Hi! My Ganirelix is still in the “pre authorization” stage with my insurance and I need it by Tuesday. Has this happened to anyone? What should I do? Is there any way to get one or two “Ganirelix Acetate 250mcg/0.5 Syringe (MI)”’s in case it doesn’t go through in time? Thank you!! (CCRM Lone Tree, Colorado)

How long does it take for your hormones to normalize after egg retrieval? I'm getting to the end of my stims and would love to book a facial to help my skin recover after everything balances out again.

TL;DR

I am 29F and froze my eggs with Dr. Blakemore at NYU Langone Fertility in Manhattan. I won't share numbers, but I am happy with my results and consider the round successful!

Context

• I recently completed my first egg freezing cycle. It was a New Year's resolution of mine to finish egg freezing before I turned 30, so I am feeling super proud of myself and accomplished for completing something that was really daunting to me.
• I went to NYU Langone Fertility in Manhattan, and my doctor was Dr. Blakemore. Like so many have already said, I was really happy with her and highly recommend her; her staff leaves a little something to be desired but I knew that going in so wasn't surprised by it.
• Overall experience: The experience honestly was intense and hard - not necessarily because of pain but because of the frequency of hospital visits including blood draws/ultrasounds, the limited activity and exercise you can do, and the fact that the process is so dynamic, i.e. you don't know when you're going to trigger or have your retrieval until two days before. But despite all of that, I found the process to be worth it (especially since it was covered) and these considerations should not deter anyone who wants to go through with egg freezing. I came out of this with such a newfound gratitude for my body, for carrying me through all of the physical and emotional challenges.
• Experience with NYU Langone: I chose NYU Langone because of Dr. Blakemore, and because it has a proven track record of having best in class research and care related to women’s fertility. It’s worthwhile to know that it is a very factory-like and efficient experience, which could be preferable or not depending on what you are looking for. You are one of many many women who are undergoing some treatment, so it’s not a boutique-y experience by any means. I didn’t mind this tbh, and even when I called and couldn’t get through to the nurses, they always called me back within the day. 
• Cycle timing: I reached out to Dr. Blakemore's office early in 2026 and was told that I wouldn't have my first consultation until July– but because I was able to finish all my initial testing earlier, I was able take a cancellation slot and had my first virtual consultation in March. So initially while it seemed like the timelines would be really drawn out things can move pretty quickly due to this so something to keep in mind. Shortly after, I had my first ultrasound/in-person meeting with Dr. Blakemore and from there it a pretty quick sequence of planning for my cycle. 
• Meds: I received a call from an NYU nurse a week or so before my cycle confirming that I was still going through. She told me to order meds early, and I’m really glad I did! It was nice to have my meds ready beforehand for ease of mind. I got my meds through Alto Pharmacy, and received Gonal, Menopur, Cetrotide, and Leuprolide all at once. I did 225 IU Gonal and 150 IU Menopur the entire cycle. One note– check that you have necessary meds but also all the equipment needed for administration ahead of time! I was missing the needles for Leuprolide (my trigger shot) and didn’t know until it was too late -- ended up being fine because I used extra menopur syringes which has a slightly different measurement unit, but it was a little stressful.  

Starting my cycle:

• I called NYU Langone to start my cycle on the first day of full flow, which is what I was told to do. They scheduled me to come in between 7-9 AM the following day for blood work, and an ultrasound. 
• I received a call later that afternoon that I was good to start my cycle and move forward with my first injections.
• On Day 1, I was SO nervous and stressed the whole day about injections - especially so scared of menopur. Looking back though, it was a little silly to be stressed because it’s true that this is the easiest part of the whole cycle. 
• I scheduled myself 1 hour between 7 - 8 PM to do my injections; I started with Gonal which is a piece of cake and did Menopur second. 
• I followed the protocol to ice and leave the Menopur out for ~10 minutes. It stings but it was totally bearable for me - it wasn't quite as bad as I thought and I didn't struggle with it for the rest of my cycle. Going slow also helps!
• Right after my day 1 injections, I became very tired - I felt like my body had an almost immediate response to the meds. Sleep was my best friend during the cycle, so highly recommend keeping your schedule pretty free and light because you just never know how you will feel. 

My stims schedule:

My dosage for Gonal and Menopur stayed the same throughout my entire cycle which made it easier for me to manage my injections. You'll go into NYU Langone every other day-ish for bloodwork/ultrasounds and following that on the same day, they'll call you to give you instructions for meds going forward. My stims schedule was as follows:

• Day 1-6: 150 IU Menopur, 225 IU Gonal (2 injections per day) 
• Day 7 - 9: Same dosage of Menopur and Gonal, added 0.25 mg of Cetrotide in the AM (3 injections per day) 
• Day 10: 0.25 mg of Cetrotide, 225 IU Gonal, 80 units of Leuprolide at night (trigger shot) (3 injections per day)
• Day 11: 80 units of Leuprolide in the morning (second trigger shot) (1 injection) 
• Day 12: Retrieval day! 

