Kate & Nate: Parents In Waiting: Our IVF cycle has begun!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Our IVF cycle has begun!

Yesterday my period arrived, which hopefully be the last one for 9-10 months. This marks the official beginning of our IVF cycle, and on Monday, Day 5, I will have my baseline ultrasound.

We still have a lot to do before going to Calgary. I have work to finish, a mountain of laundry to do, we need to clean out the truck, etc, etc. I'm also really going to miss Mom and all of the kitties. Good thing we are bringing the pugs or I would go crazy without having animals around for 2 weeks.

Only 9 days until we leave!

2 comments:

bcsymmesFebruary 11, 2011 at 1:09 PM
wishing you everything you need over the next 2 weeks, hope this time is easy on you, with no complications ... just a plain, boring, average IVF cycle (is there such a think :)
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KatieFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:18 PM
Thanks Larissa! Plain, boring and uncomplicated would be fantastic in my book!
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Our Story

My name is Katie (Kate), and I'm 29 years old. My husband Nathan (Nate) is 33, and we've been married for 7 years (together for 12).

We tried unsuccessfully for 6 years to have a baby. We have had 1 natural conception that resulted in an early miscarriage in 2004, over 6 failed IUIs, a successful IVF that ended in the missed miscarriage of twins at 7 weeks in 2009, and an unsuccessful FET.

I suffer from PCOS which contributes to our fertility problems. I also have scarring on my one fully functioning right ovary. There is a small piece remaining of my left ovary, which was removed during a laparotomy to remove a large ovarian cyst in 2004. Thankfully nothing seems to be wrong with Nate.

Finally, in March 2011, we were successful in conceiving a beautiful baby boy and are due in November 2011. This blog is a record of our IVF journey, pregnancy, and eventually life with our little miracle.

Definitions

The world of infertility uses a lot of acronyms. So for any friends or family who will be following along on our blog, here is a list of the most frequently used:

RFP: Regional Fertility Program, the fertility clinic in Calgary

b/w and u/s: Blood work and ultrasound

PCO or PCOS: Poly-cysytic-ovary or Poly-cystic-ovarian-syndrome

IVF: In-vitro fertilization (involves egg retrieval, and fertilization occurs in a petri dish. The fertilized embryos are then transferred back into the uterus 3-5 days later)

IUI: Intra-unterine insemination (no egg retrieval; a catheter filled with sperm is inserted into the uterus via the cervix to help maximize the chances of fertilization)

FET: Frozen embryo transfer (Often after a "fresh" IVF cycle, the remaining viable embryos are frozen. During a frozen cycle, these embryos are thawed and placed inside of the uterus)

DPR or DPT: Days post retrieval or days post transfer. Most women know when to take a pregnancy test based on days post ovulation (DPO), but when doing an IVF, this period of time is measured by the retrieval of the eggs and the transfer of the fertilized embryos.

HPT: Home pregnancy test