Five more days to go!

Well, I had my lining check and blood work appointment on Friday. Everything was lovely. My uterus was lovely. My blood was lovely. My ovaries were quiet and lovely. All was just.....lovely. I will begin the PIO IM shots today. They will go along with the del estrogen shots that I will still be getting every third day. Today is one of those "third days", so lucky me gets two shots this evening. I can't wait! We will receive a call sometime prior to Wednesday to let us know what time the transfer will take place. It will be in the afternoon, as the embryologist needs to thaw out the frozen minis prior to our arrival. After the transfer (which is exactly what it is like for a fresh IVF cycle), I will come home and be on 24 hours of bed rest followed up by two to three days of light activity. It will be around the 20th or 21st that we will have our beta HCG test to see if the minis "took" or not. Oh joy!

Getting a little bit closer...

This FET process seems like it takes forever, because you do so little that the time passes much more slowly. With IVF and IUIs you are stimming, doing ultrasounds, getting blood drawn, and etc. ALL the time. With the FET, there is hardly anything to do.

At this point, I have received four del estrogen injections. Matt is an old pro at this point as far as giving the IM shots is concerned. He just may have a second career as a "shot giver guy". I'm sure "those guys" make a ton of money. I have another injection on Wednesday, and then I go in for my lining check (ultrasound) and bloodwork on Friday. That is when things will really get moving. More shots, more often. A week from this Wednesday should be our transfer. I am hoping that our frozen M&M minis survive the thaw all right. We only have five left...

So - stay tuned to this absolutely riveting process! I'm sure y'all are glued to your computers just waiting for the next exciting post.

Matt and Mr. Duvall

Matt and Robert Duvall during the trophy presentation at the 69th International Gold Cup. Also included is a photo of the horses jumping during the Porsche sponsored race. Beautiful day!October 21,2006

M&M with Mr. Robert Duvall

Here is a photo of Matt and I with Robert Duvall. The shot was taken at the 69th annual International Gold Cup which was sponsored by Porsche and two of Matt's local dealers. Matt did a trophy presentation with Mr. Duvall, so we were able to meet and briefly chat with him. He lives in the area and enjoys being present at this event when he can. He is a very nice guy, and it was such a trip hanging out up there. The event was a big success, and I am very proud of my husband for pulling it all together in such a short amount of time. Good job, baby!

Grab your needles....let the shots begin again!

Everything went well at the RE's office today. The RE said that my uterus looked like it was "ready for some embryos". The lining was fine, and my uterus and both ovaries were "quiet". Apparently the blood work came back clear as well because we will begin the del estrogen IM injections this evening.

I will draw up .2 ml of the del estrogen using an 18G needle. Matt will inject the oily solution using a 22G x 1" needle. These needles are so much better than the 1 1/2" ones I used for most of my IVF cycle....my body is too little for the longer needles. Anway....these shots will be administered every third night through the time of transfer (and well after). On November 3rd I need to go back to the RE's office for another lining check and more blood work. If all looks good on that day, the following day I will begin doing the PIO IM injections along with the del estrogen IM injections. The PIO shots, unfortunately, need to be given every day. I will continue these shots for five days, and then we will have the transfer done on November 8th. Through all of this, I also must take a pre-natal vitamin and a baby aspirin every day.

So - we are once again getting close.........to what??? Who knows. We'll keep you posted.

TODAY IS DAY ONE!

So, today is the first day of my cycle! That means tomorrow I go in for my baseline ultrasound and bloowork, and more than likely I will begin my del estrogen IM inejctions tomorrow night. This is the official kickoff of our FET cycle. Stay tuned.....

Surviving 12,304 feet - M&M in the Rockies

Here is a beautiful shot of ourselves at the top of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The wind was a blowing somethin' fierce that day, but we were still able to travel up and over via Trail Ridge Road. We hiked up as far as we could into the tundra. Awesome! What a great trip!

