Transfer Day!

My biggest worry leading into today’s Embryo Transfer was that we’d turn up and they’d say that none of the embryos had survived this far so we’d have to cancel the cycle.

We have 3 survivors! All 3 of the embryos survived till today and were still developing under the embryoscope while we waited for the transfer this morning. What an incredible relief that was!

When we arrived this morning, I was shown to the same bed as I’d been in for my egg collection and was told that the embryologists were just checking on our embryos. As all 3 survived, they chose the embryo that had progressed furthest to transfer, intending to freeze the other 2 after they had developed for a few more hours.

The procedure itself was relatively quick and just as undignified as every other part of IVF! You certainly can’t be embarrassed and modest when you’re going through it, or you’d never even get through a scan!

The first step was for the nurse to scan me, to check on the lining of my womb and see whether or not it is ready for potential implantation (eee!).

“Well, your womb lining is beautiful!”

Sentences you never expected to hear.

 An endometrial lining is considered thin if it less than 7mm, and according to my clinic they would like it to measure at least 10mm at this stage of the process. Mine is 13mm!

You know, for all it has been horrible struggling to have a baby, going through the investigations, operation, finding out about my fallopian tubes, and then the IVF itself, my body seems to be actually doing something right, finally!

Not only did 3 eggs fertilise ‘well’, all 3 embryos have made it to day 5 and my womb lining is well above the minimum recommended thickness.

Think I’m quite good at this IVF lark!

Once they’d checked all this, it was time for the transfer itself. While I was being distracted by another nurse and my wonderful husband, the nurse had inserted a catheter directly into my womb. It wasn’t painful but – I won’t lie – it was certainly uncomfortable and I had the definite feeling that if I moved even a centimetre, it would hurt!

Keeping still was not made easy by my husband.

Note: being married to someone whose coping mechanism for being nervous is to crack jokes, is amazing in most circumstances but not while you’re having an embryo transferred! Every time he made me laugh, it hurt!

Multiple identity checks later, our embryologist handed something to the nurse, who moved the catheter slightly, then popped her head over my knees and said “All done!”

That was is it!

I didn’t have much longer to wait and was able to come home, with strict orders to put my feet up and enjoy the next few weeks.

It isn’t going to be easy – I’m going to have to exercise all my will to not symptom spot, and will have to remember to actually relax and let my body do its job.

Relaxation has never been my forte - doesn’t really go well with my skin tone.  

I suppose what I need to remember is that right now, I’m the most pregnant I’ve ever been! No matter whether this works or not, we are much further along than before and that is something worth celebrating.

No I didn't get to see the embryos in a dish but yes this would totally have been me...

So… please stick, little blob! Today could be the day that our lives change forever - you just have to cling on!