Good News & Bad News

The good news is that all 5 embryos survived the 5 days (I think 5 is now my lucky number) - yippee! Furthermore, the doc says that all 5 are of very good quality - double yippee! At this point I was on cloud nine, I couldn't have imagined a better outcome for the embies after 5 days.

The plan was to transfer 2 and freeze 3. Went in yesterday for the transfer, all happy and giddy, and like last time, I thought the procedure would take about 5 minutes. Boy was I wrong. The doctor had an extremely hard time placing the catheter in my uterus. They tried using all different types of catheter tubes (soft, rigid, etc.). Then they tried changing my position several times by raising and lowering my butt. Then they looked at past scans of my uterus to see if I had a weird curve to the uterus. After 2 hours, 6 tries and many bent catheter tubes, the doctor concluded that I have some kind of blockage to the entrance of my uterus. She didn't want to take a risk by placing the 2 embryos in the wrong place, therefore, the transfer was postponed and all 5 embryos had to be frozen.

Was I down? Certainly, but I am grateful to have such a conscientious doctor. She asked if my last doctor had a hard time with the transfer and I told her that they did it in less than 5 minutes. My doctor believes that they must have misplaced the embryos last time, because my uterus has a serious blockage. My hubby and I are really upset with the other hospital and we will certainly write a letter of complaint. Thank goodness we decided to change clinics, I always felt like the other hospital cared more about the quantity of patients they had, rather than the rate of success. My doctor felt really bad. She said that there was nothing in my file indicating that the transfer was difficult last time, so she didn't test my uterus for blockage before I started my IVF treatment. It certainly was not my doctor's fault. I am so mad about the year I lost with the other hospital, with a team of doctors that are obviously incompetent and simply don't care. I shudder to think what if I had not changed hospitals, did 4 IVF cycles with them, all failing, thinking I was not capable of getting pregnant, but it was actually due to the fact that they misplaced the embryo each time. Really scary! My husband and I believe that the other hospital operates more like a business, motivated by money. The more clients they can pass through, as quickly as possible, the more money they get. They could care less if their patients get pregnant or not. Really sad and pathetic.

I'm to have an ultrasound in about 2 weeks. She's going to figure out what is blocking my uterus and take it from there. Although I have to wait again, at least I'm in very capable hands and I have 5 embryos waiting for me. Now it's just the waiting game, which I'm an expert at, unfortunately.

A New Personal Record

Got a call from the doctor this morning and she was pleased to advise that we have 5 embryos! A personal best for us! First IVF cycle, we had 0 embryos, second cycle we had 2 and for this third cycle we have 5! Not a world record, but a personal best that's for sure. It totally exceeded my expectations.

Usually transfers can take place 48 hours, 72 hours or 5 days after retrieval. The doctor has suggested we wait out the 5 days, so that they can see how the embryos develop and choose the best one or two for transfer. I totally agree and have read many articles that a 5 day transfer has more of a success rate. The downside is that the embryos may not survive the 5 days, but I'm going to stay hopeful.

Tonight, we are going out for dinner to celebrate our 5 embryos! We'll have champagne and Thai food!

To be continued...

3rd and Hopefully Final Retrieval

Was feeling down in the dumps, so I haven't been updating. Full of emotions for this 3rd round of IVF and it has put a lot of tension on myself and our marriage. I was feeling like my hubby didn't get it, meaning how infertility can be extremely difficult. I also felt like it wouldn't bother him so much if it didn't work out, if we have a baby, great, if not, c'est la vie, no big deal. After some yelling matches, frustrations, and tears we were finally able to understand that we want the same thing, ie: have a baby, but we express it in different ways and that although IVF has been difficult on me, as a woman, it's also is stressful for a man. We are on the same page, but sometimes we read things with a different perspective. After all of our recent arguments and fights, I do feel closer to my hubby and that we can go forward, stronger as a couple (but it did take a lot of time to get there!).

Went in for retrieval this morning. Went smoothly, had general anaesthetic, and feeling fine, which is great, because the last 2 times I had abdominal pain. We have 10 follicles, which is a record for me, so great news, but we are not sure how many of these follicles are mature enough to be eggs, so not getting overly excited.

We are to call the clinic on Saturday morning to get an update. If all is ok, transfer could be as soon as Saturday, in 2 days!

Feeling a lot of pressure for this to work - it's our 3rd and hopefully final round of IVF.

Need those Follies to Grow!

Started Menopur last week and had my first ultrasound yesterday. They see around 11 follicles, but they are very small and think that if I'm lucky there are only about 6-7 that might be good. Go for another ultrasound and blood test tomorrow. Doctor said that both ovaries are quite damaged by the cysts, so getting some good quality eggs will be tough. Let's hope that my ovaries can produce at least a few quality eggs for me by next week!

A Big Hot Mess

I spoke too soon. Although IVF #3 started uneventfully, my gosh, it then turned into a roller coaster ride! I thought popping pills was going to be a smooth ride, but I didn't imagine what was waiting for me. I didn't have too many side effects from my previous 2 IVF cycles and I'm someone who doesn't even really get PMS, but I turned into a big hot mess when I started Provames (form of estrogen). Felt extremely nauseous (what a horrible feeling), had a splitting headache, fatigue and major abdominal pains. Furthermore, I hate to admit it, but this cool and calm Cat Lady wept, wailed, and cried like a crazy lady...I didn't think this med would have such an affect on me. Perhaps it was a mixture of the meds and all my insecurities coming out of me. I think the worst is over as I'm feeling a bit better today, but I seriously felt like a zombie being tortured by my raging hormones. I still need to continue the meds for the rest of the week and will be switching over to the Menopur injection. The sooner the better, because every time I take this pill, it scares the hell out of me!

Uneventful Start to IVF #3

I have officially started IVF #3 today - yippee! Usually when I start my IVF cycle, I wait for the nurse to come by each evening. She carefully prepares the needle, while I stare at it, craving for the hormones that will help me get to where I need to go. I lift up my shirt, close my eyes and she stabs me in my belly. Ok, I may be a tad bit dramatic. My new doctor has completely changed my protocol and I'm starting out with pills this time round. Popping a pill twice a day, every morning and evening, for 1 week. Very uneventful and darn right boring. The pill, Provames, is a form of estrogen that will help my body prepare for the next stage in IVF. Eventful or uneventful, I am so happy to start the process again! This time around may the sun shine on me, the stars be perfectly aligned, the fertility god give me a helping hand and I welcome any other forces that will make this cycle THE ONE.