Halfway through treatment and surrogate information...

 

1 week down, 1 week to go!

My scan and bloods last Wednesday went well. I was on my 2nd day of my bleed so they did my ultrasound and checked the thickness of the womb lining. Apparently it has to be under 5 to start treatment and mine was 3.6 so they gave me medication to be started that night. All medication is administered via injections in the stomach. I'm used to this with my insulin injections, however, there is alot more actual medication to push in and the needle is a lot longer so it feels slightly strange.  I started on Bemfola each evening for 4 days. Then from Sunday I have been on Cetrotide in the mornings and Meriofert in the evenings. 

  

  

I had a scan today and everything seems to be fine and getting along well. I have another scan on friday but they have provisionally set the date of egg retrieval for next Wednesday. Slightly nervous!

We have had a few comments from people that they might be interested in surrogacy and becoming a surrogate. It is lovely for people to say that but also gives us hope which we know may not follow on as a definite offer. We have requested information from the clinic for people if they are genuinely interested in becoming our surrogate, as we need to make sure people are fully aware of the process and what it entails. I have provided an overview below but, of course, if anyone would like any further information, please feel free to ask and I can send it - I won't expect you to go ahead with it just by asking! 

We are doing 'Host Surrogacy' which means it is my egg and Josh's sperm so the baby is ours and nothing genetically linked to the surrogate - she will be the oven and look after the baby but not be related. She will have a medical check including bloods and the usual clinic checks and an ultrasound to check the uterus is normal and will start taking medication for stimulation. The surrogate should also start to take Folic Acid once treatment is planned. 

The surrogate will take tablets for roughly 2 weeks in preparation for the embryo transfer then have an ultrasound. The embryo transfer is similar to a smear test and is not a major procedure at all. Tablet medication continues until they attend for a pregnancy blood test or until pregnancy has been confirmed which is around 2 weeks after transfer.  

It is illegal to pay someone for being a surrogate, however, we will be paying for the medication and all appointments and while pregnant, we will make sure the surrogate is not out of pocket so we will pay for anything needed in relation to pregnancy such as clothes and travel to and from clinic. 

Will update further nearer the time of egg retrieval - not long now!

   

Health Checks...

The day Josh was dreading has been and gone and he survived! 

     

Our clinic appointment was on Friday. This visit was for our health checks to be done. We both had to have blood tests and I had to have an ultrasound scan to see my ovaries. Josh is terrified of needles and has never had a blood test before so he was very nervous all morning. To make it easier, I brought him some numbing cream and put that on an hour before our appointment. He did really well and I was so surprised at how he handled it. Once the needle was in, he was chatting away. They took lots of blood for various tests such as HIV, Hepatitis and Gonorrhoea. They also did an extra test because I have Cystic Fibrosis (which is genetic) to see if Josh carries the CF gene. We should get the results back in about 5 weeks.

Next was my ultrasound scan. They insert a scanning device inside to look at each ovary and also see if it is easily reachable ready for egg collection. It was slightly uncomfortable but took about 5 minutes. They were happy with everything and said the egg collection could go ahead as planned and shouldn’t be any issues. Josh had to take his trousers down so they could check out his male bits and that was it - easy for men isn’t it! 

The next stage is for me to start the hormone treatment. They work it in with your menstrual cycle and start the treatment between the 1st and 3rd day of your bleeding. That happens to be tomorrow - Wednesday 23rd! So I am back up the clinic for an appointment. I think I need more bloods done for hormone levels, another ultrasound and then will be told what medications I’m starting. I’m usually ok when I’m on my period but I’m nervous to start these medications as I’m only used to my cocktail of “normal” meds. For the next 2 weeks, I’m either going to be a crying mess or want to kill everyone in rage. Hopefully everything will be fine.

I also wanted to thank everyone for our lovely messages and comments following our last blog. We read them all and they all mean so much. I especially want to thank a couple of the girls that privately messaged me who have been through similar experiences and it really helped reassure me as I am slightly worried about the egg retrieval under local. 

I will do a small update at the end of the week after my visit to the clinic tomorrow to let you know the plan for the next 2 weeks. 

       

We Are Back...

 

Surprise!

We are back after 2 years since our last post, and what a 2 years it has been!

Our wedding and baby making plans were put further on hold due to Covid in March 2020 BUT we finally got married a year after we originally planned on 13th October 2021 marking our 6 year anniversary. 

  

We got Christmas out the way then re-applied for funding for IVF as we live in a different borough to when we last applied. This was again turned down so we have managed to save up for most of the amount needed for the IVF part of the process. Of course, we still have the money donated previously so that is being used so thank you so much again to everyone that helped. 

We contacted a few clinics near us in December - some didn't get back to us and some only did IVF and not the surrogacy part of the process so we did find it quite limiting on options. However, we were contacted back by Herts and Essex Fertility Clinic and they were so helpful and lovely from the first phone call so we have signed up with them. They are an hour away (depending on traffic at the QE2 bridge/tunnels) but it is easy to get to, easy to park at and there is a cafe round the corner if we get there early :)

We had our first appointment towards the end of January - it should have been originally in the middle of Jan, however, I decided to have pneumonia and be hospitalised on New Years Day so we put it back until we were in a better situation. We arrived early so took advantage of the cafe and then were seen straight through to a room and answered lots of questions and had our questions answered. I gave them the long list of my medications and we had our first 'tests'. This test was to check my hormone levels and Josh's sperm and we would have the results given to us in a few weeks time over an online appointment with the doctor. I'm pleased to say both tests were normal - woohoo - I am normal in one area of my body and life at least! Josh also picked up a little souvenir from the clinic.... his sperm stress ball 😆

Our next appointment was in the first week of February to get the results of our first tests that I have just mentioned and to meet the doctor and for him to talk through the process and answer any further questions. He was really nice and explained everything really clearly. Due to my health issues with my breathing and lungs, I will not be able to have my egg retrieval done under a sedation so will have to have just a local. This is because they are not attached to a hospital so didn't want to risk messing with my breathing incase anything went wrong. Bit worried about that, however, he assured me it will be fine and others have it done that way. They will manage the pain still and be there to support me. It is a 10-15 minute procedure so I will have to grit my teeth and get on with it. 

We both have access to an online portal linked with the clinic. This is where they can send us forms to sign and get us to watch and read the different areas of the process so we understand what can or does happen. It is really helpful to have and we had a further online appointment with a nurse at the end of February, she went through the forms and made sure we were happy to sign. She then booked in our next appointment and gave us some provisional dates for our treatment plan. 

Our next appointment is in middle of March. This is for our health checks including blood tests and an ultrasound for me, to check the follicles and basically have an initial look around in there! Following this appointment, she worked out my menstrual cycle dates and they are looking at starting my medication regime a week after this appointment. The medication regime is roughly 2 weeks long and is given to make me produce as many eggs as possible ready to be used. I will then be brought in for the egg retrieval and Josh will provide his sperm sample and they make the embryos straight away. This is all scheduled for the first week in April.     

So we have a plan in place for now and a rough schedule which is exciting but nerve racking too. Just hope it goes as well as it possibly can. We need to start 'looking' for a lovely lady to carry our little baby now we have started the process. This is the part that worries me as I worry we won't find anyone and no one will come forward. I will talk more about that later but for now, we are happy and have a busy month ahead. Will update you all again after our appointment in a few weeks time!