My life as a pincushion and other adventures in infertility

Monday, January 25, 2010

Estrace and the Crabby Dragon

So ... we've hit a bump in the road. My lining came in at a slim 6.5mm last week. It needs to be at least 8mm for the transfer. This is the first time I've had a lining issue (go figure). So, a few more potions have been thrown in the mix. Meet Estrace. The little blue pill that, very unfortunately, doesn't get swallowed. That's right. It's a vaginal pill. Who knew such a thing even existed?

In addition to its unpleasant delivery system, it's pure estrogen. So the side effect ... it turns you into a crabby dragon. Of course the hope is, it turns this crabby dragon into a one with a 8mm uterine lining! And if it does, I will take back all bad things I have said about it.

We will remeasure this Friday and hopefully then be given the green light to hop on a plane and head out to CCRM to meet our frostie 5-day olds. My fingers are crossed that at this point next week, we'll know the day of our FET.

Friday, January 15, 2010

One Egg or Two?

One egg or two ... that is the question being mulled at over here. Originally, if two was an option we weren't even thinking of stopping to pass go or collect our $200 -- we were going for it. It gives us a higher chance of making it to barefoot and pregnant. But the idea of bed rest and possible complications has definitely given us pause. I'm asthmatic ... so that adds to the concerns. On the other hand, going through two separate pregnancies has its risks as well ... and I would be yet one year older for the second time through. (I've heard being pregnant doesn't get any easier with age.)

So ... leaning toward two. Any one else out there in this situation? Or any asthmatics who have carried twins?

Friday, January 8, 2010

Sober, Decaffeinated and Hormonal

Sober, decaffeinated and hormonal. It's another day in the day of the life of an IVFer.

I started estrogen patches last night. Any other takers out there? So far, so good, although I am a little worried about finding real estate to stick them on when it goes up to four patches at a time combined with shots.

And I am going to admit it. Although I have given up my coffee and given it up for good (in the short-term, anyway, and hopefully for the next 9.5 months), I miss it. I was very close with my good friend caffeine. Breaking up is so hard to do.

The next few weeks involve the winning combination of more Lupron, more estrogen and baby aspirin. All of this is in preparation for our egg transfer on Jan. 28th. The countdown has begun. We will be headed back to CCRM soon.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Four Good Eggs

I have named this blog Team IVF, not because I am hoping for an IVF Super Bowl or World Series, but because it is quite literally taking a team to get me pregnant: a team of doctors and nurses, and also a team of friends and family to hold my hand on the tough days and celebrate with me every small step that gets us closer to becoming parents.

Blindsided

I can say with all certainty that I never saw the very long road of infertility and IVF ahead of me. But it is exactly where my husband and I have found ourselves. The unexpectedness also came with frustration. I'm Italian. I should be fertile, damn it!

I've decided to blog because others have ... and it has helped me. If you have found yourself needing a helping hand from science in order procreate and stumble upon this blog, I hope knowing there are others out there helps.

The Diagnosis

Unexplained infertility. On paper, we look good.

Now 37, but have been trying with my hubby for 3 years.

The Tally

  • 7 IUIs. All negative, except for 1 ectopic.
  • 2 IVFs. 2 big, fat negatives. And can I say, not at all as fun as trying the old fashioned way.
  • Currently in the midst of IVF #3 at CCRM.

For this cycle, we went to the big guns. At CCRM, we decided to have CCS testing to make sure all 23 pairs of chromosomes are present. It's part of a clinical trial; up to this point, most pre-implantation testing has been done with FISH, a process that only tests for 9 sets of chromosomes. So far, the trial has created impressive results. Most participants are women older than 35 with multiple failed IVFs. Pregnancy rates using blasts that have come back genetically sound have been around 78 percent. Amazing!!

Four Good Eggs

The egg retrieval for this round happened back in October. I was a hen house carrying around 20 eggs. 18 were mature, 15 fertilized, 7 made it to blast (nearly quadruple the number we made at previous IVFs at a different clinic). All 7 were sent away for genetic testing. Statistically, around half usually come back normal. We got four! We are transferring two at the end of this month.