My eggs are ready to be plucked faster than Dr. Q originally anticipated - retrieval is scheduled for Monday morning!! So many good things happened today at our appointment today. I feel so relieved, and yes, maybe even a bit excited. :)
Good news #1 - At this stage in the game, I was expected to take
Cetrotide, which suppresses the hormone that releases eggs from the ovaries (LH). This way we ensure that my eggs are still there for the retrieval on Monday. The down side to that, is that it shuts down my natural hormone functions. After the transfer, I would have to artificially tell my body that it's pregnant through more hormone intake, instead of letting my body take over and do what it would naturally do. Dr. Q suggested that we consider opting out of taking Cetrotide, since he is confident that the eggs will not release on their own over the weekend. This way, my body is able to handle things more naturally and I do not have to take the inter muscular shots in my butt that I've been dreading so much. We're going to supplement my progesterone levels (the hormone that sustains pregnancy) with suppositories instead of more injections. ::high fives all around!::
Good news #2 - One of the things I've been most nervous about is the actual egg retrieval. Sedated or not, the idea of Dr. Q sticking a hollow needle into my ovaries and sucking out the eggs doesn't sound like it would be a fun time. I guess I just was not sure what to expect, how painful it might be, you know? Well, I found out today that they're going to totally put me under for the retrieval! I'm getting propofol, AKA Michael Jackson Juice. woohoo!
Good news #3 - This whole time, I thought that the eggs would come out, we'd put two of them in separate pitri dishes with their sperm friends and we would wait to see what would come of it (this is called Conventional IVF). However, I learned today that Dr. Q actually uses a method called
ICSI as a standard practice for his IVF patients. This is where a single sperm is actually injected into the egg, kind of forcing the fertilization to occur. Though it's not a guarantee by any means, it's an extra safeguard that we will actually have embryos to transfer into my uterus next week, and that is exciting to me. :)
Good news #4 - The walls in Dr. Q's new office are paper thin, and it took forever to get my blood drawn. Strange thing to get happy about isn't it? lol. Well, while my wonderful nurse diligently tried to find my collapsed veins, we got to hear what was going on in the room next to us. :) A couple who had successfully gotten pregnant with IVF came in to get their 6 week ultrasound. I heard the same thumping heartbeat that they were listening to, I heard them celebrate, I heard Dr. Q say "There's a second one!", I heard their excitement at the moment they found out they were having twins. I seriously wanted to open the door next and give them hugs! lol. They were blessed with the very thing that I am praying for, using the same means I'm about to. It thrilled my heart, and gave me a surge of hope that maybe this is actually going to work. :)
Anyhoo, that's the latest folks. See you on the other side of the egg retrieval! :)