ten

I had some good news from the doctor. Ten of our embryos were frozen. I could hardly believe the news when I heard it over the phone. 10! Seriously?!? 10.

Each embryo is given a score - 1, 2, 3 - 1 being the best. They are also given a cell count and this needs to be greater than 6. We had a 1-12, 2-10, 2-9, and 7 other strong ones that were frozen. I'm thrilled. Frank is thrilled. This means that I will not have to stimulate my follicles again. A round of freezing only requires minimal amount of shots and other medications. The next round of implantation will happen in January. We have 10 for the doctor to choose from.

When I heard the news, I finally felt like there was hope again. I had been feeling so bummed out from finding the polyp, and the further delays, that I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't want anything to do with anything baby related. ANYTHING! Christmas catalogs made me cry because here was another holiday where I didn't have my own children to buy gifts for. Nor was there even the hope of children. It just simply sucked.

Now there is hope. This doesn't mean I'm going to buy my embryos tiny stockings with flakes of candy canes in them. But the possibility is there that one of these 10 will be our child. I felt a sense of rejuvenation that we were still on the right path. My body reacted the way it was supposed to react to the medication.

That being said, I'm still recovering from the retrieval. It's been 6 days and I'm still having pain in my lower abdomen. As the doctor mentioned, they had to move my uterus around to get to my ovaries. And, upon recovery, my ovaries may be resting on my colon which is a source of pain. Every day I'm getting stronger, but I'm not 100%.

But it was all worth it because we have 10 little embryos. 10! So, light a candle. Click your heels. Drink a cosmopolitan (because you can). Whatever you do, celebrate for us. You know we will this holiday season!

Thank you for your positive thoughts.
xo

Update - 24 post retrieval

24 hours past retrieval and we have 12 of our 13 eggs fertilized. This is a great start. We will hear back from the doctor's either Tuesday or Wednesday on how many will make it to be frozen.

I'm still in a bit of pain tonight. I had a call from the doctor explaining that the cramping and other side effects are normal. I went home from work early today to relax. Just walking around the office was killing me. My lower abs are in a bit of pain.

Here's to a restful night of sleep.

xo

After the retrieval

I had the retrieval on Sunday morning. The doctors were able to harvest 13 eggs. Last time there were only 5 eggs. We were pretty excited with the results. The more eggs that I have the more chances that there are for fertilization. I will be getting a call today from the doctor informing me of how many eggs were fertilized. The eggs that reach day 3 will be frozen.

After I woke up, I heard from the doctor that my left follicles were behind my uterus, so they had to move some things around to get those eggs out. Wow - did I ever feel that one. I'm still very crampy this morning, but I'm able to get some relief from Ibuprofen.

I'm going to work today. Thanks again for all the positive energy this weekend.
xo

Sunday morning retrieval

Tomorrow, I am to report to the doctor's office at 7 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. retrieval appointment. I am glad to know that my body is on the right track here. The last visit on Friday was positive. They said that the follicles were all growing at about the same rate and it was likely they would get more eggs this time than last time. At least, this is what they hope. I took my last shots last night. I'm glad that the shots are behind me, for now.

The IVF retrieval process requires that I go under anesthesia through an IV. The entire process takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The doctors aspirate the eggs from my follicles. The eggs are then sent to the lab to be injected with one strong swimmer each. This process is called ICSI (pronounced ick-see). At some point during my recovery, they will tell us how many eggs they retrieved. The project about three days of fertilization before they freeze our strongest embryos. Hopefully, we've got at least 2.

Frank will be there with me in the recovery room until I feel good enough to stand up. Last time, this took me nearly 1.5 hours. After wards, we will probably get a bite to eat and then come home to recover. Feel free to send some good vibes, love and plenty of fertilization thoughts our way tomorrow.

I'm so thankful that you read my blog and care about our journey.
xo

The waiting game

Well, it's been quite a ride this week. I have had an estrogen blood test and ultrasound for three days in a row, and it's looking like I'll have a fourth tomorrow. I have 14-sih follicles growing, but my estrogen levels are not increasing like the doctors would expect them to with the number of follicles. Each follicle should be producing close to 200 on the estrogen scale. My test from yesterday resulted in 514. The doctors would expect it to be closer to 2000 right now. The doctors will confer today and figure out when I will take the trigger shot to ovulate today. It may be tonight or it may be tomorrow night. The retrieval will be two days later - Saturday or Sunday.

