Friday, April 12, 2013

IVF #1: Fertilization Report

4 of the 7 eggs were mature. Clearly, my eggs are underachievers.
However, 3 of the 4 eggs fertilized. Apparently we picked some badass sperm.

Here's how it all went down....
By Wednesday night (night before retrieval), I was *so* uncomfortable. I don't even know how people with 10, 20, 30, 40 eggs get through this. The doxycyline made me sick and it turned into a long queasy night.

I felt a bit better Thursday morning and woke up to two epiphanies: 1) damn, I'm a hormonal mess and 2) no way am I wishing for a Sunday transfer, it's PGD and May FET all the way.

All the staff involved with the retrieval were awesome. So nice and comforting and knowledgeable. They definitely put us at ease. On a side note, the anesthesiologist totally grabbed my boob. It was an accident. IVF has given me crazy pregnancy symptoms (huge boobs, nausea [don't even mention chicken to me], the inability to button my pants). So, I was laid out on the OR gurney, large and in charge tatas sneakily hiding under the gown and blankets, when Dr. anesthesiologist, trying to be nice, went to move my blankets and grabbed a fist full of boob instead. It was awkward. We both pretended like it didn't happen.

And then I woke up.

I actually felt better when I woke up than I did before they put me under. My abdomen was noticeably less distended. The RE came in and excitedly told us about our 7 eggs. Lucky 7, she said. Of course, I cried. Just a little. But I had decided that what we really wanted was 10-15 eggs so we could stick with plan A (PGD + FET). 7 meant no PGD.

I went home, ate some soup, and took a nap. Best nap ever. I was tired and crampy, but functional the rest of the day. And chicken sounded good again :)

Today, I had some major cramps in the morning, worse than with a normal period. A few tylenols later, I'm feeling pretty good. Still uncomfortable to button my pants, but not as bad as before retrieval. They called with the fertilization report and I was a little bummed that we're down to 3 embryos. But it only takes one, right? And, Oh. My. Gosh., we have 3 embryos. THREE!! The plan is:

  • They call us Sunday morning. If things aren't growing well, we'll do a day 3 transfer at 9:30am. If things are growing well, we'll hold out until Tuesday
  • If we make it until Tuesday and things are growing *really* well, we'll consider PGD and freezing. If things are looking more average, we'll go for a day 5 transfer
I feel pretty good about all that. I can't believe how fast all of this goes once you're here. Years and years of waiting and wondering and trying and then it feels like in the blink of an eye you might be getting knocked up next Sunday. Fast but slow. Slow but fast.

6 comments:

  1. It will all work out like its suppose to!! Look at it this way if you do need to do the transfer now instead of FET you wont have to do the lining prep with all the hormones!!

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  2. 3 seems like a great number to work with -- and i totally hear you on the fast-slow phenomenon. Sounds like a good plan!

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  3. everything sounds great! hoping the little ones do well over the next few days!

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  4. I hope everything works out the way you want!

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  5. Yay! It all sounds great. I completely understand the disappointment about not having more to work with, but three is really two more than you need :-) Fingers and toes crossed for you guys!

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  6. I know so very little about the process you are going through. It sounds grueling and challenging and you are dealing with it all with such strength. I can only hope that all goes exactly as it should. Things that are supposed to happen will happen and I am sending you lots and lots of good thoughts. You are very brave.

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