Here's a cool pic I found that shows human embryonic development. Yesterday was day 0, today is day 1. This is what our little embryos look like sitting in a petri dish:
(http://dev.biologists.org/content/139/5/829/F1.expansion.html)
We could be putting the embryo back at the 8 cell stage (day 3 after egg retrieval- Wednesday) or the blastocyst stage (day 5 after egg retrieval- Friday). It just depends on the next few days and how our embryos are doing. If we have more than five perfect 8 cell embryos on Wednesday, they will push embryo transfer back to Friday to see if they can pick out the "strongest" embryos. Either way is fine with me. We did day 5 transfer last time, and the "strongest" embryo that made it to day 5 had an extra chromosome and that's why I miscarried. I can't help but think that there was a healthy embryo in that batch of 6 last time that just couldn't make it in the harsh conditions of the lab.
As I mentioned, I am finished with shots, but not with hormones. I have to start on progesterone today. Some practices make their patients do an intramuscular injection of progesterone in oil. This is notoriously painful. Luckily, my practice doesn't believe in such torture so instead I do a vaginal applicator of progesterone gel twice daily which would continue through the 10th week of pregnancy if (when) this works. Progesterone is the hormone that is largely responsible for pregnancy symptoms of tiredness and hunger. Fun! But, this is helping to prepare my uterus for the embryo that's going to be put there this week so it's something I have to do.
Now we just hope the embryos continue to grow. Positive thoughts and prayers please! :)
Lots of positive thoughts! Good luck this week :)
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