The Trigger Shot

It is with a VERY sore rump today that I am happy to say the trigger (HCG) shot last night worked!! I woke up at 7:30am to take a pregnancy test and it was positive, as it should be! The first test I took was so faint that I decided, what the heck, I will just take another test that is digital. With the words "Pregnant" appearing on the screen I was happy to go back to sleep and put a heating pad under me to try to soothe some of the pain my behind was in. The heating pad didn't help much and I've been walking around today like I have a stick up my rear end! Oh well...I couldn't be happier that tomorrow we get to find out how many eggs we will attempt to fertilize:)

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a tad bit nervous about tomorrow. Most women I've talked to about their egg retrieval they were under general anesthesia . I will not be, nor will I be on any pain medication. The only "sedative" my doctors have prescribed me is .25mg of Xanax...which is not a lot at all and Xanax is an anxiety medication, not a pain medication. I wasn't that worried about the retrieval until last Saturday when we were sitting in the doctor's office waiting on my ultrasound and we saw a picture of how the egg retrieval is actually done. That caused a bit of a panic...a needle going through my vaginal wall, into my ovaries, and then into the follicles. OUCH!!

All I have to say really is...men have it so easy!! Sometimes I just wish men would have to endure what us women go through and are willing to put ourselves through to have children. When I informed my husband today that starting tomorrow night I would be getting Progesterone shots in my hinny every day for the next eight weeks, all he could say was "8 weeks?! I love you!" That's right buddy...you better love me because I have to trust you to give me most of those shots so technically you will be the one putting me in pain:)

I just want to thank everyone who has been praying for us! You all are helping us so much to remain strong throughout this process. I really hope we can share with you our pregnancy journey too!! After tomorrow we will get an update from our doctor's office daily on how our sweet babies are growing and Monday we will do the genetic testing. That means on Wednesday we have to select which ones we will be transferring and we will then begin our pregnancy journey...what we hope will be a long 9 month journey! Please keep praying for us-God hears you!!

Think Positive

Today I had another ultrasound and blood work with hope that we could schedule our egg retrieval for Friday. I drove two hours by myself to Columbus today for an 8:15am appointment. On my way to Columbus as I was driving on the highway I watched the sun rise and noticed there was one beam of light shining directly from the clouds down to the ground. The beam of light made me think about how our angels have been shining their light down on us throughout this whole process and made me believe today was going to be a great day. Periodically on my drive I found myself tearing up-thinking about Riley's death and remembering how she was born with her cord wrapped around her neck. I thought about my niece Raegan and how close she and I have always been since she was born just 2 years and 1 day after Riley was born. I remembered my sister being induced on March 1, 2010, on Riley's second birthday, and I remember the monitors going off and nurses rushing in to her room to reposition my Raegan while telling us the cord was probably wrapped around her. I remember that moment so clearly-like it was yesterday, and I remember how terrified I was for my sister and niece and the flashbacks that it caused me that day. I remember being with my sister through her entire labor, every push, every breath she took. And I remember how amazing it was seeing my niece born, hearing her cry, and cutting her umbilical cord that at one point cut off her oxygen the night before. I prayed the whole way to Columbus that one day soon my sister would be able to be in the delivery room with me as I delivered my baby, helping me through every push and every breath, and taking in the first cries with me.

When I got to Columbus I had my blood work done first and then the ultrasound. My follicles are HUGE today! I can't even believe my ovaries are holding that many follicles at that size. That would explain why my stomach is so sensitive to the touch right now. The doctor was pleased with the number of mature follicles he was seeing today. It looked like I had about 12 follicles which were completely matured and about 10 more that could be matured in the next two days. Based on my ultrasound results, the doctor and nurse were sure we could schedule the egg retrieval for Friday but they needed to wait on my blood work to come back to be positive. If my blood work came back that my estrogen level was above 4,000 then it means I have Ovarian Hyperstimulation which would delay the retrieval by a few days and would decrease the number of eggs that we would expect to get. I was told I would get a call by 4pm with the results and instructions for the next steps.

Once I left Columbus I got to drive 1.5 hours to Dayton which gave me a lot of time to think. I was trying not to get too anxious about what the blood work would show...but with all the negative things that have happened to me on our journey to parenthood, of course I was worried. I just kept praying that everything was going to come back fine. I talked to my mom and she said she was confident this was going to work for us which reassured me we were doing the right thing.

