Pictures!

Heres some pics from our 7wk ultrasound - the quality is kinda crappy - she had the color all screwed up..

*Updates* - been forever!

OMG - so sorry - I've been such a bad blogger lately - I've just been so tired all the time.

Well - I'm 7 weeks and 3 days today. Feeling pretty good. I'm tired all the time - and I'd really love to never leave the couch.. I'm hoping that goes away soon and I get some energy back.. I haven't thrown up yet- but I do get nauseated a few times a day - but some ginger ale or preggie pops usually takes care of that. My boobs have grown a lot - I measured the other day and according to this site I'm not a 38F - WOW - I know they're just going to keep on getting bigger so I'm not really stressing it. I have a lot of food aversions (grilled chicken being the main one that makes me sad - I used to eat just mainly that). Oo a lot of cravings as well (onion rings, pizza, fruit, salad,etc)

Jeff has been completely amazing lately. He does basically all the cooking - because the smells make me not want to eat. He's also been keeping the house clean - and just in general treating me like a queen (more so than usual). He's so in love with our baby already - I love watching him kiss my belly and get all excited - He's such a wonderful man - I'm so lucky. Every night before bed - he kisses my belly and tells the baby good night *love*

Well - we had a scare in our 5th week - I had some pretty severe cramping in my left side and called my Doctor. They had me come in for an emergency u/s that Friday (I was exactly 6 weeks).. We saw one little sac but there were two "structures" in it - We thought that meant identical twins and we were getting pretty excited. They found no cause for the cramping - it's still there (lessened though) - but because theres no cause I've been ignoring it.

Our official u/s was this past Friday (at 7 weeks) - The most amazing day of my life so far -- There's just one beautiful baby (totally surprised!) - heartbeat was at a healthy 129bpm - We are sooo in love!

Our next OB appt is on June 10th - it's just an orientation though for Bethesda.

I'll try to be better about updating..

2nd Beta Results!!

We got our second beta results today!!

They were....


704!!!!

OMG can you believe it? Our doubling time was 35.27 hours - we're right in the middle of singleton/twin charts - so who knows which way this could go. I'm thinking just one.. Jeff is thinking two.. We'll both be ecstatic with either - we tried for so long and went through so much - that we're just happy to finally be pregnant!!

Beta #1

Well, we had our first beta draw this morning. :) They were STAT orders so we got the results super fast..

At 9dp5dt (14dpo) - our levels were 171. That's a nice STRONG number! We're so incredibly happy!

We'll go in again on Monday (labs closed on Sunday) to retest them to make sure they're going up properly. *fingers crossed* that everything continues to go perfectly.

We also scheduled our first U/S. It's on June 5th @ 9am. So 3 more weeks! We'll be 7 weeks exactly on that date! And we'll hopefully find out if there's one or two in there. I'm thinking only one babe while Jeff is thinking two! Guess we'll see who's right!

<3

Finally Pregnant!!!!

FINALLY!!!! After 18 months and two failed IUI's.. we are FINALLY PREGNANT!!! All it took was ICSI IVF!!

(copy/paste from JM)

So.. I've been an emotional basket case lately.. seriously.. it's been unreal.. lol.

Well.. I guess we have a reason for that

Yup!! 6dp5dt (11DPO) BFP!!!

OK, so I woke up this morning to take my daily test, dipped the test in and went to lay back down. I layed there, holding my stomach, crying and praying that it would come up positive.. At the 8 min mark I went back in the bathroom and saw a faint line.. Holy Crap! I started crying and with shaking hands got the digital.. dipped that in and let it sit... came up PREGNANT! I started bawling and texted my husband that I really needed him to come home. He called about 2 mins later freaking out asking what was wrong, so me, crying, told him that he really needed to come home for a little while. So he did.

I was sitting on the couch with a grin on my face.. and told him to look on his desk.. He did and turned back around to my grin.. turned back around to the test.. back to me and was like ?.. I was like yup I'm pregnant! To which he ran to me and we hugged/kissed and he kissed my tummy and said "told you so".

So.. symptoms..

2dp5dt - I started cramping
3dp5dt - I started getting a metallic taste in my mouth

My boobs were sore the entire time as well and I've also been an emotional basketcase.. I've been consistently crampy since it first started.

Thank you for being there for me during this whole time - I really appreciate it. I'll be keeping all ya'll in my thoughts and prayers that you get your miracle too!

Egg Transfer Take Two!

Well, Wednesday was the day of our egg transfer! I would have wrote about it sooner, but I've been on bedrest and haven't been in the mood. lol.

So I got up, got dressed and all of that lovely stuff. Jeff came back from work to pick me up and out the door we headed. I was expecting some traffic since it was later than we normally go - but alas absolutely no traffic and we got there like a half hour early. lol o well! Parking really sucked that day too, I had to drive around for awhile to even find a spot. It's so annoying!