Out with the BCPs

So, I am finally finished with the BCPs after taking them for 21 days. Now I sit and wait for my next cycle to begin so that we are able to kick off the FET process. On the first day of my cycle I will begin taking baby aspirin along with my prenatal vitamin. On the second day of my cycle I must travel to the clinic to have my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork completed. If everything looks ok then I will begin my del estrogen IM injections on day two as well. About 17 days into injections of both del estrogen (only given every third day) and PIO (given every day starting 12 days into the del estrogen shots), we will be able to do our actual transfer. We are getting excited, but it also seems surreal. I don't know if we are more relaxed about this attempt given that we lack hope in general, or if it is just old school to us at this point in time. Who knows....but we are doing it anyway. Here's to the start of another journey (good, bad or indifferent)!

BCPs Begin

Just a quick update. I began the BCPs on Wednesday, September 27th. This is the first step in the FET process. After I complete 21 days on the BCPs, I will wait for my next cycle and then kick off the rest of the fun. My tenative date for the FET is November 8th, but this will likely change as we get closer. We will keep y'all posted.

Busy week - Finally Moving Forward

It has been a busy week, so I am only now getting around to updating our blog. Sorry to anyone who is still actually checking in on us.

I had my fourth beta test on Wednesday, and I am very pleased to say that my HCG levels are now down to ZERO. I am finally "un-pregnant" and am able to move forward with treatment.

Matt and I had our follow-up / consult with the RE on Friday. She said that our IVF was absolutely "ideal" from a medical perspective. It was perfect. The fact that I miscarried was a fluke. The doc said that not all embryos are meant to be a baby, and that mine was one that wasn't meant to be. She feels that our chances are still very good to get pregnant and have a child. She is a straight shooter, so the fact that she is so hopeful makes me feel optimistic (albeit cautiously optimistic). The success rate at this clinic for frozen embryo transfers (FETs) is about 30 to 40%. Dr. Browne, our primary RE, has now given us the green light to move on to our FET.

At the start of my next cycle (which will be in the next one to three weeks) I will begin birth control pills (BCPs). The BCPs just "quiet" my reproductive system and give a good baseline to start the process. I will be on the BCPs for 21 days. After ending the BCPs my cycle should start again in three to five days. With the start of that cycle in October, I will have to go in on my "day 2" for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork. If everything is in order, then I will begin del estrogen injections. These will be intramuscular (IM) injections that I have to receive once every three days. After twelve days I will go back in for another ultrasound and more bloodwork. If my uterine lining looks good, then I will proceed with progesterone in oil (PIO) IM injections. These will be daily injections, just like I had to do with my IVF. After five days of PIO IM injections, I will be ready to go in for my transfer. On the day of transfer we will travel to Rockville, MD to the main Shady Grove clinic location. The embryologist will start by thawing two of our embryos (we have five frozen). If both survive the thaw, then those will be the minis that we put back in my uterus. If one or both don't survive, then they will continue thawing until we have two embryos to put back. After the transfer, I will be on 24 hours of bedrest again, followed by a few days of light activity. I will have to continue doing the PIO IM injections up through the pregnancy test. If I am pregnant, then the PIO shots will continue for a LONG time. If not, they will stop, and that will be that.

So - that is our protocol in a nutshell. The FET will actually take place in the beginning to middle of November, depending on when my cycles arrive. We will keep you posted as we forward with our next attempt at starting our family.

Blood Test #3....still going....and going...

Well, I had my third "post D&C" blood draw today. My beta HCG numbers dropped from 42 down to 14.1. The numbers must be below five to be negative, so I still have to go back for one more needle stick. Ouch! Oh well...next week's test should be the last one. We also have our follow-up / consult appointment with our RE next week on Friday. We will discuss the miscarriage and our next steps at that time. Hopefully we will be on track to do the FET at the end of October...we'll have to wait and see.

Blood Test #2

I went for my second "post D&C" beta test today, and my hormone levels are now down to 42. They still need to get below 5 before I am done with bloodwork. Anything less than five means "not pregnant anymore". I have another blood draw next Wednesday...hopefully it will be the last.

