IVF Journey

Posts

Shakeology

Shakeology is not a weight loss shake and it’s not a protein shake. It is a super food shake that has the right amount of protein to carb ratio to replace a complete meal! To be honest I purchased Shakeology in 2016, tried it a couple times then pushed it to the side. When I started getting serious about my health I decided to give it another try and this time I fell in love with the Shakes-George too! They replace one of our meals and keep us full for 2-3 hours. I replace breakfast with my shake-sometimes I will have two shakes a day...Yes, I love them that much! Thanks to my café latte shakes I haven’t had Starbucks in 6 months! I use to be so basic and drink Starbucks like everyday!!!! Going through IVF can be hard on the body- Shakeo gives me the nutrients I need to feel my best. I honestly wake up every morning craving it! Ok, you have heard me talk a lot about Shakeology and how it’s soooo great for you, but let’s break it down. We are a society that is built on facts so

Health, Exercise and Supplements

Before I started IVF I began Beachbody. I was depressed and beyond stressed about everything which caused me to gain 20lbs and feel absolutely horrible about myself. I fell in love with the programs and actually stuck with it which eventually lead me to fall in love with it! Not only was I able to lose the weight I was able to change my entire life-yes from working out and eating healthy. I wasn’t depressed anymore; my confidence was back and I was positive and happy again! Since it helped me so much I decided to share my experiences. Starting November 1st, I will be preparing for my second IVF cycle (Jan 2018-unless I get cold feet). Since my last cycle failed I am changing up a few things and giving it 150% instead of 100%!! I JUST WANT IT TO WORK!!!! HEALTH- I will be going Vegan- well I say vegan but I eat fish and shrimp. But NO chicken, pork, red meat, cheese or bread. YES, it is hard but its only hard for the first week or two, after that it’s a breeze!! I will share rec

Getting Back To Normal Post IVF

After my IVF failed I was devastated. I was realistic going in but I was not prepared to have ZERO embryos make it. When they told me not ONE survived I was confused and like a typical female cried all day and literally ate my kitchen cabinet! After getting the call, we had to wait a week to sit down face to face with our Doctor to find out what went wrong. I am the most impatient person so as you can imagine this was pure HELL!!! Fast forward to our appointment...we found out the eggs were not strong enough to make it. They put it to me this way- The embryos displayed chromosomal abnormalities (genetic defect) and if it was a normal pregnancy I would’ve miscarried before I even knew I was pregnant. The doctors can change my protocol to help with the quantity of eggs but not quality. We have decided to give IVF a second try but right now I am giving myself a break. The IVF process is demanding, exhausting, STRESSFUL and expensive! Everyday I live in fear that I will never be in

First IVF Cycle - Failed

Day 5 embryo update - This is the day an embryo makes it or doesn't make it! Unfortunately the 4 embryos we had did not make it to day 5 blast!! This is very crucial in the IVF world because day 5 blast gives you the best quality embryo. Honestly I did not understand what blast meant until they explained it to me, so here you go.... A healthy blastocyst often begins hatching from its outer shell, between day 5 to day 7 after fertilization. In a normal pregnancy the embryo would start attaching to the mothers lining or during IVF they transfer or freeze the embryos at this stage. At this point in the stage its ready to attach to the mothers lining. The doctors said if an embryo doesn't blast at day 5 then it usually means the embryo is not growing at a normal rate and most likely wont pass genetic testing even if it does blast at day 6. I was so disappointed and sad when I got the phone call- HOW IN THE WORLD DID ALL 4 NOT MAKE IT!!! But it is completely out of our contr

Egg Retrieval & The 5 Day Wait

Goodbye Shots!!!!!! The trigger shot was a success. Egg Retrieval Time!! It really doesn't hurt-Promise! Incase you don't know what Egg Retrieval is.... Here’s how it works: the doctor will use an ultrasound to identify your ovaries. Your doctor will gently guide a needle attached to a catheter through the vaginal wall. One by one, the eggs will be drawn out using light suction. They’ll be collected in test tubes labeled with your name number, which will then be handed off to the embryologist—an expert in the science of oocyte cryopreservation (the technical term for egg freezing). Before you leave the office, you will know how many eggs were retrieved and moved to the embryology lab. The doctors write the number of eggs on your hand! The next day they call to let you know how many of your eggs were able to be fertilized, they consider this day 1. They continue to update you on day 3 and 5. If you have embryos make it to day 5 they are considered good and re

Week 2- Stimulation Phase

Night Time Routine The Fertility and IVF world call this “STIMS” This is the process where you are now stimulating your ovaries. This is how I think of it: you are taking your normal size ovaries (almond size) and growing them to the size of oranges. In a normal cycle, you produce ONE egg each month! Well thanks to stimulation you start producing WAY more than one egg, and yes you can feel it!! A lot of girls describe it as a fluttery feeling in their stomach. During the stimulation phase, you visit the doctors frequently, they do blood work and ultrasounds to check your follicles. This is important because it lets you know if your body is or isn't responding to the medications. All my needles for the week! Monday - We started injections- George is a master at this, thank gosh because I did not want to give myself shots!! I started with Gonal and Menopur, both are stimulation medications. The shots are done in the stomach and don’t hurt too bad- little sting an