Well, we headed up to Ward 43 and sat in the waiting room forever drinking my Gatorade and playing the DS. We finally got called into a room, and let me tell you, I had to freaking PEE! LOL. Dr. Payson came in after a little while and we went over everything and signed paperwork. Two of the 4 perfect embryos from Monday made it completely to the Blastocyst stage and were still perfect, the other two hadn't made it to that stage yet and the final 2 had died =(. We agreed to transfer the two perfect ones and let the other two grow out a little more in the hopes of being frozen (they didn't make it to freeze =( ). He gave us our chances of it working - which were about 65% that it would work and about a 40% chance of having twins! OMG those odds are amazing!!

After all that we then were transported into the procedure room. I crawled up on the table and they used the ultrasound to make sure I had a full bladder (YES it was VERY full!!!) The embryologist came in next to get my name and last 4. We then got to see our lil babies on the screen *love* at first site!! They were perfect *swoon* Dr. Payson inserted the speculum and all that buisness and the tech guided everything with the ultrasound machine. Then the embryologist came back in with our babies and they inserted them into my uterus. =) We got pics of where they were placed and the actual embryos - It's so awesome!! (see the pic to the left!).

After that (lol Im saying that a lot!) I was wheeled back into the other room where I had to stay still f0r 20 mins. When the time was up I got up, peed and then we left. We went straight home, where I went straight to the couch and spent the next 3 days. LOL

So yeah.. that brings you up to date.. I'm being cautiously optimisitic.. I'm nervous/scared that it won't work because really we've never had good luck.. but I'm trying my best to not let those thoughts overwhelm me. Today was particulary bad because every month about a week before AF is due I get these cramps and I got some today (a week before AF is due).. I've been trying to convince myself that it's not those cramps and I'm still fine.. but it's hard.. I also tested this morning to make sure the trigger shot was out of my system and it is - so when I decide to test for real the result will be real.. I don't know when I'll actually start testing.. I'm scared too..

Well that's it for now.. obviously I'll update again with the results.. Wish us luck and please keep us in your thoughts/prayers.

Egg Transfer Take One!

So Monday morning we headed down to WR for our Egg Transfer.. I had my big ol' bottle of Gatorade and was drinking it religiously since I had to have a completely full bladder.

Well, we walk up to Ward 43, and at this point I'm dying because I have to pee so bad!! We sit down right away and I pull out my trusty Nintendo DSi (best way to pass time =P). Well, then the Doctor comes up and is like "come back in my office we have to talk first" WOW that can't be good news, I'm like freaking out thinking that none of them made it.. eep!

WELL..

The Doctor goes over our chart, informs me (again) that I've had a picture perfect cycle - exactly what they want out of their patients. etc. etc. That never fails to surprise me since I always assumed they wanted you to have tons of eggs, but I guess 10 is the perfect number and we had 9 :0).

Anyways, she then goes on to give us the quality of the 6 embryos we have.. WELL... 4 of them are doing perfectly (they graded them a Grade 2 - but she also said that WR is VERY strict and they RARELY give out Grade 1's -so ours would be considered perfect anywhere else) and the other two are a Grade 4 (those ones are eh). So because those 4 are doing perfect the embryologist felt more than comfortable taking them out to day 5 Blastocysts. So our transfer was pushed back until Wednesday (May 6th).

OMG can you believe it? FINALLY good news!! We're so excited!!

Fertilization Report

We got our fertilization report this morning.

Apparently they only got 9 total eggs (I guess we misunderstood because we thought they got 9 mature eggs in total). 7 of those 9 eggs were mature and 6 fertilized.

I'm not going to lie I'm a little bummed. They understimulated me, I should have got a bunch of eggs - if they had actually put me on a normal dose *sigh*

But seriously 6 eggs is still really good - I'm not too sad - at least we got a decent amount! And right now they're all doing great!!

We go in Monday morning at 10:30 for our consult and transfer *fingers crossed*

Egg Retreival

Well we had our ER yesterday (5/1).

Wednesday night Jeff gave me the HCG shot. He hates to hurt me, so it's pretty funny to have him give me a shot. lol First he put it in slowly till I yelled that it hurt so he then just jabbed it the rest of the way in- much better! Thursday we headed back to WR for our last blood draw - I really thought we'd get a day break from getting up so early - but nope.

Friday morning we got up even earlier than normal and I jumped in the shower (you have to shower before you go - and then no lotion, no deoderant, no makeup etc.). Got out and dressed, brushed my hair and went downstairs. I was way thirsty at this point (you know the whole surgery - can't eat or drink after midnight).

Anyways we get to WR and go up to Ward 67.. where we checked in and then sat down to wait. Not too long after I got called back to check my vitals and change into their robe thing. One other couple was there with us that day. Around 7:30ish we got walked down to Ward 44 (IVF Clinic), we each got put into our own rooms where we hung out for awhile. The CRNA came in to talk to me anesthesia, all the effects and all of that. About the same time Jeff got called back to give his "sample". The CRNA put the IV in my arm (ouch - made me bleed a little bit and I could feel the IV in - not cool). After a little while (in which I was playing my new Nintendo DSi woot woot!), the Doctor came in to go over everything (by that time Jeffrey was back!). She left and I took out my contacts because they were ready for me! The CRNA walked me down the hall (totally blind w/o contacts), I remember laying on the table and getting covered with a blanket.. the next thing I knew I was already in the recovery ward. I remember hearing them say something about 9 eggs and being in some pain. The nurse gave me some fetanoyl in my IV which helped a little bit. I eventually came completely around and drank some Apple Juice.

