Q. about 1st ultrasound after starting stims

bluejane

Hi ladies,

well I made it to the stims,I never thought being needle phobic would have such an impact on my daily routine. I have my 1st us scheduled for 4/20 which is only after 4 stim injections. They said my baseline? was great? but I have no idea what that means. The nurse said they try not to get too technical with people so they don't get confused. So I am hoping for a everything looks great message on my machine but I want more info than that. I noticed in other posts people had #s for tests that had during treatment. Can anyone guide me in what questions I should ask and also what the #s mean? The nurse said average on stims is 8 days but can be longer than 10 so I have no idea what to look for in terms of follicle size/growth ect. They would rather just have me wait to hear the take hormone shot than know how I am progressing. I am nervous,scared and anxious but excited as well. I would just feel better knowing the details and what #s they look for when determining the ET.

Thanks ladies.

ashlyrose

I have not done IVF yet but I did take Lupron with Bravelle injections for an IUI. After only 4 days of stims, they are measuring the size of your follicles. It could range in sizes, everyone responds differently. Depending on the size, they will tell you the dosing amt, either stay the same or increase/decrease & will return again for another u/s to measure follicle growth. They will do estrogen  bloodwork which can also show maturity of the follicle. Any where from 200-250 per follicle for your blood work results.  Mature sized follicles are over 16-18 depending on the RE. They do grow 1-2 mm per day & looking for the uterine lining to be thick. GL to you.

LCB34

Your baseline is a check to make sure you have no cysts and that your E2 (estrogen) level is OK for you to start medication.

At each ultrasound, they will be monitoring your follicle number and size.  Some REs give you this information, others don't, and other may just tell you have may you have "in the running" for possible mature eggs at for retrieval.  They will also be testing your E2 level to monitoring your estrogen through out your stimming phase. 

Unfortunately, what you practice does can't really be change as far as information given to the patient - you can ask but, they may still be vague.  Hopefully, once you start growing follicles, they will give you more details.

Good luck!

nikinikinine

bluejane:

They said my baseline? was great?

this is the start of your cycle. They're looking at antral folllicle count (AFC), your FSH level, your AMH level, your progesterone level and a battery of other blood tests which show that you're at the beginning of your cycle and that your ovaries are quiet. As your nurse said you don't really need to worry about this. 

bluejane:

Can anyone guide me in what questions I should ask and also what the #s mean?

This is a helpful website: https://www.advancedfertility.com/ivf.htm

bluejane:

 

The nurse said average on stims is 8 days but can be longer than 10 so I have no idea what to look for in terms of follicle size/growth ect. 

 

My first follicle scan after four days of stims, not much was going on. Don't be surprised if there isn't much of anything. I stimmed for 8 days total in my IVF cycle. Depending on your body you may stim for more or less days. That's why they bring you in so often - to monitor your development and make a judgement call based on how you're responding. Trust the system and try not to stress about how long you'll stim for - it's impossible to know. 

bluejane:

  

I would just feel better knowing the details and what #s they look for when determining the ET.

 

when determining the ET they are looking at the development and fertilization of your retrieved eggs.

I think you mean what they're looking for when determining ER (your retrieval). For ER they'll be looking at total number of follicles developed and their size. Most doctors aim to have the lead follicle (and the follicles closest to that lead) fall between 18-21 mm. GL. 

ashtobe08

Yup, Your baseline tells you if you have any cysts from your previous rounds.

It sounds like you and I are on the same Phase. I'm just on Injectables+IUI, but it's pretty much the same readings. I had my baseline reading to tell my to proceed on the injections. I had my 2nd u/s on Sunday for my 1st reading 3rd day of Stimming. They usually read my results out loud, for me to hear. At first I was confused a few months ago, but I've gotten the hang of what they are reading off. My u/s tech usually starts off with the biggest Follie(s) first.

Example: My u/s on Sun. was
(Left) 13mm
(Right) 10mm

GL!

Then they also read how many I have total besides the ones above. That usually reads out:
5 (follies) less then 10mm on the L
3 (follies) less then 10mm on the R