IVF - Egg Transfers Day

Hello dear readers,

We made the biggest decision today, well biggest throughout our IVF journey. We transferred a SINGLETON, during a 3-day-cycle. You see, when I left the house, I thought let's go with two even though my mom and MIL think one is enough since I am still young and also because I have a small size body. But on my way there, I looked at the people around me...I want my child to grow healthily. I want a baby so badly but I definitely want a healthy baby. Last night, I read a story about a woman who was 21 weeks pregnant with twins and she lost them at 22 weeks with no reason. She is quite small, like me. I honestly will go mental if that happens to me...if it is going to be a negative, I'd rather it be in 2 weeks than 22 weeks....so this is the story of what happened today :) our story...

I changed my clothes and hubby did the same. The IVF lab is next to the clinic on the same floor. Me, with full bladder, and feeling like bursting, I saw Dr P came into the OT. Boy what a relief to see him. Dr P told us that I have 4 very good embryos of Grade 2. 2 with 8 cells and 2 with 6 cells. The rest are good embryos at grade 3 and 4, they might turn into grade 2 in 2 days time. I was disappointed that I didn't have any grade 1 but per the embryologists, who are very very kind, they rarely seen grade 1 embryos. So i guess i am ok. Dr P also mentioned about 5 days transfer called blastocyst. Know what that is? :)

A paper published in 2008 concluded that selective single blastocyst transfer in women with a good chance of becoming pregnant can reduce the chances of having a multiple pregnancy after IVF while maintaining the overall likelihood of becoming pregnant.

Other recent evidence suggests that transferring a single blastocyst on day 5 of in vitro culture is associated with a higher clinical pregnancy rate, compared with transfer of a single cleavage-stage embryo. Culturing the embryos until day 5 helps embryologists to identify the embryos most likely to result in a successful pregnancy. You should also bear in mind that if you opt for blastocyst transfer:

1) you may not get any embryos that develop to the blastocyst stage.
2) there may also be fewer embryos to freeze.

I was confused. So when Dr P gave us an option to go to the toilet and pee and decide later, hubby straight away said yes ;) what a relief to be able to pee. I had our discussion with hubby and we decided on a singleton today :) we plan to freeze the next 3 which make it to day 5. Crazy I know but we have made up our mind. The Egg transfer is quick and painless but embarrassing. I had to open my legs as wide as possible. When the embryo was transferred, I felt like a water bubble pop inside my uterus and it is done. Yeay!

Hubby was in tears of joy, I kept myself strong. I know I am not pregnant yet but it is so beautiful. The tiny white bean is in my uterus. If you look at the photos attached, the small white bean in my uterus, near the lining is our embryo. Can you see it? We could see it the moment Dr P showed us the screen. I straight away asked for a copy of the photo for us to keep. This is the first time my egg and hubby's sperm met up in my uterus. How wonderful :) I am very happy today...I just saw the most beautiful thing in my whole life. Call me crazy but I love that bean ;) I smiled and thank Dr Prashant :)

After 10 minutes laying down, I rushed to the loo and took a rest in the recovery room for the next 40 minutes before we went home. We had steamboat at home for lunch (thanks mom!) and now, I am going to be in bed for the next 48 hours :) I will be seeing Dr P again this Friday for a scan of my uterus lining. I hope the uterus is doing great...and I hope the progesterone is helping.

I am now officially in my 2 weeks waiting period, praying that our singleton will make it :) I am also praying that my eggs in the lab are doing great as I want them in the future. I want my baby to have siblings, hopefully we can have 3 or 4 kids....I'm dreaming now ;) What a day...

May God help us ;)

IVF - The Day Before

I went out today ;) I was bored out of my mind. It is Sunday after all. So hubby took me out for lunch at our favorite starwood hotel but I couldn't eat as much as usual. I'm still prety sore from the ER procedure. But I still enjoyed our lunch anyway :) I have a small body, 49kgs at 165cm but I eat like a 65kgs person....

