Lucky Round 3

My body didn't bounce back quite as fast from our second procedure as it did from our first so my specialist put me on medication to help level out my hormones.  By the end of July I was back to my old self so my husband and I decided to give it a go again. AGAIN?!  The fact that I was on summer break was ideal since this would decrease my stress levels and enable me to attend appointments at a drop of a hat.  July was spent relaxing, traveling and visiting with friends and family so that put us in a good head space to give it another whirl. Our only fertility treatment option by this point was a traditional round of IVF since we only had 2 frozen embryos left and both weren't very good quality. IVF it was. I started on injections again (blah) and began doing everything I possibly could to increase our chances.  IVF only has an average of 33% chance of working so I figured this was my time to do absolutely anything I could to help increase those odds. I did a ton of research, talked to a lot of people who had went through IVF and compiled a pretty lengthy list of things that I could do to help. Some sound absolutely crazy -- this I know, but at this point we were desperate and were willing to try all the 'crazy' things that were suggested to us. I didn't do any of this stuff in my first two cycles because I wasn't very educated about fertility treatment since it was all so new to me. For those of you reading who are preparing for an IVF cycle, here is my crazy list. Disclaimer: While I like the sound of 'Dr. Jill', I am not a medical professional and this is just from my own personal experiences.

1. Acupuncture 2-3 times per week leading up to egg retrieval (I did that for 3 weeks)
2. Acupuncture 1time within 24 hours following the embryo transfer
3. No cold food or drinks for two weeks after embryo transfer (nothing straight from the fridge - this was a huge challenge...)
4. No heat pads after embryo transfer
5. Mindful walks daily leading up to transfer -- taking walks and enjoying and savouring every moment.  Don't think about anything but the beauty around you and live in the moment (sounds hippy dippy I know but I loved this time with my puppy)
6. BED REST! I did 3 days of bed rest following my transfer
7.  Watch funny movies immediately after your transfer -- laughter releases endorphins/hormones that help with fertility
8. Take time off work -- as much as you can!
9. Don't worry, be happy. We didn't think for one minute what we'd do if this cycle didn't work out for us.  Live in the moment!
10. Drink a ton of water
11. Only very light exercise during the two week wait after your transfer
12. Visualization - imagine over and over again that little embryo nesting into your uterus.  Imagine that embryo growing into a baby. Imagine you and your husband cuddling that baby!
13. Music -- listen to calming music leading up to your procedures.  I even brought it into the recovery room after I was out of the operating room.
14. A good luck charm - A beautiful friend gave me a rock that said "Believe" across it.  I took that thing to every appointment for this cycle and it even came into the operating room for both my egg retrieval and embryo transfer.  I found it very comforting.
15. Discuss a 5 day transfer option with your specialist.  We did 3 day transfers the first two times -- this time we were willing to take the risk of losing all of our embryos just to get one strong one.  It worked!

 I truly believe that a combination of this crazy list helped us become successful this time. I had a terrible experience with acupuncture the first few visits. After consulting some acupuncture savvy friends I decided to switch acupuncturists and give it another try. We saw a fertility focused acupuncturist - she was amazing! So grateful I decided to stick with it. It was nice to feel like I had some power over the situation by doing all of this stuff.  The first two rounds I felt helpless since I didn't think anything was in my power. Boy was I wrong.

This round they retrieved 11 mature follicles (eggs) of which 6 fertilized.  With guidance from our embryologist and fertility specialist on day 3 post egg retrieval we decided to take the risk and wait until day 5 to transfer an embryo.  On transfer day we found out while laying on the operating table that only 3 embryos had survived.  1 that made it to blastocyst (the strongest little guys at this stage) and two that were lagging by about 24 hours.  We had a huge decision to make in a five minute span.  Transfer the strong one and let the other two try to grow over night and hopefully survive to be frozen OR transfer two to increase our chances, let the other one try to grow over night to freeze.  The catch; the two lagging ones likely wouldn't survive outside of the womb for one more day. Ugh. We asked the medical team to step out of the operating room (ballsy eh? We're bad ass like that) and we had a good heart-to-heart.  We decided to transfer our one perfect 5 day blastocyst and pray that the other two make it to the freezing stage for if we needed to do another frozen embryo transfer. We found out the following Wednesday afternoon that we were pregnant -- we found out that evening that our two other embryos didn't survive.  It was all meant to be. I'm not a very spiritual person but I have to say, through all of this craziness I've had an overwhelming feeling of peace with our situation (not that is hasn't been difficult or heartbreaking -- but I've been able to accept it and move forward without dwelling).  I've always believed that everything happens for a reason and infertility is no exception.  I don't believe that people are infertile because they aren't meant to be parents -- that's just bull shit.  For me personally I believe the reason I've been dealt this card is because I never considered myself a strong-willed, nor patient person.  I have truly learned more about life and myself in the last two years then I have through the other 29 years of my life.  I am more grateful, more thankful, more aware, more patient, and stronger.  Thank you little baby for teaching me such life-altering lessons.  I promise to return the favour once you arrive. We can't wait to meet you...