The Case of the Incredible Shrinking Uterine Lining

So, we are in a holding pattern. Many pills, patches and acupuncture appointments later, my lining went from 7mm to 6mm. Um ... hello uterus ... that is NOT what I told you to do. It appears there are some communication issues between my uterus and I.

My nurse at CCRM told me that sometimes they see the lining begin to compact in a cycle. Basically, it is the body's way of saying, "it ain't happening this time." So ... it is disappointing to say the least, but we are trying to stay chin up. We still have four great quality 5-day-olds out there. We'll just have to learn patience before we get to bring them home. Patience has always been a tough one for me.

The next attempt probably won't be until April or May, since they want all the meds in my body now to completely flush out first. Spring is a beautiful time of year in Colorado, so we'll put that in the plus column. Next time through, we will use injectable estrogen along with the pills and patches and see if that does the trick. Since I haven't had this problem historically, they think it will. They will take the birth control pills and Lupron out of the equation.

What to Do While Waiting

I have an easy answer. Run away to Paris. This is my reaction to stress. Some people eat ... I choose to eat in a foreign country. I think I have officially convinced the hubby that we should book up. Perhaps the next time I post, I'll be eating a croissant!

To the Other IVFers Out There

If you are reading this, you are probably an IVFer like me. Just a shout out to the community boards on Fertility Community. They are an incredible place to vent, smile, chat and learn from all the other strong women experiencing the same thing. If you are headed to CCRM, there is a "CCRM Girls" group and lost of wisdom within in. I highly recommend it.

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.

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?

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.

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.