4 Weeks (and 1 day!)

How far along? 4 weeks 1 day
Weight gain/loss: None so far.
Feeling: Hungry and tired.
Maternity clothes? Not yet. I am super bloated and using a belly band with my regular jeans.
Sleep: Having trouble falling asleep. I am tired during the day.
Food cravings: Nothing yet.
Movement? No, too early. What I miss? Nothing yet. 
Best moment this week: Getting my positive tests!
What I'm looking forward to: Going to CA and AZ for Thanksgiving vacation.
Next Appointment: November 14th for a following up beta.
Milestones: Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.(Taken from BabyCenter)

We are pregnant!!

I had my beta yesterday! My results came back at 489 at 9dp5dt. My nurse said, "there might be twins in there." We are very excited!! I did take a home pregnancy test on Friday evening and got a positive. Ryan wouldn't believe it until I got the blood test result. Today we are pregnant! Yay!

2dp5dt

I am 2 days past a 5 day transfer (2dp5dt). I went in on Saturday and had 2 beautiful embryos transferred.

We got a call on Sunday morning that we had nothing to freeze. This made Ryan and I really sad. Out of 16 fertilized eggs, the only ones that made it was the 2 that we transferred. :( Obviously something is wrong somewhere along the lines (which we knew after 4 years of trying). Hopefully the RE will have some sort of advice if we want to try again further down the road. I have faith in the 2 rockstars we transferred! Our twins are finding their comfy spot in my uterus. They are in it for the long haul!! Come on babies!!

Progress

I finished up all my shots on Saturday the 27th. The grand finale was a big needle in the bum.

I had to be at the Seattle clinic at 7:30am on Monday morning. They took me back and got my IV in and changed into a gown and an awesome hair net!! They took me back shortly after 8am. I woke in the in recovery area to learn they were about to get 22 eggs!! Of those 22 retrieved, 20 were mature and 16 fertilized! Great news!! We are set for transfer on Saturday morning. :0)

Our 1st IVF cycle so far!

We started out our first IVF cycle with a set back. I went in for my first suppression check and found out I had 4 cysts. :( They were really only concerned about 1 of them because it was producing a lot of Estrogen (its called a functional cyst). My other 3 cysts are a complex cyst (probably an Endometrioma, from the Endometriosis) and 2 paraovarian cysts. So far the following is the list of appointments I have had: August 20th: Uterine Sounding (to make sure everything looks good for the transfer) and blood work. August 23rd: Appt with RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) to sign all the IVF consent paperwork. Ryan had blood work. September 8th: Period arrived. September 10th: Start BCP's. (birth control pills) September 24th: Ryan takes antibiotic. September 25th: Suppression check (ultrasound and blood work). :( 4 cysts, delayed a week, still on BCP's. October 3rd: Suppression check #2 (ultrasound and blood work). Cysts still present, Estrogen level too high. Still on BCP's. October 10th: Suppression check #3 (ultrasound and blood work). Cysts still present, Estrogen level too high. Still on BCP's. October 16th: Blood work. Estrogen level down to 67 (was 600 originally). October 18th: Ultrasound with Dr. Kennedy. Given ok to proceed with cycle. Thank goodness!!! October 20th: Begin stimulation medication. 225IU Gonal-F and 75IU Menopur, inject in stomach. This is where we are today. I start my shots tonight. I am a little nervous but excited! I can't wait for this new chapter in out life!!

Introduction

Hi! I'm Katie and my husband is Ryan. We have been together for 7 years and trying to conceive for 4 years. We have been through a lot. . . lots of tears, money, procedures, a few surgeries, medications, shots, etc and we are left with much heartache. To our knowledge, we have never been pregnant. Our diagnosis at this point is unexplained. I, Katie, have stage 2 Endometriosis. I have had 2 surgeries to "get rid of it" but both surgeries have failed to help with pain or fertility. We still have medical bills from my last surgery 1 year ago. We want nothing more then to have a baby yet we are unable to due financial reasons (and well infertility). We have been told by a few RE's (Reproductive Endocrinologists) that IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is our best chance at getting pregnant. IVF costs approximately $11,000, not including medication. The medications will cost $1500-$3000 depending on dosages. We have started this blog to help raise awareness of infertility (it seems to be a taboo topic), keep friends and family updated with our journey. Please join us in our journey! Please feel free to ask questions. You can leave a comment or email me. Thank you!!