On April 13, 2010, Molly had two beautiful, 8 cell embryos (pictured above) transferred. Going strictly by the numbers, we have a 39% chance of success of at least 1 embryo. After almost an entire year of going through the IVF process, it is tough to embrace that our first cycle may not end in success. Ultimately, the decision is not in our hands at this point and we continue to think and live positively.
From the time of transfer, we have to wait 13 days to get a blood test to determine if Molly is pregnant. To be clear, this has been a very long 13 days. Now, with 8 hours to go until the blood test, time seems to have slowed to a crawl.
We are incredibly grateful for the love and support we have felt every step of the way. Between Dr. Schmidt, the NovaIVF staff, friends and family, we could not have a better support group. A sincere thank you to everyone!
Time and again I find that I have selective memory. Case in point – the egg retrieval process. For some reason I thought that after my magic shot, in 36 hours the eggs would just “burst” from the follicles and all the doctor would have to do is suck them up with a turkey baster like instrument. NOT SO.
I was wondering why they offered me valium – finally a perk! – for something so simple. The valium came in pretty handy when the doctor put the IV in me for the local anesthesia. The procedure ramps up to the doctor using a sonogram to guide a needle to pierce and aspirate each of my honeycomb-like follicles to suck the eggs out. Apparently for most women this is only mildly uncomfortable. For me, it hurt due to my crazy hide & seek ovaries. You can watch on the screen as the needle pierces the follicle, collapses it, and then the follicle refills with fluid. Again with the mega bloat!
This was not fun, but the end result was successful. And Brian’s Superman underwear made all the difference. They retrieved 11 eggs, 9 of which were mature. Today we found out we have 7 little embryos dividing and growing!
We are set to go to Nova on Friday (day 3) to see if we will implant. Dr. Schmidt told us to come in with the expectation for Friday implantation. There is a chance, depending on the embryo quality, that we might wait until Sunday (day 5).
For now, I am drinking gallons of water to stay hydrated and get rid of this bloating. I am also trying not to spiral out of control thinking about dreadful “what ifs” for our embryos. Gotta stay positive – home stretch here we come!
It’s ON. Man oh man it’s on. We have been to NovaIVF 3 times this week, each time testing the estrogen levels in my blood and also checking the size of my follicles via sonogram. This morning we got the news that tonight at 11:30pm EXACTLY I get the magic HCG shot that will make me ovulate in 36 hours on the nose. So crazy it’s consistently predictable like that. Thank god I am finally on my last friggin shot. We are set for Tuesday egg retrieval.
There are all sorts of horrible effects from my magic shot that I am reading about. I need to start drinking water like a thirsty person wandering the Sahara. Directions tell me to “sip on something all the time” to try to ward off hemoconcentration or thickening of the blood. In addition I can look forward to even more bloating. Yikes. I am already super bloated from my other shots. My abdomen is so distended, it is a sexy preview of pregnancy. This warning is in effect 3 days after the shot, and up to 2 weeks after. Delicious.
As a sidenote, Brian is probably the mayor (Foursquare) of Nova forever. For some reason, not a ton of people are checking in there…LOL!
The IVF procedure is not easy for either partner, as it is an emotional roller coaster. Each appointment is filled with anxiety usually followed by a recalibration of expectations. While it has been “tough” for me, I must admit that my road is a cakewalk as compared with Molly. What started with acupuncture and vitamins for her has progressed to 2 shots of Lupron a day to today, where there are 4 shots a day. My regimen of Doxicycline and vitamins is definitely a walk in the park.
My role is completely support. I try to support in any way possible throughout each day, having found a couple of areas that I think are valuable – especially because they may not be noticed:
- Being involved with all of the shots. Things as simple as getting the supplies ready, filling the needles, and collecting the trash. It is the least that I can do!
- As the Gonal RFF pen is quite a bit more intimidating than the Lupron shot, I administer it each time. We double check each other on each step (setting the dose, pulling the prescription, etc), but I do the actual injection. I remain as calm and professional as possible throughout to provide support.
- The dishes! While we have always done a great job of sharing responsibilities, the least I can do is step up to do the dishes each night to make life a bit easier on Molly.
- The laundry! Nothing like clothes piling up in the hamper to aggravate an already stressful time!
- Attending every doctor appointment with Molly. While I am decorative during the actual appointment, we are in this together and need each other’s support throughout.
I am always looking for additional ways to support throughout this process. If you have any additions, please feel free to add to the comments below!
I got a clean bill of health from my OB / GYN this week, and was also cleared by Nova to proceed to the next shots. If things look good, egg transfer is in 8 – 10 days!!! Holy smokes we are really getting close!
This morning I started the FSH (Follicle Stimulation Hormone) shots. It is administered from this freaky looking needle pen that you dial to your prescribed dosage. Then you pull the cap until it is as far as it can go, pinch skin, punch the needle in, and then push on the cap which makes a horrible clicking noise until it is down all the way. To make it worse, you have to leave it in for 5 long seconds to make sure all of the medication is absorbed. Let’s just say my first experience was traumatic. I had Brian do the shot, and cried the whole time. I can only hope that tonight’s shot will be easier. The FSH makes my twice daily Lupron shots a cakewalk.
That’s right – I’m now on FOUR shots a day – 2 Lupron and 2 FSH. Ug.
Elizabeth has been helping me with meditation / visualization exercises to help calm my mind. What I REALLY want is a nice tall glass of white wine. I miss those days…
Here is an interesting article on the embryo transfer process. Happy reading!
