Hopeful Monday

I am happy and hopeful today.  I wasn't exhausted when I woke up before 5 AND the sun was up before I finished my swim workout.  Good times! 

I'm not sure why I feel so hopeful about this cycle, but I do.  I don't know if it's because my periods are seeming more normal for me.  Maybe it's because I feel like having one injectable cycle under my belt gives us information to improve our chances of not ovulating too early.  Or maybe it's just just optimism that my body will cooperate this cycle.

Whatever the reason, I'm feeling good.  I'm happy with the protocol for this month.  I know what to expect at the RE's office for the next week or so.  I'm still going on vacation for at least a few days next week...just not to Hawaii.  And I have a plan for the next few months.  After my first cycle with the RE in September, I was crushed when I found out that I had cysts and had to be med-free for a month.  I didn't have a plan for that and it messed with all my other plans (including the one where I get pregnant this fall!). 

I spent a lot of time last month reformulating plans and now I know what we're going to do if this cycle doesn't work.  And I'm hopeful that one way or another, I will end up pregnant.  Cross your fingers that I don't find myself rereading this post in a few months and kicking myself for being optimistic!

Anyway, for the record, if I don't have cysts at the next baseline ultrasound, I will do a third IUI cycle and if that doesn't work, then I'll jump to IVF.  If I do end up with cysts after this cycle, I think I will be allowed to use next cycle as my "prep" cycle and then jump into the IVF world at the beginning of the year.  Egg retrieval still sounds scary to me, but it's time to suck it up and take the next step.

I do believe that IUI can work for me, so I want to give it a chance.  And if it doesn't work, waiting till next year for IVF gives me a chance to prepare mentally and financially.  Now I just need to figure my odds for getting pregnant so I can determine how much money to put into our healthcare FSA.....