Here We Go...

Ryan and I just returned home from our 2nd trip to Salt Lake City in 3 days. 

This past weekend's trip was for fun.  We went to see Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Jeff Foxworthy.  Surprisingly, I think Bill Engvall was the best, and I was actually a little disappointed with Larry.  Whatever.  It was still nice to spend some time with my darling husband.  We have so much fun together.

Today's trip was all business.  Ryan and I left here around noon so we could get to our appointment at the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine.  This is where we went back in the fall for our consults.

It's still true.  I love our doctor.  He takes the time to sit down and listen to our concerns and answer our questions.

So we got there early, and we had no sooner sat down than we were called back into the examination room.  We had to sit there and wait for a little while, but soon Dr. Keye came in and began our in vitro consult.  He reviewed some of our history, and walked us through the process that we will go through.

A few weeks before I start the medications prior to egg retrieval, I start a regimen of birth control pills.  I will only take the active ones.  Then I begin injections, and have several ultrasounds to be sure that my ovaries are producing the amount of eggs we want them to.

During this time, both Ryan and I have to take antibiotics.  When the ultrasound and bloodwork both show that there are enough follicles for harvesting, I take an injection of HCG, and 36 hours later is my egg retrieval.  During the egg retrieval, I am given conscious sedation, and a needle is passed through my vaginal wall using transvaginal ultrasound, and each egg is placed into a test tube.  While I'm in the midst of my procedure, poor Ry has to do his part into a cup.  Prior to this, he will provide another sample that will be tested to see what kind of procedure we need to do to fertilize my eggs.  Its kinda gross, and I'm not going to go into it here.  lol :)

So, when all of that is said and done, the embryologist takes both of our contributions to the lab to begin fertilization.  Depending on that test of Ryan's, s/he will either just throw his sperm and my eggs into a petri dish and let them do things naturally, or do ICSI, where a sperm is injected directly into the egg.  After 3 to 5 days of dividing, the embryos will then be placed into my uterus, and 17 days after the egg retrieval, I go for a blood test to see if we're pregnant or not.

It's expensive.  But its doable for us.  I felt a lot better after this appointment.  I think the University of Utah is moving ahead with egg freezing.  It's still experimental, but Dr. Keye said there are now hundreds of children who have been born from frozen eggs.  This news made me SO happy.  I was so struggling with the morality of creating embryos and perhaps not using them, and having to "dispose" of them, or donate them to research.  I didn't like any of those options.  I'd much rather freeze my eggs.  I would feel comfortable standing in front of God on my dying day saying that I didn't kill any of the children He Himself allowed to be created.

Dr. Keye also did my yearly exam.  I have my prescription for those birth control pills to be started before school is out, and I want to start my injections on June 12.  That puts our retrieval and embryo transfer around the 4th of July.  Which is perfect.  My dad died on Independence day, and it would be wonderful to begin new life around that time.

We decided to only fertilize two eggs (and hopefully they'll take and be good quality embryos), and only transfer two embryos so we don't end up octoparents.  We can always go back and use my frozen eggs if this doesn't work, without having to go through another retrieval, which is the worst part of the entire thing.

During my ultrasound and exam today we did a mock embryo transfer.  It was much like an IUI, and, in fact, is just the same procedure, but instead of just putting sperm in my uterus, we already have embryos.

Okay, I feel like I'm babbling, and I probably am.  I'm excited though.  I'm excited that at this time next year, I could be a mom, if this first cycle works.  Exactly.  One year from tomorrow would be my due date if my conception date was July 7th.  While the prospect of pregnancy, or even the prospect of carrying twins scares me to death, it's only a short part of a lifetime of blessings.  I'm so thankful that God has allowed us to live in this time of technology, otherwise we might never have biological children.

I'll keep you posted.  I have some bloodwork that needs to be done, and we have Ryan's test, too.  Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward with IVF.