Sonogram Results

I had my sonogram today at 6 weeks and 1 day into my pregnancy. I was hoping to see the heart beat today, but unfortunately that did not happen. I asked my RE if that meant we should prepare for the worst, and she said no. She said that there is no clinical reason for her to be concerned at this point. With frozen embryo transfers the development can sometimes be a little bit slower than with a fresh cycle. She reassured me that I am NOT measuring behind this time (which brings some relief). The gestational sac increased from 7mm last week to 15mm this week. I also now have a visible yolk sac and the start of a fetal pole (which will eventually have the heart beat in it, we hope). So, we remain on pins and needles until next Wednesday. It is basically a must for us to see a heart beat by that point in time. I figure it was meant to happen this way...my appointment is set for Valentine's Day, which is all about the heart. Right? Ok, maybe I am digging here...but I am trying to see things from a positive perspective. Given my past history, I will continue to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Keep praying or thinking happy thoughts for us!

Another little victory...

The ultrasound today went well. We only have one visible pregnancy sac, but it is there. The RE apologized for causing us any anxiety, but with my numbers he wanted to make sure that the pregnancy was in the right place. Well, the sac is in the appropriate place and is the appropriate size for this point in my pregnancy. The slower rise in my number could mean that another one or two of the embryos were trying to "stick" and started giving off pregnancy hormones initially, then stopped after not making it. We are scheduled for our first "real" ultrasound next Wednesday, February 7th. At that ultrasound we hope to see a yolk sac, fetal pole, and a heartbeat. These would all indicate a viable pregnancy. So, in another six days we hope to celebrate yet another little victory on this journey.

Note: after tomorrow, we will definitely be without a computer until at least February 7th. If you need to contact us, please use the numbers listed in a previous post. If not, we will update once the new computer arrives next week!

Hoping for the best, yet preparing for the worst

I had my final beta test today, and my HCG levels came back lower than they would have liked. My previous number was 5533, and my number today was 7203. They would have liked a 50 to 60% increase, and I fell about 1000 short of that. They are bringing me in early for an ultrasound. My appointment is scheduled for 8:45am tomorrow. The RE says that sometimes such high initial numbers means that more than one embryo implanted. If that happened, one of them might be lagging behind and might not make it, which could explain the less than perfect increase in my numbers. That would be a nice scenario, as one embryo could still possibly be ok. The other scenario would be that we could lose the entire pregnancy again. All we can do is wait and see what tomorrow brings. Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers....every little bit helps.

Just kidding...for now...

Ok - so, we will have a computer at least through Friday afternoon now. After that, our new home computer will be here around the 7th or so of February. We will be offline for a short period of time in between.

Getting to the point of the matter, my beta number came back yesterday at 5533. After the levels hit 1200 it takes between 72 and 96 hours for the numbers to double. Mine a little more than doubled in 72 hours, so that was good. My nurse said the rise in level was a good rise, and my number is a strong number.

My final beta test will be tomorrow morning. I will update the blog in the afternoon. I should be scheduled for my first ultrasound following tomorrow's beta results.

Thanks to all of our faithful supporters, lurkers, and fans!

This message brought to you by M&M....

After today, we may not be able to update the blog for a couple / few weeks. Matt will be giving his computer back to Porsche, so we will be without internet access until our new home computer arrives. Please feel free to call us to get updates!

Home: 540-349-9251
Megan cell: 440-281-1473

Thanks for all of your support and prayers!

The OFFICIAL Results!!!

So, now the "real" results are in. I am PREGNANT once again. Our HCG number came back at 2615 this time, which is a really strong number. As one of the nurses told us to do....celebrate the little victories. This is the first step, and at least it was a good first step for us. I will go back on Monday for another blood draw to make sure that the numbers are rising appropriately. I will more than likely have a total of three beta tests prior to scheduling my first ultrasound. The ultrasound will be scheduled for my six week mark, which will be about 1.5 weeks from now. Stay tuned and continue with the positive thoughts and prayers for us! We appreciate it.

The UNOFFICIAL Results

For anyone who is still checking the blog page religiously, or even sporadically, you get to know the unofficial results before anyone else. Hopefully you can tell what the tests above mean, but for those of you who cannot...it means that I am pregnant. So, the total rollercoaster ride begins for Matt and I once again. I have had spotting and cramping for two days(both have all but ceased today), but more than likely this can be attributed to implantation (feel free to look up information on the web regarding this phenomenon). It is too early for it to mean much of anything else. Scary, still...but my nurse says not to worry about it. I have my OFFICIAL beta hCG test this coming Friday, January 26th. We will keep you all posted while we are on this terrifying ride for the third time. Keep thinking very happy thoughts for us!

FET Update

(note: this picture, taken from AFC of Chicago's website, shows a hatching blastocyst)

Transfer took place yesterday, January 12th. Our regular RE surprised us by showing up to do the transfer herself. You never know who you are going to get, and she wasn't scheduled to be there, but she really wanted to do the transfer for us....so she did. There.

Anyway, everything went really well. All three remaining embryos made the thaw, so we put back all three minis. Our RE said they looked like fresh blastocysts! Two of them were graded at 100% (perfect), and one was graded at 80% (not great, but not horrible). One of our "perfect" embryos was already starting to hatch which is a very promising sign. The embryos hatch from their shell (zona pallucida) in order to be able to implant into the uterine lining. This is the first time we have had one hatching prior to transfer, so it does give us some hope.

