cycle 28 @ day 21 (Dec 17, 09) - IVF begins

Reached the medical center at about 10am. It was quite a breezy cruise. Traffic was light. Felt peaceful and light-hearted throughout the journey. Probably its the underlying feeling of assurance that we are now concretely taking step one to make ourselves some babies. Probably its the knowing that we will be put under the care of some IVF specialists who will be working hard to help us realize our burning desire to be parents. No more waiting. Time for solid action.

The attendance and nurses were extra friendly this morning. Was it me or them? Anyway, the courtesy was shortly lived. I was unhappy to know that my dr was to be engaged in his lengthy regular Thursday meeting. So i'd asserted myself clearly for i am quite a demanding patient. A sonographer was placed in to conduct a thorough recce of my uterus and ovaries through vaginal scan. It was a good thing my dr was engaged. This young sonographer had demonstrated her earnest practice on me through careful probing and reading of my condition. She was very thorough. I'd loved it.

To my surprised, she announced non-cyst existence in both my uterus and ovaries. The fibroids had reduced to two from three last scanned on Dec 7. Probably great thanks to the bitter chinese herbs.

When the scanning was satisfactory, we were then referred to the embryologist, a petite young chinese girl with height, i think, less than 4ft 9. She was a gem. As we have been known to carry the iconic title of "the interrogative couple" known to the staffs, we blasted off loads of questions to the embryologist. But, she wasn't daunted even a bit. She had us under her belt.

With fluid presentation liked as she'd done more than 50 cases a year, she demonstrated the way that i would to inject myself everyday at home. Dino dad caught up with the procedure without breaking a sweat and proceeded to administer my first GnRH jab himself at my spare-tyre under the embryologist's trained eyes.

Today is the first day of the COH (controlled ovarian hyperstimulation) procedure. I was given a huge thermal bag containing a 12" x 12" block of ice + 10 insulin-size syringes + 1 tiny bottle of GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) + 1 tube full of disinfectant cotton buds. As the GnRh needed to be chilled at all time, the thermal bag would serve me well if traveling was planned. Hmm... how thoughtful.

The GnRH's functions to suppress my LH (lutenizing hormone) because immature elevated LH levels will cause adverse effects on the quality of my eggs and in turn can affect my pregnancy rate. I definitely wouldn't want that so bad that i can call my mind to bear the laborious daily self-injection regime for the next nine or ten days. No problem. The needle prick just felt like the bite of a mosquito. I have endured worse.

Bite down. Relax. And get jabbed.