Of course, I had to take everything out of the box to see it all...
There are 5 boxes of Crinone (progesterone suppositories), one bottle of Estrace (oral estrogen), one vial of Lupron for sub-cutaneous injections, 28 syringes with tiny needles (but plenty big enough for me), alcohol swabs, and a sharps container for discarding syringes. I'm not starting the meds just yet, since we are waiting on the egg donor to start her cycle. Based on estimates right now, it look like I may start the Lupron injections around June 17th, then the Estrace on June 28th. I'll start the Crinone just a couple of days before the embryo transfer, which looks like it will take place the week of July 15th! I have been told to stay on active birth control pills from now on! We are all so excited!
If you're wondering, here is a little about what each of these medications does in the surrogacy process:
Birth Control Pills (BCP): BCPs keep me from getting pregnant with my own child right now (obviously), but they are also used to synchronize my cycle with the egg donor's. Because I've now been told to stay only on active pills, I will immediately start a new pack once I reach the placebo pills. This will hold off my period, allowing me to then sync my cycle with the ED.
Lupron: Lupron is a daily subcutaneous (just under the skin) injection used to shut down my body's normal hormone production so the doctors can control my cycle and be sure my uterus is ready to receive the embryos at the exact time for the best chance of success.
Estrace: Estrace is an oral estrogen pill (can also be a patch, cream, or injections) taken 3 times a day. It is used to cause the lining of my uterus to become thick to prepare for the upcoming implantation of the embryo. The little emby needs a soft, fluffy place to nestle in!
Crinone: Crinone is a progesterone gel, inserted vaginally (I feel the need to clarify, for my husband's sake. If you missed that post, it's right here) twice a day. Progesterone is used to help the embryo to implant, and then continued to simulate a natural pregnancy. It is usually started the day of the egg donor's retrieval, and is continued through the 12th week of pregnancy. Often, surrogates use progesterone in oil (PIO), which is injected intra-muscularly in your butt. With a needle that absolutely terrified me and almost caused me to back out of the surrogacy process in the very beginning. But I decided I wanted to do this more than I was scared of the needles, so I put on my big girl panties and decided to just deal with it. Turns out my IVF clinic tends to use the gel as opposed to the injections. :)
Sources: Information on Surrogacy, Surrogate Mothers Online, Love Makes a Family
Good luck with the Crinone - that stuff is my worst enemy! I much prefer the PIO. Helpful hint from someone who just got done with Crinone...don't let it build up in "you". Remove the old stuff every couple of days. ;)
ReplyDeleteLol, thanks for the advice! I did some Google searching and there were plenty of surrogates who said the same as you: Get the build up out! I can't imagine I'd prefer the PIO, since I almost backed out of the surrogacy because of those shots. But I bet I won't be too happy with the Crinone clumps either. It will all be worth it though. :)
Delete