Second IVF Transfer Cycle: Part Two

We are currently in the process of our Second IVF Transfer Cycle. If you missed part one, click here to catch up.

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MONTH THREE: Week Three continued…

Transfer Day Instructions

• Procedure time is 8:30am, arrive 45 mins early.
• Take estrogen, antibiotics and prenatals as usual.
• Bring Valium (Diazepam), they prescribe this to you to take the morning of, due to this I have to have someone to drive me home. They do allow spouses there for the transfer, so taken care of.
• Bring Progesterone tablet for post procedure.
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• No perfumes, scented lotions or after shave.
• Food and drink is fine the morning of.
• Drink lots of water so bladder is comfortably full, this allows for better visualization of the uterus during transfer procedure.

Day 21: The Transfer!

The day of the procedure we arrived at 7:45am and they took us back right away and got settled in the procedure room. The nurse explained what will happen and gave us the post procedure instructions, see below.

Next, the embryologist came in a bit later and gave us a picture of the embryo that was thawed and explained the grading system of the embryo, this one is an AB. The first letter is the grade of the embryo and the second letter is the grade of the placenta. This is all grading the likelihood of the embryo attaching. He told me to take the Valium when he left the room. The Valium is a muscle relaxer and is for the uterus to relax for this procedure.

The Doc came in right on schedule and the whole thing took about 5 mins. The nurse gets the ultrasound screen ready and puts the gel on my stomach so that everyone can see what they are doing. The Doc requests the Embryo transfer catheter through the little window on one of the walls that connects it to the lab. He did a test run to make sure that there was no blockages or anything going on.

The Embryologist then passed the catheter through the window and it was inserted into my uterus. We got to watch it happen on the ultrasound screen. The Doc passed the catheter back through the window and the Embryologist checked it to make sure the embryo was gone. After the procedure you hang out and rest lying down for about 10-15 mins.

They wheel you out in a wheel chair since you could be experiencing side effects from the Valium. The whole procedure took about 5 mins and we were in and out of there in about 90 mins. The Valium made me super sleepy and I took a nap when I got home. Other than that, no pain or discomfort, no cramping or any of that. Much better than the IUIs.

Post Procedure Instructions

• Activity: Avoid heavy lifting and high impact activity until after the pregnancy test. Avoid spas over 99 degrees.
• Pain: May experience slight cramping, take Tylenol if needed.
• Bleeding or Discharge: May experience some after the transfer or around implantation.
• Diet: Maintain a balanced diet, plenty of fiber and fluids.
• Work: Return to work the day after the transfer, avoid lifting over 25 pounds and high impact activity.
• Medications: Continue Estrogen, Progesterone, Prenatal Vitamins

Month Three: Week Four

My Pregnancy Blood Test is scheduled for 10 days later (Day 31). If the test is positive I will go in two days later to confirm that the HCG levels are rising. I will also continue the estrogen and progesterone for several weeks until I “graduate” from the fertility doctor and move over to my regular OB (usually 10-12 weeks).

The first time around I knew I was pregnant before the blood test. We were at my nieces high school graduation and I started feeling super bloated and cramping. I recognized this particular feeling of discomfort from my previous pregnancy.

When we got home that night I took a pregnancy test and it was slightly positive. I used these two pregnancy test kits, one to confirm and then one to show word pregnant on it. 🙂 The MomMed Test Kit and the Clear Blue Digital Pregnancy Test. We ended up finding out I was pregnant 6 days post transfer. The HCG blood test confirmed it the next morning and we did the second blood test when we got back from a trip a few days later.

Here is the Calendar of my IVF Transfer Cycle:

Please Note: every transfer cycle is different, including timing and med regimens, this is just a sample schedule based off my own experience and doing an LH Timed Transfer Cycle. Please consult your doctor for specifics.

CONCLUSION

As a reminder, the products I talked about above are my go to Ovulation/Pregnancy Test Kit, the doctor recommended Ovulation Tests and my preferred Digital Pregnancy Tests.

Thats it for my second IVF Transfer Cycle. To read part 3 in the journey, what happened after the procedure, click here. Cross your fingers for a positive pregnancy test!