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)