Sunday, January 30, 2011
Testing, testing, one, two, three...
Call me impatient. I tested today. Not surprised that it was negative, it's way too early for it to be positive. I'm only 9 days past ER after all. But, in a way, I'm glad that I tested this morning and I'm glad that it was negative. I know now that the trigger shot that I took before ER is now out of my system. The trigger shot is hcg which is the same hormone that pregnancy tests detect. Had I gotten a positive today, I wouldn't know for sure if it was a real positive or a fake positive. Now I know and if, when, I test and get a positive result, I will know for sure that it's not a false positive and will be able to celebrate.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Transfer Summary and a Frozen Embryo!
Apparently I forgot to update after the transfer. Oops!
The transfer was on Monday at 11:30. It went really well and they transferred 3 beautiful embies. Two of them were between a grade 1 and a grade 2. Grade 1 is the best and the scale goes all the way to grade 5, so these were pretty good. The other was a grade 3, so it was about average. The transfer went off without a hitch and Dr. M. said that he felt really good about it.
I went back to the house and took it easy for the rest of the day and then we left for home after dinner. The Real Deal slept the whole way and then continued to sleep really well after we got home. The ride was smooth, even though we had a little rain off and on. We did hit some pretty dense fog about 40 miles or so from our exit, but other than that it was smooth sailing.
The embryologist called this morning to say that one of the five remaining embryos is ready to be frozen. This is our fourth IVF cycle and we have NEVER had an embryo make it to that stage, so we were very excited to hear the news. The grading scale changes once the embryo becomes a blastocyst. This one is an expanded blastocyst, so it is assigned the number 4. Then the outer shell is graded from A-F, the inner shell is graded from A to F, and the inner fluid is graded from A-E (or something like that, I don't remember the exact specifics, but you get the idea). So a perfect embryo at this stage would be a 4AAA. Ours was a 4AAB! I'm so excited! She also said that three of them have arrested but that there is one more that she is going to watch until tomorrow morning to see how it looks and it may be able to be frozen as well.
The transfer was on Monday at 11:30. It went really well and they transferred 3 beautiful embies. Two of them were between a grade 1 and a grade 2. Grade 1 is the best and the scale goes all the way to grade 5, so these were pretty good. The other was a grade 3, so it was about average. The transfer went off without a hitch and Dr. M. said that he felt really good about it.
I went back to the house and took it easy for the rest of the day and then we left for home after dinner. The Real Deal slept the whole way and then continued to sleep really well after we got home. The ride was smooth, even though we had a little rain off and on. We did hit some pretty dense fog about 40 miles or so from our exit, but other than that it was smooth sailing.
The embryologist called this morning to say that one of the five remaining embryos is ready to be frozen. This is our fourth IVF cycle and we have NEVER had an embryo make it to that stage, so we were very excited to hear the news. The grading scale changes once the embryo becomes a blastocyst. This one is an expanded blastocyst, so it is assigned the number 4. Then the outer shell is graded from A-F, the inner shell is graded from A to F, and the inner fluid is graded from A-E (or something like that, I don't remember the exact specifics, but you get the idea). So a perfect embryo at this stage would be a 4AAA. Ours was a 4AAB! I'm so excited! She also said that three of them have arrested but that there is one more that she is going to watch until tomorrow morning to see how it looks and it may be able to be frozen as well.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
'T'was the Night Before Transfer
Embryo transfer is tomorrow at 11:30. I have to admit that I'm not feeling very optimistic about this cycle. The quality of the embryos isn't very good and I haven't had a good feeling about this cycle from the beginning. Of course, I felt really good about the last cycle, and it was a failed cycle, so who knows.
I am excited about being able to go home after dinner tomorrow though. I am so, so grateful for Mark and Christi opening their house to us for the past 2 weeks, but I miss my own house and my own routine. I know that the Real Deal is excited about returning home as well.
