IVF: Our Next Step on the Road to Baby Piz

Hi Friends,

I hope this message finds you well and that your week is off to a wonderful start. Today, I wanted to take a moment to update you on our fertility journey and share what’s coming next. In my previous post, Love, Loss, and the Long Road to Baby Piz: Our Story of Resilience Through Infertility, I opened up about the deep desire Ian and I have to become parents and the many challenges we’ve faced along the way. As we continue to move forward, IVF has become our next step—a step that’s both exciting and a little daunting. But I’m ready to share where we are now and what lies ahead in this journey.

Our IVF Journey: What’s Happening and What’s Next

Over the past month, we’ve been in constant communication with our clinic, Utah Fertility, along with our nurse coordinator, billing team, pharmacy reps, lab teams, and insurance. It’s been a lot of moving parts, but the good news is we are officially approved to move forward with IVF during my next cycle. It’s a big step, and while it’s a bit terrifying, I feel hopeful knowing we’ve made it this far, especially with Ian by my side.

For those who are new to IVF or unfamiliar with the process, I’ll walk you through our personal journey. Everyone’s IVF experience is unique, so the protocol you follow may differ. It’s important to consult with your healthcare provider to determine what’s best for you and your situation.

So let’s dive into the details! First up: our clinic has provided me with a calendar to track everything, though it’s subject to change depending on when my cycle begins and how I respond to medications. Check it out below:

Step 1: Starting Norethindrone
I began taking 5 mg of Norethindrone, a type of progestin used to help prepare my body for IVF. According to my trusted friend Google, Norethindrone helps in several ways:

• Cycle Regulation: It controls the timing of my menstrual cycle, so doctors can sync ovarian stimulation with the planned IVF schedule.
• Endometrial Suppression: It prevents ovulation and the early development of follicles, giving my ovaries a better chance to respond to fertility meds.
• Prevention of Cysts: It keeps my ovaries in a “resting” state, reducing the risk of cysts that could interfere with the process.
• Preparation for Stimulation: When I stop the medication, I’ll experience a period-like bleed, and then we can begin ovarian stimulation to retrieve multiple eggs.

While Norethindrone has its benefits, it’s not without side effects. I’ve experienced a few, and I want to be open about them:

• Bloating: I feel and look like I’m four months pregnant—very uncomfortable.
• Headaches/Migraines: These have become more frequent lately.
• Mood Changes: I’ve struggled with anxiety in the past but have had increased anxiety since starting the medication. Typically I can keep the anxiety at bay with certain methods like breathing exercises, grounding techniques, and prayer but they haven’t helped as much as they normally do. Lately, when my anxiety peaks, I get heart palpitations, which I haven’t had in years. Im grateful that I know that this is a symptom of my anxiety. When I first started having anxiety I ended up in the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I’ve also been much more irritable than usual, so I’m doing my best to stay aware of it. Ian is a saint for being so understanding!
• Weight Gain: Since starting the medication, I’ve gained about 8 pounds. Though this has been tough, I remind myself that it’s just a season, and I’m strong enough to get through it so we can welcome a baby into our family. To help combat the gain, I am focused on eating whole foods as much as possible, this is also just a good practice for fertility in general.

I’ll continue taking Norethindrone for 30 days. Once I stop, I should get my period, marking the start of my first official IVF cycle.

Step 2: Ian’s Involvement While I’m on meds, Ian is also playing his part! He’s provided a sperm sample for analysis, and the results came back great—better than before! We’ve also met with a genetic counselor to discuss whether we need additional testing. Since we’re both carriers of the GJB2 gene, which is associated with hearing loss, we’ll be doing genetic testing on our embryos. Our parents will provide cheek swabs to help us understand the GJB2 markers in our embryos. Genetics are fascinating, and this has been a really educational experience for us!

Step 3: Baseline Ultrasound and Injections
Before I start any fertility meds, I’ll have a baseline ultrasound to check the lining of my uterus. I’m familiar with these, as I’ve had one every month since October. Once I get the “all clear,” I’ll receive an updated calendar with my medication protocol. The injections for ovarian stimulation (or “stemming”) will be done in my tummy—two shots a day in the first half, and three a day in the second half. Ian’s prepared to help me, but I might end up doing them myself. Though, I’m a little nervous about the bruising since I tend to bruise easily.

Note: Stemming refers to ovarian stimulation, which encourages the ovaries to produce multiple eggs for retrieval. This phase aims to maximize our chances by increasing the number of eggs we can harvest and fertilize.

We’re still waiting on Utah Fertility to send over educational videos about the medications, so I’m holding off on a deep dive into Google. I’ll update you once I’ve reviewed the materials and learned more about each drug.

Step 4: Egg Retrieval and Embryo Creation
According to my calendar, our egg retrieval is tentatively scheduled for March 20, but based on my nurse coordinator’s predictions and my past cycles, it could happen as early as March 18. It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks, we’ll know how many eggs were retrieved, how many embryos we created, and how many have matured. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

1. Fertilization (Day 1): Eggs are combined with Ian’s sperm to allow fertilization.
2. Embryo Development (Day 2–5): The embryos are monitored for growth and development, aiming to reach the blastocyst stage by Day 5, as embryos at this stage are more likely to implant successfully.
3. Genetic Testing (Day 5-56): Genetic testing is a critical step to screen embryos for chromosomal abnormalities and specific genetic disorders. It helps identify the healthiest embryos for transfer, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy. Here are the tests we’ll be doing:
   • PGT-A (Aneuploidy Screening): This test screens for chromosome abnormalities, helping us select the healthiest embryos.
   • PGT-M (Monogenic Disorder Screening): This test screens for specific genetic disorders. We will test for GJB2 to see if any embryos carry the hearing loss gene.

Our goal is to have 1-6 healthy embryos to transfer. The best case scenario is that we can transfer embryos 8-12 weeks after egg retrieval. If we don’t have any healthy embryos, we’ll need to undergo another egg retrieval.

I want to emphasize that I’m no expert in this process, but I’ve done a fair bit of research to understand the steps ahead. Always consult your medical provider for guidance on what your IVF journey might look like.

A Request for Prayers and Advice

As we move into this next phase, I’m asking for your prayers. We need all the positive energy and support we can get as we face the unknowns ahead. If you’ve gone through IVF, we would love to hear your advice! What helped you navigate the emotional and physical challenges? Is there anything you bought or did that made the process easier

This journey can feel like a rollercoaster, but it also has deepened our trust in God’s plan. Whatever the outcome, we know He’s guiding us toward what’s best. Our faith has only grown stronger during this process, and that peace gives me comfort every day.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support. It means the world to us. Your prayers, encouragement, and love are a constant reminder that we are not alone on this journey. We’ll be providing updates as we move through each phase of our IVF process, so stay tuned for more news along the way. As we continue down this road, we’ll keep rooting for you, too. Whether you’re facing your own challenges, celebrating victories, or simply navigating the day-to-day, know that we’re with you every step of the way. You’ve got this, and we’ve got you!

With love,
Britt