Pre-IVF Appointment

This afternoon was our first post-failed IUI / pre-IVF appointment. Here's the low down:

The doctor thinks I may have egg quality issues. Before I even said anything, she recommended going to IVF because of this. She thinks we have a good chance of harvesting 10 to 12 eggs for retrieval however, and we have a 50% to 65% chance of conceiving with our first IVF.

I discussed donating a portion of my eggs to my sister, Lara, within the same cycle. I worried that they might be reluctant to allow this because I don't have any of my own children yet, but she said she can see no issues with going ahead with a shared cycle. She is discussing the plan with the Donor Egg Program doctor and I will get a call within the next two weeks with the go-ahead. Of course, there is a huge emotional umbrella over this possibility that we will all need to work through, but we have a few months to figure out our bottom lines.

So, over the summer there are a number of things we need to do. First and foremost, Derek and I, as well as my sister Lara and her husband Roland, will have to attend an evening / morning program about the Donor Program and IVF in general. Following that, we need to decide how many eggs I'll be donating and get a legal contract written up and signed by all for the procedure.

I need to have a sonohysterogram within the next couple of months (not looking forward to this) as well as Cycle Day 3 blood tests (Estradol, FSH, LH). Derek and I both have to get a bunch of blood tests done for a variety of illnesses (HIV, Hepatitis, etc.) at some point as well, as will Lara and Roland.

At this point, this is all I know. I'll have more specifics once I hear back from the Donor Egg Program nurse.

We're aiming for a September / October IVF. I do not need to take birth control to prepare because my cycles are very regular. Looks like they will be doing a standard three day transfer as long as everything works out (fingers crossed!).

If all goes well, both Lara and I will be pregnant by Christmas.