Yesterday I had choc sundae from mcD. Bad move. Cold stuffs is not recommended after ER. It makes you more bloated. NY lower abdominal pain has reduced but it s still quite sore. Soi am taking things easy and now, I'm home...in our bed. Hubby is playing badminton with my parents but I am too tired to move. So here I am, blogging and watching gossip girl online ;)

I wanted to write about UtRogestan. This is the hormone tablets which need to be inserted in your vagina. I browsed the net for information but could not find the tips other then 'insert them into your vagina'. Hmmmm. So ok, not helpful at all. Maybe none of you have any problems with this since we are all married or engage in healthy sexual activities. But the only thing that has ever entered my vagina is my husband's penis. I have never ever finger myself before. So I was pretty scared and nervous as I do not want to know how it feels inside, down there...

So what I did... I open my legs as wide as possible after washing my hands and slowly I insert the pill one by one. I only managed to go in as far as slightly more than half of my finger, about 75%, even though Nurse H said one finger. My reason is because I have long finger, so 75% is good enough, I hope. Also, I am too afraid to go deeper. The feeling in there are wet and small. How is a baby going to make it out of my vagina? :( super scared....

I do have one or 2 spots of leakage, hence wearing panty liners help. I also noticed whitish residue in my urine. I am worried that I haven't gone deep enough and I might not get enough progesterone for implantation. I guess I shall find out tomorrow whether I have done it right :)

I hope tomorrow goes alright and I can hold my bladder without any embarrassing incident ;) Amin...xoxo

IVF - The Day After

15 eggs retrieved, 10 fertilized...

Let's hope we have good quality embryos by Monday. I feel sad for my 5 immature eggs, hmmm. I'm having less cramping today but since the pain is still there, I decided to stay in bed today. Have a good weekend everyone!

IVF - Eggs Retrieval Day

Hello ladies...and gents maybe? :)

We got 15 eggs today. More than expected but it is about quality, not quantity. So I am still pretty nervous to find out about them tomorrow on how many turn out to be embryos and on Monday, on the quality og my eggs. So nervous but I am glad we went through today ok.

We arrived at the clinic at 720am and by 745am, the Anaesthetist came to see me and poke that plastic tube in my left hand. Nurse H and S came to wish me luck at 8am. How nice of them. And then Dr Prashant came in at 810am to say hello. By 820am, I was pushed into the OT. There were about 10 people in the OT and the next thing I know, I was back in the ward, the gorgeous 5 stars ward.

A point to note, hubby went home and produced his sperm while I was in the OT. Thank God we live nearby ;)

I looked at the clock and it was 845am. Pretty quick. I was very sleepy. I could hear hubby's voice but decided to sleep anyway. No pain at all. By 10am, I was wide awake. Had my breakfast and changed into my clothes. By 1045am, we were back at Dr Prashant's clinic. Nurse H gave us the medications for the next few days. I need to continue Zinnat but I was given the below as well in addition:

1) Dastinex 1 tablet each night for 3 nights
2) start Utrogestan tablets tonight. It is inserted into the vagina 2 tablets 3 times a day for the next 15 days.
3) start the Duphaston tablets tomorrow.

Sounds heavy I know. But I am glad to report that so far, I only have light spotting and minor lower abdominal pain. I was pretty scared of the pain as I have read the bad experiences some people had to go through. I hope my light pain will go away slowly because I have made plans for the weekend with hubby :)

On the sedation - my hand still hurt from the plastic thingy. The one done at Pantai when i did my Hysteroscopy was better. And on top of that, while I was asleep, they gave me a jab of pain killer on my left arm and another jab near my vagina to reduce the pain. But I didn't feel the jobs at all as I was in drwamland then ;) So don't worry!

