One Embryo or Two

When we first started down this path I was certain I was going to have twins. I sort of assumed that the success rates of implanting two embryos over one must be higher. I figured that if we are going to go through all of this to have a baby we may as well implant two. 

The term elective single embryo transfer (eSET) first came up when talking to the family with whom our donor also shared their embryos.I hadn't even really considered transferring only one until that point. My husband kept saying he didn't want twins but I just sort of brushed him off. Once I started to really consider the implications we decided to transfer 1 embryo at a time. And this is why:

1 - Gestational Diabetes - the chance of getting gestational diabetes with ART (artificial reproductive technology) doubles when compared to the rates with a natural pregnancy

2 - Preeclampsia - the chance of getting preeclampsia is 1.5 times higher with ART

3 - Premature Birth - twins are more that 4 times more likely to be born premature

4 - Quality Snuggles  - When Brennan was born my favorite times were spent with her resting peacefully on my chest. While I know things will most certainly be different with a three year old running around I know that the best chance of getting to enjoy those moments again is to only have one baby at a time. Brennan's first year absolutely flew by and I feel like I didn't have a chance to soak it all in. I can only imagine that same feeling with two babies.

5 - Being Out-Numbered - We have always talked about having 2 children. Being out numbered sounds pretty scary. If we were to get pregnant with twins right now we would (prayerfully) have 3 little ones running around. If we ever consider having a 3rd I'd much rather it be a second pregnancy (because first births suck LOL!). But two children sounds perfect.

6 - Financial Stress - The financial stresses of having twins makes me really nervous - preterm labor, bedrest, medical leave, not to mention the costs after the birth. We will be able to provide better for our children by only having 2. If God decides to give us twins, that will be up to Him. We won't be doing anything to increase the chances. 

7 - Cesarean Section - A cesarean section birth is 2-3 times more likely with a twin pregnancy over a singleton pregnancy. While a vaginal birth is no guarantee for any woman I would love to increase my chances by carrying one baby at a time. 

8 - Individually Frozen - Our embryos were frozen individually. Many embryos are frozen in straws of two. This decision would have been much more difficult to make if they were frozen together. The embryos being frozen individually was more reassurance that we are making the right decision for us. 

Interesting fact - Identical twins can split from a single embryo on days 1-3,. days 4-6 or days 7-9. Our embryos are day 5 and day 6. So there is still a chance of our embryos splitting naturally. That means we will have the same chance of twins as any natural pregnancy (around 2%). When 2 embryos are implanted the chance of twins is around 30%. 

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Getting Real Now

 We had our final test before the transfer. It's called a sonohysterogram or SHG. Some people call it a saline infusion sonogram. Basically it is a speculum exam with a little tube placed through the cervix to inject saline during a vaginal ultrasound. It is done to look at issues with with uterine lining such as polyps or fibroids. Fortunately ours was totally normal! 

The downside of the SHG: perfecting the art of urine holding and pint sized peeing. When I arrived for the ultrasound they had told me not to pee. They didn't tell me how much to drink only that I shouldn't empty my bladder. A grande latte and 2 hour car ride later my bladder felt pretty full. They asked me to give a tiny urine sample, just enough to do a pregnancy test, and to hold the rest. Talk about pressure! I succeeded and went back to the waiting room.

A little while later they called me back to scan my bladder. After way too long and a lot of pressure on my bladder they told me it wasn't full enough. I downed 2 bottles of water and waited for them to scan again. After the second scan my bladder was too full (and holy cow it hurt!). They had me get dressed again, go back to bathroom and only let 50 cc out. Man that's tough!! Finally my bladder was just the right size to lay my uterus flat for the mock transfer. The rest was a breeze! The mock transfer was easy and promising. 

I finally got to empty my bladder completely. What a relief! I signed a consent to only transfer one embryo and hit the road. Not 3 miles down the road my bladder was completely full again. Guess this is a good test for kidney function as well. My next post will be why we decided to only transfer one. 

Now here is the part where I ask for prayer. Please continue to pray for our cycle and transfer. Here is the prospective calendar of events:

Jan 12 - baseline ultrasound before starting lupron 

(Lupron prohibits ovulation and allows the physician more control over the uterine lining)

Lupron injections: starting January 12th

Last day of birth control pills: January 16th (will have taken 33 active birth control pills)

Estrogen start: January 21st

Lining check and bloodwork: February 1st

Prospective transfer date: February 8th

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Happy Birthday to Me!

Every time I walk out of my infertility clinic I am even more infertile than the time before. Let me explain. 

