Embryo Transfer

So last night we made the pineapple core smoothie trying to follow the same "tips" I did to get my BFP with our son Victor.   Went to bed around 9 and listened to my Zita West visualization for IVF CD.

I tossed and turned a few times over the night with nerves.  I woke around 5:30 and showered and got ready.  I donned my lucky shirt.   This is the same shirt I wore for all of my other embryo transfers.  Today's made #4!!!

So we left for Cleveland around 7:30 and arrived at 9:00am.   As soon as we got there I popped a 5mg Valium (another tip I did with my successful cycle).  They checked us in and got us into a room by 9:10am upon which I started drinking my 20oz orange gatorade.   The doctor came in to go over our embryos.  Of the original 6.... we were transferring 2 (a 7 cell and a 9 cell), they already froze 2 (a 9 cell and a 12 cell), and 2 didn't make it.   Of the extra 3, 1 is a 3 cell, 1 is a 4 cell, and the other didn't make it. They said they'll most likely freeze those 2 tomorrow as well.   So fingers crossed we will have 4 frosties from this cycle.  I am a little unfamiliar with them being frozen on day 3.  I thought they only froze on day 5.  I will have to google the crap out of this later.   I should have asked him for the report he was reading my embryo stats off of.  It was super detailed and the embryos were graded on there.

Here are Mike and I just before the transfer:

So here are the embryos we transferred today (top is a 9 cell, bottom is an 7 cell):

Since they didn't give us grades of the embryos, here is a grading chart I found online:

Trigger update:  The trigger is still registering in my system 5 days post trigger (bottom stick).

Day 2 Fert Report

I am in THE BEST MOOD EVER!  My fert report for the day was heaven sent.  To recap, on Wednesday they got 14 eggs.  Of which only 7 were mature.  Of those 7, 6 fertilized.  So I was bummed about only having 6 to work with.  Well, today, those 6 are still going strong and dividing!!   But get this!!  Of the other 7 eggs that I thought were goners, 4 of them matured overnight.  Of which 3 fertilized!!!!  So now we have 9 embryos!!!  I am just beside myself with joy!  My clinic mostly only does 3 day fresh transfers so our transfer is TOMORROW morning at 10am!  We are going to transfer 2 embryos.  Hopefully the other 7 will make it to freeze!!!!!!!!!

Trigger update:  The trigger is still registering in my system 4 days post trigger (bottom stick).

Fert Report

14 eggs
7 mature
6 fertilized

I'm slightly bummed.  At least 85% of our mature fertilized this time.    We had 12 mature last time of which only 7 fertilized (58%).  So Mike and I's bits are combining nicer this time but I am still kinda bummed we have 1 less fertilized at this point than we did last time.

Update.... see the day 2 fert report but we got exciting news.  Our fert report now looks like this as 4 more matured in the lab over night...

14 eggs
11 mature
9 fertilized

Trigger update:  The trigger is registering pretty strongly in my system 3 days post trigger (bottom stick).

Egg Retrieval

We got to Cleveland last night just as the snow storm was rolling in.  The last 20 miles were slow going and we were just so relieved once we were snuggled in our hotel room.  We ordered room service and order a movie (Thor 2 which was pretty good).

I tossed and turned all night.  I wasn't nervous for the actual procedure but more so for the number of eggs they'd retrieve.  To recap again, our first IVF the numbers were:
17 retrieved
12 mature
7 fertilized
5 transferred (over 3 transfers)
1 baby

So with a 1/17 rate I was just nervous since they were only predicting 8 good eggs this go around.   It only takes 1, right?

So I woke up before my alarm went off around 5:40.  We had to be at the hospital at 7.  The hospital was literally across the street so I wasn't worried we wouldn't be on time.   I rinsed off, got dressed, and was ready to go.  I had to fast so I didn't get to eat or drink anything.

One thing about the Cleveland Clinic I liked was they had a wishing well in their lobby.  Mike and I would make a wish with each retrieval/transfer.  The UH Hospital doesn't have one of those so I was so happy to see this in our lobby....  (we each made wishes / said prayers before we left for the hospital)....

We got to the hospital by 6:55.  I proceeded to wait to talk to my nurse Dawn about my upcoming medications but she never made it in, most likely do to the snow, so I talked to a different nurse instead.  After that we were taken back to the surgical prep area and given a little room.  I undressed, climbed on the bed, and got to know the nurse back there pretty well.  She was soooooo nice.  Diana.  Loved her!   She put the IV in my hand and then we waited until 8:25 to start.

I was taken into the OR and used a stool to get up onto the table.  My lady bits were pretty much on display for everyone once I put my legs in the leg holder thingies.  They didn't ask me to count backwards this time and I was mid-sentence when the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room.   I look down at my hand and this is what I see!!

