Let the Hormones Begin!

LET THE HORMONES BEGIN! 

We officially have the green light to start our IVF cycle. I've been talking with our nursing for the last couple of days and I am now on the birth control regimen part of our cycle. Today or tomorrow we'll be getting the rest of our calendar together. Yay!! So excited! 

I've had a couple people ask me to go over the steps of how this will all work, so hopefully this list kind of clears up some of your questions.

Step 1: Birth control (30-? days)

I'll be doing this regimen for a month. Or until they want me to stop (I'll find out more Monday)

Step 2: Ovarian Stimulation (8-14 days)

This will be when I start to doing injections of hormones. These injections are meant to make eggs mature faster so that during the egg retrieval there will be lots of viable mature eggs.

Step 3: Trigger Shot and Egg Retrieval (1 day)

What's a trigger shot you say? Well the Trigger shot is a shot of HCG that kind of finalizes the maturation of the eggs. This is done about 36 hours before Egg Retrieval. After the shot is the egg retrieval. This is when they go in and harvest the eggs. It's also at this point where they'll get a semen sample from Garrett. 

Step 4: Embryo Development

It's at this point where they do the Invitro Fertilization... Where they fertilize the egg with the sperm. After that they grow for 5 days. 

Step 5: Embryo Testing

On day 5 the embryologist with take 3-5 cells of each embryo and send them to be tested by Natera. While the cells are being tested the embryos will be frozen for 2 months. 

Step 6: Embryo Transfer

After those long 2 months will be when they transfer 1 (maybe two... Garrett and  I have to decide) embryo(s). 

Step 7: Pregnancy Test

10-12 days after the embryo transfer they'll do a blood test to confirm pregnancy.