Without further ado, the ultrasound yesterday revealed a lead follicle on the right at 14.5 and another at 14. Leftie has one at 12. Not as fabulous as I would have liked. However, we are triggering today at 1:30 pm PST. That means that the lead follicle will be at 16.5 today, and 18.5 at the time of the IUI – approximately, anyway. 

Really, I would have liked to have seen bigger follicles even though research shows that success rates do not improve once the follicle reaches 16 mm. It just seems as if bigger is better. However, my OPK was positive again this morning, even darker, really. This train is leaving the station whether I like it or not. The least I can do is inject some hCG into my ass to help those little guys mature and pop. Hopefully tomorrow at around 5 pm.

But, let’s talk about the real star of yesterday’s show. My uterine lining on CD 11 was at 8.2 mm. What?! 8.2 mm. That is the best lining I’ve ever built, my friends. It will probably continue to grow and hopefully it will be right at 9 mm at the time of ovulation. Everyone was surprised and the doctor felt compelled to measure twice. 8.2 mm. That’s fun.

I don’t know if the changes I made this cycle actually improved my lining. It could have been one of them or all of them or any combination of them. It could have simply been a coincidence. I certainly did not get these remedies from scientific journals as I’m wont to do.  But, in case anyone is out there googling for home remedies to improve uterine lining, let me recap:

Bromelain: I am taking 500 mg of Bromelain daily via capsule. I started on CD 4 when my period ended. I plan on taking it until I am 5 DPO.

Red Raspberry Leaf: I like tea, but not scads of it. Plus, insufferably hot desert + hot tea = not my cup of tea. Instead I opted for the tincture. I took 3 droppers once daily. I did this from CD 4 through CD 7. I stopped because my uterus was beginning to feel twitchy and I had one swipe’s worth of spotting. I don’t know if the two were connected, but it seemed prudent to stop.

Foot Bath: I included a foot bath into the regimen. Why not? Everything but the kitchen sink, at this point. I used a quarter of a cup of Epsom salts in the foot bath plus three drops each of myrrh, geranium, and clary sage essential oils. These are all phytoestrogens meant to stimulate the pituitary gland and increase estrogen levels. Sunny from Cease and Decyst suggests using bentonite clay in the foot bath in lieu of Epsom salts. They both will work to pull out toxins. I did this for 20 minutes while listening to Circle + Bloom. I managed to get it done on CD 3, 4, 6, 10, and I hope to do it tonight on CD 12. You can buy many of these supplies here or at your local food coop or natural foods grocery store.

Castor Oil Pack: I bought some wool flannel and castor oil, I poured it on the cloth and then also on my stomach, I slapped the saturated cloth on top of it, covered it with saran wrap, then topped it off with a heating pad. I laid there for about 60 to 90 minutes, and I did this on CD 3, 4, 6, and 11. You don’t need a new cloth each time. Put the cloth in a storage container or plastic bag and store it in the fridge.

Exercise: Despite the fact that the Seven Dwarves are inside my right knee trying to tunnel out, I exercised more. Albeit a gimpy, broken, busted knee type of exercise. I aimed for 4-5 times per week.

Ideally, there won’t be a next time. This will be the month that I get pregnant and have a baby.  Well, not in 30 days but in 9 months, but, you know what I mean. If not, we will see if these practices produce the same results next month. [Please let there not be a next month.]