22-10-2020, what an immensely special day, and one to remember 💕
Embarking on our DEIVF journey has transformed us, filling our hearts with hope, science, and heartfelt moments. Today marks a significant step in our DEIVF process as our donor has had the eggs collected.
Explanation if needed: Donor Egg In Vitro Fertilisation (DEIVF), is a fertility treatment that involves using donated eggs to facilitate the fertilisation process. This is due to me not having any eggs at all because of my condition, congenital Panhypopituitarism and secondary infertility.
That Thursday morning, we met our egg donor in person, after only chatting to her online and a video meeting, due to our different locations.
She is simply extraordinary! So cool, relaxed, kind, open and obviously so generous! I count ourselves extremely lucky that she offered to help us make our family a little bigger. I’m also so grateful, that she allowed me to come in the procedure room for the egg retrieval with her.
& it was absolutely one of my most awe-inspiring, and impacting moments in my life!
Entering the room where the egg retrieval would take place, I was a mix of nerves and excitement. I met the medical team at the Fertility Associates Christchurch clinic, and one of the embryologist’s. The latter of which was in the lab room, separated from the procedure room by partition window.
The procedure involves using ultrasound guidance to guide a thin, but quite long, needle through the vaginal wall to access the ovaries. The mature follicles, carefully nurtured through the stimulation phase, were individually aspirated to retrieve the eggs. It’s a delicate and precise process, a culmination of weeks of preparation and the dedication of both our egg donor and the medical team.
Being present in the room during the egg retrieval was an intimate and profound experience. The collection took around 20 minutes in all. And I was a *subtle* fangirl at seeing the embryologist sorting out and counting the eggs as we went along. I even saw a couple of the larger follicles/eggs in transport.
After the collection, we left our donor as she had to go, and we needed to go do Jono’s part, so that fresh semen were added to the eggs.
A couple of days later..
In total, 17 eggs were collected that day, and 14 had successfully fertilised by yesterday morning.
We will receive a call on Tuesday or Wednesday, to hear how many make it to Blastocyst stage (we should expect 1/4-1/2 of the 14). Fingers crossed for a good outcome 🤞🏻
Feels so good to have taken one more step in our DEIVF journey to a baby. Our egg donor also gave me her socks that she wore for her IVF cycle for good luck, which just means the world. Honestly, I feel grateful beyond belief 💕
Stay tuned for more updates x
Lore & Tempo is where motherhood meets adventure. I’m Ren – storyteller, explorer, and single mum in Wellington, New Zealand. I’ve been lucky enough to wander through 45 countries. 15 of them with my +1, Kaydes, either strapped to my front, on my hip, or running ahead on her own adventures. I created this space to share single parent life, travel tips, and the joy of exploring the world.
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