The Numbers Game

Our Day Two Fertilisation Report is in. It is… less mind-blowing that we hoped.

I guess I was right to stop myself from some kind of unicorns-farting-rainbows post yesterday after hearing that 17 of the 23 eggs retrieved were mature and 14 had fertilised. Those were the best numbers we had ever seen. Even my embryologist and acupuncturist were surprised.

I fantasized briefly about having some to transfer and more to freeze for a cycle – or more, and started Googling names I liked. But then I resisted saying anything.

Today put me right back in the Land of Geriatric Mums and more conservative numbers (get a quick idea on how embryos develop and are graded here).

Here’s where we now stand, at a glance:

2 x 4-cell (average)
1 x 2-cell (average)
9 x 2-4 cell (below average)
2 x poor/out of the game

I know what you’re thinking – that means 12 are still in the game! And that is where my embryologist (who also did my last four cycles) will correct you, as she did me (she’s such a damn realist).

Because my previous cycles give her a couple of pretty good reference points for how our below-average embabies tend to perform on Day 3 and after (badly), she’s hedging her bets on the first three embryos. And that’s if they all pull off a little doubling stunt overnight.

Strangely, I seem to have managed to block out the details of the Day 2/3/4 performance of my embryos from previous cycles. I could ask the Doc for them, but I’m not sure what purpose that would serve. My gut tells me these numbers are STILL a little better, even if my backup plan appears to be retreating.

THREE that are average and growing. You only need one to stick right?

I’m also holding fast to this little nugget from my embryologist: there is, apparently, a 10ish% chance that a below-average egg can pull off a catch-up miracle, so maybe one of those nine will end up surprising us. Who ever really knows?

Anyway, the Doc is thinking about a day 4 transfer. I may turn blue first from holding my breath.

T-11 hours till the next update. Grow embabies, GROW.

Song of the day:

CW