Next I was transferred to the Stage II recovery ward back up on Ward 67. I had to pee in a container so they could make sure everything was fine. I then sat in the chair and had more Apple Juice and crackers (to make sure I could keep it down), Jeff came in with me after a little while. Definitely nice to see him again , he was the first thing I asked for after coming out of anesthia! awww <3

Oh yeah - the best part!!! Jeff's count post-was was 2 MILLION!! OMG can you believe it? How awesome is that! (For those who don't know - his count post-wash for our first IUI was only 357,000 and it was 950,000 for the second one) He's been taking 25mg of Clomid once a day since mid October and it's REALLY working!!! We're both extremely proud of that number! For us it's GREAT!

We had some drama with my meds, basically I believe I'm allergic to Percocet (after a horrible reaction after I got my wisdom teeth removed) and my Doc's fellow basically called me a liar and wouldn't prescripe anything different.. UGH BITCH!.

Anyways- everything got settled down and I was able to leave - Jeff had to push me in a wheelchair - how embarassing! LOL. We made it home and I vegged on the couch - was def. in some pain. Jeff went and got some food (which I scarfed down!), he took amazing care of me (as usual - my hubby rocks). I also slept for awhile.

That night was my first PIO shot (progesterone in oil). Everything I've heard/read said it hurts -so I was all prepared with the tips I had learned. First I drew up the oil into the syringe and put the whole thing in the middle of a heating pad until it was warm. Then I warmed up my bottom with the pad. Jeff injected me with a dart like motion (the arrow thing facing up so the meds went up not down) and injected the PIO nice and slow. Afterwards I cleaned the area with alcohol and wiped it with gauze. Finally, I sat on a heating pad for like 10 mins. It seriously didn't hurt at all! I've definitely got a routine now and hope the future shots don't hurt either!

Well, thats it.. It wasn't too bad - easier and worse than I expected - if that makes sense.

Quick Update

OK so after Tuesday, we had another appt on Wed.. I got my blood drawn (E-2 levels on Tues were 1746 I believe - so perfect).

We actually got to see Dr. Payson! He did the U/S and said I had a textbook perfect 3 layer lining, it was 11mm (11A). He saw the same 13 follicles- most of them were ready - there were still the 3 that more than likely wouldn't catch up but he was happy with the 10.. very optimistic actually.

So everything was set for trigger Wed. night and to go ahead with the retrieval on Friday morning!!! woot woot!

Some more updates!

Sorry about my complete meltdown in the previous post.. I was extremely upset with everything and not thinking rationally.. I basically slept and cried the whole day.

We went back on Sunday for another appt. It was a lot better! I had 10 follicles - 5 on each ovary.. My lining was a 10B and my E-2 levels were 664. Which is loads better than Friday's appt.

We went back today for another appt. Again lots better! I now have 13 follicles - 7 on my left and 6 on my right... They're ranging in size from 8mm to 18mm. My lining is still a 10B (which is great - nice thick three layer lining). I'm going back again tomorrow and if everything is good I'll be triggering that night and having my ER on Friday.. Which means a 3 day transfer would be on the 4th and a 5 day transfer would be on the 6th.. and Beta day would be on the 15th. The doc said that not all the follicles will be mature on that day (they just popped up) but we should have a really good number that are (around 10). I'm getting really excited and nervous.. I can't believe that it's finally almost here.

Basically what happened is they understimulated me (because of my age and our diagnosis -MFI), because they wanted to avoid having me get OHSS, which I completely understand (annoys me but whatever). So it took me a little longer to get some follicles and get them mature. It's hard with your first IVF cylce, because they really don't know how you'll respond or what dosage to give you.. no hard feelings towards them at all.

Ugh I'm getting so tender.. I'm bloated and uncomfortable.. I can totally feel both my ovaries, it's like an ache on each side that doesn't ever go away.. and then every once in awhile I'll get some stabbing pains in each side.. (I asked the Doc, it's normal) .. I'm also so hot all the time... O well.. it's really completely worth it.

O one last thing.. we're trying to decide if we want to transfer 2 or 3.. I have Jeff researching it (since I already have) to see what his opinion is...

Can someone just kill me now??