14 eggs retrieved!  Woo hoo!  Granted they take the eggs from even the smallest follicles to burst them but I'm hoping at least 8 to 10 are mature.  Fingers crossed.  I will hear when they call with the fert report.   By the way, they wrote it on my hand because as you're coming out of the anesthesia you have no short term memory.  

Trigger update:  The trigger is registering pretty strongly in my system 2 days post trigger.

Trigger

So we triggered last night (Monday) at 8:30pm.   Our retrieval is tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8:30am.  They want us there at 7:00am to go over the next course of drugs and to sign papers.   There is a big snow storm coming this way so we are actually driving down this evening after work and checking into a hotel across the street from the hospital.   So the trigger consisted of 10,000 units of HCG in powder form.  I had to mix 1 mL of sterile water with it and create the cocktail.  I then injected it subcutaneously per my instructions from the clinic.  

To check to see if my body was metabolising the HCG well, I was instructed to POAS on a HPT in the morning.   If it was positive…good.  If it was negative…call Dawn the nurse.   Come morning, I pee in a cup (since I’m not dexterous enough to POAS – pee on a stick) and dip my internet cheapie stick in the pee.  I am saddenly when it wasn’t immediately positive.  I figured with 10,000 units of HCG it would be.  Anyways, after 5 minutes there is a faint line.  It’s positive which is good, but it’s so faint so of course I’m worried I didn’t do the trigger correctly the night before.  I rush downstairs to look at the box the HCG powder came in.  It says in large letters on the front “For IM use only.”  Great, was I supposed to inject this in a muscle and not the fat on my stomach?   I check my instructions from the clinic and the instructions say subcutanesouly and to ignore the instructions on the box.  So I am littler calmer  now but still riled up.  I email nurse dawn a photo of the pee stick. 

Nurse Dawn calls me back within the hour on our way to work and says it is a little light and to get an HCG level check via bloodwork.  So we make a pit stop at work so I can print the blood draw requisition.  I then race to the ACL Lab and sign in.  I write STAT by my name and I’m called next in front of about 15 people waiting in the waiting room.   Score!   The lady draws my blood and I head back to work.   I email Dawn to tell her that I had the draw done and ask what level they are looking for.  She said anything over 50 is good. 

A few hours later I get the call…….109!   Praise sweet baby Jesus!    We are ok.  We are good to go still.  My little eggies are completing the final stages of eggdom and getting ready to be harvested tomorrow morning!

Here are pics of the trigger shot as well as the HPT….

Trigger update:  The trigger isn't registering too well in my system.  (109 beta)

Monitoring Appointment #4

I had my sono this morning and my follicles exploded again!   My lead follicle is now 24mm.  I have a 23.5mm and a 22mm and I lost count after she kept telling me numbers that all seemed too large to me.  My clinic likes to trigger when they are mostly 18mm to 20mm.  So to hear all of these numbers flying at me that were greater than 20mm just kept making me want to cry.  I fear they will all be post mature come retrieval day and be thrown away.  My lining was also 13.5mm.  Hopefully not too thick.  I can't imagine what it will be at a 5DT (5 day transfer) which will be NEXT Monday.   Anyways, as usual, I'll update this post once I hear from my clinic with the official results.  But I would bet my life that I will be triggering tonight.  Hopefully it won't be too late.  :(

Update:  My e2 was 1483.  The nurse also said that my lead follicle was only 21mm.  So I am 99% sure the local sonographer just measured the widest part of the follicle instead of both diameters and then average the two.  So that's a relief that they're not as big as 24mm!!   Anyways, we trigger tonight (Monday) at 8:30pm and the retrieval is Wednesday morning at 8:30am!  Of course there is a winter storm hitting Erie and Cleveland Tuesday night through Wednesday morning!  So Mike and I are most likely driving down Tuesday after work and checking into a hotel.  Egg retrievals cannot be even 10 minutes late.  They are timed with my body and if started late we run the risk of my eggs ovulating into my body instead of being retrieved!!!

Monitoring Appointment #3

Had a monitoring appointment this morning! My e2 went from 248 on Thursday to 960 today!! Holy camoly. From my anal charts I posted I thought it would only be roughly 500 today. I had 10 "measurable" follicles. This means I had 10 that were at least 10mm. I had several that were smaller but they didn't even bother measuring them. Anyways, I had one 18mm, a 16mm, a 15mm and several 14mms. They thought they might want me to come back tomorrow but they ended up deciding this afternoon that I can just get checked next on Monday morning (day after tomorrow). They think I will most likely trigger MONDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope all of my follicles catch up and we can get at least 10 mature. I got 17 eggs and 12 mature back in 2011. Of which only 7 fertilized which isn't a great ratio. I'm hoping to get 10 mature this time and have all 10 fertilize! Saying my prayers.