Once I started with the injections, I had to go in for monitoring three more times, and two of those appointments had to happen early in the morning before I started my workday. Thankfully, Extend Fertility opens at 7 a.m. for women who work to be able to go through this process without having to take time off if they don't want to or simply can't. Both times, I was able to get in and out for blood testing and ultrasounds of my follicles and still make it to work right on time at 8 a.m. I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. to make it happen, but I was able to do it. Two of my monitoring appointments fell on days that I just happened to be off work, so I took the latest appointment times those days, which required that I arrive by 9:30 a.m.
After each monitoring session, which I had on July 15, 17, and 19, I was given instructions for any tweaks that needed to be made to my medications for that night. When I got my results from the third monitoring session, I was surprised to learn that I would be taking the so-called "trigger shot" that night. That meant I was completely done with all three of the other medications after only seven days of injections, and I would be injecting myself on day eight with just one more shot. I was prescribed Lupron, which stimulates ovulation.
After that, I had to go in one more time on July 20 for a final blood test to make sure the Lupron had been properly absorbed into my system and get instructions for my procedure the following day.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Stephanie Haney