For the retrieval, they are hoping to get the most amount of eggs possible from my follicles. By delaying the trigger shot, the doctors envision retrieving more mature eggs than I had last time. The doctor this morning said that my body may just be slower to produce the estrogen, but they want to be careful that I don't ovulate on my own. If that was to happen, the entire IVF procedure would be called off. As much of an exact science that this is, there is still the unknown. My body definitely runs on it's own clock.

Because I have a polyp, they are going to just freeze the strongest embryos. The polyp will be removed sometime in December. We will go through a reduced amount of medication in December and the transfer will happen in January. This means no baby in 2011. 

I'm going through the motions as prescribed by the doctors. I'm not giving up on this process. But, I'm exhausted, frustrated, and bloated. I just feel like rolling up in a ball and crying. This is about the toughest time that I've been through so far in this entire process. I'm glad that I have a job to distract me from my emotions. I watch funny movies or TV shows so I can release some healthy laughter. I'm so glad that I have Frank to keep me focused on the end goal. He has been super supportive during this time which is helpful, since I know that he is also experiencing his own rollercoaster of emotions, too.

Keep thinking positive thoughts for us.

xo.

Unusual behavior

I had an ultrasound and Estrogen blood test on Sunday. The doctor counted 16 healthy follicles and found one potential polyp. The polyp is a benign growth on my uterus lining, that usually develops as a side effect from the medication. She wasn't 100% sure that it was it so Tuesday's doctor appointment will confirm what she saw.

If it is a polyp, I will move forward with the retrieval. The eggs will be implanted, but the strong ones will be frozen. The polyp will have to be removed in a few weeks. The transfer would happen in January. While this is less than ideal, the polyp prevents implantation. I need to be in optimal condition. I'll definitely update after the appointment.

In other unusual news, we are nearly out of the medication we need to get through this week. In fact, I've almost run out of the Follistim, having only 50 and 75 IUI left in 3 jars. I need 225 IUI per night. Luckily, Craigslist saved the day. I found a couple selling a couple of vials of Follistim for nearly $100 less per 300 IUI than what I pay for the pharmacy through UCSF. Frank & I are meeting them at the Starbucks in Westlake tomorrow night. They will be the couple carrying the cooler keeping our medication cold. "Two Follistim Frappuccino's, please."

When I talked to the woman online, she let me know that the medication comes with good karma. She is 13 weeks pregnant. It's the little things like this that I hold onto - luck, karma, and hope. Ironic, when this is all controlled by science, right? Either way, I'll take this moment as a positive one.

xo

And I'm back in the game

The wait is over. Thank goodness because I was starting to lose my mind, seen by my frequent bouts of crying. I was feeling sad because I didn't have a body clock I could count on, this month, or at all, so far, for a baby. With each passing day I felt more detached from this round of IVF, especially compounded by the possibility of having a cyst. Needless to say, all of my frustration and sadness was outwardly apparent in tears upon seeing little kids dressed up for Halloween.

Needless to say, the shots still needed to happen - whether I was happy or sad. We were about to leave for a Halloween party, so I did the injections early.

Well, I've flipped the calendar. My "." arrived on Halloween. I received the all clear, no cysts confirmation from the doctor on Tuesday. I started with the next round of medication last night - Follistim and Menopur. Both of these medications have increased in dosage and I presume the side effects will also increase. At this point, the earliest date of the retrieval will be 11/11/11.

In other good news, my friend, Karen*, who is also going through her first round of IVF, will have her retrieval this Thursday. It's been helpful to have a partner during this time who is going through such an amazing experience. Both of our doctor's have similar instruction, but some thing vary by clinic. Either way, both clinics have had positive outcomes. We are just so blessed to have each other.

Send positive vibes to SF and NY this week!
xo


*Name has been changed to reflect what she uses at Starbucks.