IVF Drugs

With my injection start date fast approaching, it was time for us to order our drugs. Now, this isn't the kind of prescription you get filled at your corner drug store and bring home in a paper bag along with the latest issue of In Style magazine and a bottle of nail polish. These drugs come from special pharmacies and must be FedEx'd to you.

When we received ours and popped open the box, we found a lengthy packing list (22 items), which my husband insisted we use to check off all the contents.

He had a point. Not only did this box of fertility drugs cost us more than our vacation to Hawaii last summer (and we thought that was a splurge), we didn't want to discover we were missing a key player mid-game.

With all the drug and drug-related accouterments finally unpacked and spread out on our counter like a fertility shrine (see photo), I couldn't help feeling like A) a fertility junkie, B) the subject for a science project, C) just another chick over 40 trying to get pregnant, or D) all of the above. Seriously, if surveying our stash weren't so intimidating, it might be funny. I mean, really. 60 needles?!

Really? 

I was pretty certain I had completely forgotten everything we learned at IVF School. Then I found out my husband will be out of town for work on our first day of shots. Dang it! I was going to have to buck up. I called our nurse and she recommended brushing up on the technique with videos they provide online. I kept reminding myself that thousands of women have done this. In fact, we know numerous couples that have crossed this bridge -- some with success, some with disappointment. Can't even think about that one.

For a 40something like me, the odds of bringing home a baby with just one IVF cycle are, shall we say, less than fabulous. For that reason, we signed on for a multiple cycle program. It was a nerve-racking financial choice. The program cost more but we would end up paying less for multiple attempts. Should we be so lucky, blessed, fortunate, and graced as to be successful on our first round (or ANY round for that matter), I'll be too busy kissing the ground and thanking the Lord, Buddha, Guan Yin, Mother Earth, and the Universe to care what we paid. Amen.

Previous journals:

Let My IVF Journey Begin!

Drugs, Injections, and Egg Retrieval