We met with our doctor on Wednesday (Which also happened to be our 5th anniversary.)and talked about IVF. It was really nice to have Dr. P point out that our chances go up from the normal average of 60-65% success, to 70-75%, because my eggs are so fabulous. If we can't know what is wrong with us, and have to deal with "unexplained infertility" we may as well get to have great numbers, right? The only problem with having such great numbers is how well my body could respond to the injections. I am at risk for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, which can make the whole process that much more painful and risky. It's very rare to come across really bad cases of OHSS, which puts my mind at ease. But even the last 2 weeks of dealing with achy cramps and other side effects from the 2 days of Gonal F, have me wondering how bad the pain will get? At the end of the day, I'll do whatever it takes, and I'll do my best to grin and bear it. One other thing he pointed out, each pregnancy has about a 6-7% risks involved, including high blood pressure, etc. With IVF pregnancies, your risks double, which means they will monitor you more, the entire pregnancy.
Dr. P talked about the steps we'll go through and talked about having good communication. It's pretty cool to now feel like a VIP at our clinic. Even though I'd rather not be in the club, it's a pretty great feeling, knowing our case is being monitored by so many different people. They want this to be just as successful as we do. They know that we are putting a lot of money into it and are making big changes in our lives to ensure we can have a baby. He told us some stories of some miscommunications they've had in the past, and stressed the importance that no question is too small, that we can call 24/7 and someone will answer. It does make you realize how important the timing of everything is. It's important to watch the things that I put in my mouth...Even a simple Homeopathic medication could have bad results or effects on our cycle. I will be giving up all caffeine. I will be giving up running. Luckily, I only have to give up running for a few weeks. That might be my toughest pill to swallow, thus far. I know it's for a good thing, and I'd never go against my doctors orders and go run. But it's been my source of comfort through all these years of heartache, and I've grown to love it and the effects it has on my body and mind. I will be doing lots of power walking.
So my cycle begins with about a month and a half of birth control pills. I talk to the nurse today, and we looked at a calendar and were thinking we could do my egg retrieval and embryo transfer the last week of August. My nurse pointed out that Dr. P has put a note in my chart, requesting to do my transfer. I asked her if he does that with all his patients and she said he absolutely doesn't. So it made me realize that I should take the extra attention from a doctor that I have come to truly trust and want to see him from start to finish. So we pushed it back a couple of weeks, since my doc will be on duty 2 weeks in a row in Sept, and would be able to do both my egg retrieval and transfer, which is very rare. I feel really good about the schedule I've made up and like the time I have to fully prepare for it. I can get some things done around the house, before I will be forced to slow down, to ensure the cycle and then hopefully early pregnancy goes smoothly.
So come Sept 4th, the cycle will officially begin. I will stop taking my BC pills on the 4th. I will have my first U/S on the 6th and will go over all the medications and injections I'll begin on the 9th. Egg retrieval will be around the 16-18th, and the transfer will happen 3-5 days after that. Even though it does seem like it's so far away, it will be here before we know it. We'll know by the beginning of October if we're pregnant. It makes me giddy to think about sharing happy pregnancy news with extended family at Christmas! Then I'd have a June due date, and could miss the heat of the summer that every pregnant woman complains about. I'm very excited to see what the future holds for us!
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