Blood Test #1

I had my first post D&C blood test yesterday. My beta-HCG levels are down to 129. This is a HUGE drop, which is what they would expect. I have to go back in one week to have my levels checked again. They need to have my levels be less than five (a technical negative) in order to clear me for any upcoming treatments. So - next Wednesday it is back to the RE's office again. Hopefully that will be the last time prior to our follow-up and consult on September 15th.

No More Restrictions!

I had my surgical follow-up yesterday with my OB. She said that everything looks good, and I should not have any problems moving forward. I have been "released" from my restrictions, and I am now free to begin working out and leading a normal life again. I am past the point where I could get an infection, so nothing more to worry about here. She also noted that it probably was not necessary for me to have a RhoGAM shot (for Rh incompatibility) after my early ectopic pregnancy / miscarriage. Now that I have had a later miscarriage and received the RhoGAM, I will have to have RhoGAM shots if I have any bleeding in future pregnancies. This will keep my body from attacking the baby's cells if it is Rh positive. Anyway...

Next week I will be going back to the RE's office for blood work. They want to make sure that my pregnancy hormones are dropping off appropriately. If so, we will then be cleared to move on to a frozen embryo transfer (FET) in a couple of months. Right now we are working diligently to plan our trip to Colorado in October and are just trying to be a "normal" couple (no shots, ultrasounds, pills, etc.). More than likely, I will begin suppression (birth control pills / lupron shots) with my October cycle. If that happens, we will probably do our FET in November. We have five frozen embryos left to use...so we might as well use 'em.

Road to Recovery

I had my D&C (dilatation and curettage) performed on Wednesday. I have been recovering at home since that time. Overall I feel pretty well. I think the option of surgery was the right choice and will be much easier to handle versus the alternative (natural miscarriage).

My pre-operative lab work showed that I am blood type A-. The negative stands for "missing the Rh factor". Essentially, it means that I have a rare blood type. Only 15% of the population is shown to be Rh negative. Now, the interesting thing is that Matt is Rh positive. If we do conceive, it is more than likely that the baby will be Rh positive. This can be a bad thing, because my body would recognize the Rh positive factor as a foreign body and would attack it (situation called Rh incompatibility). This situation can be avoided or mostly avoided given modern day science. A first pregnancy is not a risk, given that I wouldn't have produced any antibodies against the Rh positive baby yet. Anything after a first pregnancy can be dangerous, unless you are given an injection of RhoGAM. This injection kills off any Rh positive red blood cells in my body so that I do not create the antibodies to do this in the future. Confusing? Well, it is a bit confusing. Anyway...I was given an injection of RhoGAM after my D&C to help protect any future pregnancies. The one worry that we have at this point is that I was NOT given a RhoGAM injection after my ectopic pregnancy / miscarriage. My nurse at the fertility clinic is looking into this situation for me, as she believes that the injection is not necessary until you are at least 7 or 8 weeks into a pregnancy (which I was not at that time). I am hoping that this is the case so that we have not jeopardized future pregnancies with the possibility of Rh sensitization. Still confused? Sorry! The important thing is that I am not.

Outside of all of this, I am physically and emotionally starting to heal. Each day is a better day, and will continue to be so, I am sure. I have a surgical follow-up appointment with my OB next Friday. I have a follow-up and consult with my reproductive endocrinologist (RE) on September 15th. By that point in time we will be deciding if we are ready to proceed forward with any next steps (i.e. frozen embryo transfer) or not. If we do decide to move forward and jump into this again, I think it will be our last time. Hopefully everything will work out, as I continue to believe that everything happens for a reason.

From Bad to Worse

It is with great sadness that I share the news with you that we have officially lost the pregnancy. Our ultrasound today showed no fetal cardiac activity, the placenta has detached, and the sac is showing signs of collapse. I am scheduled to see my OB tomorrow for a repeat ultrasound and for a pre-op appointment. I will likely be scheduled for a D&C later this week.

I want to thank everyone for supporting us through this difficult journey. It is a sad day for us, and a frustrating end to an even more frustrating process. Outside of taking time to recover and grieve, I am not sure what we plan to do in the future regarding any further fertility treatments. We will take this process one day at a time and come to a decision sometime down the road. During this time, it is ok to feel badly for us, but I ask that you do not feel sorry for us. Life is not always fair, and we are all given difficulties to face. This just happens to be one of our difficulties. Thank you.