Seriously... it'd be way easier than this long drawn out torture I've been going through for the past 18 months.. *sigh*

I went and had our first U/S today to check on how everythings going... It's seriously NOT good news at all... I only have 6 follicles right now... 2 on my right ovary and 4 on my left ovary... the lead follicle is already 13mm and my lining is a 9B.. That's HORRIBLE (well the lining is great but thats it) ... I'm so beyond upset with WR.. I hate that they put me on a certain dose because of my age.... I'm on the lowest possible dose for IVF with only 75IU of Gonal-F and 75 IU of Menopur- that's what other RE's give patients for injectable IUI cycles... I paid 5700$ for a glorified IUI cylce.. fuck man I ovulate 3 to 5 eggs on 50mg of Clomid!! I did have some other little follicles - but they don't measure or look at anything under 8mm.. *sigh*

I started crying as soon as the U/S was finished - I was/am devastated.. we went in the next room to talk to the Doctor afterwards and she attempted (and failed) to make me feel better.. basically what she said is that 6 eggs at this stage is pretty good and they're all developing wonderfully, that my lining looks fantastic.. and that the other little follicles will probably catch up before retrieval.. Also I'm on a very low dose because of my age and the very real risk of OHSS because of my age.

I'm sorry but I don't care.. this is not acceptable.. I feel totally and completely screwed over.. I can't believe they don't seem concerned that there was only 6! I've researched IVF completely.. I know the statistics.. and we're fucked..

We started this cycle with around a 60% chance of it working - with only having 6 eggs the chance has now gone down to 35% (yes way freaking better than trying naturally but that is not making me feel better).. AND keep these facts in mind..

*just because there's 6 follicles doesn't mean we'll get 6 eggs
* some of those eggs may not be mature at retrieval
* not all eggs fertilize
* not all eggs split properly

So looking at it realistically - if we really end up having only 6 eggs we're looking at having 2 maybe 3 eggs that'll make it to transfer.. That sucks man.. and that's being optimistic.. ugh ugh ..
ugh'

I really don't know what to do.. I'm very tempted to up my dosage myself.. I have more than enough medication... but I'm also not a Doctor and don't know what I'm doing... it's very tempting though....

I'm just so incredibly upset and can't believe WR is not more concerned... and I can't believe how bad they fucked me.. they way understimulated me and that's not cool.. Right now I feel like we wasted all that money.. and we can't afford to do it again right now so this was basically a one shot deal..

I have another appt on Sunday for b/w and an u/s.. so I guess I'll know more then and update again... ugh PLEASE keep us in your thoughts and prayers.. we REALLY need it right now.. I will NOT be able to handle it if this doesn't work.

just some updates :0)

Well, I gave myself the Menopur/Gonal-F shot last night and that's what happened.. a big disgusting bruise! WTH! lol I know it's totally normal, but still it looks ugly! That's what I get for being grumpy with Jeff and doing it myself :0( (O BTW it's insanely hard to take a picture of a bruise on your belly by yourself and have it come out half decent- so bite me on the pic quality =P)

So, we had another appt at WR today - it was just for blood work - to check my estradiol levels- They said they'd call me by 3pm if my levels were too high or too low -- well I got no phone call at all so that means my levels are perfect :0) (of course I'm going to ask exactly my levels were at my next appt just for sanitys sake).

After the appt we went to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park - it's really nice for a free zoo, we were pretty surprised. (ah before we went to the Zoo we attempted to go to the Smithsonian Museums but after driving around for almost a hour we gave up on trying to find a parking space. .ugh) I LOVE Giant Pandas.. OMG they're beyond adorable!

I've been having some symptoms as well --
from the medication = hot flashes and totally emotional
from my ovaries (lol) = I can "feel" them, they're a little tender/sore and that area feels hmm "full" seems like an appropriate word..

I have to go back to WR tomorrow for Pre-Admission, which I guess is the same thing (but not) as pre-op?.. at least that's what WR told me.. and they rescheduled me from Friday.. which blows but whatever... hopefully it's not a pointless trip.. We'll also be there on Friday for more blood work and an ultrasound to check up on what's going on in there.. I'm REALLY looking forward to that.. lol I want to know how many follicles I have developing!

Well that's it for now... more again at some later date!

Started Stimming!

Well, it's official! I'm finally actually starting IVF!!! Last night (the 19th) was my first night of stimming!

Thank God my clinic has me mix the Gonal-F and Menopur, one less shot to take!! :0) It was a little bit of a pain in the ass to do it though, the mixing needle is like a 18 gauge (HUGE!) I had a little trouble getting all the medication up.. =o(.. my dosage is 75 IU of Gonal -F and 75 IU of Menopur. It's a pretty low dose because of my age and the fact that our diagnosis is MFI, so I'm completely healthy.. that and the fact that I responded so strongly to Clomid.. I'm a little nervous that this dose won't really do that much, but I have to trust that WR knows what they're doing.

Today was day 2 of the stims, and I've been having slight ovarian twinges, so I'm pretty confident something is going on in there. O yeah, also I used the lil Q things that come with the Menopur box - way freaking easier to draw up all the medication. I'll definetly be using that thing from now on.

O yeah, the medicinie stings a little bit - not horribly - but it definietly stings! I find it's easier to have Jeff do it - when I give myself a shot, I tend to hestitate because I know it's going to hurt a little bit - Jeff doesn't pause at all so it actually hurts less :0)

Well, that's all.. my next appt is on Wed. but thats just to draw my blood to check my estradiol levels..