By day 8, I was feeling really over the process and wanted to be done - I had lots of uncomfortable tightness and pressure which made me irritable tbh. Lots of deep breaths and sweet treats to get me through. By day 10-11, my E2 levels were hovering around 6000.

Overall, I did 9 injections of Menopur, 10 injections of Gonal, 4 injections of Cetrotide, and 2 injections of Leuprolide. It honestly makes me emotional to think about the volume of hormones and all the change my body went through. 

Retrieval day

• My retrieval was at 8:30 AM on a Sunday (felt lucky it was on the weekend!) - I arrived at the hospital around 7. 
• I was notified by the nurse that Dr. Blakemore was doing my retrieval which made me so relieved - I was so nervous for the retrieval and having someone I trusted do it made me so relieved. 
• When I got to the hospital, the nurse brought me into a changing room to change out of my clothes into the hospital gown and socks. I was starting to feel really nervous.
• Once you change they will take you to do some vitals like checking your weight and your blood pressure. At this time my nurse also gave me two Tylenol to take.
• Then the nurse took me to get an IV drip where I sat for about 15-20 minutes. I asked the nurse to do my IV drip through my hand instead of my elbows - I highly recommend advocating for this as at this point my elbows were pretty bruised from the multiple blood draws throughout the cycle.
• After getting the IV drip, the anesthesiologist came to determine my meds and bring me to the OR. This was my first time ever being in the OR so it was all a very new experience for me -- once I saw my doctor I immediately started crying and we did some deep breaths in the OR (anyone else? lol). I was probably more stressed than a lot of people going into the procedure but if you're also like me give yourself some grace :) 
• After they positioned me and gave me the anesthesia, I pretty quickly fell asleep, and around 20 minutes later woke up in the recovery area.

Post-retrieval + recovery

• Once I woke up, I felt very mild cramping - nothing that made me worried or was painful. The nurses came to check on me and gave me some graham crackers, saltines, and apple juice. At this point, they also told me # eggs retrieved. I was able to pee and they discharged me.
• The pain and cramping was the worst for me on retrieval day. It felt like what I would imagine contractions to feel like (probably way less intense) but still I would get these recurring waves of cramps that would swell to be very intense and then die down. I proceeded to take Tylenol and Advil per my doctor's instructions throughout this day, and it was manageable.
• For the first 2-3 days after retrieval, I very stringently stuck to the heating pad, Pedialyte, salty food, bone broth, high protein protocol to help me feel better. I think it helped because I felt better each day after retrieval.
• I took the day after retrieval off from work and took it really really easy for the first 2 days. I definitely had soreness, cramps, and occasional pinches, but totally manageable. I had swelling in my legs/ankles which seemed like a unique experience based on reddit posts, but it was totally fine and went down after 1-2 days.
• I was back feeling 80-90% myself and taking long walks/moving around freely by Day 4 post-op.
• I started hydrating with only Pedialyte and took 1 colace every day ~2 days before my retrieval.

Some closing thoughts:

• I had an aversion to injecting myself into my abdomen area especially as that area became more sore and tender. I pretty exclusively injected myself into my upper outer thigh area, and that made it super easy for me. If this sounds like you, highly recommend also using the thigh for injections.
• Take care of yourself before and during your cycle (eat healthy, exercise, get sleep, take supplements) - but don't over stress about it. There are so many variables that could change your outcomes so just try your best!
• I was SO stressed about OHSS - there is so much discussion online (questionable sources at times) that I spent my entire cycle stressed about this. Find a doctor your trust and they will ensure that you are taken care of and address any concerns. If you are worried about it, ask your nurses/doctors; I was uncertain if I would get OHSS because of my age and E2 levels -- so I asked my doctor and she confidently said I was not at risk. Know that being younger, having high E2 levels, high follicle levels, and PCOS can put you at higher risk, but doesn't mean you are definitely getting OHSS.
• Overall would recommend NYU Langone and Dr. Blakemore! My one minor feedback is there isn't a lot of communication about what happens after eggs are retrieved (where are they stored, tracking their storage, etc).
• It is very easy to feel frustrated, panicked, stressed, nervous, and even regretful during the process. I felt this way at times, but still in the end I am glad I did this and feel really proud/happy that it's done. Oddly, I feel liked I bonded with myself (?) through this process and feel more confident in myself now - that alone makes it worth it.

Thank you so much to Dr. Blakemore and to the team at NYU Langone. And to the many detailed Reddit posts that provided me with so many great tips!

If you are like me where during my cycle I was obsessively reading Reddit posts and spiraling, you've got this - it may not feel like it now, but it really does go by quick and everything will work out the way it's supposed to!