The plans.

OK, another swell conversation with Dr. M. That is said without any sarcasm, I promise.

She started off reading me my embryo report again. At first I freaked--she said "8 cell 3+, 6 cell 3+, 4 cell 3+" and I was like: WTF happened to the other 8 cell, and the other 7 cells...but then she just wasn't finished. I stopped hyperventilating and let her keep going. She was just reading them in the order in which they're numbered. I guess I have PTSD regarding embryology reports or something...

I'll just hit he high points. She said her 'gut feeling' is to transfer the top four.

Which is pretty much what I expected. Now, I'd love to be that girl for whom they say: "Oh no! Only two! Your embryos are so beautiful we wouldn't want to risk any high order multiples." But alas, I'm not that girl. But she did reiterate that these are considered "good quality embryos." I made sure she double checked the name on the report, as the words "good quality" are rarely associated with any of my embryos.

She talked briefly about trying to culture them further, but we both agreed that it took a damn near miracle to get me this far so we wouldn't do that. I asked her if she really believes that some women who get pregnant with day 3 embryos might not have been able to get those same embryos to blast in culture. She said absolutely. Even with one of the best labs in the world. I told her that it's hard to be going to CC.R.M. and not doing CGH normal blast transfer and she chuckled. She said that a couple of years ago they tried to push everyone to blast and sometimes women would have nothing to transfer. But those same women would come back and do day 3s and succeed--and deliver genetically normal children. Whatddayaknow? So I felt better. A smidgen anyways.

This month is just a 'rest' month. Rest and chart my ovulation, email her all the specifics, and she'll work on a calendar for my biopsies and transfer. Then she asked if I really wanted to possibly do a transfer in November or December, depending on what happened.

Because of the holidays.

She said she would never want me to associate the holidays with a bad outcome, if indeed this didn't work.

Hahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahaha!

Ok sorry. I'm back. I told her that with four 'bad transfers' behind us we've pretty much covered all the seasons/holidays! Really. Not something I'm particularly worried about. However, you all have permission to gently remind me of that if this goes belly up and I'm bitching about Thanksgiving and Christmas :)

I don't have to get another hysteroscopy or another HSG--apparently the one I had done a few months ago (HSG) is sufficient. Surprised me, honestly. She won't do Lupron and she'll barely have me on any estrogen at all...she does not want to chance me getting too thick (in the lining department, not the skull--too late there). There was something in the conversation about forcing ovulation with a trigger to time things easier but honestly I couldn't keep up.

We joked around about risks of transferring four. I told her if we had a major success she could write a paper about me--not that you ever want to be the subject of a medical journal article. She also told me to just email her directly, not go through my nurse because--wait for it!--she's out on maternity leave. Gag. Oh wait--other people are allowed to reproduce. I forget sometimes.

So that's the haps. I guess my blog will be pretty boring...in terms of what we're up to IF wise. You know I'll still be writing and ranting and baking and eating and running and volunteering and hanging out with friends and watching TV and just living life and probably blogging about all of that too.

All in all, a good conversation. I'm comfortable with the plans. We're on the same page...me, Dr. M., Mr. LastChance, and the embryos.

Oh yeah--if you get a chance, stop by my old stomping ground because there's some fun stuff there, too--you won't be disappointed.

EDIT: She did mention the swine flu. She said they are trying to get the vaccine and she had just read a report that it was being recommended for pregnant women in all trimesters. She also said that if I could get it before the FET that would be good. So we'll see.