You want me to stick it WHERE?

This morning I had my lining check.  The clinic I go to is a little over an hour away with a major outlet mall right off the freeway about half way there.  I have driven by the mall in previous years on Black Friday and seen the traffic backed up for several miles.  One year, cars were actually PARKING on the shoulder of the freeway and walking because the mall parking was so full.  It was insane! 

I had no idea how long it was going to take to get to my appointment today and left really early just in case the Black Friday traffic was that crazy again this year.  I guess there is a blessing in the fact that the stores started their sales late yesterday instead of early this morning, because there was hardly any traffic at all.  I arrived an hour early.  It gave me time to play stupid games on my phone while I waited....

The clinic that I go to is open 365 days/year, including weekends and holidays, which I thought was crazy initially.  Now that I've been through this process a few times, I understand.  When you're going through a cycle, you just don't know exactly what day your retrieval will fall on, etc.  Because they are open so much, the fertility doctors are on a rotating shift so who we see depends on their schedule.  Dr. Wu is the main RE I work with, but she hadn't met my sister until this last Wednesday at an appointment I couldn't go too.

The first thing Dr. Wu said to me today was "you and your sister not only LOOK alike, but you SOUND alike too!"  She was really impressed with how similar we are in looks and mannerisms.  This just helped confirm my decision to use my sister as our egg donor, not that I was questioning that decision, but it is nice to have that affirmation.

My lining is at a 7.4, which Dr. Wu said was good.  She also said the lining is beautiful, showing the 3 lines it is supposed to have.  Even though the number is good, she does feel like it could be better.  It should measure between 7-8.  She said research shows that 7 is the minimum that it should be at.  "If 7 is the minimum, then 8 is better."  Since we have about a week left before egg retrieval, we have time to manipulate the dosage to build the lining.

I currently am taking 3 Estrace (estrogen) pills daily to build that lining.  Now I am supposed to add 2 vaginal doses as well.  I confirmed with her that I would be continuing my 3 oral pills and now adding the 2 more vaginal doses.  I had assumed this meant a trip to the pharmacy to pick up the vaginal version of Estrace (I thought it would similar to the Crinone application), so I asked her where I should pick it up at.  Dr. Wu kind of laughed and said I just use the same oral medication I have been taking already.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Really?

She went on to educate me that pretty much anything can be absorbed through the vagina.  She said "the pill is blue, right?  So don't be surprised if you get a little blue discharge."  I can only laugh.  And she giggled a little with me.  Now I get the fun times of sticking a little blue pill up my hoo-ha.  Oh the fun times we have with infertility.

I do want to say that I really like my doctor.  She is very nice and doesn't mind my ignorance!

FYI she also told me that if you are on birth control pills and you have some sort of gastro-intestinal issue going on with vomiting, you can still continue your birth control by inserting it vaginally.  I never in a million years would have thought of doing that!  Now I know.  When I told my husband about this, he was as ignorant as me!  Of course he had to take it further and ask if it would work with aspirin too.  I told him I would assume so, but I don't really want to find out. 

Tomorrow Sis has an ultra sound to check her egg development.  Since I was planning to be there anyway, Dr. Wu wants to do another lining check to see if the extra dosage has made a difference.  I guess now Sis and I get to be ultra sound buddies.

While I am so very thankful that Dr. Wu is doing everything she can to prepare me for egg transfer, I also can't help but think about the extra $$ this additional lining check(s) is going to cost.  Our ARC package only covers the initial suppression check and one lining check for me.  If my lining isn't where it should be tomorrow, she wants me to come back in again next week too.  I figure since we are in the hole so much already, I absolutely do want to be sure we are doing everything we can to help it be successful.  I just wish it didn't cost so much money.  Sigh.....