Baby Biver Update

First off, thank you to all of you following our journey.  Thank you for writing to me, calling me and checking in on me regularly throughout the past couple weeks!

Today is Day 6 and we got the final call on how many were biopsied( to be sent to RGI in Chicago for PGD testing) and the embryos frozen here in the fertility center.

We have 11 that made it to either expanded blastocyst or even better hatching blastocyst stage and are now frozen.  To put it into perspective for those of you not sure, last round we had 2 reach this stage and 1 of those come back as "normal" or balanced.  To have 11 really helps my confidence that this will be our cycle!

11 frosties as of now :) I love them all!

Now to celebrate and relax until next week (7-10) days when we get the PGD results!

Thank you all for your sweet words of encouragement and love!

Fertilization Report

Yesterday was an amazing day full of anesthesia, apple juice and of course all of my eggs!


Here is the retrieval report and fertilization report that we received this AM!!

Fertilization Report

 

We have 35 embryos growing and developing right now!  I am blown away by the differences in my first IVF and this one.  I feel so thankful today.

 

Grow babies grow!

 

 

More updates as the week goes on!

 

Triggered and Ready for Thursday!!!!

Yesterday morning I went in to the Naperville Fertility Center and had blood drawn and another ultrasound.

Follicle Count:

Right Ovary: 14 measurable and several 16-17mm follicles

Left Ovary: 22 measurable and several 16-17mm follicles

Estrogen Level: 11,875- Can you say off the charts?!?

Got the call yesterday afternoon that I was going to trigger at 7pm last
night :)  They also warned me that I had OHSS ( over stimulated on the meds) and that I should start taking precautions ahead of the retrieval!

Two trigger shots (Lupron and Low Dose HCG done at 7pm!!)

 

I will update tomorrow after retrieval!!

Retrieval in Sight...

Sorry I haven't updated since I started stims(Injections) 10 days ago.  I will update on the past 10 days and get everyone up to speed where we are at today!

I have been stimming for 10 days today!!( I have been in for blood and ultrasound 5 times since I started stimming).  At first this past Wednesday it seemed like not to much was happening, the follicles seemed small and like the stims weren't doing to much yet.  I then started to add 2 more shots.  So total for the past 5 days I have been on Follistim, Ganerilix and Low-Dose HCG.  My tummy is full of shot marks and mini bruises at this point in the process.  Needless to say now there are so many follicles growing that it was hard to get out of bed this AM :)  Thank God!

Low Dose HCG

 

Since I am on a different protocol my meds and doses are different than my first go at IVF.  I feel exhausted, have had headaches, insomnia, and have been nauseous for 5 days.  All of this is most likely a result of the whole combo of strong meds as well as the HCG injections.  I basically feel pregnant which is a strange feeling that I haven't had in a few years.  I have finally been crying again, over anything and everything :)  After the last miscarriage followed by our failed IVF I became very numb and didn't cry about anything.  I felt cold and like my heart was protecting itself from hurting anymore.  But thanks to this wild thing we call IVF meds I am back to crying over Subaru commercials!



Reflecting on the unexpected in life.



All in all, its been a interesting week filled with many emotions!

As of now, I have over 20 follicles and several are close to 15-17mm while several are still in the 13-14mm range.  FYI they like to trigger at around 17-18mm.  The ultrasound tech said today she thinks I will stim one more day then trigger tomorrow.  however, it depends on my estradiol results that will come back this afternoon and what the doctor decides.  So I am either triggering today or most likely tomorrow!  After I trigger it is an exact number of hours ( not exactly sure but something like 38 hours) until our retrieval!!!!

Retrieval will either be Wednesday or Thursday, then the waiting game begins!