Our beta (pregnancy) test will be done on January 26th, so we will keep you informed...good, bad, or otherwise. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Transfer

We are scheduled for the FET at 3:30pm in the Rockville, MD office. I have to arrive at 3pm with a full bladder, as usual. We apparently drew the short straw for transfer times because going home we will be stuck right in the middle of DC rush-hour traffic on a Friday evening. Lovely! Oh well. I will update again after my 24 hours of bedrest.....wish us luck!

If at first you don't conceive....try, try again!

I had my lining and estrogen check this morning. Per the usual, all went well. My levels came back fine, and my lining was "8.6, beautiful, with a three-layer effect". This is exactly what they want going into transfer-time. I start my PIO IM injections this evening (1cc daily) which goes along with my del estrogen IM shots (every third day). One of the nurses will call on Thursday to let us know what time the transfer will take place Friday afternoon. As agreed upon earlier, we will be thawing the remaining three frozen M&M minins. We will "put back" however many make the thaw. I will reamin on bedrest for 24 hours, so I will post again sometime after Saturday afternoon.

Thanksgiving 2006

Here is a pic of Matt, my two nieces, and myself on Thanksgiving day. We are so cool!

Christmas 2006

Here is a pic of my mom and I while decorating my parent's Christmas tree. Batman was kind enough to pee on the tree for them. It was a live tree that was still balled because my parents were going to plant it in their yard after the holidays. Batman thought that was cool!

Little over a week to go...

I have had three del estrogen injections so far. My lining check is scheduled for Monday, and I will begin the PIO shots that night if all is clear. Totally uneventful as usual. I am ready for transfer on Jan. 12th, so it can't get here soon enough!

Cycle Day One...come and gone

Well, cycle day one hit on December 26th. I went in this morning for my cycle day 2 baseline ultrasound and blood work. Everything was fine, as usual. I will begin the del estrogen IM injections this evening, and I will get one every three days. I have to go back on January 8th for my lining check, which is also the day that I will begin the PIO IM shots. I am still scheduled for a January 12th transfer.

3 BCPs to go...after Sunday will be done!

I can't hardly wait to be done with the BCPs. They are making me miserable, and I will spare everyone the intimate details of my actual misery. After Sunday I will be all done with them, and I will have my ultrasound and blood work on the 28th as scheduled. The del estrogen shots will begin that day, and our countdown to the FET on January 12th will truly start. I still can't wait until the day prior to transfer when I have my 1 hour and 20 minute Swedish massage....aaaahhhhh!

13 BCPs to go, but who is counting????

Oh yeah, I am. Uggh. They truly suck, but oh well. My yoga 4 fertility dvd arrived yesterday, and I gave it a whirl this morning. I really liked it. It has a lot of great stuff to help you relax and focus, and the yoga poses are great. It will take awhile for my body to be able to do some of the poses perfectly / properly, but I will get there. I am certainly glad I ordered it. I also made my appointment for my massage the day prior to transfer. I am going for an EIGHTY minute swedish massage...yay! I am so excited for that! Well, I must go down a cup of hot raspberry leaf tea....

11 days down...18 more to go

I am 11 days into the BCPs, and I still do not like them anymore than I have in the past. But, I only have 18 more days to go, so it isn't the end of the world. For this FET cycle, I am taking a very positive and relaxed approach. I have begun incorporating a variety of holisitc / homeopathic variables into the mix. I am doing yoga and will soon begin doing a yoga specific for women with fertility issues (a yin form of yoga). I really enjoy this form of exercise as it makes me feel relaxed yet very strong. I have started taking a bubble bath at least once a week while listening to a relaxation CD and reading. I am eating pumpkin seeds (known for holisitc properties regarding the female reproductive system) and drinking a lot of raspberry leaf tea (known for toning and strengthening the uterus and regulating female cycles). I am eating well, although this is nothing new or out of the ordinary. I have put my diet Coke aside for the most part, and I generally drink naturally flavored sparkling water in addition to my tea. The day prior to my frozen transfer I plan to go for a massage. After the transfer I will continue with my yin yoga, and I also plan to go for a facial. I don't know if any of this will result in a pregnancy this time around, but I do know that I am feeling much more in control of what we are doing, and I feel very positive and calm. That, in and of itself, certainly can't do any harm.

Family Holiday Photo

This is the one that is being used to create our Christmas cards. Batman displayed the utmost patience as he was staged for this photo-op. He did try to eat his "arm" on several occasions, but other than that he was a good boy.

FET Round Two....Ding

Well, we are now onto our second FET journey. I started my birth control pills (BCPs) on Sunday, and I will take them for 29 days this time. I will take my last pill on December 24th, my next cycle should begin on December 27th, and I will go in for a baseline ultrasound and bloodwork on December 28th. If all goes well with the baseline workup, then I will begin my del estrogen IM shots again on that same day. Sometime after that the PIO shots will follow suit. My transfer date is tenatively set for January 12th. We have decided to tranfer all three remaining frozen M&M minis, that is if they all survive the thaw. Our estimated beta HCG test would be on / around January 24th.

Thoughts are confirmed....it is official!

Had the beta HCG test today, and it came back negative. Neither frozen embryo "took". My RE called me personally to deliver the news. She is allowing us to go straight into another FET cycle, so I will begin BCPs again sometime in the next week. We will be doing a transfer with the remaining three frozen minins (whichever ones survive the thaw) in early January. This is one of our last attempts, so we hope it works.

Please keep thinking positive thoughts for us!

Thanks - Megan and Matt! =-)