jenn_unplugged (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jenn_unplugged) wrote2007-06-30 04:18 pm
jenn_unplugged) wrote2007-06-30 04:18 pm
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IVF: Egg Retrieval Day!
The egg retrieval was this morning at 8:00. We had to be there an hour before for pre-op stuff, and it turned out we were the only couple there for an ER. (There were three other couples who came in later for embryo transfers, but otherwise it was quiet.) The surgery center is in the same complex as the fertility clinic is, and though it's owned by the doctors in the clinic, it's run by St. David's Hospital. (Sort of confusing, but I guess it works.)
The worst part, as always, was getting the IV started. The nurse first tried to get it started in a vein in my arm, but never could get the needle into a vein (my veins are always difficult). Eventually she gave up and the anesthesiologist came in and put it in my hand instead. The doctor came by to say hello, and around 8:00 they came to take me back. As soon as they took me back, they walked Doug over to Austin IVF down the hall to collect the semen.
It's funny how anesthesia works. I had to walk into the OR and get on the table, and then they put warm blankets on me and got me hooked up to the various monitoring devices. I was aware of a tingling sensation in my arm when the anesthesiologist started the sedation, but the last thing I remember was my legs being put in the stirrups. And then I was back in my room!
The procedure itself is fairly straightforward. They use an ultrasound-guided needle and insert it into the vagina and through the vaginal wall to pierce and extract the fluid from each follicle. Each follicle contains a single egg. (See Wiki here.)
It was 8:30 by then, so it was a quick procedure. I felt really crampy, and so they gave me a painkiller, and it seemed like it took it forever to work. But finally it did, leaving me feeling a little loopy. The doctor came by around 9:00 to tell us that they'd gotten 15 eggs, which was a surprise. That was a lot more than I had expected. About half an hour later, the embryologist came by and said that number had been revised -- it was actually 17!
They also told us we'd be doing ICSI (where they inject individual sperm cells into each egg, see Wiki for a great photo of this) because the motility of the sperm wasn't good enough for natural fertilization. We'd been told we were ICSI candidates after the semen analysis a few weeks ago, which means that all along we've had some male factor that our previous doctors somehow missed. That could have been a big part of the reason why all of our IUIs didn't work, but no one ever said anything about it. I'm seriously annoyed on the one hand, because we could have done IVF two years ago if we'd known. But at the same time, I'm relieved that this may be an explanation for what's been going wrong all along. That increases our chances that this cycle will work, which is a good thing.
I was released around 9:30, and Doug brought me home, fed me soup, and tucked me into bed. I pretty much slept all afternoon! I've been taking painkillers when I need them, but I wouldn't say I've been in a lot of pain. My ovaries are tender and I feel a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen, but that's about it.
So now it's all in the embryologist's hands. They've probably already done the ICSI by now, so the eggs are fertilized (!) and we just have to wait. After 18 hours, they'll know which ones fertilized and which didn't. We should be getting a call tomorrow afternoon to let us know how many embryos we have.
The transfer will be either Tuesday or Thursday, depending on how the embryos are developing. I'm not sure when we'll find out which day it will be.
So that's that! I'll post tomorrow when I hear the fertilization report. :-D
The worst part, as always, was getting the IV started. The nurse first tried to get it started in a vein in my arm, but never could get the needle into a vein (my veins are always difficult). Eventually she gave up and the anesthesiologist came in and put it in my hand instead. The doctor came by to say hello, and around 8:00 they came to take me back. As soon as they took me back, they walked Doug over to Austin IVF down the hall to collect the semen.
It's funny how anesthesia works. I had to walk into the OR and get on the table, and then they put warm blankets on me and got me hooked up to the various monitoring devices. I was aware of a tingling sensation in my arm when the anesthesiologist started the sedation, but the last thing I remember was my legs being put in the stirrups. And then I was back in my room!
The procedure itself is fairly straightforward. They use an ultrasound-guided needle and insert it into the vagina and through the vaginal wall to pierce and extract the fluid from each follicle. Each follicle contains a single egg. (See Wiki here.)
It was 8:30 by then, so it was a quick procedure. I felt really crampy, and so they gave me a painkiller, and it seemed like it took it forever to work. But finally it did, leaving me feeling a little loopy. The doctor came by around 9:00 to tell us that they'd gotten 15 eggs, which was a surprise. That was a lot more than I had expected. About half an hour later, the embryologist came by and said that number had been revised -- it was actually 17!
They also told us we'd be doing ICSI (where they inject individual sperm cells into each egg, see Wiki for a great photo of this) because the motility of the sperm wasn't good enough for natural fertilization. We'd been told we were ICSI candidates after the semen analysis a few weeks ago, which means that all along we've had some male factor that our previous doctors somehow missed. That could have been a big part of the reason why all of our IUIs didn't work, but no one ever said anything about it. I'm seriously annoyed on the one hand, because we could have done IVF two years ago if we'd known. But at the same time, I'm relieved that this may be an explanation for what's been going wrong all along. That increases our chances that this cycle will work, which is a good thing.
I was released around 9:30, and Doug brought me home, fed me soup, and tucked me into bed. I pretty much slept all afternoon! I've been taking painkillers when I need them, but I wouldn't say I've been in a lot of pain. My ovaries are tender and I feel a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen, but that's about it.
So now it's all in the embryologist's hands. They've probably already done the ICSI by now, so the eggs are fertilized (!) and we just have to wait. After 18 hours, they'll know which ones fertilized and which didn't. We should be getting a call tomorrow afternoon to let us know how many embryos we have.
The transfer will be either Tuesday or Thursday, depending on how the embryos are developing. I'm not sure when we'll find out which day it will be.
So that's that! I'll post tomorrow when I hear the fertilization report. :-D
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17! I'm still amazed!
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The first issue is to see whether they'll implant, I think. If they don't implant, that will be clear in two weeks, and I'm not pregnant. Even if they do implant, it doesn't mean the pregnancy will stick. This doctor continue to monitor me for another month until he's satisfied they can release me to an OB/GYN's care.
So I think it's something to take one day at a time for while. :-P
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We did ICSI on all of our embryos and had a great fertilization rate (17 mature eggs, 15 fertilized successfully with ICSI). Looking forward to your next update!!!
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Hee! It was a morphology issue for us.
*crosses fingers for you*