IVF Final 5 Day Embryo Fertilization Report

We got our final embryo fertilization report and we are so excited to share how many embryos reached blastocyst! .........................
Drumroll please..................
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WE HAVE 7 EMBRYOS!!!!! Can you believe that??? We can't!!! AND WE ARE SOOO EXCITED!!!!
Getting this news was the first checkpoint on our IVF journey! Hopefully the hardest is past us, and we keep praying that everything will go smooth from here! Thank you for all the love and support!

IVF Day 3 Fertilization Report - HOW MANY ARE LEFT?

We got out day 3 fertilization report back and we have 19 that have continued on in the fertilization process, it's not the final report yet but it keeps us in on the loop and definitely gives us hope! We are so excited we didn't have to use ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a technique for in vitro fertilization in which an individual sperm cell is introduced into an egg cell,) that saves us a good chunk of money ($1,500 to be exact,) and we are thrilled with how things are going so far.

I'm still feeling a little tender in the abdomen, bloated, and yucky, but every day it gets better so that's great!

IVF Day 2 Fertilization Report & What to Expect After Retrieval

We got our day after fertilization report and WOW, we did not expect that... As far as how I'm feeling after retrieval...

Does this picture give any indication? Haha yeah I don't know either...

I was feeling really good the day of the procedure, and pretty good the day after until yesterday afternoon. I have a lot of pressure in my abdomen, constant "yucky" feeling, constipation, heavy breathing (get exhausted easily,) and bloating. I expected as much and have been taking all the precautions, such as heating pad, gatorade, sodium rich foods, etc. but I am still having mild OHSS.
Anyway, we are so thrilled with our fertilization report and can't wait for the next one! Watch the video to see all the details, but we had 34 fertilize so far in the process!!! WE ARE SHOCKED AND THRILLED and don't really know what to say! We just hope that they continue to fertilize to reach blastocyst! Of course we know that each day we will lose some but we just want a few to reach blastocyst at least... cross your fingers and say your prayers for us please!

IVF 36 Hour Wait, IVF Egg Retrieval & Hysteroscopy

We took the trigger shot Thursday night at 9:30 then headed up north Friday morning! The egg retrieval and hysteroscopy were scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:30!

During our 36 hour wait after the trigger we got to enjoy Seven Brothers burgers (our family's restaurant based in Hawaii but not in Utah too,) went shopping, met up with family for dinner, hung in our hotel and watched movies, and just enjoyed the blizzard from the warmth.

Our good luck egg retrieval socks! I love how Jeff is always by my side for everything, he gives me strength I never knew I had. I'm just so grateful for him!

On our way into the clinic for the retrieval!

After retrieval and my loopiness is mostly gone haha. I just want to say that I LOVE Dr Foulk and Utah Fertility Clinic. THYE ARE TRULY AMAZING AT THEIR JOBS!!!!! The hysteroscopy was a success and Dr. Foulk cleaned out my uterus, preparing it for a successful (fingers crossed) IVF embryo transfer next month.

The egg retrieval was a HUGE success and they were able to retrieve 37 EGGS!!! WHAT?!?! That is great news!!!! That is definitely on the higher end of eggs retrieved, so that's really exciting.

After the retrieval, for the rest of Saturday, I was feeling great. The drugs were still in my system and I didn't feel too much discomfort. I did bleed a lot the first couple hours after the surgery, but have stopped and only have spotting now. The day after, Sunday, I am feeling it more. I'm sore and a little achey but nothing unmanagable!

We are so excited that all the shots were a success, and now we anxiously wait to find out how many of those eggs fertilized with Jeff's sperm! YAY!!!!

IVF Cycle Day 9 Bruised & Bloated

Everything is going as planned and we are on track for egg retrieval this Saturday! The follicles are growing and constantly recruiting, which is GREAT news!!!! I got my first bruise from the shots and I am extremely bloated now. Feeling more and more uncomfortable but getting excited to have the retrieval done!

IVF Cycle Day 10 Last Shots & HCG Trigger Time

Thursday was my last day of the Gonal F, Menopur, and Cetrotide!!!! HURRAY!!!! It was also the day of the HCG Pregnyl trigger shot and the Lupron injection. The trigger shot puts your body in "pregnancy" mode raising the LH levels to put the body into action and prep for the egg retrieval. This day I had my last shots (6 of them to be exact) and put my body in pregnancy mode!!!! After the trigger shot it's 36 hours to retrieval!

