I will be taking a lot of medicine for IVF. It's going to be double the amount of shots we did with IUI. I'll admit I'm DREADING the shots. I'm not as brave as some of my fellow IUI/IVFers. I cannot bring myself to do my own injections- I have an internal meltdown. My husband has a medical background and I'm lucky enough to have him do the dirty work.
Per the Doctor I'll be taking the following medications when we start our IVF cycle in October (in no particular order).
Menopur is a highly purified preparation of naturally derived gonadotropins called hMG. It contains equal amounts of two kinds of hormonal activity: FSH and LH. FSH helps to stimulate egg production, and LH helps the eggs to mature and release (ovulation). Therefore, Menopur is really a combination product. It acts as both a follicle stimulant and an ovulatory stimulant. Menopur is used to help stimulate eggs to mature in women whose ovaries are unable to develop eggs. It is also used in combination with hCG as part of an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) program. Menopur is unique because of its ultrapure preparation. As such, it can be injected subcutaneously with very little discomfort at the injection site.
Bravelle (Urofollitropin) is a human derived gonadotropin purified from extracted urine of postmenopausal women. It is indicated for the development of multiple follicles during ovulation for patients having assistance in reproduction. It is given with hCG to to cause ovulation in patients unable to ovulate with functional infertility.
HCG- The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Ganirelix is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist. It is indicated for inhibiting premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surges in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with FSH and HCG, followed by subsequent assisted insemination or reproductive technology (ART) procedures. The main advantage of GnRH antagonists versus GnRH agonists (e.g., leuprolide) is that they reduce the required days of fertility drug therapy per cycle from several weeks (3 weeks) to several days, thereby increasing patient convenience. Secondarily, the onset of GnRH antagonists occurs rapidly after drug initiation, and the effects reverse rapidly, allowing pituitary function to return to baseline within about 2 days after discontinuation. Thus, pituitary and hormonal release is essentially normalized at the time of embryo transfer or implantation.
Doxycycline- Antibiotic. For after IVF implantion.
Endometrin- This is a progesterone supository. I have to shoot this up my cooter after the embryos are implanted into the uterus. Oh the joys!
I'm waiting my pre-authorizations to go through my insurance company. I typically have 50% of the price of the medication covered IF my insurance approves a fertility medication. I'm very nervous to learn what my portion of costs for medication are going to be. I am fortunate enough to have even 50% of meds covered, many people are not as fortunate and have zero medical coverage for fertility treatments/drugs.
I leave you with an educational video on the evolution of the ovarian cycle to hlep you understand at which point in the cycle certain hormonoes are naturually produced- or in my case, injected for an IVF cycle.
*Source
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