Egg Retrieval
A few days ago I went in for my egg retrieval surgery. It was a bit surreal as the outpatient surgery wing for the egg retrieval was the same place I had my D&E in 2019 when we lost Arin. Being in the same place but for a very different reason was a lot for my emotions to handle, but we made it through. And we have some good news to share! Read on for more...
Exactly 36 hours prior to retrieval, I had to take what's called a "trigger shot." This gives the follicles one final boost of energy to grow those last few mms and tells the ovaries it's time to prepare for ovulation - or the release of the mature eggs.
The next morning I had a final blood draw to make sure the trigger shots did their job and my hormones were at the correct levels. It's a little weird because the hormone they check for is HCG - otherwise known as the "pregnancy hormone." So, to anyone who does not know I am going through fertility treatments, the test result would indicate I'm very early in pregnancy. Crazy things, these fertility hormones...
Through my Instagram account I've met lots of other women going through fertility treatments, and one of them sent me her "lucky" shirt for retrieval and transfer. She is currently pregnant via IVF, so she wanted to share the love and hope for a successful cycle. So, I got to wear this special shirt, and will keep it for any upcoming transfers as well!
The morning of the retrieval we had to be at the hospital really early. I was not allowed to shower that morning, or wear any makeup, jewelry, or use any lotion/soap with fragrance. While at the hospital I prepared for surgery, then was taken into the special IVF lab. I met with the embryologist - the person responsible for taking care of my little eggies for the next week - making sure they get fertilized and continue growing in the lab. I was then told I would begin to feel a little sleepy. Next thing I know I'm back in the pre-op area with crackers and juice. The doctor was there to let me know they retrieved 10 mature eggs! They initially expected to get 8, so 10 was a nice surprise. While I was in surgery, Brandon provided his specimen for use to fertilize the mature eggs.
The next day we got a call from the embryologist to let us know that ALL 10 of the eggs were fertilized! This is uncommon, as there is typically 20-40% attrition rate from one stage to the next. Our next step is to wait 5-6 days to see which embryos continue to develop into the blastocyst stage. Any resulting blastocysts will be sent to a genetics lab for genetic testing to see which ones are viable for transfer.
❤️🙏❤️🙏
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