Terminated

We've watched all the "Terminator" movies, except for the first, in the past week.  Was hearing the word "terminated" so many times supposed to prepare me for our IVF cycle being terminated?

Mind you, they don't say "terminated."  They say that they're canceling the cycle, but in my head I keep hearing the terminated.

Anyhow, it turned out that my estrogen level had spiked into the mid-600s.  It started at 92.  Still, the ultrasound showed that my ovaries have no signs of follicles.  I was so baffled and upset Wednesday, that I called my husband, told him what happened, asked him to pick up a prescription for Provera at the pharmacy after his business dinner, and walked out of the office to come home, cry (more) and have a glass of wine.

Eric opted to cancel his dinner and pick up my prescription and a pizza instead.  Such a nice guy.

I spoke with the RE on Thursday.  Here's what I learned:

1. When the estrogen levels are high, it means they cannot "sync" my cycle which means they cannot control ovulation which they need to do into to retrieve as many eggs as possible to increase the chances of creating viable embryos in the lab;

2. The Provera will cause me to get my next cycle in about two weeks, as opposed to waiting for my hormones to regulate on their own, which could take a while;

3. On the next cycle, we'll use a different protocol which, depending on the baseline blood work and ultrasound of that cycle, would likely mean starting the FSH stimulation shots right away and then adding a GnRH antagonist to prevent premature ovulation;

4. There is no significant difference in the number of follicles produced between the two protocols; and

5. We picked the right RE for this process.  He told me not to get discouraged.  They see things like this every day and, while he's baffled at how my body has reacted to the Lupron, there are still plenty of options for us.  He knows how anxious people are to get started and finished with this process -- especially since most people who are at the clinic have been trying to get pregnant for at least a year.

We have other friends who have successfully gone through this process.  In fact, they used a different doctor at this same clinic.  I'm fortunate to be able to run things past my girlfriend.  She has been so hugely helpful throughout this process -- especially when things don't go as we had hoped.  She's been there.  In fact, she and her husband spoke and he remembers her having a problem with the Lupron as well.

Yay!  I'm not alone!!  (And clearly I picked a like-hormoned woman to be one of my closest friends.)