Estrace- Day 18 until Day 1 of Next Cycle (Synthetic Estrogen)

I bought the prescribed Estrace from the fertility clinic (one can also buy it at a drugstore). It is a form of estrogen (estradiol) and is taken from Day 18 of the patient's cycle and then stopped when their period starts (day 1 or the start of their next cycle). It is supposed to prepare the endometrium in the uterus to be of an adequate or optimum thickness for the blastocyst to be successfully implanted.

My nurse told me that I could expect to perhaps feel emotional, tired, and swollen. Various articles on the internet (yes, the internet can be a terrifying place when reading about medical conditions and drugs) list potential side effects for oral estrogen as nausea, headaches, irritability and mild depression, and tender breasts, among other side effects. This are also more serious side effects that can occur such as chronic insomnia, strokes, and ovarian cancer. However with IVF, estrogen is part of the complicated cocktail for creating a successful pregnancy.

I decided to take the tablets in the evening with one of my other medications, but I was told I could take them at any point during the day (but to take them at around the same time each day).

The day after my first dose I felt slightly more swollen. I noticed it in my hands (my rings were tighter on my left hand and I couldn't get one of my usual rings onto my right hand). I felt about normal until the afternoon when I started to feel really tired, but it was a sleepy long weekend, so who know.

The day after my second dose I think my fingers were even more swollen (I couldn't get my wedding ring or engagement ring off around midday) and I slept for eleven hours last night, but I also feel like I might be fighting a cold, so I'm not sure if this is the Estrace or not. I ate less today than I do normally, but again, I don't know if that was because I was fighting a cold or not.

The day after my third dose my fingers are slightly less swollen and I only slept 8 hours which is normal for me. I didn't feel quite as tired, but I was still lethargic. I started to become tender in the breasts as if I was going through a second puberty.

The day after my fourth dose, my fingers were as swollen as two days before. I felt tired and emotional.

The day after my fifth dose my fingers were swollen and I couldn't wear my loosest pair of slip on canvas shoes because my feet were quite swollen first thing in the morning. I had constipation and then diarrhea the rest of the day. I felt tired, emotional, and highly anxious. In the evening I had terrible stomach pains and gas. I seem to have had more headaches than usual through this week. Food is tasting unappealing this week and somewhat strange or different to me when it isn't to my husband. I was convinced that the turkey bacon I had was off, but it was just me as it tasted totally normal to my husband.

The day after my sixth dose, I was again swollen in the fingers. My abdominal area was quite swollen. I had intermittent stomach pains and nausea all day. I also had constipation and gas all day. I felt hungry yet sick all day (not an appealing combination). I had very low energy, but was filled with frenetic anxiety. All in all, I felt like I was going through a second puberty mixed with a menstrual period between the breast tenderness and abdominal pains.

One week after taking my first dose, I slept for eleven hours. The three doses of Metamucil yesterday seemed to have helped some of my gastrointestinal issues, but by the time the afternoon rolled around I was feeling bloated, nauseous, and constipated again. I sort of feel like an exhumed corpse with a tender bosom and swollen features, perhaps as if I was dredged out of a river.

But despite the side effects, I am envisioning growing a nice plush endometrium for the blastocyst to nestle into and grow into a healthy fetus.

Opening the bottle I found cotton and the tiny tablets that only occupied about one fifth of the bottle. Why do manufacturers always use such large bottles for such small tablets?

The tablets are tiny and a lovely teal colour (though not lovely enough to erase their side effects)