My blood tests last week were positive! Now the REAL worry begins!
IVF
Archived Posts from this Category
August 20, 2009
Transfer was today (Thursday 8/20)! It went well. It was basically the same as the first time, only with less people in the room (no students or residents observing today- yay)! We transferred 2 8-cell embryos, both rated good, with one “almost” qualifying for an excellent rating! We also had 2 other 8-cells, one good (but not as good as the first two), and one fair. They will incubate them for 2 more days to see if they develop into a blastocyst, at which point they are eligible for cryopreservation! I am in awe of how well the embryos did this time in comparison to last! And take a look at the great result of last time in my new header (thanks for the compliments, by the way)! Last time on the day of transfer we had one 7-cell rated good, 2 4-cells rated fair, and 2 4-cells rated poor. We transferred the first 3 and the other 2 didn’t make it to freezing. So, things are looking good! We will find out if it worked in a couple weeks.
August 19, 2009
The report from the clinic is very good today:
Four 4-cells (3 of those are rated “good” and one is rated “fair”)
One 3-cell (rated poor)
Transfer is scheduled for tomorrow at 10!
August 18, 2009
7 eggs retrieved
5 were mature, and…
ALL 5 FERTILIZED!
This is really good news! Last time, we ended up having 5 fertilize as well, so I like those odds!
August 17, 2009
Today (Monday, 8/17) was Tim’s birthday! To celebrate, we retrieved eggs. I didn’t remember a lot of the details of the first time we did this, so it seemed new to me.
We had the SAME anesthesiologist that we had for the first retrieval AND Ben’s delivery! He was in the room when Ben was born. Tim remembered him this time; I did not at first sight, but once I asked him his first name, I definitely remembered. You see, the first 2 times we had him, he made the same joke: If it’s a boy, you will have to name him after me (Richard). Sorry, doc, we might consider it if we had a different last name! But we told him, if this is successful, we will have to request him at delivery time!
Dr. Richard had a really hard time hitting a vein- he failed twice in my hand before hitting one in the bend of my arm- so my hand is really bruised. I don’t know why, but I was thinking it was just laughing gas that they used. But, no, it’s IV. They actually use Propofol, which no one outside of the medical community had ever heard of before Mich.ael Jack.son died.
My regular doctor had labor and delivery duty this morning, so the other doctor in the practice performed the retrieval. He is actually the more senior and well-known doctor there (as well as the director of the center), but he is not my favorite. He has the bedside manner of a toad, and early in my pregnancy with Ben, he misdiagnosed me with a partial molar pregnancy, which can lead to cancer, when it was really just a subchorionic hemmorage!
Anyway, when I woke up from the procedure, the doctor told me they had retrieved 4 eggs, which was extremely disappointing. Tim came to sit with me… I think I had to lay in recovery for about an hour total. The embryologists came to talk to me, and it turns out, they got SEVEN! Still not great, but a major improvement from 4! They seemed very optimistic, so that was helpful.
I slept most of the afternoon on the couch. I don’t remember being this sore last time! Maybe it’s part of that pregnancy amnesia phenomenon!
August 16, 2009
Saturday morning (8/15) was my final monitoring appointment. The lead follicle was measuring 31 x something, and the doctor said they knew they were basically sacrificing it to let the others catch up. He gave me the go-ahead to give myself the trigger that night!
The “trigger” is a shot of hCG that signals the follicles to stop maturing and ovulate 36 hours later. Then I go in 34 hours later and they retrieve the eggs surgically before they get released naturally. Strangely, hCG is the hormone that pregnancy tests look for, so if I took one right now, it would be positive!
The shot went really well. My mom had invited me to come to Frederick and visit her 89-year-old aunt, who was visiting from NC, so on the spur of the moment Ben and I headed over Saturday evening. I was really worried I would forget to take the shot, but I didn’t! Sunday, we headed to Annapolis for a nice (but short) visit with 2 of my mom’s aunts and 2 cousins. We left fairly early because I didn’t want to get home too late Sunday night (what with a 7 am egg retrieval appointment Monday morning…)
August 14, 2009
IVF is nothing if not an emotional and physical roller coaster ride! Last time, egg retrieval was pushed BACK twice, so I never even considered the possibility that it would be pushed UP this time! I have one “runaway” follicle that is measuring 27 x 23 (that’s freakin’ ginormous and they don’t like for one to get way ahead like that). The rest are measuring 10-18, with most in the 14-range (there are 6 on the right and 5 on the left). I think 20 is considered mature. So at my appointment this morning, they told me it would either be Sunday or Monday (they would wait for the estradiol test to make the call)!
Karen (the IVF coordinator) just called to say retrieval is scheduled for Monday morning at 7:00! On the one hand, I’m excited to get it over with sooner, but on the other hand, I’m disappointed that we might not have as many mature eggs because of that runaway follicle. BUT- as Ben proved, it only takes one good egg [and-minor detail-one good sperm]!
I go tomorrow for another ultrasound, just to monitor things, and then tomorrow night at 9:30 exactly, I have to take the trigger shot. I’ll write more about that tomorrow. Then, if all goes well, on Thursday I will go in and they will transfer the embryo(s)!