Baseline Appt Update

So, we had our baseline appointment this morning. God I am so NOT a morning person.. getting up at 4:30 in the morning SUCKS! LOL... I did it anyway.. because well it's totally worth it.

Anyways.. we got to WR with plenty of time to spare and walked into the OB Clinic. It's kind of funny because they do a bunch of patients at once so we had to grab a number and sit (reminds me of the deli. lol). Well our number got called so I went back and got my blood drawn. Then we went back for an ultrasound to check on how things were (my lining, ovary size and antral follicle count). My lining is perfect for where I'm at in my cycle (the very beginning!), my ovaries are perfectly normal and my antral follicle count was 18. I had 6 on my left ovary and 12 on my right.. talk about unbalanced.. hehe.. My antral follicle count is perfect, I'm in the category with the "best" pregnancy rates, so that's pretty awesome.

After the ultrasound we sat down with the Doctor. We got our "official" schedule and what dosages of meds I'll be taking. Here's the schedule

Starting tonight (15th) I have to reduce my Lupron to 5 units once a day. Then on Sunday (19th) I'll start taking my stims (75 IU of Menopur and 75 IU of Gonal-F). On Wednesday (22nd) I'll go in for blood work to measure my estradiol levels to make sure I'm responding to the medication. On the 24th I'll go back again for blood work, an ultrasound and pre-op. Everything after that is very tentative because it depends on how I respond to the treatment.

OK, so after the Doc we had to wait for the pharmacy to open. It finally does, we get our number and get called to the desk. Well... after a wait and some difficulties I finally got my meds... or did I?.. LOL well we checked the bag before we left completely and the moron forgot to give me my Gonal-F! WTF! What a pain in the ass! Thankfully we actually checked before we left because that would have majorly sucked. ugh (O that picture at the top is ALL my medication minus one box of Lupron)

Next came injectables class.. that was pretty boring, seeing as how I already know how to do it all. I did learn that I can mix the Gonal-F and Menopur so I can take them as one single shot! So I'll only have 2 a day :0) thats pretty cool.

My PIO will be here tomorrow (overnight delivery from Freedom Fertility Pharmacy - it's the only thing that WR doesn't carry). That's really the only shot I'm a little concerned with because I've heard horror stories.. but I think I'll be OK..

Well there's your update :0) I'm very excited/nervous about this whole thing.. I guess you could term it "cautiously optimistic"... I don't want to get my hopes completely up because I don't think I could handle the complete disapointment if it didn't happen to work... ugh PLEASE keep us in your thoughts and prayers! <3

Pre-IVF Belly and some updates

Well, there's my lovely Pre-IVF Belly! Keep in mind that this is after a week of Lupron so I'm a little bloated (and I'm aware I don't have a butt.. don't care though my boobs more than make up for it! lol). O well, it's completely worth it!

The Lupron has been going well. The needle is so tiny so it doesn't hurt at all. The only time I actually felt it was when I poked to close to my belly button (if you ever have to do this, don't do that! It's a very sensitive area! lol you've been warned!)

Ah, here's a funny story for ya'll..

So the other night we had to run to the store and knew we weren't going to be back in time for me to take the Lupron (have to take it at the same time every night - which for me is at 7:30).. So I made up the needle beforehand and put it in my purse.. We head out to shop (Petsmart, Sports Authority and Target).. We were in Sports Authority and my alarm went off to take my shot, so I headed into the bathroom to take it.. Yeah.. shooting up in the bathroom of Sports Authority... a total drug addict moment LOL.. thankfully I didn't get caught though!

In other news... my last day of BCP was today.. baseline is in a little over a week. EEP! This is all going by so fast already! I'm so excited and nervous.. It really needs to work!

So at our clinic, I can look up the different success percentage rates based on diagnosis, which I think is pretty neat... since all we're dealing with is MFI and I'm completely healthy our chances of it working are a little over 60%, I think that's pretty damn good odds.. a lot better than just trying naturally (which is under 5% for us).

It's so neat to see Jeff all into this.. he even watches me take each shot and kisses me after and says thanks for doing this.. I love that man

Medications and abbreviations.

Here's some information about the medication I'll be on:

Lupron - Lupron is given in IVF cycles according to patient specific protocols usually the "luteal Lupron" or "flare" protocols. Initially, Lupron stimulates the pituitary to release FSH (flare effect) within 7-10 days, however, Lupron will inhibit the production of gonadotropin releasing hormone. Since GnRH is required to cause the pituitary to produce FSH and LH, Lupron essentially "shuts down" the bodies reproductive hormone system.

Gonal F - Gonal–f is a highly pure, recombinant form of human follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH), which is the hormone responsible for stimulating the production of egg-containing follicles in women and sperm in men. Gonal–f is most commonly used in infertility treatments such as Ovulation Induction (OI) and Advanced Reproductive Technologies (ART), such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). If you are undergoing OI or ART, Gonal–f may be used to supplement or replace naturally-occurring FSH and help you produce eggs.

