Triggering Tonight

I had another ultrasound/blood draw today and the results were as follows:  estradiol level of 1,032. (Dr. Heiner said that if it came back 1,300 I would trigger tonight for sure; if it was over 1,000 he would have to decide.  So I am not sure why he decided to not go one more day, but I must trust his judgement...)  The two follicles on the left were 16.12 and 15.04.  And today he found nine follicles on the right.  They measured as follows: 18.57, 18.2, 11.92, 13.44, 17.15, 11.69, 18.76, 10.25 and 7.66.  So if anything over 14 has a chance of containing an egg, I am looking at a possible of six eggs.  But sometimes the big ones don't have one, and sometimes they get surprise eggs out of small ones.  So...we'll have to wait and see!

So tonight I take the "trigger shot."  Each day as part of my meds I have been taking a small amount of low-dose HCG.  (This is the "growth hormone" that makes the eggs mature.  It also is the same hormone produced by a growing fetus, hence the mild "pregnancy symptoms" I have been experiencing.) But tonight I take a 10,000 IU dose of HCG.  This is the final push to help the eggs mature.  And I have to take it at exactly 10:00 pm, because a certain set hours after taking this shot my body will release all the eggs on its own.  So egg retrieval is very carefully scheduled to this trigger shot.  The funny part is that tomorrow morning I must take a pregnancy test.  It is supposed to come out positive, meaning that all the HCG has been properly absorbed.  If the test is negative, something went wrong.  It is just a funny experience to be able to get a bright pink line on a pregnancy test when I know it is not real!

So tonight at 8:00 I will inject my last drug cocktail, then at 10:00 inject the trigger shot and then I am ALL DONE with the needles!!  Tomorrow I don't have to do anything but pick up my hubby from the airport and enjoy being a whole family again.  Then Tuesday morning it's off to RCC for egg retrieval!