We started TTC (trying to conceive)
in September 2010, two years after being married. We knew it might take us awhile to conceive,
but little did we know just what our journey had in store for us!
After about a year and a half, with
no positive pregnancy test, we decided to switch my ob-gyn and look into
further testing not only for me, but for Luke as well. We started by adjusting my medications to
further control my PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome), and were advised to see
a urologist for Luke. We visited Dr.
Kendall Itoku in St Peters, Missouri at the end of 2012 where he performed a
physical examination and semen analysis on Luke. Given Luke’s medical history and test results
(low “swimmer” count and motility) Dr. Itoku suggested we either get a
testicular biopsy to determine low count or consider in-vitro
fertilization.
Taking this information back to our
local ob-gyn, Dr. Bennett, we then discussed multiple options (some of which
were rather humorous!). Luke and I took
some time to consider our next move, as we realized we had only two choices to
have a baby: either adopt or start the
IVF process. After several weeks of
intense discussion and prayer, we decided that we weren’t ready to give up on
having our own biological child. Dr.
Bennett recommended we set up an office visit with a IVF specialist that he
knew from school, a Dr. Gilbert Wilshire in Columbia, Missouri.
On June 6, 2013 we sat down with
Dr. Wilshire to discuss what the IVF process looked like and if we liked him as
a doctor. We liked him
immediately! Mid-Missouri Reproductive
Medicine is a private practice with a very skilled and friendly team. We honestly liked the entire team right
away!
After a few visits, Dr. Wilshire
suggested we take the summer “off” from TTC and try a procedure called
intro-uterine insemination, or IUI. I
was to go on a very strict diet called the Paleo Diet (absolutely no
carbohydrates or sugar) and Luke was to cut back on fatty foods and eat more
foods high in selenium that increases sperm count. At the end of the summer we were to go back
and review our progress and do another semen analysis. On September 19, 2013 we went back to
Columbia for our next visit. At that
time I had lost about 23 pounds and Luke had his fill of Brazil nuts and
shrimp! Although we had done everything
we could have, Luke’s “little swimmer” count had not increased enough for us to
do IUI, so at this point our only option was IVF.
There were two tests that Luke had
to “pass” in order for us to become IVF candidates: Y-Chromosome Micro-deletion and Karyotype,
both analyzed Luke’s chromosomes to make sure there were no abnormalities. If either test came back negative, we could
not proceed any further with IVF. It
took about a week to get both test results back, and by the grace of God both
tests came back just fine!! We were
shocked (as we still didn’t have an answer to why Luke had low sperm count),
but we decided that in the bigger picture we would rather have a baby then know
the answer to that question.
Throughout October and November
2013, Luke and I prepared for the journey ahead. We had to schedule time off work, I was
temporarily put on birth-control, and we had to figure out how we were going to
pay for such a procedure. Dr. Wilshire’s
office recommended we contact an agency that specializes in these types of
medical loans, and after applying for the amount we thought we needed, we were
approved in less than two hours!
We decided to start the process
immediately, so towards the end of November we met with our main nurse, Marie,
and signed all the papers, gathered our medications/injections and received our
schedule of events. We also did a ‘trial
transfer’ during one visit (of which I won’t describe the pain and horror L) but it was necessary
for Dr. Wilshire to know the exact “route” he was to take in my uterus on the
day of transfer.
Each night, I would prepare the
injections and Luke would administer them.
We began the injections and medication on November 24, 2013 through
December 6, 2013 (13 days). Given the
amount of injections and medication I was given, I thought that I would be
taking these injections for a lot longer, and I’m honestly thankful that I
didn’t have to! Every 4 – 5 days
throughout the injections we would travel to Columbia for ultrasounds where
they would monitor the process of my ovaries.
The purpose of these injections was to stimulate the ovarian follicles
to produce lots of mature eggs. This is
necessary for the IVF process and different than normal ovulation when just one
egg is released from the ovary. I would
need to produce at least 20 – 30 mature eggs in hopes of ending up with a least
a couple viable embryos later in the process. (I had to shelve the skinny jeans for a while
since my ovaries were getting nice and big due to all the mature eggs!)