On Monday is the Eggs transfer day. We have a major decision to make this weekend. How many eggs should we transfer? See, my mom and MIL seem to be suggesting that 1 is enough. Hubby wants 3 but I already put my foot down that no to 3 as I can only handle a maximum of 2 babies at one time. Also, I read about the risks associated with multiple pregnancies, on both the mother and the babies. Pretty scary stuffs. But per Dr P, the chance with 1 egg transfer is 40% but with 2 is 67%. However, young couple normally prefer 1 egg rather than 2. So where does that leave me? Pretty confused. For now, I just hope and pray that my eggs and my hubby's sperm survived the thawing procedure. But come Monday, we need to decide on the number to be transferred. This is hoping my eggs are of good quality...let's hope we have good number of eggs to be transferred and frozen for future use. InsyaAllah..

Please let me know what do you think on the number of eggs. Financially, we can handle 2 or 3 babies. Emotionally, the joy of having a baby of my own is already a blessing. But the health issues and miscarriage just scare me....I do not want to be greedy and put my babies at risk. I wanted the best for my child, if I have one or more, one day. All mothers want that for their children right? :)

Talk to me on your opinion please, if you are reading this....thank you.

xoxo

IVF - Starting Zinnat Today

Oh my! My first day without injections. Bliss! ;)

Pampering day was really nice other than spending too much money on my body. I spent 2.5 hours at the spa and 1.5 hours doing mani pedi. No nail polish, just cleaning and getting rid of my cuticles. So now, I am home, waiting for hubby to come back from work. Rindu!

My breasts are still sore but I really look forward to tomorrow. I have started packing, well by packing I mean packing the admission letter, a pad, small towel and the syringe from yesterday's jabs as I need to return them to the clinic. Tomorrow will be a quick shower with no soap etc. I have taken a long shower today, so hopefully I smell ok tomorrow. I feel quite good actually. I mean braziliaan wax done, spa done, mani pedi done, IVF costs paid. I'm ready :) I'm blessed since I haven't start working. I have no work stress. Only baby stress, if such thing exists ;) I am such a drama queen!

Everyday, when I look at my husband, I imagine a baby with his look. He is so adorable in my eyes. He will be a good dad, I am sure. But can I be a good mom? Hmmm.....He spoils me too much, well at least that is what my girlfriends and my families think of us anyway. Since we got married, he makes everything easy for me. From the simplest thing to opening my door and carrying my shopping bags to things such as holding my hands when I was in pain in the middle of the night and accompanying my every visit to the toilets for the first 1 month we moved into our new place because I was scared. Very patient that man, I am telling you! He is a keeper :) Alhamdulillah...

I hope we will get through IVF ok. I really hope so. To my readers, thank you for your support, thank you for being my inspiration to stay strong and for reminding me that I am not alone in this world facing these nightmares. Really, Thank You :)

xoxo

IVF - Eight Injection (LAST!)

Happy Deepavali to my readers who celebrate Diwali :)

I had a good day today. My last 2 injections were done at my house by my cousin who is a specialist ie oncologist. Wow, finally, no more IVF jabs (hopefully my last!) Hubby was busy with meetings today, so I went out with my girlfriends for tea at Wondermilk. Good day Alhamdulillah.

I am starting to feel unfomfortable today. I have been getting more and more discharge and my breasts are in pain! The nipples feel like they are about to explode. Wearing my bra is far from comfortable. Uncomfortable to the max! :( hubby is joking about sex but I am so not up to it. The boobs feel bigger but very very sore....how long is this going to last? :(

Starting from tomorrow I will be taking an antibiotic calls Zinnat for 4 days. Tomorrow is pampering day before our ER. I am going to the spa and mani pedi while hubby is at work. Bliss!

My last jab, the Ovidrel was taken at 830pm. Which means in 36 hours, I will be in the OT for the Eggs Retrieval procedure, insyaAllah. Btw Ovidrel is used in fertility treatment cycles to help follicles mature and trigger the release of mature eggs from a woman's ovaries following treatment with products containing the human follicle stimulating hormone. Hence, the jab is needed for ER this Friday :)

Praying for the best now...

xoxo

IVF - Seventh Injections

What a day today...

