I feel like a legit, infertility veteran now. I mean half a decade, 2 surgeries, multiple treatment cycles. I think I should get another merit badge.
Anyway, I had surgery #2 yesterday and it was pretty easy. Dr. Donesky removed some tissue from my cervical canal and uterus to help catheters pass through more easily. Hopefully this will mean less uterine irritability after my next embryo transfer. It also should make just having a period a little easier. Apparently, I had a lot of tissue that was getting in the way of my internal cervical os. I did not have any fibroids, which I was pleased with since my mother has a history of fibroids. Dr. D told my husband that my uterus appeared healthy. Also my failing ovaries seem to have calmed my endometriosis, some. There is some good with the bad.
In our next step we will be doing a mock cycle with an endometrial function test performed on the day that would have been my transfer day. I have spent way too much time researching the wrong test and had myself all worked up into a frenzy about how I will never be able to carry a child. There is an older, but still widely used E-tegrity test that tests for beta-3 integrins. Beta-3 integrin is a protein that helps with tissue adhesion...so basically glue to hold the embryo to the wall of the uterus. Many women with mild endometriosis have little to none of this protein and so their results come back saying they need to use a surrogate.
So reading this, I was devastated. I have mild endo, and I have been unable to conceive. I was sure we would be told we would need a surrogate. I have nothing to give a surrogate, so basically that means we would have to adopt. And it would be all slapped on my face at one time. I'm not ready. If we were ready, we would have turned in our adoption application instead of staring at it with hesitation, fear and ultimately devastation.
When Dr. Donesky came to pre-op he asked if I had any questions, and I ended up asking him about the biopsy. He told me he did not like the E-tegrity test, and that he's been able to help many women "without beta-3 integrins" conceive using donor eggs. I don't think I'd ever been so happy about our fertility options in a long-while until I heard that. He'll be doing a test with another acronym that's only a year old. Miami and LA are the only places in the US that run the test. I've had too many drugs in the last 24 hours to remember what the acronym was. Anywho, the answer will not be if I can or can't carry a pregnancy, but how many more or less days of progesterone I need to get my endometrium in the right phase.
Anyway...I'm supposed to heal for a few weeks, and hopefully we can begin the mock cycle. I'm excited. We've still got some time and options. And I'm ready to use that time to take them!
Peace, love and hopefulness,
MK
Anyway, I had surgery #2 yesterday and it was pretty easy. Dr. Donesky removed some tissue from my cervical canal and uterus to help catheters pass through more easily. Hopefully this will mean less uterine irritability after my next embryo transfer. It also should make just having a period a little easier. Apparently, I had a lot of tissue that was getting in the way of my internal cervical os. I did not have any fibroids, which I was pleased with since my mother has a history of fibroids. Dr. D told my husband that my uterus appeared healthy. Also my failing ovaries seem to have calmed my endometriosis, some. There is some good with the bad.
In our next step we will be doing a mock cycle with an endometrial function test performed on the day that would have been my transfer day. I have spent way too much time researching the wrong test and had myself all worked up into a frenzy about how I will never be able to carry a child. There is an older, but still widely used E-tegrity test that tests for beta-3 integrins. Beta-3 integrin is a protein that helps with tissue adhesion...so basically glue to hold the embryo to the wall of the uterus. Many women with mild endometriosis have little to none of this protein and so their results come back saying they need to use a surrogate.
So reading this, I was devastated. I have mild endo, and I have been unable to conceive. I was sure we would be told we would need a surrogate. I have nothing to give a surrogate, so basically that means we would have to adopt. And it would be all slapped on my face at one time. I'm not ready. If we were ready, we would have turned in our adoption application instead of staring at it with hesitation, fear and ultimately devastation.
When Dr. Donesky came to pre-op he asked if I had any questions, and I ended up asking him about the biopsy. He told me he did not like the E-tegrity test, and that he's been able to help many women "without beta-3 integrins" conceive using donor eggs. I don't think I'd ever been so happy about our fertility options in a long-while until I heard that. He'll be doing a test with another acronym that's only a year old. Miami and LA are the only places in the US that run the test. I've had too many drugs in the last 24 hours to remember what the acronym was. Anywho, the answer will not be if I can or can't carry a pregnancy, but how many more or less days of progesterone I need to get my endometrium in the right phase.
Anyway...I'm supposed to heal for a few weeks, and hopefully we can begin the mock cycle. I'm excited. We've still got some time and options. And I'm ready to use that time to take them!
Peace, love and hopefulness,
MK
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