Shots, Shots, Shots

Had my baseline appointment yesterday on CD4. Once again, my ovaries are a rockin'. My antral follicle count this month is twelve (six from each side). I really feel blessed for my age. I know of so many women who are younger than I am that aren't fortunate enough to have even half of what I am given each month to work from.  My FSH came back at 5.28 (up .07 from last month).  For 35, I truly am amazed at how much my body is on my side. I just saw a report published showing the correlation between the mother's menopausal age and the daughter's egg reserve.  I have to give a major shout out to my dear mother. Thanks mommy for blessing me with the egg reserve that I have. Even though I inherited your gray hair and thyroid problems, I'll let them slide for this.  Love ya mommy-dearest :)

Now that I know we have a good base to work from, we decided to kick it up a notch and add Follistim to the mix. I have now done two rounds of Clomid, four rounds of Femara with nothing to show for it. I brought up the idea last cycle but was planning on starting in December to give us time to save up for the added cost since they are not covered by my insurance. My RE kindly pointed out Einstein's theory "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Sadly, that's exactly where we were at. She knew I couldn't afford doing straight injections this month so we decided to go with a combo cycle. I have had an excellent response to Femara so we decided to stick with my 5mg regimen (CD4-8) and then add 100iu of Follistim on CD8-10. I have to admit that I was really worried about over stimming since my response has been tremendous but she reassured me that with the low dose the odds are not in my favor for that happening.

Now, I know that I have two other things I can thank my mother for; my love for all things medical and spaving (yes, spending and saving at the same time).  Most people are intimidated or scared for administering shots to themselves. Me? Hell no! I find it empowering. I relish the idea that I can do this without any help. It makes me feel more involved in the process.  Not that I wasn't ecstatic enough about being able to administer three more shots, she tells me that she has some leftover donated meds and my 300iu of Follistim is FREE!!! It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I am couponing freak and will do whatever it takes to save money on anything, but this just blew me away. When I got home, I checked online to get an estimate on how much money I saved and I saw prices ranging from $300 (overseas) to $600 and more.  This makes me a happy, happy woman!

I cannot thank my RE's office, Pennsylvania Reproductive Specialists, enough for how willing they are to help us. They have never been pushy and have worked with us through every step of this grueling process. They provided me samples when DH was unemployed for six months, they know IVF is not an option and told me I can do unlimited IUI's, and mostly, they are sincere in their work. You are NOT just a patient with them. It's a small office of only five women but they understand and you never have to wait to see them. Even though they are small, they are affiliated with Main Line Fertility and Bryn Mawr Hospital. You know you're getting the most advanced treatment with the most trusted doctors in the Philadelphia area. If anybody is from the Philly burbs and looking for a specialist, I recommend them with all my heart!