God is Good! Transfer tomorrow!

THIS POST IS OUT OF ORDER AS IT WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY POSTED! The date should be: February 11, 2012

Egg retrieval was at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday (2-9). This was my third time and thank the Lord it was the best retrieval yet!

• 24 eggs retrieved
• 17 mature
• 14 fertilized normally with ICSI

Previously, my RE has only called on Friday with the fertilization report. But this time, he called around 3:30 Thursday afternoon to tell me how many eggs were mature. (He told me in the recovery room how many were retrieved.)

 Then he called again around 10:30 a.m. on Friday with the fertilization report. I was absolutely amazed and so thrilled that we have 14 embies!!!! God is good!

He did put me on a medication to prevent OHSS (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome--once the eggs and fluid are taken from the follicles, the follicles collapse. But, they fill back up to produce various hormones that assist with pregnancy. When 24 follicles fill back up, you feel pretty swollen! This usually subsides on its own, but sometimes can be a real problem). I'm still feeling pretty bloated and I think the anesthesia made me constipated. Like a dummy, I took a mild laxative last night to encourage some movement, but ended up getting a pretty bad upset stomach all day today. (Not to mention the two times I threw up early this morning.) I don't know if all of this is only related to the laxative or if I do have a mild case of OHSS. I have been able to eat a little today and I've been forcing fluids. I finally broke down and took some Pepto Bismol, but I don't want to take so much that I end up constipated again!

So, this has been our best cycle as far as embryos go, but the worst for me physically. I pray that it will all be worth it!

I did something kind of silly yesterday. I managed to make it to work (and kept my pants unbuttoned most of the day!) and decided to go get lunch near my REs office. I talked to our babies while I was there. I know that is kind of ridiculous--they couldn't possibly know that I was nearby, but I just felt this urge to be close to them. 

Our transfer is at 12 noon tomorrow. We will put back two embryos and the embryologist will do assisted hatching (they make a tiny, tiny hole in the outer embryo shell to encourage implantation) just before the transfer. We will get a photo of the two embryos. The remaining embryos will continue to be cultured in the lab and whichever ones continue to thrive will be frozen on day six. We will probably lose some over the next few days. It would be amazing, though, if we had 3 or 4 make it to blast for freezing, just in case this doesn't work out and we have to do another frozen transfer (FET).

Wish us luck!!! Here we come babies!

Mrs. W