# Ask the girl doing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 24, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512 "2012-01-24T17:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/101 "2012-03-06T22:38:43Z")
I’m sorry, that is tough news. I wonder if these kind of development issues are why you’ve had trouble getting pregnant the old-fashioned way? But, you really do only need one. I hope you’ll get there. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/102 "2012-03-06T23:36:07Z")
Yep, just takes one. (_Cheers for remaining embies!_) (_Plays motivational tape for remaining embies_) (_Puts on some uplifting music for remaining embies_) All of the above plus hugs to **EmAnJ**. Hang in there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/103 "2012-03-06T23:45:26Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Yep, just takes one. > > (_Cheers for remaining embies!_) > > (_Plays motivational tape for remaining embies_) > > (_Puts on some uplifting music for remaining embies_) > > All of the above plus hugs to **EmAnJ**. Hang in there. 🙂 Seconded, motion carried! ---
**Author:** ![Neeps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@Neeps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neeps)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/104 "2012-03-07T06:57:58Z")
Aww, **EmAnJ** , you must be pretty upset at the moment after that really positive start. _Please_ take heart from my story - only one embryo to use and a not even three day transfer can work. I felt like you just before my transfer. We never had any to freeze, and it sounds like that’s another issue for you too, but it will hopefully give you a lot more information now than you have ever done in the past about embryo quality etc. Good luck with the transfer later today - we’re all rooting for you and the wee embies. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/105 "2012-03-07T11:32:51Z")
Thinking about you today, **EmAnJ**! Let’s go, happy sticky embryos! It’s moving day, and your new place is _awesome_! ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/106 "2012-03-07T14:46:20Z")
Hope the transfer goes well, **EmAnJ**. I think, and this is my professional opinion, that you should immediately proceed to administer some sort of ice cream remedy afterwards. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/107 "2012-03-07T16:38:03Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Hope the transfer goes well, **EmAnJ**. I think, and this is my professional opinion, that you should immediately proceed to administer some sort of ice cream remedy afterwards. > > 🙂 Yeah, but not on the affected area. :eek: Do they have shamrock shakes at the Canadian McDonald’s? Get one if you can, a little luck o’ the Irish! ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/108 "2012-03-08T00:44:39Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Ok so … like … say you do have leftover embryos and you donate them anonymously. How anonymous are we talking? Will you be told if the other couple conceives and gives birth or would you just know that the other couple gave it a shot? > > If they do have a baby, will the child be able to contact you when he or she is an adult? If you and Mr. E. were ok with that, is it even an option to make yourselves available to be found when the time comes? > > Do you have any say as to what couple receives the embryos or do you basically just sign something and the clinic does the rest? I’ll answer these though it doesn’t look like we’ll have any frosties. It would be 100% anonymous, as in, we don’t pick the couple. However, they do get our profiles including ethnicity, hair and eye colour, education, jobs, etc. So we would never meet or know any baby that resulted from it, or even if one resulted from it. **Now for my update:** We transferred two embryos today - one six cell ‘average’ and one eight cell ‘average’. By day three, they expect six to eight cells, so these are right on track. We do still have a few in culture, but they are behind (four to five cells). They will let them continue until day five and see if we have any to freeze, but the embryologist said it was unlikely. We did get a [picture](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TWZvIa6B8Sg/T1f4OrYHUfI/AAAAAAAAA_k/KSBCFUHU5qE/s640/photo-14.JPG) of them, which is really neat. We were also able to watch where they placed them in my uterus on the ultrasound - also pretty cool. I am now laying on the couch while my husband makes dinner and completely dotes on me. He practically ORDERED me to lay down on the couch as soon as we got home. I do work tomorrow, but it is a desk job, so not a big deal. I then have Friday through Sunday off which will be spent doing practically nothing. I am so, so glad we had two to transfer. This has been so emotionally draining, much more then I expected, but we’re both staying positive. Thanks again, everyone, for all the support and kind words. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/109 "2012-03-08T00:47:42Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > I’m sorry, that is tough news. I wonder if these kind of development issues are why you’ve had trouble getting pregnant the old-fashioned way? > > But, you really do only need one. I hope you’ll get there. We asked the doctor and she basically said the same as what my research said - it could be an egg quality issue, a sperm issue, or it could have been the IVF protocol. I did respond slowly, and they had to keep increasing my dose, which can cause poor eggs. But we won’t know for sure if it was the protocol unless we do another IVF with another protocol. > [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Hope the transfer goes well, **EmAnJ**. I think, and this is my professional opinion, that you should immediately proceed to administer some sort of ice cream remedy afterwards. > > 🙂 Haha, I mentioned to my hubby that I would like some carrot cake…oh wait, maybe just some white cake…no..carrot cake. He picked up both. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/110 "2012-03-08T00:49:37Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > We did get a [picture](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TWZvIa6B8Sg/T1f4OrYHUfI/AAAAAAAAA_k/KSBCFUHU5qE/s640/photo-14.JPG) of them, which is really neat. We were also able to watch where they placed them in my uterus on the ultrasound - also pretty cool. They’re beautiful! And I’m not being a smartass, I really think that a dividing ball of cells is amazing and beautiful. I hope they grow into adorable toddlers you have to chase around to keep from wrecking the place. 🙂 Stick to Mommy, little embryos! ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/111 "2012-03-08T01:03:34Z")
It looks like [picture quality has improved](http://www.contracheck.com/nika/?p=1954) in the last few years. Good luck to you!! ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/112 "2012-03-08T01:18:57Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > It looks like [picture quality has improved](http://www.contracheck.com/nika/?p=1954) in the last few years. Good luck to you!! Hahaha, love it! The picture I posted is actually a picture of a picture, so it’s much better in person even. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/113 "2012-03-08T01:23:44Z")
Hey, that pic’s pretty cool. Good luck- I’m hoping for the best for you! ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/114 "2012-03-08T02:21:17Z")
I know some people feel the whole process lacks the ‘magic’ of a natural conception, but I felt it was pretty special to see a picture of both our daughters at 5 days old, and to see that glowing little air bubble be put in exactly the right spot. Now - relax. Nothing you do now can alter the outcome, and I was reassured that there was no way I could shake them loose. Imagine your uterus is a big jam sandwich - those balls of cells are stuck in there well and good. It’s all up to them now - if they are healthy and going to be your baby, they will be. And if not, your specialist has a really good baseline for designing your next cycle. Sending you lots of love and positive thoughts! ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/115 "2012-03-08T03:12:05Z")
Glad to hear that you had two nice little “maybe-babies” to transfer today! So, I guess it’ll be awhile before you “know” anything, right? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/116 "2012-03-08T04:05:07Z")
Relax, you deserve it after the frenetic pace of the last few years. I’m sending sticky thoughts to your belly for healthy cells to grow and grow! ---
**Author:** ![Neeps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@Neeps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neeps)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/117 "2012-03-08T06:25:43Z")
I would be totally remiss if I didn’t profer some sticky thoughts to you, so _sticky_ _sticky_ _sticky_ Do you have a date for testing back at the clinic? And are you going to resist the urge to pee on anything in the interim? Both times I couldn’t wait, and started peeing on anything that didn’t move by about 10 days post retrieval. By day 11 (both times) I was getting the faintest of faint positives (if you squinted and turned it just so), and by the time I went for my blood tests, I knew what it was going to say. Totally took the wind out their sails, but in a good way. BTW, I’m a little jealous you got such great photos, as that’s not something we were ever offered. I would have been a nice addition to the family album. Hope it’s the start of yours 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/118 "2012-03-08T13:58:06Z")
So, for the next couple of weeks, would it be proper to say that you are, “potentially pregnant”? What’s the proper status indication when you’ve transferred some embryos but haven’t yet tripped a pregnancy test one way or the other? ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/119 "2012-03-08T14:01:15Z")
Are you going to test out your trigger? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512/120 "2012-03-08T14:20:39Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > So, for the next couple of weeks, would it be proper to say that you are, “potentially pregnant”? What’s the proper status indication when you’ve transferred some embryos but haven’t yet tripped a pregnancy test one way or the other? PUPO - Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise. So, it’s like she’s pupating. Or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-girl-doing-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf/610512.md?page=7)