I'll update again after the transfer tomorrow. We are still planning on transferring three embryos. I'm ready to get the next week and a half over with. Testing day is February 4.
I am excited about being able to go home after dinner tomorrow though. I am so, so grateful for Mark and Christi opening their house to us for the past 2 weeks, but I miss my own house and my own routine. I know that the Real Deal is excited about returning home as well.
I'll update again after the transfer tomorrow. We are still planning on transferring three embryos. I'm ready to get the next week and a half over with. Testing day is February 4.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Fertilization Report
The embryologist called this morning to give me the fertilization report. Out of the 23 eggs that were retrieved, 17 were mature enough to do ICSI on. Of those 17, 8 fertilized normally, 4 fertilized abnormally, and 5 did not fertilize at all. She will call me again in the morning to let me know how things are progressing. Embryo transfer is set for 11:30 on Monday morning.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Trigger and Egg Retrieval
So I triggered on Wednesday night. It was nice not to have any injections on Thursday. Egg retrieval was this morning. Dr. M. was able to get 23 eggs, which is a record for me! Unfortunately, though, he had to go through my bladder to get to one of them. I have never had any pain at all after ER, but my oh my! Going through the bladder brings a whole 'nother dimension to things. I am so, so sore.
I should get a call in the morning letting me know how many of those 23 eggs were mature and how many of those fertilized. I should also get a date and time of when embryo transfer will be. I'm really hoping for a day 3 transfer, even though I know that a day 5 is better. I just want to get back home.
I should get a call in the morning letting me know how many of those 23 eggs were mature and how many of those fertilized. I should also get a date and time of when embryo transfer will be. I'm really hoping for a day 3 transfer, even though I know that a day 5 is better. I just want to get back home.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Almost to trigger!
Things got off to a slow start. I wasn't responding well to 375IU of Gonal-F and 75IU of Menopur so my dosage got increased to 450IU of Gonal-F and 150IU of Menopur. Things looked much better on Saturday when I went in for monitoring. I kept the same dosage and went back this morning. Dr. M. said that this cycle may "span the seasons." But I'm getting there. Today is stim day 11. He expects me to trigger on either Tuesday or Wednesday, stim day 12 or 13.
I had to take the Real Deal, 3yo son, with me to the appointment this morning. I knew that he would be ok, but I hate taking a child with me to the infertility specialist. It almost seems disrespectful. Luckily, the waiting room was relatively empty and we didn't have to stay there very long. I think Dr. M. enjoyed meeting him, seeing as how he helped in his conception and all.
In other news, I alternate nights having dreams that I will either conceive triplets or that this cycle will be a bust. Right now I'm not terribly optimistic that this cycle will work. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I just haven't felt connected at all to this cycle. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm not at home, or the fact that this is my 4th cycle and it's kind of ho-hum, or what. I just don't have a good feeling about this cycle. On the other hand, I'm kind of terrified of transferring 3 embryos. My dreams about having triplets are very specific. Two of the embryos will take and one will split. Identical twin girls and a boy. I don't like how IVF takes all control out of the situation. Not that any conception is in our control, but typically, with an unmedicated conception, higher order multiples are rare and not something that is often thought about. But with IVF you have to balance the likelihood of pregnancy with the likelihood of higher order multiples. That's scary to me. Well, I guess is should be scary to anybody.
Ahh... I'm hormonal and overwhelmed. I think I'll go take a nap. If I end up with triplets, I should probably get as much sleep now as possible.
I had to take the Real Deal, 3yo son, with me to the appointment this morning. I knew that he would be ok, but I hate taking a child with me to the infertility specialist. It almost seems disrespectful. Luckily, the waiting room was relatively empty and we didn't have to stay there very long. I think Dr. M. enjoyed meeting him, seeing as how he helped in his conception and all.
