"Uncle Mark. Get set. Go!"

The title is a quote from my 3 year old niece Elyssa. She was on her mom's exercise machine, and grabbed onto the handle and said, "Uncle Mark. Get set. Go!" She wasn't talking to her Uncle Mark though. What she meant to say was "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

With that said.... here we go! (If you are reading this blog and haven't experienced infertility, or infertility treatments, chances are you are going to learn some things about the process of reproduction that you didn't know before, or maybe never wanted to know! This journey isn't for the faint at heart.)

Today I had to take a home pregnancy test to ensure I was not pregnant before I began taking Prometruim. Prometrium is a progesterone supplement. Starting today I will take a 10 day course of this medication, unless my period arrives before the 10 days is up. Typically I end up taking it for about 7 days.

Progesterone is released naturally during the later part of a woman's cycle after ovulation. This helps maintain the lining of the uterus for the implantation of a baby, but if that does not occur, levels will drop, and the lining is shed which is known as a menstrual period. Since I rarely if ever ovulate, the purpose of the progesterone at this point in the game is to bring on the shedding of the uterine lining.

Once my period starts I will call my RE's (Reproductive Endocrinologist's) office to get the ball rolling, and get my appointment for the first ultrasound of the cycle. I will also call the pharmacy to have them ship my medications that day as well. We'll get into the protocol a little more later though.

For now, as I said before, please be sure your safety belt is securely latched, and keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times! We're off...