It\'s ON!
Today was a good day and I PRAY the goodness keeps on a going for the next month! U/S showed no cysts and then they did E2 bloodwork. I asked the IVF nurse what the E2 was and she said it checks my estrogen levels. They want the E2 to show my levels are below 100 b/4 I can start stims. She said if they were over 100, it was likely I was developing or could develop a cysts. Pretty much as soon as I walked in the door from Little Rock, the clinic called and said my E2 was 37 and I could start stims so YIIIIIPPPPPEEEE! I'm still a little confused about the E2 stuff. Please feel free to educate me because once I start the stims on Sat, I go in on Tue for b/w only (no u/s) to do another E2, right? And this time it should be much higher, right? Oh, I know I can post this on the fertility board but I'm too lazy tonight so I'm just gonna ask any that wish to respond: How many days did you take stims? My med include 9 days worth and the IVF nurse said I could take anywhere from 7-10 days worth depending on my response. I know everyone is different....but I'm just curious to know.
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I\'m older than you and was on a very high dosage of Gonal-F in the am and Menopur in the pm. I stimmed for 12 days during both of our attempts with this \"cocktail\" - but again, I\'m older so I was on the longer end of things. E2 will increase - and as it does it is a measure of the quality of the eggs that are developing - how you evaluate the number depends on how many follicles are developing and what the progression over time looks like. My understanding is that at the time of what turns out to be your last bloodwork and u/s, they would want to see 200 times the number of mature follicles they think will be retrieved - basically it\'s the goal - each mature, good quality egg should be pumping out 200 units of E2. According to my doc, best case scenario, you also want E2 to double every 2 days.
Good Luck!!!
Hi, I am glad that your app. went well today. The E2 basically measures the size of your eggs and the amount you have in there. If you have a high E2 (100 or above) then there may be a cyst in there that is producing hormones. Your E2 level is great and they say the lower the E2 level in the beginning then the better response you will probably have to the meds. http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hormonelevels.html
as you go in for more and more E2 checks your E2 levels should be going up. for an IVF cycle they like you to have 10 to 15 mature follicles before ER. so you E2 level should be somewhere around 2,000-3,500. My last IUI cycle I was on stims for a long time. My E2 started at 25, then the next time it was 45, then it was 78, they boosted me to 150iu daily of Gonal-f and a week later my E2 was 1600. The girl says that as long as it is going up it is a good sign. :) Hope this helps. As for me I am 1 week into BCP, Luprone starting on 4-19 and them stims hopefully may first and the earliest ER would be 5-9 depending on how I respond. It\'s kinda fun going through this with other people. It makes it a little easier to deal with :) What meds are you starting on Sat?
You must be so excited.... and nervous right?
I know everyone is different an the RE tell you not to compare \"notes\" with anyone, but hey, what does he know right?
My first E2 level was 21 or 23 which is good before I started stims. After three days of stims my E2 level was only 89. Because of that they upped me on the meds and that did it for me. Initially I was going to be on stims for 10 days, but I ended up going for 13 days. I had 23 or so follicles and 18 eggs retrieved. My nurse told me that the closer you get to the ER the faster the E2 level goes up. I had so many questions when I was beginning this IVF too, but after a while I just went with the flow and hoped that my RE knew what he was doing.
I hope and pray for a good outcome for you and that this cycle will not be too hard on you. No matter what happens or how you feel, try to think positive.
I\'m so happy things are starting out right for you...it\'s a sign that this cycle is going to be a good one! I wish I could help with all the E2 & stims stuff but I was doing injections as though I was having an IUI then my doctor converted me to IVF because I had so many follies.
Good luck with everything!
Hi Shannon, my E2 was 24 and I will be starting stims this coming Monday (Bravelle 6 vials). Good luck my cycle buddy!!
Great news! I am so excited for you. I just know you will make a camp load of perfect eggs. Best of luck and stay positive! xxoo
Hi there, I can actually answer your question, I think. This past Saturday I was at the RE\'s office for bloodwork and ultrasound. I was almost out of stims and needed more but wasn\'t sure how much to ask for. The nurse explained that they prescribe 10 days worth for each patient. Since I was taking 150 (what is that measurement called, IU\'s?), I would need 150 x 10 days. She said that they usually plan for 10 days, although that can vary from patient to patient.
Last month/IVF cycle, I took right at 10 days worth. Right now I\'m on my 7th day of stims and expecting at least 1-2 more days worth.
Hope this info helps. :)
Oh, just an FYI... try writing down the E2 level that your nurse tells you about each day. I didn\'t do that last month and regretted it after the fact. Since I hyperstimulated, I now wish I had kept up with how my E2 climbed each day. Apparently I started below 100 and ended up over 3800 when I hyperstim\'d. So far this month, I have gone from Fri-142, Sat-320... It\'ll be interesting to see what I am today. ;)