We have news!
As a recap:
27 embryos were harvested, and 16 made it to blastocysts! (For all of you that got a boyfriend during biology just to cheat off, blastocysts are baby embryos.) We were excited about that number! Five days later, those blastocysts were biopsied to send to genetic testing. The genetic testing results is what we were waiting for today. (This news is what has made us nervous all along.)
As a recap:
27 embryos were harvested, and 16 made it to blastocysts! (For all of you that got a boyfriend during biology just to cheat off, blastocysts are baby embryos.) We were excited about that number! Five days later, those blastocysts were biopsied to send to genetic testing. The genetic testing results is what we were waiting for today. (This news is what has made us nervous all along.)
During the biopsy stage, we lost 6 embryos. The biopsies are sent to an embryonic testing lab in New Jersey. (Who knew Jersey people did more than "G.T.L."? And for all of you who know what "G.T.L." stands for, we all need to stop watching Jersey Shore and commit to classier television... like the Kardashians.)
We knew losing 6 embryos during the biopsy stage was highly unusual. We were previously told that less than 1% of embryos die during biopsy. We were confused on why we lost so many during that stage, but frankly, we were so consumed with my health that the number of embryos took a back seat. When they told us we were down to 11 embryos after the biopsies, we were too exhausted to read too much into it.
Well today we found out that out of the 11 embryos they biopsied, all 11 are genetically normal!
(insert cheers, applause, rainbows, and french horns)
These results are also highly unusual. (ie: My doctor has never had a patient with 100% normal embryos.) The "average" Fertile Myrtle has around 10%-20% abnormal biopsied embryos. (Which is about the percentage chance of a "normal" person having a miscarriage.) For me, she prepared us to expect around 80% to come back abnormal.
So what does this MEAN?
1) It means we had a LOT of people praying for us. I have no doubt God probably said "ok ok ok! Healthy embryos for Kendall Pace Monroe! Enough Already!" (But in a really nice Jesus-y way.) Thank you to all of you for your prayers, strong positive mojo, and lucky thoughts.
2) It means it's highly possible it's my uterus/body is the problem, rather than the embryos. From the very beginning we expected this could be the problem. I have had some health issues in the past, and it's possible this is just a side effect of those. Dr. McKenzie noticed my white blood cell counts have been very sporadic throughout my visits with her. This makes her think that it could be auto-immune related (and my body just attacks the pregnancy every time). We always kind of wondered this, given my history of auto-immune problems, so we are not surprised by this hypothesis. In attempt to remedy this, I will be on a drug immediately after the embryo transfer that often helps those in these situations. (You can't be on the drug before/during conception, so patients unfortunately have to do IVF just so the timing is exact when starting the drug immediately after the transfer.)
If the transfer doesn't work, and/or I miscarry again, we will conclude that I can't carry and opt to use a gestational carrier. While these are very expensive, (although we have a loved one who has volunteered to carry), we are thankful that we know that, someday, we WILL have a child.
(insert squeals, giggles, and puppies)
3) Like previously mentioned, we learned that we had a pretty high rate of loss during the biopsy stage. It's possible that these type of embryos were the ones I was carrying during previous pregnancies. Because the embryos "died" during biopsy, we'll never know what the cause was. In past pregnancies, we were never able to hear a heartbeat. This leads us to think that I have always miscarried very early, similar to these embryos. They started off great, and then couldn't continue successfully. (Think Lindsay Lohan of embryos.) It's possible that this is why the genetic testing results were excellent, because the flawed embryos had "died" during the biopsy stage. (Hopefully this means since we've eliminated those embryos and will only transfer healthy embryos, we will have much a higher chance for a healthy pregnancy.)
Next Steps?
First, like Kelly said, "Celebrate with wine tonight, cause it looks like vino won't be in your future!" (From her mouth to God's ears!)
First, like Kelly said, "Celebrate with wine tonight, cause it looks like vino won't be in your future!" (From her mouth to God's ears!)
So after that, we will continue on the plan of a transfer sometime at the end of March. (We should be on track to have a transfer then, if everything continues to go well during the next round of shots and meds throughout the next 1.5 months.)
IVF is a very schizophrenic process. We're up! We're down! We're up again! (Flashback to FSU National Championship.) But while there may be more downs in the future, for now, it sure is fun in the clouds!
Love to all,
Kendall and Will
