FET Schedule

I just got off the phone with my nurse. My FET is scheduled for 1:45pm, but I need to check in at 1:15pm. 75 minutes prior to the FET, I need to empty my bladder and then drink 20 oz. of water (12:30pm-12:45pm). They prefer you have a full bladder during the transfer so that they have better visualization during the abdominal ultrasound to help the doctor know where best to implant the embryo.

I am planning on going in for my pre-FET acupuncture appointment at 10:45am (45-minute appt.), then go to lunch with my mom, drink my water, then check in for my FET appt. After the procedure, I will go back and do my post-FET acupuncture appointment, then go home and rest.

The nurse recommends I take it easy for the 2-3 days after the transfer, with no heavy lifting, and light aerobics only (walking, yoga, swimming). I am to continue my del Estrogen and Progesterone injections until the first blood pregnancy test (2 weeks later).

I am getting super nervous/anxious, especially since we are still waiting on the embryology lab to re-biopsy the non-concurrent embryo (they are taking their sweet time!)...in the mean time, I am doing a whole lot of meditating and praying to get me through today and tomorrow!

FET Schedule for Thursday, 7/14/16:

• 10:45am – 1^st Acupuncture Appt.
• 12:30pm – Empty bladder, then drink 20 oz. of water before 12:45pm
• 1:15pm – Check in (4^th floor) for FET Appt. (Bring photo ID)
• 1:45pm – FET procedure
• ~2:30pm – 2^nd Acupuncture Appt. (exact time TBD)

After Transfer:

• Take it easy for 2-3 days; no heavy lifting, light aerobics only (walking, yoga, swimming)
• Continue injections until first blood pregnancy test

Preparing for FET

I got back from my short visit home on Friday. Unfortunately, my connecting flight got canceled, so I had to kiss my checked suitcase goodbye as I tried to find another flight. Luckily, I found one that would get me home around the same time, but it meant that my Early Bird Check-In status was gone. Luckily, I found a window seat (next to a couple) on my first flight, and since I was riding in the same plane to my 2nd destination, I was able to switch seats after we landed, and I got a first row seat with extra leg room. As I suspected, my bag was lost, but I got it back the next morning after my lining check.

Speaking of my lining check (yesterday, Saturday, 7.9.16), I was super nervous in the days leading up to it. I made the mistake of perusing message boards online (which can be good or bad), and came across a post where a woman's FET was canceled because she had ovulated. I immediately started panicking because I had no idea that your FET cycle could be canceled due to something like that. Of course, I was worried because I had some ovulation-like discharge, so I brought out my trusty ovulation predictor kits (OPK)...which I thought I was done with forever! I went to my lining check appointment yesterday morning, and the sonographer said my uterine lining looked great (8.6mm vs. 3.4mm at baseline), so I just had to wait for the nurse's phone call with my blood work results. She called later in the afternoon and told me everything looked great, that I had not ovulated, and that I would start nightly Progesterone in Oil injections (1 cc) in the evening. Everything seems to be a go for my FET scheduled for Thursday, 7.14.16.

I am trying to get as many sessions in at the gym as I can, because I won't be working out for awhile after the transfer. I'm also still planning on doing acupuncture sessions before and after the FET. I've even stocked up on walnuts and Brazil nuts, and plan to get a pineapple for the week after. Eating those things may be an old wive's tale, but I'm willing to do anything to up the chances of a pregnancy!

Acupuncture

Figuring out flights and travel plans has been so stressful. When we originally started planning everything, we thought I'd be done with the transfer by now. Here we are, and my (original) flight home is scheduled for tomorrow, and my transfer is not until 7.14.16! I have decided I will go home for a week, and then come back for my next lining check (on 7.9.16). Unfortunately, this means I will be missing a good friend's wedding. :(

I will come back, do the lining check, and then the transfer 5 days later. After that, I begin the two week wait (2ww) for my first pregnancy test (7.26.16). Last night while lying in bed (not sleeping), I started thinking about things I could do to help with the transfer. I read different things about eating pineapple core, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and doing acupuncture. I had completely forgotten about acupuncture, but there seem to be a lot of people who have done it during their cycles. I reached out to a couple local clinics and got a call back from the clinic that happens to be in the same building as my IVF clinic. They offered a package with a consultation/treatment, plus treatments pre- and post-transfer. I was able to schedule the consult for today (right after a much-needed massage). 

The massage I had (although shorter than expected) was just what I needed--I fell asleep on the table as soon as I flipped onto my stomach! After that, I drove to the acupuncture clinic and met with the acupuncturist. She spent some time going over my intake paperwork, asking me questions about my health and our fertility procedures, and then she brought me to the room where we got started. I don't know exactly how many needles she used, but I know she put some in my scalp, forehead, hands, abdomen, and feet. After that, she covered my eyes with a mask, and told me to rest for 30 minutes. Again, I fell asleep! I didn't even realize that the needles were still in my extremities until I moved my hand. 

