nuthinbutpink

My FET experience for my DS- 1 1/2 Men

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We had 2 blasts left. The embryo that we left behind at my fresh transfer who was a good looking blast and the 50/50 guy that took a little longer to become a blast and make it to freeze. So 1 1/2 men!

I schedule a meeting with my RE to talk about the Big Fat Failure of the fresh cycle- what happened, why did it not work, was I kidding myself for the FET- I use "I" because DH was MIA- I didn't even ask him to come because his part was really over and he didn't understand all this IVF talk anyways so why bother dragging him to another uncomfortable appointment where we might run into someone we knew.

My RE said my chances were the same for the FET cycle- same odds of twins too if I transferred both. At RBA, their FET rates are actually slightly better than fresh for some reason and I cannot explain what a good feeling that is going into the FET. I see some clinics with 30%-ish FET rates and that is just not in the same league as RBA with 50%. HALF of people that try it take home a baby. HALF don't. Maybe the coin toss will go my way this time.

So, he wanted me to wait for a natural cycle but I also had orders to use an OPK to pinpoint when I ovulate the month before so I can start lupron 7 days later. More POAS.

The FET process is so much easier and less stressful than a fresh cycle. Everyday with a fresh cycle you are on pins and needles waiting for something bad to happen. I wasn't a great responder and all those meds- the 900iu cartridges of Follistim in the trash- $10,000 worth of meds is a lot of inject. A lot.

With the FET, a couple of tiny lupron shots in the belly, some estrace taken orally and not until the big, bag PIO shots come up does it get ugly. Still, no feeling of swollen ovaries or belly to make you feel gross or achey all over, no surgery, no recovery, no more lying about appointments and trying to find someone to watch the kids for some "dinner" we were supposedly going to- much easier all around.

One baseline suppression check and two lining checks later, it is FET day! November 2- Election Day! They tell you to drink a bunch of water before transfer. I drank some but I didn't fill up so much that I made myself miserable. They scan you before they actually transfer and I figured that if my bladder wasn't full enough they would say something. It was just fine.

Backing up, DH stayed home with the kids. We had very briefly talked about transferring both embryos for the FET- that is what my RE recommended and honestly, I just couldn't go through another couple of months of waiting, another SET with a 50/50 blast just didn't sound like the best option. DH was mostly silent on the issue. I told him that we would see what they looked like, what the embryologist and RE had to say when I got there and I would do a conference call on my iPhone from the room.

On the way down, I stopped at McDonald's on the way down and got an Egg McMuffin. I had brought my cayene pepper with me and I put as much on as I could tolerate and ate it all- my first Egg McMuffin!

I had scheduled an accupuncture appointment before and after my transfer. I had seen her twice leading up to this. I hadn't heard anything from my RE except the day before with the transfer time and it is nervewracking every time the phone rings the day of transfer. Your first thought is that the embryo(s) did not survive the thaw.

I go to accupuncture and all is well, on the table, needles in, trying to relax and get ready for the day. My phone rings and I cannot move because I am stuck full of needles. Obviously, I am freaking out. Forget relaxing...I think about screaming for the accupuncturist but decide if that was the RE's office, there is nothing I can do so I try to relax again.

It was my brother calling. TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF WHILE DOING ACCUPUNCTURE RIGHT BEFORE YOUR TRANSFER!

I make it to the office and nobody seems off so I assume the transfer is on. When you go back into the room and make it onto the table, there is an x-ray-like light up medical screen in front of you. That is where the embryos appear before your eyes! I know this from my fresh transfer and it is confusing to look at them and figure out how they are supposedly great embryos when they really look so ugly.

The RE and Embryologist come in and flip the light switch. Once again, I am confused at what I am seeing. There looks to be 3 images- entities- in front of me and I know they said I only had 2 XY embryos left. Turns out, the blast from the fresh transfer has completely hatched from its shell and you can see the shell sitting alone in the corner. It looks like a ghost embryo. The 50/50 guy- he is really hatching out of his shell- so much for 50/50 at making it. Looks like a full man to me!

Now I am nervous. They are both thawed so there is really no going back now. I ask if we can call my DH. Of course, they say yes and I do so on my phone. I ask aloud to the docs if they really recommend transferring both embryos and they both say yes. I don't want twins, my DH doesn't want twins but they are both ready for transfer and all I can think about is no man left behind. They are both going in.

The transfer is easy. Painless. Blips on a screen that you can't really see but they tell you are there. They check the transfer catheter to make sure nobody's stuck to the side of it and actually didn't make it in and you can't move until the embryologist gives you and the RE the all clear. They're in.

The nurse was so sweet. She has me lie there for 5 minutes with a timer. After that, I can get up and use the restroom and go. RBA does not recommend or say you must do bedrest. Just take it easy and you can't pee them out so no worries there although the thought will race through your mind I assure you.

I leave after thanking everyone and drive myself to accupuncture. This time I get to lay on my back and the needles go into my front side for once! I make sure my phone is off for this session!

30 minutes and around $100 later, I drive myself home to my DH and 3 kiddos waiting and make myself some lunch and go to bed. I tried to stay still and I did stay in bed the rest of the day. DH did bathtime and put them to bed so I could sit.

The next morning, it's back to normal life. I load up my toddler and take her to preschool. I did come back home and sit until it was time to get her again but I never went back to bed.

I had a digital CBE that came in the OPK pack they made me use the month before in the linen closet. The morning of 5dpt when I was going to get in the shower to get ready to go see my parents for the day, DH asks if I am going to take a test. I told him all I have is a digital and it will likely be negative that early. I leave it up to him and he says just do it. I POAS and the timer thingy starts blinking. I sit it down on the counter and get in the shower. The walk from the shower to the counter is like the Green Mile. Logically, I know it can say NOT Pregnant and it doens't mean that it didn't work but I stared at enough blank POAS sticks the attempt before to know how bad it hurts no matter how much logic you use.

I pick it up....Pregnant is there in the window. In my towel, I bust open the bathroom doors where my DH sits playing with DD and tell him it worked! Then I begin to hyperventilate. I blurt out it could be twins since this is a digital and it is so early still. I have to sit down. He just shrugs his shoulders like 'whatever' and walks off to let me overreact on my own.
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Comments

  1. MAMAof4Pinks's Avatar
    I love your Blog. First I like leaving my DH anytime he's not needed for everything. Shopping, Dr. Appointments you know whatever.
    Was that your very FIRST egg Mcmuffin ever? What was the cayene pepper for?
    Was is scary after they put the embryos back in that they were going to just fall out?
    LOL your DH is funny mines the same way hes gotten better over the years I usually call his mom if Im really excited about something because as a lady shes excited about the same things I am.
  2. nuthinbutpink's Avatar
    Thanks! Yes, first egg McMuffin! I just don't really do breakfast out. Cayenne is the best natural thing for immediately increasing blood flow. There is a post about it in the forums. I ate cayenne on anything I could right around ET. Benefits are immediate.

    It is scary but they cannot fall out. They explain it like your cervix being velcro and there is no way the embryos can just fall out. They just float around until they are capable of attaching. I did very little rest after and there is no proof that rest does anything so other than heavy lifting, you might as well get on with your life!
  3. kitten74's Avatar
    i will soon have 3 girls and i am hoping to do pgd in thailland next year. i just read your above blog and see you did fet. i was wondering how fet is different to ivf- pgd?
  4. nuthinbutpink's Avatar
    Kitten- a FET is a frozen embryo transfer- when you have extra embryos from the original fresh cycle and you go back for them.