Menopur - MENOPUR is a highly purified mixture of human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) activity, the most important hormones for inducing the growth of the follicles that produce ova (eggs). As a human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG), MENOPUR is classified as a “menotropin.” Menotropins—injectable hormones that control the reproductive function—are one of the most widely used types of infertility medication. MENOPUR has undergone additional steps for purification. This state-of-the-art purification process results in fewer injection site reactions and less discomfort for the patient.


Abbreviations: (I'll keep adding as I think of more)

U/S - Ultrasound
B/W- Bloodwork
WR - Walter Reed
ER - Egg Retrieval
ET - Egg Transfer
MFI - Male Factor Infertility
BCP - Birth Control Pills
HPT - Home Pregnancy Test
PIO - Progesterone in Oil

What is IVF?

So I thought I would do a post to explain what IVF is, how it works and basically the whole process we'll be going through.. I'm going to copy and paste from another site, because it's a hell of a lot of information and I'm lazy. LOL.. Here's the site: IVF

In Vitro Fertilization is commonly referred to as IVF. IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. When the IVF procedure is successful, the process is combined with a procedure known as embryo transfer, which is used to physically place the embryo in the uterus.

There are basically five steps in the IVF and embryo transfer process which include the following:

1. Monitor and stimulate the development of healthy egg(s) in the ovaries.
2. Collect the eggs.
3. Secure the sperm.
4. Combine the eggs and sperm together in the laboratory and provide the appropriate environment for fertilization and early embryo growth.
5. Transfer embryos into the uterus.

Step 1: Fertility medications are prescribed to control the timing of the egg ripening and to increase the chance of collecting multiple eggs during one of the woman's cycles. This is often referred to as ovulation induction. Multiple eggs are desired because some eggs will not develop or fertilize after retrieval. Egg development is monitored using ultrasound to examine the ovaries and urine or blood test samples to check hormone levels.

Step 2: Your eggs are retrieved through a minor surgical procedure which uses ultrasound imaging to guide a hollow needle through the pelvic cavity. Sedation and local anesthesia are provided to remove any discomfort that you might experience. The eggs are removed from the ovaries using the hollow needle, which is called follicular aspiration. Some women may experience cramping on the day of retrieval, which usually subsides the following day; however, a feeling of fullness or pressure may last for several weeks following the procedure.

Step 3: Sperm, usually obtained by ejaculation is prepared for combining with the eggs.

Step 4: In a process called insemination, the sperm and eggs are placed in incubators located in the laboratory which enables fertilization to occur. In some cases where fertilization is suspected to be low, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be used. Through this procedure, a single sperm is injected directly into the egg in an attempt to achieve fertilization. The eggs are monitored to confirm that fertilization and cell division are taking place. Once this occurs, the fertilized eggs are considered embryos.

Step 5: The embryos are usually transferred into the woman's uterus anywhere from one to six days later, but most commonly it occurs between two to three days following egg retrieval. At this point, the fertilized egg has divided to become a two-to-four cell embryo. The transfer process involves a speculum which is inserted into the vagina to expose the cervix. A predetermined number of embryos are suspended in fluid and gently placed through a catheter into the womb. This process is often guided by ultrasound. The procedure is usually painless, but some women experience mild cramping.

These steps are followed by rest and watching for early pregnancy symptoms. A blood test and potentially an ultrasound will be used to determine if implantation and pregnancy has occurred.

First Shot Today!

Well I haven't written in awhile, really nothing has happened.. We've just been waiting for the time to pass so we could finally start with this whole process.. well its FINALLY that time!!


So I called Walter Reed this morning to make sure that I got the dosage and everything correct with the Lupron, they called back quickly and I got to ask my questions... They reassured me that I was correct in thinking it was 20 units once a day at night and at the same time each night. :0)

Well Jeff and I went out and about when he got home from work. He bought me Animal Crossing: City Folk for my Wii and we got Nikita a hiking backpack (which we'll have to trade in because it's def. too big). Then we went and got some KFC.. mmm yummy.

Anyway.. 7:30 finally rolls around.. OMG time for my first shot!!.. So I grabbed the box and instructions.. Flipped the top off the bottle, filled the syringe with air, shot that into the bottle and drew up 20 units.. Then I rubbed the area on my tummy with alcohol, grabbed a roll of fat (haha) and stuck the needle in.. really did not hurt at all, the needle is so tiny! I did have some redness and itching afterwards, but that's totally normal (and now it's back to normal).

I'm so excited to get started with all of this!! Very nervous, as I desperately want this to work the first time (I don't know if we could afford to try again with how bad the Navy fucked us)..I really don't know what we'll do if it doesn't work.. but I'm trying really hard to not think of the negatives.. I really need to be positive throughout this whole process!

