Friday, July 24, 2015

IVFx4 Egg Retrieval

Happy Friday blogland!  I can't believe how quickly this week is going!  I spent most of my week traveling back and forth to Springfield and it was kind of exhausting honestly, but SO WORTH all of the extra monitoring and attention to detail.  So much different from my previous doctor.  

I got the call on Tuesday that my retrieval would be Thursday so on Tuesday night at 9pm I triggered (ovulation) and then got up bright and early Wednesday to make my first of two trips down to Springfield.  I needed to have my pre-retrieval blood work done so I made the 250 mile round trip for the 3rd time this week for 5 minutes of being in the office for a blood draw.  I got home and waited for Joe who I expected to be home about 6 or so but didn't end up home until after 8 so it was about 11:30 by the time we got the car loaded, got on the road, got some food, and finally made it back to Springfield (for my second time that day).  I was exhausted so I hit the hay pretty quickly for our 7:30 appointment.


the view of Springfield from our hotel room (our Capitol building in the background)

We got to the office at 7:30 on the dot and they got me back into the exam room right away to change.  Joe also had to wear scrubs since he would be in the room with me for part of the procedure. They put my IV in (only took 2 sticks!) and gave me a Valium and I felt great.  They got me into the procedure room and gave me the fentanyl and I went right to sleep.  Joe was able to watch the eggs in the lab on a TV screen as they were extracted and placed into the dishes.  He said it wasn't really easy to tell what was going on, but pretty neat to be able to watch.

Once I woke up they told me they collected 10 eggs (out of the 15 measurable I had at my last scan) which I am so happy with.  It's a pretty significant difference from the last egg retrieval I had where they collected 34 eggs, but I know that QUALITY over QUANTITY is better and I'm 100% happier with this outcome over the last time.  I know that my last batch of eggs were crappy quality after speaking to my new doctor and embryologist and I feel like that is a huge factor in why I have had 3 failed cycles.    
here's my post retrieval selfie at Cracker Barrel, I was starving but I hardly remember even going there!
This afternoon I got the phone call from the embryologist that 5 of our eggs had fertilized and another 2 had the potential to fertilize still.  He said there is a possibility we might have a 3 day transfer rather than a 5, so I could be going back down Sunday, but we are hoping our embryos grow stronger and we make it to a 5 day transfer.  Our embryos are also being monitored with the Eeva Test which we were lucky enough to be candidates for.  The Eeva test is a non-invasive testing done to embryos that helps an embryologist in the selection of the best embryo.  The test creates videos of the embryos as they develop which the embryologist can use to help determine which has the best quality.  This is a relatively new type of testing so we weren't sure if it would available to use, but we got lucky and were able to use it for this cycle.  Our embryologist said that he still grades them based on his own knowledge and uses the Eeva testing as a kind of back up to what he determines.  We even get a video of our embryos when they're done fertilizing that show them developing.  


I am feeling very hopeful about this cycle.  Whether we end up with a 3 day or a 5 day transfer, the 31 years of experience that my embryologist has keeps me confident that whatever he decides is for the best.  Although they are recommending that we transfer 2, we are still only comfortable with 1 embryo this cycle since we have a new batch of eggs (with hopefully much better quality), a new doctor, and the treatment of what we thought to be the issue of why I wasn't getting pregnant in the first place.  We are hopeful that this will be it for us! 

9 comments:

  1. Like I said before five is a great #! Either day they decide go in with a positive mentality that everything will turn out with a positive outcome. Praying for u girly! Don't lose hope/faith.

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  2. Everything sounds so promising!!! Lots & lots of prayers your way!

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  3. This is great news Elena!! So excited for you:-)

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  4. That is so awesome!!!! I am seriously so excited! I know I'm always asking a bunch of questions,but how can the quality of the eggs be changed? Is it done through your meds? I'm really hoping this one is it!!!

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  5. This is a great update! Hoping for the best for you and your husband!

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  6. This is such great news so far. Im hopeful for you :)

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  7. Keep sending positive vibes your way!

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