We are officially under way in our donor egg cycle. So far I’m only giving myself one injection of Lupron in the mornings and taking birth control to help monitor my cycle so me and the donor can be at the same stage in our cycles. The only side effects so far are my face has broken out and I am somewhat moody! Next week we begin a second injection of Estrodial which Nate will have to give me in the butt cheek. I’m freaking out because the needle is super long, but I hear it doesn’t hurt so I’m hoping that is true. So far this whole cycle has been so different than the last. We are so optimistic that it’ll work. Nate has mentioned that he wasn’t very hopeful that the last IVF round would work, but with this he just feels like it’s our answer. It really was so reassuring to hear him say that.

This cycle I’ve really tried to go into it really relaxed. I’ve read a few forums about what other women did to prepare for an IVF cycle and I kind of took bits and pieces of their advice and then did what felt right to me. Some women have gone completely gluten free, dairy free, soy free, etc months in advance to prep their bodies while others really didn’t change much other than cutting back alcohol and caffeine. There really haven’t been a whole lot of studies that can confirm that cutting gluten, dairy, and soy completely out of your diet really has any effect on the success rate so I’ve decided not to take that route. I have definitely cut back on caffeine and cut out alcohol all together which both are just healthy things to do anyways! 

Studies have shown that stress plays a huge factor in conceiving which is why I chose not to completely change my whole lifestyle. I feel like it adds way too much stress to your life because you are stressing about what you can eat, what you need to buy, what recipes fit into your diet, etc. I’m sticking with my way of thinking in general… eat wholesome, natural foods that actually have nutritional value. With that being said I don’t stress myself out with any of it. If I want pizza I have pizza, but I make sure I’m not eating 100 % junk food.

As far as exercise goes, I’ve also continued with pretty much what I’ve been doing. I do cardio and lift weights at least 3 times a week. Lately, Nate and I have been burned out with our gym so we’ve been doing a lot more dog walks and home workouts. I love it because it allows us more time to talk and bond together. I really love exercise and the natural stress relieving effect it has on me. With all the hormones and changes that I’m going through I can really feel a difference when I am active and when I’m not. Blood flow is also super important during IVF and trying to conceive so staying physically active helps with that as well. There really are so many health benefits to working out, that’s why I have to remind myself of them when I’m not feeling motivated to work out!

This cycle has restored so much faith in me. We’ve had so many people step in to help us get to where we are now. We’ve had complete strangers help us with medication donations, our families have stepped in and helped in more ways than expected, and last not but least a woman has offered to give us a part of her to complete our family. The power of giving is huge. It’s really sparked a fire in me that wants to somehow help those going through what we’re going through. If I could I would become an egg donor, but since that’s not an option I’ve got to figure out something else out! I feel like this is pushing me into a life altering role, not just becoming a mommy but something else too. Only time will tell, but I’ve got a feeling we are going to be going through some huge changes in the next few months!