Preparing for an ERA

I am currently preparing for an Endometrial Receptivity Analysis (ERA) that will take place next week. We are hoping this extra step will help to ensure that we are transferring our one PGS normal embryo at the exact right time.

All of this preparation makes me wonder how the heck I ever got pregnant with K?! Yes, we did IVF. But we did a fresh cycle (mostly unheard of now) and transferred two untested day 5 blastocysts. There was no ERA. We just transferred and held our breath.

Every morning for the past three weeks, we have done Lupron shots. Lupron is an old (not so fond) friend of mine from years past. Lupron puts your body into a menopause-like state and suppresses estrogen production. I have done the daily Lupron shots for past IVF cycles and have also done the big guns: the monthly Lupron Depot shot. If you have endometriosis, there is a good chance you’ve either been offered Lupron or been on it at some point.

The daily shots aren’t so bad. I did 10 units via an insulin needle for a week, and now I am down to 5 units. They checked my blood last week and my estrogen was zero. Lupron is doing its job. I haven’t had many side effects from it except feeling tired for a few days. The monthly shot caused many side effects and I literally felt like I was going through menopause!

After my blood work I also started estrogen patches. So my body is going from zero estrogen to building that estrogen back up. I started with two patches, then three, and now I am on four patches. The week of the ERA I will also add in those lovely ginormous progesterone shots that go in my backside. Yay.

I am on a hormonal rollercoaster and definitely feeling it! The past week has been especially hard physically and emotionally. My endometriosis pain seems to be flaring and I am feeling overwhelmed by keeping up with all my daily responsibilities as a mom. Sometimes I just need to check out from social media because it’s like pregnancy announcement after pregnancy announcement. While I’m not bitter or angry about it, it can feel too emotionally heavy while I am going through treatment. We have to protect ourselves and our hearts.

Be good to yourselves, and I’ll be sure to provide updates after the ERA. Let me know if you have any questions!