So I finally got the call from my clinic about how the embryos are progressing. After nonstop texts from my husband all day ("Did they call yet?") and worrying the phone finally rang. I don't think I realized how nervous I was until my entire insides seemed to drop as there was the brief small talk before getting to the results.
But the doctor told me it was good news (yay!) and that 4 out of 4 were viable! He did admit that one was a bit "wonky" and he expected it wouldn't make it to Day 5, but that it "wasn't out" just yet. So 3 1/2 viable...I'll take that. Certainly better percentage rates than some others I have seen online.
There was then the reminder that my next call would be on Sunday and that they would let me know how many, if any, were able to be biopsied (which is going to be done overnight) and that Monday morning I would be "on call" as if there are not any that were normal and good to implant I may be called and told to go home.
I know there's still a lot more waiting (isn't there a ton with infertility and TTC?!) but I am happy to have cleared this next step and to have a great outcome (for my few embryos) thus far!
Showing posts with label Fertility Struggles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fertility Struggles. Show all posts
Friday, August 5, 2016
Thursday, August 4, 2016
2 Days Post Retrieval
So it has been two days since I had my egg retrieval and I am still really sore. It's like every step I take (or bump I hit in my car) is a big "bang" that shakes my insides and I feel pain. I am very well aware of my entire abdomen. All I keep thinking is wow, if recovery from this bugs me this much, how will it feel to recover after giving birth!
Tomorrow we get an update on the status of our embryos and see how many advanced. Here's hoping the numbers are good!
Tomorrow we get an update on the status of our embryos and see how many advanced. Here's hoping the numbers are good!
Friday, July 29, 2016
2nd Ultrasound
I had my second ultrasound today. I have 6 follicles over 10 (3 on the left and 3 on the right). They are all between 13 and 15mm. I have 1 or 2 follicles under 10. My RE said to come back on Sunday for another ultrasound and blood work and that he anticipates I will be directed to trigger Sunday night and come back on Tuesday for the retrieval.
Not sure how I feel about this. A part of me is worried 6 isn't enough, especially when I hear stories of people having 10 or 16 and especially when I hear that such a small percentage can fertilize sometimes and then less that develop to embryos and blastocysts. I was hoping to have enough to both implant and then freeze so that I have options for having children in the future and can use younger eggs. (I'm always thinking further in advance.)
I don't know, maybe I'm just worrying too much and should be happy I have 6 when some women end up with even less. We'll see what Sunday's story brings.
Not sure how I feel about this. A part of me is worried 6 isn't enough, especially when I hear stories of people having 10 or 16 and especially when I hear that such a small percentage can fertilize sometimes and then less that develop to embryos and blastocysts. I was hoping to have enough to both implant and then freeze so that I have options for having children in the future and can use younger eggs. (I'm always thinking further in advance.)
I don't know, maybe I'm just worrying too much and should be happy I have 6 when some women end up with even less. We'll see what Sunday's story brings.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Injections
Last night was my second night of injections. Continues to go fine and the injection really is no big deal. Don't need to use much pressure and doesn't really hurt (tiniest of pinches). The only surprise is how easy it is and how much blood there is. (Not a lot, but more than the dot I'd expect. I want to be able to just blot with a tissue and move on, but I do need to use a band-aid, so of course straight to Amazon to get injection specific bandages. I went with these ones because they were relatively cheap and I didn't need 500 that other brands offered.)
Since starting the injections, I have noticed slight twinges in my lower abdomen. Whether it's actually my ovaries growing follicles or psychosomatic, who knows? I have also been "blessed" with headaches each morning since starting injections. I am a migraine sufferer and the only thing that helps is Excedrin or Rx meds, both no-no's once pregnant. Yesterday morning I took one (instead of the regular 2) Excedrin pill to try to ward off the migraine I felt coming. Then of course I did a bit of Googling and found you are not supposed to take Excedrin while stimming either. Guess I should have searched first, but I'm not going to beat myself up about 1 pill early my first day of stimming when my RE never told me it was a no-no. Excedrin is made up of 3 components: acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. Acetaminophen is ok when stimming/pregnant, caffeine consumption should be limited but isn't totally off limits, and my protocol includes baby aspirin to encourage blood flow to my uterus. So while I'll probably tough it out from here on out, I'm not going to beat myself up or think I may have "ruined" something. Live, learn, do better going forward.
