~*~DE/DEmbryo/GC Check-in~*~

JM1977

This group is open to anyone who has already gone through donor egg/donor embryo/gestational carrier, is in the process of it, or plans on doing it in the future. 

 

This check-in posted each Tuesday.  If you?d like to be added to this group, please reply to this message, and I?ll make sure to add you for next week.  Welcome to the lurkers!  We know this can be a difficult journey, but we welcome you with open arms.  Let us know if we can answer any questions.

 

GRADUATES ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO POST! 

 

FACEBOOK GROUP: Yellow_Daisy has restarted a PRIVATE Facebook group (meaning no one can see it in your feed, that you are a member, etc.) for the ladies from IF and SAIF who are using/have used donor eggs/embryos or donor sperm.  If you would like to join, please page Yellow_Daisy and ask for an invite to the group.  This might be a nice way to keep in touch in a more private setting and address issues that may arise down the road.

 

***** If you are a donor or interested in donating, we would be happy to answer questions.  Please start a new post with ?Question for DE ladies? as the title. *****

 

Last Week?s Check-in

 

Status Update: Where are you currently with the DE/DEmbryo/

GC process?

 

QOTW: What has the donor selection process been like for you? What are/were your top priorities in selecting a donor? Have your priorities changed over time?

 

Huge hugs to bubbas mama1.  As you requested, I removed your name from the list, but please know that we will be here to support you in any way we can.

Hugs to shyntrue! Definitely hoping those were your last two ER visits! And early congrats on TWO BOYS!

 

Early congratulations to ljhgrey!! Yay for two lines!

 

Beta vibes to Bubs711 and good luck in the 2ww!

 

RFBsbride ? Hope your donor?s screenings all go smoothly! You?re getting so close!

 

Huge hugs to reb259 as you and your DH make difficult decisions about your path from here.

 

Congratulations to happywifemomofone on getting to this point in the donor selection process! Wishing you the best with your cycle!

 

Hugs to BeckyP005! Good luck convincing them to do an earlier mammogram! I hate that you have to wait so long!

 

Congratulations to ceemonkey on your donor embryos! Hoping this is the beginning of a wonderful journey for you!

 

So sorry to lynn0926 on the delay in your mock cycle. Hope you got some useful information from last week?s testing.

 

Wonderful news on the improved SA numbers mtlaurel! A great sign for your upcoming cycle!

 

In the 2ww

Bubs711 ? Selected donor! Sonogram as follow-up from mammogram showed fibrocystic breasts, biopsy of both breasts on 2/16 ? mass was drained, trial transfer was uneventful, TSH came back high, went on Synthroid, baseline blood work and u/s were good, on estrogen patches and Estrace tablets, ER scheduled for 3/21 and ET for 3/24  

gemini667 ? Pursuing DE after 2 losses and 3 failed IUI?s, started Lupron for DE cycle, received 4 eggs in a split cycle, on PIO, ET scheduled for 3/17!

 

Currently Cycling/on BCP's or Lupron

RFBsbride ? Fresh DE cycle and FET in 2009 both BFN's, pursuing DE again after unplanned 2-year break, initial blood work fine, started BCP?s on 12/15, everything looked good on saline sonohystogram and bone density scan, DH going for a physical and will get a referral to a urologist, all testing done, beginning BCP?s on 3/25, donor in town for screenings

 

Waiting to Cycle/Between Cycles

amethystgrrl ? Accepted 10 anonymous embryos!, working on paperwork, hoping for March/April transfer!

BeckyP005 ? 2 IUI?s both BFN?s, RE says DE is best option, not 100% sure about this option but beginning required testing, cycle on hold until August or September due to repeat mammogram needed

ceemonkey ? High FSH on her side and sertoli-cell only syndrome on DH's side, thinking about moving ahead with DE or DEmbryo, joined donor embryo program and have submitted some picks, cycling with OE, switching to estinyl from P4 and estrace, matched with donor embryos! Next step is more testing and then wait for a schedule, got paperwork to formally accept embryos

emca ? Decided on DE after 7 early miscarriages (including after IVF with CGH testing), chose a donor but cycle then cancelled due to donor thinking she was pregnant, decided to cycle one more time with OE, BFN with no frozen embryos, unsure if it is an egg quality problem, unsure of what to do next

