Welcome back! We have been through a whirlwind of tests, procedures, retrievals, and transfers on top of raising a toddler these last few years. Here is a quick recap of the last few years after our second transfer:
September 2020: Desensitization and Transfer #2
Unfortunately, we had some signs of a positive test, but then they faded away and it was confirmed by the beta that it was unsuccessful.
October 2020: ERA
An Endometrial receptivity array (ERA) is a diagnostic procedure that may help determine whether the endometrial cavity is ready for embryo implantation. You are placed into a "mock transfer" cycle where you mimic a transfer with medication but no actual transfer. During this procedure, they take a sample of the lining of your uterus and then test it for the levels of progesterone to determine if the levels are receptive enough for the embryo. It was determined that I was PRE-Receptive, meaning I needed one additional day of progesterone medication before we transfer our next embryo.
November 2020: Transfer #3, Our last embryo from Batch 1
This was our final embryo from our first retrieval. The doctor overseeing the progesterone desensitization said we didn't need to do it this time as I was not reacting to the medication in a negative way that it was needed. With the ERA results, we had some hope that this would work. But unfortunately, we were unsuccessful again. Back to square one.
December 2020: New Doctor
Now that we lived in Kentucky, we wanted to find a new doctor that was closer to home and didn't require us to drive 2 hours there and back for every appointment. We loved Midwest, but it just wasn't working with the drive. But a new doctor meant new baseline appointments and starting over. And we found out that all our major appointments (Transfers, Retreivals, and any surgeries) were held in Cincinnati... so much for not driving for appointments.
February 2021: Retrieval #2
After genetic testing, we were lucky to get 3 normal embryos: 2 M and 1 F. Yay!
March 2021: Transfer #4
We transferred one of our boy embryos and waited a long two weeks to get our results. Once again, we were hit with the faded lines and no luck :(.
April - June 2021: Mental Break.
After another heartbreaking transfer, we decided to take a mental break from everything. My husband and I took a week-long trip to Jamacia to relax and take some us time. Thank you to the grandparents for watching Sophia during this time.
July 2021: Back at it again for Transfer #5
Come on Boy#3.... stick!! Ugh, once again, we are hit with heartbreak as it did not work.
August 2021: Laparoscopic Surgery to look for Endometriosis
We decided to take a deep dive and look for any potential endometriosis that may be causing the embryo to not stick. Based on some symptoms I have experienced, this was a possibility. After the surgery, we found nothing that would be affecting the implantation process.
Since we were on a break from transfers and procedures, I decided I wanted to get something that would help me remember this whole journey. My amazing friend and tattoo artist designed this breathtaking tattoo for me. The birds on the branch represent Cheyenne, myself, and Sophia, and we are looking at our little embryos that were not able to stick around. It brought tears to my eyes after seeing it done. Thank you so much Vi.
September 2021: Acupuncture
Well, let's throw in some holistic support and we started acupuncture which was targeted specifically for warming the uterus (bringing blood flow), and relaxing the body. I did this for multiple weeks leading up to our next transfer. But, of course, the only place that I could find that was covered by insurance was in Cincinnati, so another 2-hour drive just for these appointments.
Let's not even get started on the headaches with billing and insurance for these treatments. After calling insurance and verifying that I was covered at 100% for this, they neglected to tell me that it was to a specific dollar amount. Not something we were prepared for.
October 2021: Transfer #6
Our final embryo from the second retrieval. Little baby girl would be transferred right before my brother's wedding. I would either be celebrating with them because we were pregnant or drowning my sorrows but cheersing their marriage at the same time.
Unfortunately, we were Ray party of 2 at the wedding :( No more embryos left.
November 2021: Retrieval #3
Going back in for some more eggs, but this time we only got 1 genetically normal embryo, a female.
We were also in New Orleans for a wedding the weekend before the retrieval and making sure to do the appropriate shots at the right time, and dealing with PULSATING ovaries was a blast haha. But so happy that we were able to attend.
December 2021: Emma and Alice Test
We have asked our doctors each time we had a failed transfer "What else can we do? What other tests are there?" Each time we felt like we needed to PUSH them to try and do something rather than just jumping to another transfer. So before we went and transferred this one embryo, we wanted to do another test.
The Emma and Alice test looks for the levels of bacteria inside your uterus. There is a good level of bacteria that you want and once again, my results came back normal. Nothing wrong... how frustrating. I just want something to say "This is it! this is why it isn't working."
A Big Decision
During this time we decided that we were going to try for one more year and do what we could for a second child. The amount we were spending on treatments and medications, the weight it put on us, and the disappointment each time we had a negative test was starting to wear on us.
We have almost done everything the doctors could think of to get a successful result but nothing was working.
Stay tuned for 2022 updates!!
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