My last baseline appointment results showed that I had a follicle and that my lining was thick. It also showed that I had elevated estrogen. This meant that our cycle was cancelled. I’ve anxiously been awaiting my period since my last baseline appointment and praying that I would be cleared to continue with our transfer!
After what seemed like forever, I started getting a little tinge of pink as I was wiping. Four days later I FINALLY got my period! I contacted FCI (our fertility clinic) and they scheduled me for a baseline appointment on August 1. I was very nervous going into this appointment, because I didn’t want to disappoint my Intended Parents again.
At my baseline, they told me the follicle was still there. It was now at 12 mm. (Previously it was at 16 mm.) They said the decrease in size should be good enough to move forward, but we would have to wait for the nurse to call with the official results. Then the tech checked my lining. She said my lining looked “nice and thick” and striped and that the lining had decreased from my last appointment as well. Good news so far! Then I went and had the blood drawn. If my hormone levels looked good, then I could probably move forward in the transfer cycle.
After six LONG hours the nurse called. I was so nervous and scared of what she had to say about my appointment. She said everything looked good! The fact that the follicle was there, but had shrunk so much, was a good thing. Also, the amount that my lining had shrunk was good. She said my estrogen level was still high, but that was probably due to the follicle. My progesterone level was back down. I was approved to start the second set of medications!
On August 5, I had my first dose of the second medication (Delestrogen). It’s an intramuscular shot that is done in your upper outer buttocks area every 3 days. It’s the first start for the stimulation medications. I typically will ice the area prior to getting the shot. I iced it down and was ready for the shot. I was really nervous even though this is my third journey. My husband put the shot in and I barely felt it. When you do the shots, you have to pull the syringe out some to make sure no blood goes in, then you can insert the medication. It’s not a super-fast shot. After my husband pulled the needle out, he will typically use the alcohol pad and apply pressure to where the shot was at. That’s usually done for two reasons – one is to stop the bleeding, the other is that he will massage it to help distribute the medicine.
Crossing fingers that everything continues to look good and we’ll be transferring soon!
Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.
Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.
