Part 40: First OB Ultrasound!!!

We had our post-IVF appointment with Dr. B on Tuesday, May 15.  This was the appointment they had told us to make at check-out on transfer day.  At the time we made it, we didn't know if we would be discussing pregnancy or planning for a frozen embryo transfer (FET) after a BFN.  Thankfully, it was the former. 

Dr. B congratulated both of us and went over the progress up to that point.  It had been a very successful stimulation (22 eggs), resulting in multiple good-quality embryos (7), of which 1 was transferred leaving 6 to freeze.  My hormones all looked good.  The OHSS seemed to be under control (finally!).  And we were now ready to move into the OB monitoring phase of treatment.  She also said I could stop the PIO and the Lovenox.  No more shots!  Woohoo!!!  We had our first OB ultrasound scheduled for the following day, after which we would return on a weekly basis for the next 3-4 weeks.  If all was progressing well after that, we'd be released to my regular OB.

Wednesday morning, we arrived for the scheduled ultrasound.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.  At 5 weeks 3 days, what can you see?  The tech took us back and had me assume the position - apparently we were back to the dildocam.  Once the probe was in position, she explained what we were looking at on the screen:

This is a view of my uterus, and the black blob in the middle is the gestational sac.  Although it doesn't show up well in this pic, she also showed us the yolk sac within the gestational sac.  Everything looked good and it was a confirmed uterine pregnancy.  She printed out the above pic for us and even gave it a caption:  Our Little Sac.

Even though Flash was too tiny to see yet, it was comforting to know that there was something in there and that it looked they way they expected.  In fact, she said I was actually measuring a little ahead of schedule at 5 weeks 5 days.  All in all, it was a good appointment.

It was about this time that I started to pay attention to symptoms.  So here we go:

5 Weeks and Counting Symptom Recap:

• Acne.  A lot of it.  All over my forehead, chin, neck, and chest.  Having had pretty good skin with only the occasional zit every now and then, it was quite shock.  
• Insomnia.  I'd had a hard time sleeping in the midst of the OHSS drama, but that was mostly due to discomfort.  This was different.  I would go to bed tired and be unable to fall asleep.  After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, I might drift off, only to wake up again 30-45 minutes later.  It went on like that all night long:  toss/turn, doze, wake up, repeat.
• Major hot flashes.  Off and on all day (and night) long.  Probably contributing to the insomnia.
• Breast tenderness.  All. The. Time.  My boobs were so sore and sensitive, I swear the littlest thing made me cringe.  The pull of gravity when bending over to pick up something?  Ouch.  A stiff breeze coming through the window as I was changing?  Intolerable.