Always check the carton!

Well, today is the day I have been waiting for. I got to Shady Grove at about 7:30am... I can't remember the last time I've willingly been up at 6am. With the adrenaline pumping, it wasn't too painful. I was pretty nervous when I walked into the packed waiting room. I couldn't help but notice how anxious everyone else in the room looked. I fit right in! I buried my head in my iPod for a little distraction. Overhearing women talking to their husbands about multiple miscarriages, I couldn't help but getting a sinking feeling in my stomach. Sitting across from multiple glowing pregnant women rubbing their bellies must be really hard for these women. I got a sense of hopefulness from them at least. Shady Grove does have a 62% success rate with the Donor Egg Program. Pretty impressive.

I was called back to the lab by a pretty animated technician. I filled out some paperwork, and made small talk with her while she took 2 vials of blood. She complimented me on having nice veins, and I thanked her for not giving me a blown out vein like Patient First usually sends me home with. The clinic will evaluate my blood for several hormone levels - Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), estrogen (E2), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), and prolactin. I was ushered over to second waiting room where a few girls were chatting with their doctors. I got the feeling that these girls were also donors, only further along in the process, and they seemed pretty familiar with all of the doctors. It was comforting to see how personable all of the doctors were.

I was called into another for the transvaginal ultrasound. Kind of intimidating huh? Honestly it was nothing to stress over. The doctor was pretty friendly, and made a few jokes to make light of the obviously awkward situation. "This is your first time? Great, mine too!" First he took a picture of my cervix, and my right ovary. He said that I have a small ovarian cyst, which is pretty common and nothing to worry about. He also complimented me on having several great follicles (seriously, what's with all the weird compliments?), which are the structures where the eggs develop - Hooray! My left ovary was a little less cooperative, and took a few minutes of moving around to get a clear picture. The whole process took less than 10 minutes, and was nothing worse than a typical OB/GYN visit. The doctor said that I would be called with the results of my exam & blood tests, and if all goes well I will set up a "Donor Day" appointment for further screening and the MMPI. I'm a little nervous to hear whether the cyst will affect my status as a donor... All I can do now is wait for my call-back. Cross your fingers!