Being Father's Day today, what better time to post a quick update on the status of things in Panama. I also want to wish all Father's, including mine, a very Happy Father's Day. With any luck, I'll be joining the ranks in 2013.
I don't have a lot of news to report at this time. Treatment for both my Egg Donor and Surrogate is progressing as planned. My Egg Donor had her first ultrasound on Thursday, June 14th and her follicles on both her left and right ovaries are developing nicely. The follicles are the appropriate size and the estradiol level is within the normal range, so my doctors are very pleased. Egg retrieval is scheduled for this coming Friday, June 22nd, and the doctors estimate they will retrieve a minimum of 15 eggs, but they are hopeful for more (based on the results of Thursday's ultrasound)! If the process continues to move forward as planned, IVF would take place on the June 22nd and 23rd, with the embryo transfer to my Surrogate to follow on June 26th or 27th.
Since my last post on June 1st, there has been a slight change of plans pertaining to my Surrogate. After further evaluation, it was determined that my previous Surrogate's uterine lining did not meet the expectations of my doctors. I don't understand all the nuances here, but my doctors feel it is best to work with a uterus that is triple lined. The condition of the lining in the uterus may be the difference
between pregnancy success or failure in patients undergoing IVF. I trust my doctor's expert opinions and feel very fortunate for their continued due diligence and thoroughness throughout this process. Fortunately, we had another Surrogate available, whose uterus has been deemed clinically perfect!
My new Surrogate is a healthy, 30 year old, single-mother of three children. Like my previous Surrogate, she is participating in the John Hopkins Surrogacy program in an effort to further her education and earn an advanced diploma to provide her with the skills and monetary assistance needed to start her own small business. Her name is Sally, and with any luck, we'll be meeting in person some 20 weeks from now!
As always, thanks for your continued love and support. The next few weeks are a very critical time, so I'll thank you in advance for your support, positive vibes, love and prayers.
Rob
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Time to Make a Baby
It's been a long 12 months, but I am happy to report that all details are officially in order and it is now time to try and make a baby! Next Monday (June 4th), my Surrogate and Egg Donor will commence the necessary fertility treatments required to support the IVF procedure.
One of the most important steps in the IVF procedure is the egg retrieval process. In order to produce viable embryos for implantation, a number of ripe and mature eggs need to be retrieved from my egg donor's ovaries. Only then can the IVF procedure continue successfully.
Here are some of the basic facts about the egg retrieval process involved in IVF treatment:
Egg retrieval is the process whereby a woman's eggs are removed from her ovaries. These eggs are later mixed with a man's sperm in order to facilitate fertilization. In order for egg retrieval to occur, a woman must first have follicle production stimulated by particular hormones. Once a number of follicles (potential eggs) are produced, fertility specialists can then remove these eggs from the ovaries in order to attempt fertilization. If fertilization is successful, the embryos will be placed back in to the woman's uterus, or in my case, into the uterus of my Surrogate.
Egg follicles are fluid-filled sacs that are located inside both of a woman’s ovaries. A woman is born with millions of these eggs follicles, each of which contains an immature egg at its center. Each month, thanks to certain hormones, multiple follicles will begin to develop. The one follicle that is the strongest will attract most of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, causing it to break open and release an egg while the remaining follicles die off. This is ovulation.
In order for IVF to be most effective, more than just one mature egg needs to be retrieved. A reproductive endocrinologist will attempt to remove all viable follicles that are present in my donors ovaries, so that multiple eggs can be fertilized. This means that my donor will need to have her follicles stimulated artificially. There are special medications that she will be required to take for approximately ten days in order to help stimulate the development of her follicles.
Timing is extremely important when it comes to the IVF retrieval process. If follicles develop too much, then the egg inside will become too mature for efficient fertilization. This can seriously affect the IVF process. For this reason, her ovaries will be monitored in order to keep an eye on her follicular development. This is typically done through ultrasound. When her follicles reach just the right maturity, egg retrieval can begin.
The egg retrieval process is a relatively simple one. Follicles from both her left and right ovary will be removed in a process known as follicular aspiration. Follicular aspiration involves inserting a hollow needle through the top of the vagina and into the ovaries. This needle is then used to suction out any follicles that may be present in the ovaries. In order to guide the needle into the appropriate area of the ovary, she will be given a transvaginal ultrasound.
Once the needle is in the proper position, it will be used to aspirate any follicles inside of the ovary. These follicles will be immediately examined under a microscope to ensure the presence of a viable egg. The follicles will then be placed in an incubator.
Depending upon age and the effect of fertility medications, most women have between 5 and 20 eggs removed during the egg retrieval process. The entire process typically takes between 15 and 30 minutes. Let's hope my donor's retrieval results in lots of viable eggs!!
