On day six of stims, we arrived back at the clinic again for another trans-vaginal ultrasound. We were about to find out how A*’s follicles were growing – how many there are and to measure each one. Having follicles is no guarantee they will produce mature eggs for retrieval, but it gives us an idea of how her body is responding to the stims. All women are different, but from reading and researching online we’ve deduced that about eighty percent of follicles will have eggs, eighty percent of those eggs will be mature enough upon retrieval, seventy percent of the mature eggs will actually fertilize, and of those that fertilize, ninety to ninety-five percent will form embryos that can be frozen or implanted. These are the statistics for a young(ish) woman with no known diagnosed fertility issues. With each passing stage our chances for success are cut back slightly, so we are hoping for plenty of follicles which logically increases our numbers throughout the process. We’ve read that staying relaxed and avoiding stress is the master key to success throughout the whole process, but I’ll admit that before the first ultrasound we were definitely feeling pretty anxious. This was to be our first real indication of how we were progressing with stimming, and right up until the ultrasound we were reading incessantly on baby boards about what to expect, and fretting about what was “normal”.

Our appointment was at 9:30 on Monday, March 4. Flor, our nurse, led us into the ultrasound room and got A* ready for the doctor. After a pee, stripping from the waist down, and putting on a paper hospital gown, A* was seated in the chair and raised up for easy access. The doctor this time was not Dr. G*, but his colleague Dr. F*, who is very friendly and also speaks great English. He used the wand to look around A*’s ovaries and used the touchscreen to measure the size of the follicles he found. He was effusive with his praise, stating “You’re doing GREAT!” and reading each measurement to Flor. After he finished, A* was told to get dressed and we went to an office to discuss the results. She had eight follicles in the left ovary and five in the right. Two of the follicles, he explained, were already very big and would probably be lost prior to retrieval. Because of that he didn’t include those two in the count. He again reiterated that he liked A*’s progress and said that he was hoping for further smaller follicles to mature before our next ultrasound appointment. Because of the large size (>17mm) of some follicles, he had a quick consultation with Dr. G* to decide if they would change the dose of A*’s stim prescriptions. Although the prescription ended up remaining the same, a new injection was added to our regimen. This one is Cetrotide, .25mg, to be taken in the mornings. It will prevent A* from ovulating, allowing the follicles/eggs to stay put and continue growing. Flor showed us how to prepare the injection, and gave A* the first one. We were sent home with two more packages, one for each morning before our next ultrasound at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 6.

We left the clinic feeling very pleased with the follicle count and with our fingers crossed that the numbers would continue to grow. We brought our medication back to the condo to put in the fridge and then left to meet up with T* and L* for our last day together in Cancún. We were so happy to be able to meet up with both of them during our trip to Cancún and we certainly jam packed the days we had here together with lots of excitement. Although we were definitely sad to see them leave and return home, we were also looking forward to a few days of relaxation.

At Wednesday morning’s ultrasound, we were delighted to see the number of follicles jump from thirteen to twenty — nine on the left and eleven on the right. During this ultrasound he also measured the uterine lining. He showed us exactly what he was measuring on the ultrasound, how to identify it on the screen, and the importance of the measurement. This is where the embryo implants after the transfer and a thick, welcoming lining is needed for the best success. A*’s lining is 7.82mm which we’re told is great for the day eight ultrasound. We were prescribed more of the Cetrotide to hold us over to the next ultrasound on Saturday, March 9, and we are told that the retrieval looks like it will be happening on Monday, March 11.

We’re riding high, this time waiting three days between ultrasounds. We’re hoping for even more growth when we come back and are finally feeling more excitement than nerves about the upcoming extraction.