Lead Follicle Information

Since I stopped taking my BCPs on Saturday, AF surprised me by arriving early Monday morning. I suppose I should have expected her due to the sudden drop in estrogen, but I didn't think too much of it since I was only on CD 17. That prompted me to worry a bit that starting stims on Thursday (which would be CD 4) could be too late since a lead follicle may have developed by then (it seems that this tends to happen with girls who have high FSH). So, I sent an email to my RE to ask him about this and here was what he had to say:

"This is always a very difficult topic. We truly do not understand the factors that control follicular development, and why some follicles may be deselected. There is a subtle issue here – if you have one dominant follicle and several smaller ones, then it may be a question of not starting under the best conditions. If, on the other hand, there is a dominant follicle and very few smaller ones, then this is more likely just diminished ovarian reserve and unrelated to factors we can control.

With that said, why don’t we take a look earlier (maybe tomorrow) and start the stimulation sooner. The only downside to this is that on average you will take a little more medication. It would help overcome the timing issue, however."

So, I got to go in today to check on my E2 levels and am waiting for the call on whether I can start stims...TONIGHT!