IVF # 2 - Day Ten & we're almost there

This is an update from yesterday's ultrasound and blood work - for some reason the patient portal is not working for me so I had to get an update verbally during my appointment this morning.


Yesterday we had seven strong leaders on the right ovary, and three on the left, with the lead follicle at 17 mm. Estradiol was 2024 pmol/L (around 550 pg/mL in US units). For comparison, on day nine of IVF #1, we were at eight on the right, five on the left, with the lead follicle at 16 mm. My estradiol was at 3879 pmol/L.


I am on a Femara/Antagonist protocol, which suppresses estrogen in the early part of the stim cycle, so I'm not really surprised that my levels are slightly lower. The use of Femara (aka 'letrozole'), which is an aromatase inhibitor, acts to block the conversion of androgens to estrogens in the body. This results in less free estrogen in the blood stream. The benefit of Femara as part of the Antagonist protocol, and the subsequent reduction of estrogen, is that it makes my follicles more receptive to FSH, which is part of what makes the eggs grow. You can read a bit more here.


We went in for another ultrasound and blood work this morning with instructions to return again tomorrow. I will likely be stimming for one more night (tonight) and then trigger tomorrow night, for egg retrieval on Wednesday.


I think side effects are kicking in to high gear because I feel slightly nauseous all day, with a pretty serious aversion to coffee and espresso drinks of all things. Anyone who knows me knows this is serious! Luckily, it isn't so bad that I can't be out and about enjoying the beautiful weather all day, and we've had a lovely time touring Victoria with Derek's mom and aunt for the last four days.


Almost go time!