Ginger71 ? Staring the DE process in the New Year, considering DE + DS, decided on a guarantee program and moving forward, working on financial details 

happywifemomofone ? 100% OOP, considering shared DE cycle, DE consult scheduled at Advanced Fertility went well, would like to cycle in June or July, contemplating guarantee programs, think they have selected a donor, planning to cycle in late June, working out the financial details

harriet93 ? ET May 2011, lost baby at 9 weeks (((hugs))), hoping for FET soon, growths in uterus removed, waiting on lab results before moving forward  

jfire28 ? DS born in ?08, m/c in ?09, then 3 IUI BFN?s, decided on DE, ER scheduled for 11/2 and ET on 11/7, positive beta on 11/16, early m/c, betas still increasing, u/s and hysteroscopy showed nothing (((hugs))) 

krod2010 ? IVF #6 with identical twin as donor, 16 eggs retrieved but none fertilized ((((hugs)))), DE cycle, ET 1/16, transferred 3 blasts, nothing to freeze, beta #1=81, D&C at 8 weeks 6 days after fetus stopped growing and heartbeat slowed, testing suggested heart defect, cycling with the same donor again in April

lynn0926 ? Made the decision to pursue DE, meeting with fourth RE last week, looking into San Diego Fert Center, nursing consult and RE consult completed, mock cycle possibly in March, found a local clinic willing to do monitoring and submit to insurance, matched with a donor! Mock cycle on hold due to fibroid, SHG scheduled for 3/22

M&MBride0506 ? Medicated cycles with sister, final IUI was negative, moving on to IVF, IVF#1 = BFN (((hugs))), sister is currently cycling - ET on 2/3/12

may2806 ? DE IVF cycle was BFP, having bleeding episodes but heartbeat is good, NT scan went great but blood work showed high HCG and low Papp-A, amnio scheduled but not done, late m/c ((((HUGS)))), determined to be caused by a huge SCH behind the placenta, did not work for SIL to be GC, planning on DE cycle, hysteroscopy showed uterus looks normal, also started looking into adoption

mielkede ? Decided on DE in August 2008, DD born August 2009, 2 frozen embryos, FET = BFN (((hugs)))  

MRSBELLALEE ? FET 10/26/09 = BFN, fresh DE cycle 4/10/10 = BFN, polyps removed in July, FET 9/10 = BFN, in contact with SIRM, NKC high but everything else normal, working with new RE in Maryland who recommended the Integrin B test, late loss of baby girl ((((HUGs)))), RE suggests adenomyosis, adopting, waiting to be matched with an infant , also looking into DE at SDFC

mtlaurel ? Considering DE and DEmbryo after two failed IVF cycles, decided that DE is the best option, DE consult complete, looking at doing a shared cycle, scheduled required mammogram for April, hoping to cycle in June or July, DH?s SA numbers are up

reb259 ? DE consult schedule for 11/3, DE IVF#1 with frozen eggs did not work out (((hugs))) WTF and appointment with reproductive urologist scheduled, phone consult with RBA, having reservations about continuing treatments

rewdew  ? Going straight to DE with ICSI after removal of one ovary and elevated FSH, also dealing with MFI, DE IVF #1 = BFN (((hugs))), 2 morulas frozen, planning on natural FET

sarahtoledo ? Signed up with a donor embryo listing service, made contact with two donor couples but logistics didn?t work out, proceeding with home study process through the county, connected with a donor embryo couple and have been corresponding

sekura ? Had WTF for IVF#1 and decided that DE is best option, considering frozen egg program at RBA, consult scheduled for 3/6, financial consult with current clinic on 2/17, has insurance coverage for DE, could do frozen cycle in April or a fresh cycle in 6-9 mo., meeting with RBA resulted in less hope about OE so decided on DE, moving forward with RBA, hoping to cycle as early as the end of April 

vawad82 ? BFP on 1st attempt with donor ? m/c, huge hugs

 

Looking into Options

Delta04 ? 2 failed IVF cycles with OE, getting more information about DE, started DHEA for 3 months and plans to cycle with OE

hrtbreakr ? Has been going through IVF/Infertility for 4 years, told DE is the best option   

kbrodie06 ? Has a 3-year-old daughter, considering/researching DE for second child, checking with doctors in the area and weighing options

kekis ? Unresponsive to IVF meds, considered DE but decided to start the adoption process

Mrs.McIrish ? Told by RE that DE was only option, DH unsure but willing to go to Resolve seminar, going to meet up with some other couples to talk about it, looking at DE agencies and profiles, has some insurance coverage but also considering shared risk programs, on hold with treatments after ER from IVF#3 resulted in nothing to transfer, pocket of blood in uterus thought to be caused by blood vessel being hit during ER

militarywife2b ? Considering embryo adoption, first consult with a new RE unsatisfactory, pursuing private adoption of baby who is due in May, also working on losing weight 

 

~*~Recent Successes~*~

ljhgrey ? Diagnosed with POF at age 16, unresponsive to Follistim, many discussions with DH, found a doctor this summer and went through preliminary testing, matched with donor in January, first ultrasound and blood work completed, then start estrace and more blood work on 3/2, everything looking good! ER scheduled for 3/7! ET was 3/12, transferred two beautiful blasts, beta scheduled for 3/23, 3 frozen embryos, HPTs show BFP!   

