Okay, so, let me tell you about this whole IVF thing. It’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least. My partner and I, we’ve been trying to have a baby for a while now, and it just wasn’t happening the old-fashioned way. So, we decided to give IVF a shot.
First, we visited a fertility clinic. Met with the doctor, got all the tests done, you know, the whole nine yards. They checked my hormone levels, did ultrasounds, checked my partner’s sperm. It felt like we were living at the clinic for a while there.
Then came the shots. Oh boy, the shots. I had to inject myself with hormones to stimulate my ovaries to produce more eggs. Let me tell you, I’m not a fan of needles, but you do what you gotta do, right?
After a couple of weeks of that, it was time for the egg retrieval. I was put under anesthesia, and they used this long needle to take the eggs out. I was a bit sore afterward, but nothing too crazy.
Next, they mixed the eggs with my partner’s sperm in a petri dish. I imagined the little sperms all racing towards the egg, like in those nature documentaries. They kept us updated on how many eggs got fertilized and how they were developing. It was nerve-wracking, waiting for those updates every day.
A few days later, we went back to the clinic for the embryo transfer. They selected the best-looking embryo and used a catheter to put it in my uterus. It was a pretty quick and painless procedure. After that, it was the dreaded two-week wait. Two weeks of hoping and praying that the embryo would implant and I’d finally be pregnant.
I took a pregnancy test, and guess what? It was positive! We were over the moon, ecstatic, on cloud nine. We started dreaming about baby names, decorating the nursery, all that good stuff. We were so, so happy.
Then, a few weeks later, I started spotting. At first, I tried not to panic, but then it got heavier. We rushed to the clinic, and they did an ultrasound. And… there was no heartbeat.
The doctor told us I had miscarried.
It felt like the world had just stopped. All our hopes, our dreams, just… gone. I cried. We both cried. A lot. It was the most heartbreaking thing we’ve ever been through.
The doctor said it’s pretty common, especially with IVF. Something about chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo. They said it wasn’t anything we did or didn’t do. It just happens sometimes. That didn’t make it any easier, though.
We’re still grieving, still trying to process it all. We’re not sure what the future holds. Maybe we’ll try IVF again, maybe not. It’s just too soon to tell.
Here are some details that I noted during this time.
- I did a lot of research during the two-week wait and learned that miscarriages can happen no matter how healthy you are and sometimes it’s due to a chromosomal abnormality that you can’t control.
- I also discovered that certain health conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, thyroid disorders, and autoimmune disorders, can increase the risk of miscarriage after IVF. I don’t have any of these conditions, but it was something I kept in mind.
- Most miscarriages happen for the same reason that most fertilized eggs do not lead to pregnancy — chromosomal abnormalities. This is when there is something unexpected in the genes of the egg or the sperm.
- Learning about the potential causes of IVF miscarriages can help you process what happened. Testing methods like uterine evaluations are things that you can do to prepare for the next time.
- The doctor mentioned that the most common cause of a miscarriage is thought to be the abnormality in the chromosomes (the genetic building blocks) of the implanting embryo.
It’s a tough journey, this whole trying-to-have-a-baby thing. But I wanted to share my story, in case there’s anyone else out there going through something similar. You’re not alone.
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