3 Big Follicles

Day 12 of cycle.  I had another ultrasound today to check my follicle growth post 100mg of Clomid last week. Surprisingly, I had 3 nice big beefy follicles and the doctor was very pleased. Apparently 3 follicles is the optimal amount they like to see prior to an IUI procedure and lots of doctors now will cancel procedures if too many follicles have developed. I definitely dont want to end up a Jon & Kate remake, so I'm glad there were only three. With any luck and some divine intervention, hopefully two of those follicles will get fertilized and go on to grow into healthy babies.  My blood work came back great as well. My estrogen level was at 606, which the nurse said was very good.

Two of my awesome follicles... (the big black spots)

After seeing my follicles on the ultrasound, the doc's only words were..."Looks great. Trigger shot tonight. Insemination on Friday".  Then he moved on to the next patient. Needless to say, WE weren't lacking for any emotion after hearing THAT news!  I asked for a picture of my follicles and Brian jumped up and down and did the happy dance once the doctor left the room. 

Tonight at 10:00pm we gave myself the hormone injection to "trigger" my follicles (or eggs) to release.  I really thought I could give it to myself, and was wanting to do so. I don't have issues with needles, or the pain of being stuck for that matter. Whenever I have to have blood drawn or when I donate blood to the Red Cross, I'm always looking at my arm when they stick me and I'm very curious to watch the needle penetrate my skin and see the blood start flowing out. It doesn't give me the willies in the least bit.  I've even stuck other people with needles before, when I was at another health care facility, we only had a part time employee health nurse, so when a new hire would come on board, I would actually give the new employee's their TB screening injections.  I loved doing that. Kind of sadistic, I'm sure, but I really enjoyed sticking needles in people.    The funny thing is.....tonight I couldn't give myself the trigger injection. I did everything until that point, but when it came to actually sticking myself with the needle, my hand just didn't have the force behind it.  No follow through. Brian was right there just waiting for me to say the word. I think he really wanted to give me the injection.  It was cute to watch him.  It only stung a bit. I'm not sure why it had to go in the abdomen area, but it did. He did it like a pro!  He's been so great through this whole fertility process. Anytime we have a question about any part of any procedure, he's the first one on the internet looking up some article, forum, or WebMD explanation of what it means, and he always picks that articles to tell me about that have the most positive relation to what I'm going through.   And he brushes my hair when I get to feeling down. He's awesome. I'm looking so forward to making him a daddy!  

That injection should kick in in about 36 hours.  Brian goes by the Fertility Center at 9:30am Friday morning to give them his sperm deposit, and then I go in at 11:00am to have the insemination procedure done. Let's hear it for those follicles!  WOOHOO!!