Today, I don't have to take ANY drugs (besides the baby aspirin and prenatal vitamin!). I'm pretty excited about this. I don't think I'll get that lucky for awhile. Last night at 11:00 p.m., I took my “trigger” shot of 5,000 IU of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). In my case, the brand name is Pregnyl. This drug is derived from the urine of pregnant women. And, of course, I used hCG last night to induce my ovaries to ovulate within 24-36 hours. For IVF, my eggs will be retrieved at about 36 hours after injection, a few hours before the eggs actually would actually be released from the ovary.
Besides being used for fertility purposes, this drug also is used for:
Weight loss: Low-dose daily hCG injections (125 IU) used in combination with a customized ultra-low-calorie (500 cal/day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate/fat) diet can result in a loss of adipose tissue (fat) without loss of lean tissue. I’m not a particular fan of this use because it leads to shortages of hCG at the pharmacy and increased prices for the drug itself.
Anabolic Steroid Adjunct: In males, hCG helps restore and maintain testosterone production in the testes by mimicking LH and triggering the production and release of testosterone. hCG is commonly used during and after steroid cycles to maintain and restore testicular size as well as normal testosterone production. Professional athletes who have been caught using hCG have been temporarily banned from their sport. Also, not a fan of this use!
Tumor Marker: A subunit of hCG is secreted also by some cancers including seminoma, choriocarcinoma, germ cell tumors, hydatidiform mole formation, teratoma with elements of choriocarcinoma (this is rare), and islet cell tumor. For this reason a positive result in males can be a test for testicular cancer.
During Pregnancy: hCG natually interacts with the LHCG receptor and promotes the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the beginning of pregnancy, causing it to secrete the hormone progesterone. Progesterone enriches the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growing fetus. Due to its highly-negative charge, hCG may repel the immune cells of the mother, protecting the fetus during the first trimester. It has also been hypothesized that hCG may be a placental link for the development of local maternal immunotolerance. It has also been suggested that hCG levels are linked to the severity of morning sickness in pregnant women.
All-in-all, hCG seems to be a pretty amazing drug.
I've only done 1 trigger shot (mine was Ovidrel), and the major side effect that I remember was what my best friend refers to as "pregnancy-nose." I swear I could smell every cigarette that my upstairs neighbor lit up, and every meal that was being cooked in the house next door. Fun stuff.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with your retrieval! And I hope you enjoyed your drug-free day :)