The State of the Embies

Grow, grow, grow will be the chant going for me this weekend.  I got the call shortly after I wrote my piece lamenting waiting. So, after three days, they want the embryos to be 8 cells (ideally). In addition to counting the cells, they give each embryo a grade from 1-3, 1 being the best, 3 being the worst.  Before the genetic testing that they have now, they would decide which embryos to implant based on this grade.  Since we are not doing genetic testing, the score is not relevant to us for transfer reasons, but still important because we want the most viable babies possible.

Embie 1: 10 cells, grade of 1

Embie 2: 6 cells, grade of 1

So, one is ahead of the curve and one is behind, both look great, however. From my research, it would be unlikely for the 6 celled one to get to the blastocyst phase for transfer, but it’s not impossible. I’m scheduled for a Monday transfer at 11:30. I will get there around 11:15 with J (very thankful this does not conflict with his job; maybe it’s a sign….) with a medium to full bladder. I’m telling you, the specificity that comes with infertility treatment is slightly hilarious. This makes the transfer easier which I would love to happen – especially since now the code comes into play (flashback to the blue tarp and the coordinates of my uterus). This is a much less invasive procedure than the egg retrieval and one for which I will be completely awake. The room will be an OR-type room that is completely sterile, but the procedure itself does not require any weird medicine.  They recommend 24-48 hours bed rest, so I will likely stay home on Tuesday and cheer on my babies.  Unlike a “normal” pregnancy, embryos begin implanting 1-3 days after a 5 day transfer (what I’m having – after the embryos are 5 days old).  On Monday, I will finally (hopefully) get to use the next acronym, PUPO – pregnant until proven otherwise. I don’t know how I’m going to update the blog from here on out. I’d like to recap transfer day, but I’m unsure about documenting through the TWW (two week wait) and immediately sharing the results.  So, I’ll take it one step at a time.

Thank you for the prayers, positive thoughts, and everything else. It feels great that we have made it this far, but we still have the most important steps to go.

XXOX