closer

We finally had our second appointment at the clinic. I'm not sure if this is how most clinics do it, but doing IVF with PGD involves an entire team of people. We technically had appointments with our primary doctor at the infertility clinic (MD with reproductive endocrinology specialty) and our genetic counselor, though we also met briefly with the doctor who oversees the lab where the embryos are made and grown.

We are definitely getting closer to our end goal, though it is sometimes easy to lose sight of what that goal truly is. Like right now all I can think about is when we'll get to the point where we're actively trying to do a cycle of IVF. I am really excited about finally starting that part of the process, but also, honestly, really scared. There are so many unknowns that it can be maddening - how much will it cost? How will the hormone drugs affect me? Will I have enough eggs? Will we get enough embryos? Will enough of them be healthy (aka muscular dystrophy-free)?

We were able to discuss with our doctor our concerns about implanting more than one embryo. It's funny, because last time he said we would implant two, like that was a given. But then I told him I was concerned about that, and that based on my research I am a good candidate for a single embryo transfer. And he agreed. And that was it. So he went over the "embryo math" and that is now our plan.

Embryo math: If we were doing typical IVF, and implanting when embryos were two days old, we would have a 50% chance of getting pregnant if we implanted two embryos. BUT..... If we're doing PGD, that means we can't implant until at least day four in the life of the embryo, when it is in the "blastocyst stage." If we're into blastocyst stage, we have a 50% chance of getting pregnant with only one embryo being implanted.

So yeah, the odds seem pretty good that way. The big unknown there is whether we'll have enough disease-free embryos that live to Day Four. Soooooooo many things have to go right for this to work!! Again, maddening. Just gotta remember to be thankful that this technology exists, and that we have the resources to do it, and that we are doing the right thing. I am 27, our odds are overall pretty good, and IT WILL BE WORTH IT.