Layin it all out there

I decided that I'm going to lay it all out there and blog about my upcoming IVF (in-vitro fertilization) process. That's right...round two is just around the corner. Miles and I would like Owen and our next child to be about two years apart, so we have to start preparing for the next round of IVF. They advised us to come in about two months before we anticipated we'd like to start a cycle for a follow-up consultation.

We went in to the Reproductive Care Center (RCC) today and met with Dr. Heiner (the doctor who did our last IVF cycle). Basically he just got an updated medical history from us and asked us when we'd like to start. We told him some time between July and September. He said, "Well, the sooner the better, so why not start in July?!" However, Miles and I have some testing we need to do beforehand. I need to get my prolactin levels checked, but I have to stop nursing for about a month before I do that. Also, Miles needs another Kruger test (sperm analysis) and he wanted to make a couple changes (not carry his cell phone in his pocket, avoid excessive heat from a laptop on his groin area, etc.) before testing. So I think we're going to wait for those tests to be done sometime in June and then proceed from there. That will likely put us starting our next cycle in August for an implantation in early September. My family is rooting for an October implantation and July baby since we don't have any family birthdays in July. However, if I have any say, I think I'd like to avoid being uber prego in the middle of the summer. Although, in all reality, I'll take a baby any time of the year!

Even though we've gone through this whole process before, it is still rather overwhelming. It's always daunting to think about how much money we're putting toward this. Of course, having Owen, I would say it is 100% worth it and of course, I am willing to do it all over again. Then there's the fact that we're playing the "numbers game." It feels like Russian Roulette sometimes. Dr. Heiner talked to us about our options. We can do a "guaranteed" cycle where you pay more, but have the option of four cycles and if you don't get pregnant after your fourth cycle, you get some portion reimbursed. However, if you get pregnant on your first try, you lose the money it cost beyond a typical single cycle fee, don't get to use your extra cycles, and don't get reimbursed. Also, if you get pregnant but have a miscarriage, there is no reimbursement. Then there's the regular, single, full medication stimulation, cycle (which we did last time). If it doesn't work, you just start from scratch. And lastly is the low-stimulation cycle where you spend less on medications and get less eggs. The hope with this one is that you get 2 or 3 higher quality eggs as opposed to 12-15 eggs of varying qualities. However, he said that there is a 20% rate of early cancellation during your cycle due to various reasons (poor follicle stimulation, eggs don't mature, etc.) where there is apparently only a 10% chance in a regular cycle. So once again...it just feels like you're playing the odds. I was hoping that with having one previously successful pregnancy that it would increase my chances for a second successful pregnancy. However, he said the odds are still the same (about a 55% chance). So here we go...taking a leap of faith and hoping it will work out.

At this point, we'll just be doing some preliminary testing (Infectious Disease testing *so annoying that we have to do this again*, Hysterosonogram to examine the inside of my uterus, Kruger, and other blood tests). After those are complete and we have a better idea of where we are at, we will move ahead. So there will be much more to come on this topic as I go through the details of the process, but not for a little bit. Stay tuned and wish us luck!