 

~*~Graduates~*~

07may07 ? DE cycle with sister's eggs, 3dt, BFP! Beta at 11dp3dt = 190, Beta at 15dp3dt = 927, it?s twins! A boy and a girl!, feeling better, baby girl on the lower end of normal for weight so keeping an eye on her, 34 weeks! Babies are growing well 

aebaby ? Cycled with RBA?s frozen DE program, HSG showed polyp which was removed, hysteroscopy for 11/2, 6 eggs fertilized after the thaw, SET on 12/14, 3 to freeze, beta on 12/22, early HPT?s positive! 

ashleyann82 ? Chose a new donor after first one backed out, shared cycle, DE eSET on 6/19, 4 frozen, BFP! Heartbeat is looking great on ultrasounds, baby looked great on a/s, it?s a BOY!, failed GTT, appointments set up with RN and dietician, going to start exercising more and watching diet, hit 35/35 milestone

bluebabka ? DE IVF #1 - 13 eggs retrieved, ET of 2 blasts on 2/19, BFP! First u/s showed two but follow-up showed one beautiful baby with a heartbeat of 174, baby boy born 11/3 via C-section, planning on FET in April or May  

BRSAugust20 ? BFP (singleton)! Joseph is here! Contemplating next steps regarding frozen embryo, may be on a parent panel for RESOLVE?s NIAW activity and also participating in a DE seminar

CharBart ? BFP on 1st attempt with donor!  Twins! Boys born at 32 weeks and doing great

dreamalotmp ? DOR, AMA, DE IVF + ICSI cycle, chose donor, cycle planned for November, donor dropped out of the program but selected a new one, ER and ET complete, BFP! Beta #1 = 243, Beta #2 = 489, first u/s showed one healthy developing yolk sac, everything looked good on first trimester screening, diagnosed with gestational diabetes, great anatomy scan on 3/5 showed a girl!  

epphd ? BFP (baby boy)!  Nubbin is here! Pregnant with OE in December, NT scan and CVS at 12 weeks showed chromosomal abnormality, D&E (((hugs)))

erinandbrockv ? DE cycle using sister?s eggs, ER on 2/8, ET on 2/13 - BFP!

GymDogFran ? Frozen egg program, twin girls!

hep01 ? BFP on 1st attempt with donor ? m/c ((huge hugs)) blood work results are back and showed a strand of MTHFR started Lovenox before ET, transferred 2 frozen embryos on 2/1, BFP! It?s twins! Two baby girls!

hooliface ? DE cycle, transferred 2 embryos (8 cell compounding grade B+ and an 8 cell grade on day 3, BFP!    
ichoosehope ? DE IVF #1 - ER on 3/4, 38 eggs retrieved, 34 mature, 3dt of 2 embryos - BFP!

Imanurse03 ? DE IVF #1 - ER on 5/31, ET on 6/4, 16 frozen embryos! BFP! It?s a BOY! Complications including low amniotic fluid levels, IUGR, welcomed baby boy on 1/18/12!

iwannababy2010 ? BFP on 1st attempt with donor! Everything looked good on NT scan, baby is here! Trying for a second baby with FET in March   

jcath ? Donor egg cycle with frozen egg bank, chose donor and back-up, had endo biopsy, 5dt on 1/26, beta #1 = 118, betas have been good, first u/s on 2/21 showed identical twin girls! Arrived safely on 9/2, enjoying every second with their girls

jhleap ? Has a toddler from DE, did an FET in November and got a BFP, expecting baby #2 in early August, first OB appointment scheduled for week of 1/16

JM1977 ? DE IVF #1 = BFN, DE IVF #2 - eSET on day 5 (12/15), beta on 12/28 = 1,035, beta on 12/30 = 2,234, first OB appointment showed baby measuring right on track, baby girl M arrived on 8/30/11!

juliannat ? BFP - boy/girl twins!

kb1965 ? Baby girl from DE who is 18 months old, FET of 2 embryos scheduled for 5/2

kdussault ? Donor egg cycle with known donor, 3dt on 1/22 of one perfect embryo, BFP! NT scan went great, anatomy scan on 5/19. It?s a boy!

