Yesterday’s egg collection yielded 17 eggs – 16 of which were mature enough to commence the delicate micro-injection process for fertilisation.

This egg retrieval was pretty unremarkable.  Out of six stimulated cycles, this is one of the cycles where I have had slightly less eggs. That is what it is like with IVF, the results can be pretty unpredictable every time.  I had been hoping that the eggs would be of better quality this time around but I have just heard from my nurse and of those 16, only 11 fertilised.  So I will now be in the waiting zone – looking forward to hearing how many are left on Monday on Day 4 and then on Tuesday for Embryo Transfer.  I am not a big fan of waiting over the weekend to hear how our little embies are faring.  So it becomes a little mini waiting game – a prelude to the main wait once the embryos are transferred.

This time we have nominated to have 2 embryos transferred.  Most stimulated cycles we only have one but we thought that if two were available, then we might as well put them both in. That way we’ll know one way or another if one or both have been successful. Other than that, I am resting up and drinking plenty of fluids to try and avoid some of the main unpleasant side effects of IVF.  I am still bloated. My stomach is still sore so it hurts me when I walk and also when I laugh! Bring on the panadol! This time, my throat is also sore and I believe that this is a side effect of anaesthetic.

So next steps:

• Find out when (and if) the transfer will happen next Tuesday.
• Book acupuncture appointment

Wish me luck.  Good luck to any of those brave ladies who is also having treatment at this time.

Cycle 9: Egg Retrieval Results is a post from: The IVF Club

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Despite having an objective of achieving less eggs of better quality, we ended up getting what I would consider a large collection of eggs – 19 in total. This makes this collection the second highest ever with the previous stimulated cycles achieving:

- #4: 22 eggs;
- #3: 12 eggs;
- #2: 18 eggs;
- #1: 15 eggs.

Given we had 19 today, I am not sure what this actually means in terms of quality. Maybe this is not a good sign. IVF is essentially a numbers game where hopefully you throw enough embryos out there one of them will stick.

In any case, I feel better today than what I have done in previous collections. I put this down to having lots of rest before and after the egg collection. The big test will come tomorrow. The big questions are:

- How many will actually fertilise?
- How many will make it to a day 5 blastocyst?

So far we have had pretty good fertilisation rates. Whilst there has been a few fragmented embryos, the majority have survived up to Day 3. However, the statistics are more telling by Day 5. Essentially, in all but one cycle we ended up with only 1 little blastocyst for transfer to my uterus. The last cycle was by far the most successful with 6 little blastocysts in total. So whilst I am anticipating fairly good fertilisation rates tomorrow, the big test will be 5 days from now and of course 11 days after that. Hopefully my number is up and it will be my turn to get pregnant.

Egg Collection Results is a post from: The IVF Club

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Today marks the third scan and blood test that I have had in less than a week. The good news is that my follicles are coming along nicely and there are now 10 reasonably large follicles (hopefully with some eggs inside of them).

It seems that at certain point, the ultrasound team don’t measure the small follicles – just the larger ones. What I’d like to know is what happened to the other 20 plus follicles that were detected only a few days earlier!! I suppose they are still there in hiding.

In any case, that question goes unanswered as I learn that I am scheduled for egg collection this Friday 31st July. This means taking the day off on sick leave and not working at my part-time job on Saturday.

It also means two more injections tonight and two more tomorrow night and then a final one on Wednesday night to trigger ovulation. All good fun. My aversion to needles is back with a vengence. The veins in my arms have gone into hiding. My stomach is looking pretty bruised from all the needles. I am starting to feel bloated and uncomfortable again from my swollen ovaries. My purse is $166 lighter after paying for two more antagonist injections. Is it worth it? Definately if we get a positive result and a healthy baby at the end of it all.

IVF Tests, Scans and Costs is a post from: The IVF Club

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I am now commencing IVF cycle #7. This should be interesting. My Doctor has changed the treatment protocol and I will now be having an antagonist cycle???

An antagonist cycle essentially means that at a certain point of the cycle I will need to inject twice daily – the first injection being a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and the second being a injection that apparently stops you from ovulating. For those familiar with IVF, the second injection is a substitute for the nasal spray.

The antagonist cycle is more intense but the benefit of this cycle is that it is quicker than a normal IVF cycle. I have been told that generally the aim is for less eggs but more quality. Given I produce a lot of eggs, this should be interesting.

In any case, I had an appointment at the IVF clinic to test my hormone levels and also how many follicles I had. My expectations weren’t that high given it is only Day 6 of my cycle and I have been injecting FSH for the last 3 days (although tonight’s dose makes it 4).

Fortunately I don’t have to have the second injection just yet as the follicles are too small and immature. However, during my ultrasound visit I learnt that I had 18 follicles in one ovary and 9 in the other. Amazing! I only counted 5 of the 18 and expected a lot less at this early stage.

I am now hoping that they don’t all mature because there will be hell to pay as I get nearer to egg collection. That many eggs = bloating and sore tummy. My highest number of eggs collected was 22 so with a bit of luck there won’t be any more than that.

So my next visit to the clinic will be in two days time. Lucky me – I get to get up early on Saturday morning for an 8am appointment.

IVF Antagonist Cycle is a post from: The IVF Club

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