PGS – Preimplantation Genetic Screening

PGS, PGD, CGH – they do all actually mean something different and are used in different cases but essentially they also all refer to the same outcome and that is the genetic testing result of an embryo.

At our previous clinic the method they used was CGH which is an array test. We are not using that method this time.

This time, at our new clinic, we are going for the Next Generation Sequencing which is thought to be slightly more accurate and my clinic refers to it as PGS.

Apparently the CGH method is the preference for when they are working with gene translocations (which we are not) but for everything else it is this Next Generation Sequencing.

1 boy and 2 girls

You know when you commence on this IVF journey that you are in the business of making babies – teeny tiny little humans – so I’m not sure why it came as a surprise to me when I recently learnt the gender of our “abnormal” embryos.  Well the 3 tested in the first round of testing we had done anyway.

Whacked out test results

Hmmmm well things are all a bit weird over here. I went back to my GP yesterday for a follow up on the bloods she took last week and had some pretty whacky results.

We are changing clinics

Dudes and dudettes (do any dudes actually read my blog? I’m not sure…anyway), I have an announcement. Wait for it…can you guess, can you guess, can you guess???

We are changing clinics and damn I am so freaking excited.

Answers and decisions

Well today went better than expected in that the decision was easier to make than I anticipated. Essentially Embie No 2 is what they call “noisy”.

I am going to put a pic in to try and explain it and try not to make it boring.

The land of indecision

What is it about this fucking infertility journey that it feels the need to keep knocking me for a six. I’m am so sick of it.

Less than 24 hours until we get our PGD results

I got myself in a bit of a tizz today as my brain decided to work out that based on the 2 week estimate my PGD results would be due Easter Monday and that is a holiday here…as is Good Friday. So I reasoned (with myself – always the best kind) that based on that timing the lab would be moving heaven and earth to finish pending testing before the 4 day weekend. Makes sense right?

IVF #2 – Que sera, sera. Whatever will be will be.

As I was pulling out of the supermarket carpark today my phone rang.

Hi Emily, it is Dr Dr, can you talk?

Yes Dr D. I am just pulling out of the carpark. Let me pull over.

Dr D is never the one to call. When everything is going smoothly I hear from the nurses or I don’t hear at all. Appointments go along as planned. We have an appointment for Friday with Dr D. It is for a scan for our frozen embryo transfer.

Emily, the results have come back from genetic testing and I’m afraid that the news isn’t good. All 3 embryos show significant abnormalities. This is very unexpected.

No shit, Sherlock.

I knew this was a possibility of course but I didn’t expect it at all. I honestly felt like we might get our baby this time. That this time, even if only one was good that it would be the one. I was not prepared for this outcome at all.

They don’t know why. It just happens. But it does at least explain my difficulty falling pregnant and my difficulty maintaining the pregnancies when I do fall.

Some may ask if I am sorry that we went ahead with the genetic testing. I mean, we had what looked like 3 good quality embryos at blast stage. Let me tell you this, I am relieved. That’s 3 months worth of fruitless transfers that we no longer have to experience. Three months of maybe this is the month, this feels right, hope, expectation, endless acupuncture appointments and pills and potions in an effort to try to implant embryos that could not have possible become healthy babies. So I am grateful we had the testing. And if you are constantly getting embryos and not having them implant then I urge you to go down this path as well. It at least provides some answers.

What will we do from here? Well we are keeping our appointment on Friday however instead of being for a scan it will be to discuss what to do moving forward. We maybe attempt one more round, including the genetic testing again, but if we get a zero transfer rate yet again then I will pull the pin.

It is interesting as when we fell pregnant with our son it was all so quick and speedy and felt something like divine intervention. It was a weird situation and we didn’t even live in the same city and yet it happened. Now it is starting to feel like maybe, this quest for no 2, isn’t the path we should be on.

If we try again it will be with months of clean living and hippy treatments under our belt and truly our last shot.

We are both sad. And shocked. And reeling quite a bit. And a little part of me feels it is all insurmountable.

But….que sera. It is what it is. There is nothing that can be done about it now.

~Ems~

PS There are quite a few of journeys that I have been following lately that have slipped by the wayside. I am behind on my reading. I am thinking of you all. Will catch up when I can. x

IVF #2 – The final numbers as we head into the next phase: embryo chromosome testing

So, we didn’t get any additional embabies than what we had on Day 6 (my last post). We have 3.

I have been feeling so conflicted about this. I felt a bit gutted after the phone call to be honest and then I just felt so freaking guilty for being gutted. I mean, we have 3 good quality embryos. That’s 3 more than we had last time. While we got 1 transferred last time it wasn’t even that great quality so we have almost TRIPLE the result of last time and I feel sure we will get 1 baby out of these three little souls.

IVF #2 – And we get to wait just ONE MORE DAY

Ha. More waiting. Who knew?

Yesterday I told you all that we would have final numbers today but apparently I misunderstood that today was the last day before we give up on the little embabies. We get one more day. Yay! And that is pretty great.

Today we have 3 embabies all biopsied and ready to go. So we have the AB and the BB from yesterday PLUS another AB.  Love those ones with an A in it.

Apparently we have one more embabie that is actually a blast but not quite ready for biopsy yet so we have to see if that falls across the line and I am still secretly hoping that another one will zoom on up the inside and surprise us. I’m not sure if it’s a hopeless case or not to be honest. We will just have to wait and see.

So this is where it is at. One more day. I’ll be back tomorrow.