FET #8 - I Hate Speculums

We have a blastocyst on board! Meet Olaf. :)

They thawed it last night & it grew from an early blasto into an expanding blastocyst. The embryologist rated it a grade 4AB.

Surprisingly, it looked very different to this picture when we saw it on the live screen before transfer. Even though it was tiny, I could see a really clear Inner Cell Mass - whereas on this image, I don't see it clearly at all. I'm assuming that this image was captured a little earlier in the day and that it had continued growing up until the transfer time, which I hope is a good thing.

It was a nice experience, except for the part where my cervix decided to disappear and play hard to get. We had a different doctor this time around doing the transfer who was lovely, and I think I'll request him for future transfers. It took him six (!) attempts with a speculum to get the ball rolling, but he was very gentle and very thorough.... and most of all, very kind.

Come on Olaf, lucky #8! Please stick. Please, please, please. Let this be a magical start to 2016. :)

FET #8 - the date is set

The ball is rolling for 2016's first transfer.. and I'm a combination of petrified and excited.

My lining is at 11mm this time around and all hormones are fine; so we are doing a transfer in exactly a week - 2pm next Thursday.

Since this is a day 4 embryo, I rang them and asked if they could thaw it the day before, to attempt growing it out into a blastocyst, should it be suitable. They have agreed, so that led me to take a sigh of relief. Hopefully it's a lovely embryo... I think we're due for a lovely embryo after all this time!

Part of me has already written these embryos off - they picked the best one of the bunch to transfer last year, and that ended up in a painful extended miscarriage. What does that say about the remaining ones?

But part of me is still trying to be hopeful amidst the doubt. We've all heard stories of folks putting embryo after embryo back, and the last one happens to be the magical one they need. Maybe one of ours is the right one, and we just have to wait for it?

It's all out of my hands now. One more week of waiting, and then we'll take a look at this next embryo that we're throwing all of our (somewhat dwindled) hope towards. :)

#MicroblogMondays

CD1. New year, new cycle, new chance to try again.

We're back to a FET progynova cycle, popping those oestrogen pills & using up one of our remaining few frozen embryos.

After a horrendous few months of being forced to sit on my hands and wait, it feels good to get moving again - even if the idea of more disappointment/loss is terrifying.

Come on 2016... don't let me down! It's GOT to be our turn soon.

Right?

Written as part of #MicroblogMondays on Stirrup Queens.