Time seemed to tick so slow as I waited for the phone call. Finally at almost 4pm I got the call and it was the best news we could have received! My estrogen was just above 3,800 which meant I was cleared for the egg retrieval on Friday!!! I received all the instructions for the next three days, writing down the medications I'm supposed to take and when I'm supposed to take them. Once we hung up the phone I instantly started crying tears of joy.

Six years ago today we buried our first child. Unless you have buried your own child you couldn't possibly imagine how difficult that was. With the news we received today, I can't help but to think Riley was giving us her blessing to keep moving forward in our life with creating our family! There is just no other explanation, as worried as the nurses have been this past week of the possibility of me developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation, I know it was my angels protecting me and helping everything to go smoothly:) Everything just seems to be falling into place on such important dates to me that all involve anniversaries of our angels, and today was no different!!

Tonight I will have a nurse that I work with give me the HCG injection, Novarel, because it is an intramuscular injection (in my butt basically). It must be given at exactly 9:35pm. Then tomorrow I have to wake up at 7:30am and take a pregnancy test to see if the injection worked. It is supposed to trigger ovulation, but should give me a positive pregnancy test result. The positive result does not mean I am pregnant...just that the injection worked. I will also start an antibiotic to make sure I don't get an infection from the egg retrieval. For the rest of tonight I am going to Think Positive...that tomorrow there will be two pink lines on that pregnancy test and that everything is going to work out perfectly this time!

Revvin' 'em Up

Over the last week I have been taking injections at night to stimulate my ovaries to produce multiple eggs. In other words, we're revvin' 'em up just like we would an engine when you're about to drag race! The medication I am taking is causing the follicles in my ovaries to grow big enough to have enough mature eggs to extract by this weekend. I started out with 30 resting follicles at my baseline ultrasound on Monday, January 25th. On Tuesday, January 26th I started the new stimulation medication. By Saturday, March 1st it was looking like there were 18-20 follicles that were stimulating well. My estrogen level went from 50 on 1/25 to 697 on 3/1....it was no wonder I was so tearful and irritable on Friday and Saturday! Today, at my third ultrasound it looks as if we have 14 follicles that are going to be definitely mature enough for the egg retrieval, and then about 11 more that we are hoping will kick it in high gear over the next couple of days! My estrogen level today was at nearly 1,900!! Ironically, I'm not feeling as emotional as I was on Friday and Saturday-maybe because those were just hard days for me in general with Riley's birthday.

Because the doctor's said I was stimulating so well on Saturday, they were thinking they might need to move our egg retrieval up to Thursday from the original plan of this coming Saturday, March 8th. They decreased my medication from 3 vials of Bravelle and 1 vial of Menopur down to 2 vials of Bravelle and 1 Menopur. We were praying the retrieval would not be Thursday, as much as we would like to be pregnant as soon as possible, because Alex has a meeting with his Regional and District Managers and did not think he would be able to get out of them. It was definitely good news today when we were informed the retrieval would NOT be on Thursday! Based on today's ultrasound results, the doctor is thinking most likely Friday...but possibly Saturday for the egg retrieval. Either day is great for us:)

One thing the doctors are concerned about right now is the possibility of ovarian hyperstimulation. If my estrogen level gets above 4,000 before the retrieval it could push the retrieval back a few days and may even affect the number of eggs they will be able to retrieve. With the rate my estrogen has been rising-this is a strong possibility which could also result in low egg reserve as it did for another Baby Quest recipient. I ask that everyone put us in your prayers that this does not happen-we don't need a road block now or any more rain to come pouring down on us!

I have another ultrasound and blood test on Wednesday. I will be going to Columbus to our actual clinic where we are doing the retrieval, genetic testing, and transfer. I have to be in Columbus at 8:15am after not getting home from work until Midnight the night before:( Our hope is that this will be the last ultrasound before the retrieval and that the blood work looks great so we can set a definite date to get these eggs out of me! I've been getting quite crampy the last two days, couldn't sleep last night because I couldn't get comfortable, and it's getting difficult to get out of a chair once I'm sitting down. My belly is very bloated, as you can imagine, from having 25 good size follicles that are continuously growing! In the end, this is all worth the possibility of creating rainbows:) And, as a side note, the injections that I am taking now are no where near how bad I thought they would be! The next round of injections seem like the scariest of all...I have to trust my husband with stabbing a needle in my butt-yippee!!!!

