It's a little strange going through IVF. Every step is so planned. There's also all this uncertainty during each step of the process. The one cool thing about IVF is the pictures of your embryo that you get. First baby pictures at the cell level. Craziness. But there's also the "knowing" that this one procedure can impact the rest of your life - if it works.
As I thought about my transfer today I kept wondering, "Will today be the day my life will change?" To get to this point, it's been months in the making. My frozen embryos were retrieved on February 17th, 7 months ago! Not to mention all the stuff that had to happen to get to retrieval and all that's happened since. The gift of technology. But even with technology, there's no guarantee that IVF will work. That's all in God's hands. There's only a 60% chance. Not to mention the mystery around my embryos since they're not PGS tested.
Here's a diagram of what it looks like when they put the embryos back in the uterus.
Pretty similar to an IUI really. They put the speculum in, clean the cervix, then insert the catheter through the cervix, insert the embryos, then you're done!
My friend, that's kind of like my "adoptive mom," came with me to the procedure. She was also at my FET #2 transfer and she's the one that transported me to my Egg Retrieval for IVF #2. Things went as they have for my previous transfers. Arrive. Go back to the room. Take off my clothes. Put on a hospital gown. Sign away all my rights. Take pictures in the funny hospital attire. Have my blood pressure taken. Check my heart rate. The nurse read to me all the "post transfer" instructions. Including: no orgasms and no intercourse. I started laughing at that. She looked so serious when she said it and with my situation, it was just funny. Not to mention I was on valium, so everything was a little funny. Then my RE and the Embryologist come into the room. They show me the pictures of my embryos and I just kind of tune out the rest. Had to sign more paperwork.
Both embryos thawed = Yay! One was a little behind on expanding into the cavity at the time they took the pictures, which was 2 hours earlier than my procedure. By the time of my procedure, both embryos were hatching! Which is really good. We did do assisted hatching on both of them.
After signing all the waiver forms, I walked back to the transfer room. Tried to hold my hospital gown closed in the back, didn't want to flash anyone! In the transfer room, I got situated on the table and the big spot light was shining on my private lady bits. Always so awkward. For some reason the transfer seemed to take longer than last time. Although I'm pretty sure it lasted just about the same amount of time, not more than 15 minutes or so. I didn't fart = win. I didn't pee on my doctor = win! I can't get over how there were 4 people standing down watching my embryos be inserted into my uterus. At this point in TTC, there isn't much privacy.
I STILL didn't see the embryos "zoom" across the catheter into my uterus on the monitor. I even wore my glasses so I could see better. My RE showed me where it was, I'll just take his word for it. My RE was so nice and sweet with wishing me luck.
I laid down for 20 minutes elevated in the hospital bed (supposed to help relieve the bladder). Then I had my heart rate and blood pressure checked again. I got the all clear and I was wheeled out of there to the car.
It's done! My embryos are home with me right now.
It's a little strange because I had all this anxiety leading up to the transfer. The transfer was pretty consistent with my other transfers. But after my embryos were "in" I had this sense of relief. It finally happened. I finally got here. Now, the anxiety has slowly dripped away... for now.
Now, the new countdown begins... the countdown to the beta test and surviving the two week wait, which is really 8 days for me (thank goodness!).
Next Steps:
- 9/26/16: Progesterone and E2 Blood Test
- 9/30/16: Beta Test
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