I’m here again on my fertility journey to talk about day three diagnostics.
Wednesday was the first day of full flow for this cycle. I emailed the fertility clinic to let them know and then I was scheduled for my day three diagnostics.
It’s my first day arriving at the clinic, since COVID I haven’t met my reproductive specialist. With all the COVID restrictions, check in went smoothly. I was filling out a form for my sonohysterogram when the ultrasound tech called my name, kind of rushing me, she was not so friendly, so it was a little off-putting. There wasn’t any explanation of what was going to happen, but first she had me lay down and did a transabdominal view of my bladder and whatever else she could see from that view. I was allowed to void, and then came back. Listening to her abruptly tell me orders for the next step wasn’t fun and then I had to lay just as you would for a pap with feet in the stirrups for the transvaginal ultrasound. It’s kind of gross to think about being day three of flow and having this done, but a pap is more uncomfortable, and this was minimal pressure. I’m anxious to see what the results were, and I thought she was not friendly enough to ask - so I’m waiting for my follow up with my doctor. The results they will get from this is anything obviously wrong with your reproductive tract, but the most important is the antral follicular count, the number of follicles recruited to grow that cycle.
Next, I went for blood collection to check my hormones and repeat my AMH levels. They took 13 tubes of blood!!! That is the most number of tubes I have ever had collected in one sitting! The phlebotomist asked if I would need to lay down, but I just didn’t watch - I never do when needles are going into my own body. I was fortunate to have a very friendly phlebotomist who chatted with me while she took all those tubes. Then that was it. Day three information collected, and now we wait.
I have an sonohysterogram (SHG) booked, but it was supposed to be scheduled between days 5 and 10 of my cycle, and it is booked for day 14. I questioned the medical secretary and she mentioned rescheduling to another clinic sooner if there is time available. I said, well that would mean rescheduling my work, so I will keep the other appointment. Then she insisted to change it, saying that if it is later in the cycle it could present with a thicker lining and may mean I would have to repeat the test. Knowing that this test is painful, I would rather not have to repeat it! I like to have everything in order, and I am so thankful to have a very understanding clinic manager and medical director. I will just use a wellness or personal day for the SHG. I will keep you posted on the results!
For more on my fertility journey, click here.