I had no idea everything including the medications and science that went
into IVF. It is absolutely unbelievable the precision and science that
was involved! The first medication you start on is Pregnitude. It is a white powder that is made of Folic Acid and Myo-Inositol to help support ovulatory function, menstrual regularity and mature eggs for fertilization. You just mix it with 8 oz of water 2x a day. It is not bad at all, it has no taste. This was available over the counter at Walgreens.
Our next step was having a nurse consult with an IVF nurse. At this appointment we go over all the meds and each step of the IVF procedure. We also got to practice how to load some of the needles with the meds and how to prep for them. We were given a personalized medication instruction sheet. I had to start taking birth control pills. I had not taken these in over 10 years! The good news is you are only on them for a short time, not even 2 weeks. My last active pill was on 09/20/14. Even thought I just had my period 2 weeks before, I was expected to get it again 3-5 days after the last pill. I had another bloodwork and ultrasound appointment on 09/22. At these appointments, they take 1 vial of blood to check hormone levels and a quick vaginal ultrasound to check the size of your ovaries and the number of follicles each has. On 9/24, the shots started. Every evening for the next 3 nights, I had a shot of Follistrum, (some people get Gonal F depending on your insurance) and 2 vials of Menopur. This is a powder that you mix with a sodium chloride solution and also inject. The first night was overwhelming. I could not remember the practice day in the office. FCI has an amazing website that they post videos on each medication and how to prep and take. I did have to watch the Menopur video to make sure I was doing it right. This was so emotional. I am not afraid of needles at all but I was a nervous wreck..Was I going to get sick from the meds? What were they going to make me feel like? I felt so bad I kept snapping at Shawn when he tried to help. Finally I told him to leave and I wanted to do it myself. I think he wanted the joy of poking me with the needles! The way I acted, I didn't blame him!! A friend from high school had gone through IVF and had been so helpful and supportive. I don't know what I would have done or been like without her advice. She recommended icing the area before the injection, laying on the couch and having the hubby inject. Obviously, I was too stubborn and going to do it myself. The first night, I did the ice and did not feel a thing. The needles are so small that you don't even feel it. The next night, I did no ice and still, did not feel it. At this point, if you are not taking folic acid or a prenatal, you need to start. Also, Shawn had to start "clearing himself out" every 2-3 days. Next came another ultrasound and bloodwork on 9/27. Of course this fell on the morning of my sister's bachelorette party! Luckily there is an office downtown not far from where we were staying downtown. This downtown location was super busy for Saturday morning. It really amazed me how many people were going through fertility issues and needed help! After each ultrasound, they call and tell you where your hormone levels are and how many follicles you have and their sizes. Ideally they wan them between 18-20. The next week, I had blood and ultrasound appointments on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Oh yes and I am still taking all of the medications and shots each night. My follicles were finally where they needed to be do be removed and I was scheduled for retrieval on Saturday. I took my "trigger shot" Thursday night. By this time your abdomen is swollen and sore. In the beginning your ovaries are the size of thumbs. At the stage I was at ready for retrieval, my ovaries were the size of the tennis balls! When we got to the office Saturday, I felt nervous, excited and scared. For this procedure, they put you out in the twilight phase, like when you have a colonoscopy. I really don't remember much from when I woke up. The nurse did come in and tell us that we had 26 eggs removed! Wow! While I was in the retrieval, Shawn had to do his business and give his fresh sample. They then take my eggs and separate them and inject a single sperm into each egg. We had to now wait 24 hours to hear how many eggs were usable or mature. Some are going to be too mature and some not mature enough, again they are looking for the 18-20 size. I felt fine after the surgery, a little punch-drunk but that's it. I went home and got to just lay and watch football..Not bad! There is no pain, just still the bloated feeling. The warn you of constipation as a side effect and that to avoid it, start taking metamucil. I waited until Sunday night and still having problems a few days later! Sunday 10/5 was my mom's birthday. We went out to dinner and the 7 glasses of water I drank made me even more bloated I felt 9 months pregnant..I know, I know just wait! They also tell you to eat salty foods and drink Gatorade. That did not seem to be helping me too much. The bloating seemed to go down each day. We got the call Sunday morning that we had 5 mature eggs and 4 were fertilized. 4 more eggs also matured and were going to be feritilized on Sunday. Monday we were told there were 9 embryos! NINE!!! 9 out of 26 may not be good odds, but having 9 embryos is great! We had decided not to freeze them. As I mentioned, our insurance is the best for IVF, they cover everything. They don't cover the freezing. It is $1200 to freeze the unused embryos. Since insurance covers 4 attempts a year, it seemed silly to spend $1200 when if this did not work, the insurance would cover it. After hearing that we had 9 embryos, I started thinking that we should freeze them. The doctor had already said that their intent is not for us to have a litter so they only will implant 2 embryos. That left 9 of our embryos being destroyed.. What if this didn't take and we had to do it again? Even though the insurance covers it, there is a lot that I put on my body going through all the meds and tests. Maybe it was worth it to freeze them? Shawn and I share different views...Some people don't believe that the embryos are human, some people believe that life begins at conception. These embryos have been growing every day in the incubator. I hated the thought of discarding them. At the beginning you fill out a lot of paperwork. One of the forms is what you would do if:
1. The woman dies.. Who gets the eggs?
2. The partner dies..Who gets the eggs?
3. If there is a divorce...Who gets the eggs?
4. If both parents die..Who gets the eggs?
Your choices are to destroy them, donate them for research or donate to someone. Neither Shawn or I could imagine donating them to someone. It sounds horrible, not wanting to help someone or another couple conceive a child but we could not imagine having a child that was biologically ours out there and us not knowing it. We decided on all of these options, to donate them to research. Even that decision now was starting to affect me. Shawn's parents had a friend whose daughter did IVF and they froze her eggs and they eventually had a child from them. After hearing their story, they got worried that because they took so many eggs out of me this time, that we may not be so lucky next time. They offered to gift us the money for the freezing. So generous and loving! We debated back and forth and decided to wait until the morning of the implantation to see how many were still good.
It is Tueday, October 8th and I am just writing this blog..It is something I have been thinking about doing but have been putting off. I just got the call that my appointment is for 8:20am. Of course Shawn had to go out of town for work on an emergency last minute trip to North Carolina! He was so excited to be able to be in the room and watch the embryos be implanted. My mom is going to take me.. Some grandparents get to be there for the first ultrasound or at the birth, but how many acutally get to watch them be put into the mother's uterus!! HA! I am fortunate to have my best friend off work this week so she can pick me up and take me home. Instructions for the next 2 days? Be a couch potato and relax!
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| Most of the meds I will be taking over the next 30 days |
