Today's monitoring results were excellent. Praise the Lord! All of the hormone levels were right on track, and I have 18 steadily growing follicles. Things are going so well that Dr. Silber reduced two of my three medications to half the regular dose. Cutting the dosage will slow things down to maximize the number of eggs retrieved this weekend. After the retrieval, each egg is fertilized and provided an opportunity to grow and divide in an optimal lab environment for three days. On the third day, the surviving embryos are transferred into my uterine lining with the hope of implantation and development.
I'm feeling good about the process thus far. The egg count is good (although I would prefer it to be higher) and both the hormone levels and lining thickness are exceptional. Hooray for that! I'm hoping that the quality of these eggs is higher than the "batch" in December. Of eleven eggs, only 2 viable embryos resulted. That's not a great ratio. In fact, it's pretty poor. We'd really love to have four or more embryos this time, in which case we would freeze some for a future IVF. Ultimately, we know every little detail is in God's hands...and we wouldn't want it any other way.
This treatment process has been less physically grueling than the last (partly because I started out five pounds lighter & with a smaller tummy). My abdomen is pretty uncomfortable now, but nothing like before. I am still able to be active with Liliana, just not at my normal level. Last time I had trouble participating in any play activities. Even bending over, walking and sitting were painful. Maybe the tough stuff is yet to come, but right now I'm thankful for the ease of this process.
Wednesday morning is my next visit to St. Luke's for monitoring. I've been there so much that the lab techs know me by name. That tells you something.
I'm praying for smooth sailing and a successful IVF! May the Lord bless you! Ramona
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