Nothing new really

There's not a whole lot going on right now. I'm on BCPs and I have an appointment in just over a week to get my meds. August 5th is the big day. I have my baseline appointment and start meds.

I had a dream last night about giving myself the shots. The Lupron shots don't bother me. Those are with a small insulin needle in the abdomen. It's the PIO shots the get to me. It's a long, thick needle that I have to insert into the muscle in my hip. Last time I got five shots in and then the transfer was cancelled.

At least I get the PIO in the good oil! My progestrone comes in ethyl Oleate oil, which is the thinnest oil there is. Some girls I've talked to have theirs in olive oil, or seasame oil, which is much thicker.

Well, that's all I have for now. Once I learn more, I'll update.

We're on our way!

So I think I told you all about my cancelled transfer in February because the three embryos didn't survive the thaw. Well, my IPs decided to try again, and this time we're doing a fresh transfer because there are no frozen embryos.

I had an appointment on Saturday. They did a hysteo-sonogram. That's where they fill your uterus full of saline, the insert a sonogram wand and make sure there is nothing wrong with your uterus. Well, my uterus looked perfect. The doctor drew some blood and sent me on my way.

So the ED is on meds and ready for an August 27th retrieval. I'm BCPs and start meds on August 5th. I'll be on Lupron first. Lupron supresses your cycle and basically causes menopause to happen. Last time I did a cycle, I gained weight, and had hot flashes...but I responded perfectly to the meds. I'll probably put on some weight this time, but it's all good.

I'm so excited! My IPs are such wonderful people and I'm so happy to be helping them! They totally deserve to have the family they want, and I'm so proud to be able to help them achieve it.

Well, I'm off for now. I'll post regularly to let everyone know what's going on with me.

To catch you up to today...

Well, I wanted to start this blog by giving you a little background about me.

I am a happily married mother of four. My husband and I decided we were done having children of our own and, after much soul searching and prayer, we decided (yes, it was a mutual decision) that I would be a surrogate. I had wanted for many years (8 to be exact) to be a gestational surrogate (GS). I decided to wait, because I wasn't done having my own family, and wanted to be sure I didn't want anymore children before helping someone else have a family.

I was approached by a wonderful agency, and am still friends with the coordinator there, but decided to match independantly (indy). My intended parents (IPs) are a wonderful couple and will be referred to here as G & K. G & K are a wonderful heterosexual couple that, for reasons I choose not to explain here, need my help. We were scheduled for a frozen embryo transfer the end of February of 2008. The embryos did not survive the thaw, and after much deliberation, G & K decided to try again. This time we are doing a fresh transfer using the same donor eggs from the frozen batch. So now you're pretty well up to date. I'll update this blog regularly.

Thanks for reading!

Abbreviations...

While reading this blog, there may be some abbreviations that you commonly see on the internet, like LOL, or LMAO. And there are going to be the ones that aren't so common, like AF, or 2DP5DT. So I'm going to give you a list of abbreviations for you to refer to whenever there's something you're not sure about.

2WW = 2-Week Wait
AF = Aunt Flo -Your menstrual period
AZH = Assisted Hatching
BBT = Basal Body Temperature
BCP = Birth Control Pills
CB = Cycle Buddy
CD = Cycle day - The first day of your period is cycle day 1
DE= Donor Egg
DP3DT = Days Post 3-Day Transfer
DP3DT = Days Post 5-Day Transfer
DPT = Days Post Transfer
E2 = Estradiol
ED= Egg donor/donation
EDD = Estimated Due Date
FET = Frozen Embryo Transfer
GC = Gesational Carrier
GIFT = Gamete Intra-fallopian Transfer
GS-Gestational Surrogate
GTT = Glucose Tolerance Test
hCG, HCG = Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (aka the pregnancy hormone)
HPT = Home Pregnancy Test
IF = Intended Father
IM = Intended Mother
IP = Intended Parent/Parents
IVF = In Vitro Fertilization
LMP = Last Menstrual Period (start date)
M/C = Miscarriage
O = Ovulation
OB = Obstetrician
OB/GYN = Obstetrician/Gynecologist
OTC = Over The Counter
PCOS = Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
PG = Pregnant
PIO = Progesterone in Oil
PMS = Pre-menstrual Syndrome
RE = Reproductive Endocrinologist
Rx = Prescription
ER = Retrieval (Egg)
SA = Sperm/Semen Analysis
SM = Surrogate Mother
TS= Traditional Surrogate
TTC = Trying To Conceive