Once the embryo transfer was done, as far as I was concerned I was/am pregnant until proven otherwise. This was suggested to me to do by another friend in treatment and it is probably the best advice I have received in recent months and something I have tried to keep in practice as best I could. I still do not have any answers but I wanted to address the “do we tell or don’t tell” issues now, before I find out for sure so no one can say they were not warned ahead of time.
Everyone knows the “don't tell until you are at least 3 months pregnant” rule. It’s as though by telling you are tempting fate. It is completely understandable to wait, as many pregnancies do not make it through the first trimester and it can be scary to celebrate a new life not knowing what will happen in the weeks to come. I guess that the 3 month wait is sort of a safe-haven for some; a sign that they are out of danger and free to share their news with the world. For others it is simply the way things are done. We are creatures of habit, after all!
But, as much as it is understandable to wait, it is also just as reasonable for others to share their news right away. Some feel the need to celebrate parenthood openly from the beginning and they turn to family and friends for support and advice immediately. And, should something terminate the pregnancy, they have a large network to help them grieve and get through the process. However, there is also a down side to this in my opinion; too much advice, no control on who hears the news, when they hear, and how they hear. And, often times, scrutiny by others for telling so early!
So, what is the right thing to do? Well, the answer is simple... do whatever is right for YOU. Not because someone tells you to, not because society dictates that you must do this or that, but because it makes you happy. If it feels right to tell, then share the news. If you would rather wait, then wait. You are parents now; you get to make the decisions!
One thing that makes this decision a little more complicated for us is that this whole process has been very open from the start and it is pretty obvious when we will be finding out the answer we have been waiting for. Unlike a traditional pregnancy, everyone knows what we have been doing! Already, a large handful of people know the exact date and time that I will be finding out the answer. Do we keep up the suspense, and if so, how? Do we tell some people but not others and hope that the news does not spread like wildfire? Do we tell everyone we know? I do not have answers to these questions yet but they will come in time. Certain people will definitely be told from the start I am sure, but as for everyone else... we will see!
No matter what happens, it is a big decision to make and it is OUR decision to make. Whether you are one of the first or one of the last to find out, all I ask is for a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t for whatever we decide to do!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Round 2 (IVM): Step 5 - Assisted Hatching
I phoned the hospital today with some questions about the last 4 embryos I had in the lab and while I was at it I asked about the assisted hatching. It seems that it WAS done and I just missed it with everything going on around me. So, what is it?
Embryos are transferred once they reach the blastocyst stage of development. Normally, the blastocyst itself would perform the zona hatching in order to implant on the uterus but in many cases with IVF or IVM, the lab performs a technique called Assisted Hatching in order to increase the chances of pregnancy.
The easiest way I have found to describe this is with a chicken egg. Basically, the yolk inside is what needs to attach to the uterus. In order to do that, it must first break through the shell. Research has shown that, for a variety of reasons, the "shell" of the embryo can sometimes become too tough for this to occur so a small hole is made by the lab making it easier for the yolk to spill out once transferred.
I cannot find any clear statistics but it seems as though the opinion on assisted hatching varies. Some research says it has no effect while others show significant increases in success rates so who knows! As long as it works for me I am happy!
And, as for my remaining embryos... 2 did not make it and the other 2 have been frozen for future use.
Embryos are transferred once they reach the blastocyst stage of development. Normally, the blastocyst itself would perform the zona hatching in order to implant on the uterus but in many cases with IVF or IVM, the lab performs a technique called Assisted Hatching in order to increase the chances of pregnancy.
The easiest way I have found to describe this is with a chicken egg. Basically, the yolk inside is what needs to attach to the uterus. In order to do that, it must first break through the shell. Research has shown that, for a variety of reasons, the "shell" of the embryo can sometimes become too tough for this to occur so a small hole is made by the lab making it easier for the yolk to spill out once transferred.
