IVF Round 2

I finally found the time to sit down and update our TTC journey on our IVF Round 2.

A lot has happened before we did our IVF Round 2 last 30 September 2019. In my last post, I mentioned that DH underwent a SCSA DNA fragmentation test in 2018 to which it came back above the normal range of 24%, 31% to be exact. So, our clinic referred my DH to a Urologist where he underwent TESA surgery on September 2018, see below illustration. They collected 2 vials of his sperm and were put to freeze by our clinic for us to use with our 2nd round of IVF with ICSI.

After our chemical pregnancy in April 2018, we were supposed to repeat our IVF/ICSI procedure last November 2018 but had to terminate it because of my dad's passing in 25 October 2018. On January 2019, we were hoping to do our IVF/ICSI again but our Clinic have to do numerous tests on me and give additional medicines because of my border to high cholesterol, insulin and prolactin levels. When I finally passed my cholesterol and insulin levels (pending an MRI procedure to check a tumor under my brain), we were given a go signal to do IVF/ICSI in April, but my mom underwent a triple bypass operation and have to cancel our procedure again. Thankfully, my mom's operation is a success.

In July of 2019, DH and I decided to do a round of artificial insemination (IUI) while putting back all our sanity together. Too much had happened and I can't go directly to IVF/ICSI if I am not ready yet plus we did a TESA procedure which is a new one for us and it might, well, work. Sadly, it did not so IVF/ICSI it is but before doing so I underwent a MRI procedure to check if I have a tumor below my brain which is causing my prolactin to go up and down to which I did not.

Thus, in August 2019, I started taking my birth control pills and we went directly to our  short protocol stimulations for our IVF/ICSI/TESA. Below is our IVF/ICSI/TESA calendar:

We did our Egg Retrieval Day on 28 September 2018 where the Clinic retrieved 11 eggs, 7 of them fertilized naturally. On Day 3 we had 5 embryos at Grade 2 and 2 at Grade 3. I honestly don't know how the grading is but Grade 2 on my understanding is that our embryos divided 3-8 cells while Grade 3 9-10 cells. We were then scheduled for our Transfer Day on 30 September 2018 since our embryos are doing well on Day 3. 

We did our Fresh Transfer on Day 5 of our embryos. DH and I decided to transfer 2 embabies again with a much better quality this time: 1 BA and 1 AA embryos:

Then the dreadful 2 week wait. See below how the embryos develop inside my uterus.

As, we wait for the 2 weeks period, I have been listening to nursery rhymes again (just like our 1st IVF round) plus I have been eating brazil nuts, promegranate and pineapple core everyday to help our embabies stick on my uterus.

Our IVF round 2 is a journey to 64 stims of puregon, luveris, suprefact and 1 shot of ovidrel plus 11 bloodworks which totals to 76 needles; and a lot of oral supplements and fertility drugs which comes down to a more good quality of 4AA and 4BA embabies on board mama’s womb. We have 2 3BBs on our first try and like last year none of our 5 embryos made it to freeze and were arrested “again” on day 6 but we cling unto hope with what we have now and believe this time we’re pregnant through God’s grace.

Every night when I pray, I only asked our Father God to grant us even 1 child and that I always tell Him that I honestly do not know now how to pray but for Him to look in our hearts and in our tears that all we ever wanted is to become parents...and that He eventually blessed us with our child. There is a lot of anxiety and fear that DH and I have felt on our 2nd round of IVF, especially coming from a chemical pregnancy, but deep inside our hearts we have hope and faith that He will eventually see us through.