For multiple reasons, we chose option 2. The first reason is that while we're optimistic and are hopeful for the best, we are also realistic. A 25% chance is not high. It would be a waste of $2500 to send only one embryo when it's the same fee for up to 8. (If I'm relying on a miracle, I'd rather save that for transfer day to have the little embryo stick!) Let's say we paid the $2500 and it came back that we beat the odds and it was a healthy embryo, there's a chance it wouldn't survive the thaw once we got to transfer day. Beside that, there's only 40% chance it would stick as a pregnancy. I know that's getting ahead of myself... let's first see if there are any embryos to transfer, right?
The other reason we decided to do another cycle was so that we could possibly bank a few embryos for future cycles. We're aware that fertility declines with age and while I'm not yet at the "AMA" threshold of 35, I'm just a few years shy of it. When I started this process I was knocking on 31 and thought I had all the time in the world, certain that it would work the first time.
As with all the cycles, they start by putting me on birth control pills first and I'm in the start of that stage now. The transition from no meds at all to BC always gives me nausea. My body physically reacts to the change of hormones and I get the mental connection with it that another cycle is looming. As sucky as the egg retrieval process is, I love the part right after of having to be on no meds at all and just letting my body get rid of as much of the crap as possible. No shots, no meds, no side effects.
I'll be on the pills for the next few weeks and then start stims all over again. I'm waiting for the official calendar from my nurse to see when the estimated retrieval will be. From my calculations it will be the week before Pesach which works out great schedule-wise. I'd rather not be in the clinic over the holiday. It would also be nice to have the week to recoup before the holiday itself. I'm running out of fake illnesses to tell my boss so I'll have to wait and see when the retrieval falls out on and figure out how to take two days to recover. I have the sick time accrued, that's not the problem; it's that everyone wants to know what's the matter and how they can help. It's a nice environment but in this particular situation I sometimes wish I had the sterile work environment my husband works in where you submit your sick time online and no one asks any questions.
I'm not sure how I feel about doing this again. On one hand I'm a pro - I know what to expect, I know how things work, I've done it before and it's no big deal. I'll take the shots, I'll juggle traffic to and from the clinic, I'll silently bloat and carry around my grapefruit-sized ovaries. On the other hand, my brain is just like, "Uggggghhhhh, I don't wanna do this agaaaain! I want to move on to the next step already!!!"
It took a long time for me to get my head back in the game after landing from our short vacation. You'd think it was just a two hour flight and only a few days! But the transition back to work when the weather is this beautiful was so hard. I just wanted to play outside but apparently I had adult things to get to. It's been a long week and I'm excited for Shabbat.
The weather turned warm overnight and suddenly there are babies everywhere. All the mamas that had their babies bundled up in the winter, staying home and keeping them away from everyone's germs, are out and about enjoying the weather. There are less layers and coats so it seems like there are baby bumps everywhere. I don't know if they're doing it intentionally or if it's just a reflex and I'm noticing it, but they are constantly rubbing their bumps. I don't hold anything against them. I have my challenges, I'm sure they have theirs. I wish nothing but health and happiness to these people and their babies.
As for us, I know we can't move on to the next step without this one, so... here we go yet again. Shabbat shalom!
As with all the cycles, they start by putting me on birth control pills first and I'm in the start of that stage now. The transition from no meds at all to BC always gives me nausea. My body physically reacts to the change of hormones and I get the mental connection with it that another cycle is looming. As sucky as the egg retrieval process is, I love the part right after of having to be on no meds at all and just letting my body get rid of as much of the crap as possible. No shots, no meds, no side effects.
I'll be on the pills for the next few weeks and then start stims all over again. I'm waiting for the official calendar from my nurse to see when the estimated retrieval will be. From my calculations it will be the week before Pesach which works out great schedule-wise. I'd rather not be in the clinic over the holiday. It would also be nice to have the week to recoup before the holiday itself. I'm running out of fake illnesses to tell my boss so I'll have to wait and see when the retrieval falls out on and figure out how to take two days to recover. I have the sick time accrued, that's not the problem; it's that everyone wants to know what's the matter and how they can help. It's a nice environment but in this particular situation I sometimes wish I had the sterile work environment my husband works in where you submit your sick time online and no one asks any questions.
I'm not sure how I feel about doing this again. On one hand I'm a pro - I know what to expect, I know how things work, I've done it before and it's no big deal. I'll take the shots, I'll juggle traffic to and from the clinic, I'll silently bloat and carry around my grapefruit-sized ovaries. On the other hand, my brain is just like, "Uggggghhhhh, I don't wanna do this agaaaain! I want to move on to the next step already!!!"
It took a long time for me to get my head back in the game after landing from our short vacation. You'd think it was just a two hour flight and only a few days! But the transition back to work when the weather is this beautiful was so hard. I just wanted to play outside but apparently I had adult things to get to. It's been a long week and I'm excited for Shabbat.
The weather turned warm overnight and suddenly there are babies everywhere. All the mamas that had their babies bundled up in the winter, staying home and keeping them away from everyone's germs, are out and about enjoying the weather. There are less layers and coats so it seems like there are baby bumps everywhere. I don't know if they're doing it intentionally or if it's just a reflex and I'm noticing it, but they are constantly rubbing their bumps. I don't hold anything against them. I have my challenges, I'm sure they have theirs. I wish nothing but health and happiness to these people and their babies.
As for us, I know we can't move on to the next step without this one, so... here we go yet again. Shabbat shalom!
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