IVF 5: Preliminary Results, Part I

Emily’s fifth egg retrieval is complete, and the first wave of results is in.

Before we get to the numbers, for context, let’s recap the steps of this process.

During the retrieval, the doctor collects every egg that has been produced.

The eggs that have matured to the proper size then undergo fertilization. Those that successfully fertilize become embryos and are monitored for a week, during which a certain percentage will not survive.

The embryos that do make it are then sent off for chromosomal testing, which typically takes two weeks to complete.

In other words, we have a ways to go until we find out how successful this fifth round will be.

But, we do now know how many properly matured eggs were retrieved and how many of those were successfully fertilized.

So…did Emily’s rising like a souffle translate to a bounty of eggs? Did my sperm respond to all those acupuncturist-peddled supplements?

Find out as I did in the video below, which shows the call I received from Emily.

As a reference, these were our numbers for the failed fourth round of IVF. As you can see, it’s imperative to start with as high a count as possible, because there is a drop-off at each stage

FOURTH ROUND RESULTS:

• Total eggs retrieved: 19
• Mature eggs: 10
• Eggs successfully fertilized: 6
• Embryos sent for chromosomal testing: 2
• Chromosomally viable embryos: 0