I've been on the Pill for about 18 days now, and today I started getting really bad cramps, as if I were about to get my period. I'm certain that my body is rebelling against the hormones, which makes me a little bit nervous because I am more likely to produce more/better eggs if I respond well to the hormone medication (rather than fighting it). I'm already feeling so bloated and I'm wiped out by 10pm every night, plus I'm definitely a bit cranky and hypersensitive. I have to be careful about acting as normal as possible at work. I'm seriously wondering what's in these pills-- and what will happen when I switch to hormone injections!
So I end my Pill popping on July 18. On July 22, I will go in for a blood test, and assuming all goes well, I will begin my twice daily hormone injections. I am going to be on Menopur, Gonal-F, and Ganirelix (which starts a few days in). I'm told that I should be consistent with my injections. Given that I need to go in for bloods every other morning by ~8:00am, I will probably be getting up at 6:30am to give myself injections. Ouch.
I am nervous about pumping my body full of hormones and not being able to regulate my mood through regular exercise. I turn to yoga in these trying times, especially headstands, and unfortunately, due to the hyperstimulation of the ovaries, I'm at risk for "torsion", i.e., when your ovaries get twisted up from too much movement. "Bouncy, repetitive motion" is forbidden during hormone stimulation, and nevermind inversions like headstands.
So I took a private yoga lesson with one of my yoga instructors who taught me a number of cool poses I could do in my delicate state (I sound like I'm preggers). She says that the hormones will make my ligaments stretchier so I have to be careful about protecting them more. The one pose she said is absolutely the best for relaxation and quieting the body is supta boddhakanasana aka "reclined bound angle pose" or "Goddess Pose", as my instructor calls it. Here's an example of it. For me, my instructor said that I should lay on a propped up bolster for more support (so instead of flat on the ground, so like I'm sitting up more). See the blocks under the knees-- these are to support the hip joints lest my hip ligaments overstretch in my hormonal state. She said that doing this pose for ten minutes a day is all the yoga I need.
I'm also considering going to acupuncture for treatment, if only it will help me to relax. I once sought acupuncture treatment for lingering pain from a minor hernia surgery several years ago, and I will never forget how the acupuncturist was able to help "melt away" some of the tightness and pain in the surgery area in a way that no doctor, medication, or massage would. I've heard that acupuncture can help with "fertility", so I figure it can't hurt.
I may also treat myself to a full body massage to help with relaxation as well as improve circulation in my body. I'm assuming that this can only help, not hurt, fertility.
In the last few weeks, I have avoided caffeine and greatly reduced my alcohol intake after reading this Guardian article, and I think this is making me cranky. I have few vices, but I miss my chilled wines and iced teas in this hot weather.
So tired, need to go to bed now.
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