I've been a complete slacker with posting, I know. Sorry. I'll recap quickly and get to the good stuff! We ended doing STIMS for 10 days and triggering 10/21 at 8pm. Retrieval was Friday morning and we retrieved 8 eggs!! I know it doesn't seem like much, but compared to the 2 that we got last time, I was ready to do a jig in the middle of the surgery center. So now, on top of the 8 that we had just retrieved, we still had the 2 that were frozen from the previous cycle, which would now be unfrozen and put in the lab to grow with the others. So 10 y'all, 10! We were told to prepare for a 5 day transfer, which means the little embryo's would grow and thrive in the lab for 5 days, and we would transfer them back in on Wednesday, 10/28. Sometimes, they'll do a 3 day transfer, so we knew this was a possibility but were planning for 5. How do they determine a 3 vs. 5 day transfer? If on day 3, there are multiple embryos (4 or more) that are thriving and developing at the same pace, then they prefer them to continue growing in the lab until the 5th day. This gives the embryos 2 more days to grow [or not grow] making it easier for them to select the best 2 for transfer. If on day 3, there are only 2 or 3 embryos that stand out and are doing much better than the others, then they'll go ahead and transfer them that day and get them back where they belong. They can do incredible things in a lab these days, but at the end of the day the uterus is the best incubator. SO, on day three (yesterday) we got a call early in the morning from the nurse telling us to come in for transfer. Did I freak a little? Maybe. At that point, I had it in my head that the only reason they put the embryos in early was because they weren't doing very well, but that's not the case. There are actually some fertility clinics who ONLY do 3 day transfers because regardless of the number, they thrive better in the womb.
So got to the surgery center in Dallas 2 hours early (anxious much? lol). Let me just tell you the trickiest part of the whole day was keeping my bladder full. If you've ever had to do this before, bless your heart. I think I'd rather have kidney stones. Basically I drank 50oz of water when we first got there and for the entire 3 hours that we had to wait...I had to pee. Not like those times where you kinda have to pee but you can probably hold it another 30 minutes or so, I'm talking bladder-bursting, almost painful, I was literally holding myself pee. The only thing I was allowed to do was "let a little out". Seriously? Do you know hard that is? It's like opening the Hoover Dam and trying to limit the amount of water that comes through. Forget it. The reason they want your bladder full is because it pushes down on your uterus, making it easier for the doctor to place the embryos. See that big black blob above my uterus? Yeah, that's my bladder.
So got to the surgery center in Dallas 2 hours early (anxious much? lol). Let me just tell you the trickiest part of the whole day was keeping my bladder full. If you've ever had to do this before, bless your heart. I think I'd rather have kidney stones. Basically I drank 50oz of water when we first got there and for the entire 3 hours that we had to wait...I had to pee. Not like those times where you kinda have to pee but you can probably hold it another 30 minutes or so, I'm talking bladder-bursting, almost painful, I was literally holding myself pee. The only thing I was allowed to do was "let a little out". Seriously? Do you know hard that is? It's like opening the Hoover Dam and trying to limit the amount of water that comes through. Forget it. The reason they want your bladder full is because it pushes down on your uterus, making it easier for the doctor to place the embryos. See that big black blob above my uterus? Yeah, that's my bladder.
Moving on! Doug got to come in the OR with us and watch them place the embryos in. This was so cool. Men are so different than women, they don't really grasp the gravity of a situation until they're IN THE MOMENT. You could literally see 5 different emotions hit Doug's face the second he saw them being released into my uterus. This was such a cool experience for both of us. The whole procedure took about 5 minutes, but there they are....2 of OUR embryos nice and snug in my uterus. We're not in the clear yet, but this is the furthest we've gotten on this journey so we're celebrating nonetheless. Here's a little recap of what's going on in there for the next 11 days:
1 day post transfer - embryo is growing and developing
2 days post transfer - Embryo is now a blastocyst
3 days post transfer - Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
4 days post transfer - Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
5 days post transfer - Implantation begins,as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
6 days post transfer - Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
7 days post transfer - Morula is completely inmplanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
8 days post transfer - Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
9 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
10 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
11 days post transfer - HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on HPT
So eleven days from now, on Nov 6th, we'll get to take our first pregnancy test. We are so excited and can barely stand the wait , but we're enjoying it. We're Praying. Recruiting prayers. And praying some more. Here's a picture of our two little ones!
1 day post transfer - embryo is growing and developing
2 days post transfer - Embryo is now a blastocyst
3 days post transfer - Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
4 days post transfer - Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
5 days post transfer - Implantation begins,as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
6 days post transfer - Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
7 days post transfer - Morula is completely inmplanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
8 days post transfer - Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
9 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
10 days post transfer - More HCG is produced as fetus develops
11 days post transfer - HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on HPT
So eleven days from now, on Nov 6th, we'll get to take our first pregnancy test. We are so excited and can barely stand the wait , but we're enjoying it. We're Praying. Recruiting prayers. And praying some more. Here's a picture of our two little ones!