Remembering Riley

Six years ago I was a 21 year old senior in college pregnant with my first child, a baby girl. It was scary and at the same time exciting to be carrying a new life inside of me. Due just three days after the day I would graduate from undergrad, I put my plans to go to graduate school on the shelf knowing that nothing was going to be more important than having a newborn baby. I never knew that instead of raising a newborn after graduation that I would be grieving the death of my daughter-everything was going so well. That was until February 26th when I stopped feeling my daughter's kicking.

I waited until February 28th to go to the emergency room hoping she would start kicking me again, but she didn't. I went there alone thinking they would tell me everything was just fine. I was sent to the Labor and Delivery unit because I was well into my second trimester and ER's do not do second trimester ultrasounds. When I went to the Labor and Delivery unit a nurse attempted to find Riley's heartbeat with a Doppler first. We heard one, but she was worried it was my own heartbeat from the maternal vessel. Before she completed an ultrasound I called Alex at work to tell him I needed him there with me-I knew at this point my worst nightmare was about to unfold in front of my eyes and I couldn't face that nightmare alone. Once Alex got to the hospital the nurse performed an ultrasound on my pregnant belly. It was clear as day-my baby girl was lifeless....her heart was not beating. Immediately a doctor came in to talk to us, to discuss options for delivery. I immediately had to start preparing myself that I was going to be giving birth to death. Because the placenta was blocking my cervix the doctor was worried I would need a c-section, but because I was so young and had no other children, he wanted to give the placenta some time to move out of the way. He sent me home and told me to come back in the morning for another ultrasound. They would either induce me that morning or take my daughter by c-section following the ultrasound.

I know I did not sleep one minute that night. I was terrified of what was going to be happening the next day. I was an emotional wreck. I was 21 years old and knew I would have to bury my first child. I was so angry with God for letting this happened. I blamed myself, thinking I had gotten too stressed out over an argument Alex and I had about a trip he was planning with his friends just 2 weeks before my due date. I blamed Alex for causing me to get stressed out-for only caring about himself and his friends when we had a baby on the way. We had just learned the week before that we were having a baby girl-I had just spent hundreds of dollars on buying our daughter clothes-outfits she could wear for her newborn pictures. She would never be able to wear any of those outfits...she wouldn't fit in them. I would never get to take family pictures with my baby girl-I would never get to plan her first birthday party-I would never get to take her on walks over the summer like I had planned to. There were so many thoughts and emotions that night about all the things I would never get to do with my baby girl. I felt like I was dying inside.

With swollen eyes from all the tears I had cried the night before, on February 29th we had our ultrasound which showed the placenta had moved and I would be able to have a vaginal delivery. At 10:30am that morning, the induction process began. I was placed in a labor and delivery room, dressed in a hospital gown, and hooked up to an IV. I was given Pitocin multiple times to force my cervix to dilate. I had never been so uncomfortable in my life-my OB doctor who had been monitoring my entire pregnancy was not there for me...I got the lovely privilege of having male resident doctors shoving their hands up my vagina every hour to see if I was dilating and if they needed to give me more medication. Not to mention the residents had horrible bed-side manner, If it wasn't for the nurses being so kind to me I'm not sure how I would have handled all of this as well as I did. As I waited on the arrival of our stillborn daughter, I had periods where I would break down crying and periods where I tried to sleep to forget what was happening. I remember the hours going by so slowly-the silence in the room, although Alex, my sister, and parents were all there. I remember waking up at 4:00am in pain from contractions. I remember getting pain medication and falling back to sleep. I remember the sudden gush under my gown that woke me up at 5:15am and I clearly remember my hands being the only hands who delivered my baby. There were no doctors around until after she was born and my family called out for them to help me.

Five hours is all I got with Riley Grace. In those five hours we had her baptized by the hospital chaplain so we could bury her in the Catholic cemetery where my grandmother was buried. I got to hold her in my arms wrapped in a baby blanket made by hospital volunteers. I got to rub my finger over her head and through her brown hair. I got to kiss her on her cheek and forehead. In those five hours she was taken from me twice. The first time she came back with a white knitted dress made by the same volunteers who made her blanket. The nurse told me they had just taken her to get pictures. I was so grateful, and to this day still am, for those pictures the hospital took for me. Riley was not the perfect Gerber baby, but she was absolutely beautiful in my eyes and I wanted to remember her for the rest of my life.

