Medication
by Stephanie - July 13th, 2012.Filed under: Surrogacy.
I went to Stanford on Wednesday with my husband so we could learn about the different medications I will be on and how to do the injections. The appointment went very well, although I cringed every time the nurse took out a practice needles. I have always disliked needles, who doesn’t I guess… I’ve known from the beginning of this process that I was going to have to self inject; and I know it is a necessary part of the process, but I’m nervous about it. It would be one thing if it was an injection once a week or something, but the fact that I have to do this everyday for over 6 weeks is scary for me. I will have two different injections to do, one in the belly and one in the derriere… 
The one in the belly is called Lupron. It will be my first medication along with some estrogen patches. I will start that sometime in the next two weeks. After I finish the Lupron I will start the Progesterone which is an intramuscular medication that will be administered in my fanny by my wonderfully supportive husband. I will need to do this for four weeks leading up to the embryo transfer and continue for up to two weeks after. Ouch!! If my husband is unable to help me, I have the option of injecting myself in the thigh. Double ouch! Other then the injections and estrogen patches, I will also be taking baby aspirin, pills here and there, and once the transfer is complete I will start a vaginal insert also called Progesterone three times a day.
Well there we have it. I think I have pretty much caught everyone up on my surrogacy process up until this point. From now on I will post once a week, every Friday. I may post more if there is something else going on.
Also, please always feel free to ask me ANYTHING! I am an open book! You can also get some great information from the organization I am doing this through. They are Family Creations, here is the link to their website: https://www.familycreations.net/surrogacy/. Everyone at Family Creations that I have had the pleasure to work with has been amazing! They all genuinely care about what they are doing and they can answer any questions you have!
Here is all the medication. The top three boxes are the vaginal inserts, below that in the purple boxes are the estrogen patches. Next to that are some random medication that I will take as needed… And of course under that are the dreaded needles! Lol!
More needle… Can you tell I don’t like needles?…
I think the title is ironic: “Comfort” 
July 13th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
Hey Stephanie,
Yes, this is coming from a man, and one who has chosen not to be a father for this lifetime. And I ask this with genuine curiousity and no malice intended. So, forgive me if this sounds naive or dumb: With all of the babies and infants out there who need loving parents, and with the cost and complicatedness of this procedure, who don’t more wanna-be parents adopt?
July 14th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Thank you for asking, I think this is a great question! From an emotional aspect many people; including myself, have a strong desire to have a biological child, and for those who cannot conceive, surrogacy is a wonderful opportunity for them. The actual pregnancy process is so important for women, feeling the baby moving, kicking, hiccuping, growing. You are nurturing the baby, making sure you are eating right and taking care of yourself. With a surrogate, the intended parent get to experience the pregnancy, they get to be involved. They get to go to doctor appointments. They get to see the heartbeat for the first time, and anticipate the gender. They get to have updates from me about the baby moving for the first time. It is a very important process for some people. Even though the intended mother doesn’t have her baby growing inside her, she gets to be involved and watch her baby grow. It’s such a beautiful thing, and it’s so amazing that we as a society have this option. It’s one thing to simply want a child to love, and nurture and it’s another to have that drive and need for it to be yours. I myself have my own biological child. He is my whole world! Without him life would be meaningless for me. It was very important for me to create life with my husband, it’s something we did together out of love. I want to also add that I plan to adopt someday. It is a BIG dream of mine!!! Financially it is not an option for a long time to come. Hey, maybe that will be my next blog; my adoption process.
From a financial aspect, obviously the cheapest option is to have your own child with the cost ranging from $14,000-$25,000. (The high end being if a C-section is needed) Next is adoption which can range from $5,000-$50,000 depending on where you adopt from. (Please keep in mind that my numbers could be off, I’m just trying to give you an idea from the research I did) I will add that you can adopt older children that are in foster care. I think this is a great thing to do, and again for many families there is a desire to raise a child. Getting to experience first steps, first words etc.) And that brings me to the option of surrogacy. There are many fees related to this option including medical bills, the surrogates pay and paying the organization for their services. I added up that it would be roughly $70,000-$80,000 give or take. Don’t quote me on that!
I guess to sum everything up; it’s a biological desire and need to create life, and with technology and medical advances that we have, it is a possibility that never used to be available. I know many people in my life that cannot have children of their own and it still to this day is something that they wish could have been. I hope this has helped clarify, or even give you a women’s perspective.
July 14th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Interesting stuff! Thank you for the prompt and thorough reply.
July 14th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
My pleasure!
July 20th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
OUCH. You are one brave woman! I’m impressed that you’re willing to go through this to give somebody else the gift of life. I don’t think I could :-/
July 20th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Thank you! I think you could do it!