Update: IVF and PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis)

We are getting ready for the first big appointment in the IVF process! Egg retrieval!
Our egg retrieval is planned for Friday, September 20th!

A little recap…

I have now been doing hormone injections for 10 days. I began with only Follistim injections in the evenings between 6-8 pm, but after the first 3 days, I also began Menapur injections. For those who are reading this and have had repeated IVF procedures, forgive my exclamation, as I’m sure this is old news to you, but 2 needles in my belly every night is not fun! Then on Sunday, I also began Ganirelix injections in the morning to prevent me from ovulating too soon. So that’s 3 injections per day! This is not enjoyable, but so far things are going smoothly. Well almost.

Meds

The doctor had me a little worried last week because early in the process after the first few days of injections, there were only 6 follicles showing growth. The other 4 follicles that we saw at my baseline ultrasound were not growing at all. Dr. J said he wanted at least 9 or 10 follicles in order to have enough embryos to send for genetic testing. He said it’s best to have at least 8 embryos to send for testing in order to give us the best odds, and if we only get 6 eggs, the likelihood that they will all fertilize and live long enough to be tested isn’t very good. If that is the case, he would recommend fertilizing the eggs, but then freezing them as one batch and then doing another IVF cycle to get more. Needless to say, this was not a happy prospect. I had a good cry on the drive home, but decided that I need to trust Dr. J and do what he thinks is best. Given our history, he wants to give us the best odds he can. And though this process isn’t fun, I know I can do it again if I have to. We would only have to wait one cycle and then we would start again in November with another round of hormones and another egg retrieval. Perhaps it’s a good idea to get as many eggs we can. If we end up having to do this, I’ll be OK. However, we had good news at the next appointment. There were 3 more follicles growing for a total of 9 maturing follicles! This is pretty good. At yesterday’s appointment, Dr. J said they are all growing consistently and looking really good, so we might be OK! We will know more after the retrieval and fertilization. If we have at least 8 embryos, and they live until 5-day blast, then this should be a good number for testing. So, we are praying for lots of healthy embryos!

The Next Step

Tomorrow, I go in to confirm that the follicles are measuring the right size. They were all measuring around 15mm on Monday, but Dr. J wants them to be around 18-20mm before we do the retrieval. So hopefully we are there tomorrow and will keep our plan for retrieval on Friday! If the measurements are good tomorrow, I will be instructed to take the trigger shot, Ovidrel and we will go in on Friday for the first big phase of this process! Keep checking back. I will continue to post updates as things progress in the days to come.

To end on a positive note, Dr. J said that although I don’t have really high numbers, the follicles look really good and this is a good indication that the eggs are healthy. I am sending out many prayers and wishes that he is right!

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