IVF - Very Intimidating

IVF

In Vitro Fertilization 

Simply put, those words scare me. For me, there is so much pressure and so much hope involved and the very big chance of disappointment. 

My husband and I have had many discussions about IVF. It was the first thing we talked about before adoption. Now that we have adopted, before we go that route again, we have decided to try IVF. 

I started the IVF process with so much enthusiasm. I couldn't help but be excited and hopeful that this would work for us. I was certain this would be an easy process. A few injections, an egg retrieval, an embryo transfer, and boom, a baby. That's not how it works at all. 

I thought when we went for our orientation appointment that we would just be dipping our toes in the water and getting a feel for what was to come. Well, little did I know that my next menstrual cycle we could start IVF. So day one of my cycle, I phoned the clinic and started my injections. I was so optimistic. 2 injections a day to start, bloodwork and ultrasound every 3 days to monitor. This was going to be easy, or so I thought.

Then came the egg retrieval. They were able to retrieve 25 eggs...my ovaries are power houses! I was warned the egg retrieval would be uncomfortable, but I was not warned about what was to come. After the retrieval, the ovaries can stay enlarged for 6-8 weeks because the follicles fill with blood and fluid. I was in so much pain (this has a lot to do with previous abdominal surgeries and scar tissue). I could barely walk, I had a hard time going to the washroom, I couldn't do anything. Not to mention I had horrible nausea.  

3 days later when the lab called to say we would be doing a day 5 transfer, I was still in excruciating pain. I was given a stronger pain medication to help make me comfortable. On day 5, waiting in the waiting room, I sat uncomfortably looking at the other women wondering how they aren't in any pain. They looked fine, like nothing had happened, and here I am, barely even able to sit  (the nurse actually came and got me and let me lie down in a room while I waited). I had to remind myself that my circumstances were different. 

Once our embryo had been transferred, the waiting game began. 

Side note: Out of those 25 eggs retrieved, 20 were fertilized. From those 20 fertilized eggs, we ended with 1 embryo (which was transferred) and 2 blastocysts which we froze. It seems like so much to have gone through for 3 embryos, but I have been reminding myself, that we are very blessed to have gotten 3. Some people go through the whole process and don't have any.