I went to the clinic for my 2 injections and then went to see Dr Prashant for a quick scan. Glad to see some of my eggs (or do we call them follicles?) are developing well but also disappointed to see some of the eggs not developing. I am a bit worried but Dr Prashant kept on stressing on the importance of quality rather than quantity. That is a relief. Per Dr P, the American ways would prefer generating lots of eggs but the eggs are not of the best qualities. But he prefers the European way which concentrate on quality. I have been given low dose of Puregon of 150 every day but still able to produce a good number of eggs due to my age. Alhamdulillah.

After the scan, I gave Dr Prashant a Deepavali card, well for him and the gang at KL Fertility. Dr P thank me with a big smile on his face :) He then asked me to do a blood test to see my Progestrone level and come back within an hour. I then went to see Nurse H and she said that I could come back before 4pm as I had my facial appointment booked in the afternoon. How nice of her! Before I left the clinic, we went to register for the Eggs Retrieval day administration which could either be on Friday or Saturday, depending on my blood test result. We registered at Level 5, then did a blood test at level 3A before driving straight to Bangsar since Hubby had a meeting and me rushing for my Brazilian wax :)

We came back to the clinic at 330pm and found out that the Progesterone level is at 1.4, which means that the ER will be on Friday. One day earlier than planned! Wow :) Before we left, for the first time, I got to bring home the IVF blue bag which contains the last set of injections for tomorrow - 2 jabs tomorrow. My cousin will help us with the injections since the clinic is close. And oh, my cousin is a Doctor. I don't trust anyone else to do the jobs. Terrible of me, I know!

In total, including tomorrow, I have 8 days of injections. I left the clinic with a big hope, hoping that our ivf will be successful. But I am nervous too. I hope I can handle it if the result is negative....

Anyway, in preparation for our ER, I have booked a day at the spa and mani pedi on Thursday to de-stress myself. Hubby cannot say no to my expensive spending this month and I am going to enjoy every bit of it while I still can ;)

Until tomorrow...I am off to dreamland. HAPPY DEEPAVALI!

xoxo

IVF - Sixth Injection

Hello hello dear readers,

I survived my next 2 jabs today and we paid the total cost for our IVF with ICSI of RM15,500. What a relief to finally able to pay such a big amount. Let's not think about the credit card bill yet but I am glad that the clinic has now accepted credit card payment with no extra charge.

One thing about KL Fertility, they didn't put any pressure into asking about when I am going to make a payment. Unlike some clinics which straight away send you the bills before you even start any treatment. It is a big amount of money but all IVF patients at private clinics know you need to spend at least 20k for the whole package...big hope, big money! ;)

I am meeting Dr Prashant tomorrow for my second scan. Let's hope everything is on track. Really need to stay positive now :)

I took a nap for 2 hours after the injections today. I have been quite tired lately. I'm going for my facial and waxing tomorrow. Hopefully I won't be too tired then. Hubby has mved his business meetings at the cafes in the same mall, so he will be nearby if I need him. Such a comforting feeling.

It is going to rain again soon...I just got home from lunch with my mom ad her friend. I think I need my second nap now. Very tired dee...

xoxo

IVF - Fifth Injection

Good afternoon everyone :)

I had breakfast with my girlfriends at 830 today. While hubby was still in dreamland, I crawled out of bed and drove to TTDI. It feels good to see them even though they had no idea about my IVF. Only my family members know about my IVF anyway. How odd, one of them mentioned a colleague of hers who is 42 years old, went through IVF and now pregnant with triplets and another girl at 32 is pregnant via IVF too. I listen with great interest but kept the extra thrill for the 2 ladies to myself :) there are hopes everywhere ladies! :)

Alhamdulillah, I survived 2 jabs today. TWO! For someone who is scared of the needles, I'm pretty proud of myself. The first one was the Puregon, 150 iu which was done on the left side of my tummy and the second one was the Orgalutran 0.25mg, I think, which was done on the right. The first injection was more painful but the effect of the second jab was stronger.

