Everything Egg Freezing Part 4: The Cycle Begins
After I corrected some misbehaving hormones in part 3, I was feeling really empowered and ready to start my egg freezing journey. This post covers the initial visit, the general medication administration experience, a little foray into how I’ve been taking care of myself during this time, and more!
Disclaimer: I am always attempting to be as gender neutral as possible when writing and talking about parenthood! Also, I will try to put up a content warning whenever fertility-related things are getting heavier in my posts so that you can skip along if you are not feeling like that kind of content would be good for you to read right now.
Initial cycle visit & medication administration:
As I’ve said in past posts, I live about three hours from Denver and my fertility clinic. Because of the monitoring that comes with egg freezing, which consists of visits with ultrasounds and blood draws every 1-2 days (including weekends), I was advised that I would need to stay closer to the area in order to complete my cycle. I journeyed to Denver for my extended stay to start the process at the end of October. Before I left, my medications were supposed to be delivered to my apartment in the Aspen area, and they didn’t make it. It was super stressful trying to navigate this very uncommon snafu, but the pharmacy that my clinic works with was very responsive even over the weekend, and they were able to have a new set of medications couriered to a friend’s house in Denver for me the day I was set to start my cycle. I attribute this to being in a rural area, because the medications should have had more than enough time to arrive due to the pharmacy’s quick actions, and there wasn’t a great explanation for why they weren’t delivered on the day they should have been from our local branch of a well-known shipping company whose name will be omitted from this blog.
My initial cycle visit was on Monday, October 30th. It began with an ultrasound, and as I wrote before, the technician was able to see several more follicles (fluid filled structures in the ovaries that will hopefully grow and contain eggs at the end of this) than were seen in June. I was elated. They also make sure that there are no cysts present and that your hormones are in the right range to begin the cycle. My results all looked fine, and I got the clearance to begin my cycle the following day.
My initial cycle medications consisted of three injections that I gave myself every evening between 7 and 9pm, two of which are routinely used in IVF and egg freezing (Menopur and Follistim) and an extra to prevent blood clots (Lovenox). I also took a pill called letrozole to keep my estrogen levels lower, since I am more likely to have blood clots with estrogen exposure due to my Factor V Leiden condition. Some people without blood clotting conditions will take this for a few days initially and stop it, but I had to continue mine for the duration of my cycle because of my condition. My fertility specialist was very reassuring and mentioned that this medication is used on a similar schedule in breast cancer patients who are undergoing egg freezing without any adverse effect on cycle outcomes.
The injections were fairly straightforward to administer on my own, but I’m also a healthcare professional who isn’t afraid of needles, so take that with a grain of salt. There were instructional videos for each of the injectable fertility medications from my clinic that I watched the day before I started injecting. The Menopur comes in a powder that has to be reconstituted into saline for the injection, and the Follistim comes in a pen that you dial to get the correct dose before injecting. The Lovenox comes in a pre-filled syringe with a needle that springs back into the body of the syringe after you inject it to protect the needle. All of the injections go into the subcutaneous tissue just under the skin in the belly, so that was easy enough, but I did get a little bruised and sore, particularly towards the end of the cycle.
I recently listened to a podcast where one of the hosts was freezing her eggs and got a cute tray for her medications. I thought that was a little silly at the time, and now that I’ve gone through this, I really wish I had one! You prepare all of the medications before you inject them, so you’ve got a little array of syringes and pills in front of you when it’s time to take everything, and it would have been nicer to have them on a little tray (see this for a simple and cute example) rather than the far less aesthetically pleasing plastic plate covered with a paper towel that I used at my rental. By the time I came around to wanting one, I couldn’t be bothered to go get one and just stuck with what I had. Just a little something to consider for my fellow aesthetically-minded pals out there. The medications came with all of the extra equipment (syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, band aids) that I would need to safely and comfortably administer them on my own. I was also sent a little sharps container in my medication shipment that I used to safely discard any needles or sharps.
Integrative corner:
Because I like to utilize evidence-based alternative therapies whenever possible, I also added a daily CoQ10 supplement to my regimen. My fertility clinic actually sells them at the front desk, if that’s enough of a ringing endorsement for you. It’s been shown to improve egg quality in folks who take it before freezing their eggs. I only wish I had started it sooner! Ideally, this would have been a part of my plan for the few months leading up to the cycle, but nobody is perfect and I started it as soon as I realized. I continued my B-complex vitamin, magnesium powder, and probiotics, but I did stop my other supplements to give my body a break and to avoid interfering with the process. I walked quite a bit in the first week to 10 days of my cycle, which felt really nice initially. Other exercise besides stationary biking was discouraged by my team due to the ovaries growing so much during the process and being at increased risk of twisting (torsion) in a dangerous way.
It was also suggested by my medical team to stay hydrated and to eat between 100 and 200 grams of protein daily to avoid the constipation that can come with increasing estrogen levels as the cycle progresses (hence my continuing my probiotics and magnesium!). I luxuriated in my newfound close proximity to Trader Joe’s and Natural Grocers and stocked up on some foods to boost my protein intake. One amazing smoothie I’ve been making during this time contains ~50g of protein and tastes great! It consists of the following:
a handful of frozen mixed berries
half of a honeycrisp apple
1/3c high quality whey protein
3/4c plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp hemp hearts
1/4c almond slivers
1c organic/non-GMO soy milk
There were limitations on caffeine intake, but I normally only drink a cup of coffee or matcha daily so that has not been an issue for me, personally. I was also instructed to avoid alcohol altogether during this time, which also has been easy to do.
Logistics, etc:
I was still working part time during the first week and a half of my cycle. I saw a handful of patients virtually and did some other work tasks that were more low-key. It was amazing to have the privilege to slow down during this time but also to continue seeing patients in some capacity! My boyfriend helped get me settled in to my temporary Denver quarters, and my mom visited for the end of the first week. Their support and company really boosted my spirits. I also felt extremely held by my friends in the Denver area, who hosted me for dinners and walks and offered so much kindness and help. Family and friends from all over the place and lovely friends from the Aspen area were so great about checking in and making me feel so loved and supported throughout this process. I am so thankful for the love and care I’ve received and continue to receive from everyone along the way.
All in all, week 1 went very smoothly. I was feeling good in my body and mind, and the treatments weren’t having much of an effect on me yet, aside from little bit of fatigue. The number of follicles growing at the end of week 1 was a little bit less than they detected initially, but still well within normal and expected. Week 2 was quite a bit rockier for multiple reasons, including physical effects of medications and fluctuating results.
I look forward to sharing the remainder of my journey with you, ups and downs and all!
Coming up next in part 5, the cycle continues!
