If you follow me on Instagram, you know I had my Embryo Transfer Day on Monday, March 15! I wanted to share a detailed breakdown of my experience so others going through it can see EXACTLY what to expect. It’s already such a stressful process, I’m hoping this post can help paint the picture of what the process is REALLY like.
If you’re new here, you can learn about my Second IVF Cycle here and our Infertility Journey here.
Let’s jump right in!
Preparing For Embryo Transfer Day
In a future blog post, I’m going to share the difference between a fresh IVF Cycle and a Frozen IVF Cycle. For now, I’m sharing my experience with a Frozen Embryo Transfer, or FET as they are often called.
The first thing you should know is there is A LOT let medication to take with a FET. To give you a timeline:
- December 29: Started birth control.
- January 11: I had an HSG done.
- January 14: Saline ultrasound and mock transfer.
- February 16: Started taking estrogen – I also had my baseline ultrasound and blood work done on this day!
- March 2: Monitoring appointment where they repeated the ultrasound and blood work. But at this appointment, they found that the lining of my uterus was not thick enough to transfer yet. So they increased my estrogen from 2 mg three times a day to 3 mg four times a day.
- March 9: They brought me back to repeat the ultrasound to see how my body responded. My body responded to the medication change and my lining was thick enough so they decided to go ahead and schedule my embryo transfer for March 15!
My doctor started me on progesterone injections the next day. That first day I did one injection in the morning and then one in the evening. And then from that point forward I just do one injection every evening. My progesterone injection started five days prior to my embryo transfer day.
If you’re interested, I talk a lot about injections in my post about our first IVF Journey!
My Instructions For My Frozen Embryo Transfer
My transfer was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. – they wanted me at the clinic by 1:00 p.m. I was told to empty my bladder at 12:30 p.m. and then drink 20 ounces of water at 12:30 p.m. The goal is to have a moderately full bladder. And you cannot empty your bladder until after the transfer. This is because a full bladder helps to position the uterus for the transfer.
I was told my husband could not come with me. Due to Covid restrictions, I was not allowed to have any visitors present with me. So he needed to wait in the parking lot. This was definitely a bummer for me. But I did expect it. Essentially my entire process for this IVF cycle has been virtual. With my last IVF cycle in 2016, my husband also could not be there for transfer day because he was out of town in the middle of workups before a deployment. We were definitely hoping he could have been there for this one. But we made the best of it and stayed positive.
The weekend before my transfer we did all the fun family things. It really filled me up with joy to just spend quality time with my people. We went to a monster truck rally, we went and saw a movie, we went to church, ate some yummy healthy food, and end of the weekend at the beach.
The Morning of Transfer Day
My whole family slept in a little bit later than usual. So that was really nice. And I just took it easy. I got ready really slow. I made a batch of jook in my crockpot the night before because my acupuncturist recommended it. It’s essentially like a rice pudding. So I had that for breakfast with some fruit. Took all my medication and supplements like normal. I sent my son to the park with a babysitter. And got dressed.
I originally had a really comfy jumper picked out to wear for my procedure day. But the more I thought of it the more I realized that this clinic would probably not have me change into a hospital gown. And I would probably only be undressing from the waist down. And so a jumper might be a really awkward choice. So I opted for a transfer day Etsy tee instead.
I emptied my bladder just before 12:30 p.m. Filled up my big Yeti with 20 ounces of cold water for the road. We live about a half-hour away so I was just gonna drink my water while my husband drove. I brought my headphones with me so I could listen to my meditation and or my playlist on the way to the clinic and in the waiting room.
IVF Playlist
IVF Mediation Apps
- MindfulIVF: This is my FAVORITE for IVF meditations. I listen to this every single night before bed!
- Insight Timer: This app has ‘Embrace IVF Journey’ guided meditations. I like to incorporate these during the day when I have time.
- Glorify: I use this app for daily quotes or daily scripture. You can read or listen to it. It also has quick devotionals and a daily reflection that is based on the day’s topic and scripture-based!
- Hatch Restore: This is my alarm and what I use for meditation, visualization, and sleep sounds. There are not any IVF-specific meditations but I love all of the medications and visualization are practices for great sleep. I listen to this as I fall asleep every night. BONUS: it is set to a timer!
Getting To The Clinic
We pulled up to the clinic, I filled out my Covid waiver, and Loren rode up the elevator with me to say goodbye.
I stayed in the waiting room for about 10 minutes and just listen to my playlist the entire time. Calmly waiting for them to call me back.
Eventually, a nurse called my name and I walked to the back with her to do my vital signs. She gave me a little bit of the rundown for post-procedure instructions. Then she let me know that they were running a little bit behind. They were still in with the previous patient doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer and so she sat me in their temporary waiting room.
This is not usually a big deal, but remember my bladder is VERY full. This is why I was glad to bring my headphones to do an additional meditation and just keep my mind off of my full bladder.
At about 2:00 p.m. they let me know that they were ready for me.
Another nurse brought me back to the procedure room. I undressed from the waist down and had a nice and comfy paper sheet to put on my lap. The nurse quickly scanned my bladder with an ultrasound to make sure my bladder was truly full. It was.
The Actual Transfer
Now it’s time for the whole team to come in.
A fellow walked in, a nurse, someone observing, the embryologist, and eventually the doctor. The doctor and I reviewed how many embryos we will be transferring. He let me know that the two embryos they thawed survived perfectly. Then we reviewed how many we had left frozen. He talked me through the procedure once more and told me that we would identify my name and the two embryos on the TV screen on the wall.