Over the last six years my heart has felt healed and it has felt ripped open again after each one of her siblings has joined her in heaven. The reality is-I will never fully heal from the trauma of giving birth to my daughter that I could not take home with me. Every year on February 28th and March 1st, and every 4 years on February 29th-my emotions go right back to those days the year of Riley's birth and death. Today as I was riding in the car with Alex on the way to the hospital for our second IVF cycle ultrasound, I felt myself go back to March 1, 2008-I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness like I had that day 6 years ago driving home from the hospital with empty arms. Even if we were to give birth to a living healthy baby-it will never take away how I feel when I think about Riley. It will never fully heal me-a piece of me died when she did, and that piece will never be reborn.

Ironically I found a letter yesterday about the small amount of testing we did do on Riley because of the family history of Down Syndrome. The letter spoke about how I met with the genetic counselor and we attempted to do a chromosome analysis on me in December 2007 but the blood cells did not grow enough to get a result. The letter spoke about the first trimester ultrasound that we did in November 2007 that showed Riley did not have the nuchal translucency, or fluid behind her neck, putting her at a 1/10,000 risk of having Down Syndrome. The letter spoke about her second trimester ultrasound not showing any Down Syndrome features keeping her at a 1/10,000 risk of having Down Syndrome. The letter also spoke about how I chose not to have an amniocentesis completed because of the associated risks including miscarriage and stillbirth. After we miscarried Audrey in October 2013, our doctor brainwashed me to think Riley had to of had Down Syndrome too and that is why she died. He said the cord around her neck, twice, would not have killed her like we had always thought did kill her. After him telling me this I have studied pictures of Riley and started believing he was right. The letter that I found reminded me she was absolutely perfect. In some ways, Riley has been my only hope that I do have some eggs that are chromosomely "normal" and that I could carry a healthy baby because I have done it before. In other way, Riley is a reminder that even healthy babies can die from unexpected issues that are unpreventable. That is the scary part as we move forward with this IVF cycle. However, I have so much faith that Riley is working right along side God in helping to create our miracle rainbow baby!

My Genes are Rare

Today is Rare Disease Day across the world. In honor of this day-I wanted to take the time to share about my rare disease, how I was diagnosed, what affects it has had on my life so far, and what affects it could have on my life in the future. My rare disease is called Homocystinuria, more commonly referred to as HCU. It affects 1 out of every 300,000 people world wide.

Homocystinuria is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, meaning both parents must be carriers of the gene mutation that causes the disease. HCU is a metabolic disorder where the body cannot break down certain amino acids in protien, specifically Methionine and Homocystiene. The most common form of HCU is caused by a mutation on the CBS gene. The CBS gene provides instructions for producing an enzyme called cystathionine beta-synthase. This enzyme acts in a chemical pathway and is responsible for converting the amino acid homocysteine to a molecule called cystathionine. As a result of this pathway, other amino acids, including methionine, are produced. Mutations in the CBS gene disrupt the function of cystathionine beta-synthase, preventing homocysteine from being used properly. As a result, this amino acid and toxic byproducts substances build up in the blood. Homocysteine and Methionine are found to be extremely high while cystathionine are found to be extremely low.

Babies are screened for Homocystinuria at birth in most states and countries, and there are advocates that are working on getting the newborn screening approved in the states and countries where it is not already occuring. However, the newborn screening does not catch half of the cases with this disease. Many children are diagnosed during their childhood years, and some even in their adult years. In my case, I was diagnosed at the age of 25.

Many research shows that Homocystinuria can be a deadly disease. According to research, people who are undiagnosed or untreated could likely die by the age of 25. This is because when the Homocystiene level accumulates in the blood it makes the platelets in the blood sticky and can cause blood clots which ultimately can lead to heart attacks and strokes. I, thankfully, have a more mild form of HCU. When I was diagnosed at age 25, my Homocystiene level was 238 (normal is 5-15). That seems pretty high, but most people when diagnosed even at a young age have a Homocystiene level in the 400's.

