had to take 3 medications a day: 1 shot and two pills twice a day (the shot once again went in my belly).  By the stimulation process (up until the retrieval date) I was taking 3 shots in my belly at night, an antibiotic twice a day, and two other pill forms of medication (yes I had to set times because they had to be taken at the exact same time everyday)!

36 hours before my egg retrieval I had to take my first IM injection (the big needle that goes into the muscle). This was my trigger shot and by far the most painful: I bruised immediately.  It may have been the shot or it may have been the fact that I Elise had to give me this shot in my thigh…there is not much room in my little chicken legs. 

The medications were not that bad and you actually get used to the daily injections….and don’t forget it’s about the bigger picture…starting a family! I took the stimulation drugs for 2 weeks so it wasn’t that bad and prior to that had a few days of injections that prevent you from ovulating….all in all it wasn’t that bad.  The days she could Elise gave me the hormone injections in my belly and she got really good at them and they didn’t hurt that bad anymore.  She was an amazing nurse (and continued to be cause I will have to take an injection in my butt for 72 days…she has to give those because I can’t physically give them to myself).  The side effects of the medications were not that bad but that’s a different entry….

The pre-tests

So here we are, waiting to start IVF after a failed attempt at IUI.

Before you can begin IVF there are tons of test, pre screenings and other hoops you must jump through and complete...not to mention save up the money you need to pay for the actual procedure!

We have one test left (to be completed in 2 weeks) then we start the tons of different shots and other medication to prepare my body for egg retrieval and implantation..the process that is known as IVF.

Now that we are getting to the busy part I will have more posts to write on a more frequent basis....Here goes the journey of a life time...and I think we are ready!!

attempt #1

Well we started our first try….we knew it would be a journey but still it sucks when you hit bumps in the road. 

As you recall I did not respond to clomid so they put me on injections.  Yup, I had to stick myself in the tummy everyday for a week.  Not that bad seeing as the end result will lead me to my dream!!! The first shot was the hardest..i could never be a druggy…I do not enjoy sticking myself!!!

Well after two days of shots I had to go back into the doc to check my follicle growth (yes that means another probe encounter…they don’t even phase me now).  Of course I wouldn’t be responding normally….however, this time I did not fail to respond….I OVER RESPONDED!! When you are talking to your RE and she counts your large follicles you never want to hear the words “octo-mom” come out of her mouth.  Low and behold I was well on my way of becoming the octomom because I had way too many large follicles. 

The doc changed my meds to a different shot…the idea was that this medication would cause some of the smaller follicles to drop out and only leave behind a few of the large ones and the procedure would go along as planned.  This time I was able to share my “shooting up” experience with Elise.  She got to partake in the fun and games and I asked her to give me my shot for the three days on the other medication.  Wouldn’t you know the shots that hurt the worst were the ones that Elise gave me…she was really gentile and I think it was my imagination J

After a few days of the new meds we had to go back to the doc to find out the day we were going to inseminate…she had to see how mature the follicles were.  Well yup..you guessed it…I over responded to those meds too and all my large follicles dropped out…so my largest follicle that day was smaller than most of my follicles the first time.  She gave us the option of just attempting with miniscule chances (I'm talking a snow ball has a better chance in hell than we did to get preggers).  We decided 1% chance of getting pregnant is still better than 0% and we gave it a try. 

A few days later it was time for insemination.  It wasn’t romantic like most conceptions but I didn’t care.  The doc pulled out a catheter filled with our donor sperm and proceeded to insert it in my area…through the cervix and directly into the uterus.  She told us to think about babies and conception.  It wasn’t painful at all…it took about 2 min (the longest of the was putting on gloves and inserting to speculum…the actually insertion and injection lasted about 2 seconds.

The doc told us to come in for a blood test in a week to see if I ovulated….I waited a week and went in.  Sadly I did not ovulate so there was no chance that we were pregnant. We were prepared for this but it still stinks. 