Well, I'll be on the Lupron until I trigger.. woohoo! Hopefully I don't get any side-effects.. don't mind if I get bitchy.. Jeff will deal =P.. so our schedule right now is:

3.30 - Started Lupron 20 units 1x a day
4.05 - Stop BCP
4.15 - Baseline Appt, Doc consult & Injectables Class
4.22 - Ultrasound & Blood Work
4.24 - Ultrasond, Blood Work & Pre-op
4.30 - Egg Retrieval (Tentative)
5.03 - 3 Day Egg Transfer (tentative)
5.05 - 5 Day Egg Transfer (tentative)

I don't know the rest of the dates yet, that will depend on how I respond to the medication.. the egg retrieval and egg transfer are all tentative right now..

I'll explain how IVF works and all that in a later post, so stay tuned!

<3

We got our dates!

Hey Everyone! I've been pretty MIA lately.. with Jeff being gone and then PCSing the beginning of this month.. but we're settled in our new place and I'm back!

Here's whats going on with me now..

I'm waiting for AF to officially start (spotting right now).. then I'm starting BCP on CD 2.. I'll start taking Lupron 20 units once a day on March 30th.. then I'll stop taking the BCP on April 5th... I'll have my baseline appointment on April 15th (bloodwork and a U/S), then I'll visit with the Doc and get my "official schedule", then I have to get all my medication and go straight to injectables class..

All the dates after that are tentative because it depends on how I respond to the medication, but my Egg Retrieval is tentatively scheduled for April 30th.. If we actually stick with that date and the IVF works, our due date would be January 21st, 2010! (yes I checked! LOL)

Appointment Updates.

OK so here's the updates on my appointments that I promised.

On Tuesday (Feb 17th) I had my saline sonogram (hysterosonogram). First of all I've never been to Portsmouth Naval Hospital, and it's freaking huge! Secondly, I had just gotten my new tattoo 2 days before and my foot was still really sore, so I had my pant leg rolled up, my flip flop half on my foot and I was limping.. I'm sure I looked like a complete moron.

Well I walked (limped) back to the Ultrasound lab.. talked to the secretary, what a complete bitch! Backstory: When she called me, she told me I had to get a pregnancy test no more than 3 days before.. that's all she said.. OK well she asked if I had gotten it done, to which I said no. I explained that 3 days before was Saturday, lab was closed.. lab was closed on Sunday and Monday was Presidents Day so the lab was closed then, there was no way I could get it done. Well she got all bitchy and basically said too bad you need it done, call us when your period starts again and we'll get you a new appt. I freaked the fuck out, NO WAY I was going to wait until next cycle, this was the LAST thing I needed done to get medical clearance, so I asked to speak to her superior... The doctor comes out and I explain everything to him.. he put in an order to get the test and told me to go to the lab right away.. So I went and got it done (negative duh!) and came back.

Well they called my back, got a normal pelvic ultrasound done to see everything.. then I finally got to pee! After I peed I had a transvaginal ultrasound.. then the doctor came in and explained the procedure to me. He did the hysterosonogram, it wasn't too bad, I was crampy but not unbareably so.. He said that everything looks good and I have a "beautiful perfect uterus". Woohoo for me!

So today (the 20th) I had my appt for my colposcopy.. I get all the way to Ft. Eustis and one of the nurses calls me.. She's like "I'm sorry Mrs. Wilson but we have to reschedule, the doctor had an emergency and had to leave".. so I'm like well... when are we talking for a reschedule?... To which March 2nd is replied.. So I'm kinda having a panic attack, but calmly tell her that we're PCSing March 1st and that's why I made the appt for today, and I really need it done.. So she looks and the other Doctor has an opening! Woohoo! Finally some luck!. lol

Well, I got there, talked to the Doctor and then got the procedure done. It kinda hurts to get your cervix scraped up.. but whatever.. gotta do what you gotta do. After it was done, I asked the Doctor what he thinks and he said that He's pretty confident that it was the HPV and nothing else, but that the official results will be available in 7-10 days...

So I called Walter Reed and let them know that my Hysterosonogram results are available to view and I got my colposcopy done and they said it was nothing major... I'm waiting for a call back to see where we go from here..

Updates

Well after much bitching and phone calls, I finally have the drama with my doctor fixed. OMG I don't even want to talk about it, it was horrible.. anyway

I have my colposcopy appt on Feb. 20th, I have to get the results and send it up to Walter Reed right away.

On Feb 17th, I have my appt for my saline sonogram (hysterosonogram) at 8:30 am. I have to drink a bunch of water (like 54 ounces) and I can't pee until it's done.. eep I hate that.. I also have to get the results of it ASAP and send it up to Walter Reed.

Well that's my update.... lol

IVF Orientation

So I had our IVF orientation on Tuesday (Feb 3). I got up at 6:30am, left the house at about 7:45am, I thought that I should leave earlier because DC traffic can be insane. Well, turns out that I really didn't need too, I got there at 11am (an hour early). I checked in and read until we all got called back.