The Bad with the Good

Today we went for our second sonogram with the RE. The good news is that we had a visible / detectable heartbeat and that the gestational sac, yolk sac, and fetal pole had all grown just as they should over a one week period. The not so good news is that I am measuring a full week behind (I am 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant but am only measuring 6 weeks 2 days pregnant). The crown to rump measurement today was 5mm, up from 2mm a week ago (apparently at our first sonogram one week ago we were only measuring at 5 weeks 2 days pregnant instead of 6 weeks 2 days pregnant). The RE stated that she has seen plenty of women measure behind and still have a viable pregnancy and deliver healthy babies. Right now it is a positive sign that the growth over a one week period was typical growth. However, we must be cautiously optimistic at this time as things could also go the other way, in that the pregnancy could just stop progressing.

We will be back at the RE's office next Monday for a third sonogram. It is all of our hopes that the growth will continue just as it should, or, even more optimistically, bridge the gap. We also hope that the heartbeat continues to get stronger. If these things do happen for us, we will be released to the OB for the rest of the pregnancy. If not, we will have to deal with the situation that presents itself and move forward.

ONE M&M mini in the Oven!

Well, we are back from our first sonogram, and we are elated to share with everyone that there is only ONE M&M mini in this oven! In the above photograph, the darkened (black) oval is the "sac" that holds the mini. The little blob at the bottom of the sac is the yolk sac which will feed the mini until the placenta is fully formed. The tiny little rice shaped blob above the yolk sac is the fetal pole. The fetal pole is what will become our baby. So - for now we have all of the right parts! We were not able to see the heartbeat today, but it is still a bit early for that. Generally the heartbeat is visible by 7 weeks. I am scheduled for my next sonogram a week from today, and hopefully there will be a heartbeat at that point in time. We will keep you posted.

I am happy to announce that I will be done receiving Progesterone in oil intramuscular injections as of August 11th. At that time I will be switched over to Prometrium, which is NOT a shot! I will continue the Prometrium until August 25th, and then no more hormone replacements at all! The only thing that I will have to continue after the 25th is my prenatal vitamin...I can handle that! I am scheduled for my first OB appointment on August 25th, so we hope that all continues to progress well until then.

Third and Final Beta Test Results!

Today was my final beta test. My previous beta HCG number was 1650. After your number passes 1200 it is supposed to take between 3 and 4 days for it to double. It has only been three days since my last beta, and my number has increased to 3657...which is more than double. Everything is still progressing just as it should, if not better. Our number is still above average, so there is a chance that more than one of the minis decided to call my belly home. We will find out officially one week from today when we have our first sonogram. That appointment is scheduled for 9:30am.

(if anyone is interested in learning more about beta HCG numbers, or would like to see how ours have compared to the averages, feel free to check out this informative website: http://www.ivfer.com/hcg.htm)

I am doing well. The stim drugs in combination with my pregnancy hormones has caused my lower abdomen to become a bit distended. I feel fine, though. I am more tired than normal but am functioning well overall. I have not had any sickness as of yet, but that can creep up at any time. I don't mind any of my symptoms, though, as I am just happy to be in a situation to have the symptoms in the first place. No complaints here!

We will let everyone know the results of our sonogram sometime by Monday afternoon. If all goes well at that appointment, hopefully we will be able to start relaxing and enjoying the pregnancy even more.

Beta Results #2

Well, today was the second beta test to see how our HCG number was increasing. My nurse informed me that they like to see a 60% increase over the first number. (Our first number was 945, so a 60% increase would have been 1512.) Well, we aren't messing around here, so we threw up a big ole' 1650...almost a 75% increase. The pregnancy at this point is progressing quite well. The average beta number at this stage is around 1200, so we are beating the averages all around.

Monday will be the third and final beta test. If things are still going as well as they have been, then we will be ready to schedule our first ultrasound for around the six week mark (when we will find out if just one or both of the minis dug in). We'll continue to keep you all posted!