On Friday I had my drug teach appointment. Although, since our last round was only 3 months ago, I didn't really feel the need to practice injecting myself.
I know I can do it.
My treatment plan has stayed the same. I am not surprised by this as I did respond well to the drugs last time.
I was a good opportunity to ask a few questions and talk about some 'optional extras' that we might like to add on.
The first is 'Time lapse morphometry imaging' also know as Timi. This is where photos are taken of the embryo every 10 minutes over the 5 days they are developing in the incubator. It helps the embryologist identify the embryos that have the best potential for implantation and can therefor increase the chance of pregnancy from the first embryo transferred by up to 10%
When our last round ended I was wishing we have paid for this service. However, at out appointment, our doctor was able to tell us at what stage each stopped developing so I am not sure it would have told us anymore.
I can't help but feel that this just a bit of an add for the clinic to make some more money. I am not really sure it would improve our chances, just maybe reduce the amount of transfers we have to do till we find the one that 'sticks' This is assuming we are lucky enough to get more than one blastocyst. (the name given to a 5 day old embryo, which is when they do the transfer)
The other 'add on' we discussed is called Intra-cytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection. (IMSI) IMSI is like ICSI (what we did last time) They select a single sperm to inject into the egg, but they use a microscope with much higher magnification. This enables the embryologist to see the sperm head in detail and pick the best looking ones. This technique initially sounded really appealing. One of the reasons you would use it is if you have few embryos developing to the blastocyst stage. (Or in our case, none) However, when I consulted Dr Google, i found some articles saying it was still quite an experimental technique (couldn't find a date on this article, so will need to look into that more) and that it actually decreased chances compared to ISCI due to the added time it takes to select a sperm, leaving the unfertilized egg more vulnerable. We have about a month before we start treatment, so still have a bit of time to think it over and decide what we want to do.
I also made sure they had written on their notes about how my veins would not cooperate last time. (They did) It said to give me an oral pain relief and a local and not to attempt to put a needle in my veins multiple times. It also noted that 'I coped well, last time'. That's a relief.
So now we wait.
Again.
Can't wait to just get on with it. I know what to expect this time. I don't feel nervous, just excited and keen to get things underway.
Bring on October!
I know I can do it.
My treatment plan has stayed the same. I am not surprised by this as I did respond well to the drugs last time.
I was a good opportunity to ask a few questions and talk about some 'optional extras' that we might like to add on.
The first is 'Time lapse morphometry imaging' also know as Timi. This is where photos are taken of the embryo every 10 minutes over the 5 days they are developing in the incubator. It helps the embryologist identify the embryos that have the best potential for implantation and can therefor increase the chance of pregnancy from the first embryo transferred by up to 10%
When our last round ended I was wishing we have paid for this service. However, at out appointment, our doctor was able to tell us at what stage each stopped developing so I am not sure it would have told us anymore.
I can't help but feel that this just a bit of an add for the clinic to make some more money. I am not really sure it would improve our chances, just maybe reduce the amount of transfers we have to do till we find the one that 'sticks' This is assuming we are lucky enough to get more than one blastocyst. (the name given to a 5 day old embryo, which is when they do the transfer)
The other 'add on' we discussed is called Intra-cytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection. (IMSI) IMSI is like ICSI (what we did last time) They select a single sperm to inject into the egg, but they use a microscope with much higher magnification. This enables the embryologist to see the sperm head in detail and pick the best looking ones. This technique initially sounded really appealing. One of the reasons you would use it is if you have few embryos developing to the blastocyst stage. (Or in our case, none) However, when I consulted Dr Google, i found some articles saying it was still quite an experimental technique (couldn't find a date on this article, so will need to look into that more) and that it actually decreased chances compared to ISCI due to the added time it takes to select a sperm, leaving the unfertilized egg more vulnerable. We have about a month before we start treatment, so still have a bit of time to think it over and decide what we want to do.
I also made sure they had written on their notes about how my veins would not cooperate last time. (They did) It said to give me an oral pain relief and a local and not to attempt to put a needle in my veins multiple times. It also noted that 'I coped well, last time'. That's a relief.
So now we wait.
Again.
Can't wait to just get on with it. I know what to expect this time. I don't feel nervous, just excited and keen to get things underway.
Bring on October!
