Day 37: Fingers Crossed

I was back at the Dr. this morning for yet another round of blood work and an ultrasound. Follicles are looking good and estrodiol is now up to 2527. We got the call this afternoon to proceed with the trigger shot of HCG tonight and our egg retrieval surgery is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30. It will be 100% confirmed after a final round of blood work tomorrow morning.

The only bit of bad news from today's appointment was that my uterine lining was measuring just under 7, which is the same size it was yesterday. It should be growing ~1-2mm per day and with my estrodiol level so high the Dr. is slightly concerned at how my lining is progressing (he would have expected it to be at leat 8-9mm). The uterine lining is important in this whole IVF equation as embryos need to implant in the endometrium and an optimal lining is thick and rich with blood vessels providing nutrients to the embryo. I've had a problem with my lining in every cycle we've done for the past year so this isn't a complete surprise, I guess I was just hopeful it wouldn't be a problem given the drugs I'm on this round.

The biggest risk at this point is that the Dr. will advise us that the conditions aren't ideal for a transfer and we'll be given the option to freeze all of our embryos until my body's had time to create a better lining. Obviously this isn't ideal and I am quite bummed even thinking about this possibility. So I am determine to do what I can to improve things between today and Saturday.

I know that one of the things acupuncture can really help with is blood flow the the uterus which can improve the lining so I made an 'emergency' appt with my acupuncturist this afternoon. She tried a therapy with me called "Electroacupuncture" which is a form of acupuncture in which pairs of acupuncture needles are attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses between them. So my quest for a baby reached a whole new level today as I laid on the table face down, with needles in my lower back and legs connected to wires and some type of electric machine that generated continuous electric pulses. It hurt a bit and was the strangest feeling. I laid there thinking: OMG this is crazy!!!

I'll go back tomorrow for another set of blood work with a follow-up appointment with the acupuncturist for another round of electroacupuncture. So tomorrow between 8-10 I'll be poked, prodded and electrocuted...all in our crazy pursuit of having a baby.

At the very least I'll be able to look back on this cycle and despite all of the bruising, bloating, crying, and pain, I'll know in my heart that I've gave it all I got.