IVF and ICSI

The break down of the whole process

Was I taking a break?  I don’t know… things got crazy busy for awhile and I just kept putting off writing.  (Even though my last post was turning out pretty good… I might have to finish it and back date it)  But as the urging of a friend I’m picking it back up again.  With our new and amazing good news, there’s not a better time to start!!!  WE’RE FINALLY PREGNANT!

We are thrilled, over-joyed, over the moon, and just a little bit nervous to be having not one, but TWO babies!  Multiples are more likely in IVF procedures, and we knew that going in, but since this was our one shot at having any children, we decided to go all in.  I figured I’d go ahead and explain how our IVF went here.  People are always curious how it works, and even with all the research I did, I still felt a little unprepared when it actually happened.

It all started with a consultation about a year ago.  Our doctor, Dr. Krieg, explained the process and told us that ICSI was going to be our best option considering Cody’s sub fertility.  ICSI  (pronounced “ick-see”) stands for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.  It’s like a extra booster to IVF and is yet another miracle of medical science.  With ICSI once the semen collected, it is “washed” in a special fluid and run through a centrifuge.  Then, under microscope, the best sperm are chosen and using a very fine needle, each of the chosen sperm are individually injected into each egg, held in place by a tiny glass pipette.  Every time I explain it, it amazes me! Science!  WOW!

Also during the consultation Dr. Krieg broke down the costs for us.  He explained each procedure and gave us a list breaking down the cost of everything.  He was also kind enough to advise us on what we could have done through our own insurance to help us save some money.  (I seriously love our doctor!)  We were shocked at how much cheaper it was here in Germany and were determined to save up enough to have it done before we moved.  We were well on our way, but last fall,, all at once, our car broke down and I had a family emergency that I had to go back to the states for, and our savings were completely drained.  We bumped up our savings to almost half of the paycheck each month, but we knew that even then it would still be cutting it close.  We talked and talked and finally decided to start a GoFundMe for our little science baby, and boy oh boy, did it work!  You guys have pretty much made our entire year…no, lets just say entire life, with all the amazing donations!  We could never thank you enough for each and everyone!  Every dollar made a difference!  HECK! It made TWO differences! Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Back to the IVF.

When we had the money, we went into see Dr. Krieg and it began that very day.  He said that because my cycle had began the day before I could start right away!  I said yes of course, and I think Cody started hyperventilating, because he didn’t say much.  Dr. Krieg explained the process once more, taught me how to use the injection pen and give myself injections, gave us some prescriptions, and sent us off to the Apotheka to have them filled.  Those first few weeks were a whirlwind of needles, blood draws and ultrasounds!

The first step was an injection drug called Puregon, or follitropin beta.  It’s a gonadotropin similar to FSH which the body naturally produces each month to help an egg follicle mature before it’s released. The Puregon forces my body to mature many eggs, instead of just one, to better our chances of conception.  After four day of that, I went in for an ultrasound for the doctor to see how the follicles were developing.  I had 12 developing nicely and everything was right on track, so I was to continue the Puregon and begin another injection called orgalutran. Orgalutran is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist. Taking it prevents ovulation, so that all the follicles could develop and mature.  I continued that for 5 more days and went in for yet another ultrasound to check the development again.  Things were still good, except only 10 good follicles now.  The next evening at the appointed time, I took an hCG (the same hormone detected in a home pregnancy test) injection to induce ovulation and went back two days later for egg retrieval.   Through out all these hormones I thought I was going to be a raging hormonal mess.  To my relief (and Cody’s I’m sure) I was fine.  It sucked getting stuck with needles everyday, and I certainly wouldn’t want to do it again.  But the worst of it for me was bruising and dry scaly skin at the injection sites.  The bruises are finally gone, but the dry skin is still lingering.

On egg retrieval day, I was nervous, and hungry.  I couldn’t eat or drink because the procedure requires anesthesia.  I was told I would experience light cramping afterword.  LIES!!!  Worst cramps of my life!  To get the eggs, a needle is guided by ultrasound through the wall of the vaginal canal into the ovaries.  While I was knocked out with my legs in stirrups and a needle piercing through my inner lady parts,  Cody was asked to “provide a specimen”.  He got to rub one out in a cush little room full of outdated German porn, and Wi-Fi.  It truly is a man’s world.  When all was said and done, we had 12 eggs!  The cool thing about IVF is that you know the exact date of conception!  (May 22)  That day they did the ICSI procedure and 6 little zygotes were monitored and kept sung and warm in their petri dishes until they were ready to be put back into mama, which didn’t take long.  We had three embryos transferred 5 days later. Three is the most German law allows (not that I would want more than three…just an interesting fact)  They also deem gender-selection un-ethical,  so from this point on it’s pretty much a normal pregnancy.

After that came the dreaded two week wait!  After visiting the doctor every few days and being reassured that everything was going smoothly, it was suddenly two weeks of NOTHING but waiting to pee on a stick.  And I couldn't pee on the stick too early, because I had to take two more hCG injections after the transfer, so we didn’t want to get our hopes up with a false positive.  I even did the math on the half life of hCG… and I hate math, it was still a two week wait.  As soon as math showed I could take a home pregnancy test, I did… one day early.  I could not WAIT any longer!  We got a lovely clear, but faint line.  I took several more over the coming days leading up to our blood test at the doctor which provided the best confirmation ever that we were in fact pregnant!  It wasn’t until a week later, at our first ultra sound that we would see two little survivors hanging out in my womb!  I’d like to say, for the record, that I had a strong feeling it was going to be twins.  Cody was getting irritated at my constant pluralizing whenever I spoke of the “babies”.  I was telling Dr. Krieg of my suspicion at that first ultrasound when he said “You are right!”  and Cody muttered a “Holy shit.”  Dr. Krieg then told Cody that a woman always knows best and he was surprised we had been married for so long without Cody learning this.  Sometimes German humor is quite funny.  We shared the news that same day with our family and the next with our friends.  We decided that waiting the recommended 12 weeks to announce just wasn’t for us.  It’s recommended because miscarriage is most likely to happen in the first trimester.  And while that is a scary thought, being infertile was scary also, and we were given endless love and support through that.  We know that if the worst happens, we will still have that love and support. <3

So that’s about it.  We’ve since had a second ultrasound, and will have another one in a couple of weeks.  We are also about to undergo our second PCS move.  I’ve decided this time not to freak out and stress about it.  So far so good, besides, stress is not good for these little babies!  We are SO looking forward to visiting family and our new adventures in San Antonio!  Personally, I am really looking forward to Target.  And doughnuts.  This pregnant woman really want a friggin’ doughnut.  These German ones just don’t cut it!


Until next time, Tschüss!