The Baby Ruth Blog: Egg Retrieval Day

Monday, April 4, 2011

Egg Retrieval Day

Here I am before the retrieval. I felt excited and ready. In this room, I got my IV and then was taken into the operating room, where the last thing I remember was putting my feet into some stirrups. I was out like a light!Dr. Barbieri did my procedure today since Dr. Bankowski is in Spain for a conference. The nurses, doctor and anesthesiologist were all fantastic. SO nice.

Wow--awful--here I am afterward. Bryan said I asked how many eggs they got 3 times. The number was 10! Out of the 10, there were 5 big ones. Tomorrow we'll find out how many were mature and how many fertilized. It only takes one to make a baby! I also asked him to take this picture twice. I guess I wanted to make sure I was "keepin' it real" on my blog. Don't want anyone to get the idea this is a glamorous process. Now I'm on the couch and feeling a little tender down south, but other than that just fine.

I'll be updating soon! Thanks for all the prayers.

3 comments:

AnonymousApril 4, 2011 at 2:06 PM
Yay!! Bless those eggs, let them be fertilized!! Had joy in my heart praying for you today.
I did the same think after I woke up, I kept asking how many did they get, LOL. Rest well precious one!
Raquel
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AnonymousApril 4, 2011 at 4:08 PM
Thanks for the update, so good to hear! Funny, Steve said I asked about the number of eggs several times too, must be normal...or we're all just the same kind of crazy :-)
I agree, bless those eggs and the miracle of fertilization! Love and blessings to you and Bryan!
Lindsey
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JennApril 5, 2011 at 7:36 AM
Hooray! Hooray! What is the timeline like now? I thought of you all day yesterday and meant to text you. Praying God turns them into two healthy babies!
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Our Infertility Journey

Like many young couples, we thought that we would decide it was time to have a baby and it would just magically happen. We were the "perfect" ages..in our mid twenties, and we had been married for 3 years. It's embarrasing to admit, but I was so excited, I even bought some miniature Baby Ruth candy bars to hand out for when we would make our big announcement to friends and family! (Cute, huh?)

Well, after a year or so we began to worry. We were both tested and the doctors could find nothing wrong with either of us. I had a history of bad mentrual cramps, so I requested a laparoscopy to search for endometriosis, and nothing was found. We went through a couple years of the unsettling diagnosis of unexplained infertility, were treated with Clomid and underwent five unsuccessful IUI’s.

In the Fall of ‘07, we began to see a reproductive endocrinologist. After making sure that Bryan was tested more thoroughly and finding that he was very healthy indeed, our doctor performed another laparoscopy on me, and he found stage-two endometriosis. Because the clinic was outside of our medical insurance network, we had to pay for the procedure out of pocket. The specialist felt that after the laser procedure, we should have a good chance of conceiving naturally, so we knew that we were making an important investment. Unfortunately, many months of trying to conceive passed and nothing happened.

In May of ’08 I followed my dream of starting a support group for women who were going through a similar journey. It had been a long, hard, lonely five years as a barren woman! Through the support of our church, I was able to find eight other women who desperately needed someone to talk to. It has been a miraculous, life changing experience to have this group to laugh and cry with. We have come a long ways emotionally and spiritually together and have become great friends.

With the encouragement of the support group, we started to consider IVF. Our specialist felt that this was a very logical next step as well. After months of praying and discussing the financial side, we scheduled our IVF for October 2008. We decided that we would take out a loan from our home equity to cover some of the expenses. The doctor was able to harvest ten eggs, five of which fertilized. In the end, he transferred two six-day blastocyst embryos, and we all felt very confident! Despite so many things going for us, the babies did not implant and our dreams of becoming parents were crushed once again.

Just recently, in the Spring of 2010, we began seeing a new specialist and had some more tests done. Thankfully, an ultrasound helped the doctor discover a tiny polyp on my uterus that needed to be removed. After surgery, the biopsy revealed endometrial hyperplasia, a condition when left untreated can result in cancer of the uterus. We are so thankful that it was caught before it could cause trouble. To treat this condition, I was prescribed with a three-months of progesterone. With one month down and two to go, we are certainly looking forward to the next step in our journey.

I hope that by sharing this, we can connect with our friends and family on a deeper level. I know that many have been concerned, but not known how to show their love and support for us. It's a difficult subject, but if there's anything I've learned, it is to be open and honest, not ashamed. When we share our hearts, we can reach out and encourage others. If you have read this and struggle with infertility, or another battle, don't be afraid to talk to someone about it. Life is a roller coaster ride, but we're all on it together, so buckle up and let's go!

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Egg Retrieval Day

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