The A.R.T. of having a baby

A.R.T.-Assisted Reproductive Technology
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/ivf.html

After many tireless years of trying to become a family, Dale & I decided to do invitro-fertilization. We have already started the process, which is VERY long, but have hit a few minor bumps in the road. I was required to go on birth control for a little over a month, which I did & finished. On February 22nd, I started taking my first set of shots. The drug is called Lupron, it is a suppression medication so everything is on their schedule. On Friday, March 6th, I went in for my 1st ultra-sound & lab since taking the shots. In the ultra-sound, they found an egg, which isn't supposed to be there. The lab results came back and my levels were high, meaning the suppression medication was not doing it's job, so I had to continue on it for 2 extra days. I went in again Monday, March 9th, for another ultra-sound & lab. The ultra-sound showed that the egg was gone but my labs were just a tiny bit high, so once again, 2 extra days on the suppression medication and I'm back at the Doctor tomorrow. I'm pretty optimistic that my levels went down and I will be able to start my stimulation medication on Thursday. If all goes as planned, we are looking at an egg extraction date of either Saturday, March 21st, or Monday, March 23rd. The embryo transfer is 3-5 days after the egg extraction. That being said, I will/should know by my birthday if one or both fertilized eggs implanted. I'm starting to get VERY excited, which I wish I wouldn't, because it takes a lot out of me to be that disappointed again. I will be up-dating this on a regular basis, especially after my Doctor appointments. Hopefully soon, you will be reading a blog about morning sickness and big belly's :)

Love,
Cheryl