I am now 4 days into wearing an estrogen patch all the time. Prior to this my hormones were essentially suppressed with lupron shots. The shots themselves are akin to insulin shots (tiny needles, small amount of harmless fluid injected), but they pack a mean punch when it comes to your hormones. I was almost instantly tired and crying at the drop of a hat.
But now...Now I have estrogen. What a wonderful and magical hormone. I have more energy, more drive, more life. So why don't women everywhere slap on these unassuming little energy boosters? Well, they can increase the risk of breast and uterine cancers. They may also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Supposedly they trigger migraines as well. But all that is for when you get exposed to extra estrogen for years on end.
So for now, here's to energy! I needed something since I had to give up caffeine...
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Starting Over
It's been a long time since I last updated this blog, and I thank all of you who followed along last time. In the two years since our last adventure, we've been having some fun out here in Colorado. I've been busy with residency, which is incredible, and incredibly hard. We've also skied a lot, hiked a lot, ate and drank a lot, and generally had some fun. But the time has come to try again. We still want a family. But the doctors were pretty sure it wouldn't happen the old fashioned way, and not even the old fashioned + high tech way. My eggs just don't seem to have what it takes. So we've found an anonymous egg donor!
Here's the crazy thing: all of this is just a few weeks away!! Let me catch you up. We found a donor in January, but she backed out in February. We found another donor in March, but she wasn't available in April and I wasn't available in May. So June is the month. The money is paid (LOTS of money), and I've already started on the drugs. The drugs are much easier for me this time, because I don't need to grow a lot of eggs. I just need to be on someone else's monthly schedule. But somewhere out there is a young woman who is also taking a lot of drugs, and doing it just for us (and $5,000).
If all goes according to plan, by the end of June I'll know if it worked. The odds are in our favor. At this institution, the success rate for one round of egg donor cycle is 80-85% chance of taking home a baby. Now that's pretty good odds. But it's not 100%, and I've already beaten some tough odds to get here in the first place. There aren't many 26 year old women out there who absolutely cannot get pregnant in four years with two rounds of IVF. But I'm trying to be positive. In fact, I've practically had divine intervention that said I need to just have a little faith. So here it goes... I'm ready to believe and to hope. Wish us luck.
Here's the crazy thing: all of this is just a few weeks away!! Let me catch you up. We found a donor in January, but she backed out in February. We found another donor in March, but she wasn't available in April and I wasn't available in May. So June is the month. The money is paid (LOTS of money), and I've already started on the drugs. The drugs are much easier for me this time, because I don't need to grow a lot of eggs. I just need to be on someone else's monthly schedule. But somewhere out there is a young woman who is also taking a lot of drugs, and doing it just for us (and $5,000).
If all goes according to plan, by the end of June I'll know if it worked. The odds are in our favor. At this institution, the success rate for one round of egg donor cycle is 80-85% chance of taking home a baby. Now that's pretty good odds. But it's not 100%, and I've already beaten some tough odds to get here in the first place. There aren't many 26 year old women out there who absolutely cannot get pregnant in four years with two rounds of IVF. But I'm trying to be positive. In fact, I've practically had divine intervention that said I need to just have a little faith. So here it goes... I'm ready to believe and to hope. Wish us luck.
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