Catching Up

A month off the blog, so I'm catching up! IUI did not result in pregnancy, though I experienced cramps, different from what I usually have each month, but reminiscent of the cramps I had in February when I was pregnant. At that time, the nurse said this sometimes happens when the body is ready to have a period and the egg is implanting - a kind of tug-of-war.

I was taking progesterone and estradiol this time, so I wonder if my body was ready to have a period, and these hormones were creating the tug-of-war.

Kaiser wanted me to go onto the flare protocol for my next cycle, since I didn't respond very strongly to the down protocol. The flare initiates fertility drugs immediately, instead of starting with a cycle of birth control pills. The bcp quiets the reproductive system, and the follicles mature more evenly with the down protocol. But the flare is faster...

Alas, I couldn't go on the flare this cycle. I went in for my first ultrasound on the second day of my period, and had a 2.5 cm cyst - corpus luteum cyst - on my left ovary. Likely a vestige of my largest follicle from the IUI cycle. Cysts react to the fertility drugs, and can grow larger. So, I have to forego this month.

In some ways I'm relieved. The fertility drugs are not easy. I'm not a strict schedule person, and having to be home at 10 pm each night ready for a shot has been an adjustment. The night sweats, headaches, and fatigue are not inconsequential. And, there are exercise limitations. Up-and-down bouncing movement and quick physical inversions are not allowed because the ovaries are enlarged and could twist, resulting in ovary death. I don't love running, and haven't trained for a race in a long while, so this isn't a huge issue. What I do love is dancing, and it's meant that I can't dance the way I'm used to. And yoga. They say you can do yoga, just not certain poses. Since I'm not totally clear what these are, I thought it best to just not do it.

The cyst continued to cause discomfort for about 10 days after Jenna identified it on the ultrasound, but now I'm fine.

Back to the fertility monitor for this month [Thanks to my friend, Jane, for passing it along to me after she got pregnant!] And, back to dancing. It's been fabulous.