Thursday, August 28, 2008

How is Starts

Having my first child with no problems and the old fashion way, IVF is incredible. What doctors have learned to do to help people who struggle with fertility is amazing. It truly is a wonder that anybody ever gets pregnant on their own. What actually has to happen within your body was way beyond anything I ever learned in high school sex education class.

It really starts with a lot of bloodwork and testing. They check your uterus, your fallopian tubes, your husband, etc. After the millioneth blood level test that comes back you may or may not know what you are dealing with. My issue (beside extreme stress of losing my son) was "low ovarian reserve" HUH??? Most people are aware that we women are only born with a set amount of eggs. That is all we are going to get, we do not continue to produce them as men do sperm.


Maybe I wasnt born with that may to begin with or I used them all already?!? So I was on the low end of normal, my AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) level was 7. Not great, but workable. You start the treatment it starts with going on the pill. Doesn't make much sense does it? Yep, they want to be in control of you cycle. No more depending on Mother Nature alone.


Once your IVF cycle has been set you get this overwhelming box of drugs and needles sent to your house!! I had to sit down when I opened it, I could not believe I was going to use all of those needles. How was I going to do this? I didn't, Jeff did. Bless my husband!! The first shot he had to give me IM (intramuscular) he almost passed out. Whew!! Once he saw there was NO WAY I could do it myself he came became my shot hero.


If you are fortunate enough to go thru the 12-14 days of 4-5 shots a day at very specific times and make it to retrival you are blessed. I chose to cancel my first retrival, I only had 2 mature follicles. This time it looked great.


We retrieve and they grow in solitary confinment in a petri dish. For those of you that have no idea what your children looked like 5 days after fertilization, please see this.




This two grade 1 AA 5 day blastocysts. Crazy that this is where we all started from.


God is truly AMAZING!
So then you get to transfer stage, 5 days (or 3) after retrival. They put these beautiful embryos into your uterus. Then you get to wait. It is the most painful part.
So you have already my post of which I describe that I am not a patience person and cheated. This is what I got from the doctor though.





I wanted to believe EPT and ClearBlue Easy, but this really made me feel better. My HCG level on Day 11 (one day early) was 70.7. Anything over 25 is pregnant. Day 13 HCG level 151. They want it to at least double every day. So far so good.

We go back Wednesday, Sept 3 for another blood test. Then Sept 10th, our first ultrasound. We will be 6.5 weeks pregnant.

Stay tuned. I know this information is rivoting for most of you, but I can say I searched and searched for this information for nights as I was beginning this IVF journey. It is truly an overwhelming, emotional, heartwrenching, on your knees praying, life altering experience.
Good Luck to anybody and everybody that is going through this or is thinking about. God Bless your journey as he has ours.


Thank you LORD, you have truly Blessed us.

1 comment:

Amanda-The Family News! said...

Hi!!! I am SO excited for you. I will be out here following your journey and praying that all turns out well for you and your husband!
It truly is amazing to see the petri dish pics and know that is where we all started from. It's an amazing journey to turn into a baby and grow like we do.

Amanda