They're All Up In There

Some of our eggs are in one basket.

We went in this morning to discuss what to do with the four fertilized eggs, and ended up having two move back to their old neighbourhood. After a long discussion about the pros and cons of Day 3 vs. Day 5, the pros and cons of implanting two vs. three, and the chances of birth defects with multiples, it took only 10 minutes for Dr. Hamilton (with Brenda on Ultrasound and Danielle handling egg transport) to put the two best eggs in place once we'd made (been guided to) the decision. They were in literally before we knew it. The most painful part for Red was the full bladder she had to maintain. (Apparently it helps the uterus line up nicely for the implantation.)

Here's the ultrasound from just after the implantation... the UFO I've circled shows the medium that has just been implanted... inside the medium are the two fertilized eggs... everybody chant now... Go Blastocysts Go! Go Blastocysts Go! (The dark area on top is the very full bladder.)



Red's still in some pain from the retrieval on Friday, but having three holes poked in your va-jay-jay will do that. And she has a nasty bruise on her hand from the IV. We took a picture of the bruise, but it really wasn't that impressive, so here's a shot of the IV being put in.



They're going to keep the remaining two eggs going, and if they're still viable on day 5 or 6 (and meet the criteria) they'll be frozen for next time. Red is not keen on doing the egg retrieval again.

Red has been taking this drug called Prometrium since the day after retrieval (Saturday) that helps maintain the lining of the uterus. If I remember correctly, it's progesterone, and it tricks the body into thinking it's pregnant, because the natural cycle is still shut off. Once the eggs take hold as embryos in the uterus, the right hormones (HCG) get produced and the body is able to start doing what it's supposed to. But for the first several weeks, the prometrium helps keeps things comfy for the eggs/embryos.

Because the prometrium capsules resemble mini, gray Glosettes, and are taken as a vaginal suppository, I've taken to calling them "vag candy". When I mentioned this to Dr. Hamilton and Brenda in my nervousness this morning, I got polite laughter. But Red has somewhat adopted the name... so I declare phrase creation victory!

More sevens... Red just realized today that the locker we used at AART today and on Friday was locker #7. And not by conscious choice. Spooky wha'? (Thanks to Travis and Mark for humouring us with the numbers thing... and for the good wishes.)

So now we just wait... in 16 days time (June 4th) Red will go in for a pregnancy test... keep your good thoughts/prayers/energy/digits going for those little suckers all up in there...

And as an added bonus on this post, I've included this glamour shot of Red and I from Retrieval Day... how hot are we!?



P.S. to Travis... I'm sure Red would appreciate some good luck belly rubs from you and Tycho while you're here this week... bring the west coast love and warm up those fingers...

P.S.S to everybody else... I don't think I'll provide one of the flashbacks I was considering... a comment on the first post made me realize that since my mom and my sister and my aunt and my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law are reading / might read this, maybe I should keep some details to myself. If anyone is curious, I'll provide on a want-to-know basis, but you've been warned.