March madness it is

Today's scan:

Right:  17, 15, 13 mm
Left:  16, 13 mm
E2:  563

The E2 is a little less than 200 per follicle if you're looking at the largest 3.  (Does anyone know if that *really* matters?) The nurse said they were aiming at 3-4 at 17 mm.  I think they were a little concerned not to try to increase the ones I have that are close since there are a few others waiting in the wings and we really don't want to overstimulate because I'd be incredibly annoyed if this cycle got canceled because I responded too well!

So, the conclusion?

Trigger tonight!  IUI scheduled for early Friday afternoon.  Woohoo!!

I alternate between being pretty sure that this has an incredibly low chance of being successful and worrying that it will be too successful and I'll end up with triplets.  So, I've been on the search for data about success rates and multiples rates for IUI.

I've found all sorts of information (having access to my University's science journals can be good and bad).  It ranges from "having 6 follicles larger than 12 mm will double pregnancy chances while not increasing multiples chances if you're over 35" to "IUI is only about 12 % successful, ever, for unexplained IF and people should stop doing it" to "having more than 1 follicle is BAD BAD BAD and will guarantee a baby per follicle!!"  OK, so obviously these are phrased a little differently in the journals, but you get the picture.

My conclusions?  Who the hell knows.  I mean, really, we don't have any idea what is *causing* my infertility.  (Subfertility, really.)  It *could* have been a blocked tube.  It *could* have been a high-ish FSH.  It *could* have been a fibroid.  It *could* have been a small amount of endometriosis.  It *could* have been some adhesions.  It *could* just be that I'm getting older and the probability of producing a healthy egg each month is just getting lower.  So, what are our chances?  I don't know.

I do know that I found one article that at least gives me a little hope.  It says the strongest predictors of success for injectables IUI are total number of follices and lining thickness.  Highly motile sperm percentage helps a bit and number of cycles trying hurts a smidge.  So, overall, we're at least on the right side of those numbers.

And, I found a website that reviewed an article (I couldn't access the article itself, but I did also look at its abstract) that essentially says that triplet rates were only about 1% if there were fewer than 6 follicles over 12 mm, fewer than 4 follicles over 15 mm and E2 levels less than 1000.  And, again, that over age 35 this probability was even lower (zero in their study population).  So, overall, it looks like triplets aren't too probable -- which is a GOOOOOOOOOD thing.  Then, there was another study that said that anything over 15 mm *could* implant.  Which is a little scarier!! 

But, again, I still lean toward the -- man, this is unlikely to happen at all.

Overall, I have to keep reminding myself, I got pregnant once.  Post treatment.  On or own.  It means that it COULD happen.

(I also have to keep reminding myself that most of my anxiety, irritability and strong desire to cry about the stupidest things right now is coming from estrogen.  And that we're headed to our older nephew's 3rd birthday party this Saturday.  That's the third birthday party of his we've gone to since we've been trying to get pregnant.  If the IUI had been scheduled for Saturday we would have had to skip it.  No such luck.  Wait, I mean, yay, I'm so glad we get to make it.  Yahoo.)

So, anyway, it looks like March Madness has begun!