I was diagnosed with Homocystinuria after the lenses in both of my eyes became subluxed, or dislocated. The zonules (ligaments) holding my lenses in place began to break apart because of the build up of Homocystiene in my body. My entire life I struggled with extreme nearsightedness. The only explanation I was given was that my eyes were elongated causing the vision to be so poor. But I was legally blind by the 8th grade, and when I was in high school my eye doctor told me I had the worst pair of eyes he's ever seen (vision wise). By the time the lenses were found to be dislocated, I could no longer correct my vision with contacts because no one made them strong enough for me. My perscription was -20 and -25. I failed the vision exam to renew my driver's license and that's when I went to my eye doctor and said something is seriously wrong. That was the beginning of my journey with HCU.

I consider myself pretty lucky actually. Lens dislocation is one of the most common signs of HCU, and after joining support groups on Facebook, it made me realize how many young kids suffer from dislocated lenses at ages of 5, 8, 10, ect. I also realized that my parent's were lucky that because I have a mild form of the disease, I was never developmentally delayed, I've never had siezures, and I've never suffered from blood clots like a good majority of the kids with HCU experience. In the beginning of my diagnosis I experienced feelings of anger-that no one ever caught my disease when I was younger. I thought if we had caught it earlier maybe I would not have had to have 3 major eye surgeries because we could have prevented my eyes from getting so bad by taking the medication and food supplements and restricting my protein intake. But then again-I am glad I got to enjoy my childhood without having to restrict what I ate and having to worry about taking medication every day.

My treatment for my disease consists of restricting my protein intake to 30 grams a day. This was a huge challenge in the beginning because my favorite food was a nice juicy Ribeye Steak! Just one steak has more than 30 grams of protein! After a few months of not eating steak I now think it is the most disgusting food ever. I have not given up chicken and never will. I know there are days when I eat much more than 30 grams of protein too-sometimes I just want to eat something with substance to it! In addition to the protein restriction, I have to take food supplements. It took me awhile to find supplements that I could tolerate the taste of them as well as were convienent to take with me to work. My supplements are called HCU Coolors. They contain 15 grams of protein in them, but protein without methionine (which is in meat). Along with the food supplements, I take a medication called Betaine Anhydrous, a white powder medication that looks like cocaine (I think) and makes me feel like I'm a drug user because I have to measure it out using a weight scale to 4.5 grams twice a day. I mix this medication with the food supplements for the convience. Lastly, I take Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Calcium, and Vitamin C which are all vitamins I lack from the food that I can eat. They have also helped keep my Homocystiene level well under control.

The down fall of having this metabolic disease is that it is RARE. Because it is rare, employers elect out of covering its treatment with their insurance plans. The first year I was diagnosed-I paid $37 every month for my medication. I was trying all different kinds of food supplements so those were free, at first. The second year of my disease I decided I was tired of paying the $37 every month and wanted to see if my insurance would pay for it. It was absolute hell working with the insurance companies-I literally felt like I could have killed someone-they made me that angry. They kept telling me Cystadane was the generic form of my medication which was not the case at all! I was already on the generic form. They tried telling me they would cover Cystadane but because it was so much more expensive it would now cost me $75 a month out of pocket. We eventually got the benefits person at my husbands company involved and she was able to get the Betaine approved for me at just $15 for a 2 month supply! My food supplements were approved right away by Anthem but I still had to pay $60 a month for those. But now that we have switched insurance carriers again, we are back at square one trying to get these essential treatments approved. It really does frustrate me that working for a hospital network that I got a letter this week which stated they will not approve my medication or food supplements no matter what-no matter how many appeals we apply for. Thankfully, Ohio has a state mandated formula/food supplement program where I will now be getting my food supplements at no cost to me. So now we just have to figure out the medication issue or I will have to pay $37 a month for the rest of my life for my medication.

The biggest downfall of this disease is the unknown affects on pregnancy. There is limited research in this area. The research that has been done shows HCU has a high risk of miscarriage. Why? I assume because of the increased risk of blood clots developing and the lack of protein intake to sustain a growing baby. When I was diagnosed with HCU-the doctors immediately thought it was the cause of Riley being stillborn and Braylen being miscarried. When I got pregnant with Logan I got put on Lovenox injections to prevent blood clots from developing. I took the same injections when I got pregnant with Audrey. And I will take the same injections with any future pregnancy. These injections are much worse then the hormone injections I have been taking over the last 3 weeks. They burn and leave bruises all over my stomach. There is also research that states Lovenox can actually cause miscarriage and problems in pregnancy. It is a complete double edge sword.

