IVF Consult

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sound the air horn, we are on our way!

Our appointment yesterday went really well, except that my nurse thought the RE would do an u/s first, so I was up on the table with a sheet on (and nothing else that is, ahem, important on CD4...) when the RE came in and proceeded to tell me that he doesn't think an u/s is necessary today and then launches seamlessly into the consult. So needless to say, after a little over an hour of sitting up there, me and the table were a mess. Thank goodness for that paper and huge pad-looking-thing over the table!! I felt sorry to just leave it like that, but what am I supposed to do? I don't know how to change the paper, and it's CD4, people!!!

The other funny thing was that a resident came in to talk to me before the RE did. She goes "So, the RE did an IUI 2 weeks ago, and what has happened since then? Did you get your period?"

Um.

Haha.

I kind of felt bad for her- I answered as calmly and as nonchalantly as I could that yes, I got my period.... (And Mr. A mentioned after the appt that she looked bored when we were going over IVF. Perhaps this isn't the specialty for her?)

But anyway, down to business. My RE is great about explaining things and very thorough so he answered all of our questions and did a nice job of going through everything. I'll have another appt with him on CD21 (March 11), where he will do an u/s and, if there are no cysts, I'll start lupron.

The one thing that he said that is kind of a bummer is that with my response to follistim so far, he expects to retrieve no more than 6 eggs (I was already on 250iu for the last IUI, and the max dosage he generally gives is 300iu). Now, I should say that Mr. A and I are personally not too keen on freezing embryo's, so in a sense, the fact that I (probably) won't have many eggs, and therefore embryo's, is kind of a wierd lineup of physical and emotional/spiritual situations. But then you always hear of people who come out of ER with 23 eggs or something, and the engineer in me feels like there cannot be as good of a chance with retrieving only 6. But then I remind myself that we don't to have to freeze alot of embies. So around in circles I go.

But the RE actually said that if he retrieves 6 eggs and 5 are mature, that is way better than 23 eggs that are mostly not mature. And he said that just because they retrieve a smaller number of eggs doesn't really diminish our chance of success, either.

And amidst all of the talk about what we want, I am constantly reminded that it's pretty ridiculous of me to talk about how many embryo's we want. We are praying for a healthy baby blessing this year. I am reminded that God is the giver and sustainer of life, and it will be up to HIM as to how I respond this time, and how many embryo's He creates, and how many He sustains to the point where they can be transferred. And how many babies we bring home in December. (Oh yes, have I mentioned that if ER is April 1, my due date is December 23??? Have I mentioned that for the last two April's, I was so excited that I'd be due around Christmas?)

We left the appointment feeling a tad overwhelmed with all the info that is real now, but thankful that we were able to have he consult so quickly after the start of a new cycle. We are thankful to have the opportunity to see what God will do with our upcoming IVF. We are praying that I will respond well and that we will be blessed with good fertilization and healthy strong embryo's, and that God would bless us with peace and contentment no matter the outcome He has for us. We are praying for a baby blessing, but nevertheless, His will be done.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

The first RE appointment is really overwhelming! I'm glad you were happy with how the appointment went and that you are at peace with everything. It sounds like you will be on some different medications than I was on, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. :) Praying for you!

Jenny said...

praying for your healthy baby!

Emily said...

So glad your consult went well!

Praying for Hope said...

Out of all the women I know who went through IVF, they didn't have many eggs retrieved or fertilized. But they didn't end any worse than those who have dozens. Sorry about the CD4 without the necessary accoutrements. They must have known you were CD4. Really, they have to expect it then.

Megan said...

Glad to hear your consult went well! I'm keeping you in my thoughts and looking forward to you having a happy healthy baby!

Melissa said...

I am so glad to hear that your consult went well. Sorry about the whole CD4 & table fiasco...but um, they should have let you put something on!

A December baby would be perfect. Perfect timing in time for Christmas & the Christ child. Praying for you guys and a healthy babe!

Anonymous said...

So glad the consult went well. It does sound like that resident needs to look into a different specialty. :) Sending you lots of "no cyst" vibes for your next appointment so you can start Lupron right away. You're going to have a winter baby!

Rach said...

Praying this cycle goes great for you!

Anonymous said...

Praying that it all works out!

I agree in quality vs quanity!!!

Mrs. Chapman's 2nd Grade Class said...

Glad your consult went well. I can't imagine how much information you received. Just processing that would take me some time. Looking forward to a beautiful baby for you! :)

Basic Girl said...

So happy to hear the consult went well, your Dr. sounds awesome!! I'm so excited for you to begin this cycle, c'mon xmas baby! Oh, and I was totally giggling at your CD 4 issue...that has totally happened to me before when I was waiting forever for the u/s lady to come in...not fun!!!

Type A Nightmare said...

