Preparing for IVF

Medicine Arrival Day!

Infertility is overwhelming--that is undeniable, plain, and simple. We began this blog to shed light on the infertility journey because so many people are clueless to it, simply because they have never been exposed. However, infertility affects 1 in 8 couples--so the likelihood that someone you know, or even yourself, will go through it is somewhat high. Hopefully, if you're reading this blog, you can help someone who is going through it by being informed and letting them know you care, or if you have to go through it yourself, by becoming informed and getting rid of some of the "fear of the unknown" that accompanies infertility. Now onto our topic for today....preparing for IVF.

For those of you who do not know what IVF is, I'll give you a quick synopsis. IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilization. IVF is a method of assisted reproduction in which the man's sperm and the woman's egg are combined in the lab. Following fertilization and early embryo development in the lab, an appropriate number of embryos are transferred to the woman's uterus. That is the medical definition of IVF straight from my summer reading-- a gigantic IVF binder given to me by my doctor that took me about 5 days to read. Crazy! We will be doing a Fresh Transfer, meaning I will go through hormone stimulation galore and they will transfer the embryos from my cycle, compared to a Frozen Embryo Transfer where our embryos are frozen and then transferred. I don't have anything frozen yet, and hopefully from this cycle we can get a few frozen embryos out of it as well for future use.

IVF Binder- Our Summer Reading

Moving on--so this is what Thomas and I are about to embark on and give you all a glimpse into. IVF is intense. You take 2-6 injections a day. You have doctor's appointments with ultrasounds and blood tests every other day. You have to be put under for egg retrieval day. There is A LOT to it and we will be documenting our entire journey with IVF Milestone cards to keep it lighthearted and fun, while still showing what it is like for those who will face it in the future.

Getting Ready to Begin IVF

Before we were officially approved for an IVF cycle, Thomas and I both had to undergo many tests. We had to go through blood tests and urine samples that tested us for our vaccinations, various diseases, etc. I also had to go through a Saline Infusion Sonohysterography, which is a procedure in which sterile saline is injected into the uterine cavity with ultrasound guidance. This procedure is used to evaluate the uterus and see if there are any abnormalities that could be keeping you from getting pregnant. I had this done right after my miscarriage which was terrible but I have an awesome doctor who knows how to comfort and a husband who holds my hand through it. Thankfully, everything came back okay from our tests and the SIS procedure!

The only other medical testing left at this point consists of a blood test and ultrasound at the start of my cycle. This checks to make sure that there are no polyps or ovarian cysts that they need to be worried about since they are about to fill my little body with injections. You have to do this at the start of just about any treatment cycle...I have done this process four times now. Once I begin my cycle and we're cleared from this, we will officially begin IVF.

In order to begin IVF, you also have to basically sign your life away in consent forms. We have a nineteen page consent form that we have to sign and initial in front of a witness before allowed to begin. This specific contract lays out every risk associated with IVF and the meds, procedures, etc. associated with it. After that, we have to determine what to do with our embryos if something terrible happens to Thomas, to me, to us both simultaneously, etc. It's essentially a will that determines where our embryos go.

I attended a pre-IVF therapy session at The Cabin in Zionsville, as they work with Midwest Fertility. I loved it there, they were great and welcoming. It was nice to receive some advice on parts of our paperwork we were struggling with and learn some coping techniques as well.

We also had to attend an injection instruction appointment before beginning treatment. Because I will be having 2-6 injections a day, and most of them are different meds, we had to go into the office and learn how to inject each specific medication.

We then ordered our meds...and boy, is that enough to freak you out. Not only is the price through the roof, but when an 8 lb box shows up on your doorstep and you pull out the amount of medication in that box...you're just shocked (but also super impressed that the human body can handle this). And that is only the first batch! I will be on the meds: Menopur, Gonal-F, Cetrotide, Novarel to begin.

Round #1 Injections

Now we wait. That's all the update we have for now. Thanks to everyone who is following our journey. We love you!