Thursday 4th September was Embryo transfer day. Full of anticipation Amandio and I, both donning green (Amandio) and blue (me) surgery gowns, hands sterilised, hair up in those shower cap things were a sight for sore eyes as we waited in a private hospital room. This was a real Kodak moment, but unfortunately we couldn't take the camera with us. I was like a yo-yo back and forth to the bathroom... my pre-surgery routine :-) A friendly nurse wished us luck as she took us to operating room 4.
In the operating theatre we learned from our doctor that 11 eggs had been successfully retrieved from my ovaries the previous Monday. During this time conditions of the reproductive tract were imitated - embryologists in the laboratory carefully controlled factors such as nutrients, acidity, humidity, temperature, gas composition of air, and exposure to light and the eggs were monitored for a few hours before insemination. The five hour interval between egg retrieval and insemination mimics the time required for the sperm and eggs to travel and meet in the fallopian tube following intercourse and ovulation. Out of the 11 eggs, 10 were healthy and adequate for fertilisation and leftundisturbed or another 12-18 hours. Usually 65% of these fertilise... 7 of
mine did which were then closely monitored to check their development. Embryo selection criteria is based on the rate of embryo development and embryo morphology. 3 of our embryos were abnormal (which can lead to miscarriage, birth deformities etc). Delighted with 5 healthy embryos, 4 six celled and 1 seven celled we decided (well, actually the doctor did) to go for two.. No. 6 and 7 :-) The other three were frozen and will be (if No. 6/7 lead to pregnancy and baby) for the next five years... still a very weird concept for me.
Transfering No. 6 & 7, as we have affectionately christened them, was a beautiful process. Let me try to paint the picture and capture the mood. Amandio was steadfast at my side, hands held firmly... the doctor and his entourage of nurses busy between my bent legs, preparing my uterus. The IVF lab, where the embryos were cultured and incubated, was connected to the operating theatre via a small tinted window. The temperature was carefully set to 25 degrees, optimum for minimal embryo disturbance. The nurses bustling about suddenly became very serene, with gentle movements. The lights were switched off except for the spotlight exposing my well, you know.. and the dim light of a monitor. The window slid open and two hands gingerly passed the dish with the embryos to a nurse who placed them on a microscope. We saw our No. 6 & 7 for a few seconds on the monitor as they were carefully sucked up into a cather from the culture dish. With almost ceremonial moves it was passed to our doctor (he had previously opened my cervix wide enough and prepared the area) who inserted the incredibly long looking cather into my uterus and delicately pushed No. 6&7 into their new home. The air was dripping with magic, watchful eyes in the serene darkness, the positive thoughts sent out from those present and tenderness between Amandio and I was palpable. It wasn't until the cather had been passed back to the nurse who verified under the microscope that the contents had been removed, that the lights were switched back on. I then spent the next two hours on the same table motionless (for fear of upsetting them) and praying that No. 6&7 would adapt to their new home. Amandio was wonderful kissing my womb .. twice ;-) before curiosity led him around the room examining all the tubes, equipment, machines.. he even started fiddling with the buttons on my bed trying to make it slightly more comfortable. Despite my fears that he would cause my bed/table to flip, separate or somersault, he managed to raise my legs slightly to alleviate pressure on my back. After some quiet moments, Amandio left twenty minutes early to look after the bill and collect oestrogen tablets and progesteron inserts from the pharmacy and organise everything so that we could just leave after I got up. It was bed for me when I arrived home and that is where I stayed for the next 24 hours for the embryos to hopefully develop into blastoplasts and embed themselves in the lining of my womb. We hope and wait...
In the operating theatre we learned from our doctor that 11 eggs had been successfully retrieved from my ovaries the previous Monday. During this time conditions of the reproductive tract were imitated - embryologists in the laboratory carefully controlled factors such as nutrients, acidity, humidity, temperature, gas composition of air, and exposure to light and the eggs were monitored for a few hours before insemination. The five hour interval between egg retrieval and insemination mimics the time required for the sperm and eggs to travel and meet in the fallopian tube following intercourse and ovulation. Out of the 11 eggs, 10 were healthy and adequate for fertilisation and leftundisturbed or another 12-18 hours. Usually 65% of these fertilise... 7 of
mine did which were then closely monitored to check their development. Embryo selection criteria is based on the rate of embryo development and embryo morphology. 3 of our embryos were abnormal (which can lead to miscarriage, birth deformities etc). Delighted with 5 healthy embryos, 4 six celled and 1 seven celled we decided (well, actually the doctor did) to go for two.. No. 6 and 7 :-) The other three were frozen and will be (if No. 6/7 lead to pregnancy and baby) for the next five years... still a very weird concept for me.Transfering No. 6 & 7, as we have affectionately christened them, was a beautiful process. Let me try to paint the picture and capture the mood. Amandio was steadfast at my side, hands held firmly... the doctor and his entourage of nurses busy between my bent legs, preparing my uterus. The IVF lab, where the embryos were cultured and incubated, was connected to the operating theatre via a small tinted window. The temperature was carefully set to 25 degrees, optimum for minimal embryo disturbance. The nurses bustling about suddenly became very serene, with gentle movements. The lights were switched off except for the spotlight exposing my well, you know.. and the dim light of a monitor. The window slid open and two hands gingerly passed the dish with the embryos to a nurse who placed them on a microscope. We saw our No. 6 & 7 for a few seconds on the monitor as they were carefully sucked up into a cather from the culture dish. With almost ceremonial moves it was passed to our doctor (he had previously opened my cervix wide enough and prepared the area) who inserted the incredibly long looking cather into my uterus and delicately pushed No. 6&7 into their new home. The air was dripping with magic, watchful eyes in the serene darkness, the positive thoughts sent out from those present and tenderness between Amandio and I was palpable. It wasn't until the cather had been passed back to the nurse who verified under the microscope that the contents had been removed, that the lights were switched back on. I then spent the next two hours on the same table motionless (for fear of upsetting them) and praying that No. 6&7 would adapt to their new home. Amandio was wonderful kissing my womb .. twice ;-) before curiosity led him around the room examining all the tubes, equipment, machines.. he even started fiddling with the buttons on my bed trying to make it slightly more comfortable. Despite my fears that he would cause my bed/table to flip, separate or somersault, he managed to raise my legs slightly to alleviate pressure on my back. After some quiet moments, Amandio left twenty minutes early to look after the bill and collect oestrogen tablets and progesteron inserts from the pharmacy and organise everything so that we could just leave after I got up. It was bed for me when I arrived home and that is where I stayed for the next 24 hours for the embryos to hopefully develop into blastoplasts and embed themselves in the lining of my womb. We hope and wait...
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