Our DEIVF Journey – Embryo creation timeframe!

Last Thursday, my phone rung from a mysterious ‘No Caller ID.’

Usually, I screen those calls, sending them straight to voicemail. But as the last No Caller ID had been my endocrinologist, I picked this one up.

*nb why do most medical professionals block their numbers?

I’m thrilled I answered as it coordinator from Fertility Associates!

She said that our egg donors genetic screening test came back perfect, so the next step is a joint counselling session. This session is to act as a bridge, a safe space to discuss hopes, fears, and expectations openly. The shared counselling helps to build trust and empathy between us all. It also provides a platform to address any potential concerns or questions that may arise during the process.

As our donor lives in a different city, we’re going to have it over Zoom which will be a unique experience!

Following the session and consent paperwork completion, the coordinator mentioned our donor’s cycle and egg retrieval are set for October! We’ll be really on the road of our DEIVF baby journey then!

For those playing catch-up: DEIVF, or Donor Egg In Vitro Fertilisation, is a fertility treatment where a woman uses donated eggs to conceive. In my case, it’s because I have no eggs in my ovaries, due to my Panhypopituitarism condition. The process involves fertilising those eggs with sperm, to create embryos. After fertilisation and a quarantine period, an embryo/s are transferred to the recipient’s uterus. Success often depends on the donor’s age and egg quality.

Continuing on, sometime in October, we’ll fly to our donor’s city. Post egg retrieval, Jonathan does his part to help create tiny little beings. The embryologists will add his sperm to the eggs to create embryos. When they become embryo’s, they’re then from that time onwards, legally mine and Jonathan’s together.

“Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.” ~ Samuel Butler

I’ve read that the number of embryos made on average is around 5 – 15. Depending on how many eggs are retrieved, and mature sperm fertilise them. The embryos then grow and develop in the lab for 5 days until they reach blastocyst stage.

Embryo development unfolds in stages:

1. Fertilisation – Sperm and egg unite, forming a zygote, the very starting point of life.
2. Cleavage – The zygote starts dividing into more cells, becoming a multicellular structure. It’s a crucial phase where the embryo lays the foundation for its future development.
3. Blastocyst Formation – Around day 5, the embryo transforms into a blastocyst, a miniature ball of cells with a fluid-filled cavity. This stage is pivotal for successful implantation in the uterus.
4. Freezing – To preserve their potential, embryos are frozen at the blastocyst stage. This freezing allows flexibility in the timing of the transfer, aligning with the recipient’s reproductive timeline.
5. Quarantine – A 3 month quarantine ensures the embryos are free from potential infectious diseases. This step prioritizes the health and safety of both the embryos and the recipients before the transfer

At the end of the quarantine period, only one embryo will be transferred into my uterus, and hopefully I can carry it to term 🤞🏻

The chances of success of having a baby are actually based a fair bit on the donor’s age and health, and the quality of the embryo that is transferred. I’m feeling quite optimistic, as she’s 10 years younger than me, and she herself has a child. If the embryo transferring does goes well in February, we could be looking at our baby arriving in October/November 2021!

I have all the feels..

Oh my gosh! So many flurries of feelings are my constant companion while we wait the 2 months until October! Excitement, surreality, worry, joy, anticipation, curiosity, gratitude, and so many more in this emotional rollercoaster!

It’s an extraordinary time to not just to hear about the process, but now to have a proper timeframe to work with. Everything is transforming from abstract ideas to actual milestones! Definitely makes it feel more real, in this unique way of trying to have a baby!