Post 60: Follow Up

We officially have an attack plan for our next steps. Since our IVF and FET cycles both failed, and we're out of embryos, Shaun and I decided it was a good time for a break. My parents take us on a cruise each year, and it's typically our Christmas present. They'd put off booking the cruise until we had a better idea of our schedule. When we talked to our doctor, she encouraged us to take the month off, enjoy vacation, and we'll start the next IVF stimulation cycle the day we return. 

Dr. Johnston was really positive about our chances. She said taking the time to relax may be the best medicine she could order. She also has me scheduled for an endometrial biopsy next week. This procedure has two benefits. The first is that it can tell if my endometrium is chronically inflamed, preventing implantation; the second is that it causes injury to the uterus, which then has to heal itself. When this occurs, it makes the lining course, and improves implantation rates. She also decided that I'll start birth control with my next period, and take it for ten days before starting stimulation. My estrogen levels was really high after only eight days of stimulation, and she was concerned about OHSS - ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. In addition to the birth control, she's changing Lupron to a different medication to see if I respond dofferently, then my dosage of of menopur and gonal f will be reduced too. We're hoping that reducing the medication and including birth control will allow me to stim longer. We will also do ICSI on all of the eggs as I had a 100% fertilization rate with the process last time. 

So, my plan for now is to relax, and enjoy my time off. This is really the first break I've had since we started this process last March. So far, my relaxation had included watching three seasons of Gilmore Girls, doing all the laundry in the house, cooking two months of freezer meals, cleaning out the kitchen cabinets, and cleaning and rearranging our storge room and turning it into a usable guest room. Though it may not be most people's ideal relaxation technique, it is what works for me. A clean house is a relaxing environment. Until it's clean, I can't relax. I also know that with work, the cruise, and an upcoming cycle, that there will be little time for cleaning. By the end of the day, the house should be spotless, and I'll begin relaxing.