I have a very, very, very exciting announcement! I received a call back from our fertility clinic today and we scheduled our next and final embryo transfer for this July! If you’ve read my previous posts, you already know that we went through a total of two egg retrieval procedures and had all the day 5 embryos tested for viability. We ended up with three pgs-normal embryos and one low-level mosaic embryo. This time around, I am opting for a Natural Cycle Transfer if all goes well!
We ended up freezing all of our embryos while waiting for the genetic testing results and also allowing my body to recover from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. A month later we did a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) and transferred two out of the four. They both successfully implanted, but a few weeks later, I miscarried one of them. The other, however, is now a lively little 18-month-old boy playing next to me as I type this!
We have had our fair share of challenges with our son beginning with the pregnancy (I went in to the hospital with Preeclampsia at 26 weeks and stayed there a month on bedrest); he was born 2 1/2 months early at 30 weeks, and spent 2 1/2 months in the NICU during Covid. Once we brought him home, he had major sleep and stomach issues that have made life…erm, shall we say, “challenging” at times. My husband and I agreed that we would hold off on going back for the transfer of our other two embryos until things got a little easier with Ethan and once he was successfully weaned from breastfeeding. (We have arrived, FINALLY!! It’s been two weeks today!!)
So, our little frosty babies have been waiting ever-so-patiently in their frozen state, to get their chance at growing up into lovely little ladies! (Yes, when you do genetic PGS testing on embryos, you get to find out the gender ahead of time.) Things have started getting a little easier finally, and it feels like it’s the right time.
One of the remaining embryos, as I already mentioned, is a PGS-normal embryo and the other is a low-level mosaic. We will be transferring them both together in July as long as we get the green light from the doctor (since I had Preeclampsia the last go-around they may object to transferring two at once due to the risks. However, I had a TON more stress in my life at that time and my blood pressure was much, much worse than it is now.)
Here is an EXCELLENT ARTICLE about PGS Testing of embryos
HERE and HERE are two articles all about Mosaic Embryos
Some families opt to not transfer a mosaic embryo due to a slightly higher risk of having a child with a disability. We feel that we have an obligation to this child regardless of potential disability and are moving forward with the transfer. The only embryos we allowed to be discarded after the genetic testing were those that had no possibility of life, that my own body would have miscarried without question, due to chromosomal abnormalities. Most embryos actually fall into this category, even for younger healthy women. The woman’s body often conceives and then miscarries these types of embryos in the first week or two of pregnancy, so that the woman never even knew she was pregnant. These embryos do not contain the genetic “coding” necessary to develop and sustain life.
Sometimes though, you get an embryo that has “issues” that possibly represent a disability but can sustain life, and these are often part of the Mosaic group. However, many if not most mosaic embryos “self-correct” and go on to a healthy, live birth without any complication or disability (SOURCE).
For this next round I am opting for a Natural-Cycle Tranfer. In other words, unmedicated. No more injections!
Leading up to the frozen embryo transfer that led to the birth of our son, I did what is referred to as a “Medicated” or “Artificial” cycle. This basically means that they shut down the natural production of your hormones and instead control your hormones artificially. Progesterone and Estrogen are administered through injections after a course of birth control and, in most cases including mine, Lupron, to turn off the body’s own hormonal production system. This is the only possible way to do IVF if a woman has a crazy irregular cycle and/or doesn’t produce the correct level of hormones on her own, naturally, to sustain a pregnancy. This is also the only way to go if full control of the timing of the transfer is needed.
A Natural Cycle Transfer, on the other hand, leaves things up to mother nature and works with a woman’s own natural production of hormones, ovulation and timing. As such, it requires that she have a regular cycle, ovulate on her own regularly, and produce the correct amounts of hormones such as progesterone and estrogen to be able to sustain a pregnancy. Her own body must naturally lay down a uterine lining that is conducive to the successful implantation of the transferred embryo. This leaves a bit more up to chance, and requires more frequent and careful monitoring leading up to ovulation to plan the exact moment for transfer. There’s also the chance that the woman might not ovulate naturally that month, for whatever reason, leading to a canceled/rescheduled transfer. However, the clinical outcomes are about the same, if not slightly better by a tiny margin, using Natural Cycle Transfer, and it eliminates the cost of the meds (which are substantial).
Luckily, my cycle is so regular I put it on the calendar and it rarely deviates. My ovulation is still going strong (thanks mom for the fertility genes!) and as long as my bloodwork, hormones, and uterine ultrasound all check out ok, the clinic is giving me the go-ahead for the Natural Cycle method!
Read More About Medicated vs. Natural Cycle Transfers HERE
As for next steps, my instructions are to call the clinic when I start my next period, at which time they will schedule a “trial run” of the frozen embryo transfer. They will check to see if my uterus is still in good shape or if I’ve developed any unexpected scar tissue, fibroids, cysts, etc. I also have to take an STD screening (you know, in case I’ve been running around on my husband) and – eek! – possibly a mammogram. I’ve never had one before, and I’m TERRIFIED. I am touchy and weird about squashing my boobies as flat as a pancake in a strange machine, can’t imagine why! I’ve heard they range from horrifically uncomfortable to unspeakably painful. I’d like to pass on both counts, but what must be done must be done. It can’t be any worse than self-injecting a giant syringe of progesterone into the side of my own booty, and I survived that.
The trial transfer and other tests and bloodwork are tentatively scheduled for sometime this April, and the transfer, if all the stars align will happen this July. There is a chance we may need to reschedule for August or September due to schedule conflicts with the doctor out of town, so here’s to hoping it’s sooner than later!
On a less sciencey and more personal level, I just can’t believe that the time is here again already, and I’ll be experiencing the joy, excitement and apprehension all over again in just a few short months! I feel like I’m in a much better space this time around, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. I plan to be better about exercise, nutrition and supplements leading up to and after the transfer. It doesn’t feel like it’s such high-stakes emotional apprehension involved this time, since even if the worst possible thing happens (neither of our frozen embryos leads to a baby) at least I have a child of my own. Yes, I will grieve and will need to take some time out to mourn the loss of my little frosty babies if that were to happen, but at least now I know I won’t ever have to mourn the loss of all possibility of ever becoming a mother at all. At the beginning of all of this, I wasn’t sure if ANY of the four embryos would take, and the “not knowing” took its toll on me for sure. I think I can be more relaxed this time, for that reason as well as simply knowing what to expect, and not having to deal with the meds and injections will be a HUGE bonus.
All that being said, I am hoping and praying and crossing my fingers and using all the tips and tricks in the Book of Old Wive’s Tales that we are successful and arrive at the end of this process with two healthy baby girls!!! I will continue to post updates here on the blog and over on my Facebook page as we progress, and as I learn more about doing a Natural Cycle frozen embryo transfer. I will share what I learn, and hope that it can help someone along the way. Stay tuned!