MY IVF EXPERIENCE

After hearing the hopeful news about IVF working to get me pregnant. My husband & I decided to go with Pacific Reproductive Center in So. California.

The head Dr. at the clinic Dr. Salem told my husband & I to purchase the 2 cycle package; we were also given the option of a 3rd cycle- in case it was needed (if the 2 cycles didn't work out).
With the 3rd cycle (if needed) we would pay the difference in cost.

With In-vitro fertilization it isn't cheap, usually not covered by health insurance. The price can be dependant upon each clinic. with The total cost of 3 cycles it cost around $30,000 (clinic charge & medication charge).

cycle #1: Before starting my stimulation medication I had an ultrasound done to check for a cyst on my ovary. If there is a cyst, & stimulation meds are started the cyst can grow.
It turned out that that there was another cyst on my ovary. I would need a cyst aspiration done to drain the cyst.
After the cyst aspiration was done, I started my stimulation medication.
With stimulation meds these are given by injections in the tummy (subQ.) & in the buttox muscle (intramuscular). The purpose of stimulation meds is to produce multiple embryos for fertilization. I was put on Lupron, gonal f, & menopur. The medication protocol is different for every woman, it's dependant on the case. With injections that's no fun to go through, I did it though for IVF.
While on stimulation meds I was monitored by ultrasound to track how the embryos were developing.
When my dr. felt the embyos were developed good enough I was told to take my HCG injection to prepare for my egg retrevial.
With the egg retreival I was put to sleep, due to it's pretty painful if you are awake. During the retreival I had 7 eggs in total & endometriomas (due to severe endo).
With my transfer (a few days later), I had 4 embryos transferred; in hopes that 1 would implant & I would become pregnant. With the embyros there were very poorly developed, but my husband & I were talked into doing the transfer.
I wasn't sure if I would become pregnant I was given about a 20% chance of becoming pregnant.
I waited a couple of weeks for my pregnancy test, not knowing what to expect. I went to the drs. office for my first pregnancy test. Later in the afternoon I got the results, it turned out that I was pregnant. My husband & I were so happy & very surprised, not expecting anything to happen.
I was supposed to go for my first ultrasound at 6 weeks pregnant. So I had my ultrasound done, as it turned out there was no heartbeat; I also had an empty sac. seeing this on the ultrasound made me feel devastated so upset. I was also told that I possibly could need a D&C due to miscarrying.
I made an appt. with my regular ob/gyn & he said that I was certainly going to miscarry.
For me to have my first IVF cycle work, that was so exciting; but the fact that I had a miscarriage was the hardest thing in the world.
With the miscarriage I remember having pretty horrible pain/painful cramping, & bleeding then the fetal tissue passed. I think after a couple days I started feeling better.
I had a D&C just to make sure I didn't get any infection.

IVF cycle #2: after my experience with the first IVF cycle, I did a 2nd cycle. With my follow-up appt. we discussed with the dr. increasing my medication dosage (in hopes of getting a lot more eggs than 7). I went in for another ultrasound to see if I had another cyst on my ovary. it happens that I did have another cyst on my ovary. I would need another cyst aspiration to take care of the cyst, before starting medication.
With being on medication I was monitored by ultrasound again. With my ultrasounds I was told that I had a lot of eggs, to me this sounded like the increased medication dosage was working.
After a couple ultrasounds I was ready for my retreival.
The morning I went in for my egg retreival I wasn't sure what to expect. I was put to sleep, when I woke up I asked how many eggs I had. I was told I had only one egg, which I started to cry. Everything else was an endo cyst. I still remember having tears in my eyes. Then my husband & I went home.
Later that afternoon, we got a call from the clinic saying the one egg I got ended up dying. This process was called "Parthenogenesis". That devestated me even more, due to I had nothing for my transfer.
I'm a little puzzled as to why i was told I had eggs, when they were endometriomas.

IVF cycle #3: So my husband & I decided to do a 3rd IVF cycle. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did it anyways. We discussed a plan for my 3rd cycle which we seemed to like & was sure it would make a successful cycle this time. This time I went back to pretty much the same medication dosage as the first cycle. Since my response was pretty good.
I had another cyst, so I had another cyst aspiration done for the cyst. Then proceeded with my injections. i went in for frequent ultrasounds to moniter the process of the embyos.
I was finally ready for my egg retreival. I woke up after my egg retrevial & asked how many eggs there were. I was told that I had 6 eggs in total, I was very happy with getting 6 eggs. I wish it was more, but oh well.
a couple days later I was told that I could go for my transfer. The day of my transfer I was told how many eggs in total I had, which was 5 really good developed eggs. The 5 eggs were much better than my first cycle. We decided to transfer all 5 eggs, in hopes that a couple of them would stick, or hopefully 1.
I was for sure positive that I would become pregnant, since I had 5 eggs transferred. I waited a week & a half for my 1st pregnancy test. I went for my pregnancy test in the morning, later that afternoon; I got a call & my pregnancy test came up negative. I was very surprised that I wasn't pregnant. In total I think I got about 3 pregnancy tests from the clinic. I even did a Home pregnancy test to make sure.
I started crying when I found out I for sure wasn't pregnant. I thought that everything was so perfect & would work, & I would have a couple of babies or at least 1 baby- since we transferred 5 embryos.

Truthfully I am not sure what to think about my IVF experience. I thought It would have worked & I would have my baby. For it not to work is very surprising to me. I was told that I was young & getting pregnant would be so easy, dispite the fact I have endometriosis.
I feel pretty upset & devastated that I went through IVF & it didnt' work.