Friday, July 3, 2009

Just what I was aiming for

I just got the call with the fertilization report and another doctor's recommendation on how to proceed. Of the 40 eggs retrieved, 24 were mature. The number might have been higher if they'd anticipated that many eggs, but the 18 that were measured on CD10 were ready to go so that's why we triggered when we did. I'm extremely happy with 24. That's more than quadruple last time (11 retrieved, 5 mature), and more than I'd even hoped for.

Of the 24 mature eggs, 15 fertilized normally. That's 62.5%, which I guess is fairly normal since last time 60% (3 out of 5) fertilized and the RE was happy with the fertilization rate in IVF#1. So, I got the 15 mature, fertilized eggs that I was dreaming of. Hurray!

After the numbers, we discused the big issue- 3DT or freeze all. First, anyone with a reasonable response to IVF meds experiences some degree of OHSS. In fact, OHSS is the goal of all those shots; CONTROLLED overstimulation. Second, the doc I spoke with today says he's never seen a severe case of OHSS in a patient over 40 in all of his 15 years working with IVF (I forgot to ask how many 40+ patients had produced 40 eggs). He's confident that I will experience mild to moderate OHSS, but our chance of success is much higher with a fresh cycle. Given my age, he wants to be aggressive. I do to. I want more than anything for this to work. You all know how that feels. And if I decided to freeze all those embies and none of them ever became our children, I would second-guess and regret my decision until the end of time. We're giving it all we've got. If I end up uncomfortable and hospitalized, I'll know I did everything I could. We've been sacrificing for our children for years now. Why stop now?

I know I may regret this decision. Two REs and three nurses all advised against proceeding with a 3DT. It might have been different if yesterday's RE had been working today. Ultimately, I'm glad Dr. Aggressive called. I'm not holding anything back. I'm more than a little scared, but so hopeful that this will work. Fingers and toes crossed, here we go.

8 comments:

sprogblogger said...

Oh good luck! Fantastic showing, too. It sounds like you've got a great shot at this being your time. And I'm with you - we've all been sacrificing for years, and knowing that you did everything you could is worth the risk of discomfort & even hospitalization. Having to second guess your decisions after the fact is the worst.

On to transfer!!! Congratulations on those numbers!

IrishNYC said...

Ah! You wrote as I was responding to your last post. I'm glad Dr. Aggressive called, too! In my opinion you have nothing to lose by going forward with a transfer now. Like you said, you'd only be left wondering if you didn't. Why beat yourself up over what if's if you don't have to?

I think we can't regret any decisions we make when it comes to infertility. There's enough guilt associated with that, that you shouldn't regret anything choices you make.

Melissa said...

YAY! Sometimes you just need to dive right in instead of one step at a time. Fingers and toes are firmly crossed.

'Murgdan' said...

Egg-cellent fertilization! Hooray for your little embies. Good luck to you...hoping you steer clear of the OHSS and are full-steam ahead to pregnancy.

Nic said...

Pleased you have made your mind up. I really hope that it all works out for you. If this is right for you then thats great. I dont think you will regret it as you know you have done everything you can to get your baby. I think if you did freeze them you would have the question 'what if' in the back of your mind.

Keri said...

Hoping BIG for this transfer!

Triumph in Learning said...

Glad to hear your going to try this time:)(I would have tried it too if it were me) I'm really hoping that this works for you!!!

Callie said...

As someone dealing with late onset OHSS, I still would have gone ahead with the transfer had I been in your position. That being said, and as I'm sure your doctor has said, drink lots of Gatorade and eat a high protein/salt diet to try to minimize the effects of any OHSS. It is not fun!

My very best wishes to you!

-Callie