You always think that when you want to get
pregnant, it will just happen.
Unfortunately, that scenario is far from true for more
couples/individuals than you will ever know.
In fact, did you know that each month you only have a 20% chance of
conceiving naturally? Crazy to think,
huh? When you use In Vitro Fertilization
(IVF), you increase that percentage to 60%.
These statistics really put into perspective how much of a miracle a
child really is.
I remember the day we met with our reproductive endocrinologist
(RE). I was so scared because you just pray you won’t hear the words,
“You won’t be able to have your own child.” However, our RE was
incredible and put many of my fears to ease. Let me give you a quick run
down of what our 2012 has looked like leading up to this point.
We tried one IUI which was unsuccessful and then
after careful consideration decided we would move forward with IVF. On average, an IVF cycle costs around $15,000
and that does not include any of the medication (which can be in the $2,000 range easily without insurance). My RE’s office even offered a program where
for $24,000 you could have 3 fresh IVF cycles and 3 frozen cycles and if you
did not get pregnant, you were guaranteed a refund for a portion of what you
paid OR for $18,000 you could have 2 fresh IVF cycles and 2 frozen cycles, but
if you didn’t get pregnant you did not get a refund. I’m not one for government getting involved
in our personal business, but isn’t it crazy how they will support abortions,
yet not provide any assistance to those who want children? There’s something wrong with this picture in my
mind. Most insurance companies will not
cover any infertility treatment, so not only does IVF take an emotional and
mental toll on a person, but it is also a huge financial toll on a couple as
well. We prayed about our situation for
such a long time, and were thrilled to find out that we did have some insurance
coverage. What a fantastic answer to
prayer for us!
A big box arrived in the mail a couple of weeks
later and anytime that happens, it always feels a little like Christmas…but not
this time. This day, the big box was filled with medications, syringes
and way too many needles for my taste. I
had a strict medication schedule that I had to follow, and one shot that even
had to be given at a specific time. At one point in the whole process, I
was getting three shots a day in my stomach.
When those shots ended, I began taking IM injections in the upper
buttock. Justin was a trooper through this whole process by giving me my
injections and has became quite the pro at giving shots. I even had a friend from college who lives
just up the road who volunteered to give me my injections when Justin was out
of town so I wouldn’t have to give them to myself. Honestly, I don’t know if I could have given
myself my own injections. I’m such a
wuss when it comes to needles – although now, my fear has subsided a bit.
The day of the egg retrieval finally came, and I had no idea what to
expect. Some of my friends who have gone
through IVF, felt completely fine after retrieval, others were in a lot of
pain. All I knew is that I was being
knocked out and I had to be on bed rest for a day. I ended up having 22 eggs harvested (a friend
told this fit my overachiever Type A personality) and the procedure only took
about 15 minutes. I usually have a
pretty high tolerance for pain, but after waking up from my anesthesia, I
quickly asked for some pain medication.
The good news is that I didn’t wake up crying like I did the last time I
was put out.
Depending on each individual’s circumstance, some eggs are either
allowed to fertilize naturally and others are fertilized through a process
called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
Sometimes you only do one option, other times you do both. We chose to do both. Of the 22 eggs that were retrieved, 14 of
them were in good enough to use in the fertilization process. Of those 14 – 11 were fertilized through
ICSI, and 3 of them were allowed to fertilize naturally. My transfer was scheduled for 5 days later,
so now it was time to wait.