The actual transfer procedure is very simple. It is similar to a normal women’s exam or Pap smear. Although it is slightly more uncomfortable and intrusive because you have a full bladder and they are putting the catheter right inside your uterus to place the embryo. The worst part of the whole thing though, is having a full bladder, a really full bladder, and them having to press on your tummy constantly with the ultrasound to make sure the catheter is going into the right place.
So, we watch on the ultrasound as the catheter is passed into my body and up to my uterus. Then the embryologist puts my two embryos on the TV screen. We identified that that was me and those are my two embryos. So the embryologist could now bring them into the room with us. Here is a terrible quality screenshot from the procedure where you can see the bright white tube is the catheter and you can see the embryos on the screen behind us.
The embryologist brings the embryos into the room. They get everything lined up with the catheter. The doctor lets the embryologist know when to insert the embryos into the catheter. On the ultrasound screen, we watch as a little white flash happens. This is usually either air or the medium in which the embryo is traveling in. But nonetheless it’s really amazing to watch that little white magical splatter into your uterus because you know that’s the embryo.
The protocol is then to have embryologist take the pipette that contains the embryos back to the lab and look at it under the microscope. They want to make sure that the embryo didn’t get stuck to the side of the catheter or is still in the pipette for whatever reason. They are so tiny.
We here over the speaker in the room that in fact she did find one embryo still stuck inside the catheter. So she brought the embryo back onto the TV screen. We confirmed it was me. And then she brought it back into the room for an additional transfer.
We all watched the little magical white splatter again on the ultrasound machine. The embryologist took the catheter back to the lab to look at it under the microscope. Making sure that the second time around the embryo actually transferred. And it did. Even with both transfers, the whole thing took 15 minutes.
I actually filmed the whole thing for my husband so you can watch it if you’re interested:
After the procedure they had me lay down for five minutes and then so I can get dressed, use the restroom, and go home.
How I Felt Post Transfer
It’s a strange thing to try to describe how I felt after the procedure. I was definitely excited. Definitely optimistic. But you find yourself in a cautiously optimistic state – almost instinctually guarding yourself against the potential failure of this procedure. Hard to describe. Definitely hopeful. Definitely relieved that the embryos survived the thaw. I’d say 85% of me is all in and excited! Hope that makes sense.
My instructions post transfer were as follows:
- Continue all medication.
- Resume normal/light activity – no bedrest.
- Light exercise is fine just nothing intense. (Lightweight lifting, yoga, swimming, walking is all fine.)
- No sex for 4-5 days.
- Do not lift anything heavier than 25 pounds.
- Make decisions as if you are pregnant.
- No special diet.
The clinic has me pre-scheduled for a blood pregnancy test in a couple of weeks.
What I Did Post Transfer
Loren took me directly to get some tacos. I was so hungry. And they were delicious.
I dropped him off at home so he could be with our son, and I drove straight to my acupuncture appointment. My practitioner really wanted to see me within a couple of hours of my transfer. So that’s what I did.
When I got home I made cabbage soup, also recommended by my acupuncturist. My mother-in-law passed on an amazing recipe that’s fully vegan, healthy, and delicious. The recipe is from the Oh She Glows Every Day cookbook.
I made plans to be able to just take it easy all week. I’ve kept my schedule really light for work and stocked my closet with really comfy loungewear. And made sure I could really prioritize sleep and self-care. I’m not staying in bed all day but I am giving myself time to take a quick nap or lay down to read if I want. I’m keeping stress low. And enjoying this time.
Shop my Two Week Wait lounging favs below!
I am eating a ton of pineapple and Brazil nuts. [You can read more about fertility-boosting foods I eat here!] I am still drinking pomegranate juice. I am eating warm foods like soup. And just really focusing on a lot of healthy food options. I’ve continued all of my normal supplements as well as my prescribed medications. I took a few days off for my workouts – and then resumed yoga, barre, and light weightlifting.
I try to hop on IG stories every day to show my injection in real-time – really just to normalize it, and show other IVF families that they have company in this journey.
The two-week wait “TWW” – just is not easy in any way. My blog is coming next week for you dedicated to just the two-week wait!
As of right now, I do not plan to test at home. Although in my last IVF cycle I actually did test at home – to prepare myself for whatever the outcome was. So I totally understand both approaches.
As you read through this let me know if you any questions in the comments below! I am happy to share more if I missed anything. And as I learned from my previous IVF cycle, it is so important to share resources and people like me who are going through this journey with others who are planning to go through IVF.
Knowing a little bit more about what to expect and not feeling like you are completely alone can be such a huge help. So please feel free to share this with anyone in your life who may be encouraged by it.
A Few FAQs
The supplements I am taking: Estrace 4 mg four times a day Progesterone 50 mg IM once a day Baby aspirin daily Vitamin E 1000IU daily [may cut this back to 1/day] Omega-3’s with CoQ10 3x a day Magnesium before bed Conception prenatal
The side effects I’ve been dealing with for a few weeks now: Headache – every single day since starting estrogen Nausea Dry mouth Hot flashes
one last thing, below are some verses I gathered for you as you are going through this journey. My hope is for you to feel encouraged, that you would find peace in the journey, and know that whatever is ahead for you – you will be prepared with the support and the strength to endure it.
In your corner and rooting for your best possible outcome.
Xoxo
Brittany