IVF Cycle Day 7 & 8 Progress

IVF hopes ☝🏼☝🏼 children from our DNA 😂😂hopefully they get a better mix of our genes than this🤞🏼

Started another shot in the regimen! I'm feeling really tired, achey off and on, headaches come and go, and feeling anxious and excited. My follicles are growing like crazy and everything is looking great! We are staying positive and hoping for the best!
INJECTIONS: Cetrotide - blocks the hormone that causes eggs to be released from the ovaries and is used to prevent premature ovulation during controlled ovarian stimulation. Gonal F Menopur

IVF Injection Shots, Shot Tips & Follicle Growth

Not feeling much motivation lately, but I showered so that’s a win! This is egg retrieval week...YAY!!! 

A couple years ago my aunt gave me her sweet bear during a hard infertility time and it brought me so much comfort and strength! Last year I gave it back to her during a hard time for her. Today I found the cute bear on my porch with a sweet gift. The simple phrase “you are amazing” brings so much strength, and being reminded daily helps to truly believe it! This cute bear now sits among all my injection medications reminding me that I am amazing, I can do hard things, this is nothing in the big pictures, and I am truly blessed! 

We are five days away from the egg retrieval and I can't even believe it!!! This video showcases my daily shots with tips and tricks I'm learning along the way and our ultrasound checking our progress.
All the shots I'm taking right now are to make the follicles grow in hopes of getting more eggs! Each follicle we hope to push to the size of a grape with anywhere from 8 + follicles on each ovary.

Currently injecting: Gonal F - to stimulate the follicles for multiple eggs to release Menopur - to stimulate ovulation
Currently taking: Prenatal - for all around health and wellness in baby prep Baby aspirin - for better blood circulation, especially in the ovaries and uterus area Metformin - to target the cycsts on my ovaries from my PCOS

IVF First Ultrasound & First Shots

We had our first IVF ultrasound and got the okay to start the shot injections. We are definitely figuring it out along the way but enjoying the journey together.

The ultrasound was great! Everything is looking exactly how we want it to!
These last few months taking my prenatal vitamins and metformin have done the trick in getting my ovaries to where they should be!
First shot was rough and I was scared, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

FEW TIPS ON SHOTS:
- Ice before to numb the injection spot
- Clean the skin good with the alcohol swab and then LET DRY or it adds an extra sting to the shot
- Apply pressure after!

Royal Caribbean Cruise, Cozumel & Maya IVF Fertility Omen

Jeff’s parents gave everyone a cruise vacation for Christmas! We flew to Florida, jumped on a Royal Caribbean cruise, explored Cozumel and had a blast as a family!

It was such a fun time eating and exploring together! 

And I fell in love with Cozumel, maybe it was because I was on the back of a scooter with my love doing what we love to do, EXPLORE! 

Jeff's side of the family is at a really fun stage where spouses and grandkids are in the mix but not too big to where we can't all go places together. It was really fun to be together and I am so grateful Jeff's parents took everyone on such a special trip!!!

IVF Gofundme Thanks & IVF Postponed

One of my sweet neighborhood ward friends came to me and asked if she could set up a gofundme for us and our invetro process. At first I was like, NO WAY, because I'm so used to being the helper and raising money for other with Kalamity. Then I had a piece of humble pie and realized that I need help, I need love and support, I need others and I need the blessings that come with letting others help me so she set it up for us and we are so touched by all the love and support everyone has given us, it is truly inspiring and gives us the strength we need in this process.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for their love, support and donating to our gofundme! We are so blessed! As a little thank you to those we could get to we went around and caroled to them with a thank you card. It is definitely not much but we are so grateful and wanted to show that in some way, however small it may be. Also, here's an update on our schedule...

So our schedule took a surprise turn because of my water ultrasound. In my ultrasound they saw polyps which could prevent any future embryos from attaching, basically I had a hostile uterus hahaha basically my uterus needs a hysteroscopy (a surgery where they scrape my uterus out). So our transfer date had to be postponed and at first I was sooooo sad, I was crying and crying, but Jeff reminded me that it is really a blessing in disguise. If we are going to go to all this work emotionally, financially, spiritually and physically, we need to give ourselves the best chance and that meant having the hysteroscopy done.

We are still so excited and can't wait for the ball to be rolling, regardless of what it takes.