IVF Cycle #1

We met with Dr. RE and discussed doing an IVF cycles. Although my insurance company would cover up to 12 IUI’s, she thought that since there was some financial aid funding available at the time, and since it would up our chances at success, now would be the time to try. So, we decided to go for it.
IVF seemed scary but J and I were determined to have a family. We attended the IVF class with about 30 other couples. This is the type of class where everyone looks directly at the “teacher” and there is no eye contact made with anyone else in the room. They explain the whole process: down reg., stims, ER, ET, medication, etc.
After the class we have to give the nurse our name to be put on the financial aid list and then we go home and wait to be called.
It took 8 months to get the call that our financial aid request had been approved and we could start a cycle. We tried DIY during that time but no luck.
We had to have a consult with Dr. RE before starting and to sign the paperwork required for the IVF cycle. They have you sign things that you have never thought of. What if one of us dies? What will happen to any remaining embryos? What about divorce? What if we decide we don’t need our extra embryos because we’ve completed our family? Do we want to destroy them or donate them? We’re actually excited because this all implies that we’ll be successful and even have extra embryos! Who would imagine?!
We make our decisions and Dr. RE says that since it’s been so long since our last cycle she’d like to do some additional testing before we start. More blood work, another SA for J, and another saline sono-HSG. Are you effing kidding me??
Now I’ve done my research and it has taught me that polyps don’t come back except for a small percentage of time. I’ve already had them come back once. They could not possibly come back again, could they?
Of course they do, because J and I are ALWAYS a part of the lesser statistic!
So another surgery before we can do the IVF cycle. And once again increase the thyroid medicine and get that back under control.
At least this time I can get started even though I have to wait a bit for the surgery. Dr. RE has me start the BCP’s anyway. This one threw me for a big loop. Why in the world would someone trying so hard to get pregnant start taking birth control again? But that’s the down-reg part of the cycle. Try explaining that to family or friends who know how hard you’ve been trying. The looks I got were of pure bewilderment.
Surgery goes fine and again it comes back benign.
We embark on our first IVF cycle in June 2005.
The cycle went fairly well. I responded well to the meds. The shots were going ok, even the IM ones that we had to do now with the PIO. ER was a little rough as one of my ovaries decided to drop down behind my uterus so they couldn’t reach it, and the sedation wasn’t working, but we ended up with 5 retrieved (from one ovary). It was a little discouraging but we tried hard to stay optimistic. All 5 our of eggs fertilized and on day 3 we had three grade-A embies to transfer. The other two had arrested.
We spent the 2ww sure that we would have success, joking about our triplets.
At the end of the 2ww, we got the BFN.