At my last infertility appointment I found out that my antral follicle count (baseline follicles, like a snap shot of how my ovaries are doing) decreased from 11 to 4. Just 2 years ago, before my ovarian cyst removal, I had a slightly diminished ovarian reserve. Then at the fertility center this year  I found out that it was decreased by more than half. 

Today I walked in to the fertility center with 2 open tubes. Or so I thought. My left tube was open and beautiful... too bad it leads to a bare ovary. My right tube was blocked and didn't allow any dye to flow through... despite some gymnastics and a little bit of force. So I now have one dead ovary (left) and one blocked tube (right). Thankful more than ever for our donor embryos. 

The good news: there was no fluid surrounding either tube! So the blockage will not effect our frozen embryo transfer.

On track for a saline ultrasound with mock transfer in December then the big day late in January. 

Embryo Adoption/Donation Awareness day is November 25th. Please help me pray for the many donors and potential donors out there. So many families have been blessed by this gift and there are still over 600,000 embryos awaiting their fate. Praying for those looking for their embryos, awaiting transfer and waiting for their snowflake babies. 

 

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CD 1

A New Month

In the world of infertility a month does not begin on the 1st. It begins on "the first full day of regular bleeding". November is finally here when means our 3 month marathon towards child bearing begins now. I will be celebrating the night before my 32nd birthday (yes I had to stop and do the math) with my husband. We will be driving down to our clinic, about 2 hours away, for a birthday dinner and alone time followed by an early morning HSG. Romantic right? We will finish the day off with Papa's favorite movie... The Bucket List. And, of course, popcorn. 

The HSG or hysterosalpingogram is essentially an x-ray. The doctor will use a speculum to visualize the cervix. She will then inject dye into the uterus and through the tubes while looking with an x-ray to see if they have any blockages or fluid built up in them. The fluid build up is called hydrosalpinx. In other women the risk is that blocked or fluid filled tube could prohibit the egg from reaching the sperm or that it could result in an ectopic pregnancy. In the case of a frozen embryo transfer (FET) the risk is that the fluid could reflux into the uterus preventing the embryo from implanting. 

I have quite a few prayer requests this month. Please bear with me:

Please pray for my dear friend and her family as they grieve the loss of their pregnancy.

Please pray for my "sister" and her husband as they navigate the trials of their unsuccessful first IVF cycle. Pray that God's will be made clear for them and that their baby find them one way or another. 

Finally please pray for our family of 3 as we prepare emotionally and financially for the next 3 months. 

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Welcome Home Snowflake Babies!

We officially have 4 tiny embryos in the freezer!! They made the trip from Texas to South Carolina. Come on January... I can't wait to see if one of these little embryos is going to make a home in my belly. 

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Shipping Update!

We got our updated shipping schedule! Our embryos should be picked up tomorrow and delivered Wednesday. Praying for their safe travels. 

Because I am a woman it is (sadly) my prerogative to change my mind as often as I deem necessary. That being said we are planning to do our (single) frozen embryo transfer in January! That means  HSG in November then SIS (saline ultrasound) with mock transfer in December. God had been present through all of this and I know He will continue to see us through no matter what happens along the way. 

Come home little snowflakes!

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One Little Line

That single pink line surrounded by nothing but white used to be heartbreaking. Every month I know I'm probably not pregnant and yet every time ovulation comes and goes my mind and body play tricks on me. I spend 2 weeks a month wondering if this could be the month. I predict when I would be due if it were to happen and fantasize about telling my family. Every month I take a test so I can stop getting my hopes up and when that single pink line appears I remember that my body sucks.

I wonder what it's like for fertile people. I can't imagine just wanting a baby then getting pregnant just like that. That's not the path that God put on us and as crazy as it sounds I'm so grateful.

If we had gotten pregnant on our own we wouldn't have Brennan. I couldn't imagine my life for a second without her. If we had gotten pregnant on our own we wouldn't have 4 little embryos in Texas just waiting to make their way here and into my uterus. I don't know exactly what will happen but I do know that one little lonely line has gotten us to this point.

As for our update.   We have a signed and notarized contract!!  Our donors are seriously incredible. When we asked for more information from their fertility clinic our donors got it to us within hours!!  We negotiated the contract in no time and they signed and returned it within days. They have made this process so easy on us.

We have submitted all of the release forms to the Texas (shipping) clinic and have decided to go with Cryoport. They make it so easy!  They take care of coordinating with both the shipping & receiving clinics, manage the packaging, shipping and receiving with email updates all along the way!  We hope it all happens as easily as they make it sound. We will be so relieved when our embryos make it here safe and sound. My husband, daughter and I pray for our embryos every night and know that God will see this through.

We have gone back and forth a lot about the time frame for our Frozen Embryo transfer. Please be praying that we are able to follow God's plan and in His time rather than in our time.

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