Week 4: Counting days in IVF terms
So the scans and bloods begin and Dr Lydia gave me my drug prescription, Stimulating has begun,14 days of up to 6 injections a day and a bag of vitamins and tablets I’m ready for this, I actually find this the easy part as you’re busy doing everything you possibly can for your bid to have a baby.
8 am injection number one,
9 am injection number two,
8.30 pm injection number three…
All timed to the minute like your world depends on it.
There are plenty of scans. Road trips from Kildare to Dublin are well spent to ensure my follicles are growing nicely and that I don’t ovulate. On my last IVF journey my body over stimulated resulting in a frozen transfer (when fertilised eggs are frozen and transferred into the body at a later date rather than a fresh transfer when eggs are implanted straight after being fertilised)
I’m ready, egg retrieval will be in 36 hours from the point I take my trigger injection.
Day 1: 9 am I’m in my gown getting ready to be sedated so they can retrieve some lovely eggs (please God) remember with IVF there are no guarantees…They get 14 mature eggs.
Day 2: Post egg retrieval, the waiting game has now begun. I’m sitting by the phone the next few days to hear our fate.
Finally the phone call we’ve been waiting for. Six eggs have fertilised with Mark’s sperm. I try not to get over excited, I’ve been though this before, and I’ve been through more failed tests than positive. In saying that I still know it only takes one embryo. During my last IVF journey out of 16 fertilised eggs only one survived. We’re looking at four eggs surviving until day 3.
Day 3: Phone call- Four eggs have survived one grade A, one grade B and two grade C. Before embryo transfer, the embryos are graded by specially trained embryologist in order to select the embryos with the best chance of implanting in the uterus and forming a healthy baby.
Day 4: Egg transfer is scheduled for day 5 and we have decided to transfer one grade A+ embryo.
Day 5: We’re back in the clinic today and as we watch our little embryo get transferred into my womb we cry in hope, we cry in excitement, we cry because we’re exhausted.
Day 6: Out of the remaining three fertilised eggs, the clinic were able to freeze only one embryo. This gives me a back up plan, a second chance. But remember it only takes one.
Day 7: Post transfer I feel good, I feel like everything went well.
The two week wait…
The two week wait is extreme, your life turns from being busy, getting ready to have baby, to could I have done more? You have no control, the doctors have no control. It’s now down to your body to take that embryo and tuck it up nicely for a 9 month gestation.
Post Transfer:
Day 1: I feel tired and drained like I’ve completed a marathon
Day 2: Pretty much the same, my body is exhausted. I head for some acupuncture which calms my mind down.
Day 3: I cancelled filming today and spent the day with Beth which was much needed.
Day 4: I’m an emotional wreck, that is all.
Day 5: Hit and miss.
Day 6: Very busy in work today this is great to distract me.
Day 7: One week down, one week to go. Is Friday here yet? Do I even want it to be here yet…?
What will I do if I get a negative?
Will I be able to work Saturday?
Sleep is a distant memory…
Let’s just pray, but remember this is just one step along our journey whatever the outcome is.
Do you have questions that you want to ask Denise? Or would like to show her your support? Feel free to comment below.
Want to see behind the scenes footage of Denise’s IVF journey? Follow her on Snapchat username: dephillipa or Facebook: MillionDollarBaby.
If you are affected by issues raised in this article or would like access to further information and support, please see contact information below.
National Infertility Support and Information Group
For NISIG Website Click Here
00353877975058 nisigireland@gmail.com
Image copyright of Gary O’Donnell click here to see other work
