[Admin-pattyandthemoos]

Tomorrow I go for my ultrasound. Is this an abdominal ultrasound or vaginal? Anybody know?

What are they looking for? I am slightly concerned because AF has been horrid. I have been passing clotty tissue and I just don't know if that would make for some sort of problem.

I am also getting my FSH level checked tomorrow. What should my numbers be? Anyone know?

Thanks!

P.S. I just got a tracking number and my Fed Ex delivery of meds should be here tomorrow!

[KMH]

Baseline for IVF? It will be a vaginal ultrasound, and that is what you'll be having throughout your IVF cycle. It shouldn't be too painful now, although when your ovaries are huge later on it might be a little bit painful.

I have always detested getting u/s on the first couple days of my cycle, but I guess I'm used to it now. I have been gushing at times, and have had clots, but my RE never batted an eye. I just tell myself whatever is happening with me, I'm sure he has seem much worse!! I always wear a tampon and a pad to the appointment. They always ask if I need to empty my bladder before the u/s, and I always say yes. I remove the tampon in the bathroom and wear the pad into the exam room. They'll ask you to undress from the waist down, and then you'll have to sit there with nothing but the little paper sheet underneath you for a while. I always leave some blood on the sheet, but I don't see any way around that. After the exam I insert a new tampon, and everything is good as new. I usually also take some of those individually wrapped personal cleansing cloths to clean myself up after the u/s...they are a wonderful invention!

At my baseline, my RE wanted to make sure that I didn't have any follicles over 10mm. I guess if they were that big, they would grow too large before the smaller ones caught up. He also checked to make sure that I had no cysts, of course, and that everything else looked normal.

I am not sure about the FSH numbers for the beginning of the cycle. My RE never even gave me that info...the E2 level is the only one that he told me about every time I had bloodwork. Sorry I'm not more help with that one!

Yay for all your meds! I felt like a kid at Christmas when I got my big box in the mail. It was a little overwhelming, but I had an awesome nurse that showed me how to use everything. Once I knew what all the parts and pieces were for, it wasn't intimidating at all.

Here is some unsolicited advice for you (feel free to skip!)...keep a little notebook or spreadsheet or something where you write down all your meds, the doses you take, when you take them, etc. I thought at first I would remember these things, but there is so much info being thrown at you that it is impossible to remember everything. I just kept a little mini-notebook (3"x4") and wrote everything down, including my hormone levels when my RE called. You'll definitely want to refer back to it later. If you have any meds where you have multiple doses in one cartridge/vial, keep a page in your notebook where you keep track of how much you have used/how much is left. It is hard to judge by eye if you have enough, and you don't want to run out at an inopportune time.

Also, if you think pee pictures are fun...you'll definitely want some IVF belly pics. It is amazing how much your belly grows during the process. I was wearing maternity jeans at the end because I couldn't fit into any of my regular pants! I looked 3 months pregnant the day after my retrieval

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck, and update us when you can after the appointment!

[Admin-pattyandthemoos]

Originally Posted by KMH

Baseline for IVF? It will be a vaginal ultrasound, and that is what you'll be having throughout your IVF cycle. It shouldn't be too painful now, although when your ovaries are huge later on it might be a little bit painful.

I have always detested getting u/s on the first couple days of my cycle, but I guess I'm used to it now. I have been gushing at times, and have had clots, but my RE never batted an eye. I just tell myself whatever is happening with me, I'm sure he has seem much worse!! I always wear a tampon and a pad to the appointment. They always ask if I need to empty my bladder before the u/s, and I always say yes. I remove the tampon in the bathroom and wear the pad into the exam room. They'll ask you to undress from the waist down, and then you'll have to sit there with nothing but the little paper sheet underneath you for a while. I always leave some blood on the sheet, but I don't see any way around that. After the exam I insert a new tampon, and everything is good as new. I usually also take some of those individually wrapped personal cleansing cloths to clean myself up after the u/s...they are a wonderful invention!

At my baseline, my RE wanted to make sure that I didn't have any follicles over 10mm. I guess if they were that big, they would grow too large before the smaller ones caught up. He also checked to make sure that I had no cysts, of course, and that everything else looked normal.

I am not sure about the FSH numbers for the beginning of the cycle. My RE never even gave me that info...the E2 level is the only one that he told me about every time I had bloodwork. Sorry I'm not more help with that one!

Yay for all your meds! I felt like a kid at Christmas when I got my big box in the mail. It was a little overwhelming, but I had an awesome nurse that showed me how to use everything. Once I knew what all the parts and pieces were for, it wasn't intimidating at all.

Here is some unsolicited advice for you (feel free to skip!)...keep a little notebook or spreadsheet or something where you write down all your meds, the doses you take, when you take them, etc. I thought at first I would remember these things, but there is so much info being thrown at you that it is impossible to remember everything. I just kept a little mini-notebook (3"x4") and wrote everything down, including my hormone levels when my RE called. You'll definitely want to refer back to it later. If you have any meds where you have multiple doses in one cartridge/vial, keep a page in your notebook where you keep track of how much you have used/how much is left. It is hard to judge by eye if you have enough, and you don't want to run out at an inopportune time.

Also, if you think pee pictures are fun...you'll definitely want some IVF belly pics. It is amazing how much your belly grows during the process. I was wearing maternity jeans at the end because I couldn't fit into any of my regular pants! I looked 3 months pregnant the day after my retrieval

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck, and update us when you can after the appointment!

Thank you so much and especially for the unsolicited advice. I have a terrible memory so I never though I would be able to remember these things in the first place. Now I am feeling even more intimidated. I think I will do exactly as you say and get a little notebook. I will probably transfer it all to my dayplanner but I think it will be easier to take notes with a notebook.

I feel a lot better now. I am so tired but I don't know if I am going to sleep tonight.