UPDATE April 28, 2014

Update on our progress with Cycle #2: I have been on birth control pills for the last seven weeks (active pills only-so no period) and started on Lupron yesterday (Sunday), which is a drug that helps suppress ovulation. Both the birth control and Lupron are used to control my cycle so they can make sure my body is where it should be by the time they transfer the embryo. The Lupron is the first of my injectable drugs and the mildest as far as side effects are concerned. The needle is tiny and I just inject it into my stomach once a day. (Easy now, but the first shot back in January was really hard to do!)

My Appointment Today

Today I went into the doctor for an Endometrial Biopsy (also called womb scratching), which is a quick, simple procedure where they take a flexible tube (like a catheter) and insert it through the vagina and cervix into the uterus and then literally scratch the lining of the uterus. The healing process has been shown to help with embryo implantation-some studies even say it can double a woman's chances of becoming pregnant when done before IVF. They use the procedure on women who have had an unsuccessful transfer with a good quality embryo (like we did back in February/March). ABC News did a good story on the procedure in 2012: Womb Scratch May Boost IVF Success.

As I have been told prior to my HSG and two Sonohysterograms, I was told this too would be "uncomfortable." I have learned since the other procedures that uncomfortable is a nice way of saying it's going to hurt, but in a way that doesn't scare you. Maybe we should be taking that word for its more literal meaning: not able to be comforted (not the dictionary definition, but if you break down the word it makes sense.) Knowing better, I looked it up. I Googled the procedure and read comments from women on blogs and message boards all over the Internet. Thank GOD for the Internet!!! Reactions ranged from "not so bad" to "I wanted to kick my doctor in the head."  Needless to say, I still did not know what to expect when I went in this morning.

I was told to take ibuprofen thirty minutes before my appointment, but that was my only instruction. I got there and stripped from the waist down (something that now seems all too normal at visits to the doctor) and from there it was very similar to getting a pap smear...until the doctor started the scratching part! I don't know how my pain tolerance compares to other women; I'd like to think that my painful periods for the last 15 years have provided me with somewhat of a high threshold for pain where female issues are concerned, but THIS HURT!

I usually can manage to take slow deep breaths and deal with the pain without making any sounds, but every time the doctor scraped that tube against my uterine wall I couldn't help but yell "Ow, ow ow!" He'd scrape once, then again so soon that I never had time to recover from the last. BUT I am glad he made it quick: he literally counted to six, scraping on each number, and it was over just like that. I understand both opinions I found online: it hurt like hell, but really it wasn't that bad because it is so quick. It literally took seconds compared to the 5-10 minutes of constant "uncomfortable" pain caused by other procedures. So, Dr. Moore, if you're reading this, tell other patients to read this post prior to an endometrial biopsy if they want to know exactly what to expect and what it REALLY feels like!

It still hurt pretty bad for about five minutes after, but then on the way home (and now three hours later) it just feels like the cramps I typically get on period day one. I asked the doctor why I had to take the ibuprofen because I really didn't think it helped and he said that it would be worse without it and to keep taking it for today. So I will...because I don't want to know what the cramps feel like without since it's still uncomfortable (I'm using that word for its more common meaning now) with the ibuprofen in my system.

After I got home, I had lunch with my husband and niece. (We are babysitting my sister's almost-two-year-old today, so Ryan got some parenting practice while I was at the doctor. His only condition: he would not change any diapers). She always cheers me up! She's the cutest toddler: so spunky, talkative, happy and loving. When he went back to work, I got to really spoil myself and relax: I put my niece down for a nap and then curled up next to her and took a nice little nap myself! After what I went through this morning I think I deserved it! ;-)