aj does ivf

Hey y'all from the mile high city. A quick update on how we're doing out west:  How many eggs you got?  Something I didn't expect was that CCRM would schedule me for ultrasounds and labs every day and then just cancel them willy nilly dependent on how my ovaries were looking. Not complaining, but just a bit annoying and so thankful I don't have to be working during this time since my schedule is so wacky. On Thursday's ultrasound I was shocked to hear the tech say, "you've got a ton of follicles cooking! I count 33 total." If you've been following along, (pop quiz!) you know my baseline ultrasound was 20, so there must've been some little guys hiding that decided to show up and show out. All 33 are growing close together - which is great. It means that no one egg is getting all the love while the others are stunting. They're sharing and caring and we are here for it! Being the pessimistic, poke-holes-in-anything gal that I am, I questioned ...

Hi friends & fam - Quick update on where we're at: I'm on day 4 of my initial round of hormone injections and I'm feeling fine - besides some bruising. Hoping that keeps up as I've got at least another 6 days of these buggers (all depends on how my body responds.) Evan has been the best partner over the last few days. He stands next to me and tells me all the things I'm doing wrong which I really, truly appreciate. Without him I'd probably be drinking the stuff instead of injecting it. But really - he has been extra nice and is letting Frank sleep in the bed which is all I really need before we leave for Denver this week. I don't know what I'm going to do without that furball, he's such a stress release for me. Right now I'm taking 2 vials of Menopur in the AM and 150iu's of Gonal-F at night (+ a steroid in pill form, dexamethasone.) I'll switch treatments in the next couple of days to add in Cetrotide . Basically the objective of a...

Many of you know this story so feel free to skip on by, but if you're curious or want insight into the last year and half of our lives, read on! Rewinding back to early 2020, we had just gotten back to Chicago from our amazing honeymoon in Japan and Fiji. We had discussed that following our trip we were ready to start "trying." We'd had enough practice the last couple of weeks, so we were ready for the real deal. (I told you - TMI people!) I tossed my pills in the trash and yelled, KOBE (RIP). Those first few months were easy-breezy - besides being thrust into a global pandemic. We weren't really telling anyone that we were "trying" because we were of the mindset: it'll happen when it happens! My period was all over the place and I knew 16 years on the pill might do that. So we did what any sensible newlyweds do and got a puppy. Frank was and has continued to be a welcome distraction from the state of the world and the state of my non-pregnant self. ...

If you're really curious and want to learn more about the IVF process and the clinic we chose, I've included some helpful links to articles, videos, etc. so you can educate yourself, i.e. so I don't have to keep explaining things to you :) The Process Our clinic:  Colorado Clinic of Reproductive Medicine (Lone Tree) How IVF works (video): IVF at CCRM Genetic Testing: PGT testing The Hurdle Male Factor Infertility: Sperm Morphology and how it impacts fertility The Feels Helpful Blog: The Fertility Tribe What to Say or Do: How Can I Support a friend through Infertility? What to Say or Do: Supporting a friend through infertility

We have created this site as a way to provide a centralized hub for updates for our upcoming IVF journey. We so appreciate everyone's support and interest in what is to come but can I be honest with you? It's exhausting to give the same schpeel over and over again :)  So now I'm a blogger...  hey guysssss, so many of you have you been asking about my skincare routine/ivf protocol ,  so thought I'd share!  But seriously - this is really meant to remove some emotional and cognitive burden from me. Don't get it twisted - I do love your thoughtful texts and general support, so please keep that coming. A quick explanation of what this site is and isn't outlined below.  What this is:  A place to come when you have the urge to ask me "what's next? what does egg retrieval mean? how many embryos did you get? when are you going to Denver again?" The nitty gritty details that I'm sure no one is asking for, but if you're curious - this is the place. A ...