(ICSI is an acronym for intracytoplasmic sperm injection - which is a long, fancy way of saying "inject sperm into the middle of the egg". ICSI is a very effective method to get fertilization of eggs in the IVF lab after they have been retrieved from the female partner. IVF with ICSI involves the use of specialized microminipulation and inverted microscopes that enable embryologists to select and then pick up individual sperms in a tiny specially designed hollow ICSI needle. Then the needle is carefully advanced through the outer shell of the egg and egg membrane and the sperm is then injected into the inner part (cytoplasm) of the egg. This will usually result in normal fertilization in approximately 70-85% of eggs injected with viable sperm. First, the woman must be stimulated with medications and have an egg retrieval procedure so that we can obtain several eggs in order to attempt in vitro fertilization and ICSI.)After we left the Dr.'s office Greg and I went and ate mexican food with Shawn. My diet after the retrieval is high sodium and gatorade. (YUMMY!) This will help in preventing me from hyperstimulating.
(Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) usually occurs as a result of taking gonadotropins — hormonal medications that stimulate the production of eggs in a woman's ovaries. These injectable fertility drugs may be prescribed to treat irregular ovulation or infertility. In ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, your ovaries become swollen and painful.
About one-fourth of women who use gonadotropins get a mild form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which goes away after about a week. If you become pregnant after taking one of these fertility drugs, however, your symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome may last several weeks. Fewer than 2 percent of women taking fertility drugs develop a more severe form of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can cause rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, vomiting and shortness of breath.
Symptoms
In most cases, the symptoms of OHSS begin three to 10 days after you take medications to stimulate ovulation. The severity of OHSS symptoms varies, and symptoms may worsen or improve over time.
Mild OHSS
Mild to moderate abdominal pain that may come and go
Abdominal bloating or increased girth
Mild nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Tenderness in the area of your ovaries
More severe OHSS
Rapid weight gain, such as an increase of 5 to 10 pounds in one to two days, or weight gain of more than 10 pounds in three or more days
Severe abdominal pain
Severe, persistent nausea and vomiting
Decreased urinary frequency
Dark urine
Shortness of breath
Tight or enlarged abdomen
Dizziness
Complicatons
About 1 to 2 percent of women undergoing ovarian stimulation develop a severe form ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Complications of severe OHSS may include:
Fluid collection in the abdomen (ascites) and sometimes the chest
Electrolyte disturbances (sodium, potassium, others)
Blood clots in large vessels, usually in the legs
Kidney failure
Twisting (torsion) of an ovary
Rupture of a cyst in an ovary, which can lead to serious bleeding
Breathing problems (adult respiratory distress syndrome)
Some of these complications may be life-threatening, but OHSS is unlikely to be fatal. Severe OHSS may increase the chance of pregnancy loss, either through miscarriage or termination because of complications)
After we ate Greg brought me back to Sandi's and got the heating pad ready for me and then he left for the airport. Thanks Shawn for taking him. At that point I felt pretty good. I was so sleepy so I took a long nap. When I woke up the good anesthesia has completely worn off and I am pretty crampy now.
I am just sitting here now, taking it easy with the heating pad on my tummy. We just go through eating dinner. Sandi made a huge pot of ham and beans. It was delicious!
Thanks everyone for all of your prayers today it was a huge success! Tomorrow we will hear from the embryologist and she will let us know how many eggs fertilized, keep your fingers crossed. I will keep ya'll posted.
