nicole norstrud

So I went to the counselor today . . . and it was good. I explained my situation and a little bit about the ins and outs of infertility treatment (the counselor doesn’t have a background in fertility treatments) and my perpetual anxiety that has reduced from a roar to a low hum in the last few weeks. She provided some simple breathing exercises that I could try when I was feeling overwhelmed and suggestions on how to expend excess energy like yoga and walking. But one of the most important things she said was that I should try setting aside time everyday where I am free to worry. I can indulge in my anxiety and agonize over every little detail. But after the time is up, I am not allowed to worry at the same level. I’m not sure I can just limit myself to a particular timeframe, but I’m going to try. And to be honest, some days are actually pretty stress free. But, I do get riled up thinking about coming off my meds. Since I’m 11 ½ weeks, I’ve decided to start weaning myself off of the progesterone in oil in small increments and then see what happens. My current OB/GYN has me taking a progesterone blood draw once a week, and my levels had been pretty consistent at 25 ng/ml for the past few weeks. Twenty-five ng/ml is on the lower end of normal, but it’s still okay. At the beginning of this week though, my progesterone level went up to 30 ng/ml (plus, I’ve started to get headaches which could be a sign of more progesterone production) which makes me think that my placenta is finally starting to take over. So I’m going to try to reduce my 1 ml progesterone in oil (PIO) shot to ¾ ml in an effort to get off of these things. Wish me luck!