A Date with the Dildo Cam

I went to the local RE's office today to have an ultrasound and to discuss my blood work results from the tests done last cycle.

I came out of there with a smile so broad, I'm sure I looked ridiculous. In the car, I even let out a little "Wooo!" of glee.

It's been awhile since I had the pleasure of an external ultrasound as well as the good ol' dildo cam. Oh joy. It wasn't anything that I wasn't prepared for; I guess having gone through so many tests and so many years of IF, it's not a shock for me. I hear that some women are terribly traumatized by the dildo cam. I can understand that; certainly if you're not ready for it or you feel violated or invaded. I never really did, and I've learned to guide technicians to the right spots to best view the ovaries. (You know you've done this too much when...)

Anyway, the tests were finished, and I went from the ultrasound room on the main floor to the offices upstairs for my appointment with the RE.

He opened my file and blinked. And I quote:

"Wow. Gil. This is great. You have the LH and the FSH of a teenager."

I'm so lucky. In the same breath he told me he'd seen a 36-year old earlier this week who is in early menopause. My heart sank for her, and her hopes of having a family with her own eggs. I don't know what that's like but I do realize that so many of us do.

Anyway, I suspected that my results were good, as I had obtained a copy of them from my GP a couple of weeks ago. But I didn't think he'd consider them quite that good. So I'm really pleased with his reaction.

And better yet, I have TEN (count 'em!), TEN antral follicles! I am super pleased with that bit of news! I still have that functional cyst on the right but at the moment my estradiol is not reflecting elevated numbers so it's not affecting the hormone levels. That bodes well for aspiration of that cyst prior to starting a cycle, sort of like we did the last time around.

Would you believe he shook my hand and said, "Good luck. We know you're fertile so I really hope the second time around works as well as the first."

Fertile. Oh my. I've been called a number of things... some good, some rather derogatory, but "fertile" is not a term that I'd apply to myself. That's for sure. In fact, we are definitely infertile; we NEED IVF to create our family. That's never easy. But it's something we can do. So we'll look at pursuing it.

Again.

We've cleared the first hurdle.

Good thing. Because regardless what opinion the local RE has, I guarantee you, I'm no teenager.