A Plethora of Medications

I had my blood drawn yesterday as part of CD11's requirements. Everything looked good so CD12 brings on the medications. (This is why I'm up at 0554 on my night off.) I promised you a primer and a primer you'll get. Starting from the beginning:

Lupron: A hormone that prevents premature ovulation. It is a subq injection I take in the mornings from now until 2 days prior to egg retrieval, or ER. Possible side effects include hot flashes/night sweats, moodiness, ovarian cysts, and headaches, among other "female" problems you don't need to know about.
Doxycycline: An antibiotic that Mike and I both get to take for the next 7 days to destroy any possible bacteria in our reproductive systems. And, lucky for us, it's in pill form.
Bravelle: A hormone that promotes the growth of multiple follicles in the ovaries. (Follicles produce and release eggs.) It's the same stuff I have been on three times before. It is given in a subq injection. Possible side effects include lower abdominal pain due to ovarian enlargement, ovarian cysts, severe ovarian hyperstimulation, and (cross your fingers) multiple births (twins would be nice, right?).
Repronex: Pretty much the same as Bravelle. These two are combined into the same injection so I only have to get one needle stick in the evenings. Repronex also can cause injection site redness and pain.
Novarel: Also known as HcG, it is the pregnancy hormone that I get intramuscular (IM, or in the booty) that triggers ovulation to allow the eggs to be retrieved from the ovary. This is a one-time shot that I'll get 36 hours (not 35, not 35 1/2, not 36 1/2 hours, but EXACTLY 36 hours) prior to ER. It has the possible side effects of irritation at the injection site (that one I can verify is true) and abdominal swelling.
Medrol: A mild steroid that theoretically prevents antibody buildup against the embryos. I start this on the night of the ER. Woohoo! It's a pill and there are no expected side effects!
Progesterone in Oil (PIO): Replacement progesterone to support pregnancy. It's and IM injection and is started the day after ER. I've often heard it referred to as PI-Ow because it really is in oil. Sesame oil to be precise. Think how much shots hurt if they're in a thin liquid. Now think about them in a thick oil. Ow! If I'm pregnant, I take it for five long weeks. If not, only two. Possible side effects (other than the sore booty) include allergic reaction (hives) and breast tenderness.
Baby Aspirin: Yep, the good old baby aspirin as blood thinner. Theoretically it decreases the chance of thrombosis which could result in a decrease of blood flow to the uterus. I start it 2 days after the ER.

The subq injections are in my stomach and the IM ones are in my "hip." Yeah, hip. The goal of all these medications is to get my ovaries to produce 10-20 eggs, have them develop to maturity, get them to fertilize, and transfer 2 back into me. Please understand that not all eggs will fertilize. This isn't a terrible thing, but expected. Yes, we're hoping to have several to freeze, but our primary focus is on getting the best eggs we can to put back in this cycle.
Also, if you need the IF shorthand again, it's under the August archives. If that's too hard to get to, let me know and I can re-post it.
Keep us in your thoughts, if you will, and I'll let you know how things go.