Last week’s mock cycle baseline appointment revealed a quiet reproductive system (this was good news).
I went back today (CD10) and told the nurse, H, that I felt I was gearing up for ovulation and that she’d see activity on my right ovary. H looked amused and curious. To her astonishment, I was right — one follicle measuring 20mm was on my right ovary; no activity on the left; and, best of all, my lining was already at a plush 8-9mm!
During my last mock cycle, I took oral estrogen tablets which barely pushed my lining to 6mm. As you need a minimum of 8mm for an embryo transfer, I was put on injectable estrogen for the real cycle that resulted in Baby V. Incredibly, my body seems to do better off synthetic hormones than on them. Go figure!
I return in two days to see if my lining gets thicker and for more blood work. As long as my estrogen and progesterone levels are acceptable, and my SHG looks good, I’ll be given the all-clear to proceed with an unmedicated FET.
I’m pretty happy about this. Although there’s an extra cost for a mock cycle, it still offsets some of the overall cost by not going on medication. That’s probably $1,500 we’ve saved. But it means that there is no pressure for me to finish weaning V in time for an FET. By now, V is mostly suckling for comfort, but I’d hate to deprive her (and so abruptly) of something she finds soothing just for the chance of another baby. Clearly breastfeeding isn’t interfering with my cycle and my prolactin levels are at the low end of normal for someone who isn’t breastfeeding, so there’s no reason for me to stop.
Meanwhile, last night I had a crazy realisation. If our FET next month works and if I have placenta accreta and a caesarean-hysterectomy (which is the most likely scenario, says my OB), then my next period — which will come in a couple of weeks’ time – will be my last.
Ever.
Although I won’t go into menopause (only my uterus would be removed, not my ovaries) that’s a sobering thought.
The thing is, though, if I end up with a baby, I won’t have any regrets.
Wonderful news! I wish I had some kind of clarity about my reproductive future. I’m very much at odds with myself. I can’t believe you’ve got such a great lining—I remember how much stress that caused you before! Hoping that the rest of this journey is equally positive.
Thank you! Aw, you’re sweet to remember my lining issues from before <3
I know, the lack of clarity must be so hard on you. Can you not do what you did before to get O? Or was it very expensive? I will cross my fingers for you that you get a Golden Egg baby!
Wow. So much awesomeness here about what your body is able to do. What strikes me is the mundane normalcy of what’s going on (V breastfeeding for comfort; your ovaries doing their thang), against the backdrop of your journey to donor egg IVF and the fact that this could be your upcoming last cycle ever. As usual, you are navigating a wild road with grace.
Ha! I hadn’t noticed the dichotomy before, but I guess you’re right! I’m weird in that all my parts work fine, but the code is scrambled. The more I think about the Leaning Tower of Pisa as a metaphor for myself, the more I like it :>
I’m glad to hear all seems to be going well, and your body is doing what it needs to in order for you to have an unmedicated FET. It must be strange to think that your next period may be your last, but I hope it’s because you have a new little one to snuggle!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! It’s definitely surreal. Who knows what the future holds though? I think that is the collective infertility lesson! Thinking of you and hoping all goes well for you soon xoxo