An Ovary of Champions!

Continued from previous post A Game of Snakes and Ladders.

The big day had finally arrived!! Surprise, surprise, I didn’t catch a wink of sleep the night before the egg retrieval extravaganza. My dreams were a wild circus, courtesy of the stress and drama from the past few months. But there I was, standing at the end of a long road filled with appointments, tests, scans, injections, laughter, hope, heartbreak, tears, and smiles. All that jazz was now behind me.

Anticipation and Anxiety: The Day of Truth

Everything boiled down to this day. Despite the scans giving a thumbs up to my ovary’s hormone party, I had no clue if there was even a single egg in those follicles. That thought was like an annoying song stuck in my head. I was dying to know but also scared out of my wits. In just a few hours, I’d either be doing a happy dance or drowning in a new wave of devastation. Only one way to find out!

That morning, I jumped out of bed, took a shower, and made sure I was clean room ready—no makeup, jewellery, perfumes, or nail polish. I set off for the clinic, hoping the fresh air and exercise would keep my stress levels from reaching outer space. Sitting in the waiting room, I felt the anticipation bubbling and tried not to dwell on the fact that I was flying solo. Deep breathing and positive vibes were my go-to strategies.

It's Just You and Me Now

As I lay on the trolley, ready for the procedure, I had a little heart-to-heart with my ovary. “It’s just you and me now. Let’s make some magic happen!” I had to trust my body was on my team.

After a dose of heavy sedation, I woke up 20-30 minutes later, being wheeled back into my starting cubicle. By then, my brother had arrived to keep me company during the brief monitoring and recovery. Seeing his face made me feel less like a lone ranger! A nurse popped in to check on me and asked if I had any questions. That’s when it hit me—I had no clue about the outcome. Did they nab any eggs?

Exceeding Expectations

And drumroll, please… they retrieved six eggs! SIX EGGS!!! I was so shocked I burst into tears (seems to be my thing on this journey!). Thinking back to the consultant’s prediction of maybe one or two eggs per cycle (and that those eggs might not even be suitable for freezing), this was a jackpot! But I wasn’t out of the woods yet. One more hurdle remained—the embryologist had to confirm if any of these six eggs were mature and ready for the big freeze.

Image created using WIX AI image generator.

The recovery was a breeze. Luckily, I had no abdominal pain, and apart from feeling like I’d run a marathon, everything was looking up. The next morning, I got a call from the clinic with the best news ever! My ovary had produced some top-notch eggs! All six eggs were mature and ready for freezing!

I made it to the finish line! Well… almost. One lingering question—are six eggs enough?

When freezing eggs, the aim is usually for 12-15. Or so they say. That’s a tall order for some folks. But given this round’s success, it wasn't crazy to think I could reach 10-12 eggs if I give it another go. But in the meantime, I needed to recover—emotionally and physically. This roller coaster ride takes its toll. I planned to revisit this adventure a few months later after the dust settled.

And That's a Wrap...For Now

And so I wrapped up this journey (at least temporarily), with SIX maybe babies safely chilling at -196 degrees Celsius in liquid nitrogen! I was over the moon. While the uncertainty lingered (actually using these eggs through IVF would be a whole new saga), the outcome makes every tear worth it! I have to believe this somehow secured my dream and brought me one step closer to having a real baby of my own someday! You heard it here first. I refused to give up!