Today I not only have a headache but am having serious problems concentrating at work, am super emotional (have broken down in tears and got overly frustrated with my brother about something). I also am tired and just counting the minutes til I can go home. While I must admit I am always tired, I woke up this morning feeling as though I slept well and was, for once, refreshed and not exhausted so you'd think I wouldn't be so exhausted. Unfortunately, I've red fatigue is a side effect too. (Or it could be the crying, crying always makes me tired.)
So that's today's journey, emotional, tired, and a bit of a mess. Hopefully this isn't a pattern that continues!
Since starting the injections, I have noticed slight twinges in my lower abdomen. Whether it's actually my ovaries growing follicles or psychosomatic, who knows? I have also been "blessed" with headaches each morning since starting injections. I am a migraine sufferer and the only thing that helps is Excedrin or Rx meds, both no-no's once pregnant. Yesterday morning I took one (instead of the regular 2) Excedrin pill to try to ward off the migraine I felt coming. Then of course I did a bit of Googling and found you are not supposed to take Excedrin while stimming either. Guess I should have searched first, but I'm not going to beat myself up about 1 pill early my first day of stimming when my RE never told me it was a no-no. Excedrin is made up of 3 components: acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine. Acetaminophen is ok when stimming/pregnant, caffeine consumption should be limited but isn't totally off limits, and my protocol includes baby aspirin to encourage blood flow to my uterus. So while I'll probably tough it out from here on out, I'm not going to beat myself up or think I may have "ruined" something. Live, learn, do better going forward.
Today I not only have a headache but am having serious problems concentrating at work, am super emotional (have broken down in tears and got overly frustrated with my brother about something). I also am tired and just counting the minutes til I can go home. While I must admit I am always tired, I woke up this morning feeling as though I slept well and was, for once, refreshed and not exhausted so you'd think I wouldn't be so exhausted. Unfortunately, I've red fatigue is a side effect too. (Or it could be the crying, crying always makes me tired.)
So that's today's journey, emotional, tired, and a bit of a mess. Hopefully this isn't a pattern that continues!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Frustration
This whole IVF process can be frustrating and overwhelming. Maybe I have a quick trigger, short fuse, and am a quitter, but so many times I just want to throw up my hands and say "I'm done!" Last week I had my IVF consult with my RE and spent a lot of time discussing genetic screening which would help to ensure the better likelihood of a successful pregnancy as well as the child not having Down's Syndrome. (More details can be found here.)
Typically, it means that you do not do a fresh transfer, but instead freeze the embryos while you await results and it can mean you get hit for 2 cycles by your insurance instead of 1. However, when I asked my RE about timeline he suddenly told me there was an option to test the blastocysts on day 5 and implant the next day on day 6 (and freeze the rest). That seemed like a plan to me and something I was willing to go forward with.
Today, I got an e-mail from my nurse in response to my e-mail from yesterday after I realized I forgot to start my baby aspirin on Sunday, saying it didn't matter as it was to support blood flow to the uterus for implantation and since I was doing genetic screening, I wouldn't be doing the transfer until later with a frozen transfer. This contradicts what my doctor said. The rational part of me knows that she was just responding with what is the standard protocol and that she likely hasn't discussed with my doctor what was discussed last week. But the tired, frustrated, and overstressed part of me is really angry and upset and pissed and doesn't even want to go forward. I know that may be silly, but I hate being told one thing only to then be told something contradictory. I made my decision regarding genetic screening based upon one representation and feel like I'm having the rug pulled out from under me to find out something else. The attorney part of me starts perking up when I'm told one thing to induce me to pay $3,000 and then told another afterwards, the word fraud starts circling around in my head.
I feel like I could ramble on and on about why it bothers me so much and some of you may get it and some of you may think I'm crazy, but for now I'll just leave it at I'm frustrated and pissed. Especially since I responded to my nurse with what my RE told me regarding the overnight test and it's been a few hours and no response. Maybe she's waiting to talk to the doctor, but it still annoys me.
