This week we had our
first series of appointments at the Fertility Associates clinic in Christchurch,
which they helpfully scheduled these all for one day knowing that we’d need to
travel.
Semen analysis
We started with Dave submitting a semen sample for analysis – this was the first one done by Fertility Associates, the one from the start of the year was organised by our GP. This was booked for 10am, and we had the option of him utilising a room at the clinic to produce a sample, or collecting a pottle prior to the appointment and bringing the sample to the clinic within an hour of collection. They also provided a page of instructions including how long to abstain for prior to collection (which depends on what the sample is to be used/tested for), and how to exercise basic hygiene to minimise contamination of the sample. Dave opted to drop a sample off, to the disappointment of his friends who wanted to know what ‘material aids’ may have been supplied at the clinic. We were directed to their lab by the reception desk, dropped the sample off, filled in the brief submission form and returned to the waiting room for our next appointment – we’d receive the results later.
We started with Dave submitting a semen sample for analysis – this was the first one done by Fertility Associates, the one from the start of the year was organised by our GP. This was booked for 10am, and we had the option of him utilising a room at the clinic to produce a sample, or collecting a pottle prior to the appointment and bringing the sample to the clinic within an hour of collection. They also provided a page of instructions including how long to abstain for prior to collection (which depends on what the sample is to be used/tested for), and how to exercise basic hygiene to minimise contamination of the sample. Dave opted to drop a sample off, to the disappointment of his friends who wanted to know what ‘material aids’ may have been supplied at the clinic. We were directed to their lab by the reception desk, dropped the sample off, filled in the brief submission form and returned to the waiting room for our next appointment – we’d receive the results later.
Counsellor
Our second appointment was with the FA counsellor. She explained that due to being referred to FA for PGD, we’d sort of landed straight into treatment compared to a couple who had been receiving fertility advice often for months or years before treatment. This appointment was for them to get to know us and to get a feel for what our understanding was of the IVF treatment process, how it works, and (reading between the lines) how we would cope. We explained what we knew of the process we were about to go through, and discussed SCA 3 and the effect it has in Dave’s family. She asked whether we are talking to anyone about what we’re going through, and we told her about our belief in how important it is to discuss these things. We said that we are being open with our family and friends about starting treatment, even to the extent that I am writing this blog. She seemed satisfied with our conversation, and after making sure we knew we could contact her or other members of the FA staff at any time should we have questions or need additional support, concluded our appointment. Though an hour had been allocated, this appointment only took around 30mins as I guess she learned all she needed to from us in that time. We had a couple of hours until our next appointment, so headed out and came back in the early afternoon.
Our second appointment was with the FA counsellor. She explained that due to being referred to FA for PGD, we’d sort of landed straight into treatment compared to a couple who had been receiving fertility advice often for months or years before treatment. This appointment was for them to get to know us and to get a feel for what our understanding was of the IVF treatment process, how it works, and (reading between the lines) how we would cope. We explained what we knew of the process we were about to go through, and discussed SCA 3 and the effect it has in Dave’s family. She asked whether we are talking to anyone about what we’re going through, and we told her about our belief in how important it is to discuss these things. We said that we are being open with our family and friends about starting treatment, even to the extent that I am writing this blog. She seemed satisfied with our conversation, and after making sure we knew we could contact her or other members of the FA staff at any time should we have questions or need additional support, concluded our appointment. Though an hour had been allocated, this appointment only took around 30mins as I guess she learned all she needed to from us in that time. We had a couple of hours until our next appointment, so headed out and came back in the early afternoon.
Drug education
The third appointment was with one of the nurses, to go over the regime of medications I would need to take as part of the IVF treatment process.
The third appointment was with one of the nurses, to go over the regime of medications I would need to take as part of the IVF treatment process.
The medications are provided in either a vial where I will be drawing up a dose into a syringe for injection, or in smaller vials which are inserted into an injection pen, which you fit a needle to and have an adjustable dial that you use to set it to your dose. I will be injecting myself daily, and the injections must be done at the same time each day. They are administered into the flab in my stomach in a line below my belly button. The nurse showed me an example of the vial, the syringe and needle, and gave me the opportunity to practice inserting a needle into my stomach. I gave it a go (figured best to do any trouble-shooting while there!) and it was easy, the needle is so small I actually didn’t feel it at all. This is where I’m glad I have no problem with needles, and am not at all shy of medical procedures!
Appointment with the
specialist
Our final appointment for the day was with the fertility specialist overseeing our treatment. First they gave me a vaginal ultrasound, viewing my uterus (with IUCD in place), and both ovaries. They commented that everything looks normal and is in a normal position, so it should be a routine enough egg collection when the time comes. In my right ovary we could see one large follicle and 2-3 smaller ones, indicating that I am likely to ovulate from this one this cycle. In my left there were 3-4 smaller follicles.
Our final appointment for the day was with the fertility specialist overseeing our treatment. First they gave me a vaginal ultrasound, viewing my uterus (with IUCD in place), and both ovaries. They commented that everything looks normal and is in a normal position, so it should be a routine enough egg collection when the time comes. In my right ovary we could see one large follicle and 2-3 smaller ones, indicating that I am likely to ovulate from this one this cycle. In my left there were 3-4 smaller follicles.
After the scan, they
checked the results from Dave’s sperm analysis from that morning, which were
perfectly normal. This was all very reassuring, knowing that there are no surprises
so far with each of us that could affect treatment.
We then went over
the consent forms for treatment, one for IVF in general, one for this specific
cycle, one from FA for the PGD, and one from the lab for the PGD. During this they
mentioned again that they will use Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI),
injecting an individual sperm into an egg directly, rather than just adding semen to the eggs. In this case, this ensures there are no other sperm attached to the outside of the egg, which could affect the results of the genetic testing. I also enquired about Timelapse Imaging Incubation (TiMi) which I had read about. During this process, instead of removing the embryos briefly from the incubator to observe and photograph their progress every couple of days, daily images are taken without removing from the incubator. They can even make a video of the embryo development. The articles I read suggested that the daily monitoring of development can help them better select which are the highest quality embryos. I asked whether they thought this was worth doing, if it could be part of our treatment program, and if it cost extra. The specialist said it is worthwhile doing, but more as they felt the incubator was better and therefore any more sensitive embryos were more likely to thrive. It costs $975 extra if we wanted to opt for this, which we are leaning towards doing.
So now we wait for my next cycle and go from there. I have made a summary of the next sequence of steps as far as I understand it, and will make this a separate post as I've included quite a lot of detail.
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