The Egg Retrieval and the Embroy Transfer are scheduled 5 days apart, so that makes for a busy week and a long post.
The Egg Retrieval was done on Tuesday 10/3/17. I am not going to take up much of this post to detail about the egg retrieval since I have blogged about it previously and this time was almost identical to the previous egg retrieval. If your interested in the reading about my previous egg retrieval click here:
Previous Egg Retrieval blog post .
The important information to know about this egg retrieval is that the doctor was able to retrieve 8 eggs. That's 2 more than the previous cycle!
Just before 9 am on Wednesday 10/4/17 I received a call from Dr. Bocca asking how I was feeling after yesterday's egg retrieval. She then proceeded to move on to I have an update on your egg/embryo fertilization. This is where everything fell apart last time. She says we retrieved 8 eggs yesterday, we where able to fertilize 5 of the 8.
Of the 5 embryos 2 are progressing normally with 3 needing to be monitored longer to see if they would be viable or not. I told Dr. Bocca that was better news than I heard the last time I went through this process and that I was happy to have options this time.
My next step was to begin Vivelle Patches and Progesterone Oil.The patches and the shot are both are both administered on the buttocks.
I kept waiting day by day for bad news but Friday rolls around and I get a call from the Jones Institute stating I was to be there on Sunday at 7:30 am for the transfer.
Sunday 10/8/17 Don and I left home about 6 am heading to The Jones Institute for our embryo transfer. We arrived about 7:15am and where led to the 2nd Floor where the surgery's, egg retrieval and transfers are preformed. The nurse gave me instructions to undress from the waist down, put on the gown over top the top half of my clothes and then come back to the bed area to lay down. Once I was in the bed the nurse took my vitals, said the transfer would be about 8:30 am and to begin drinking water about 20 minutes before. Shortly after that, the doctor walks into our area, which I first though was odd, since most time the doctors have been to see me right before my procedures in the past. The doctor proceeds to tell us that our 2 normal embryo have not progressed to the 5 day blastocyst stage. They where at the 3-4 day stage (multi-cell picture below). We where given 2 options.
- Transfer 2 abnormal embryos that had a low chance of resulting in a viable pregnancy or
- Wait another day or 2 to see if they reach blastocyst, then freeze the embryos and do the transfer the following month. If the embryos survived another day.
I have included a picture below to give you an idea how embryos should progress. We where at the multi-cell stage.
It was a very confusing time,we felt like the doctor was kinda leading us one way then she would lead us another way while always saying its a hard decision. She left us alone while she went to do an egg retrieval and to give Don and I time to discuss what we should do. We went back and forth on what to do and then Don came up with what we thought was a brilliant idea. Transfer the best 1 of the 2 and then wait out the remaining embryo to see it would make it to blastocyst stage. When the doctor came back in and we told her the idea. She went to talk to the embryologist and then had him come talk to us. After talking with him, you could see that he felt like the embryos where not going to make it much longer and they had started progressing backwards. I had read an article recently about using abnormal embryos and how in some instances they where able to produce a health baby. So we decide to go ahead d antransfer both embryos.
Now was the time to start drinking water, because they need my uterus to be full to help with the implantation of the embryos. Well before I was even done with the first bottle of water, I was already experiencing the uncomfortable symptoms of having to pee. But I had to wait for the doctor to take me back to do the transfer first.The symptoms worsened and now I was in pain and asking the nurse to let me go to the bathroom, I could drink more water. She finally said I could go pass a small amount but not to empty my bladder. I took her up on that offer but honestly that just made things worse. Here a picture below to help illustrate the need to drink water. Only problem my bladder was full!!!
After what felt like forever Don and I where finally taken back to the operating room. I was wheeled back on a bed and then slide across to the operating table. There was no sedation for the procedure. Don sat at my head and the doctor, nurse and embryologist where at my feet. I remember asking them if anyone had ever peed on the table because I was so worried that would happen to me when the doctor inserted the speculum. Thank goodness that did not happen. The doctor had some trouble and had to try a couple different size speculum to get the right one. I am in severe pain during this because I have to pee so bad. Now with the speculum in place the embryologist brings over the embryos in a catheter. The doctor then transfer the embryos into my uterus with the catheter. I have attached 2 pictures below to give you an idea of how it is done.
Now that the transfer is done. I was moved back to a hospital bed and then wheeled back to the area where the patients are held pre and post procedures. I now had to lay flat for 20 minutes. Remember I still have to pee and am feeling so much discomfort from this. Don graciously offered to keep the time for the nurses. I thought he was being sweet for doing this. NO, he was being his normal prankster self. I am lying their feeling like I can't hold it any longer, and he talking about water falls. Finally 20 minutes is over and I make a bee line for the bathroom. I get there and could not go. I am like REALLY bladder come on. Finally it started and I could feel Relief!!! I was then cleared to be able to get dressed and go home.Before Don heads down stairs to get the car he proceeds to tell me that he made me lay there longer than 20 minutes. Its a good think I love him, cause I could of killed him in that moment. I was pretty mad at him for about a whole 5 minutes. lol
When leaving the nurse instructed me to stay seated or reclined as much as possible for the rest of the day and then I could go back to my normal activities the next day. The next step is to come back in 2 weeks for a pregnancy test to see if it works.
