The Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

About a week after meeting with Dr. Slayden, I ovulated and we were told to begin Lupron injections. I was told I would be on Lupron for about 2 to 3 weeks until my next cycle started. In the meantime I had researched ways to improve our odds and decided to try acupuncture (more needles). My mom and dad offered to pay for that part of it for us b/c starting a 2nd IVF procedure although less expensive was still a lot of money. My mom and I met with the acupuncturist and he said my pulse was very weak and that my hands and feet were really cold which meant that my uterus was cold and the blood supply to it was weak. He recommended 10 treatments. So I started that treatment.

In the meantime, my tennis team had made it to the Sectional tennis tournament in Macon, GA. I went and played and our team won again, giving us an invitation to the National Tennis tournament in Tucson, AZ. This left me very emotional. The 1st round of IVF I had told everyone about what we were doing but this time around to help keep my emotions in check we decided to keep this on the extreme down low. So no one on my tennis team knew that Danny and I were well on our way to doing the frozen embryo transfer. Going to Nationals was not only expensive but would not be possible if I did not go b/c there was only 6 of us and we all had to play every match. So we told the team about the FET. Everyone understood and was really sweet about it. I told them to please let me think about it. After arriving home I realized that I really wanted to go play in Nationals. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Also, upon arriving home I had started my period which meant I was ready to start the FET. I called the Dr. 1st thing on Mon morning to find out what my options were. The 1st time around I wasn't allowed to play tennis so I wasn't sure if we could push it back or what. Well my "cycle" was to begin on Oct 21st. If all went well my embryo transfer was scheduled for Nov 9th. My Dr. told me that b/c by the time we went to Tucson, that the embryo would be implanted by then or not so that I was allowed to play. I was so excited so I let my team know and everyone made plans to go and I also started the process for the FET. I had to go in for another suppression check and I had a few small cysts but nothing that should prevent us from starting our cycle. So I stayed on Lupron and I started wearing Estrogen patches again. On Halloween I went in and had another check and besides the cysts everything looked good and I was told to start the progesterone injection on Fri, Nov 4th. All the needles up to this point had been a small insulin needle. The progesterone injection needle was really long and had to go in my hip. I was so nervous and scared. In this time I had learned to give myself the Lupron injection in my thighs but b/c this was my hip Danny had to do this injection. He had to hold the skin tight and he gave me this shot. Then b/c it is oil and hard to absorb he had to massage it in everyday for around 5 mins. These injections were painful but worth it to me so I just pushed through it.

On Wed, Nov 9th, 2011, Danny and I went in for our Frozen Embryo Transfer. Everything looked good and they transferred 2 embryos. For the rest of that day and the whole next day I lay in bed just trying to relax and take it easy. On Thurs, our tennis team had a fundraising event at Chick-Fil-A that I went too. On Sun am I woke up with a little bit of a rash on my chest and freaked out. Last time in my mind it meant that something was wrong. I was told I could come in on Thurs before we left and take a test or I could wait until I got back. For the sake of my tennis team we decided to wait until we got back to do the test. This way I could enjoy our trip whether the test was negative or positive and also try to not be distracted on the tennis court.

On Thurs, Nov 17th, we boarded the plane for Tucson, AZ. I had been noticing that I was having some cramping and stomach pressure but was trying not to think about it. I also had noticed that my sense of smell seemed a little higher. But anyone who has been trying to have a baby knows that your mind can and will play tricks on you to make you think you are pregnant. My boobs also hurt but I just tried to shrug that off to the progesterone injections. We arrived in Tucson and had the time of our lives!! While there my friend and teammate, Sharon, kept burping and I was dying. No one else could smell them but me and she swore that I was pregnant. The last day there, Sun, we all drove up a mountain together and started down in 75 degree weather with cactus's and then by the time we were at the top it was 40 degrees and snow was on the ground. It was a truly amazing day and we had such a great time with our friends. I really believe that having this trip planned was such a good distraction for Danny and I with the fertility stuff we were going through. On Mon, we boarded our plane to come home and I could smell all the food and even the drinks on board. I was starting to get very optimistic b/c I wasn't spotting and had no sign of my period and I had a lot of good signs. I still had to wait until the next day for my test though.