Frozen Embryo - IVF

I am feeling so much better! I'm not quite back to my pre-IVF self yet, but I know I'll get there. We saw Dr. Norion yesterday and he said that I still have some fluid in my abdomen area, and that my ovaries aren't quite back to normal, but I'm recovering well considering all the craziness from last week. Thinking back about last week, I still can't believe that the egg retrieval is done (and the TAP, too). I honestly didn't expect the recovery to go for as long as it did, but I made the best of it and gave my body what it needed - time to heal and recover. It honestly seems like something that happened a long time ago. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not in any rush to do another egg retrieval, and hopefully I won't need to, but if that's where our journey leads us, I could do it again. At least I'd know what to expect the second time around, and so would Dr. Norion, so I'm sure that my trigger shot would be a little different (that's what he said he'd change).

We ended up having a total of fourteen embryo frozen, which is really a great number! Once the eggs were fertilized, they changed from being called "eggs" to "embryo". At first, I was a little bummed about the lower number since we started at 63 eggs, but Dr. Norion told us the number would drop significantly because of my PCOS and because that's what normally happens anyway. He said that the goal is not to create a ton of embryo, rather, to create a healthy baby. I know there are many woman that come out of the retrieval with zero embryo, so I am extremely grateful to have what we do. I think the large number at the beginning just threw me off a bit.

When we met with Dr. Norion yesterday, he went over the embryologist report with us. The embryologist took care of my eggs and Brad's sperm starting the day of the retrieval. He or she took my 63 eggs and then injected each egg with one of Brad's sperm. The sperm went through an obstacle course of sorts, and then were hand selected/picked for my eggs. They used a process called ICSI (hand picking the strongest, fastest, best shaped sperm and injecting one sperm into each egg using a needle). The embryologist then watched for day two (the number of embryo that matured and were fertilized - we had 35 mature and 30 out of the 35 fertilize). Then, they left the mature, fertilized embryo alone until day 5. On day 5, the embryologist took the embryo that had made it to the final stage (blastocyst), took a few cells from each, froze them, and then froze the cells. They did the same with the embryo that made it to day 6. We had 10 day five embryo and four day six embryo. The embryologist made side notes about my eggs and then about the embryo. It was kind of neat to see those and go over them with Dr. Norion. So much time and thought is put into the whole process of getting "good" embryo. It's truly a science.

Dr. Norion said that Brad and I had made really nice embryo and said that they all qualified for the next step, which is genetically testing them. There were some embryo with higher grades than others (the embryologist gives each embryo a grade based on their size, inner cell mass, and lining), but there weren't any "failed" ones. We were really happy to hear that! We weren't quite sure what to expect, so getting to move forward and have all the embryo genetically tested is good news.

One of Dr. Norion's many drawings

Dr. Norion loves to draw pictures to describe things during our meetings, which I appreciate since I tend to be more of a visual learner myself. He drew a picture of an embryo that made it to the blasto stage and then he described the different grading scale. The cells that were removed from each of the embryo before being frozen will be used for the genetic testing. We should get the results of the genetic testing back within 10 business days. The report will say yes or no to any chromosome deformities for each embryo, as well as, specify the gender of each embryo. If the embryo that had the highest grade come back as chromosomally normal, we will try those out first. We have decided to transfer only one embryo for our first transfer, which is what Dr. Norion suggested. There is a small chance that the embryo could split into twins or triplets, but that is highly unlikely.

We can keep the embryo frozen for as long as we want. I think one of the many forms I signed mentioned that any embryo remaining after I turn 59 will be destroyed, but I don't plan on having a transfer done when I'm 59, so I'm okay with that. I hope the building that holds everyones' embryo has a backup generator :) I'm sure it does!

Once we get the genetic testing results back, our nurse will send us a calendar for when I start the medication for the embryo transfer. I get to take injections again, but to change things up a bit, they get to be put into my booty instead of into my stomach. I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of meds I'll be taking to prepare for the transfer, but I am committed to this. I'm okay with it all and trust Dr. Norion completely.

The transfer will be done towards the end of June and we'll find out if it was successful at the beginning of July (maybe even on our 10th year wedding anniversary!). At this moment, I am planning on being open with everyone about the date of our transfer, which means that I am also planning on being open about if it is successful or not. It may seem strange to do that, since I know that it is the norm to not share about someone being pregnant until they've been pregnant for a couple months, but I feel like this scenario is a little different. It is no secret that we are actively trying to get pregnant. It is no secret that this journey is full of ups and downs, and of planned and unplanned events. And it is no secret that I am open about our journey. I honestly believe that the support I had from everyone during the retrieval helped give me strength, so I'm going to use the strength of that continued support to help with wherever this first embryo transfer leads. Obviously I'd love nothing more than to have a success the first time around, but I know that I am not in control of that. I am in control of my thoughts about the process, but nothing more.

From now until we get the results from our genetic testing back, I am going to actively focus on getting back to normal. I'm going to get back into my daily mediation, daily walking, daily affirmations, daily healthy eating, yoga (notice there wasn't "daily" in front of that one ;), etc. I took a little break from everything last week allowing myself to recover, but it is time to get back to me. I am going to enjoy the next fews weeks without daily injections and am going to enjoy spending time with Brad without talking about IVF 24/7. I'm taking a break from IVF per se. I have started birth control (the first step of the embryo transfer cycle), but I don't think much about it after I take it in the morning. No, I don't love taking birth control, but I don't resent it. I accept it. I will enjoy this little break from injections because it sounds like once I get started again, I'll be taking them for quite some time. We have come so far and I am looking forward to the next steps of this journey, keeping in the back of my mind, that this is only one journey out of millions. It is all unfolding perfectly and I trust that whatever the outcome, I will learn and grow from each experience and take the new knowledge with me on my future journeys.