Pregnant Or.... Not?

Since the retrieval and transfer, I have had various symptoms that have continued until now.  I should be nearly six weeks along and due at Christmas, however, our first ultrasound is Monday (our 7th wedding anniversary) so we will know more then.

My symptoms have included:  sudden extreme fatigue, sore and swelled breasts right away, urgency to urinate, craving really hot tomato juice, don't sleep well at night, loss of appetite earlier in day, cramps in low abdomen. I swear I feel the baby or babies changing my body which is super cool!  Ice cream upsets my stomach and so do sweet drinks like cappuccino.  My sense of smell is super human!

Have I ever mentioned that when I want to do something I am impatient? I wanted to know so bad if either of the 2 embryos we transferred had implanted. I put post-it notes up counting down the days until our first beta test.

It was so hard during the 2ww (2 week window) after the transfer.  It was too early to take home pregnancy tests (hpt) but I couldn't resist.  I was reading profusely soaking in all the information I could on the experience of others and the science behind hcg beta blood tests.  What is hcg?  That silly fad diet I am so not a fan of (no offense to anyone)?  Ahh, yes. HCG is a hormone found in pregnant women.  So.  I did a trigger shot of HCG on Friday the 31 of March and then within 36-72 hours the embryos were ready to be retrieved.  Then I did the 3dt (3 day transfer IVF procedure) as previously  mentioned.  Well, you need the hcg out of your body to get an accurate result on your hpt.  The first pregnancy test I took at home was one of those outdated interpret-the-line tests.  It was negative.  Well.  It was much too soon since.  However, what that test was possibly telling me is that the hcg from the trigger shot was out of my system.  I read and read and believed that it takes a maximum 10 days to be out of your system.  HCG is what pregnancy tests read to determine a pregnancy.  BFN.

I didn't take any hpt's that next day but did the following 4 days.  All POSITIVE.  BFP!!  Started testing positive 7dpt3dt.  My transfer was 4-5-12 and retrieval was 4/2/12.

My first beta test was 10dpt3dt and I was PREGNANT with a beta result (reading hcg levels) of 145. The next test needed to yield a 290 and we ended up with 375.  After doing research and speaking to my cousin (pregnant with twins), we learned that these numbers are within the twin range on the beta master list.  Could it be true? Could both of the beautiful embryos have implanted?  When Dr. Doherty was told of my high beta levels she had replied that they should be that high as they are the best embryos she has seen in years! WOW.  What a compliment! LOL

So, here we are and we should be nearly 6 weeks pregnant.  I am so excited for Monday's first ultrasound but scared at the same time.  I hope all goes well.  I am sure it will though!

The only sad news I have to mention is that we were only able to freeze 3 embryos- the other 5 didn't make it and that did make us sad.  We are attached to these embryos we have a picture of.  So, we really do want twins.  We are 100% unable to conceive on our own without the help of IVF due to male factor infertility.  We must retrieve his sperm to get it via testes biopsy.

Onward we move. Muah! -The Lucero's

From Menopur Through Retrieval

We are working the calendar. I can't believe how this is moving along.  Tomorrow is our transfer already. Yep, let me fill you in on what has happened over the last week.

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I realized that I was in need of about 26 more vials of Menopur and Aetna was causing hoops by not honoring refills and they did not send me what I needed- they sent 40 instead of 60.  Luckily, I was helped by Dr. Doherty's office and my medicine was rushed for $2,500 ding on my insurance and $50 copay for myself.

I also did Ganirelix one evening after going to an ultrasound appointment to find out the size of the follicles. We were looking at six on the right side and seven on the left. They were 11-12 in size and needed to be near 18.  The Ganirelix caused a injection site reaction and was not much more than just annoying.

Ganirelix: Injection Site Reaction

Friday, March 31, 2012: Trigger Shot HCG

This shot is the most time sensitive and the most important. I had to do it at 10pm.

Monday, April 2nd 2012: Retrieval

Nathan and I had Nate's dad bring us to our appointment. Due to Nate's lack of vas deferens he must do a testicular biopsy to extract sperm.  Today was the day to retrieve eggs with me put under and Nate in an outpatient procedure doing a testes biopsy for sperm.  This would be the first time his sperm and my eggs would meet.  They have been probably screaming that they couldn't get out all these years!  Retrieval went well for both of us.

