Ladies, I know I haven't posted in a while but I have to share this with someone! No, not pregnant (well, maybe) but our experiences have been so crazy I just can't stop shaking my head.
So when K & I were ready to start trying for a baby, I was about to turn 38 and he was 39. I didn't wait around to see what would happen and got us checked out right away. I had uterine polyps that I had surgically removed but the real problem was K. His SA was bleak and we were told our only option was IVF. We did our first IVF around this time last year.
I got hyperstimulated during IVF and the 10 embryos we created had to be frozen b/c my estrogen was too high & preganancy could send me into a coma. We were upset but a few months later were able to do a frozen embryo transfer. (Can I also just metion the shots for an FET suck!) Our first FET ended in a very early miscarriage. Our second FET a few months later didn't even happen. After doing those dreadful shots we were told the morning of the transfer that the embryos didn't survive the thaw so not to come in. That was it, we were done. We had spent around $20,000 and had nothing but pain to show for it.
After a few months, I was ready to try again. We waited until 2013 to have the money for it and we had a plan. The doc was going to put me on a strong birth control pill to really shut down my system before starting the stimulation shots. The thought was that maybe it would keep my estrogen levels lower and we could do a fresh transfer. So I was on BC for 20 days in Jan. and then went for blood work on day 2 of AF. I knew this was different b/c I was barely bleeding. Sure enough, I got a phone call that afternoon with the nurse saying my FSH level was way too high, indicating that they had shut me down too much!!! They said we had a choice: 1) Go ahead with the IVF and see if I produce any eggs, or 2) Wait for my next AF and just start the IVF w/o using any BC pills. The said if we chose option #1 we had a 50/50 chance that I would respond.
We chose to try but since I had 13 eggs last IVF, K & I weren't willing to shell out $13,000 for anything fewer than 5 eggs. We would just wait until the following month and try again. Doc thought that was a good plan.
So after 7 days of shots I only had 3 follicles big enough to be confident they had an egg. That day the doc said he felt those three were using all the stimulation meds to grow and the others just weren't going to catch up. So we were cancelling the IVF. HOWEVER...since I had three eggs, I asked if we could go ahead and do an IUI. I know it wasn't likely to be successful with K's sperm count but I hated to waste three eggs. Kevin already had one sample frozen, he could go in that morning to give another and then the day of the IUI give a fresh sample. They would then all be put in, giving us a tiny, sliver of a possibility. Doc said sure, certainly couldn't hurt. So I called K and he came into the clinic that morning and gave another sample.
The doc said that since we were converting this to an UIU we no longer had to suppress my natural ovulation with Ganirelex (one of the shots). He said to go ahead and do the stimulation shots but not the Ganirelex that night. That night, I was pissed. Could we EVER catch a break??? To much stimulation, too little stimulation...it's just too much.
So I go in the next morning for the usual blood work and ultrasound and there were 8 follicles that were big enough to have eggs! Holy crap, maybe the IVF is back on! But, of course, when the blood work came back it showed that I had already begun to ovulate so we couldn't continue with stimulation shots. We had to do an IUI. I was pissed b/c I finally responded but couldn't do anything about it. I triggered that night (Ovidrel shot) and the IUI was scheduled for the next morning. Here's where it gets crazy....
Kevin was scheduled to give his fresh sample at 8:30 am and the IUI was at 10:00. We get there and the only person there is JJ, the embryologist, in the hallway. He directs K to a room and I just re-confirm that we are going to combine the two frozen samples with today's fresh sample. He suggests we keep the first frozen sample from last year's IVF still frozen and just use the other day's sample with today's. I remind him that we need all the help we can get and he gives me the strangest look of bafflement. He says, "Thursdays sample was pretty good, if today's is similar, that will be plenty." WHAT??? I ask him what he's talking about and he takes me to his office where he keeps his records.
It turns out that the day before yesterday, when we decided to do an IUI and K went in and gave a sample, K's sample was NORMAL!!!!!!! Not just the amount but also the percentage of good swimmers was amazing. WTF??? No one even told us.
I was so excited for K. How wonderful and what an amazing turn of events.
So when we do the IUI, all but the two largest have already been released and those two looked immenent. Doc then (finally) looked at the sperm report and was like, "whoa". K's count that day was good too. Doc said this actually has a chance of working. I think I ovulated around six eggs. (I don't think they normally would even let someone do an IUI with that many, but this was an extreme circumstance.)
So that all happened Sat. I'm to take an HPT on FEb 16th if I don't get AF.
My head is spinning. Everything is different. We don't necessarily need IVF. The IUI was so much simpler, I would be willing to do that until we get pg and so is K. Even if this doesn't work, I'm just so excited for future possiblitlies.
This has been such a rollercoaster. I was so mad that things once again hadn't gone smoothly but I realize that if I hadn't been shut down so much then I wouldn't had produced so few eggs. If I had produced a good number of eggs we would have just done the IVF and never had found out the good news. It feels like it was meant to be.
So I'm just trying to study for an exam Friday. I have been so bloated and uncomfortable since the IUI. My theory is that I ovulated all these eggs and each of those follicles is secreting progesterone and I'm on overload!
Anyway, I just had to share! Thanks for reading. How's everyone doing?