IM Answers Your Questions.

After my post yesterday I received another question from my friend Brandi. Well the question wasn't exactly for me....it was for my IM. I sent it off to her and here are both question and answer.

Here's a question that can probably be answered best by your IP. What are some things considered by IP when choosing a particular surrogate?

Hmm...well first it's not only what the IP considers....the surrogate also has to pick you....it has to be a good match for both of you....it's a gut feeling I think in finding the perfect person. Things that you might consider at the beginning change as you go through the process....it's a life long bond between you and her. I feel like my surrogate and I have been friends forever already. She's a warm, loving and compassionate person and that's what really matters.

When looking for someone though there are a few things to consider. Her age, someone between 25-35 is good. Proven fertility, has children. Completed her family. Married or in a committed relationship that has the support from their significant other. Then there's all the obvious things like non-smoker, no alcohol, no drugs (during pregnancy)

Reader Questions

Since the transfer I've had a couple questions asked about what is going to happen next. The next steps for my IP's are very important so here are the questions and their answers.

What's involved in the preparation of the next embryos? Does your IM have to take some meds to produce more follicles?

Always great questions from my friend Dawn. In preparation for the next transfer both the IM and I will be taking injections to get our cycles in sync. She will also be taking medication to produce as many follicles as possible. Ideally the number of eggs harvested will be around 8. Once the eggs are retrieved they will fertilize them with IF's sperm. The doctor and IP's will decide how long the fertilized eggs will grow before the transfer. In most cases if the eggs are two days old they will transfer 3 eggs. 3 day old eggs, two will be transferred. Any additional embryos will be frozen for the future.

Did you get the money refunded so you can go to a new doctor for the next transfer?

The doctor did refund my IP's the cost of the transfer once he told him of the mistake. Previously my IP's had gone to another doctor and clinic in their area. They decided to go back to him and next week IM has an appt to set up the next transfer. Once she sees him we'll get an idea of when to expect the next transfer. Hopefully it won't be too long. All of our files were sent from the previous doctor and since we'll be using the medication to sync our cycles hopefully I won't have to go through the monitoring process again.

Thank you to my readers for your great questions. Please feel free to ask anything else. I always answer to the best of my ability.

A Word of Thanks

When I started this journey I only thought of how it would affect myself, my family and my IP's and their family. I didn't think about how this blog would affect others or how they would affect me. Over the past couple of weeks my readers have shown us nothing but support. The prayers, positive words and stories of encouragement mean a great deal to me and my IP's. My IM frequently reads the blog and sees the comments from others. The stories that have been told to us help to keep her going and help her to see that there are happy endings to stories like hers.

So on behalf of my IP's and myself...thank you to everyone who has been there for us. Keep us in your prayers as we embark on the next step of this journey....one that is destined to have a happy ending.

Confirmation of What We Thought.

So yesterday I got my period. It wasn't a shock but it was still sad. Last week I took 8 HPT's. I woke up every morning and prayed that two lines would show up. I prayed for a miracle. I guess it wasn't the right time. I never told my IM that I was doing the HPT's. I would have surprised her with the news if there was news to share.

Now we look forward to the next transfer. When that will take place I'm not really sure. I think the hope is before May.

I've decided that I have extra time for a reason...this week my husband and I will join a local gym. I'm going to get my body in the best shape that I can for my IP's baby...focus on making the most welcoming 9 month home for their bean!

A Week Later..Where are We Now?

So it was a couple days of regrouping after last weeks news. Once in was all absorbed my IP's decided to focus on the future and the next step. There is no trust left in this Doctor so they have decided to switch clinics and go to a Dr. they have used in the past. My files have been transferred from the clinic in Toronto and the doctor here in Ottawa that I went to for monitoring.

Now we need to go through the process of creating more embryos for the next transfer. I don't know what the time frame for all of this is. I know that IM would like it to be yesterday but realistically is looks like March or April at the earliest for the next transfer.

I can't really express how I feel for my IP's. If I knew it was only a matter of my body not accepting the embryos then I could deal with it that way....but this... I know that they are moving on past it and I will too but I feel horrible for them. I wish I hadn't made them wait so many months to do the transfer in the first place.