It's Go Time

Well, my Estradiol levels came back over 3000...3100 something, meaning it more than doubled again. I was allowed to stim last night, but I'm officially cut off now due to my E2 levels. Which means we're moving ahead with a lupron trigger. My personal opinion is that this is unnecessary, but they don't really ask my opinion. I think it has to do with the lack of capital letters after my name. Lame. 

They are assuming my E2 is somewhere between 3600 and 4000 today which sealed the deal... no hCG trigger for me. The good news is that my doctor is in fact NOT a moron. I think I'm supposed to assume that based on the fact that he does have a bunch of capital letters after his name, but let's be honest, that doesn't always mean a whole lot. In my research yesterday (just to clarify, when I say research I do not mean message boards, blog posts, or other unofficial sources. I'm using google scholar and wading my way through peer reviewed articles.) I discovered a lot of what I expected... implantation rates are lower and miscarriage rates are much higher after a lupron trigger. From what I can tell, it has to do with the estrogen and progesterone levels. While hCG helps the body to continue producing both, lupron shuts the body down... bad news for a little embryo. The solutions are: 1-freeze all, 2-dual trigger, 3-luteal phase rescue, 4-aggressive hormone replacement. 

We're going with number three. Essentially, I'll trigger (twice) with Lupron. Then, at the retrieval, they'll give me 1500iu of hCG. It's typically not enough hCG to allow for hyperstimulation, but it is enough to salvage the body's ability to produce its own estrogen and progesterone. We're also upping the dose of Crinone. It's not really "aggressive" hormone replacement, but it's more than I would have had with an hCG trigger. As I didn't ask for any of this (this was his plan all asking) and my research suggested this was all correct, I've decided that my doctor is not a moron, but rather an intelligent man who knows his stuff. I expect nothing less, but it's nice to have that confidence back. 

I definitely still wish that I could do a standard hCG trigger, but whatever. We're moving on. Second guessing every decision I and the doctors have made won't get us anywhere. I trigger tonight (10pm) with the first dose of Lupron and then follow it with the second dose tomorrow morning (10am). I'm also starting Dostinex, which supposedly helps prevent fluid from leaking out of the ovaries, further eliminating the risk for OHSS (like I said, a little zealous in the OHSS dept). Retrieval is set for 9am Thursday morning. 

In other news, the Prohibition of All Things Yummy is still going, and I officially hate protein. Blah! If I don't see another chicken breast for a month, I'll be happy. I'm not sure if it's the diet change or the meds, but I've never been less hungry in my life. My stomach is not really upset, more just uninterested. I've been having a hard time for the last few days coming up with a food that sounds good. Once I finally decide on something, I start eating and four bites in, I'm so over it. I keep eating, but I don't think I've finished a meal in three days. Food just makes me gag. The only thing in the world that sounds good is a bowl of plain Rice Krispies, which is super weird... most definitely not my standard cereal. And as I'm fairly sure Rice Krispies are 100% carbs, they aren't on the menu for a few more days. You would think that between no carb eating and just eating less, I'd still be losing weight, but it all stopped about five days ago. Now I'm slowly gaining. Thanks a lot IVF meds!

And lastly, Floridians look about as miserable as I've ever seen them this morning. I'm not sure if it has to do with an FSU victory (I'm terribly close to Gator country) or the cold... my guess is the cold. It was 26 degrees when I woke up this morning... not your standard Florida weather. Thankfully, it's going to warm up just in time for Sam to arrive... Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are in the 70s (don't hate me). 

That's about it... Hubby should arrive later tonight. Hopefully we can squeeze a few fun things in while he's here. I would obviously appreciate your prayers going into Thursday. We're hoping for lots of mature, healthy eggs that can grow into beautiful embryos!