What's this... an update? IVF #2!

Yes, I have totally neglected this blog since January. Yes, I haven't even read other infertility blogs since January! I plan on visiting some of my fellow IF bloggers later today, and see who is still around and what's been happening. I don't think anyone is actually going to read this since I stopped blogging for soooo long - I didn't feel comfortable blogging about other things here since people IRL don't know this blog exists (still!). I decided to start blogging again as a way of keeping a record of IVF #2...yes, it's that time again. I started injections Folli.stim and Men.apur on September 18! I really should have started writing a couple of months ago when I went for some initial tests (mock transfer and such), but I didn't.

This IVF cycle is a little surreal, because there wasn't months of "build up" like last time. Before, I was doing other treatments non-stop for 9 months prior to IVF #1. Now, it's sort of like "Ok, start injections - retrieval in about two weeks....". I am also much more relaxed because while I obviously will be very unhappy if this does not work... I did have one successful pregnancy and still feel so blessed from that, that I don't have the feeling of panic like the first time.

I actually did stop breastfeeding when my dear daughter was five months old, (started weaning when she was about four months) specifically because I needed to get a regular period back before I could even start the initial IVF tests. Thank goodness no one is probably going to read this because I'm sure many would comment on how awful it was to stop BF. Well, I had a choice - keep BF and wait longer for IVF #2, which would make it less likely for the procedure to work, or stop so I could try again before my eggs all shriveled up. My cycle didn't return for quite a few months, even after I stopped BF.

DH and I did try on our own for a couple of months, just for the heck of it. I even had Dr. M (my RE) check my follicle growth while I was in for the mock transfer to see when I would ovulate. Well, I did ovulate, but super late, and my luteal phase was shorter than ever! My short luteal phase is the only thing that they could ever find 'wrong' - my infertility is still unexplained. I know pro.gesterone would extend my luteal phase but it didn't seem as if anything had changed within my body and I really felt that trying 'on our own' would just be a waste of time.... so here we are again, at IVF #2.

We decided to go ahead with IVF #2 right away because of my age (38). I am actually thrilled with my one child and wouldn't be jumping right back in if it wasn't for the age factor.

It will be very interesting to see how this cycle compares to the first one. So far, it seems to be going pretty much the same... right ovary responding more so than the left and starting out a little slow. Looking back at my follicle sizes from last time though, I think I might actually have more than I did last time at this point. I'm not quite sure because I didn't start recording sizes from my last IVF until I had been taking injections for 11 days! I'm actually starting recording things earlier this time - it's only day 6! :)


Oh, and I know I need to really clean up my sidebar - dead links, old pg ticker.... etc...More later... (as anyone who reads this says "oh yeah - RIGHT! She'll post again in 5 months!!!")