So now we move on to IVF.  The expensive journey that will hopefully make us mommies….

millimeters are actually huge!!!

So I completed clomid….it wasn’t too bad…my mood was better than on prometrium..but I was bloated, and slightly emotional.  I cried at a few things but not too bad.  I like it better than prometrium.  I was lucky that I didn’t have severe side effects to it like some women do.

After completion I was to go to the RE for my second ultrasound (yes, vaginal again) to check the growth of my follicles and to see when I am supposed to give myself the trigger shot to release my egg so we can inseminate and hopefully become preggo. 

After my ultrasound the tech told me I had one follicle that was 12mm a few that were 10mm, a few 11 mm and a lot that were between 7mm-9mm.  She told me it would be a few more days until I took the trigger shot but things were looking good.  The nurse came in when she was done and said the images will be shown to the RE and she would give me a call later that afternoon. 

Well my RE was not pleased with my growth and the nurse told me that it was because I did not respond to clomid.  Because I did not respond she did not want to continue this month and it was a scratch.  I was at practice when I got the call and had to put on a fake smile and finish practice before I could let it sink in that it didn’t work. 

I was heart broken and upset and just sad that I didn’t respond….I was broken and my worst fears were realized.  Its odd but I did feel like something was wrong with me but everyone said “o no you’ll be fine, you’re young and have young eggs”…apparently my eggs are so young they don’t want to mature.  

I only allowed myself to cry for a second…(ok maybe 2 minutes) but realized it could be worse…but the doc still had hope. She didn’t say we cant have a baby we just had a minor set back…a set back that still hurt but a minor one in the grand scheme of things. 

So now we wait for my next cycle to start (no clue if it will have to be forced again or not) then we move on to stronger meds… and hope I respond to them…I will be doing 5 days of injections.  These are (to my knowledge) administered the say way the trigger shot is except I have to mix them myself…so hopefully this will be done during the week so I don’t have to worry about doing it while we travel and in the middle of a game possibly. 

So we had a set back…but we got through it without being too upset. I was sad and I did have a moment where I cried but it wasn’t too long…and Elise was great.  She listened to me pouting but didn’t tell me I was being irrational or anything…without saying too much she said the right things to get me though my sad days…Sadly I got the call on a night that I had to teach class after practice and staying in the office and did not get to see her until a full 24 hours after I got the call…but she had a great hug and loving heart waiting to cheer me up and let me know it will be ok.  I’m not sure what I did to deserve her, but I’m glad she is my copilot on this journey of a lifetime…

Eggs Anyone?

Well, after doing my happy dance when I realized AF appeared…I got nervous.  I got nervous because this is when the “real” journey begins.  This is when we get excited but try not to get too excited incase it doesn’t work the first time.  So, I went in the for ultrasound to make sure everything was moving along properly.  Got there and was prepared for an abdominal ultrasound…I was WRONG.  The doctor pulled out a “probe” slapped a glove on it, and began her vaginal ultrasound to check my ovaries.  So here I am not prepared for this and it was not painful but it was not comfortable either.  There was no ultrasound jelly used just the instrument and a “glove” for sanitary protection. 

Everything looked great and I was then told to redress and wait for the nurse to explain the next steps to me.  The next steps are the Clomid protocol and r-hCG trigger shot. 

Clomid is taken days 3-7 of your cycle to induce ovulation (egg production).  This helps stimulate the ovaries to make healthy eggs…it can also help to produce multiple eggs.  Our chances of having twins went from 1 in 30 to 1 in 10. 

After my next ultrasound (to check to make sure healthy eggs are being produced) I am told when to take my r-hCG trigger shot.  The shot..that I had to learn to give to myself…goes in the belly, about an inch away from my bellybutton.  It is called the “trigger shot” because it triggers the release of ALL mature eggs.  So according to the poster on the doctor’s office wall our chances of twins has gone from 1 in 10 to 1 in 7 (some research states 1 in 5). 

