Making a Change

Between our last set of doctor’s appointments in August 2022 and now, one of the big things Nick and I discussed was changing doctors before our next IVF cycle.

I shared a little about my frustrations with Dr. G. in this blog, but I didn’t want to delay us trying IVF, so we stuck with her. When it became clear we were going to try a second cycle, we have an uphill battle ahead of us, and we had time before trying again, we knew it was time to switch physicians. 

It’s really important to note here that Dr. G. is a good doctor. I just don’t think she was the right doctor for me and Nick. 

Read more: Making a Change

When I requested a transfer, I asked specifically for Dr. C.–she was the one who performed my egg retrieval procedure. We didn’t spend much time chatting before I was under anesthesia, but in the few minutes we did chat, she was incredibly friendly, personable, and genuine. 

Earlier this month, our request to change doctors was approved, and we had our first appointment with Dr. C.

Within the first few minutes, I knew we’d made the right decision. 

Just as she was during the egg retrieval procedure, Dr. C. was friendly and outgoing. And she started the appointment off by being straightforward: This will not be easy.

She’d taken the time to crunch the numbers to give us an idea of what we were facing. (Something I’ve been wanting all the doctor’s we’ve spoken with to do all along…)

Based on Nick’s two translocations, Dr. C. calculated that of all the embryos that make it to day five and are sent for genetic testing, we should expect 15-20% to be viable. The normal average for a couple our age is 50%. 

Essentially, it’s a numbers game. 

Dr. C. didn’t seem as concerned with egg quality, though she’s still planning to address it with meds. Our results from the first cycle would’ve been pretty standard had we not been dealing with chromosomal translocations.

Two of our three embryos had the same abnormalities that stem from Nick’s karyotype. If we’d both had normal karyotypes, we would’ve had 67% of the embryos come back normal. 

Originally, we planned to start again first thing in January, but we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. The clinic needs to ensure the company they use for genetic testing can also test for the translocations. That will help us determine if an embryo inherits one of the same translocations as Nick, but, also like Nick, would be perfectly fine. 

Dr. C. also had a new game plan for us. In our next try, I will not be on birth control prior to start, but I’ll have one “priming” cycle where I take estrogen. Some women produce more eggs when not on birth control.

In addition to that, I will also be on Growth Hormone to help improve egg quality and some of my meds to promote egg production will be double what they were in the first try (which means, way. more. bloating.)

She agreed we will likely need two or three cycles to get 2-3 embryos. Since we want to eventually have two kiddos, she recommends trying to bank at least three embryos, if possible. The success rate for frozen embryo transfers is somewhere between 60-70%.

I find it a little ironic that though she didn’t sugar coat anything, and the odds are stacked against us, I left the appointment feeling more optimistic than I previously was.

And while it certainly will be a challenge, Dr. C. pointed out we have one big thing working in our favor: I have eggs. If we can increase the amount and quality of eggs I produce, we have a much higher chance of ending the cycle with at least one viable embryo.

Originally, Nick and I thought we’d give it one more shot and then maybe look at using a sperm donor or adopting an embryo, but Dr. C. said something I hadn’t really considered:

“Since you’ll have insurance coverage, it’s important to consider if you’ll regret not trying two or all three cycles using Nick’s sperm.”

It’s a great point. So, our plan remains fluid–we’ll try this next cycle and see what happens. If we get one or two (or more! — Hey, miracles happen!) viable embryos, it’s definitely worth doing another cycle to increase that embryo bank.

If we don’t, we’ll regroup with Dr. C. I have no doubt she’ll have a new plan of attack for us to try.

She took the time to really dive into our case, crunch the numbers, and offer ideas on how we can be successful. That is what we needed–someone who’s on our side and ready to help us with this uphill climb. 

If you would like to help support us in our journey, visit our GoFundMe page.