And it was... POSITIVE!!!

Took the blood test on Saturday- never been so nervous for a test I couldn't study for.  I was feeling really calm up until the actual blood test. When the doctors called me an hour later I could hardly wait to get home to call them back with Hans. And then they said it was a yes! Dr. Richards said my levels were high enough that he feels there is a good chance of twins. I did a follow up on Monday and the levels are rising, just as they should be. We definitely are excited, but it doesn't feel real. I don't feel any different yet, although I'm told the nausea usually starts around week 6 or 8. I am at about 4 weeks now- due February 24, 2016! :)

In another 2-3 weeks, we will have an ultrasound to check on things and count heartbeats to see if we will be having 1 or 2- then I think it will feel more real.  After that, we find an OB doctor and I am just a regular expectant mommy.

Transfer Day

Yesterday, Laura, Naiya, and Aria drove me to Logan for the embryo transfer. The girls were having a hard time understanding how they were going to put babies in me. I was talking about being nervous, and being nervous about being nervous. Laura told me about a conversation with a friend who said, "Think about all the babies born in way more critical circumstances(drugs, etc.). If they all survived their conception and made it through pregnancy, than you probably can't hurt yours because you were a little bit nervous."

The doctors were still a little worried about me becoming hyperstimulated- retaining too much water and having my ovaries over swollen. They talked to me about the risks- that I might become much more uncomfortable and may even have to go to the ER to have fluids drained. But, they said that even if that happened it would not affect the embryos. I felt better yesterday than I have since Saturday's procedure, so I told them I was ok with discomfort as long as the embryos were not at risk. I wanted to go ahead.

I had to have a full bladder so that they could get a clear picture with the ultrasound. Other than that discomfort, the procedure was painless. It probably also helped that they had me take a Valium an hour prior. But, I have had no pain since.

I got to watch on the big screen as they put the tiny catheter needle into my endometrium and deposited our embryos- just a bright white dot on the screen. We were also able to freeze 6 more healthy embryos, which means we could do this three more times if needed, at a much lower cost.

Today, I am taking it easy- Doctor's orders. I'm praying for our embryos to be happy and healthy in their new home and that they will continue to grow strong. I know it is in the Lord's hands- whether we have one or two, or whether it is not this time. I feel so very blessed to be able to do this with Hans- my biggest supporter and friend- my partner for eternity.

JUNE 18th will be the first pregnancy test. Soon after that they will do another ultrasound to count heartbeats.

Aria and Naiya said they were praying for me, and Aria said, "I REALLY want you to have babies!" She is four and she is a character. When she was three, we were talking about birthdays and she said, "When I am four I will be HILARIOUS!"

Retrieval Day

On Saturday morning, Hans and I left the house at 6:30 and arrived at the doctors office in Logan just before 9. I got into my hospital gown and got the needle stuck in my arm and then woke up to the nurse and Hans asking me questions and helping me get dressed and back out to the car.

On Sunday Dr. Richards called to say that he was able to fertilize 22 eggs! He explained that if we only had a few good ones by Monday, that we would implant on Day 3, but if we had a good number growing, we would do the transfer on Day 5.

Today he called and said that he felt we should go to Day 5. Apparently, that is also when they reach blastocyst and can be frozen. So, on Thursday we will transfer two of the best embryos and freeze the rest.

The doctors are concerned that I might be hyperstimulated, which is when your ovaries become very swollen and painful. If it continues, they will have to freeze all the eggs and wait until next month for transfer. I am supposed to measure my weight and circumference every day and drink a lot of fluids with electrolytes. I have been very uncomfortable - my lower abdomen hurts and I feel like I am full of gas. I've had spells of nausea and have not felt like eating much of anything, except salt. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I'm wearing my Grandma Adeline's house dress every chance I get because it is about the only thing that doesn't feel tight(poor Hans.) I think it is getting better though, so I am hopeful that we can go ahead on Thursday and get the babies into Mommy(that's Me) :)

Hans Describes Azure Waking up from Anesthesia

As I was sitting in the waiting room I could hear the nurses talking to Azure trying to get her to wake up.  After about 10 minutes of this they finally asked me to come back.  Azure was very out of it and her chin was quivering.  The nurse said that was common.  I could tell Azure just wanted to sleep as she was very drowsy and we all know how much she likes to sleep.  The best way to describe this moment would be compare it to sacrament meeting.

After about 5 minutes of talking to her Azure asked how many eggs were retrieved to which we told her 31.  I could tell by the nurses response that she had already told her that at least once before.  They we told Azure that as soon as she got dressed and got in the car she could sleep.  She was pretty excited about the idea of sleeping in the car and said "I can really sleep in the car?"  After another 20 minutes of encouraging her to keep her eyes open and talk to us I asked her if she knew how many eggs were retrieved and she said "no, how many".  Then again, I told her to fight off the sleep and keep her eyes open so we could get her dressed and in the car.  I told her once she got in the car she could sleep while I drove and she was shocked and asked again if she could sleep in the car.  This happened one more time about 10 minutes later.  It was fun teasing Azure and trying to get her to laugh.  The best part was when we finally got in the car I told Azure that they mixed up my sperm with another patient's sperm to which she said "I'm going to have a black baby".  I was pretty impressed that she was coherent enough to be that witty and that she did not freak out.

My favorite part of the experience was seeing her in a very vulnerable state and realizing how much I love and care for her.  She was happy to see me and I felt we grew closer together through the experience.