Dr P was around as well today. He did a scan of my uterus and the uterus looks good. He also noted 5 eggs on each side of my ovaries. All together about 10 eggs. I was pretty disappointed because I read a few blogs and they all have 15 to 19 eggs. I started thinking whether I am a good candidate for IVF. So depressing! But I think Dr P could read my mind. He said that 10 eggs is good as we don't want to put too much pressure on my ovaries and we do not want to waste the eggs. I am hoping the 10 eggs are healthy eggs...I really hope so. Per Nurse H, if too many eggs, it may cause pain and nausea which are quite severe at later stage. For now, I am going to take the experts words to avoid worrying too much at this stage. I need to be calm :)

Btw sex is safe during IVF, so are spa, waxing, shaving :) I've checked with Dr P!

The expected date of my eggs retrieval is next Saturday and my last injection should be next Thursday. Wow, I'm almost there...Alhamdulillah

I am going to need some rest now. I am starting to sneeze and mild fever has started to kick in. Nurse H did say I may feel extra tired today. I have full plans but cancelled everything except for dinner as I think I should rest in bed today....really need to get better at taking care of myself.

Until tomorrow, have a good weekend everyone!

xoxo

IVF - Fourth Injection

Good Morning,

Thank you God, the fourth injection at the clinic went well. The clinic was not too crowded today. I was supposed to see the Dr today and did the injection on our own tomorrow but luck is on our side. Dr P needs to be in the clinic tomorrow for a procedure. Therefore, I will be seeing Dr P tomorrow morning and Nurse H will be doing the injection for me. Alhamdulillah :) So I told my Auntie who is a Doctor that she doesn't have to wake up early to inject me tomorrow but I might need her help during Deepavali :)

Btw, I have decided to do my facials and Brazilian wax next week. My next question, of which I forgot to ask Nurse H is, is it ok to have intercourse between now and the transfer? Poor hubby! ;) Anyone knows?

So far, my side effects of the injections are mild headache and lethargic feeling. Not too bad I guess. I am getting a bit nervous now. It is already the 4th day of the treatment. Hubby is getting more excited as days go by. I am worried that it might break his heart if this turns out to be unsuccessful. I pray to God for some strength to go through the outcome. Even if it is a positive, we need to be strong to accept the responsibilities as parents. Sacrifices need to be made - less luxury for mummy and daddy and more for the babies. Therefore, whatever the outcome, please God give us the strength to go through them.

Have a good weekend everyone!

IVF - Third Injection

Hello Hello :)

I did my third injection today without the ice. A bit painful but the pain only lasted 1 minute. So it was fine. We took the injection 30 minutes earlier since Hubby had a meeting in KL today, so he had to rush for his meeting.

I have no plans yet for today. A friend invited me to go out for lunch but I don't feel like driving to KL for lunch on Friday. Plus tonight, we are having dinner at my in laws. So I might just chill at home today and catch up on my reading.

Oh btw, last night I felt slight discomfort near my tummy area. Almost like constipation. Also a bit of headache. I asked the nurse today and she said that is common. I am a bit nervous of hyper ovarian syndrome since it normally affects younger women. Since I am still in my 20s, I need to be extra careful. Below are some of the useful information about the syndrome.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is the most serious consequence of induction of ovulation, as part of assisted conception techniques.

It may occur after stimulation of the ovaries into superovulation with drugs such as human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and human menopausal gonadotrophin. It is rare with clomifene except in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Many women with OHSS will be seen by doctors unfamiliar with the condition. This is because assisted conception treatment frequently takes place outside hospitals and also because serious OHSS is uncommon. Education and good communication are particularly important in providing safe and effective care to women with OHSS.


Epidemiology
Despite careful monitoring, a mild degree of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurs in 33% of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles.
A moderate degree occurs in as many as 3-5% of treatment cycles.
It may be severe in 1 or 2% of IVF cycles.

