Follow Up

We had our follow-up appointment last week. We didn't learn anything earth-shaking, but it was a little informative. My estradiol level didn't go up at the end of my stim drugs as high as it should have. It should have gone up exponentially, but it didn't even quite double towards the end. Once the eggs were fertilized, they started to fragment quickly and badly. Dr. H said that's indicative of them being "overcooked." Therein lies the problem... why are they overcooked? There are two possiblities: 1. they "cooked" too long inside me for this cycle, or 2. the chemotherapy I went through in 1998 basically "fried" my eggs. Most likely, it was the chemo, in which case we'd be as likely to conceive on our own as with assisted reproductive technologies.

Dr. H gave us two options if we wanted to continue with him. First, we can do another cycle, using a different, much more aggressive protocol, with hopefully different results. Or second, we can use donor eggs. And, of course, there's adoption. If we were to do another cycle, again, there are no guarantees. And there is that huge price tag. They said they could probably get us some free medications, but the medications aren't the problem. The procedures are the expensive part for us.

We aren't sure what path we'll be taking from here. I just wanted to let you know where things stand now. Please understand that we're still reeling from all this, so we don't really feel like talking about it much. When we want to, you'll know. Thanks for respecting our privacy.