IVF Journey: Egg retrieval minus one

This is my IVF diary. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for three and a half years now, and have a diagnosis of 'unexplained infertility'. We have finally reached the top of the waiting list for IVF - a form of assisted conception. I'm blogging about what happens as it happens, as a kind of therapy for me and as an awareness raising exercise of what IVF is all about.

Well tomorrow I am going into the IVF clinic to have an 'egg retrieval' procedure. Over the last month I have been growing said eggs, and now they are good to be harvested.

Last night at 11pm I took an injection to bring on ovulation. I had to take it exactly 35 hours before egg retrieval, and the egg retrieval will take place at 10am tomorrow which is when the doctors predict my eggs will be ripe but will not have popped out of my ovaries yet. The injection was chilled in the fridge, and it felt cold under my skin for a while after I put the drugs in.

Today I feel OK, a bit weird perhaps like I am just on the edge of feeling sick, but fine. I also feel a bit 'full' inside and I have to wee quite often! That'll be my swollen ovaries. Have been working and went swimming today though, no problem.

I'm a bit nervous about the egg retrieval. The clinic has been clear that it might hurt a bit and that I need time off work, and so I am expecting it to be worse than anything else that has gone on to date, although everything else has been fine so that is a pretty big spectrum of how it could be. I also know that I will be sedated but not given a general anaesthetic. I can't get my head round what sedation might be like. But I'm not worried in a serious way, it is more just that there are unknowns around what I will feel and remember and I'm keen to get it over with so I know.

Last time I went to the hospital for a day surgery procedure I ended up very seriously ill needing emergency surgery and blood transfusions and staying in hospital for a week. The husband brought this to my attention and suggested this may be the source of my nerves. I think he is right, and that helps a bit to understand that.

So actually I'm doing alright and not stressed or anything just now.

I have had to take off my nail varnish (it gets in the way of monitoring vital signs they said) which is weird as I have not been without nail varnish for years. That's the cotton wool and removed nail varnish by the way, in the photo. I have to take in PJs and dressing gown, and I think I will take a book and ipod as not sure how much sitting about there will be or how conscious I will feel. I also need to take all my discarded needles to the hospital for disposal. So I need to get all that together this evening.