IVF#1

After Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the IVF cycle, we were scheduled for the OPU (ovum pick up). Check up on Friday (13th June 2014) went on smoothly. Dr Tee told me to come back at 9pm the next day for the HCG shot. Apparently, it is this jab that calls the shot on when the eggs can be picked up. Everything went on as scheduled, after the HCG shot, we even managed to catch a movie together, practically having the entire theater for ourselves. We watched "How To Train Your Dragon 2" to give me a tinge of relaxation.

We were asked to return for the OPU at 7am. Both our mothers escorted us to the hospital, while my knight and I were trying to keep our emotions at ease. As soon as we reached the hospital, we went straight to the ward, and got myself admitted into an open ward. It was a breezy process and everything was going on as we were told. While waiting to be taken to the operation theater, I was chatting with mum and MIL. My knight was very quiet but I knew he had a million questions running through his mind.

At around 8.30am, a nurse came to my bed and told us that it was time. I was wheeled to the operation theater. Just before the door closed, my knight gave me a light peck on my forehead and told me "All will be ok". Then the door closed behind him. Now it was only me and my embryologist, Nurul. I met my anesthetist and she was a comforting mother-like figure in the operating theater. The only thing I remember seeing before slipping into "deep sleep" is the leg-rest where I knew they were going to tie my legs during the procedure.

I woke up to intense abdominal pain a few hours later. I kept slipping back into long hours "naps" in between. But the pain brought me back most of the time. I am grateful mum and my knight was with me throughout the ordeal. I could not bear the discomfort and had requested for pain killer. At around 3.30pm, I was discharged and allowed to go home. 

Now, my ova and my knight's sperms will be subjected to ICSI and we were soon going to have babies! A fertilized egg cell normally continues to develop further into an embryo. On the 2nd day, respectively 48 hours after the fertilization, embryos find themselves in a multi-cell state for the first time. Differences can already be observed: some embryos contain two cells, some four or five. Furthermore, some embryos show cells completely constant in size whilst in other embryos these cells vary in terms of size and characteristics (e.g. grains are visible alongside the cell). This different development of embryos indicates that some embryos are more likely to result in a pregnancy than others.

Mistake that I should have avoided

I went back to work on Tuesday knowing that I was going for the ET (embryo transfer) the next morning. This is a mistake I will live to regret. Everything seemed to be fine in the morning. As soon as I reached office, I started to experience irritation in the throat and started to wheeze after a few hours. It slowly became a full blown cough and I was going down with asthma. I tried to shake it off thinking everything will be fine. After work, at around 6.30pm, my temperature shot up to 39.4 degrees. That was when I knew something was really wrong. My head felt heavy and I had to unbutton my pants as I had bloated to approximately 2 times my waist line. My knight rushed me to hospital. Although I took paracetamol before 7pm, when Dr Tee examined me, my fever had not subsided. He had an awful silence that killed me.

After a few minutes of silence, he said "We will postpone the ET for another day" ... stating that a fever can easily take the success rate to 0%. I felt very upset and was really hoping to recover. I was prescribed antibiotics and was told to go home and rest. That night, my fever escalated and I developed a sore throat, flu, cough and bad headaches. My tummy was still bloated and painful. I could not use the washroom due to this pain. Something was really wrong!

Anyway, the next day, we went back to hospital and got prepared for the ET. After lying down and gathering myself, a nurse came to take my temperature and pressure. She did not looked pleased and uttered silence before leaving us. My knight and I were sure something was wrong. We waited...

2 hours later, I was wheeled not to the operating theater for the ET, instead I was taken to Dr Tee's clinic. When I entered his room, his displeased facial expression told me everything I needed to know. He diagnosed me with Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a complication from some forms of fertility medication, particularly those of ovarian hyperstimulation. Most cases are mild, but a small proportion are severe. Mild symptoms include abdominal bloating and feeling of fullness, nausea, diarrhea, and slight weight gain... which I was experiencing. In this circumstances, the ET has to be postponed.

Our embryos will be frozen and a FET will be carried on the next cycle. RM3000 will be refunded to us, out of which, RM1500 was used to pay for the freezing of the embryos. We have 9 frozen embryos waiting to be transfered. I am extremely upset but I am hoping for the best with FET  ... small things that matter!!!