So as long as things continue to go smoothly…we should find out when to take the trigger shot and a mere 36 hours later we have to back for insemination. 

So this week I start the clomid protocol (which is supposed to have not so fun side effects), go to Augusta to pick and pay about $600 for one dose of donor sperm (yes, that much for just one attempt), and deliver it to my doctor's office to store, then drive back to Augusta to give back the cryotank (which needs an $800 security deposit).  They ask you to leave a check as a deposit and only cash it if you don't return the tank within 8 days.  The fun starts now…lets hope the side effects of clomid aren’t that bad.  In exactly 3 hours I will take my first clomid pill…I’ll keep you updated on whether the side effects are as bad as some women say….  

Visit From Aunt Flo

Well...I last left you we were starting the prometrium protocol phase of this venture.  I had to take them pill everyday at the exact same time.  After taking my first pill whit a large glass of water at 9:30 PM, I did research on the side effects to other women’s experiences (so I know what to expect).  All my research led to women taking this medication vaginally.  I immediately felt like a HUGE ASS and sprinted to the living room and rummaged through my bag to find my pill bottle.  I just knew that I was an idiot and assumed I wasn’t supposed to take the pill orally and was going to have some horrible stomach reaction.  However, I was wrong.  I was supposed to take the pill orally (it can be taken either way, totally left to the discretion of your doctor). 

Well I should have taken the pill vaginally…I had side effects that no one else had.  The pill usually helps women sleep though the night and makes them drowsy.  I wouldn’t be so lucky.  Prometrium helped me stay up most of the night.  I averaged maybe an our of sleep then would wake up…I think the most I slept in those 10 days was around 4 hours a night.  I guess I should take this as a practice session because I know we won’t be sleeping the first year of the baby’s life.

Well after a few days of prometrium I was getting slightly discouraged because AF was still nowhere to be found.  I decided that I wouldn’t do much about this and would add to my stress level.  I finished my 10-day cycle of prometrium and patiently (or not so) waited for AF to appear.  Four days after my last prometrium pill AF visited me. 

When I realized I got my period I have a goober moment.  I ran out the bathroom with the biggest smile on my face and did a happy dance while telling Elise that it finally came and we begin the next and more exciting steps!!! Yes I did a happy dance for AF…and I’m not ashamed. 

I called the doctor (like instructed) and made an appt for an ultrasound.  She had to make sure my ovaries were working properly and this was actually AF and not spotting. 

adding to the journey

Well…here we are on our first leg of this journey and of course we already have a set back…a bump on the road…a snafu!! Yup, things for us cannot even start smoothly.  What was this snafu…what was the reason this situation has been handed a set back?  Well its because my body wont ever do anything I want it to and I didn’t have a period this month.  Yes I may be the only female trying to get pregnant who stressed about not getting a period.  I feel like a high school cheerleader a few weeks after the homecoming party…wishing my period would decide to come!

It’s difficult to go through this situation!  The one thing I want more than anything in the world…to have a baby and my body doesn’t want to cooperate. So after stressing about not getting my period I had to call the doctor and find out what we do now.  Its not fun calling a doctor because your body doesn’t work properly.  Especially when everyone tells you not to worry, you’ll be fine, its all in your head, you’re too young to have the problems you stress about.  Well lookie here…I HAVE THE PROBLEMS I FEARED!!!

So here we are, 5 days late on my period and starting a prometrium protocol.  This is a hormone therapy that (is supposed to) help to start a period.  I have to take this every night at bed time (at the exact same time each night) for 10 days.  If I start my period during the medication I immediately stop taking and call my doctor.  However, it could take up to 14 days after the last pill to get a period…if I get one.

When I get my period I have to go to the doctor for an ultrasound to see if I am producing eggs.  On Day 3 of my cycle I start the clomid regiment.  This is all contingent on the fact that I do actually start my period.