Hey everyone,
I have been TTC for 1.5 years, and have been a lurker during that time, so I thought now that I finally have my BFP, I would share my story for someone else looking for success stories.
After 6 Mos of TTC, our Dr sent my husband for a semen analysis and it came back with low sperm count and low motility. Because I was 33, our Dr referred us to a fertility clinic. Because of covid, we didn't speak to the clinic until 4 months later.
We paid $500 to get the initial testing done for the both of us. Since my insurance doesn't cover IVF, this was out of pocket.
The tests came back the same for my husband, and they also said one of my tunes was partially blocked. Because of this, and my age, they recommended IVF instead of IUI.
This specific clinic didn't have any government grants available for the egg retrieval surgery (there was a 3 year wait), so we called EVERY other clinic in Ontario. Luckily we found another one with no wait, so we transferred. This delayed us by about 1 month.
Once we were settled with the new clinic, they didn't make us do the tests again because they were done in the last 3 months.
I had to report my next period to them, and started birth control shortly after. I was on it for 21 days. I went to the clinic for a pelvic ultrasound and they gave me injections. I don't remember the names, but they're the typical injections for egg retrieval. I had 2 injections per day, each morning. The injections were in my stomach. I didn't really have any symptoms from this.
During this time I went to the clinic a few times for more ultrasounds to see how many eggs I had. I think the number they told me was about 13, although this # doesn't guarantee anything during your egg retrieval.
After my final ultrasound, they said I was good to go for my scheduled egg retrieval date, and they gave me a shot I was to take at midnight before the egg retrieval.
The day of egg retrieval, I was put on an IV to prep me for the anesthesia. I was worried, but it was fine. I had a nurse observing me the whole time to make sure I was okay.
The egg retrieval felt like A LOT of cramping, but wasn't the worst feeling in the world. They tell you how many eggs they get while you're in the operating room. I had 8.
I felt very sore for about a week after, and couldn't really handle stairs for the first few days. To prevent some ovarian hyper stimulation issue (not sure what it's called exactly), they had me eating 1 can of soup, 2 ensure, and 2 Gatorade per day for 10 days. This was not fun, since I hate all of these things.
After the egg retrieval, we were given email updates each day on the progress of our embryos. Out of the 8 eggs, 5 were mature to use. Out of the 5, 4 were successfully inseminated. Two of the 4 made it to blastocycst stage.
It is normal to have this number decline as they go through the process, but it still was hard to hear.
We sent them for genetic testing, so we didn't have implantation scheduled right away.
Because of Christmas, we had about 1 month delay, since the clinic is close for 2 weeks, so we reported my next period to them in January.
I was told to start one medication mid February. After 2 weeks, I went for another pelvic ultrasound, and they said my uterine lining was optimal, so I would start progesterone injections and suppositories. I had one injection and 3 suppositories per day.
I went in for my embryo transfer, and I was told to drink 4 cups of water 1 hour before.
The need to pee was probably the worst part of this process, but they did let me pee for 5 seconds, to relieve the pressure. This was a HUGE relief.
I got to watch the ultrasound on a TV in front of me which was pretty cool. The embryologist told me my egg was rated very well, and it thawed so well that it looked like a fresh egg.
The doctor inserted a catheter into my uterus, then put a needle through the catheter with the embryo. When the embryo came out of the needle, there was a big flash on the ultrasound screen, which was pretty cool. I could see my embryo implanted into my uterine lining.
I stayed for 20 min, then left. I was told to take it easy for 2 weeks, but VERY easy for the first week. I basically watched Netflix all day for the first week. My husband was responsible of taking care of me.
Now, here were my symptoms during the 2WW:
1-3 days after transfer: no symptoms
Day 4: this weird pressure/cramping in my lower abdomen. It wasn't exactly pressure, and it wasn't exactly cramping, but it was definitely noticeable.
Day 5: still had this pressure/cramping, and it was slightly more intense.
Day 6: same as above
Day 7: same as above. I was also all of a sudden extremely nauseous, and had to run to the bathroom to throw up.
Day 8: no symptoms
Day 9: very tender breasts. Slight nausea.
Day 10: breasts even more tender.
Day 11: very tender breasts, and more nausea. I threw up again.
Day 12: my breasts were SO tender, I never felt this before. Also low grade nausea all day, and huge appetite.
Day 13: same as above.
Day 14: test day!!!
I also had the following symptoms, sporadically:
Sensitive to smells
Food aversion. Please do not feed me salad
Vivid dreams. This happened every night, including the 1st night. I didn't piece this together until later.
I wasn't tired, but I was also sleeping 10 hrs/night so that may have helped.
Nipples turning slightly brown around the edges.
I was unsure if my symptoms were from the progesterone, so I didn't want to let myself believe I was pregnant, even though I definitely felt like I was. This is also why I didn't test at home. I waited until the dr appointment.
I went for bloodwork, and 6 hrs later the nurse called me to let me know I was pregnant! My HCG level was over 1000.
I went back 2 days later for more bloodwork. This is to compare your HCG levels to the 1st number.
I also want to say that I believe TCM acupuncture helped me in being successful. I went once a week for 2 months before the implantation. This was recommended to me by my naturopath, and she was specific about it being TCM acupuncture (traditional Chinese medicine). I found the most amazing acupuncturist that specializes in IVF support, so I knew I was in good hands.
I hope this helps people that are doing IVF, because I legit had no idea what to expect with the process. I was googling ALL THE TIME.
I also want to give hope to people struggling with infertility. I know how hard it is and how impossible it seems to get pregnant, but keep strong and carry on. Things will work out for you!
I will be monitoring for questions within the next few weeks, but I doubt I'll be on long term.
Good luck to all you ladies TTC