Down regulation and the long IVF protocol

Well I've finished the first part of my IVF cycle- 'down reg'. I have been taking the pill for nearly one month and am hoping for my period to start within the next few days. I'm on a long IVF protocol- where they are basically shutting down my system for one month so that they have full control when they stimulate my system for ER (egg retrieval) next month. I have been taking Synarel nasal spray for one week (morning and night) and should continue this for at least another week as far as I know. I think the Synarel keeps me from releasing any eggs and I will stop this once they are ready to do the ER. I will have an ultrasound after my period finishes to make sure my endometrial lining is good and then I should start 'stimming' using Puregon pen injections. These injections will hopefully make me produce lots of follicles (containing the eggs). I will have an ultrasound approximately 9 days after I start the injections and they will then give me a plan for egg retrieval and hopefully embyro transfer (ET) if all goes to plan. There are a lot of 'ifs' in the whole process and each step carries its own risks that I, my eggs, my husband's sperm and/or our embryo's will not respond in the right way. I'm trying to be positive but I am also guarded. I will prepare myself for worst case scenario while hoping for the best. I think it is a better frame of mind for me to go into the whole process that way and that any good news will be a happy suprise. I've had a few side effects from the pill and Synarel spray but nothing too bad. I have been quite tired, a "little" snappy (my husband might say a lot!) and have had tenders breasts and some skin breakouts. I'm relieved that I haven't experienced nausea or headaches; which can be a side effect of the nasal spray. I'm not worried about the Puregon injections but the injections closer to the ER are supposed to be a lot more painful. I have actually found this first month pretty easy and quite exciting. I know that no matter what we are one step closer every day :)

We are starting IVF!!!!!

Yep it is actually happening! After staying by the phone all last week I finally got the news late Friday afternoon that we would be starting the IVF process this month (April 2013) with the plan for egg retrieval (ER) and embryo transfer (ET) in May if everything goes to plan. My pharmacy was faxed a script for BCP's (birth control pills) on Friday evening and I rushed down to get them before the pharmacy closed. I started my first one on Sunday morning (7th April). At the moment I am waiting for my nurse to call back and arrange an appointment to discuss my protocol. I am excited but also realistic that this could be a challenging journey.

For those of you who have read my last post I did finally speak with my parents after my husband called my Dad to explain how I was feeling. While they didn't say the best things initially (my Dad commented that "maybe it's because you're stressed that you're not falling pregnant" and my mum made an insightful remark that they actually had been supportive but I was obviously perceiving things differently) they have since made more of an effort to talk about how things are going- which I really appreciate.

So for now it's IVF cycle one in May :)