OHSS

OHSS = Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
The cause of OHSS is that superovulated ovaries contain many follicles which are loaded with estrogen. After ovulation, a huge amount of estrogen-rich fluid is poured directly out of the enlarged and fragile ovaries into the abdominal cavity. This fluid also contains chemicals like kallikrein-kinin and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), which then coat the lining of the abdominal cavity (called the peritoneum) and cause it to become very permeable (leaky). Fluid (serum) literally pours out of bloodstream into the peritoneal cavity because of the "leakiness" of the abdominal cavity’s lining. The ovaries balloon in size, the abdomen swells, and some women may get lightheaded with relatively low blood pressure, or dizzy because of the decreased blood volume.
(Stolen from a website and NOT cited...tsk tsk)


I definitely knew that I would have to be less of a "try to do everything" type person during our IVF cycle...but apparently I've still been overdoing it. I knew OHSS is quite common in young, thin women, but I thought you could only get it around the time of the egg retrieval. I was wrong.

I started feeling more bloated than usual starting at the end of last week. I was noticing that my jeans were tighter than normal around my waist and that my abdomen was starting to feel quite hard to the touch (and no, those aren't my abs lol). Saturday was fine, I managed to take it pretty easy while hanging out with Jon's family (although it killed me not to be able to play with my nieces and nephews!!) and Sunday was good too. I noticed my abdomen was larger and a I had a little more abdominal pain on Monday night, but I just attributed that to the fact that I was a tad constipated (sorry if that's too much info). I went to work on Tuesday but noticed that I was quite uncomfortable...and then when I went to laugh at a joke and ended up wincing in pain I knew it wasn't quite right. When I got home from work I cooked dinner (although I felt faint a few times...but I attributed that to being hungry) and then I plopped myself on the couch. By that point my abdomen was quite swollen...it was awful.
I started reading up on the internet to find out what other people who are/were 9 days post three-day transfer (9dp3dt) were feeling at that point. I found out that some of them started developing OHSS right around that time.

At that point I realized it was a little more serious than I realized, so Jon put me on "couch-rest" for the rest of the night and told me that I absolutely could not go to work the next day (today). He even went to my parents and told my mom she would need to babysit me to make sure I wasn't doing stuff around the house. What a brat. lol.

Sleeping last night was very uncomfortable because I could only lay flat on my back. I couldn't lay on my stomach because I would put pressure on my abdomen, and I couldn't lay on my side because my abdomen/stomach would be pulled down with gravity and put pressure on my sides internally. Sleeping proved to be quite difficult because I ALWAYS lay half on my front/half on my side. I woke up a few times and had to try to shift positions, but I couldn't really.

So, today, I spent the day at home...BORING! My back was getting sore from sitting/laying down all day. I hope I never need to be put on bed rest. I filled my day with watching a lot of TLC (A Baby Story, Bringing Home Baby, I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, What Not to Wear) and by working from home (I managed to put in 6 hours today still!). My mom cut up lettuce for salad for us and made us a potato salad so that Jon would only have to cook a 'meat' for dinner tonight. She also baked us a zucchini bread because she knew I had planned on doing it today and she didn't want Jon to not have it. Aww.

After doing more research (aka forum and fertility site reading) I realized that this might be a good sign (that I'm experiencing OHSS). Most people get OHSS around the time of egg retrieval because the hCG shot triggers it (somehow...). Apparently if you're pregnant you start producing more hCG naturally which can cause the OHSS to flair up. If I am pregnant, then I'll probably be 'suffering' with OHSS for a few weeks, until the placenta develops. If I'm not pregnant, then it will stop when I get my period.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but everything is looking good so far (i think?). I do have the occasional cramp (some are quite strong) which kinda freaks me out...but it could be a sign that my uterus is starting to grow...or it could be a sign that my period is just around the corner. I'm trying to not to think about the end result of this and am just taking it one day at a time. 5 days until we find out!

I think I'm going to head to work tomorrow, at least for a partial day. There is only so much work one can do from home! I have a desk job, luckily, so I know I won't be running around too much. I think I'll go in and see how I feel...I can easily leave early if I feel like it. We'll have leftovers for dinner so I won't feel tempted (who am I kidding....pressured) to cook and can rest as soon as I get home.