This Post Sponsored by Capital One Healthcare Finance (Not Really, I Wish)

I think anyone reading my last post can pretty much figure out that Brett and I decided to move forward with IVF. We are still considering adoption for the future, but we felt that we were at the best time in our life both financially and emotionally to be able to deal with IVF and all that it can bring to the table. The fact that I will turn 30 in May is also always in the back of my mind. I've never been the type of woman who's mind is always screaming "My eggs are dying! Must get pregnant now!" but it is a valid concern in our situation. So, after some diagnostic testing to become approved for the IVF program and an approved loan from Capital One Healthcare Finance, we have begun our first round of IVF. We are both very excited and have faith that this was the right choice for us. It is so thrilling in fact, that we want to share the process with our family and will be documenting everything here as best we can.

We started with our first round of medications this past Saturday evening. We ordered the meds through a mail-order pharmacy and they arrived in a large box. The first thing I did was take the picture below. I needed something to show my children in the future when they ask why we don't have the money to send them to college.

I would like to take a minute to point out the bag that the valium was shipped in. I'm not sure what the valium is for exactly, but I hope I'll be feeling as good as the woman on this bag clearly feels.

The upcoming week of getting stabbed in the stomach repeatedly gave me an excuse to do something nice for myself. Aren't they pretty?

Saturday came and it was time for the first injection. The first task is to gather all of the medications, syringes, and needles we would need for the job. All in all, 2 medications, 4 syringes with needles, and 1 extra needle.

Filthy, unsanitary counter not required.
Be sure to swab with alcohol to sanitize the area first!

The next task was to wait while Brett painstakingly removed all of the gauze and alcohol swabs from the sharps container one by one. Someone put the lid on before removing the items not realizing that the lid couldn't be removed later. Oops!


Now, it was time to mix the first medication. The Gonal F is shipped freeze dried and needs to be reconstituted with the solution included.

Then you use a new syringe and needle to draw out the required dose for that day. Cap that syringe and put aside.

The next step is to draw up the required dose of low dose HCG. This ships in a liquid form that requires refrigeration. Use an insulin syringe to draw up the dose needed, cap and set aside.

The last step in mixing the medications requires mixing both of the already drawn medications into a new syringe for injection together.

Once the meds are mixed together, all of the original syringes and needles can be placed in the provided sharps container OR for a more decorative approach, an empty vodka bottle.

The last step is the actual injection. Be sure to swab the area with an alcohol swab and pinch stomach for injection. I actually did not feel a thing with this injection. When we were using Repronex for IUI before, the injection would sting the entire time it was being injected. It was not fun!

Disgusting fat roll not required, but does help with pain factor.

And, that's it! We do the same injection for 3 nights and have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. At this appointment, the doctor will check the size and number of my eggs and this will decide my dosage for that evening. We have these same appointments until the eggs reach the desired size and then we move on to the next step.