Risk factors
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) greatly increases the risk.
Younger women are at greater risk.
High oestrogen levels and a large number of follicles.
The use of hCG for luteal phase support.
Administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist. GnRH antagonists can be used within the treatment cycle to suppress the production of gonadotrophins and, in doing so, they shorten the treatment cycle.

Presentation
The diagnosis of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is based on clinical criteria and therefore clinicians should be aware of the signs and symptoms:

Symptoms usually appear 4 or 5 days after harvesting of eggs.
There is abdominal pain and distension due to accumulation of fluid.
In 1 or 2% of cases with very enlarged ovaries, the patient is ill with severe pain, nausea and vomiting.
There may also be pleural effusions with fluid passing from the abdomen into the pleural cavity.
Extravasation of fluid can cause haemoconcentration and hypercoagulability with risk of thrombosis.
If a woman (who is undergoing IVF treatment) presents with severe bloating, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath and reduced urine output, urgent assessment in hospital is required.

Investigations
Careful monitoring of the ovaries by ultrasound during treatment is mandatory. The rate of growth of follicles is measured and treatment is cut back if stimulation seems excessive.

IVF - Second Injection

I survived the second injection :)

This time, we put some ice around the area for the injection. You are right, hardly feel anything as the area was pretty numb. However, the after effect was not that comfortable. Once the numbness is gone, I could feel the sharp pain near the injection area. Ouch...

To be honest, you cannot avoid the uncomfortable feeling. It is either you feel the pain when you do the injection or 5 minutes after. simple! :)

Btw Dr P is back in the clinic now. He came to say hi to me and gave a quick laugh knowing that I could not do the injection on my own. I get that a lot! ;) I will be seeing him on Saturday. Until then, I have another date at the clinic for my third injection tomorrow..I'm excited!

I had lunch with a friend at Kura, One world today. It ia a very good Japanese restaurant and the price is quite reasonable. I also renewed my passport today. Quite a productive day. And tonight, is dinner with my girlfriends :) it is a good day today, Alhamdulillah!

Btw, I am planning to go for my facial and Brazilian wax next week. Anyone knows whether it is ok to do both while undergoing IVF? Any advice is welcome!

Speak soon!

xoxo

IVF - First Injection

Good morning!

I am in a very good mood today. Alhamdulillah the first jab went well. Nurse H helped us with the injection and she will be doing so everyday for us except Sunday since the clinic is close. How was the injection?

Well, the 150 Puregon was not bad. The pain was bearable. The only thing was the sensation in my tummy area after the injection. We did the injection while standing. It feels good now that we have started the procedure.

I will be seeing Dr Prashant this Saturday for the injection and a scan. If everything is ok, we will then continue with the rest of the IVF procedure. I hope everything will turn out alright. My husband especially is very excited and full with hope. He has even started dreaming of having twins! ;) For me, I hope one day I will have my own child to love....he or she will be perfect in my eyes, no matter what :) even if I have to adopt a child, the child will be my life....my son, my daughter. Ok, I'm being sentimental now. Hehe

Thank you very much for the support that you have given me. It means so much to us. If you are going through the same journey, be strong and have faith. There are the ups and downs but as long as you are not alone, you will be fine :)

I have a lunch date soon and a dinner plan tonight. So excited!

xoxo

Blood Test

My weekend started with a blood test to check on my hormone level. So hubby and i went to the clinic at 9am on Saturday morning, looking very sleepy. Finished everything in 15 minutes and made our way to Village Park for the best nasi lemak in town :)

While we were there, Nurse H called and told us that the result is good and as expected. We can start our first IVF injection on Wednesday. Good to know we can finally start. Hopefully all will go well, insyaAllah.

Today in Sunday and i am down with flu. Seriously frustrated! i have been drinking lots of water to make sure i am fit to start our ivf this Wednesday. I blame my hectic badminton and swimming session yesterday! Swimming in the rain is not good for health and i was stupid enough to jump into the pool.