The morning of December 7, 2013 we
traveled to Columbia to perform the egg retrieval. I was put under for the procedure, so I don’t
remember much. Something funny I do
remember, though, is that the anesthesiologist thought I looked so much like
Penny from Big Bang Theory that he kept calling me by the actress’ real name,
Kaylee. J The procedure was fairly quick, only about 30
– 45 minutes. (I was pretty sore for the
next day or so.) Once the retrieval was
complete and I had woken up, I waited in a private room as Luke gave his
“little swimmers”. Apparently I was
still ‘out-of-it’ at the time because Luke said that I yelled, “Give them your
best!” when he was leaving the
room. Woops!
At this point, our job was done,
and we were released to go home and wait.
Over the course of the next 5 days we were given daily updates on the
number of embryos that were still viable.
On Sunday morning, December 8th, our nurse Marie called with
the number 13! Thirteen embryos survived
the night! She said that because this
was such a high number, they were not going to take them out of the incubator
on Monday. Our next call came on Tuesday
morning around 10:00am. I could tell
that Marnie was extremely happy and we would soon know why. We still had twelve (12!) embryos that were
viable and progressing normally!
WOW! (12 embryos @ 8 cell stage,
grade 1/ 2 embryos @ 10 cell stage, grade 1)
Now, around day 4, or 96 hour mark,
the embryos go through a phase called blastocyst, a crucial stage for these
fragile cells, and since we had so many good embryos left Dr. Wilshire and the
lab decided that on Wednesday they would not disturb them. So our next call would not come until Thursday
morning, December 12, 2013 on our way to Columbia for the transfer.
Once we got to the doctor’s office,
Marine came out with the incredible news that all twelve (12!) embryos were
still viable! She even provided a
photograph of the two embryos that they had chosen to transfer that morning.
 |
| Cool, huh?! |
This procedure was different from the egg
retrieval because I got to be awake through the entire process, and Luke was in
the room the entire time and able to watch on the monitor when the embryos were
transferred. Once they had me situated
on the exam table, and the necessary instruments were in place, Dr. Wilshire
yelled to the lab (which was immediately behind the room we were in) “Kari
Goodman ready for transfer! Two
embryos!” At that point, the lab,
already having put the embryos in the catheter, came into the room and assisted
Dr. Wilshire in the rest of the transfer.
Once the catheter was in place, we heard Dr. Wilshire say, “Fire!” and
at that exact moment the two embryos were transferred into my uterus. Of course, I couldn’t really feel a thing but
it was still a very exciting moment in the whole process!
I was put on bed-rest for the next
two days. I’m sure this was to help the
embryos implant in my uterus, but it was rather un-eventful! Little did we know that there would be plenty
to get excited about in the near future!
We only had to wait another week before going back to Columbia for a
stat beta HCG quantitative, otherwise known as a blood pregnancy test. Unfortunately, there was a huge snow storm in
Hannibal the day we were to travel to Columbia so I stayed in town and got the
blood test done at HRH. On December 21,
2013 we got the call from nurse Kim in Columbia that test results confirmed
that I was pregnant!! Two weeks later I
took the blood test again to confirm.
This time Marnie called me and said that my levels - which normally
should almost double – had more than doubled and I was for sure pregnant!
Dr. Wilshire and his team took us
through week 10 of our pregnancy, and then they “hand us off” to our local
doctor in Hannibal. We just had our last
visit with them this past week, January 28, 2014. We got to see not only the baby’s heartbeat
but we got to see our little gummy bear move!!!
I cried with bittersweet happiness the entire appointment and Luke
couldn’t stop smiling! He said that the
baby did his “happy dance”.
We still have ten remaining embryos
that are currently being cryogenically frozen, and over the next few years we
will be making the decision on how many we want use. If there are any left that we don’t use, we
want to donate them to another couple, like us, that couldn’t conceive
naturally in hopes of providing another couple with a baby!
Throughout all of this, we have seen and felt
God’s guiding hand and been the happy recipients of His many blessings. We can't wait to see what else He has in store for us!
