IVF

For anyone not familiar with what In Vitro Fertilization really is, I am going to do my best in explaining it and the process...

**Please note this is based off of my experience and my doctors preference on the process. Every doctor, I am sure, does things a little differently. However, these are the steps (in summary) that I took, under the care of my doctor.**

| In vitro Fertilization |

This type of treatment is a series of procedures that assist with the conception of a child.

The cycle leading up to your actual IVF cycle, you are put back on birth control. I know it sounds like they are doing things backwards, but in doing so you have a better success rate as the birth control somewhat regulates your cycle. The month after you stop taking the BC you are most fertile.

After that cycle is complete on the BC, you stop taking that and begin all of the other medications and a number of shot injections. These are taken for about 2 weeks leading up to the first procedure, which is the egg retrieval. Your doctor will monitor you closely, by ultrasound, about every third day once you begin the medications. The week leading up to your ovulation peak, you are monitored by ultrasound every other day. The doctors have to make sure your follicles are growing and that they do not miss the perfect opportunity for you to take the trigger shot before retrieving the eggs at their most mature state.

Once the eggs are mature from ovulation, the trigger shot is taken a day and a half before they are retrieved from the ovaries. This is a surgical procedure that the patient has to be put under anesthesia for. The goal during the egg retrieval procedure is to collect as many mature egg as possible. The more eggs they retrieve, the more chances you have during the fertilization phase. An average number of eggs that get retrieved is usually between 8-12 eggs. However, age does play a role in the egg count. Recovery time after the surgery is about an hour, then you are discharged to go home and rest the remainder of the day and the following day.

The male partner must provide a sperm sample the day of the egg retrieval, as the eggs that are retrieved are put with the sperm the same day, in hopes of successful fertilization.

The night of the egg retrieval, you begin taking Progesterone injections (use to prevent miscarriages/help to maintain a pregnancy) and a baby aspirin used as a blood thinner which allows the blood to better circulate throughout your whole body during possible changes. The Progesterone injections have to be taken every single night, in the lower back, around the same time each night. These injections are given up until a confirmed failed pregnancy, or if there is a successful confirmed pregnancy, you will continue to take these injections up until 8-10 weeks of your pregnancy.

After the egg retrieval procedure, the eggs and sperm are put together and left alone for a

couple days to begin the fertilization process on their own (outside of the body). Crazy right?

In vitro is a Latin phrase that means, "in glass." In a small glass dish is where your eggs and the sperm are placed together, ultimately forming your embryo (AKA baby).

Once they are given those couple of days to do their thing, the doctor working in the lab begins monitoring each egg and tracks their progress, or lack thereof. They typically like to give the eggs up to 5 days to fertilize and grow outside of the body. By that 5th day they are able to determine which eggs fertilized successfully and would be ready for transfer. Unfortunately, not all eggs usually fertilize to the full potential and there is nothing you can do with them. The more eggs that do fertilize, however, the more you can chose to either transfer or freeze for future. After the embryo(s) have formed to their full potential, you doctor will then tell you to come back in, either the following day or a couple days after the embryo(s) have fully matured. This time you will be coming in for the "Embryo Transfer" procedure.

The transfer procedure is a little less invasive than the egg retrieval. You do not have to be put under Anesthesia for the transfer thankfully. Depending on how many embryo you had successfully fertilize, you can chose how many you want to transfer back into your body. With our situation, our doctor told us how many she thought was best for us to transfer and then we could only up her one, if we wanted to. When transferring more than one embryo, your chances of having multiple births are very high.

Your predetermined number of embryo(s) are placed in a small, fine catheter. This catheter is made to pass through the vagina, cervix, and into your uterus. The doctors use an ultrasound to help guide them in planting the embryo(s) in the uterus. You can watch the whole thing on the monitor! The procedure is uncomfortable and crampy, but manageable. The patient is then instructed to rest in recovery for a while before getting up and walking around. However, not too long after the procedure, you are able to walk out of there on your own.

Continue the Progesterone injections every night, Yay! Then you deal with the dreadful WAIT. Not a full two week wait, like with the IUI, but about 9 days from the transfer you will take a blood test to determine if you are pregnant or not.

Easy process right?

Now ya know.

Back to our journey through all of this...

ABOVE PHOTO FROM:

http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/in-vitro-fertilization/