Going forward with our IVF cycle, the best thing I can do is to manage my disease by being compliant with my diet restrictions, medication, and food supplements. Thankfully, I get my levels drawn every 2 months and the last three times I had them tested my Homocystiene level's were 14 in August, 10 in October, & 20 in January. I will get my levels retested in March, probably when we are in Columbus for our embryo transfer. I am hoping my level has remained around 20, but it would be great if it was back down to the 10-15 range! I just pray that this disease does not cause me any major problems during this upcoming pregnancy and does not end my pregnancy in another miscarriage or stillbirth.

Never Lose HOPE

As I was driving to work today thinking about the future possibilities, it made me reflect on the past and brought tears to my eyes. Some days I can't believe I have survived so much emotional pain, and other days I can't believe there were times I wanted to give up on life. I thought about how my journey has shaped me into the person I am now, how many people have reached out to me to share their struggles with me all because I was open enough to share mine, and how many people are reading my blog and praying for us. For a long time I was so guarded and felt angry at the world-especially anyone who had a living baby. I felt like they could never understand how I felt or what I was going through-that they would always think my babies were never real because they were never born alive and that I was not a true mother because I don't have living children. I've never felt so wrong about my perception of other people. Sharing my story, my struggle, and my life with the world without being afraid of what other people think has been the most healing thing I could have ever done for myself. I've seen that people do care and don't judge. I've seen more and more women being brave and sharing their story publicly too, talking about their babies who were miscarried and stillborn. I've had many women who have never experienced these things send me messages telling me how much I inspire them. I've never been more comfortable in my own skin as I do now. So thank you to everyone who is reading and praying-YOU are helping me heal and helping me remain hopeful:)

As I was driving and thinking about all of this, I thought about the innocence that children have. I thought about the pictures that my nieces drew for me after Riley was stillborn. I thought about the time my nieces came to Columbus to spend the weekend with me and named their Build-A-Bear I bought for them "Riley," wrapping the bear with Riley's hospital blanket, and having me rock the bear to sleep like I would have been doing with Riley had see be born alive. I thought about the time we were on a family vacation in Hocking Hills and while I was giving my twin nieces a bath my oldest niece told the rest of the family that she knew I was going to be a great mommy. I thought about how many times my youngest niece would touch my belly when I was pregnant with Logan and ask about the baby inside, and then after I had miscarried Logan how many times she would still touch my belly and ask about the baby who was once inside-but couldn't understand that he died. I thought about the time at Christmas when I was holding my cousin's baby and that same niece said "I wish we could have one" bringing me to tears because so did I. And then I thought about that same day while holding the same baby my oldest niece once again said to me "You're going to be such a good mom."

Sometimes it feels like motherhood is so far away that I will never be able to reach it, like it will never come true for me. Then I remind myself that as long as I never lose hope-it's going to happen one day, one way or another. It may not be exactly how I planned or wanted it to be-but it WILL happen. I will never say that I "CAN'T" have children, even if my body proves it's not capable of carrying a baby to term. I won't say those words because I know I CAN have children-one way or another. There are too many options out there for me to accept the word "CAN'T." I'm not going to lose hope-not now, not ever. I already am a mother-just not the kind of mother I wanted to be. But one day-I will be the mother I want to be, because I never lost hope.

The Green Light

Ready...set...GO!!

Today we got GREAT news! My baseline ultrasound and blood work showed everything looks perfect for me to start stimulation injections tomorrow:) My left ovary was playing hide-and-seek at first, but I have 15 resting follicles in each ovary...meaning we could have at least 30 eggs if every follicle produces an egg! The doctors were very pleased with what they saw today and believe we will have a very successful cycle!!! You have no idea how much hope this gives me-I pray FOR ONCE that things just go smoothly. I am so ready to decorate a nursery and get our nest ready for some chicks to grow up in!

So tomorrow I reduce the Lurpon injections from 10 units to 5 units daily and start using Bravelle (3 vials) and Menopur (1 vial) together to stimulate egg production. The Lupron will keep the eggs from releasing on their own. We will have another ultrasound on Saturday, March 1st along with blood work to see where things stand at that point and if the medication is doing its job. Other than that...we be patient and wait until they tell us its time for our retrieval.

The target date for embryo transfer is in 2.5 weeks....EEEEKK!!!