You may have known someone who has gone through IVF and have heard about the infamous shots and other aspects of the treatment. Chances are that unless you have gone through infertility, you haven’t been exposed to the depth of what this process really entails. Join me as I take you on a tour of what it is like to struggle with infertility and undergo the oppressing, all consuming IVF process.
The IVF process, from start to finish
Tour stop #1: You enter an office filled with pleasant, smiling clinicians. As much as you don’t feel like smiling because you’re there for a situation that doesn’t even spark a grin, you can’t help but smile because everyone is so nice! As you wait in the lobby, you notice couples that look just like you, and in …show more content…
Your medication has to be administered at certain times at the same times each day. No matter where you are, if it’s time for a shot, it’s time for a shot! I’ve had to do my shots roadside, at weddings, and several other random places. If I was going to be away from home during my designated shot time, I carried my favorite travel companion, my little insulated cooler that kept my shots that required refrigeration cool.
Your first set of shots are meant to stimulate your ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible for the egg retrieval. All throughout the stimulation process, you’re visiting the clinic every other day or every two days to track the progress of your “egg making” and get blood drawn to check your hormone levels. How do they check the status of your “egg making?” You guessed it, a “lovely” vaginal ultrasound. By the time you’ve completed an IVF cycle, there is no shame in your game. You never thought you’d see the day when stirrups became your friend, but after this process, you become the stirrup …show more content…
By the time you’re close to your egg retrieval date, you are as bloated as can be and feel like your ovaries are the size of cantaloupes. Your lower abdominal area is so sore and swollen due to your egg-filled ovaries and the only thing that fits are elastic
The IVF process, from start to finish
Tour stop #1: You enter an office filled with pleasant, smiling clinicians. As much as you don’t feel like smiling because you’re there for a situation that doesn’t even spark a grin, you can’t help but smile because everyone is so nice! As you wait in the lobby, you notice couples that look just like you, and in …show more content…
Your medication has to be administered at certain times at the same times each day. No matter where you are, if it’s time for a shot, it’s time for a shot! I’ve had to do my shots roadside, at weddings, and several other random places. If I was going to be away from home during my designated shot time, I carried my favorite travel companion, my little insulated cooler that kept my shots that required refrigeration cool.
Your first set of shots are meant to stimulate your ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible for the egg retrieval. All throughout the stimulation process, you’re visiting the clinic every other day or every two days to track the progress of your “egg making” and get blood drawn to check your hormone levels. How do they check the status of your “egg making?” You guessed it, a “lovely” vaginal ultrasound. By the time you’ve completed an IVF cycle, there is no shame in your game. You never thought you’d see the day when stirrups became your friend, but after this process, you become the stirrup …show more content…
By the time you’re close to your egg retrieval date, you are as bloated as can be and feel like your ovaries are the size of cantaloupes. Your lower abdominal area is so sore and swollen due to your egg-filled ovaries and the only thing that fits are elastic