Bloated Belly

Early Saturday morning I had my first of a series of blood tests leading up to my egg retrieval.  The blood tests measure varying hormones, but the one that they are looking at most closely is the estrogen level (also called E2 or estradiol).  This hormone is important because it gives an idea of how the follicles that house the eggs are developing.  Each follicle produces estrogen as it grows, so the E2 levels will vary based on the number of follicles that a lady has present.  As a general rule of thumb, if the level doubles every 48 hours then everything is progressing as expected.

Saturday afternoon, they called to let me know that my E2 level was 252. Dr. Magarelli is very happy with this number and decided to keep all of my medication dosages the same.  If the levels jump dramatically, it can be a sign that you're at risk of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) which is a very serious condition that can lead to hospitalization and causes the cycle to be cancelled.  When this happens, the lady produces a high number of low quality eggs, so the chances of fertilizing and freezing them to use later is very low.  

Tomorrow, I have another blood test and an ultrasound.  They are going to be counting and measuring the follicles in my ovaries.  I think they are looking for several small follicles at this stage, but I will ask more questions about it at the appointment.  In the afternoon, they will call me with the results of the blood test and we will be hoping for a number somewhere in the ballpark of 500.  If they don't see that, they will likely adjust the dosages of my medication.  

Honestly, I am hating all of the meds.  I know no one likes them, but I am so frustrated by all of the side effects.  Right now, bloating tops the list of most hated side effects, followed by feeling tired all of the time and crying about nothing tied for second place.  Throughout the process, your ovaries grow from the size of walnuts to the size of oranges and your stomach bloats.  When I look at my belly sideways in the mirror, it looks like I'm already about three or four months pregnant.  If I keep growing at this rate, people are going to be asking me when I'm due by the end of next week.  And the last thing you want when you're going through all of this mess to get pregnant is to look like you're pregnant already.  

The only good thing about all of this is that I have such a loving and supporting husband.  Ryan is always telling me how beautiful I am even when I look in the mirror and see a potbellied chick with dark circles threatening to swallow her tired eyes.  He goes with me to every appointment and asks questions to clarify things.  And, most admirable of all, he listens attentively when I ramble on and on about the whole ordeal.  I am so lucky to have Ryan as a partner in all of this.  He is amazing.  

I love this picture of Ryan.  Such a beautiful smile.