Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The IVF process - Day 1

Today officially marks the start of my IVF treatment. Leading up to this point, I've been taking prenatal vitamins and birth control pills on a daily basis. Starting this morning, I began my first round of injections. Here you can see my IVF calendar, listing each medication I have to take every day through February 14th. 


 My first injection is Lupron, the shortened name for Leuprolide. It is a drug that is used to treat all kinds of medical illnesses or ailments. For persons dealing with infertility, it is suppose to help suppress my body's LH surge (a hormone that triggers ovulation) until my follicles are mature. As one site puts it, it puts my ovaries to sleep so I do not ovulate before the doctor can retrieve my eggs. Fortunately for me, this needle is very tiny and can be injected in my belly. It barely stings and is over within seconds. 


For the next several days, I'll continue my usual combination of OCP, prenatals, baby aspirin, and Lupron injections. Starting next week, I'll begin a second round of medications - hMG/FSH. These will help stimulate follicle growth and maturation....we can get more into detail on that next time. :)


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