Wow this is going fast. Yesterday and today I had bloodwork and ultrasounds. I was so nervous that they were going to do the scan and find that I hadn't responded well! Well, they found the opposite! Yesterday the RE counted 19 really nice follicles between 11 and 16mm (with lots more little ones) and then today they were around 14-19mm. I will likely trigger tomorrow and then have my retrieval on Tuesday. They are going to call me today to give the official word. The doc today did warn me that likely a bunch of the eggs won't be mature but that I will still get "a good number". I can't believe this is actually happening! They are also starting to talk about OHSS which scares me but I guess I'll just have to trust them to make the best decisions for me.
I was looking around the clinic waiting room today and thinking about how fortunate all us women there really are. In Canada, IVF is only covered by our provincial medical plan in one province (Quebec). Some "Extended Health Insurance" plans through work do cover the meds (mine doesn't!) but most people will be paying completely out-of-pocket for treatment and meds. I think about how many other couples would love to become parents but just won't be able to ever afford to do the level of treatment that we are doing. I makes me very thankful for the situation that T and I are in. I wish that more provinces would start to realize the importance of paying for fertility treatments. In Quebec they decided to pay for it to try to decrease the rate of multiple births which, of course, are higher-risk and end up costing the medical system A LOT of money in NICU stays and complications for mom and baby. They will pay (I think) for 3 rounds of IVF as long as the minimum number of embryos are put back in (that means 1 for under 35 years and max 2 for over). Since they implemented this policy, their multiple birth rate (and costs associated with) has plummeted and more families get the baby they have dreamed of. I wish the other provinces would figure this out! Anyways, for most of you this might be confusing because of Canada's very different medical system than the States. All I can say is that I am SO THANKFUL that we have the medical system that we do but I wish it would figure out that infertility is a disease too and our treatments should be paid for like anything else!
Anyways...I'll keep you posted once I hear back from the clinic about the plan for the next few days! Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.
As an American, I am very jealous of your health care system but I do wish it had something for infertility. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI meant to write from the US. I am a derp today.
DeleteWhat a great number of good follies!! I will be cheering for you!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the next step!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Way to produce those eggs! Can't wait to hear your next steps.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty frustrating how infertility is rarely a covered disease. And don't even get me started about mat leave in the US! Anyway, it sounds like your cycle is going about as well as it could. Best of luck with your retrieval!
ReplyDeleteOh mat leaves! And once again I am sooooo thankful to live in Canada!
DeleteI am SO far behind on my blog reading / commenting but I promise to make it up to you today with lots of lovely comments and catching up on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear your follicle scan went well and can't wait to read about your retrieval. Also, it sounds like Canada has some really great insurance coverage. I have to pay for EVERYTHING out of pocket. You are so right that law makers need to realize IF is a disease just like any other disease where treatment is covered by insurance. It's so maddening when I think about it from that perspective.