Final Ultrasound

Dr. Amesse gave me an "A" for quality of my uterine lining. Thickness was 11 and the doctors say they like it to be at least an 8.  Woohoo!

The egg follicles are growing very well. Dr. Amesse says he is hopeful we may get as many as 16 good eggs, which is great for my age!

Retrieval is Saturday morning!

Something encouraging I found from a quick google search:
"A recent study published online in the journal Human Reproduction found that retrieving around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle gave a woman the best chance of a successful pregnancy and birth. The study found there was a strong relationship between live birth rates and the number of eggs retrieved in one cycle."
https://www.fertilityauthority.com/articles/15-magic-number-egg-retrieval

IVF Stuff

Estradiol(blood tests):  I got 613 on Friday and 2816 on Monday, which won't mean much to most of us(including me.) All I know is that it is supposed to be rising, but not too much. Dr. Richards says it looks good.

Ultrasound: On Saturday, we got to see the growing follicles. They look like clusters of bubbles. I have about 6 that are really good size, and a bunch more that may be catching up. Tomorrow morning I will drive up to Logan for 1 more ultrasound. After this one, the Doctors will decide(based on growth rates) whether to do the retrieval on Friday or Saturday.

Symptoms have not been too bad. I've been tired, but not a lot more than usual. I've been a little more emotional and sometimes grumpy. My brain feels kind of muddy sometimes, especially when I'm tired.(I hope that is just a symptom of the hormone injections.)

I sobbed when our neighbor's old Bassett hound, Dash, died last week.  But, I really did feel like he was partly our dog since he used to come and visit us almost every night looking for treats or a belly scratch. I told Hans I thought Dash was going to be there to comfort me if things didn't work out. Maybe he just won't need to.

I've started going for walks every night, which seems to help the moods and the energy. I am definitely bloated, which is normal when you are growing a bunch of egg follicles. No big deal, just not wearing my "skinny" jeans much.

I'm feeling positive about everything. I really feel like it is all going to work out, and maybe we will even have twins. I don't talk much about the alternative. I don't think much about the alternative. Maybe I should. "They" say you're supposed to prepare for that possibility. But, I don't see the point. And, if I ever do start talking about it, friends usually steer me quickly back to positive. And I'm good with that.

IVF Schedule

E2 is an Estradiol blood test. U/S is an ultrasound where we check the growth of the egg follicles. You might have to click on the image to be able to read it, but the highlights are:

June 1st will be my first trip up to Logan for a final ultrasound. That ultrasound will tell us when we do the egg retrieval. Egg retrieval will be June 4, give or take a day. Three to five days after that we will transfer(implant) 2 or 3 embryos. Then, the hard part...waiting until the pregnancy test on June 21st.

IVF Continued

The Routine:

2 Shots in the Morning

1 at Night

IVF Adventure: Part I

Note: I am writing this blog partly as a therapy and personal/family history, and partly as a way to keep my family and dear friends informed. I didn't want it as public as Facebook, but if I am sharing this with you, just know that you have permission to share with anyone who might be interested or who you think may benefit.

Since my last post, I've found my Top Ten Guy(see previous post). I feel so very blessed and lucky to have married Hans Branch. When we first started dating, he asked if the fact that he had four kids was a concern for me. I told him no, as long as he was open to having more. He said he would be and he meant it. He said he wanted to have the experience of parenthood from the beginning with me. He said he could see how I light up when I hold a baby and how much I want to be a mother and he wants me to have that opportunity. He left no doubt about his commitment when he underwent a painful surgery(vasectomy reversal) a few months before we married.

Several months after our marriage,  the doctor started me on a round of Clomid. Since we were both 39, we didn't feel that we could wait and hope for a full year before taking any action. This lasted about 4 months, with no success. I had also been tracking my temperature every morning and taking ovulation tests. So, just after our 1 year anniversary in March, we decided to take the plunge and use up everything I had saved to pay off my student loan debts to instead pursue IVF.

All of our tests have been good/normal: my HSG(x-ray of uterus and fallopian tubes), and blood tests, his semen analysis. This is good, because it means that there is no major concern to make us poor candidates for the IVF, but frustrating because we still don't know why we haven't been able to get pregnant naturally.

A friend of Hans's referred us to Dr. Richards, who was their IVF doctor. They traveled to CA for the procedure. Lucky for us Dr. Richards now practices in Utah, so we only have to travel to Logan.

The PROCESS

I have been taking Prenatal Vitamins with Zinc and Folate since we decided to pursue this. On April 27, I started taking Birth Control pills- only the red ones, no sugar pills, until the Doctor told me to stop on the 17th. Hans and I both had to take a week of an antibiotic, which I hated to do, but it is standard for all IVF couples, so I decided to trust the doctors and go ahead with it. I have also been drinking Kefir and eating raw sauerkraut to try and replace the probiotics.

On May 12, I started giving myself an injection every morning, which really hasn't been too bad. The tiny needle doesn't hurt at all, but I learned not too push the med in too quickly after bruising myself badly from the first one.

On Friday, I had an Estradiol blood test and on Saturday I had my first vaginal Ultrasound. Dr. Richards said the blood level(less than 25) was right where it should be. He also said that it looks as though I have a good number of eggs in there that we can work on growing over the next couple of weeks.

On Monday I will be adding two more injections to stimulate the growth of the egg follicles. Then, I'll have another Estradiol test and ultrasound this weekend.

If you have any questions about all of this, please feel free to comment or ask. I'll be updating once or twice a week until the end of June, after I take the pregnancy test.

We would be grateful for your prayers on our behalf.