Final Numbers...

I just got off the phone with my embryologist and she indicated that there were 6 embryos frozen yesterday and two frozen today leaving me with 8 more options. Unfortunately, 6 of the embryos had stopped growing and were discarded.

I am very excited that we could possibly have 10 children!! It's not that hard, right? My Grandma did it (well, actually, she only had 8)...although I think she started when she was 18 instead of 33 but whatever...

Transfer complete!

This morning we transferred two beautiful embryos that were very healthy and well developed. The rest of the embryos will continue to grow and possibly be frozen depending on how they develop. Apparently, there were two eggs from the beginning that didn't originally appear to develop but they have now caught up so instead of the 14 embryos we thought we had, there are actually 16...potentially 14 could be frozen. At this time we are praying that both embryos will get cozy and adhere. We will know the results in two weeks....

Embryologist Update

Sorry I have been a little delayed with this update. According to the embryologist yesterday, of the 21 follicles retrieved, 19 were mature and had eggs, of those 19, 14 fertilized - they all seemed to be doing well. As of today, all of the 14 were still doing well and some had divided several times (which is good). There were two that were ahead of the pack. Most likely we will be transferring those at 8am tomorrow morning but we won't know for sure until they call for the update in the morning. Keep praying for the little guys...specifically that they grab ahold and hang on!

Retrieval Complete

We arrived at the Dr. office at 5:30 this morning for our retrieval which was very successful. They were able to get 21 follicles which beat my previous record of 19. You should know that not all follicles contain an egg and not all eggs get fertilized - but 21 gets us alot of options. The embryologist will call us tomorrow with an update on how many fertilized and are growing. I have slept all morning (we were home by 8) and am still feeling sore - sort of like cramps - but don't feel completely disabled. Now we just wait and see when we will put some back...

Schedule??

So, I think these babies are already trying to rule my schedule even though they aren't even fertilized yet!

Apparently my smaller follicles need only one more day of incubation - meaning my retrieval will be on Friday. I took my last round of shots today and go in for another blood test in the morning. I should take the HCG tomorrow which makes the eggs start developing then no food on thursday - that's going to be hard - retrieval on friday morning, and according to Dr. Wilshire, remote patrol on Friday afternoon. Thankfully my good friend Jamie Seals is staying with me some this week and we have a whole list of movies to watch!

Today my estrodial was at 2640 - I don't really know what that means other than it started out last week around 45. This may explain why my skin is freaking out - I haven't had this many breakouts since before Arbonne!!

All is well and moving along - Dr. Wilshire continues to think that this is "shaping up to be an excellent cycle". We are very excited and only a little nervous. I keep repeating "Be strong and of good courage" from Joshua. I know it's not good to leave out the reference but it's my bedtime and I'm hormonal so back off :)

Midday Change in Plans

I spoke with the Dr. office a little bit ago. Since I have some larger follicles and some medium size ones, they want me to stop taking my follistem (dial-a-hormone) and take a different medicine. This medicine will keep the large ones from getting to big while allowing the smaller ones to catch up - I'm not sure how they distinguish themselves but I guess that's why I'm not a scientisit or a doctor. So I go back to the Dr. tomorrow morning but will probably have to do the same treatment tomorrow night. Then, we are looking at retrieval on Friday - most likely. Nothing is for certain at this stage...it all depends on my body's response to the meds. But, thank goodness, my body responded very well to the follistem - I still have another unopened vial at home...maybe I can sell it on the black market!

Two Dr. Visits Later...

So I went to the Dr. on Friday and again this morning, I am currently on the every three days portion of the cycle, and everything looks great. On Friday, I had alot of follicles that were around 10mm in size. This morning, I still had alot but they were bigger...some were 15mm and one was even 19mm (that's about the size of my thumbprint). This is good news because I have alot of healthy and developing follicles. Unfortunately, they are getting big enough now that I feel them - sort of like my insides rubbing together. I have also had two people ask me if I'm pregnant so they must be making me a little bloated too...and I'm walking like a cowboy :) Anyway, everything is on track and it looks like the retrieval will most likely be on Saturday but could be Friday or Sunday depending on what my estrogen blood levels are today and how it looks when I go back on Thursday. We're getting close!!!

IVF - Here we go again...

I thought you guys might be interested in knowing that Chris and I decided about a couple of months ago that we were ready to give InVitro fertilization another try. We decided to go with Dr. Wilshire at Mid Missouri Reproductive. This is the same office we used about four years ago, but a different doctor. Dr. Wilshire’s success rates are very good…he has made some changes to the process and lab that I think will make the difference for us. So here we are. We have been working with the doctor for about one month now. Here’s what has been going on…

After a month of Birth Control Pills to suppress my hormones (and make me a complete grump) I was able to stop taking them about a week ago at which point I started taking Lupron shots which continued to suppress my hormones (think menopause – tears, crabbies, etc.) The doctor called it “Loopy Lupron” and told Chris to give me “a long leash”. I don’t know if it was that bad – you would have to ask Chris :) I am still taking very minor amounts of this drug to keep me from ovulating when they don’t want me to.

I started taking my Follistem (what I call dial-a-hormone) on Tuesday. This is the drug that tells my body to create many follicles (eggs) to be retrieved and later fertilized. Unfortunately, as I was taking this shot tonight, I realized I started taking it three days earlier than I was supposed to!! I immediately called the doctors office and was told that it was nothing to cry about (remember the hormones) and that it would be fine but I would probably be a couple of days ahead of schedule. I can’t believe I’m such a dork!!! I was so worried about making sure I did the shots correctly at the right amounts and time that I didn’t even think about what day I was supposed to start. So, I have a doctor’s appt at 7am on Friday to find out where I am and what changes need to be made to my schedule. We were originally planning retrieval on July 29 but that may be earlier now.

At this point, I would love to have you join me in praying for this cycle. I apologize for the blunt information but hey, its how the process works…here are my specific requests:
*That hormones don’t control my attitude. I can choose how to behave and not be difficult to live with.
*That my body responds appropriately to the drugs and creates healthy follicles.
*That Chris would be creating healthy & strong sperm.
*That the doctors and nurses would choose the right course of action and know how to create the correct conditions in my body.
*That I would stay relaxed and stress free, creating the perfect environment for the embryos to attach when the time is right.
*That timing would work out so that nothing occurs on a Monday when Chris is not available.
*That I would continue to rely on God and be prepared for what is in store for us.
*That I would not worry about anything including all the scenarios that play out in my head like what will happen when it works and I have twins, what will happen when it works and I have extra embryos, what will happen if it doesn’t work, any and all money issues, etc.

The schedule – at some point the doctor will determine that the time is right and will “release” the follicles. Then I will go in for surgery to “retrieve” them. They will be fertilized in the lab and grow there for three to five days. When they have reached a certain level - known as blastocysts - they will be “transferred” into my uterus. The number transferred will depend on the number retrieved and their health, most likely it will be two. After transfer, I will be on bed rest for 48 hours. Then, I will wait two weeks to see if they attach…meaning I am pregnant.

I will continue to posts updates as there are updates to be given. Thanks for praying for us!!