Our Little Frosties!

Here I am again and we have some VERY good news.  I got an update yesterday from Dr. Uzelac that we have 6 frozen blastocysts.  These were his words, "This is a GREAT number.  This is what I would generally see from a 24 year old egg donor."  Bring is on 30's… I've still got what it takes! :) I'm honestly not sure how common it is to see these numbers or if he was excited about the numbers due to my low amount of injections.  Either way, we are excited to have plenty to choose from.  From here we just hope that they all survive the thaw (or at least those that we use.) It's kind of a strange and sad thought.  Knowing that our future kids are frozen… standing still.  Weird.  And then to think that we may not use them all and they will remain frozen or get destroyed.  Double sad!

So, from here I'll be on birth control pills, (starting yesterday) for roughly 10 days. I have a  tentative appointment scheduled for next Wednesday so that he can check my ovaries (he wants to make sure they've shrunken back down) and my uterus lining.  His nurse told me today that if that all looks good then he'll start me on estrogen patches that same day or the following day.  You ready for this… 4 patches a day.  That's a lot of flippin' patches.  After 10-11 days on the patches they'll check my lining again and if it's where it needs to be, then I'll move on to Progesterone suppositories.  I know you're probably a little jealous of me right now! I mean, who doesn't want to play with suppositories?! :)  I'd much prefer the suppositories over more injections.  I hear those injections are PAINFUL!  No thank you!  After 6 days of Progesterone… on Day 6 that is, they will do the transfer.  As long as all systems are a GO, then this will all be happening around the end of the month.  Which means I'll find out whether or not I'm pregnant just in time for the school year to end an summer to come.  Now THAT'S exciting!  23 school days left.  Yee-Haa!

Here is a picture of 6 Day old blastocysts taken from someone else's blog - because it's nearly impossible to find pics of 6 day old vs. 5 day old blasts.  So, thanks to eatloveprocreate.blogspot.com for the pic.  These are actually hers and they are beautiful! It's pretty incredible to see the difference a day makes when comparing this pic to the 5 day old Blasts pictured below.  

In case you're interested, below there is some further info in order to get a more in-depth understanding. If you're over it… no worries and we thank you for your love, support and prayers as we journey towards the miracle of a baby! xoxo

This info is taken from www.fssc.com.au

What is a Blastocyst Stage Transfer?

Blastocyst Stage Transfer refers to the transfer of an embryo (hopefully a blastocyst) back into the uterus on Day 5. A blastocyst is the name given to an embryo which has developed into a single-layered sphere of cells encircling a fluid-filled cavity, with a dense mass of cells grouped together (see image below). It has been reported that a blastocyst contains anywhere from 60 to 120 cells. By this stage the embryo has differentiated into two cell types; the trophectoderm, the cells on the periphery of the embryo that forms the placenta; and the inner cell mass, the dense mass of cells on the inside that forms the foetus if the embryo implants.

Figure 3: Day 5 (Expanded Blastocyst)

It is expected that on average only a third of the embryos, which fertilise normally will continue to develop to the blastocyst stage which are suitable for transfer and/or freezing. This is because embryos are driven by the embryonic genome between days 3 and 5. At this stage the embryos continual development is reliant on the embryo itself to provide it with everything that it needs. It is thought that embryos that continue to fail to develop between days 3 to 5 could be associated to sperm quality.

The benefits of culturing embryos to Blastocyst stage:

•  The major benefit of culturing an embryo to the blastocyst stage is as an embryo selection or viability tool. Let’s say during your cycle you have three oocytes that fertilise normally, based on averages, you will only have one which is still progressing by day 5. However it is likely that 2 or 3 of these embryos would have been still developing at the rate we expect to see (6-8 cells) on day 3. Therefore, continuing to culture embryos to the blastocyst stage allows the Scientist to choose the best embryo for transfer, giving you a higher chance of success.
• If an embryo survives until Day 5 it is more likely to be genetically normal. However this does not mean all Blastocyst embryos are genetically normal.
• Increased implantation rates by culturing of the human embryo beyond the activation of the embryonic genome.
• Another possible benefit of transferring blastocyst embryos is that a blastocyst may have better potential to implant into the uterine wall. This is because in a natural cycle, Day 5 is usually when the embryo moves out of the fallopian tube and into the uterus. It has therefore been said that transferring an embryo at this stage into the uterus, is more like a natural cycle with better synchronisation between uterine lining and embryo development.
• Blastocyst cryopreservation is more efficient than cleavage stage cryopreservation. This is because these embryos have higher developmental potential, thus the implantation and pregnancy rates following frozen embryo transfer (FET) of blastocysts are higher compared to early cleavage FET.

- See more at: http://www.fssc.com.au/cleavage-versus-blastocyst-transfer-which-is-for-you/#sthash.5guvgqNX.dpuf