It also annoys me that my doctor told me that my husband and I could sign the consent forms they require during morning monitoring hours (6:45-8) when I went in for my ultrasound/bloodwork on Friday and my nurse told me to come in at 8 to sign them between 8:15 and 8:30 because morning monitoring hours get "busy." Again, I understand it's two different people not communicating with each other, but don't other couples undergoing this have work? My husband has an hour plus commute from where the clinic is and is expected to be at work at 8:30. I work closer, but also am expected at work between 8:30 and 9. We will already have to take time off for the egg retrieval, etc... It's a pain to be expected to miss work to sign consent forms. They give you the option of doing it before a notary, but they only give one notary block on the form. (In the thousands of legal documents I have drafted and/or read in my career, I have never seen one notary block for 2 signatures, it is always one notary block per signature.) My husband and I should be able to go separately and not have to try to track down a notary (an issue we generally don't have as we are both notaries as are many people at work, so if we need something notarized we always have easy access, but asking a co-worker to notarize a IVF consent form isn't going to happen) and go together.
Ok, so that is my rant. The IVF journey I'm sure comes with it's highs and lows and many overreactions and just think, I'm not even on the crazy hormones yet! Although I think between the Clomid and Ovidrel from my IUI cycles and the birth control I'm taking now, my hormones aren't exactly at their "normal" level whatever that may be.
Typically, it means that you do not do a fresh transfer, but instead freeze the embryos while you await results and it can mean you get hit for 2 cycles by your insurance instead of 1. However, when I asked my RE about timeline he suddenly told me there was an option to test the blastocysts on day 5 and implant the next day on day 6 (and freeze the rest). That seemed like a plan to me and something I was willing to go forward with.
Today, I got an e-mail from my nurse in response to my e-mail from yesterday after I realized I forgot to start my baby aspirin on Sunday, saying it didn't matter as it was to support blood flow to the uterus for implantation and since I was doing genetic screening, I wouldn't be doing the transfer until later with a frozen transfer. This contradicts what my doctor said. The rational part of me knows that she was just responding with what is the standard protocol and that she likely hasn't discussed with my doctor what was discussed last week. But the tired, frustrated, and overstressed part of me is really angry and upset and pissed and doesn't even want to go forward. I know that may be silly, but I hate being told one thing only to then be told something contradictory. I made my decision regarding genetic screening based upon one representation and feel like I'm having the rug pulled out from under me to find out something else. The attorney part of me starts perking up when I'm told one thing to induce me to pay $3,000 and then told another afterwards, the word fraud starts circling around in my head.
I feel like I could ramble on and on about why it bothers me so much and some of you may get it and some of you may think I'm crazy, but for now I'll just leave it at I'm frustrated and pissed. Especially since I responded to my nurse with what my RE told me regarding the overnight test and it's been a few hours and no response. Maybe she's waiting to talk to the doctor, but it still annoys me.
It also annoys me that my doctor told me that my husband and I could sign the consent forms they require during morning monitoring hours (6:45-8) when I went in for my ultrasound/bloodwork on Friday and my nurse told me to come in at 8 to sign them between 8:15 and 8:30 because morning monitoring hours get "busy." Again, I understand it's two different people not communicating with each other, but don't other couples undergoing this have work? My husband has an hour plus commute from where the clinic is and is expected to be at work at 8:30. I work closer, but also am expected at work between 8:30 and 9. We will already have to take time off for the egg retrieval, etc... It's a pain to be expected to miss work to sign consent forms. They give you the option of doing it before a notary, but they only give one notary block on the form. (In the thousands of legal documents I have drafted and/or read in my career, I have never seen one notary block for 2 signatures, it is always one notary block per signature.) My husband and I should be able to go separately and not have to try to track down a notary (an issue we generally don't have as we are both notaries as are many people at work, so if we need something notarized we always have easy access, but asking a co-worker to notarize a IVF consent form isn't going to happen) and go together.
Ok, so that is my rant. The IVF journey I'm sure comes with it's highs and lows and many overreactions and just think, I'm not even on the crazy hormones yet! Although I think between the Clomid and Ovidrel from my IUI cycles and the birth control I'm taking now, my hormones aren't exactly at their "normal" level whatever that may be.
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