Let Me Start Over

First, my 4th beta results are 625! So it didn't exactly double but it went up 92% and that's good enough for me (technically 66% is good enough). My progesterone was 230 (anything over 20 is considered good) and this makes an ectopic unlikely. He did an ultrasound but couldn't tell anything (as expected) but he did say the lining of my uterus looked thick (uh..ok) and very promising. He said everything looked good for being 4 weeks and 6 days pregnant! I'm still cautious but now with more optimism. So, after the first beta results and before the numbers started acting funky, I had written the following:

the results are in...

and I am pregnant!

I love the clever stories about how women tell their husbands they are pregnant. But when you are scheduled to take a blood test, as in the case with IVF, it takes the element of surprise out of the equation. On Friday morning I went to the lab for my first beta test. I was told my nurse would call by the end of the day. Chris was working late that evening and I didn’t want to tell him over the phone, good or bad. I also didn’t want to wait until he got home. So, we made a plan to meet for a bite to eat at 4pm.

Knowing my doctors office closed at 4:30 and being afraid they would forget about me I couldn’t help but call at 2:30 to check in (did I mention I called at 10am to check when the office closed?). I was told my results were not in but they would call. Well, as I was driving to meet Chris I still hadn’t heard anything. At 4:15, with Chris sitting across from me, the phone rang. My heart started beating really fast and I answered on the first ring. It was my doctor. He started by saying ‘you’re pregnant’ and then by interpreting the significance of the beta number (which I was already very familiar with). He went on to say that anything over 5 was pregnant but that they hoped for over 50. I knew right then my beta was low. Then he went on to say it was 102!

Chris said I smiled when he told me I was pregnant and that my lip started quivering and eyes started watering when he told me the number. When you wait so long to hear those words they are actually quite surreal. We debated to tell anyone else but decided to wait until the second beta test results on Monday. So off Chris went back to work and I went home to get ready for a fundraising gala sans husband.

That night I was so excited to see there was sushi. Then I remembered pregnant people can’t eat sushi or so I’ve heard. Why have I not been eating tons of sushi prior to now? Probably because half of the last two years were spent waiting to see if I was pregnant. Though I must say I was happy to have a reason to avoid the sushi (and the champagne)!


Contrary to the cartoon, I have not peed on a single stick! It's quite amazing really. I just wanted definitive numbers that only a blood test could reveal. However, I have three home tests. One because I just really want to see both lines turn pink. And the other two just in case I need some reassurance that I am still pregnant.

The results are in...

8dp5dt: 102
11dp5dt: 209
13dp5dt: 325

interpretation: dp5dt means days past 5 day transfer. anything above 10 is considered pregnant. anything above 50 is considered good. every two (or three, depending on who you talk to) days the number should double. with that said, yes i am pregnant. and with that said, no my numbers are not rising as fast as my doctor would like. possible causes include impeding miscarriage/chemical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, or a stubborn embryo who will eventually grow.

i am scheduled for another beta and an ultrasound (to rule out ectopic) on friday. i have heard stories of the 4th beta spiking and everything going great. we are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

What can I say--we make good embryos!

Three more were frozen yesterday. That's a total of 12 embie pops! Only 2 embryos didn't make it to the uterus or the freezer. I'd say that's pretty good.

Last night Chris and I had the following conversation about my bloated stomach (seriously, I look 3 months preggo):

J: "Look at my stomach"
C: "It's practicing"
J: "Practicing what?"
C: "Stretching"

If you didn't know any better you might think Chris is a child. That's my husband!

now we wait (impatiently)

Before the transfer we were given a picture of our embies to be transferred! Aren’t they sweet? The pics were taken the morning of the transfer and Chris was able to peek at them under a microscope right before the transfer. He said they already looked different than the pictures.

My doctor said the transfer received a 90 for ease. I agree. It was less painful than my previous IUI’s. The only discomfort was the pushing on my mandatory full bladder! They froze 3 more embryos for a total of 9 frozen embies. They will watch the others for a day or so to see if any of them are freeze worthy as well. And, of course they transferred 2 into my cozy, welcoming, happy uterus. Now the little boogers just need to grab on!

Everyone knows I can’t be ordinary or do anything the easy way, so it is no surprise I've developed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). With my last E2 level being 3800 and having 28 eggs this is not unexpected. Or so says my doctor. I, however, did not expect it. At least I know why I have felt so bad since the retrieval. I was the sickest the morning of the transfer so my doctor gave me the option of freezing the embies and doing a frozen embryo transfer next month. I said, NO! Now, the only thing that makes OHSS worse is getting pregnant! If the transfer is unsuccessful the sickness will resolve within a couple weeks. If successful, the symptoms will resolve within 1 to 2 months. So, here's wishing for a lengthy sickness!

Also, my doctor asked me to consider transferring only one embryo to reduce the risk of twins. Again I said, NO! Yes, transferring two increases the risk of twins but it also increases the chance of just one sticking, so that was a no brainer.

