Recombine Monthly Contributor Post!!

Here is the link to my newest Recombine post!  I had originally written this post prior to our retrieval and transfer.  I had submitted it for review and everything, then we got our embryo report from the embryologist and everything changed!  I had to quickly contact Recombine and have them delete my post because our situation had changed.  I want to say that this post is 100% my opinion and experience.  I'm not a doctor, I'm not medically trained in any way, and I know nothing about anyone's journey but my own!  Just my experience and my two cents!!  Enjoy! 

Embryo Transfer Day

our first baby photo!

On Saturday I got a call from the embryologist that really threw me for a loop.  He said of the five fertilized embryos, that three had continued to grow and that there were two that were ideal for transfer.  If you've been reading for awhile then you know that we've always only transferred one embryo and have only ever considered transferring one embryo, that's just what we have been comfortable with and I never thought that I would even have to make a decision about transferring two, until Saturday...

Although we had three embryos, it sounded like our 3rd embryo may not be the best quality and we might even lose it.  Our embryologist, from the beginning recommended us transferring two.  He said that we have done the "safe" thing by transferring one embryo three times now and it has not been successful for us.  He said we need to seriously consider taking more of a risk if we ever want to be successful.  I admit, it was not what I wanted to hear, but I know that in his 31 years of experience, he knows what is best for each patient.  And I am paying him and our doctor for exactly that, their experience, they expertise, & their knowledge, for a successful outcome.  

So we took a risk.  We transferred TWO embryos!  It has been one of the scariest and hardest decisions we have ever had to make.  I was so sure that Joe was so against it and then when we sat down to talk about it, he said it is time to be more aggressive and we need to transfer two so I agreed. I didn't just agree to agree, I agreed because of many factors, but I think deep down in  my heart was the right decision for us.  Maybe I was just lying to myself for awhile that it was a bad idea.  

The idea of twins scares me and it is not at all what I want for us.  As much as we have gone through people might wonder (and probably judge me) on how can I say that, how can I even have an opinion of what I want, I should just take what I can get at this point!  But the risks are so much higher with a twin pregnancy, not to mention the financial strain it will certainly put on us after just building a new home and having a relatively large mortgage.  There are no guarantees that this transfer will work, there are not guarantees that it will even turn out to be twins, but there is a real chance that it could turn out that way.  We know that we can get through anything, together.  We have gotten through some extremely trying times in our relationship, just like everyone else has.

When I think about whether or not we made the right decision, I think of this quote:

The transfer itself went perfect.  We arrived around noon, changed into our hospital gear and got the show on the road.  It's about a 10 minute process.  They insert a speculum, clean the area with saline, then they place the embryos in a dish, they actually put them up on a big screen TV in the transfer room where were able to see them with our own eyes before they were drawn into the catheter.  Once they're drawn into the catheter it's placed and they are inserted back into the womb, they left the catheter in for 1 minute and the doctor said that both embryos placed right where he likes to see them. They drained my bladder with a catheter which hurt worse than the actual transfer itself! Ouch! We were then moved to the recovery room where we stayed for 1 hour and then released to come home. I am on bed rest today and will return to work tomorrow.  We will find out in 2 weeks if one or both of our embies decided to stick!  Fingers crossed!

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!