I would say there were about 8 couples and 4 ladies (including me). I was pretty happy that I wasn't the only one without my husband. *sigh* Dr. Payson (IVF director- head doctor) came out and talked to us about everything. He had a whole slideshow about the IVF process, what to expect, the risks, percentages and everything. Pretty interesting but I knew most of it already. Walter Reed and the ART Institute of Washington, Inc. work together in this program, they've been consistently in the top percent of ART clinics in the country since they opened. So I'm happy that they're so good. After Dr. Payson's presentation, one of the nurses came out and had us sign and hand over a bunch of paperwork, we also got a list of the medications that were already prescribed and ready to pick up. She also went over the IVF schedules, when we'd start, etc. etc. Next came the financial lady (Leslie). She talked about what everything costs, collected our deposits and had us sign even more paperwork. OMG I'm sick of paperwork already. LOL. Well, once we're medically cleared, Leslie will call for us to pay and then give us our baseline date. She should start calling for payment at the end of February. Jeff and I are all ready to pay because we want to get in ASAP, we should be set to cycle in around April 7th.

After all of this (about 2.5 hours). We had to run down to Walter Reed's pharmacy, got a number and waited around for awhile for it to be called. Once my number was called, I went up to that window and got my medication. I have the Birth Control Pills I'll have to be on, some more prenatals and my Lupron (which is sitting in the fridge since my house can get warmer than 77 degrees on warm days). Then I got to drive home, OMG it took like almost 4 hours to get home! I got caught in some traffic and also had to stop to get some food because I was STARVING!

O yeah here's some freaking bad news:

So I got a call from my doctor (well they called Jeffs phone for some reason) on Monday, so I called back while I was driving up to Walter Reed. So she informs me that my pap came back Abnormal. GREAT! Just what I freaking wanted to hear! And she couldn't even tell me if this would interfere with my IVF. I called the appointment line today (Jan 5) and they couldn't get me into March 16! WTF we're PCSing on March 1st! So I called the actual clinic to make an appointment and they said they could get me in on March 2nd. Well that won't work, we'll be in Maryland. So I called back my doctor's office to see what I'm supposed to do and am now waiting for one of thier moronic nurses to call me back. UGH

So right now, I'm waiting for AF to show so I can schedule my Saline Sonogram and start my Birth Control. I'm hoping she'll come early next week. And I'm also waiting to hear back about what I'm supposed to do about the other appointment since I need a colposcopy and it has to be done soon. Hope I can catch a break soon.

We got it!

We got the house! Look Here

OK it shows the address, nobody stalk me! lol

Quick Update

Just a quick update to say that we got our IVF orientation date for February 3rd. So I get to drive up to DC by myself and try and find a parking spot. I've been told that parking is hell right around Walter Reed, eep.

I'm nervous and excited for it. Just one step closed to actually doing the IVF. So far we're looking at cycling in in April. I only have to get the saline sono done (needs to be done between CD 5 and 12 so next cycle) and Jeff needs to do their in depth SA. But they said it was OK for him to do it in March since he's not home right now.

We're moving in a little over a month. I think we've *hopefully* found a place to live, we're just waiting to hear back from the realtor about it. It's really nice though.. I'll share some pics once we hear word..

Well thats it, nothing much is going on over here.

Just need to get some things out....

AF showed today.. I mean I knew I wasn't pregnant, the test was negative. But still, I'm so freaking bummed about it. I really don't know how much longer I can do this.. how much more I can go through.. how much more I can put myself through... This month marks month 15.. Seriously..it's not supposed to be this hard to get pregnant.. You shouldn't have to inject yourself with drugs and use artificial insemination. It should be natural. I'm so sad that I can't just have sex with my husband.

I'm so tired of everyone around me in real life and online getting pregnant so easily. It's not fair. Why do we have to go through all this? What the fuck did we do wrong? Are we not meant to have children together? It breaks my heart that we can't seem to get pregnant. It's so unfair.

I hate that we have to resort to IVF in order for us to have a baby. I hate that we have to wait so long to do the IVF. We've been waiting long enough. I hate this.

Another one..

Well I tested yesterday at 12DPIUI.. of course it was negative. I don't know why I let my hopes get up, I just felt sooo pregnant (I've been before I know what it feels like). The test completely broke my heart, I cried for awhile. To top it off, I had to bring Jeff to the airport yesterday so he could go back to Florida.. not really what I wanted to happen on that day.

That was our last shot before having to do IVF and that won't happen until March/April at the earliest. Walter Reed has a wait list so it could potentially be September before we cycle in. I still have to get some blood work done (CD 3 labs), a pap smear and physical done. O and Jeff has some more blood work to do as well. Once I get those results I have to fax them up there, then we'll officially get accepted into the program and get our orientation dates. I'm hoping to do the saline sonogram at Portsmouth and do the orientation up at Walter Reed in one day w/o Jeff. The only thing I'm concerned about is Jeff has to do a SA for them... hopefully they'll waive it since he's in Florida at the moment and he's already done 3. I'm really hoping that we'll be able to cycle in right after we move up to Fort Meade, that way (if it works) we'll be do in December! I really don't want to wait until 2010 to have a baby. I'm so ready now.