Tag: Anna and Elsa

In hopes of a false negative

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Anna and Elsa didn’t stick. Probably.

Does anyone have experience with a false negative pregnancy test following an FET? My husband, ever the online researcher, immediately hit the message boards yesterday following the call from my doc saying that our IVF was, again, unsuccessful. He found many women had experienced a false negative in their first HCG test. The “many” was enough for him to suggest that I retake it later this week. So I am.

I really was not prepared for another negative this time; I was feeling incredibly positive about a good result. The news of another failed IVF hasn’t completely sunk in yet. I don’t know what’s next, other than retaking the test. I’ll do that to give him some peace of mind. He deserves it, too.

Anna and Elsa

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This week embryos Anna and Elsa take the stage. All eyes (and ultrasound wands) on them.

In the time since my first IVF’s failure, I’ve carefully considered when to do my next IVF and how many embryos would come along for the ride. These thoughts have never been far from my mind in the months that have passed. There wasn’t one reason that I decided to move forward with transferring two embryos, but I suppose that if I have to single something out it would be this: I’m tired of not being a mom. I’ve been through too much and have worked too hard. I’m tired. So, at this point, I can’t say in good consciousness, well, two is just too many at one time. It isn’t.

My FET cycle has been a bit bumpier than I anticipated. The estrogen has hit me hard. While physically I’m okay, emotionally I am basically a dumpster fire. I’m probably not what one might call the most emotionally sounds person off-meds, but the Estrace causes me to openly weep at the slightest hint of emotion. Sadness, sure. Also happiness, excitement, anger, pride… it’s been a fun few weeks.

The PIO is another fun, jabby adventure. This is my first time on PIO and I was more than a little surprised by the thickness of the needle. Since I do my own injections (my husband is petrified of one thing, and that thing happens to be needles), shoving that mammoth needle into my butt can prove to be a bit of a challenge. Thank goodness for large bathroom mirrors and reasonably steady hands.

Naturally, I’m rooting for Anna and Elsa. I’d like to think these two embryos have the same sass and spunk as the characters, helping them stick around.

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One or two

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If you had asked me 10 years ago about my future family, I more than likely would have said that I would be the mother to twins. Twins run in my family in every generation. My father is a twin (identical). My aunt (his older sister) has twins (fraternal). Twins go back several generations on my father’s side. I always assumed I’d be the next one to have them. I accepted it as my fate and moved on.

During the post-mortem on my first (failed) IVF cycle with our RE a few weeks ago — in which he said that my cycle was absolutely textbook perfect minus the lack of pregnancy (not as comforting as it might sound) — he asked whether we would like to move forward with a one or two embryo transfer for our second cycle. As soon as I opened my mouth to answer, my RE jumped in with the laundry list of complications that are more likely in a twin pregnancy. Increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, low birth weight… yep, check.

For these reasons, as well as the perceived quality of the embryos we currently have frozen (Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Anakin, you may recall), he recommends another single transfer. And while this is his recommendation, he is open to transferring two because of the practical and logistical factors involved with IVF.

I left the office that day with my husband — me headed back to work and him home — and said in the parking lot, I don’t know what to do. This surprised him, mostly for the resigned to twins reason above. And honestly, it surprised me a little, too.

One of the very (very, very) few positives of medically assisted reproduction is that I have some small amount of control over having twins. In the future my 20+ year old self envisioned I did not. Our odds of having twins with a two embryo transfer is about 25 percent, per the RE. That seems somehow more significant – heftier – now when I have the option, technically, of choosing a singleton pregnancy and child.

I’m struggling with a few things as I try to make this decision (presently my husband has allowed me to make the choice). Perhaps most seriously with the practicality of caring for and raising two children at the exact same time. I’m not naive – that shizz is hard. That shizz is expensive. I ask myself if I could be a good mother (or perhaps more accurately, the kind of good mother I aim to be) to two as to one. The questions I ask myself are honestly exhausting.

Residing on the other side of the fence, of course, is the part where I’ve tried for three and a half years to have a baby and create my family… I can’t possible say, oh, I only want one at a time. Nope. Give me all the babies!

I don’t really see myself coming to a resolution on this any time soon. Overthink, much?

IVF: TWW

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Right now, there’s a blastocyst swimming around in my uterus looking for a cozy spot to park and grow. I picture it a little like Dory in Finding Nemo, actually, but I biologically know it doesn’t really swim. The embryo we transferred on Wednesday was a grade 3AB, which I’m told by the many, many trained professionals that have seen my anatomy in the last week, is great.

The transfer went smoothly and was not at all painful like my egg retrieval. Some discomfort and pressure with a very full bladder, but a cake-walk, relatively speaking. It took about 10 minutes from start to finish and was fascinating to watch on the ultrasound screen. On the grainy screen, my husband and I watched the entire process as my doctor put little 3AB in where he/she belongs.

Now, we wait…

I’m relieved to have the injections over, and certainly grateful for the end of the pain of my Dark Willow ovary. Every other time I’ve been in this TWW limbo has been me white-knuckling through the anxiety of the wait. And while I’m certainly eager to see if 3AB is successful, I feel mostly relief that I have my first IVF cycle behind me, regardless of the outcome. 3AB is in there now and I just have to keep it as safe as I can.

While 3AB swims around looking for that warm and inviting spot, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Anakin are now on ice. We were able to freeze five embryos. Two more of good quality (two more 3ABs), and three more of good/fair that appeared likely to survive the freezing and thawing process. When I texted my sister-in-law  about this process, she sent me a gif from Frozen, and the embryo “names” were born. Its become an amusing inside joke, and one I’m sure I’ll repeat pretty regularly over the next few decades. I’ve denoted Anna and Elsa as the two superior embryos, only because they were frozen together, but I’m personally pulling for Olaf to make it to my uterus next time. If only because it will be endlessly funny to call him Olaf in utero.

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