One neat thing about the way things are working out is that Monday just so happens to be Tim’s birthday! Also, coincidentally, our last retreival was on a Monday as well.
August 13, 2009
Yesterday (Wednesday 8/12), I had another monitoring appointment. I had 5 measurable follicles on each side and several smaller ones. The biggest one measured 18, so they started me on a new shot: Ganilrex, which suppresses ovulation. I don’t remember taking it last time. [Maybe that's because last time at this point in the cycle, they told me I was "not responding like a 29-year-old."] The nurse explained that when the follicles get that big, the brain can trigger ovulation on its own and they don’t want that to happen. This morning when I gave myself that shot, I actually had a reaction to a belly shot for the first time! a 3″ area around the shot location got red and itchy! I’m not sure what that’s about, since it didn’t happen yesterday, but I will mention it to the nurse when I call her later.
The big news from yesterday (other than the follicles being on track) is that my procedure and meds are approved by insurance! I am expecting a Fed Ex package today. Of course, I “owe” most of it to the center, but still, it is exciting!
They told me retrieval will “probably be Tuesday,” but I really take that with a grain of salt. Last time, it got pushed back twice, so who knows? I go back tomorrow (Friday) for more monitoring, so they will likely know more then.
The only other news is that I am extremely bloated in my lower abdomen and I can feel my ovaries almost constantly, especially when I sit down. There is intermittant pain there, bad enough to break out the ibuprofen. I think my face is bloated too. Yesterday, the zipper actually ripped out of the shorts I was wearing! That didn’t even happen when I was pregnant! I had forgotten about those pleasant little side effects. 
August 10, 2009
Today (Monday 8/10) was my first monitoring appointment, after 4 days of stims. At the appointment Thursday, when the nurse said I would be on the same protocol as last time, I reminded her that last time they weren’t very happy with my response to the stims. She said, “Well, whatever we did, it worked, so we will just do the same thing again.” I said, “Good point!”
I resisted the urge to touch the ultrasound machine this time (go me!). I have 3 measurable follicles on my right side (12 x 6, 11 x 7 and 8 x 7) and 2 measurable ones on the left (14 x 6 and 9 x 7). There are also 5 others smaller than an 8 (I think that’s millimeters). I am now at the same point in the cycle that I was last time, when they said I was not having an exhuberant response to the medicine and they doubled my dose. The same thing happened today, except they did not double my dose; they increased it by 50%. I’m not sure why they didn’t double it. I am on a different brand of medicine this time, so maybe that’s why.
Speaking of meds (is there anything else to talk about at this point?), I am still “borrowing” them from the center! I went to the appointment today fully expecting the cycle to be cancelled due to the insurance holdup but they are confident it will get worked out. Let’s hope so! The medicine she gave me today is the same, but the method of mixing and delivery is different (and also different from what she ordered me!). It can get confusing switching needles around! I would post pictures, but my laptop cord is not working and that’s what I use to manage pictures (I ordered a new one but it hasn’t come yet).
So I go back Wednesday for more monitoring. One difference from last time: Since we know exactly what to expect, we are more business-like about it. There is much less “romance” (for lack of a better word) this time. Tim doesn’t feel the need to go to every appointment (and I don’t feel the need to have him there). We don’t get very excited about doing the shots this time. We’re more serious about it- we know exactly what it means if it works. It’s not that we’re not excited about the prospect of having another child; we’re just realistic about the impact it will have on our family!
August 6, 2009
Caution: The information contained in this blog post may not be suitable for all readers. Read at your own risk.
Today (Thursday 8/6) was my first appointment for this IVF cycle (my cycle started yesterday 8/5 for those of you keeping score). It was, like last time, pretty anti-climatic (perhaps even moreso because I knew exactly what to expect). The big excitement came as I was waiting in the ultrasound room. I was sitting on the table and the Big Fancy Ultrasound Machine was right next to me. And it was turned on. It was a situation I have probably been in dozens of times before. But this time, for some reason, I touched (ahem.) The Wand. The screen moved. I moved my hand over it, trying to get a picture of the inside of my hand. I couldn’t get a good view of anything. Suddenly, the screen froze. I panicked. What should I do? Should I fess up and tell them I broke the Big Fancy Ultrasound Machine? Just then, the doctor and nurse came in. I kept my mouth shut. The machine worked just fine! (Phew.)
Everything looked fine in the ultrasound and we are good to go. One problem: the insurance company is dragging its feet approving the procedure. I realize how incredibly lucky we are that this treatment is covered at all, so I don’t want to sound ungrateful! Karen (the IVF Coordinator) is very confident that it will be approved. So confident, in fact, that she “loaned” me the medication for my first 4 days of ovarian stimulation! I will pay her back once I receive my meds (shh…don’t tell the insurance company).
So I gave myself my first shot in her office and I go back Monday for monitoring. As she went over the instructions for mixing the medication and administering the shots, I said, “it’s amazing how much of this I’d forgotten!” Karen said, “oh, you do forget this part. Everybody does. It’s like you block it out.” Reminds me of a term I read in (I think)- The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy: Pregnancy Amnesia. Women tend to forget (ie block out) the worst parts of pregnancy and childbirth. It’s nature’s way of ensuring they will be willing to do it again in the future!
