The 411 on the next week

Here is a blow-by-blow of the next week for us . . the games begin tomorrow with retrieval and then the eggs will spend a few days bonding with DH's sperm and sometime next week we go to transfer.

There are numerous stages to every IVF treatment cycle, each of which must be reached and completed before moving on to the next stage:

• more than one should egg develop - completed
  

• eggs should mature - completed
  

• ovulation should not occur before the eggs can be collected - completed
  

• eggs must be retrieved during the "pick-up" - 6/24/07
  

• sperm must fertilize at least one egg - completed
  

• fertilized eggs must divide and grow healthily - completed
  

• embryos might get implanted in the uterus - in progress
  

How is embryo transfer performed ?

Embryo Transfer
Embryo transfer is most often done on an outpatient basis. No anesthesia is used, although some women may wish to have a mild sedative. The patient lies on a table or bed, usually with her feet in stirrups.. Using a vaginal speculum, the doctor exposes the cervix. One or more embryos suspended in a drop of culture medium are drawn into a transfer catheter, a long, thin sterile tube with a syringe on one end. Gently, the doctor guides the tip of the loaded catheter through the cervix and deposits the fluid containing the embryos into the uterine cavity. The procedure should be done with great care and usually takes between 10 and 20 minutes. Some doctors perform the transfer under ultrasound guidance, to ensure proper placement of the embryos in the uterine cavity.

Most clinics today transfer 2-3 good quality embryos on Day 2 or Day 3. Embryos are graded according to their appearance and rate of cell-division and good quality embryos are those which have 4-8 cells, of equal size, with clear cytoplasm, and with few fragments. These are called Grade A embryos. Embryos with more fragments are assigned a lower grade, and they usually have a lower chance of implanting . However, the babies which result from these embryos are completely normal, if they do implant successfully. You should ask the doctor to show you your embryos under the microscope. Some times, only embryos of poor quality are available for transfer. While the chance of getting pregnant when only poor quality embryos are transferred, you can be reassured that if a pregnancy results, the children will be normal.


What happens after the embryo transfer ?

The terrible 2ww - 2 week wait !

The embryo transfer completes the medical treatment in the IVF cycle and most clinics provide "luteal phase support" after the transfer , usually with estrogen tablets and progesterone suppositories, to increase the chances of implantation. However, this period is often the hardest part of an IVF cycle for the patient, because of the agony and suspense of waiting to find out if a pregnancy has occurred. This can be determined by a blood test , which measures the level of the hormone, HCG ( human chorionic gonadotropin) only 10 to 14 days after the transfer. For many patients, these 14 days are often the longest days of their life !

A positive beta HCG level ( of more than 10 miU/ml) means you are pregnant, and the doctor will then monitor your pregnancy to confirm it is healthy; intrauterine; and to check how many embryos have implanted.