Our first Induction Cycle

I know it has been a really long time since I posted. I have been reading everyone’s blogs, but I just didn’t feel like there was much news. Also, I have been wrapping up a huge work project (6 months!! AAAHHH!) so it seems like I can come out of hibernation.

This month we start our first month using drugs to stimulate ovulation. I guess what we are doing is exactly like an IUI – minus the IUI. Here is my protocol (or what I can remember from the phone):
2 pills 2.5 of Femara (Letrozole) for cycle days 2 – 6 days
Ultrasound on cyle day 4 to check progress
Follistim on cycle days 7 -9
Ultrasound and bloodwork on cycle day 10
Check to see if ready for trigger
trigger
At some point the nurses willl call and tell us to procreate.

I am really excited.
Of course, AF came four days early (which is not a bad thing on the whole becuase it meant my last cycle was shorter) but it really did mess up my plans. I was supposed to fly to NYC for work on April 9th, spend the evening there buttering up some clients and then fly home the morning of the 10th. Since I started on April 1st (my ovaries are playing a joke on me, right?) my cycle days go with the calendar, which mean I would have to be back early in the morning on the tenth for the ultrasound, bloodwork, and hopefully a trigger shot.

I talked to my boss about it, but the people I am going with I just told them I had a doctors appt I couldn’t miss. I found a flight that left at a reasonable time on the ninth to get me home. I still have to go. It is our biggest client, and they want to talk to us about the future of our software…blah blah blah….all good things, just bad timing. It did cost money to the company for me to switch flights, but I figure I have given a lot of my time and effort and life so far for this product – and sometimes I need a bit more in return than a regular paycheck.

I have never done this before, so I was wondering if the follistim has to be done at the same time every night? I can imagine having to go into the bathroom of an airplane to shoot myself in the butt.

In other news, I started taking a class with my Dr’s office for women with PCOS. It is pretty cool. One night a week for six weeks. The first hour is educational, the second is a PCOS support group with a therapist.

Oh – and follistim is pretty expensive. Any ideas on the typical cost of a trigger shot? Just wondering what I should expect next week. The Femara was covered in a second tier in my insurance, and I think the follistim is 3rd tier. The dr ordered 2 vials and I think my insurance covers 50 bucks a vial. I don’t know if i will even need both of them. So – 125 bucks is not too bad, but I am not sure what the trigger will be. At least the ultrasounds and all that stuff will be covered.

I just hope we don’t have to do it over and over again. 125 bucks could get expensive if it is several months in a row.
I am very hopeful right now. I just want to see how it goes. I will not be too let down if it doesn’t work the first time, but I am excited…we have been working for so long on natural methods – diet/exercise/metformin and then I had the surgery, but this feels like the first real fertility treatment we have had.

Wish me luck!