IVF is going to give me an opportunity that I don't think my body would allow otherwise. I know that without IVF Nate would more than likely be our only child. I say that with certainty bc not only do I have diminished ovarian reserve but my tubes are not good and both are probably re-blocked (we already know one is). IVF will bypass my tubes and pick my best embryos and give me the best chance at having another baby.
But, in actuality, what are my chances of this working? Well, I do my research. If you know me then you know I am knowledgeable about infertility and, specifically, my diagnoses. Maybe I even know too much to a fault. I do this, though, so I don't have unreal expectations as to what will happen.
To break things down here is what we are looking at....
I will make lots of follicles from taking these meds. Each of these follicles will be drained. Not every follicle drained will have an embryo. Not every embryo will be mature (only mature eggs will develop). Not every embryo will fertilize. Not every fertilization will result in a live birth. Theoretically speaking I will have 8 follicles. People with DOR will likely have less due to their condition so this is what I am expecting. Out of the 8 follicles, maybe 6 will be mature. We will use ICSI to fertilize the eggs but that doesn't mean they will take, so lets say 4 fertilize normally. And out of those 4 only 1 makes it to day 5 growth (click here to check out a fascinating detailed description of the embryo process). That means I have one chance of this procedure taking and no extra embryos for the freezer to try a later embryo transfer.
Will this scenario happen? Maybe. Am I looking at it more towards glass half empty? Probably. But then again, I know the statistics.
I also know that my RE office is FREAKIN AWESOME with IVF/FETs and I have the utmost faith that they will do everything in their power to get me pregnant. You can check our their stats here.
So what is all this rambling for? Well I hope that with all of your thoughts and prayers that we beat the odds. I'm not sure when I will begin IVF process but I do know that the next month will probably be a whirlwind of doctors appointments and information gathering and it makes me happy and scared at the same time.
This time last year I was recovering from my lap surgery. You can read about it here and here. I had such high hopes after this surgery that it was the fix to my problem. Little did I know what the next 12 months of my life would be like. It's hard for me to put hope faith in a doctor again after all I've been through but I feel a positivity at my new RE office I didn't have at the other one. And while the stats are against me, I'm willing to hope and fight and keep everything crossed.