The differences and similarities between us all ... never cease to amaze me. Do you know that I have been psychotic about "NO DECEMBER BABIES" since I started this journey ... to the point that I'm taking my "break" in March. I LOVE that you want a Christmas baby. The only reason I don't is that my stepdaughter was born 4 days before Christmas. Haha. There can only be so much in one month.

Either way, I definitely hope you get your December baby, and if I will ever stop trying to control this situation and stop placing limitations on His timeline, then maybe this journey would get easier. ;o)

Leah said...

I can't believe they left you sitting up there the entire consult. Umm. . . yeah, not the most comfortable way to discuss IVF. Hee hee. :-D

I'm glad the consult went well. It sound like you guys have a great plan. And a Christmas baby does sound nice. :-D

Hannah said...

Oh, so glad the consult went well! Thank you for sharing this, I'm so glad to read more about IVF, and I'll be praying for you. I really appreciate your comment on my blog - thank you!

julie said...

Im really happy for you and this new journey you have started. It is overwhelming at first but once you get started you'll never look back. And dont worry about the number of eggs, quantity doesnt always mean quality. Remember I had 20 eggs and only ended up with one little embie who decided to stick! (-:

Stacey said...

So glad it went well and you were able to get so much information. I am hoping and praying for you to welcome your little one(s) this year!!

Priscilla said...

Glad it went well...Praying that you'll finally be holding your baby next Christmas!

Shanny said...

Glad the consult went well. I was so overwhelmed after I left the clinic also but it really isn't as bad as it sounds. 6 eggs can work just fine, that's what I had =)

I'm keeping you in my prayers my dear and I hope that this upcoming IVF brings you lots of joy!

Leslie said...

It sounds like you had an informative appointment. I am sorry it was overwhelming. I think that is pretty normal - I remember our IVF consult. I definitely thing your RE is right that it is not about quantity -- it is about quality! I look forward to following your journey and will be wishing you all the best!!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad the consult went well. I am really praying for you, I really am!!

Baby Hungry said...

Wow. It sounds like it all went well. I am so happy for you. I remember when we were both doing our first cycle of Clomid together. Who knew we would both be so far from there. I wish us both luck on our new journey!!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome consult! You're right: six really good eggies is waaaay better than a ton of okay eggies. You guys are going to do awesome!

PS I cannot believe you had to the consult in your little paper gown on the table on CD4. Eeek! You are a rock star!

Jessica said...

That is great!! I was overwhelmed at my IVF consult too, but now I am excited to get going. Hoping you get that healthy baby for Christmas!!

Becky said...

First, seriously!!!! they left you sitting on the table on CD4, unbelievable.

I was so sorry to read that your last IUI was unsuccessful. But I am excited for this new beginning for you and am praying for a December baby!

I remember feeling so overwhelmed after my first IVF consult. Remember to just take one day, one medicine, and one US at a time. One thing that also helped me was to be kind to myself, as far as not putting so much pressure on myself to accomplish all that I would normally want to do.

As far as embryo number, you have come to the exact conclusion I came to (though I was much slower than you). It is truly in the Lord's hands. It was really hard for me to accept that so much was beyond my control. The Lord will give you the perfect number to accomplish His plans for your family. And I can definitely attest to the truth that more is not better. In my first IVF, I only had 7 eggs retrieved, but they were MUCH better quality than IVF#2 when I had 16 eggs retrieved (we decided to allow them to attempt to fertilize only 8 as we too were concerned about frozen embies).

If you have any questions, I am happy to help. I will be covering you in prayer throughout this cycle.

Alison said...

Sounds like a great consult (despite the awkward ultrasound mix-up) - that is funny about the resident...what a silly thing to say?!
Anyway, I am sooooo hopeful for you. Sounds like a great plan!

Jane said...

Over an hour on the table? On CD4? While doing your IVF consult? That would've been too much for me! You're a real trooper! And I can understand why you must be feeling overwhelmed right now. But Becky is right - you just have to take it one day at a time. Here's hoping you get the best ever Christmas present this year!!!

Anonymous said...

yay for getting started! so glad the appt went well. you have a great attitude and IVF is a way more precise science than IUI. i know this will bring you your christmas baby! wishing you all the luck in the world!

my only advice: try not to get caught up in the numbers. don't compare yourself to anyone else who's been through IVF. we're all different and we all respond wildly differently. now go grow some amazing eggies!

Hillary said...

Jumping in late (sorry), but my RE said the same thing about quality vs. quantity. I, too, have a hard time remembering this (and get freaked out that we are doing IVF AND only fertilizing a few eggs - are we crazy?!).

I'll be on 225iu's of Follistim, which is on the higher side, too. Is your AFC around 6? I think my RE is thinking I will be a little hard to stim. It will be interesting to see both of our responses. We'll both encourage each other that God is in control, even of all of the little numbers and "goals" within an IVF cycle!