I have been thinking about writing an “IVF Diary”. Something a bit more formal and structured than my blog. I will of course post my IVF diary on my blog and keep posting other things, but I wanted to create a bit of structure to my diary to help me. Plus, I am all about the data (did I tell you I’m an analyst??!), I can’t help but think of it as s kind of data collection plan. Soooo this is what I think my template will be, but I would really like some input from anyone who has been through this before. I’ve crawled some blogs to try and figure out what would be useful to monitor:
Day X, date, cycle #, cycle type
Medication(s) administered and dosage(s).
Medical procedures undertaken.
How do I feel today? (i.e. my emotions)
What are my symptoms? (i.e. my physical reactions)
How does Chris feel today? (i.e. his emotions, if he is willing to share them that is)
Any results? (i.e. blood tests, ultrasounds)
What’s next? (any thing significant in the next 24-48 hrs)
Weight. (has it changed?)
Waist size. (has it changed?)
Boob size
Temp?? (should I do this or is it pointless because meds screw temps up?)
I want to start this week so I can capture a baseline of some of these stats before I start Birth Control Pills next week, like weight etc.
Do you think I have missed anything???
The Great Pudding Club Hunt 
Haha! I would totally do a spreadsheet but I’m sad like that! I just did all my IVF posts in one category on my blog so they can all be seen at once. I like the searchability of blogs which you don’t get on a static spreadsheet or document, and the interaction. But the geek in me likes to make charts and diagrams! I’ll be interested to see what you end up doing.
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Oh I’m sure I can treat everyone to a pretty chart or two too … 🙂
Good idea about setting the categories for posts too.
And I just read your next comment too. I am afraid about the weight thing…I know I put weight on from IUI but didn’t note how much exactly and I’m back in a comfortable, but not too skinny, place right now. So we’ll see how it goes!
I hope you are treating yourself though a little bit 😁
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Based on your previous post perhaps hours of sunshine and factor sunscreen?
Number of hugs received could also be important …
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Oooh I like it.
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Oh and for me I actually went opposite. I’ve recorded weight and cycles for about 6+ years quite obsessively, but when I started IVF I found the weight gain and boob size quite upsetting, and I wanted to keep having a positive experience, so I stopped. I’ll restart again after the miscarriage but will probably try and lose a bit of the IVF weight before I step on the scales!
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I love a good chart and data analysis! I’ll likely never do IVF, but I will absolutely read all about your findings! 🙂
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I like this idea! I did a little of this in the timeline I kept of what we did each day, what dosage I was on, etc. and it’s really nice to have to look back on. I am not exactly the analyst type, but I am the type that likes to document everything so I can revisit & reflect on it, so this definitely appeals to me. 🙂
I agree though in that the temp may not be necessary because it will likely be affected by meds. Oh, maybe you could add places for the largest follicle size and the lining measurements? They also kept track of my estrogen level, so that might be a permanent one to include as well (it’s crazy how high it will be by the time you get to retrieval). They could all go under the results area too, but it just depends on whether you would want to have them listed separately since it might be easier to keep track of/view. Just a thought 🙂
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Ahhh thank you! I couldn’t quite remember exactly what the nurse said they will monitor in the monitoring appointments, but these all sound familiar!
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Good idea – I do a (smaller) version of this myself. I just started my 5th cycle of IVF so I’m always keen to compare notes with previous cycles. I recommend keeping track of any blood results you have too – estrogen, FSH, AMH etc.
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Thank you! I’m sending you many positive thoughts for this cycle…but I’m going to write more of a comment on your recent post 🙂
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