Baseline Scan: Cysts and Setbacks

Continued from previous post The Real Day One - The Starting Point for Egg Freezing Treatment

On the Egg Freezing process flow chart I shared previously (see post Information Overload), I mentioned that the first hurdle to overcome is the baseline scan which you schedule on the “real day one” of your period (see post The Real Day One).

This is a transvaginal scan to determine if the lining of your uterus is thinning out and to see if the ovaries (or ovary in my case) are quiet (no cysts or lingering follicles from previous cycles which could interfere with the hormone stimulation and egg collection process). You need to tick both of these boxes to get the green light to proceed.  

Image created using WIX AI image generator.

Red Light

My first attempt at the baseline scan did not go well. The nurse identified a large cyst (large in this case is anything over 2 cm in diameter) - red light - and couldn't start the hormone stimulation process as a result. And so I found myself at a stumbling block before I even got started - devastating. The tears came in the nurse’s room and I could not help it.

Emotions all over the place

I cannot stress enough how up and down my emotions have been through this process so far. When I was preparing for this first attempt, I was hopeful and excited. Anxious? Yes, absolutely. But I focused hard on curbing this anxiety in the lead up to the first attempt so getting this news was deeply upsetting.

It quickly became clear to me that I was not capable of being both positive and hopeful while at the same time preparing myself for the setbacks and roadblocks. These two things are very contradictory in my head and it seems as though I have a choice to make.

Did I pick myself up and prepare for the next attempt with a positive and hopeful disposition, or should I brace myself for the possibility that take 2 could also be a no-goer? This emotional roller coaster is not something I had predicted but I was learning more and more each day.

The importance of support

Luckily, from experience, I knew that it would be really helpful to have someone waiting for me when I came out from the scan. This time it was my Dad and although he could not say much, he embraced me with a big bear hug (like only my Dad can|) and it took a little bit of the sting away.

My advice for anyone going through this process is to surround yourself with support and give yourself a little bit of time to process.  

Oh, and as for my choice, I chose to be hopeful. I had to!