My Experience

I had difficulty conceiving, and the less invasive fertility treatments (Clomid, IUI) were unsuccessful. With IVF, there were weeks of hormone injections and intensive monitoring in the form of daily bloodwork and transvaginal sonograms.

There are many different protocols for IVF but mine was a typical first-time protocol. Approximately 2 weeks before my IVF cycle was to begin, I started giving myself daily injections of Lupron via a sub-cutaneous injection in the abdomen in order to suppress the body’s natural production of reproductive hormones.

The actual cycle began when I started a period, and 2 or 3 days later I had blood work done. When that was approved, I officially began the cycle. While continuing the daily Lupron injections, I also injected myself with 1 or 2 daily shorts of Follistim and Gonal-f, which stimulate egg production. Those drugs require daily monitoring so I went early each day to the doctor’s office for blood work and/or a sonogram of my ovaries. Each afternoon, the staff called with my dosing information for that evening. After approximately 10 days on stimulants, the doctors concluded that my eggs were nearing maturity and gave me an injection of hCG, which matures the eggs and triggers ovulation within 24-48 hours. My egg retrieval was scheduled for the next day.

I arrived at the hospital early the next morning for the retrieval procedure. I was prepped and walked into the operating room and was given intravenous sedation. I slept through the actual egg retrieval and awoke in recovery, where the doctor told me that 11 eggs were retrieved from my ovaries. They were mixed with my husband’s sperm in an embryo laboratory and I went home within a few hours, as soon as the anesthesia wore off. I was sleepy for the rest of the day but generally felt fine. I took the day off from work, slept on and off, and was recovered by the next day.

Three days later, the embryos were ready to be transferred into my body. The embryologist told me that 9 of the 11 eggs had fertilized, and 6 were continuing to divide and grow on Day 3. He chose the best 3 of those 6 to transfer. I returned to the operating room, but was not sedated this time. A catheter was inserted through my cervix into my uterus and the 3 embryos were transferred into my uterus. The transfer procedure was quick and painless.

Two weeks later, I took a pregnancy test, which was positive.