FET #1 begins (not without a bumpy start)

Despite my misgivings about the quality of some of our frozen embies, I am really excited that we're moving straight into a new cycle. It is definitely helping me deal with the disappointment of the failed IVF to have a new opportunity to focus on. True to form, getting things off the ground wasn't quite as easy as I had hoped.

RE 2 told me to come in for my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork yesterday (Thursday). When I had my appointment on Wednesday, he filled out the request form for my health fund to approve the FET. He said the paperwork for a FET was really a formality (unlike with a fresh cycle, where there is always a chance of the request getting rejected) and that the nurses would fax it the next morning when I came in for my baseline. He also said he thought it would get approved that same day.

When I went in yesterday morning for baseline, the nurse I spoke with gave me a really hard time and said that without the approval, she wouldn't give me the form to do the ultrasound and bloodwork and that I wouldn't be able to start estrogen for this cycle until the approval came through or if I agreed to pay for the whole cycle OOP. I proposed that she fax the request immediately and if the approval didn't come through I would pay OOP (the whole situation was pretty ludicrous since we would know if it was approved within a few hours and since it was a formality more than anything).

Anyway, she begrudingly gave me the u/s and blood forms if I agreed to pay, which I brought to be stamped at the reception. I didn't have to pay anything towards this anyway because my specific health fund has an agreement with the hospital so I am automatically covered for as many ultrasounds and blood tests as I need there, whether it's part of a larger treatment cycle or not. After that headache, I had my ultrasound, which showed that my lining was still 12mm and that I had a cyst. I was feeling pretty down about our prospects of actually getting started on this thing based on the ultrasound.

Y called the health fund to see that they received the faxed request. They had indeed and within an hour, it was approved. By this time it was only 10am. It seemed like a lot of drama over nothing and I was super frustrated that the nurse was ready to cancel my cycle because of it, especially since I confirmed with both the head nurse (when I received my beta) and RE 2 (when I had my appointment) that it was okay to send the request for approval on the same day I start meds. I also noticed that the approval was coded "IVF שלב ג", meaning "IVF stage 3" - in other words, it was merely considered an appendage of the original cycle. From there on the day got better - the nurse called me around lunchtime to say that my E2 and P4 levels were fine and that I could begin estrogen today.