ERA Results

After multiple calls to the lab and being on hold for a combined nineteen hours (only slightly exaggerated) with the most awful tingy music of the 90s, we finally got the results of the ERA: pre-receptive.

I'm feeling a combination of relief and disbelief. I'm relieved because we finally have an answer as to why none of the embryos stuck. They were being transferred too early! It's like hosting a dinner party: planning a menu and shopping for ingredients and cooking for days and setting the table just so and then having the guests show up three hours early when you're in your bathrobe in a mud mask brushing your teeth. Not yet, it's too early! All that planning and prep for nothing.

We got the results first thing this morning from my nurse who knew we were anxious to hear them but they still need to be reviewed by the doctor. Once he does he will call to discuss next steps.

I believe our choices are to repeat the test until we get a "receptive" result OR to guess the new transfer date based on their recommendation and hope for the best. While the thought of waiting any longer makes me want to jump out of my skin in frustration, it makes the most sense to give our embryos the best possible chance to repeat the test until we get a "receptive" result.

This means that we're probably going to do the second ERA in the end of September and not transfer anything before November. I don't like it. I don't want to wait. But I also don't want to spend October crying about another failed transfer if we don't do everything in our power to help it succeed.

The doctor was so sure that nothing needed to be changed. He was so calm that it made me feel like an alarmist who was just trying to waste money for fun. I honestly thought that the results were going to come back normal/receptive and that I was looking for issues. This just goes to show that you should always trust your gut. It is so important to do your own research so that you can make informed decisions and know what questions to ask.

I'm trying not to regret the three transfers that failed due to this error. They were a kapara. It happened. At least we didn't take his advice to "just keep transferring" and wasting the last two as well. Some people don't get this information until after 8 or more transfers. I consider myself lucky to live in a time when it's even a possibility to test for this.

Hold on, tiny embryos. Maybe we'll be together again for Thanksgiving.