In other news, I alternate nights having dreams that I will either conceive triplets or that this cycle will be a bust. Right now I'm not terribly optimistic that this cycle will work. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I just haven't felt connected at all to this cycle. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm not at home, or the fact that this is my 4th cycle and it's kind of ho-hum, or what. I just don't have a good feeling about this cycle. On the other hand, I'm kind of terrified of transferring 3 embryos. My dreams about having triplets are very specific. Two of the embryos will take and one will split. Identical twin girls and a boy. I don't like how IVF takes all control out of the situation. Not that any conception is in our control, but typically, with an unmedicated conception, higher order multiples are rare and not something that is often thought about. But with IVF you have to balance the likelihood of pregnancy with the likelihood of higher order multiples. That's scary to me. Well, I guess is should be scary to anybody.
Ahh... I'm hormonal and overwhelmed. I think I'll go take a nap. If I end up with triplets, I should probably get as much sleep now as possible.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Snow and Alcohol
It's snowing. I live in the south. I like snow on the rare occasions that it graces me with it's presence. Unfortunately, I do NOT like snow 36 hours before I have to drive across the state. We are supposed to be getting 6 inches of snow over night tonight. For all you northerners reading this, that may not sound like a lot, but down here, we don't have the capabilities to deal with snow. The city and county have salt/sand trucks but I don't think there is a snow plow within 100 miles of here. And the driving! No one (myself included) here knows how to drive in the snow. I really, really hope that the roads are clear before I have to leave on Tuesday morning. I absolutely have to be across the state (it is snowing there too) by 8:30 Wednesday morning. It's really not negotiable.
Second thing. The alcohol swabs the pharmacy sent me have been recalled. Got to call them in the morning about getting a replacement. You can read more about this recall by clicking here.
Second thing. The alcohol swabs the pharmacy sent me have been recalled. Got to call them in the morning about getting a replacement. You can read more about this recall by clicking here.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
And We're Off... Again
Umm... so I left you hanging way back in December 2009. Sorry about that. I found out on December 23, 2009 that IVF #3 was unsuccessful. What a way to "celebrate" Christmas. In an effort to avoid that wonderful timing happening again, we decided to start IVF #4 in January 2011.
Many things are different about this cycle. The most noticeable is that I am driving completely across the state. Dr. M. did our first two cycles (and our only successful one, I might add) when he was working where I live. He was absolutely wonderful. Well, sometime after IVF #2, he decided to pack up and move across the state and open his own practice. The nerve! So IVF #3 was done with Dr. D. I did NOT click with Dr. D. at all. I felt like concerns of mine weren't addressed properly and I felt like questions I had were dismissed. Needless to say, when we decided to give IVF #4 a try, we decided to look at trekking 5 1/2 hours across the state to see Dr. M.
The second difference is that Dr. M's clinic offers the Attain IVF Program. This program offers a 70% refund on IVF fees (not meds or anesthesia) if you don't take home a baby after 3 cycles. The downside to this program is that you have to pay up front, but not having to worry about when we will be able to try again if this cycle doesn't work is HUGE. This program offers 3 IVFs and 3 FETs. If, after we complete this program, we don't take home a baby, we will use the refund money for adoption. I pretty much see it as a win-win situation.
The third difference, is that 3yo Son weaned just before Thanksgiving 2010. Dr. D. seemed to blame my unsuccessful third cycle on the fact that he was *still* nursing. Well, I wasn't going to wean him. I wasn't going to wait to do IVF. I knew that there was a chance that IVF wouldn't work. But there is always a chance that IVF won't work. I don't blame myself for trying while nursing. I know several moms who did either IVF or a FET while nursing. Some went on to have children from those cycles and some didn't. IVF isn't a guarantee no matter what you do or don't do.
The fourth difference is the protocol. For IVF #1, I did a long OCP protocol. For IVF #2 and IVF #3, I did an antagonist protocol, although I never did use use the ganirelix for IVF #2. Of course, that was the cycle that resulted in my babies, so eh, whatever. IVF #4 is going to use a micro-dose lupron, or lupron flare, protocol. Dr. M. also added femara and a high dose of steroids.
