This cycle was very complicated. I'll leave out the graphic details.... but all in all- not the worst and not the best retrieval results I've ever had- (all that matters anyway are hoe many make it to day 5 and are normal).
Dr. Levy nicknamed me "Tricky Ovaries" because they gave us so much trouble this cycle. I didn't respond to the lupron trigger which is really odd, because last cycle with Dr. Levy (my best cycle) I did a lupron trigger and it was fine. The only thing I can possibly think of that was different was that it was a compounded pre-filled syringe instead of the Two-Week Kit from which I took an aliquot last cycle. The day after the lupron trigger, my LH levels were only 5 (they were 29 the last cycle when I triggered with lupron), and my progesterone was rising too; it measured at 4pg/mL. Usually these two rise together, so they actually couldn't really tell if I responded or not, so they opted to do a retrieval based on the lupron trigger, but re-trigger with HCG (5,000 units) and do a 2nd retrieval if they didn't get any eggs at the first retrieval. For the lupron retrieval, they drained 3 (precious) follicles, took them back to embryology while I was still under anesthesia and looked for eggs. They didn't find any- meaning that the trigger hadn't released the eggs from the follicles. There might have been eggs in the follicles but they weren't unglued yet. So they woke me up and I went in the next morning for another egg retrieval. The "good" thing was that another day without triggering meant another day for the follicles to grow. Dr. Levy wanted to give them one more day anyway but triggered because my progesterone was rising too quickly (the point of this cycle is to ready the lining with stimulating meds and progesterone rising too fast would not be compatible with the frozen embryo transfer). I woke up from egg retreival so worried that the cycle didnt work. From what I remember about the last cycle- I thought they would have told me by then so I thought something was wrong. My hubby walked in and I said- "THEY DIDNT GET ANY EGGS!" He obviously was shocked, then the nurse was like-- "What are you talking about? They haven't even had time to look yet. We don't have the report." Minutes later, they tell us that we got 10. I was happy with the number- it was higher than the majority of my cycles, but not as high as last cycle. Obviously, I start calculating how many might not be mature, how many won't fertilize, how many won't make it to freeze and how many won't be euploid.
Dr. Levy nicknamed me "Tricky Ovaries" because they gave us so much trouble this cycle. I didn't respond to the lupron trigger which is really odd, because last cycle with Dr. Levy (my best cycle) I did a lupron trigger and it was fine. The only thing I can possibly think of that was different was that it was a compounded pre-filled syringe instead of the Two-Week Kit from which I took an aliquot last cycle. The day after the lupron trigger, my LH levels were only 5 (they were 29 the last cycle when I triggered with lupron), and my progesterone was rising too; it measured at 4pg/mL. Usually these two rise together, so they actually couldn't really tell if I responded or not, so they opted to do a retrieval based on the lupron trigger, but re-trigger with HCG (5,000 units) and do a 2nd retrieval if they didn't get any eggs at the first retrieval. For the lupron retrieval, they drained 3 (precious) follicles, took them back to embryology while I was still under anesthesia and looked for eggs. They didn't find any- meaning that the trigger hadn't released the eggs from the follicles. There might have been eggs in the follicles but they weren't unglued yet. So they woke me up and I went in the next morning for another egg retrieval. The "good" thing was that another day without triggering meant another day for the follicles to grow. Dr. Levy wanted to give them one more day anyway but triggered because my progesterone was rising too quickly (the point of this cycle is to ready the lining with stimulating meds and progesterone rising too fast would not be compatible with the frozen embryo transfer). I woke up from egg retreival so worried that the cycle didnt work. From what I remember about the last cycle- I thought they would have told me by then so I thought something was wrong. My hubby walked in and I said- "THEY DIDNT GET ANY EGGS!" He obviously was shocked, then the nurse was like-- "What are you talking about? They haven't even had time to look yet. We don't have the report." Minutes later, they tell us that we got 10. I was happy with the number- it was higher than the majority of my cycles, but not as high as last cycle. Obviously, I start calculating how many might not be mature, how many won't fertilize, how many won't make it to freeze and how many won't be euploid.
Anyway.... The dotted line at 14.5mm represents the size of follicles that had mature follicles in them at retrieval, so I predicted that even if more eggs were collected than above that line, only the number above that line would likely be mature. Based on my prediction with the HCG trigger after 13 post starting stims- I'd have guessed they'd collect 13 eggs and 10-11 would be mature eggs. But since 3 follicles were drained, so we we'll never know if my predictions were correct.. Last cycle 12/14 were mature and 11/12 fertilized, that's 83% mature which would be 8.3 eggs this time and 91% fertilization which would be 7 out of 8 of the remaining... Last cycle, of the 11 fertilized, only 4 were PGS normal which translates to 2.5 normal embryos. So a coin toss- 2 or 3 in best case scenario.
I was watching Brave after the second retrieval. Later at dinner, I was joking with hubby about table manners and he said it was fine because he was Fergus putting weapons on the table and I was Elinor, yelling at him to take them off the table. I laughed and said that it was a good thing our kids weren't at the table to learn from him. We both looked out the window knowing that our embryos were just a block away being lovingly cared for by Shady Grove. Elinor had triplets... wonder if they were IVF babies ;) We might have more in common than I thought.
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