On July 27th, I started my IVF journey. Yes, we've been preparing for this moment for a while, and it seems that it had already started some time ago. Initially, there were so many obstacles in our way that it didn't seem like we'd actually get somewhere. Sure enough, a 20 thousand dollar shipment (don't worry, insurance covered all but $4,000) of medication arrived on my door step. 

My initial thoughts...no freaking way could I do this. 

The contents of the medication box consisted of a variety of different sized needles, and vials filled with liquid that I would need to start injecting into my abdomen every night. 

As I organized the items, and cleared the entire top shelf of our refrigerator, I simply prayed for God to give me the strength to handle everything. Why? When I tell you the amount of medications were daunting, I'm not lying. But, this was a VITAL step in our journey. 

You may have read in previous posts that some of my lab work showed  "issues"  with the quality of my eggs- not the amount. In other words, I was able to produce more eggs than many women my age, however, many were not of the quality to survive. Therefore, I had been anxious about the egg retrieval step for some time- just wanting to retrieve as many eggs as possible before it was too late. 

That being said, the time had come for our daily routine of injections, ultrasounds, and blood work to begin. Each morning, I drove into the office for an ultrasound and lab work. Based on the results, the doctor would call me with my dosages for the evening injections. 

There were three different injections that needed to be given into my abdomen each night. One of my good friends had given me the cutest little ice packs which turned out to be a necessity in my routine. As I prepared each vial of medication, I placed the icepack on my abdomen to let the numbing commence. Two of the injections were quite easy, but one was extremely uncomfortable. 

I was unable to give myself the injections, so my husband- Sean- was tasked with it. There were a few times that he didn't make it through the skin, poked too hard, or took the needle out sideways causing me to bleed; but overall he got the hang of it. 

After this routine continued for almost two weeks, it was finally time for the "trigger shot." This shot was to be given in my butt and would prep my body for the retrieval. 

Over the course of two weeks, my emotions were definitely all over the place. I hate to blame it on the hormones, but to give you an idea, one nurse compared it to taking 100 birth control pills in one night and then stopping them suddenly. It's been a ride so far, and it's just the beginning!

The Egg Retrieval Procedure and Results

On the day of retrieval, August 8th, Sean and I drove into the office for my 10:30 procedure. This did require being put under anesthesia. After a few surgeries now, my body is familiar with anesthesia, however it's in my chart that I am "slow to wake." After being put under, my body struggles the first few times of being woken up, and I'm overly groggy. That being said, the procedure went well and I was very excited for my apple juice after! *Like, really excited about it.*

The procedure requires a doctor to go in vaginally with a needle, and individual retrieve each egg that they can find. For example, if they find 23 eggs, they need to go in 23 times to retrieve each egg.

Later that afternoon, I was told that the doctors retrieved 23 eggs (keep in mind, women drop only one egg per cycle. So the medications did their job!) Of those 23 eggs, 16 of them were mature enough to be injected with Sean's sperm- the rest did not make the cut. 

My first update came the day after; 14 of them had made it through the night. Over the next 5 days, they would continue to fertilize and I would be updated on day six.

Results:

Total number of embryos biopsied and frozen: 8

Grades: 3- 6BA, 1- 6BB+, 3- 6BB, 1- 5BB

The number refers to the developmental stage of the embryo: 5= currently hatching, 6= fully hatched.

The letter grade refers to the quality of the Inner Cell Mas (cell line that forms the fetus) and the Trophectoderm (cell line that forms the placenta.)

An "AA" would refer to the highest quality grade for both ICM and Trophectoderm cells. 

I'm currently waiting on the PGT results which will take one week, and then I will know officially if all eight embryos made it without any abnormalities. 

**UPDATE** We have received our PGT results. Two of our eight embryos did have abnormalities and are no longer viable to be used. We now have six healthy embryos that will be saved for use (:

Our final results: 3- 6BA, 2- 6BB, 1-5BB