IVF Round 2
It was the best voicemail ever.
After our first failed round of IVF, hearing our doctor be over the moon giving us the good news that we were moving forward with an embryo transfer was something we could hardly believe.
Obviously we still have a long way to go — preparing for this next phase on our path to parenthood — but it feels SO GOOD to have some hopeful news under our belt in what anyone going through fertility treatments knows is not guaranteed.
One of the things I love about our doctor is that she’s very open to pivoting and new ideas. This round, we changed things up a lot both medically and on my part, holistically.
IVF Round 2
What I Did Differently | Medically
Every woman responds to IVF differently. What worked for me this round and what might work for you should never be compared. That being said, I will share a bit since I know the journey can be fraught with wonder and worry.
The main differences in my medical protocol were:
• Cold start — no birth control suppression beforehand
• Adding Omnitrope (human growth hormone)
• Increasing the stimulation medications
• Adding or increasing supplement dosages for egg quality: Tru Niagen, Ubiquinol (CoQ10), Sensitol, Vitamin E, Melatonin, DHA, DHEA, Vitamin C
*Please speak to your medical doctor before adding any supplements to your routine as they are very person specific.
What I Did Differently | Holistically + Nutritionally
This in my opinion is where the real magic happened. The secret sauce to our success.
During this second round, I chilled the F-out about everything. I knew what to expect. I didn’t force anything. I let my body rest. I nourished my body, but I didn’t obsess. And I TRUSTED the process.
This round also coincided with a semester break in grad school — stress matters my friends. A lot.
Specifically, here’s a list of what all I took into my own hands:
• Increased protein intake + ate more warming foods
• Walked + stretched every day in some capacity (except day of retrieval)
• Chiropractic adjustments 1x/week
• Acupuncture 1x/week
• Used my amethyst heating pad every other day
• Received 2x long-distance reiki sessions
• Prayed each morning. Not for a successful retrieval, but to be on the right path.
• Read this book.
Is some of it a little woo? Yes! But I love it and it helps me connect to a higher power and release the overwhelm. Because when going through fertility treatments all you want to do is control everything you possibly can and it’s easy to obsess. Driving you (and your partner) crazy if you let it.
That’s what happened with round one. And while I know our change in protocol had a lot to do with our success this time — stress management + increasing blood flow + embracing a higher vibrational energy had a lot to do with it too.
Recovery
Our second round was vastly different from the first in every way possible. Yes, we ended up with embryos to freeze (I am keeping the number private) — but it was also different in the way my body responded and recovered.
Let’s just say the bloating was unreal this time around. 2-3 days leading up to the retrieval and for about 5 days after I felt like a balloon ready to pop with bowling balls as ovaries. I knew the day we’d trigger even before labs came back because I could tell my body was like — okay listen up, we’re done here.
I was very careful after retrieval to manage any signs of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) — a condition where the empty follicles excessively swell + fill with fluid. I’ll share more about this in a separate post, but you essentially need to stay hydrated with electrolytes and eat a high sodium, high protein, low carb diet for roughly one week post-retrieval.
Perhaps the most important part of my recovery and bouncing back quicker than last time was that I let my body rest. Again, it goes back to not forcing. I wasn’t worried about any extra “weight” I had gained and simply continued to focus on nourishing my body and giving it grace + time to heal.
We have to honor what we’re asking our bodies to do with fertility treatments. None of it is anywhere near normal or natural. And for someone who’s body rarely sees a Tylenol — let’s just say the hormones were having a field day.
So, what’s next?
Initially we all thought I would move directly into a frozen transfer cycle, however during my post-retrieval consult, my doctor and I decided to do an endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) first.
Essentially, my uterine lining is on the thin side. Even during this last IVF cycle it was only 6.5mm and you want at least 8mm to make a perfectly sticky and lush environment for implantation. I had this issue during our IUI cycles too but we contributed it to the Clomid as it can have effects on lining thickness.
So, it’s onto the ERA first. Where I’ll essentially do a mock transfer cycle (drugs and all) to make sure my lining is receptive. Instead of what would be the embryo transfer, our doctor will do a biopsy of my lining and test if it’s receptive to the embryo during that time frame + look for any inflammation. If it’s not, we’ll adjust my medication and the transfer timing to make sure all is as perfect as possible. This ensures that if my lining is on the thin side and we can’t build it up as much as we’d like with estrogen therapy (shots, pills, patches) — we’ll still know it’s receptive and as ready as it can be to accept + nurture our little embryos.
Honestly, it’s A LOT. And at times it seems like we can’t catch a break. But I’m confident this is the right next step for building our family + meeting our little embryos in person. I am here for the journey.
