Time to share some knowledge!

So I've decided to share what we will be going through in the coming months. This is to educate any one reading this blog as to the difficulty and the process of in-vitro fertilization. There are many variations but I will share just what we will go through. I hope you find it interesting and that it helps you know more about this process. (I personally found it interesting even before we were going to have to go through it but I am a nurse and always found the whole "getting pregnant" thing pretty amazing! Now I think this is even more amazing and I am so thankful that God has given knowledge to our doctors to allow people like us who just 30 years ago may have been unable to have biological children.) These facts will be taken directly from the website of our fertility clinic Southeastern Fertility Center.  ( www.sefertility.com)

In-Vitro Fertilization
Overview:
In-vitro fertilization is a process that involves the administration of medications that stimulate the development, growth, and maturation of eggs on the ovaries. This process of egg recruitment typically starts with a medication called Lupron which helps us control the menstrual cycle by decreasing your body's production of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). After the Lupron is administered for 12 to 14 days we then start the administration of injectable medications to stimulate egg development.
The egg development will be followed closely with a combination of ultrasound monitoring and blood work. When the eggs have reached optimum maturation (typically after 10 days of medications) human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is administered to start the sequence of ovulation. Approximately 35 hours after the HCG administration you are given anesthesia and your eggs are harvested from your ovaries with a needle guided by ultrasound.
After the eggs are removed from the ovary they are placed in culture media designed to mimic the conditions of the fallopian tube (where fertilization typically takes place). The eggs are then combined with the sperm and the resulting embryos are nourished in an incubator that is maintained at precise temperatures to mimic the conditions in the human body.
Embryo development is then observed assessing embryo morphology, cell count and growth velocity. At the appropriate stage of development the embryos are placed into the uterus through a very simple procedure similar to a pap smear. A pregnancy test is then performed approximately 10 days later.
It is through these technologies that we have been able to dramatically increase pregnancy rates for women with infertility. This procedure bypasses the fallopian tubes and accordingly patients with damaged or absent fallopian tubes can become pregnant. This technique has also been instrumental in helping patients with endometriosis, severe male factor infertility, and many other disorders become pregnant.
Southeastern Fertility Center also offers a variety of modifications to the standard IVF process to help patients with specific disorders. We offer intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for couples with male factor infertility, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for couples with genetic disorders and assisted hatching for patients with repeat IVF failure.

Our Doctors have also decided to use ICSI with us. It is a newer technique that is bringing about even better results! We are very excited to be blessed with such amazing Doctors and nurses. 

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique that has dramatically increased pregnancy rates in couples suffering from severe male factor infertility (low sperm counts). ICSI patients undergo the standard in vitro fertilization procedure with the exception that the sperm is injected directly into the egg.
After the eggs are retrieved, intracytoplasmic sperm injection is performed with the insertion of a single sperm directly into a mature egg. The picture on the top shows the embryologist performing ICSI and the microscopic picture on the bottom show the egg being held by the holding pipette on the left and ICSI needle with sperm on the bottom right. This often results in fertilization and development of normal embryos.
With the advent of ICSI, the majority of severe male factor infertility can be successfully treated. New procedures such as MESA and TESA allow men with little or no sperm in their ejaculate to produce a pregnancy. In these procedures, a single sperm is extracted directly from the male reproductive tract, specially prepared, and inserted into the female's egg.


I am excited and nervous to go through this process. I certainly hope it works!! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. They are certainly appreciated and we really need them as we continue on this "roller coaster" ride toward parenthood!
(Don't worry we won't turn into "Jon and Kate + 8"! Our Doctors will only put in 2 embryos at a time....so maybe we will get twins! Personally I think that would be pretty awesome)

Just a few thoughts...

It has been a tough couple of weeks for me. I knew Mother's Day was coming and to say it was a painful idea is just the tip of the ice berg. I also have a niece due any day and while I am truly happy for her parents it is also hard for me knowing we can't experience those same feelings. It makes me mad that for us having a child will be so technical and involve many people and be extremely planned. When we got married I told Stephen I was looking forward to telling him I was pregnant someday and it being a complete shock. Well he turned to me and said, no, it will be when we plan it. HA! Guess he gets his wish....Now we are looking at the calender, looking at money, looking at jobs etc and then deciding when might be the best time to tell the doctor we want to start the long and tedious process of IVF. Truth be told I don't want to give myself multiple shots a day and be poked and prodded. It all just seems so unfair! But if the end result is a baby then I'm more than willing to do it.

I knew Mother's Day was gonna suck for me. I have a great husband that got me a card from my fur kids and it made me cry...he is so sweet. Lately I don't know how to make it through things, I am trying to protect myself from yet more pain, but it never goes away. I have been to all the baby showers and congratulated new parents, friends and family. While I am happy for them a part of me seems to break every time. I've grown tired of crying on my way home from my in laws from seeing my niece and nephew so I started avoiding it. I hope you can understand why. All the Christian infertility books I've read say its ok, but I'm such a "people pleaser" I worry and stress about that too!

Some days I don't know how I can possibly keep going. I try to stay strong and give my dogs a hug (I am SOOO thankful for them!!) and talk to my husband. When I feel all alone in my pain I remember that I have him and know that others have been in my shoes. I don't know why we have been given this burden but I try to remember that God is in control, He has a plan for us and that this will make us love and appreciate any children we are given THAT much more! Now I want to share a Mother's Day poem I found on an infertility blog:    

“Happy Mother's Day”

It comes around every year;

but when you have empty arms,

it's very hard to hear.

It's a day to celebrate a mother,

for all the trials she overcame;

and a reminder to an infertile

of her loneliness and shame.

But what really makes a mother,

Is it just conception and birth?

Or is there something more,

that shows a mother's worth?

It's putting your child first,

in everything you do;

it's sacrifice and determination,

and love and patience too.

An infertile woman makes all her plans,

around a child not yet conceived;

she loves them even though they aren't here,

more than she ever could have believed.

She appreciates and understands,

what a blessing that children are;

she works hard for just a chance,

that motherhood is not that far.

All odds are stacked against her,

and yet she still has hope;

everyday is another struggle,

finding ways to help her cope.

So even though her arms are empty,

she can still be a mother too;

So say a special “Happy Mother's Day”

                                       for those waiting for their dreams to come true!

I know Mother's Day is over, I'm a little late but I thought it was very nice. If you think about us we appreciate your prayers.