IVF Embryo Transfer

It has now been five days since I had an IVF egg collection, and I’m now preparing for the next step: the IVF embryo transfer. In my last blog post, the day of the egg collection, I had mentioned that I felt fine. I had some slight cramping, but that was it. Well, later that evening, when I got home, and this is probably a complete overshare, going to the bathroom was painful. I had to hold my stomach and adjust it slightly every time I went. The medications and the procedure must have caused quite a bit of swelling, and it felt like something was pressing on my bladder. That lasted several days, and it was actually quite painful. But, at least that was it, and I, very fortunately, had a good result on the egg collection front.

Once you have had your eggs collected, as mentioned in my previous post, IVF Egg Collection, the specialist team will evaluate them to identify which ones are mature enough for fertilisation. Sometimes there will be none, which, after going through the entire process of the medications and the egg collection procedure, would be devastating. I was fortunate enough to have had fifteen eggs removed, eleven of which were mature enough to fertilise. Now, each day I find out which ones, if any, will reach Day 5, the Blastocyst stage. This stage is ideal for implantation because research shows that embryos that reach this point are more likely to successfully implant in the uterus.

It is a stressful time waiting, not knowing what the outcome is going to be. I made an effort to stay positive, but I felt extremely stressed and anxious, constantly wondering how I could face going through the process all over again. I wondered how people go through this time and time again. Repeating the same steps over and over.

Anyway, by the time I got to the morning of the transfer, it was a Saturday. I’m an early riser, so I was at Coles, picking up a few items from the store, when I received a phone call from the IVF laboratory. They confirmed that I have eight embryos, ready for my upcoming IVF embryo transfer. I will transfer one of the embryos today and freeze the other seven.

I feel thrilled to hear this news and emotional about it. At each stage of this process, it feels like I’m waiting for the hammer to come down. I’m on edge, expecting to hear that something has gone wrong and that it hasn’t worked. So far, there haven’t been too many bumps, and that worries me, which I know might sound like a strange thing to say.

Once I finish my shopping, I head home, shower, and get ready for the transfer. My mum is going with me. I’m grateful for her support. When I arrived at the clinic, a nurse welcomed me. I signed some paperwork and received a government rebate form (I believe the rebate received was around $2000.00 or so). I walked into another room and met a different nurse, along with my IVF specialist. I’m excited, I’m happy. During the procedure, an external ultrasound is done so that you can see the embryo being transferred. I asked if my mum could film the ultrasound, which was being displayed on a screen in front of me, and they happily obliged. When I was lying on the bed, a little window to the left of my legs opened. The little embryo was passed through the window from the laboratory to my doctor.

I look up to see the embryo on the screen. It looks round and perfect, I remember thinking to myself. The doctor commented that I had a great cycle and that all the embryos were very healthy. I still can’t believe I’m here; it doesn’t feel real yet.

The embryo was transferred, and my mum filmed the process on the screen, commenting that she was crying. The entire procedure took about fifteen minutes. It didn’t hurt at all, nor did it feel uncomfortable. I was so wrapped up in the moment that I wouldn’t have noticed either way.

On the drive home, my mum played the video, just so we could hear the experience over and over again. She cried again. Gosh, I love her. Driving home, I feel very blessed.

What’s up next? The long two-week wait, where I will find out if this transfer is successful and if the IVF embryo transfer leads to positive news. I’ll discuss my thoughts and feelings during that time in the next post.

I thought I would include the video of my first embryo transfer below. It was a magical experience ❤️

Recommended Podcast: Preparing for embryo transfer