Note to self (and to anyone using this blog to get an idea of what IVF is like): make sure you count days correctly when anxiously awaiting important news. I thought I'd get the Day 7 update -- whether or not any embryos made it to the blastocyst stage -- yesterday, but when I called around 12:30pm to find out why they hadn't called me yet, I learned I counted my days wrong and the call would come this morning. That meant at least another 18 hours of trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn't think about the not-so-great odds that at least one embryo survived to the blastocyst stage.
Before I went to sleep, I made sure the sound on my phone was turned on (I usually sleep with it on vibrate or mute) so if the call came before I was awake, the ring would wake me. It's a good thing I did that because the doctor on Saturday-morning duty called around 7:45am when I was most definitely still sleeping, but loud Muppets theme music woke me up (I love the Muppets, and my ring tone makes most people smile). It was good news! Two of the three embryos made it to the blastocyst stage and their biopsies are being sent out for PGS (pre-implantation genetic testing). Based on the Day 2 report of two good and one mediocre embryo, this is what we were hoping would happen. Now it's back to waiting, this time for two weeks before results are available.
PGS looks for chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo to help ensure (but not guarantee) that any transferred embryo has the best chance at reaching a healthy, live birth. Since I'm considered to be at an advanced maternal age (I'm 39), the odds of getting that "normal" result are not in my favor. Have I mentioned I have to wait two weeks to find out the results? Two weeks of not knowing! I'm a planner and I can almost guarantee this is going to make me a bit nutty since the results will dictate our schedule through the holiday season/rest of the year. If at least one embryo comes back normal, I'll be scheduled for a myomectomy to remove a large fibroid tumor that is currently hindering implantation of an embryo and growth of a fetus (sort of like a C-section but not quite as intense and without the baby). The recovery time for that is estimated to be around 8 weeks. If both come back abnormal, I'll start a new IVF cycle, complete with injections, bloating, loss of appetite, and a stupid amount of driving all over south Georgia and north Florida. Essentially, I won't know how we'll be spending November and December until the very end of October (that should make any Thanksgiving travel plans that require airfare quite interesting/expensive). I mean, it's all worth it in the end, but accepting that I can't really make plans more than a few days in advance is extremely challenging for this Type A personality.