So yesterday was technically stim day 1. Why it's called that, I'm not sure. I started my lupron injections yesterday, but don't start my Gonal-F and Menopur injections until tonight.
The plan is for me to stay home until stim day #6, that's Wednesday, and go across the state at that point and stay there until after embryo transfer. Well, I live on the west side of a southern state that doesn't deal well with snow AT ALL. It is supposed to snow here Sunday night and into Monday. I am supposed to leave home on Tuesday since I have to be at the clinic first thing on Wednesday morning for monitoring. Also, my city is flat. Clinic city is in the foothills of the mountains. I do not know how to drive in the snow. I'm starting to get a teeny bit nervous about the drive. If I have to, I can leave on Monday and drive half-way and stay with family overnight and then have all day Tuesday to make it the other half. I really don't want to do that, but if I have to, I will.
So, anyway, I am really, really going to try to document this cycle better than I did the last one. I find writing healing. I just need to do it.
Many things are different about this cycle. The most noticeable is that I am driving completely across the state. Dr. M. did our first two cycles (and our only successful one, I might add) when he was working where I live. He was absolutely wonderful. Well, sometime after IVF #2, he decided to pack up and move across the state and open his own practice. The nerve! So IVF #3 was done with Dr. D. I did NOT click with Dr. D. at all. I felt like concerns of mine weren't addressed properly and I felt like questions I had were dismissed. Needless to say, when we decided to give IVF #4 a try, we decided to look at trekking 5 1/2 hours across the state to see Dr. M.
The second difference is that Dr. M's clinic offers the Attain IVF Program. This program offers a 70% refund on IVF fees (not meds or anesthesia) if you don't take home a baby after 3 cycles. The downside to this program is that you have to pay up front, but not having to worry about when we will be able to try again if this cycle doesn't work is HUGE. This program offers 3 IVFs and 3 FETs. If, after we complete this program, we don't take home a baby, we will use the refund money for adoption. I pretty much see it as a win-win situation.
The third difference, is that 3yo Son weaned just before Thanksgiving 2010. Dr. D. seemed to blame my unsuccessful third cycle on the fact that he was *still* nursing. Well, I wasn't going to wean him. I wasn't going to wait to do IVF. I knew that there was a chance that IVF wouldn't work. But there is always a chance that IVF won't work. I don't blame myself for trying while nursing. I know several moms who did either IVF or a FET while nursing. Some went on to have children from those cycles and some didn't. IVF isn't a guarantee no matter what you do or don't do.
The fourth difference is the protocol. For IVF #1, I did a long OCP protocol. For IVF #2 and IVF #3, I did an antagonist protocol, although I never did use use the ganirelix for IVF #2. Of course, that was the cycle that resulted in my babies, so eh, whatever. IVF #4 is going to use a micro-dose lupron, or lupron flare, protocol. Dr. M. also added femara and a high dose of steroids.
So yesterday was technically stim day 1. Why it's called that, I'm not sure. I started my lupron injections yesterday, but don't start my Gonal-F and Menopur injections until tonight.
The plan is for me to stay home until stim day #6, that's Wednesday, and go across the state at that point and stay there until after embryo transfer. Well, I live on the west side of a southern state that doesn't deal well with snow AT ALL. It is supposed to snow here Sunday night and into Monday. I am supposed to leave home on Tuesday since I have to be at the clinic first thing on Wednesday morning for monitoring. Also, my city is flat. Clinic city is in the foothills of the mountains. I do not know how to drive in the snow. I'm starting to get a teeny bit nervous about the drive. If I have to, I can leave on Monday and drive half-way and stay with family overnight and then have all day Tuesday to make it the other half. I really don't want to do that, but if I have to, I will.
So, anyway, I am really, really going to try to document this cycle better than I did the last one. I find writing healing. I just need to do it.
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