In vitro fertilisation Archives - Page 2 of 4

Embryo Transfer Entourage

October 5, 2009 By Carol Leave a Comment

On Saturday I had my last frozen embryo transferred into my uterus. Nothing unusual about that apart from the fact that were several people present during the transfer that normally would not be there.

Besides the usual suspects of having the Doctor, Nurse and Embryologist in the room, I also brought three other very important people in my life along – my husband, my mother-in-law and my mother who had flown in from Perth to help me celebrate my recent 40th birthday.

Picture this. Three scientists plus my two mothers and my husband all watching as I put my legs in stirrups and spread em! Who would have thought this was possible. After 7 rounds of IVF and several doctors, nurses and embryologists later, you become de-sensitized to normal thoughts of modesty. Seriously though, it wasn’t so bad.

My family had back row seats and were solidly behind me when all this action was taking place. They had the privilege of watching the big screen – only trouble was that there was no Gold Class seats. Lets just say that the tiny little room was somewhat cramped.

In any case, all went on without a hitch. My mother was treated to a once in a lifetime opportunity for watching her potential grandmother hood on the ultrasound. My mother-in-law got to see science in action. My husband on the other hand was over it.

Maybe having the support around might act as a good luck charm. Who knows – maybe I am suspicious but my mother is a devout Christian so I figured getting her and God into the act might help my cause. Am I clutching at straws? Probably!

Next steps – live in the two week waiting zone.

Vitamin D: Tips for IVF Success

September 14, 2009 By Carol Leave a Comment

An interesting study has indicated that women have higher chances of achieving pregnancy if they have high levels of vitamin D in their serum and follicular fluid (FF) after IVF-embryo transfer.

The results of this study was published recently in the online edition of the journal, Fertility and Sterility. The study was conducted on 84 infertile women who were undergoing IVF to assess the link between IVF outcomes with vitamin D concentration.

Whilst vitamin D levels in the Follicular Fluid were inversely associated with body mass index, after adjustments, scientists observed significantly higher rates of clinical pregnancy and implantation when Vitamin D levels were higher.

This suggests that vitamin D supplements may enhance the outcome for infertile patients undergoing IVF as well as improving overall health.

Although vitamin D is known to play a key role in fetal bone growth, its exact role during fertilization and implantation is not really known. There is a need for scientists to now determine the appropriate doses of vitamin D that may help women during the preconception period and during pregnancy.

If you aren’t taking supplements, it might be a good idea since it is found naturally in many foods that are not often eaten. These foods include cod liver oil, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, herring; Vitamin D fortified milk and cereal, eggs.

Vitamin D is also added to milk and is manufactured in the skin as a result of direct exposure to sunlight.

IVF and Your Sex Life

September 10, 2009 By Carol Leave a Comment

It’s a pretty delicate topic I know but IVF is not conducive a good sex life. For a start, when you are doing a full stimulated cycle, the following passion killers are likely to, and do, happen:

1. You may bleed for several days after you expect your period to end because you have been taking a contraceptive pill since the start of your period
2. You experience intermittent spotting during your cycle whilst you are taking hormonal treatment
3. Quite likely you may bleed after egg collection and will be feeling quite sore and bloated for a couple of days
4. Your breasts may become sensitive to touch so any foreplay is just out of the question
5. Because you are inserting Crinone Gel to line your uterus, you worry that a pile of it will end up on your sheets (it does!)
6. You decide to avoid intercourse for the for 24 hours after transfer (just in case the embryo falls out)
7. Both of you will continue to avoid intercourse cause you are both scared your partners penis might dislodge the embryo (As if! But as IVF is so darn expensive you both don’t want to repeat the process)
8. You then get your period

I think this just about covers the two months when you are cycling. Of course, you do have breaks in between when things get back to normal – whatever that is. But after several cycles of doing this, combined with all that previous experience of trying to conceive, you sex life just diminishes. You know you need it to bring sexy back but it all becomes too hard during this time. Its pretty ironic that this is the case, given that the old testicles need to be used to produce good quality sperm. See my blog on sperm titled Keeping the River Flowing).

The good thing about not doing IVF: Bringing sexy back.

What Not to Say to Someone Undergoing IVF Treatment

August 14, 2009 By Carol 2 Comments

IVF is unpredictable. My Doctor thinks I should be pregnant by now. This makes me feel a whole lot better. Not! The problem with IVF is that the more times you do it, the harder it gets. I am not exactly sure why but I think that statistically the majority of women get pregnant from IVF after 6-7 stimulated cycles. I have now done 5 stimulated cycles and two transfers and I’ve had no luck. This weight of expectation does not help.

The more you go on, the more there is an expectation that your turn is due. But IVF is never that simple. It makes it hard also for friends and family to understand what we are going through. Often people will say, don’t give up. Keep trying. This is probably one of the worse things people can say.

They need to understand that when you get to the point of doing IVF you have already exhausted all other options – there is already a history of failed natural attempts. IVF gets harder the more times you do it. Apart from the money invested with nothing to show, there is also the physical demands on your body and living a life that has become less social and centred around your menstrual cycle and when and what drugs you are going to take. Life to some extent is on hold. You stay in a job with a manager who is critical and treats you badly because you need stability, you need your job to pay for IVF and you want to be eligible for maternity leave in the event you actually get pregnant.

There is also the fact that you are starting to reach a point where you feel you have no control over your body. It feels like your uterus is destined to become a graveyard.

The fact is that there is nothing anyone can say to their friend. Make it clear you are there for them if they need you but don’t push it. All they can be is a friendly ear and a shoulder to cry on. Because as time goes on, that shoulder is most definitely needed.

Sure Signs You are Not Pregnant

August 12, 2009 By Carol 2 Comments

Bad news. Constant breast groping has revealed my breasts are back to normal. They are no longer sore and tender and pumped with hormones. The pimples on my face have gone down only to leave my nose with ugly flashes of red (thank God for make-up).

I take the breast thing as potentially bad news – it seems unlikely that I am pregnant. However, I remain in hope that this is not the case. That hopefully, the lack of tenderness I am experiencing is just a sign that my body has worked hard to remove all those excess hormones that developed as a result of the injections.

I really don’t want to think about the consequences of spending another $5,000 on yet another treatment. I am in denial and I am still weeks away from receiving any reimbursement from Medicare for yet another IVF attempt. Next year, some sweeping changes to Medicare will mean that IVF will not get as much favourable treatment so the out of pocket costs will definitely rise. The implications of this are yet unknown.

I contemplate the research I have been doing on IVF and count my fortunes that I do not live in the USA where IVF is more than double the cost of doing it in Australia. I guess there are small blessings in everything. The best blessing though, would be a pregnancy. Who I am kidding!