Baseline = Starting Line

Ready. . . . Set. . . . Go. . . .

Today was the ever important baseline ultrasound and bloodwork and I am happy to report that I passed with flying colors. My ultrasound showed about 11 follicles and my lining was nice and thin, just the way they like it, and no cysts! My doctor said she is expecting around 12 eggs, which is average, and she said that I should be very happy about that. All my bloodwork looked great! They have to make sure that your estrogen is very low and that your body is absorbing the Lurpon so you don't ovulate until the doctor wants you to. So everything looked great, and my FSH was 3.5, that is the lowest it has ever been. So hopefully that means that my eggs will be great quality and make great embroyos. FSH is a basic bloodtest that is done on day 3 of a cycle and it is the first step in assessing ones fertility. Normally the lower the number the better, anything over 10 is usually a reason for concern.
One thing I have to remember is this is a marathon, slow and steady, not a sprint to the finish line.

I did have a mini break down on my way from the doctors office to my office, I was driving and all of a sudden the tears just started flowing. I do feel better after I cry, so that is the upside. Everyone tells me to be positve and optimistic, but it's a lot harder then it sounds. But I take their advice and put on a smiling face and block out the negative thoughts!

Here we go, we are so ready, this has been 2 1/2 years in the making!

To ICSI or not to ICSI

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) used to treat sperm-related infertility problems. ICSI is used to enhance the fertilization phase of in vitro fertilization (IVF) by injecting a single sperm into a mature egg.
Under high-power magnification, a glass tool (holding pipet) is used to hold an egg in place. A microscopic glass tube containing sperm (injection pipet) is used to penetrate and deposit one sperm into the egg. After culturing in the laboratory overnight, eggs are checked for evidence of fertilization. After incubation, the eggs that have been successfully fertilized (zygotes) or have had 3 to 5 days to further develop (zygotes or blastocysts) are selected. Two to four are placed in the uterus using a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is inserted through the cervix. The remaining embryos may be frozen (cryopreserved) for future attempts.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used to treat severe male infertility, as when little or no sperm are ejaculated in the semen. Immature sperm collected from the testicles are usually unable to move about and are more likely to fertilize an egg through ICSI. It is also helpful when the sperm is poorly shaped, it allows the embroyologist to pick the best sperm to fertilize the egg with.

Some couples choose to try ICSI after repeat in vitro fertilization has been unsuccessful. In the United States, about half of IVF procedures are currently performed using ICSI technology. Myself I find this absolutely crazy, why would couples not want to ICSI, why would you want to take the risk of eggs not fertalizing? I just do not get that!!

ICSI is also used for couples who are planning to have genetic testing of the embryo to check for certain genetic disorders. ICSI uses only one sperm for each egg, so there is no chance the genetic test can be contaminated by other sperm.

There has been some studies that show that using ICSI gives you a slightly higher change of having identical twins, but there is not enough evidence to support that quite yet.

So, we will be doing ICSI, we have to, with John's sperm which is poorly shaped and the potential that my eggs are too hard, that would make natural fertilization more difficult. So whatever the risks, I feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

Step one for IVF complete!

To me IVF is such a process, its many many weeks of injections, meds, and doctors appts all leading up to the egg reteival and then the embroyo transfer. Today was step one, complete and I couldn't be happier. I got my period today! I never thought I would be happy to say that, but now I can start birth control pills which I will take for about 3 1/2 weeks to shut my system down. I also have my first day of blood work tomorrow morning to make sure everything is good to go. I am just going to take this day by day and not get ahead of myself. I'm so excited toget this party started!
Keep your prayers with us as we embark on this journey!

The Bailey Multiples

I have been watching The Bailey Multiples on TLC and I find it so touching and interesting to watch other couples who have endured infertility. This paticular couple, Stacy and Steven Bailey went through IVF and had eight frozen embryo transfers before getting pregnant with sextuplets. They transfered 4 embroyos, due to all the failed attempts and all 4 stuck, and 2 divided into idential twins, giving them 6 babies. The identical twin boys dies in utero and the remaining 4 babies were delivered healthy and happy. I am sitting her on my couch bawling my eyes out, maybe its the hormone injections, maybe its because I know exactly what that couple is feeling. I cannot wait to have that moment of "we're pregnant" and going through the entire pregnancy and then the delivery of our child. While, I would love to have twins, anymore then that scares the crap out of me. I know God does not give us more then we can handle, but twins seem managable to me. To have that moment in the delivery room when you hear your child cry for the frist time will be the most memorable moment of my life and I cannot wait to experience that with John.

The Bailey multiples are perfectly healthy and happy today and will celebrate their 3rd birthday on February 17th, 2009. Happy Birthday Bailey kids!