By Diana Farrell
For women eagerly awaiting the outcome of their in vitro fertilization, the IVF, two week wait is the most emotionally challenging part of the process. The anticipation of the cycle’s outcome is enough to drive someone crazy, and the question “Could I be pregnant?” never really goes away. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to stay occupied and happy during the next fourteen days. These three stories of survival might give you ideas on how to pass that difficult waiting period.
Sandra’s story
Sandra finally decided to get an IVF after a year of trying to conceive naturally. Her doctor said she had unexplained infertility, which gave her hope – she read online that women with unexplained infertility still had a good chance of getting pregnant. The egg retrieval was a success; eight eggs were retrieved, six were fertilized, and two grade-A embryos were transferred. Sandra was optimistic about her chances of conceiving and felt as though the two week wait went on forever. Her husband suggested that she take time off her public relations work to rest, but Sandra wouldn’t allow it – she wanted to stay busy, or she would go crazy waiting for the big day. When her pregnancy test finally came in, however, she was shocked beyond belief to see a negative result. She was so sure that she would get pregnant and did not prepare for the cycle to fail. The pain of a failed cycle was deeper than she imagined, but she eventually mustered the courage to give IVF another shot. Her second IVF will start in just a couple of weeks, but Sandra finds herself just as optimistic as the first time.
Abby’s story
Abby’s fertility journey was long and frustrating. She and her husband were diagnosed with unexplained infertility, but they decided to give IVF a shot so she could hopefully get pregnant quickly. She was filled with optimism during her first IVF – there were nine eggs retrieved, seven fertilized, and two top-grade embryos. Unfortunately, the pregnancy didn’t take, and Abby was devastated to no end. After a month, she decided to try again. This time, there were fewer eggs – seven retrieved, five fertilized, and two embryos. To play it safe, she decided to switch to organic food and avoid the environmental chemicals lurking in meat. The cycle still did not work. Once she was done grieving, Abby and her husband had a long discussion and decided that the next IVF would be their last; they could no longer afford a fourth try. However, they would do ICSI with the cycle to increase the chances of getting pregnant. During her third IVF, seven eggs were retrieved and five were fertilized. Three embryos were transferred after assisted hatching – two grade A embryos, and one average embryo. The two week wait was the worst because she knew it was her last, but Abby did her best to stay positive. To keep herself occupied, she enrolled in a yoga class, cleared out the attic, organized her closet, and held a garage sale – a chore she had always been meaning to do but never found the motivation to accomplish. In the end, everything she went through was worth the struggle because she finally got pregnant! She is due to give birth to her daughter soon.
Liza’s story
For Liza, IVF was her one shot at pregnancy. She just discovered that she had a bi-cornial uterus, which explains why attempts at trying to conceive naturally kept failing. A bi-cornial uterus is a heart-shaped deformity of the uterus that is commonly associated with high-risk pregnancies. It also meant that her eggs cannot reach the uterus. For her first IVF cycle, she opted for a five-day incubation period with a freeze in between. The two week wait was perhaps the hardest part of her fertility journey. She had never gotten a fertility treatment until then and it didn’t occur to her how difficult it would be to just sit and wait for news of her cycle. To pass the time, she decided to pick up her crochet hooks and learn to make baby clothes. On the tenth day, she finally got tired of waiting and took a home pregnancy test against her doctor’s advice. A very faint line emerged, which made her heart jump – but she tried to contain her feelings when she saw that the pregnancy test expired. In four days, her blood test at the clinic was due and she finally let out tears of joy when she saw the positive result. Her baby boy is due next month and they are both doing great!
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