While I don't typically practice holistic medicine (except for chiropractic), and I don't know how that acupuncture will really help with the FET, I do know that after the procedure, I felt extremely relaxed. That in itself, I feel, could help improve the chances of implantation since it's so important for you to be rested and relaxed. Some studies have shown that "when used in conduction with Western fertility treatments, acupuncture increases conception rates by 26%" (Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, 2015). While I don't know how true that is, "in fairness...acupuncture is not harmful and most of those so treated swear by it. For the nay-sayers, what can be said with certainty is that at the very least acupuncture has a 'feel good' aspect to it and in most, evokes a psychological benefit that should not be discounted" (Sher Fertility, 2016). My thoughts are that although there may not be much scientific proof of acupuncture increasing implantation rates, it's not going to hurt anything, so if you can afford it, why not give it a shot? I plan to go in for (same day) procedures before and after the transfer.

Right now, I'm all packed and ready to head back home for a week. The only thing I have to worry about while there is giving myself two IM injections. Other than that, I plan to RELAX!

First IM Injection

I had my baseline appointment on 6.23.16. It was similar to the other monitoring appointments during Stims. First, I had my blood drawn and then I had an U/S--except the U/S was to check my uterine lining instead of my follicles. My uterine lining was at 3.4mm.

I had a nurse come to give me my first Del Estrogen injection so she could show my parents how to give an intramuscular (IM) shot (in my rear). I was incredibly nervous given the size of the needles and the location (going in a muscle), but when she looked at the needle gauge and sized me up, she thought because of my BMI, I would be better using a smaller gauge (and shorter!) needle. (Thank God!) I iced the area for approximately 5 minutes while she went over the protocol of drawing up the medication and then she showed my parents how and where to give the injection. The actual injection was pretty painless (I assume because of the icing). I am really glad we hired her to come show us. She was so nice and understanding, and it turns out that not only does she work at our clinic as well, but she had two IVF babies from them that are now 8 and 12 years old! She got pregnant on the first cycle with each of them. It felt good to finally meet someone who went through what I am going through and has two actual beautiful children to show for it. It was so encouraging.

Yesterday, the nurse called to discuss the FET with me. Due to my doctor's schedule, we will be doing the FET on Thursday, 6.14.16 (instead of 6.12.16). This means that I will have my next moderating appointment (to check uterine lining) on 7.9.16. They want to do three pregnancy tests on 7.26.16, 7.28.16, and 8.1.16. Then they want to do two ultrasounds on 8.8.16 and 8.21.16. It's so hard to think that far in advance, and if we will even get to that point. 

Right now I am stressing out about plane tickets to fly back home so I can actually spend some time at home this summer before flying back here to get ready for the FET...then I have to fly back after all the pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. This entire process will have taken the majority of the summer (~15 weeks/3 months)!

PGS Results

Last Friday (6/17/16) the nurse called me with the PGS results (a week sooner than expected). The news was not great. Out of the 4 blasts biopsied, only 1 was normal. Two were abnormal (1 missing chromosome 2, 1 missing chromosome 17), and the 4th was non-concurrent (inconclusive without further biopsy/testing). To make matters worse, my doctor wasn't able to discuss things until today (5 days later), so there was a lot of anxiety and replaying different scenarios in my mind all weekend long.

I finally spoke to the doctor today and we discussed moving forward with a FET of the normal blast, and the possibility of re-testing the non-concurrent one either now or later on. He said with where we are now (with PGS testing concluding a normal blast), there is a 65% chance of pregnancy, 10% chance of miscarriage, and 58% chance of live birth. Without the PGS, the birth rate would go down to 50%. He said that my attrition rates have been pretty average so far, (although 1 normal out of 3 would be slightly below average; 2 out of 4 would be average).

Part of me is excited to move forward. I am happy that we even get to move forward, but of course my mind starts thinking that if this doesn't work, and the 4th embryo is also abnormal, I'll have to start another cycle...and if I start another cycle, when could that possibly be because I don't have another long break from work until December. I also can't help but think that not having any extra (normal) embryos means there's no chance of a second baby...which is silly because at this point, I should only be focusing on having even one baby--which I would be thrilled, overjoyed, elated, and so blessed to have!

Today will be my last day of birth control, and I have a baseline BW and U/S appointment tomorrow morning at 7:45am. I'm scheduled to start Del Estrogen injections (intramuscularly!) tomorrow evening. We have decided to hire a nurse to come to the house to teach us how to do the first intramuscular (IM) injection. I am thinking my mom will be the one to give me those! Not looking forward to that...