Remember when I said my next post wouldn’t be until mid-October unless something super weird happened with my ERA biopsy results? Well, something weird happened. Or, let’s say, something happened that apparently only happens to 2.5% of patients who do an ERA. The lab results came back with a note saying there wasn’t enough RNA to run the tests and recommended the biopsy be done again.
When my doctor called me with the news yesterday, I was very proud that my reaction was “you’re kidding me” and not “what the f***?” or “what the f*** is wrong with my uterus?” Well, I did ask him if there was something wrong with my uterus since this is the second time that a uterine lining biopsy failed due to not enough of the correct tissue type. He said he wouldn’t know until they got back the results (not super helpful), but that this does occur with a very small percentage of patients and I just happen to be one of those lucky ones. I pressed him to explain what they’d do differently when they do the biopsy again, and he was at a loss to say. They did everything they’re supposed to do — my lining was definitely thick enough and they made sure to take the amount of tissue that’s required. He kind of admitted that I just have extremely, terrible luck.
I’m now waiting for a call from the nurse to talk me through next steps. I was told that call would come yesterday. It didn’t. I called them today and left a voicemail. And sent an email. At this point, I won’t hear until Monday. But, if I have to guess, I’ll restart the full transfer protocol when I get my next period at the end of this month. I’m assuming it will be 2 weeks on the birth control pill, then 4 days after stopping I’ll start the estradiol pills (3x twice daily) for 10-13 days. Then I go in for the lining check — the one I failed last time — and if my lining is thick enough then (fingers crossed), I’ll presumably start the additional medicines (progesterone suppositories + progesterone injection), then 6 days later I’ll have another, super painful ERA biopsy, and then wait another 2 weeks for the results.
I can’t wait to go through another round of feel-like-you’re-pregnant medicines only to go cold turkey off of them following the biopsy. (I’m being extremely sarcastic here.) If the ERA biopsy actually works this time (and I’m extremely doubtful about this), it looks like the real transfer might take place at the end of November or early December. But, my uterine lining would have to cooperate and provide the lab with the right kind of tissue to run the freaking pathology tests, and thus far, it has not cooperated at all. Also, I could be completely wrong about the timeline of all of this, but after going through the transfer protocol three times since last October, I think my guess is good.
On the plus side, this means that I get another month of being allowed to exercise regularly.
Happy Friday.