RESOLVE Article

When I received my diagnosis of DOR, my doctor handed me a pamphlet about an organization called RESOLVE. It is a national infertility orginaztion providing support and resources to those of us struggling with infertility. It was quite a blow when she handed me the information. I couldn't believe that I was actually diagnosed with infertility let alone that she thought I needed support. It took some time, but eventually I perused the website, reading some articles and finding many useful resources. Today I found an article I wanted to share.
I found that most of the points were really great, and that a few didn't really apply to me and what I am feeling. I realize that when people ask questions or offer advice, they are doing so out of support and curiosity. The intent of this post is to let others know some of the feelings we may have when these questions or advice are offered. I hope that the article will help some to understand some of our struggles and feelings. I also hope it doesn't deter anyone from offering advice or asking questions.
I have felt pretty accepting of my diagnosis lately. And after reading the article, I realize that I am indeed going through the grieving process. I am finally at the point where I have accepted the diagnosis and we are ready to tackle it with whatever we can emotionally and financially endure.
There was a point where I was incredibly angry, and unfortunately that fell right over the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas were extremely difficult for me, and for Scott as well. But I think we are in a better place now. I can talk with others about what is going on and share our diagnosis and treatment plans. I can answer questions without tearing up or becoming angry. And I hopeful that very soon I will be able to share good news and joy with our family and friends.
The article really affected me because I was able to see that much of what I am feeling is normal! Finally, I am normal. The blog has helped me to express what we are going through and for me to work through my feelings. I am glad that I finally decided to share it with friends and family, and I hope it helps you to learn as much as you are comfortable with about our diagnosis and treatment.
I will continue to keep the updates as "PG-Rated" as possible, and spare the public from the more personal details.

Trigger Happy

I was scheduled for my first ultrasound for Wednesday, February 17th to measure my follicle development with the Femara this cycle. Over the weekend I started to see and feel some pretty prominent fertile signs. On Monday morning I called the RE's office to see if we could change my appointment to either that afternoon or Tuesday morning. We decided to schedule it for Tuesday.
I went in this morning and completely forgot I would have to have bloodwork too to check my FSH and E2. The nurse did the blood draw and then the ultrasound tech did the ultrasound. It was pretty quick. The nurse called back this afternoon to say that it was a good thing I changed my appointment because it is time to trigger! I had two mature follicles (eggs) in my left ovary, one at 24mm and one at 21mm. My LH was 10.2 and my Estradoil was 323, which the nurse said was great! I took the Ovidrel shot this evening when I got home from work. I was pretty nervous because I was afraid it would hurt. I did it all by myself and it was completely painless! Now the waiting begins!

I also went home this weekend for the baptisms of my two nieces. It was a very nice service. I talked to my mom a little bit, and she told me that she saw on the news that there was a recent study showing that as early as age 30, many women have only 10-14% of their ovarian reserve remaining. She said the report noted that for these women, it just takes longer to achieve a pregnancy than it does for women in their 20's. I am hoping she is right! And it was nice to know that she is thinking of Scott and me through all of this.

AFC Results

I had my ultrasound today to get my antral follicle count. It is an ultrasound where they look at your ovaries early in your cycle, usually around day 3 or 4, to measure how many follicles you have developing. Most of the information I have correlates the AFC to IFV(In-Vitro Fertilization) success rates, and since I am not doing IVF, it is a little difficult to determine what it all means for me. But, from what I can tell, a good AFC count is somewhere between 15-30. If you have DOR (diminished ovarian reserve) like I do, then your count is lower. A count over 30 typically indicated PCOS (Polycystic-Ovarian Syndrome). My count this morning was nine plus one cyst.
I'll take nine! It's not fabulous, but it could be much worse. So, I have nine little follicles ready to mature into one (or two) great eggs to be fertilized!
I am not sure about the cyst. From what I've read, a cyst is fairly common when taking clomid or other ovary stimulating meds. I thought the nurse from my RE's office might call this afternoon to go over the results, but she didn't. So I will call in the morning to see what they say about the cyst.
Now, I just continue with the Femara for the next three days, and I go back for another ultrasound on February 17th to measure follicle/egg growth. If the egg(s) is (are) about ready, then I will take Ovidrel (a trigger shot) to trigger ovulation so that we can better time baby-makin'!

The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Tomorrow I go back to the RE for my antral follicle count. It is the last bit of testing to really know what my diagnosis of DOR means for me.
My RE will take my FSH* (11) my AMH* (0.8) and my AFC* (let's hope for 10! That's a big number, but I am hoping for the best case scenario.) Those numbers together should indicate how I will respond to the Femara and determine if we should move on to injectables like Bravelle.
This cycle I am taking Femara on cycle days 3-7, then go in on CD12 for an ultrasound to check how my egg(s) are developing. When they are nice and mature, I will then take a trigger shot, Ovidrel, to trigger ovulation.
Femara is actually not a fertility drug. It is a drug used in the treatment of breast cancer in menopausal women. I don't know much about the research that lead to the more widespread usage of Famara in treating fertility, but from what I understand, it helps to increase and/or improve egg maturation and egg quality when taken on cycle days 3-7.
Since my diagnosis I have been taking wheatgrass every morning and red raspberry leaf tea each day from the start of my cycle until ovulation.
I will post tomorrow with my results!

*most of the information I have been able to find regarding the DOR diagnosis is based on IVF cycles.