After the egg retrieval, all viable eggs will be subjected to a procedure called ICSI or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (pronounced "eeksee" or "icksy"), which is an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single specimen of my sperm will be injected directly into an egg .
The following is a link to video where you can watch the ICSI procedure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=npY0NR6c6OA#!
All fertilized eggs will then be cultured overnight until they can be checked for fertilization. If fertilization occurs, the eggs will continue to grow in a sterile lab environment for 3-4 days after which time, the embryos will be transferred to my surrogate.
At this time, the number of embryos to be transferred is unknown and will be dictated by the egg retrieval procedure, the viability of the eggs and finally, the number of fertilized eggs (embryos) created during IVF. Naturally, the probability of a successful pregnancy increases based on the number of healthy embryos transferred to my surrogate (and so do the odds of multiple births or twins)!
One of the most important steps in the IVF procedure is the egg retrieval process. In order to produce viable embryos for implantation, a number of ripe and mature eggs need to be retrieved from my egg donor's ovaries. Only then can the IVF procedure continue successfully.
Here are some of the basic facts about the egg retrieval process involved in IVF treatment:
Egg retrieval is the process whereby a woman's eggs are removed from her ovaries. These eggs are later mixed with a man's sperm in order to facilitate fertilization. In order for egg retrieval to occur, a woman must first have follicle production stimulated by particular hormones. Once a number of follicles (potential eggs) are produced, fertility specialists can then remove these eggs from the ovaries in order to attempt fertilization. If fertilization is successful, the embryos will be placed back in to the woman's uterus, or in my case, into the uterus of my Surrogate.
Egg follicles are fluid-filled sacs that are located inside both of a woman’s ovaries. A woman is born with millions of these eggs follicles, each of which contains an immature egg at its center. Each month, thanks to certain hormones, multiple follicles will begin to develop. The one follicle that is the strongest will attract most of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, causing it to break open and release an egg while the remaining follicles die off. This is ovulation.
In order for IVF to be most effective, more than just one mature egg needs to be retrieved. A reproductive endocrinologist will attempt to remove all viable follicles that are present in my donors ovaries, so that multiple eggs can be fertilized. This means that my donor will need to have her follicles stimulated artificially. There are special medications that she will be required to take for approximately ten days in order to help stimulate the development of her follicles.
Timing is extremely important when it comes to the IVF retrieval process. If follicles develop too much, then the egg inside will become too mature for efficient fertilization. This can seriously affect the IVF process. For this reason, her ovaries will be monitored in order to keep an eye on her follicular development. This is typically done through ultrasound. When her follicles reach just the right maturity, egg retrieval can begin.
The egg retrieval process is a relatively simple one. Follicles from both her left and right ovary will be removed in a process known as follicular aspiration. Follicular aspiration involves inserting a hollow needle through the top of the vagina and into the ovaries. This needle is then used to suction out any follicles that may be present in the ovaries. In order to guide the needle into the appropriate area of the ovary, she will be given a transvaginal ultrasound.
Once the needle is in the proper position, it will be used to aspirate any follicles inside of the ovary. These follicles will be immediately examined under a microscope to ensure the presence of a viable egg. The follicles will then be placed in an incubator.
Depending upon age and the effect of fertility medications, most women have between 5 and 20 eggs removed during the egg retrieval process. The entire process typically takes between 15 and 30 minutes. Let's hope my donor's retrieval results in lots of viable eggs!!
After the egg retrieval, all viable eggs will be subjected to a procedure called ICSI or Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (pronounced "eeksee" or "icksy"), which is an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single specimen of my sperm will be injected directly into an egg .
The following is a link to video where you can watch the ICSI procedure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=npY0NR6c6OA#!
All fertilized eggs will then be cultured overnight until they can be checked for fertilization. If fertilization occurs, the eggs will continue to grow in a sterile lab environment for 3-4 days after which time, the embryos will be transferred to my surrogate.
At this time, the number of embryos to be transferred is unknown and will be dictated by the egg retrieval procedure, the viability of the eggs and finally, the number of fertilized eggs (embryos) created during IVF. Naturally, the probability of a successful pregnancy increases based on the number of healthy embryos transferred to my surrogate (and so do the odds of multiple births or twins)!
Naturally,
I'm excited, scared and nervous, but intend to remain vigilant over the next
couple of weeks as my doctor's perform the greatest miracle of my life. It will
likely be several weeks before I have another update to share. In the meantime,
thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for your continued love, support and prayers.
I remain
incredibly optimistic that I will become a Dad in 2013!!
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