Tag: IVF

  • Getting Away, Part II

    Getting Away, Part II

    The day after we visited Chichén Itzá, we took a boat tour to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women). On past vacations, Nick and I have done boat tours, and we absolutely love them. Visiting the island was merely an added bonus–our favorite part was the boat ride and snorkeling break.  We had an absolutely perfect…

  • Getting Away, Part 1

    Getting Away, Part 1

    As I mentioned last week, I’m going to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for some posts to tell you about a couple more life events.  While we were struggling with the news of our failed IVF attempt, the chromosomal analysis results, and our chances of a successful pregnancy, we were reimbursed for some of the…

  • The Response

    The Response

    A day or two after I sent her the info from Dr. T., Dr. G. wrote back: _______ Hi Julie, Thanks for reaching out. A genetic counselor will be able to give you specific numbers regarding chance of having a euploid embryo given his translocation and Robertsonian translocation. This is the number I think would…

  • Our Chances

    Our Chances

    About a week and a half after our appointment with Dr. S., he called us back to let us know what Dr. T. found.  We learned that, based on Nick’s translocation between chromosomes 8 and 11, if we conceived naturally again, we’d have a 43% chance of miscarriage. 10% of that is the normal average…

  • Emotional Roller Coaster

    Emotional Roller Coaster

    The saying might be overused, but it’s an accurate description of how Nick and I were feeling throughout this process.  Learning we had no embryos to finish the IVF process was incredibly hard. But we became hopeful when Dr. G. told us it was potentially an issue we could fix (egg quality).  And then another…

  • Hindsight

    Hindsight

    To add just a little bit more salt to this open wound, I recently had an MRI done on my knee. Before the procedure, they asked me if I wanted to pay for the karyotype test. The grand total? $3. Meaning Nick and I could’ve potentially saved ourselves a lot of heartache and a lot…

  • Genetic Counseling

    Genetic Counseling

    The day of the appointment arrived, and we were ready to learn more. Getting to the appointment was a bit frustrating. Nick is still working on third shift at this point, and he barely woke up in time to get ready and go.  We arrived a couple minutes late and completely spaced grabbing masks. Back…

  • The Report

    The Report

    While waiting for our genetic counseling appointment, I reached out to my IVF nurse to see if I could get the full report on our embryos so I could share it with the counselor. “The report shows the genders of the embryos. Is that OK?” she asked.  That’s fine I said, internally thinking, “Why wouldn’t…

  • The Regroup

    The Regroup

    Before we started IVF, we watched an online class the clinic sent out. It went through the whole process, from beginning to end.  I found it surprising when they said they hope to get at least one or two viable embryos after the egg retrieval process. “Surely we would get more than that!” I thought…

  • The Gut Punch

    The Gut Punch

    It’s a work day, and I’ve gone with a coworker to help pick up a print order and grab some lunch. He’s talking with the vendor when I get the call: _________ Nurse: We’ve received the results of the genetic tests on your embryos, and, unfortunately, they’ve all come back abnormal. We’re so sorry.  Me…