I have prayed fervently the past couple of days. I prayed for our egg and sperm to hug each other and never let go. I had prayed for our embryo to defy the odds (50% success rate) and reach blastocyst stage. I have prayed in faith. And when I was starting to doubt, and my mind starts to think of Plan B, I rebuke myself and say, "no Plan B for us". I tell myself loudly that our little embryo will make it, that this is God's plan for us.
So today, as I walked into the almost deserted clinic (just 4 or 5 couples compared to the usual full house in the mornings), my heart pounding, I reminded myself once again to trust God. I claimed in faith that I will receive good news today.
After waiting for a few minutes, I was called into the consultation room to talk to the Embryologist. She told me that our embryo completed the fertilization process and reached the blastocyst stage. I was handed a sheet of paper with pictures on it. It showed the progress of our embryo from day 1 to day 6 when it reached the blastocyst stage. Because the Embryologist delivered the news in a very businesslike tone, I wasn't sure at first what she meant by the results. I had to ask her, "that's good news, right?" "What does that mean?" Then she said it means the embryo is suitable for implantation. She explained that the embryo had been frozen. I asked the embryologist if the embryo will not be damaged or diminish in quality the longer it stays frozen. She reassured me that freezing it will not change it in any way. However, she did warn me that there's a 2% risk of the embryo not surviving the thawing process. She said it is very rare so I shouldn't worry about it. Of course I am not worried. What's 2% when we just beat the 50% statistics! I was very calm on the outside, but inside, I was screaming OMG!!! Thank you Lord!!!
I went out, straight to the toilet. The tears came. I could hardly keep it together. God is good. I shared the good news with the hubby, by text message.
Then I waited for a bit to discuss next steps with the OB-Gyne. Only one doctor was on duty. When my turn came, she repeated the good news. Then I was asked to make a choice. Do we prepare for embryo transfer (that's when the embryo is transferred back into the woman's body), or do we want to collect more eggs to be fertilized. She said some women take the second option so that when the embryo transfer failed to result in pregnancy, they won't have to start over. They can just transfer another embryo on the next cycle. The answer was very easy for me. Without a doubt, I knew we have to proceed. I told the doctor we already beat the odds with the embryo development. We will beat the odds again. Success rate from embryo transfer to pregnancy is 42% for my age group (I am 39). At 40 years old, the statistics drop to 29%.
We need to wait 3 months before we can proceed. Last year, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis. While pregnancy is possible, it will decrease my chances. So, I will come back between days 1-3 of my period to receive a Decapeptyl injection. I will receive this treatment for three months. The injection will help reduce my adenomyosis, and increase the chance of pregnancy. After the 3-month treatment period, we'll just wait for my next menstruation and prep me for the implantation.
No expenses today. Hooray!
Asking for your prayers again. Please pray for the following:
1. That the embryo will indeed be kept in stable condition for the entire duration of our treatment.
2. That my body will respond well to the Decapeptyl and shrink my adenomyosis. Actually, please pray that this adenomyosis will be gone forever!
3. That my period will start immediately after the Decapeptyl treatment so we won't have to wait longer than necessary.
4. That we will once again beat the odds. We WILL NOT accept the 42% success rate. Our God is bigger than any statistics.
5. Lastly, please pray for my faith to be steadfast.
Thank you.
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