Quick update! Since last Thursday, I have been on progesterone shots (every morning at 8:20am). So a couple things:
This shot is oil based which means it’s pretty thick when it goes into the body. It literally takes me about 20 mins. to insert this one shot. First couple of minutes are spent prepping the shot, then the next 10 mins. I am laying on a heating pad to get my butt prepped (yes, this shot goes into my booty) while cohesively warming the shot up a little – this helps for a somewhat smoother injection experience (I guess). After the shot is injected, I spend about another 10 mins. on the heating pad to help soothe the injection site a little. It’s all mind over matter.
Craig has to give me these shots. My body does not psychically turn like that to be able to give them to myself but he’s a trooper! He’s done really well given the task at hand.
Because it is an oil based shot, the knots are horrendous! It feels like I do 100’s of squats continuously for 24 hours a day.
The goal of progesterone shots in IVF is to help prep the uterine lining for transfer & implantation.
I had my ERA test done this morning. ERA is short for Endometrial Receptivity Analysis. It is a genetic test performed on a very small sample of a woman’s endometrial lining to determine which day would be the best day to transfer the embryo during an IVF cycle (https://www.igenomix.com/blog/fertility-challenges/what-is-an-era-test-and-how-it-can-help-you/). As mentioned in my previous post, we only have one embryo so we want to make sure we are doing everything in our power to give us the best chances.
These tests are always super quick (10-20 seconds max) but holy shit! Those are some of the most uncomfortable seconds I have ever experienced in my life. I swear, for this one, she took an instrument that looked liked a taser gun and punched it into me. Fun times.
So now we wait (a couple weeks). From there, we will get a tentative transfer plan but that will also depend on the results from our ERA. IF this transfer is successful, I would continue progesterone shots up to 12 weeks but if we get there, I will happily oblige.
Until next time,
XOXO – IVF Girl
❤️ love you!
Love you!