Ovary party

There's a party going on in my ovaries. I can feel them burning and churning, and something going on. I don't remember this happening this early last time around, but I checked my chart, and sure enough, I've marked "ovary discomfort" as happening every day from cycle day 4 onwards. Sigh. I just remember them getting uncomfortable near to egg retrieval day, but I suppose that's when they must just have got really uncomfortable. I've blanked out any other pains from my memory.

But then again, I do grow follicles quicker than average it seems. I'm the one that can go in for an ultrasound on cycle day 11 on Clomid and have a 32mm follicle that causes the technician to exclaim "boy, you're ready to pop!" and then have the nurses scurrying around to get me a trigger shot ASAP. I'm the one that can have a 16mm follicle on cycle day 6 on an IVF cycle, when everyone else is still growing them nice and slow and steady at about 8-10mm or smaller on the same day. So of course, now I'm nervous, and just hoping that the extended birth control pills helped to slow everything down, and stop them getting to be monster sized too quickly. Now is not the time for sprinters to get ahead of the pack. Now is the time for all the follicles to be growing at the same rate. Come on, kids, play nice together.

At least, I hope there's a few in there, partying it up together, and I hope that the DHEA has done the trick to make sure I have lots of potential eggs ready to go. Because while last cycle was a good test of DHEA, we did also change up my protocol a lot. So, who's to say whether going from 2 mature follicles the first cycle to retrieving 14 eggs the second cycle was due to DHEA or more follistim, or the BCPs beforehand. But this time, the protocol is the same as the second cycle (apart from the longer period of time on BCPs), so any change in the number of follicles should be due entirely to DHEA. Which will be an interesting test, but I am so ready to stop the DHEA - I have been pretty zitty lately, which I think is due entirely to too many male hormones. I also have a few stray hairs in places I don't really wish to discuss. In other words, I am ready to be done with the stuff. But if this cycle doesn't work and yet I have a good response with the number of eggs retrieved, I'll be in difficulties as far as a decision to continue with the DHEA - do I risk a lower response or do I get rid of the acne? I suppose I'll compromise on a lower dose, but man I hope there is no next cycle. I know, we all hope that. Even if it's the first cycle TTC'ing or the 9th IVF, we all hope there is no next cycle. And I wish I could wave a magic wand and stop all infertility so we all have our hopes fulfilled - wouldn't that be nice?