Are you kidding me?

I went in this morning for my suppression check.  I have been put on the micro-dose lupron protocol, and I have just finished 14 days of birth control pills.  The first part of the suppression check is getting a blood draw.  The good news is I got my favorite phlebotomist. She is awesome.  I hardly feel a pinch and she never leaves a bruise.  The test today is for checking my estrogen (E2) level.  They do this to make sure that there is no rise in estrogen.  A rise would indicate the birth control pills weren’t doing their job to suppress my natural  hormone response.

Next I was taken into the changing room and given my paper sarong.  I asked the nurse what they were looking for in the ultrasound.  She said they are looking to see all of the follicles in the ovary were still roughly the same size and that there wasn’t a follicle growing much larger than the others.  They are also looking to make sure there are no cysts present.

The doctor called me into the exam room (DrT) and thus began my date with the dildocam.  First she checked the state of my uterine lining, then she measured my uterus.  Both looked OK.  She checked my right ovary next and there it was.  A large black follicle much larger than any of the others and measured at 14mm.  Even I could tell right away it was a problem. 

Dammit.  FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFuck.

By the way, I think that it sucks I can now understand what I am seeing on a pelvic ultrasound.  DrT then checked the left ovary and that one was fine.  No large empty spaces, no indication of cysts.  Good ole lefty.  “OK.  So what does this big follicle mean?” I asked DrT.  She said that my estrogen levels are an important indicator to determine what comes next.  If they are high, then it means this large follicle may have and egg and may be producing lots of estrogen.  Since it would be way ahead of the other follicles it would be bad to start IVF drugs.  If my estrogen level is low, then this may be just a cyst and we might be able to proceed.  I was told to go home and wait for the test results.  I went home and told MrBeep <sigh>.

Several hours later my phone rang and I talked to the nurse.  The good news is that my estrogen level is low (40 = yay!) and that I should order my meds on Monday.  I am scheduled to come in again on Thursday morning where they plan to do another ultrasound.  The nurse explained that now I am no longer taking birth control pills that I would likely have a “withdrawl bleed” and they are hoping that the cyst will collapse on its own during that time.  I am to bring my lupron with me and if it looks good I’ll take the shot at the RE’s office and the cycle will proceed. 

I  did notice yesterday while I was working on my laptop that my right side had a few sharp pains just left of my hip bone, like it does when I have, oh I dunno, a cyst perhaps?  I thought, “Shit.  I hope that’s not what I think it may be.”  It was.  Anyone want to come over and punch me in the ovary?  Maybe that’ll pop the bastard.

Just for the record, I didn’t have a cyst two weeks ago during my baseline ultrasound. I watched the monitor.  DocO was very thorough in checking.  All looked wonderful.  I was curious and decided to google ovarian cysts.  Do you know what they recommend to prevent them?  C’mon fancy a guess?  Birth control pills.  Exactly what I’ve been taking for the last 14 days. Are you kidding me?

So I’m where?  Oh yeah, that’ right.  Waiting.  Again.  More to come on Thursday.