Well, I would LOVE to have a ton of updates because it has been over 3 months since I posted. However, this is surrogacy we're talking about. haha. Which means, not a whole lot has happened. But a few things, so here's what you missed:
Had the phone call, it turned out to be just IM & me. Wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be (granted there were some pauses but overall it was way better than I expected). I got to hear more about her story, she got to know a bit about my perspective. We talked about our thoughts on pregnancy, lifestyle, etc. We agreed on nearly everything! Only thing we didn't see eye to eye on was coffee. If you know me, you know where I stand. But hey I can give anything up for 9 months, so bring it!
So after our talk, we both gave J the thumbs up. I thought our next step would be to meet. But then I got the news that the IPs decided they would rather wait to get embryos that passed PGD testing before we move forward. Disappointing that I couldn't stay in contact yet, but I understand their need to have their guard up. They've already had plenty of heartache trying for a baby. No sense in building a relationship and then have it end because they didn't have any embryos to go forward with the process.
So to back up a bit, if you don't know what PGD testing is, it stands for preimplantation genetic diagnosis testing. So in vitro fertilization is done, where an egg retrieval occurs and is fertilized, then after a few days the embryo divides into 8 cells and 1 or 2 are removed for testing. If everything checks out okay, the embryo is either implanted or frozen. In our case it would be frozen until we get to the point where we'd be ready for it.
The cycle was set for September. I was told by the end of September, we'd have the results and there was no reason to think anything would be wrong. So when I didn't hear anything by early October, I was a bit worried. Apparently the internet decided to eat some emails, because I found out J had emailed me, and that no embryos were good. Talk about a blow to the gut when I saw that! Not just for me, definitely not for me. I was so upset for my IPs. I didn't know what was going to happen at this point. A few days later I heard they were going to try again, but didn't know the timeline. So more waiting.
Fast forward two weeks (which puts us to the end of October) and I found out IM was on Lupron (suppresses the hormone that causes LH surge, i.e. ovulation) and she was scheduled to go in for a check soon. And that check was last Friday. So, based on calendars that Mr. Google provided me, after a baseline assessment and a stimulation phase, a tentative egg retrieval would be set for about the 17th, best case scenario. Add 5 days to grow the embryos out, and another 5-6 days to get results of the PGD testing, I'm looking at possible results (and healthy happy embryos) by Thanksgiving. But realistically I'd be more likely to hear the first week of December. That would be a pretty cool way to end the year, huh? A visit with the IPs and plans to have my screenings done!
But that's all up in the air. So in the meantime, I'll do some more waiting. :)
And I'll try to update sooner than 3 months from now!
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