The OHSS makes me incredibly nauseous and thus selective on what I can eat. Last night, on request, Chris made mac and cheese and mash potatoes for dinner! It was perfect. Thanks Love!

Transfer Underway

The transfer is schedule for tomorrow afternoon. I will take a valium beforehand. Not really sure why, but it sounds like a wise idea. Yesterday Chris and I got concerned with how much my stomach still hurts from the retrieval. Mainly, our concerns were the possibility of internal bleeding or infection interfering with the transfer. After discussing whether or not to mention this to the doctor we finally decided it was best. The on-call doctor said with 28 eggs it is normal and not to worry.


Chris is now giving me IM progesterone (PIO) shots in my butt. Basically that means the needles are now 10 times bigger! And, while the poke is about equivalent to the flu shot, the soreness is more like a tetanus shot. The problem is Chris can only go inject a certain part of my rear and so the shots have to go into the already sore areas! Ouch! Oh, and sitting is always fun.


So, basically my stomach appears 2 months pregnant, I have raging heartburn (from the steroids I think), I have to pee every hour (side effect of the progesterone), I can’t get comfortable to sleep, few foods are appealing, and I’m nauseas. Sounds like I’m already pregnant!

A quick science lesson, the more cells something has the more complex it is. Embryos are no different. When they are first fertilized they look like this…


Then they start to divide. The hope is they continue to divide each day until they turn into a baby. By having so many embies we are able to watch and see which ones grow at the desired rate before transferring them. In other words, we can choose the ones that have already surpassed the other ones, thus giving us better odds.

As for our Embies, on day three the only thing my doctor said was they looked great and he wanted to do a five day transfer (rather than a three day). I asked if all 10looked good and he didn’t know (the lab is actually in charge all that).

Today ours should look like this…


And by tomorrow…


Cute I know. Grow Embies Grow!

16 Embies

That's right, out of my 28 eggs turned 16 embryos! Six of which are being frozen today for use at a later date. Two of the other 10 will be implanted later this week.

In the meantime, since I am learning to use youtube, here is a video of my shot routine. Don't worry the needles are small!

28 EGGS

They removed 28 eggs! More eggs correlates with better IVF success rates. Bascially, the more eggs you have, the more that will fertilize, and the more you can be selective on transfering the best looking embryos. So how many is normal? I don't really know, but I do know that, according to Google, in my age group more than 7 is optimal. Woo hoo!

Chris did a nice job of documenting the day. Here is a pre-retrieval, pre-drugged pic...


Post-retrieval, Post-drugs...
Video #1: How do you feel?
Video #2: What do you remember?

I left the clinic feeling great. The nurse told me to expect cramps similar to regular menstral cramps only times 28! Boy she wasn't kidding. Four wasted tylenol, 1 lortab, and 2 percocets later I can hardly walk. But it's all worth it!

Next step: Tomorrow the doctor will call and tell us how many fertilized.

It's Trigger Time

Had my third ultrasound and E2 level today. Ultrasound showed the number of follicles to be "into the double digits". E2 was 3800. At 4000 the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome usually calls for a the cycle to be cancelled. Therefore, no more stimulation drugs and my doc cut my HCG, aka trigger shot, dose by half--to be given tonight at 11pm. Scheduled for the retrieval at 8am on Saturday. Transfer either on Tuesday or Thursday depending on how our embryos grow. That's right, on Sunday we will be proud parents of embryos!

IVF/ Toe Update

I was due to have my estrogen (E2) level this morning so because it's Sunday I had to go to the hospital lab. Then Chris and I had to kill an hour and a half from 8 to 9:30am before seeing my doctor for an ultrasound. So, why not go to Friendly's for a Reece's peanut butter cup sundae! The ultrasound went well as I had about 8 follicles (eggs) at about 8mm (12mm is full size). I also had several mini follicles that may or may not turn in to anything. I have no idea how many he wants me to have, but apparently I need just enough to make successful embryos but not enough to cause my ovaries to explode. I think my E2 levels were high because I was told to decrease my follistim dose. I go in for another E2 level and ultrasound on Tuesday morning. My doc guesses I will be ready for retrieval this coming weekend.

I am adjusting to the shots. Any one shot is bearable but all three together buuurrnn! And the side effects are minimal.


Causing more pain is my damn toe! It was fine until today when I dropped a couch right on it! First, let me say I had a bump underneath my nail for as long as I can remember (maybe 6 months, maybe 6 years). When my nail came off I was able to see that the bump was another nail, it's about 1/4 of a nail at the base of my toe. The whack job podiatrist I saw said my toenail should grow out from the existing nail but so far it has yet to do anything (and I am cutting the others so I know they are growing!). I was getting a bit fearful that I was going to live forever without a toenail until the couch incident. My mini nail is turning black...maybe it will just fall off too! Then I can start over. Here is a pre-couch pic of my toe (pretty, I know).


By the way, did you know they make glue on toenails? Well, they do. Problem is they are intended to be glued to the existing nail. I guess they are meant for people with ugly nails rather than people with no nails. Weird.