I cannot find any clear statistics but it seems as though the opinion on assisted hatching varies. Some research says it has no effect while others show significant increases in success rates so who knows! As long as it works for me I am happy!
And, as for my remaining embryos... 2 did not make it and the other 2 have been frozen for future use.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Round 2 (IVM): Step 5 (Transfer) Complete!
As many of you already know, yesterday I completed step 5 of the process – embryo transfer. Assisted hatching was not used in the end as far as I could tell so I won’t bother going into details about that as I had planned. It was cool, though, to see my embryos right in front of me under a microscope! That’s definitely not something you see in a regular pregnancy!
As usual, some complications were involved (it wouldn’t be me if there weren’t any) but overall things went well and I even had a couple of little surprises along the way too (which will remain secret for now). I am off work for a couple of weeks taking it easy until my blood test as well as eating a “preggo” diet (no more rare meat or sushi), and taking my remaining medications to help things along.
Final tally on my “soccer team in a petri dish” as some of you have heard me talk about:
11 eggs were collected, out of which 7 matured and were fertilized. 1 egg did not make it through fertilization so I then had 6 embryos to work with (my soccer team). Of these 6, 4 are still splitting in the lab and cannot be frozen yet (I hope they all make it). The remaining 2 have been used as of yesterday; either transferred or frozen for later.
And now we wait and see what happens!
As usual, some complications were involved (it wouldn’t be me if there weren’t any) but overall things went well and I even had a couple of little surprises along the way too (which will remain secret for now). I am off work for a couple of weeks taking it easy until my blood test as well as eating a “preggo” diet (no more rare meat or sushi), and taking my remaining medications to help things along.
Final tally on my “soccer team in a petri dish” as some of you have heard me talk about:
11 eggs were collected, out of which 7 matured and were fertilized. 1 egg did not make it through fertilization so I then had 6 embryos to work with (my soccer team). Of these 6, 4 are still splitting in the lab and cannot be frozen yet (I hope they all make it). The remaining 2 have been used as of yesterday; either transferred or frozen for later.
And now we wait and see what happens!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Round 2 (IVM): Step 4 Updates!
Firstly, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! 2010 is over... bad luck has come to an end... and 2011 is the time for new beginnings! Ironically, on December 30th 11 eggs were collected from me. I am not into numbers, but 11 eggs going into 2011? Kinda cool, no?
Anyhow, so here is the update:
Dec 30 – 11 eggs collected but only 1 was mature. I was disappointed in this but 1 is all we needed!
Dec 31 – In the morning, no changes. The 1 mature egg was fertilized but the others were not doing much. However, in the afternoon 2 more eggs matured and were fertilized bringing us to 3 healthy embryos.
Jan 1 – Over night, 4 more eggs matured! This morning they will be fertilized bringing us to 7 embryos if all goes well.
No word yet on when the transfer will be but my wish was to transfer in 2011 and have at least 2-3 to freeze so it looks like things are going mostly as planned for once!!! For once, I have happy tears. I think the biggest joy I have had thus far was telling my grandmother the good news. She couldn't have been happier for us and I like making her smile.
Thank you everyone for your support!!!
Anyhow, so here is the update:
Dec 30 – 11 eggs collected but only 1 was mature. I was disappointed in this but 1 is all we needed!
Dec 31 – In the morning, no changes. The 1 mature egg was fertilized but the others were not doing much. However, in the afternoon 2 more eggs matured and were fertilized bringing us to 3 healthy embryos.
Jan 1 – Over night, 4 more eggs matured! This morning they will be fertilized bringing us to 7 embryos if all goes well.
No word yet on when the transfer will be but my wish was to transfer in 2011 and have at least 2-3 to freeze so it looks like things are going mostly as planned for once!!! For once, I have happy tears. I think the biggest joy I have had thus far was telling my grandmother the good news. She couldn't have been happier for us and I like making her smile.
Thank you everyone for your support!!!
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