New plan

So by now everyone is aware that our first IVF cycle was not successful. My beta (a test that measures hCG levels in the blood) was less than 0.5 so that indicates that neither embryo ever implanted. My doctor was very surprised that we had such a perfect cycle and then BFN. BFN is an acronym in the infertile community that means "Big F***ing Negative." It's certainly not scientific, but a great description of what we had.

Jonathan and I have decided to move on to another fresh cycle instead of using the frozen embryos we have in storage. Chosing another fresh cycle requires that we sit this month out to allow my ovaries some time to rest from all the hormones. It will also allow us a greater chance of success and possibly more embryos in storage for future siblings if we are lucky enough to get pregnant our next round. It also give all three of us (me, Jonathan, and our doctor) time to regroup and determine the next plan of action.

Bear with me, this next part is hard to explain. It's hard for me to understand and I've been researching it for months......

I have been on Folgard since May of this year, when I was tested for MTHFR (methylene-tetra-hydrofolate-reductase) abnormalities. MTHFR is a gene important to the production of the amino acid homocysteine. Too much homocysteine in the body can increase a person's risk of heart disease and blood clots. I have heterozygous A1298C MTHFR. This means that one copy of my MTHFR gene is normal, and the other is not. Of all the clotting factors to have, mine is the least severe. It's treated with baby aspirin and the Folgard I mentioned above. Folgard is just a prescription strength Folic Acid and B-complex that I will take for the rest of my life.

Now, what do blood clots and vascular problems have to do with pregnancy? A lot actually. When an embryo is trying to implant the uterus, the tiny, microscopic blood vessels must be able to form so that the embryo can grow into a baby. If a microscopic blood clot were to form in one of these vessels, the embryo would be unable to implant and there would be no pregnancy.

Because I have tested positive for a genetic clotting factor, it is likely that there are other factors I would test positive for that have not even been isolated for testing by the scientific community. So my doctor wants to add another medication in the battle against my blood: heparin. Heparin is an anticoagulant used for people with blood clots. It is also used for women with more severe MTHFR abnormalities or who have reccurent miscarriages. Even though it is not typically used for heterozygous A1298C, thinning my blood even more than just the baby aspirin and Folgard already do will reduce the chances of microscopic clots in my uterus even more.

She would also like to put me on steriods after the retrieval for a longer period of time just in case my immune system is trying to attack the embryos. The steriods will suppress my immune system and calm any inflamation that might be present.

There were also some indications last week that my progesterone (the hormone that supports a pregnancy) levels were low. Next cycle we will be supplementing the injections with oral progesterone as well and checking the levels from earlier in my cycle.

There are certainly some risks to the new plan. Jonathan and I have an appointment with our doctor next Wednesday (9/23) and hope to have more information on what exactly those risks are so that we can make a decision. Though the news that we aren't pregnant is heartbreaking, we are very excited that our doctor is already looking ahead and determined to get us a baby! We feel very blessed to have her knowledge and experience to help us along and we are certain that we're in the right place.

Thank you all so very much for all your prayers and well wishes. We have felt very supported and uplifted by all the comments on the blog, facebook, and in person. Please continue to pray for us in this month off. We need patience and wisdom.

I'll be certain to update everyone of what we learn at our appointment next week.

Love,
The Strunks

Frozen embryos

Well, of the eight embryos that we did not transfer on Monday, three were frozen that day because they looked happy and healthy enough that they might be able to survive thaw. The other five were watched (I like to picture the embryologists babysitting the little guys) to see if they continued in their growth and could be frozen along with the others. Only one of the five kept growing and looked healthy enough to survive thaw and was frozen yesterday. That leaves us with a total of four frozen embryos if it is determined that a frozen IVF cycle would benefit us if this cycle isn't successful. Hopefully we won't ever have to worry about that!

Eight-celled children

Alright, everyone! It's the long-awaited photo of our "kids" in all their eight-celled glory! Don't they look like happy little Strunk Babies? We hope they're both happy enough to hang around for nine more months!

Embryo Transfer

So in a last minute call from my clinic, the embryologist decided that he DID want to transfer the embryos today instead of Wednesday. We made the two-hour drive in about an hour and a half (we would have loved a police escort) but we arrived safely.

The procedure was done adjacent to the cryogenics lab. We even got to peek inside. It's so amazing; the floors around the cryo-tanks peel (even concrete) because it's so cold! The doctor doing the transfer told the embryologist to prepare the embryos and then the embryologist just popped out of the cryo lab and handed them to him. The transfer took just seconds and we were able to see the two "embryos," well actually just the tiny bubble they were riding on, as they entered my uterus through the tubing. Truly incredible. I can't say enough about how insane it was to watch. After that the embryologist checked the catheter to make sure that the embryos weren't still in it and that was it! Other than the ridiculously full bladder I had (necessary for the procedure) it was an enjoyable day at the clinic.

OH! And I actually have a picture of the two embryos that were transferred today. I'm hoping to be able to say to my kid(s) one day, "hey, this is you three days after conception when you were only eight cells big." Who gets to have a picture of their eight-celled children?? I do! I do! I'll have to make Jonathan scan it so that everyone can see our amazing little Strunk babies.

Embryos are graded like students: A=excellent, B=good, C=not so good (but passing), D=boo for you. So out of our ten embryos, we have three grade A (two of which were transferred today), two grade B, and five grade C.

The two B's and one A left over will be frozen today for potential use if this cycle fails of if we want more kids. The other five will be given a couple more days to grow to see if they would be strong enough to make it through a thaw. If there are any of those five strong enough after two more days, they will be frozen along with the three from today. It gets confusing even to me so if you're lost you aren't alone.

So far so good.....

Hi everyone! It's Melissa again. Thanks so much to Jamie for keeping everyone in the loop while I was out of town all weekend. And thank you for the prayers. They're working and God is working miracles at a laboratory in Atlanta!

The IVF nurse called me this morning and said they're 90% sure that the embryo transfer will be on Wednesday but we'll know more tomorrow morning. This is great news. The longer the embryos have to grow, the better the embryologist can "weed out" the weaker of the bunch. Of course I'm hoping they'll all be strong and fabulous and they'll have trouble picking out which two are the best for transfer because all 10 are so great.

More updates tomorrow....

Egg Update

Melissa just texted me and reported that of the 24 eggs retrieved, 20 were mature and 10 of those fertilized. Now we just pray that they keep growing. They're on their way!!

All for now!

JCD

Egg Retrieval Update - She's awake!

Hi Again! (It's me, Jamie)

Jonathan just text messaged me and said that Melissa is awake and doing well.
The doctor told her (and I'm quoting Jonathan here) that "she was an egg machine" and that they counted 24 eggs - two years worth!

On Saturday, they will know how many mature eggs were retrieved and how many fertilized.

All for now!

JCD