We ended up 11 eggs retrieved.  I would receive a call each day on the quantity, quality and status of the eggs.  Day 1: 10 out of 11 fertilized on their own and were considered grade a by day 2

I have been doing the Progesterone in Oil shots and those are NOT fun. I can handle injecting the needle but its had to twist around like I want to.  The oil is so thick that I have to have Nate now push in the plunger.  It hurts the next day and then for a few days after. Ugh. I just researched that some sit the vial in warm water a little while before injecting so I am going to try that today. Yup. Anything to ease the bruising feeling I get with each PIO shot that I have to repeat through the pregnancy test around April 16th.

So, here we are the night before transfer.  Dr. Doherty is calling us early to discuss how many to transfer. I think it will be two like we discussed when we started this journey back in October.

Here we go!

How To Prepare & Inject Menopur

When I was about to start my shots, my brother searched his cell phone for youtube videos on how to do specific injections.  I happened to watch one while I did my first injection.  It helped a ton.  Today could be my last day of Menopur injections since I have blood work and an ultrasound in the morning so I thought I had better get recording. 

Shot 1: Score!

I did it! I injected myself for the first time and I didn't die!  Okay so that is a little over dramatic but I did get extremely dizzy, queezy and pale as my brother watched me jab myself in my pinched belly fat.  I couldn't talk but just breathe while I slowly injected the Menopur.  My first fertility injection on this IVF journey, try 1, cycle 1.

It was very useful to be able to google for Menopur and watch a few videos on youtube before and while doing the loading of the syringe and the injection.  I wasn't sure which needle to use for sure.  It ended up being about 27 g and it was very small.  Luckily.

Now, Sunday I have my first test to check the enlarging follicles and see where our progress is before starting a new drug.  I am so excited.  I did the shot at 9:30am and was so proud of myself.  It took a little while to recover from being lightheaded but proud, I am.

Use a Jabbing Motion to Inject Intramuscular?! What?!

I'm figitng. I am nervous and my stomach is upside down.  Only a few short days until the shots start. Lots of shots.  I have never been scared of needles and shots but this many and not done by a medical professional makes me queezy all of a sudden.  I have shots that need to be taken both Intramuscular and also Sub Q.  With the sub q injections, I can use my upper thighs or I can pinch my belly to use that area.  In the upper buttocks/hip area, I am pretty sure the intramuscular and stabbing action needed is what frightens me there. :)  I'll be fine but it makes me nervous.  I am hoping Nate will be good at helping with the injections.  The timing is important though so I am sure there will come times when I need to do them.

We have delayed our IVF from January to now (March 2012) because of my extensive travel schedule.  For work I have had the opportunity to travel to more than 15 cities in the US and Canada in less than eight weeks.  I did get some great experiences in before starting this actual process.  With Nathan's azoospermia, we have no choice other than medical intervention for us to conceive or at least have a chance at it.  As a reminder, Nathan carries the CF (cystic fibrosis) gene and was born without vas deferens which are the vessel for sperm to be carried out of the body.  After having a testicular biopsy, we found sperm and here we are now on a calendar. An actual cycle that we have planned for months.  I feel fluttering of nerves as I blog.  Excitement and possibility just pump me up.

So, over the last five weeks I have taken birth control pills to start regulating my body.  I took the last dose yesterday the 18th of March, 2012.  On this Wednesday morning at 7:30 is my sounding.  This is where the cervix is measured and the shape is noted.  I will then be given the ok to start injections which we believe will be the next day, March 22nd.  The injections will consist of the following medications, however, some of this is cloudy to me and I have a lot of questions on Wednesday so bare with me while I learn this myself :)

With these injections we want to produce several eggs in one cycle.  Menopur which stimulates the development of follicles.  There is also Ganirelix which suppresses hormone production, prevents ovulation and allows improved stimulation of ovarian follicular development.  Chorionic Gonad prepares the oocytes for the final maturation process which takes 36 hours for eggs to be released after injection.  The last of the items I will be using is Clomid- I am not positive as this is one of my questions for Wednesdays appointment and Progesterone which prepares the uterus for attachment of on the lining.



Nathan and I will have retrieval on the same day and I will be sedated but Nate will not be.  He will receive a block again as when they did the initial testicular biopsy.  When the follicles have matured, I will do the HCG injection and 34-36 hrs later I will have my eggs removed from my ovaries with a needle and ultrasound probe guiding it.  The retrievals will be either April 1st or 2nd with us resting the remainder of the day.  At that time there will be an Embryologist that mixes eggs and sperm for fertilization.  2 or 3 days later will be the embryo transfer to my uterus.  At that time I am on bed rest with only bathroom privileges for 24 hours.  This is our now planned infertility journey.  We can just pray and hope that the embryo implants and the pregnancy sustains.

So here I am.  Preparing for this very important journey...