IVF Green Light

Well today I went into the RE's office and got GOOD news.

My ovaries were completely suppressed which is what they wanted. My estrodial was very low which is also what they wanted.

I also took part in a fabulous ritual called "cervical dilation" which I suggest every woman (and man for that matter) participate in at some point just for the fun ot it. They don't do this with every woman who does IVF. I am one of the lucky few. Basically, my cervix is closed fairly tight so they insert catheters of various widths until they feel they have reached their maximum. If you successfully get the tiny catheter in, hurrah for you, let's try a larger one. This procedure lasts for a few weeks and will make the transfer of embryos into my uterus much smoother. John said I did a fabulous job. He watched the screen the entire time and was like, "Wendi, are you watching this? This is really cool." No, I wasn't watching the screen. I told him he could fill me in later.

So, we are right on course and ready to get started. Here's what I know currently.

We start Gonal (infertility hormone shots) THIS Friday. I will take this for six days and will then start going in for what could be daily blood draws and internal ultrasounds monitoring my follicle count in my ovaries. Each day around 3:00 the nurse will call me and tell me how much medicine to take that night and what time to be in the next day for my next ultrasound.

However, one of those calls will be "the call" where she tells me I am ready to go. They will then give me a very detailed schedule for both JB and me, and 36 hours later we will have the surgery. Two days after that they will put the embryos back in me.

As for me, I have been more emotional but was blessed that I didn't need to take any strong headache medication today -- a sign that the hormones are working their way out of my system. My friend, co-worker, and neighbor Kelsey came down to my house last night while both of our husbands were on call and we talked for a few hours. During the course of this conversation, I had an epiphany of sorts that is bringing me comfort.

The odds of this working are 40%. That means that if we get 10 embryos, I will get 4 yes's and 6 no's. This may sound sort of pessimistic, but for me, it is helping to keep me centered. I may get 2 no's the first time (each embryo they put in me gets its own "vote"). However, that's okay, because I have 4 yes's coming at some point. If the stats prove true for me, I will have a few more calls with bad news than good news. However, the good news is coming eventually.

Of course, I am praying for 1 or 2 yes's the very first time. Like I told Kelsey and my cousin Josh last night, "I just want to hit the first free throw!" (I often think in free-throws. It grounds me.) If I can hit the first one, the pressure will be off.

Anyways, a few bits of babble here, but the bottom line is: Good news in the Kit. house tonite. They will be getting my eggs in approximately 2 weeks. I am very happy and in good spirits. Thanks for the prayers today.