Lesson for today - No swimming before IVF

Gynera

I am on Gynera now, a type of OCP. I started doing some research on the reason and found the below :)

Convenience is a factor that contributes to a woman's general peace of mind and health. But from a clinician's point of view, the ability to time the IVF process is also crucial.
Dr. Pinkas explains, "One of the main drawbacks in treating infertility is timing a woman's body with the clinic's schedule, so we can get as many mature eggs as possible. IVF clinics can be extremely busy. With a proven and safe method for timing when a woman can undergo therapy, there is a lot less stress placed on the physicians' shoulders too."
Normally doctors start the IVF treatment from the moment a woman gets her period. But the use of birth control pills, for 10-14 days after a period, allows the treatment to be adjusted without compromising the "ovarian response to stimulation," says Dr. Pinkas. This way, egg-harvesting can fall on a date mutually convenient to both the clinician and patient.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173530.htm

IVF - Appointment No 1

Hubby left for away jobs in the East Cost at 6am. I went back to sleep after saying good bye. So sad for both of us...

My MIL and my mom accompanied me to my first IVF appointment. I was nervous, yet excited too. The clinic was pretty empty when we got there. It was a relief :)

We went in to see Dr Prashant at 12 noon. He straight away started scanning my uterus and we saw 8 eggs in my right ovary and 5 in my left. Pretty normal I guess.

But Dr P couldn't start my IVF. I was quite frustrated as I was very excited about starting my IVF. However, I understand Dr P's concern. He will be away from the 17th-18th of Oct. Therefore, we have to postpone the IVF until he comes back.

He gave me the OCP to be taken every night starting from today until Saturday of which I need to come for a blood test. The plan is then to start the IVF on the 20th. Reason being as below:

Birth control pills or, more correctly, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) can be used as a part of the IVF stimulation protocol in several different settings. First, in patients who are known or suspected to be high responders, OCPs may help mitigate the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Second, which is in my case, in patients without predictable regular menstrual cycles, OCPs can be used in combination with Lupron to initiate an IVF cycle. They uusually start OCPs in such cases after confirming with a blood test that the woman has not recently ovulated. Then, after 1 week, they add Lupron. After 1 more week, they stop the Lupron and wait for withdrawal bleeding. Once a patient has bled, they begin the gonadotropin stimulation.

We are hoping that IVF is still happening this month as I need to go back to work soon. On the bright side, hubby will be with me throughout the process as no more outstation until next month. Yeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaa!

Btw, I started to realise that I have readers from all over the world. While this may seem like child’s play to some of you, it’s a really big deal to me.  Since I started, my average readers are only from Malaysia. Now I have readers from the States, Asia Pacific, Australia etc. So drop me a line.  Let me know you were here.  Tell me about yourself and your journey.  Kinda like a blind date…but not as cheesy.  I’d love to hear from you.  And maybe I can stop by your place too.  Have your people call my people :)

Ps: Today's visit is free of charge, superb! :)

Our IVF journey begins

At 532pm yesterday, I was in a state of shock when my period came early. 28 days! Wow! And no period pain, no pimples and the AF arrived. I guess this is one of the benefit of doing hysteroscopy. I am now on a normal cycle again. Great!

I straight away called the clinic and scheduled an appointment with Dr Prashant on Monday. This means, my first IVF injection will be on Monday. I am super duper nervous. Mainly because hubby will be away on Monday and Tuesday. So I will be alone for my first appointment. I hope it goes out alright. After all, we plan to get the nurse to do the injection every day since my house is only 5 minutes away. I am so scared of needles. Really!

I am so excited to start my IVF. I have been telling myself these past few months that if our angel is through IVF, I am willing to go through anything for her/him. But if it fails, we will start looking into adoption. I am sure, somewhere out there, God has chosen an angel to be raised by my husband and I. So I am pretty excited :) whatever the result will be, I hope we will be ok. InsyaAllah.

If you are reading this and thinking about doing an IVF, I would say give it a go.

I will write more after Monday. Have a good weekend!! :)