koyn ? Cycling at RBA, transferred 2 embryos on 9/19, froze 1, BFP!! Beta #3 was 14,621, first u/s showed TWINS! 1st MFM appointment and saw both babies dancing around, hit 28 weeks

LBR_NJ/LisaBRM ? BFP! Baby girl Alana arrived on 12/9/09! FET scheduled for 12/10 but embryo did not survive the thaw (((hugs)))

lenebene ? Split DE cycle underway, on estrogen, donor started stims, ER on 4/25, ET is done - BFP! Beta #1 = 314, Beta #2 = 664, u/s showed one bean, u/s #2 saw heartbeat again, released to OB, team green!, passed glucose test

lhcooper ? Cycling with DE at out-of-state clinic, ER 12/5 - 16 eggs retrieved, got 5 in split cycle, 4 mature, 3 fertilized, 5dt of one embryo on 12/10, beta #1=413, beta #2= 3952, first u/s showed a healthy baby with heartbeat of 138 bpm, second u/s also went great, first OB appointment scheduled for 2/9, CVS on 2/14 showed healthy baby GIRL! passed 1-hour glucose, navigating the world of baby gear 

Lulubelle ? Diagnosed with POF at age 19, has a daughter from a previous DE cycle, original donor contacted and agreed to donate again, BFP! NT scan results looked great, anatomy scan on 8/15 - it's a boy!

lunatwo ? September cycle cancelled due to ovulating on Lupron, DE IVF#1 - ER was 11/11, 13 eggs, 6 fertilized, 5 B-grade embryos, ET on 11/16, BFP! Beta #1 = 485, Beta #2 = 2,495, first u/s showed twins!! A boy and a girl!  

mamabear7 ? DE IVF#1, 26 eggs retrieved! 5dt of 2 embryos on 11/7, BFP! Beta #1 = 347! Beta #2 = 1,073, first u/s on 12/3 showed twins! Anatomy scan showed a healthy boy and girl, measuring perfect

Mom2Reese ? Have a daughter from previous IVF cycle, pursuing DE for a second child, in the process of choosing a donor, planning to cycle in April or May

my2012miracles ? Currently expecting through GC (friend)

Mrs.Fuel09 ? DE cycle with cousin as donor, 5dt of 2 embryos on 11/8 - BFP!  

njohnson1972 ? Last attempt with OE, transferred 2 embryos on 11/6, BFP!  Jack is here! IVF cycle with OE unsuccessful, currently on a break and pursuing DE for the summer

RachelD83 ? BFP on 2nd FET (single embryo transfer) - boy! Jonathan born on 12/8 at 38w3d, he's starting to crawl!  

shyntrue ? Donor selected! Surgery to have septum removed, cycle postponed to December, had second SHG and uterus looked good, DE IVF#1 - 3dt of 2 embryos on 12/10, no symptoms but positive HPT?s! beta #1=890, beta #2=10,967, first u/s on 1/11 showed TWINS! Still having morning sickness but getting better, NT scan scheduled for 2/24, two trips to the ER and an overnight hospital stay, extensive u/s showed (most likely) 2 boys!

snoangel79 ? Dx with POF, DE cycle: 15 retrieved, 12 fertilized, 2 embryos transferred, and 8 frozen, BFP! Twins! NT scan went great - strong heartbeats and good growth, a boy and a girl!, babies small for their gestational age but doing well, welcomed babies on 2/24!

Stuckinthemiddle (OE) ? ET for last attempt with OE was 1/19, beta hell, first u/s looked good

SunMoon&Stars ? Cycling using frozen eggs, 5dt on 12/8, beta #1 on 12/17

Mrs.McIrish

Hi ladies,

I guess I should be removed from this check-in for the time being. I found out 3 weeks ago that I am getting laid off at the end of the year so we cannot take on the expense of DE this year. I am the primary "breadwinner" of the family and will likely take a pay cut to find something new so we are in savings mode now. I think we are going to do IVF#4 with my OE as it is mostly covered for insurance. I have no illusions of it working but it seems better than just sitting here.  I'll come back next year if anything changes financially for us.

GL to all and thanks for sharing your stories with me.

BRSaugust20

JM - thank you so much for doing such a fabulous job with the check-in!

McIrish - sorry to hear  you are having to put DE on hold.

Congrats to all those that had good news.  Hugs to those that need them.  Good luck to those getting ready to cycle / cycling / wating on news.

QOTD:  Our most important criteria was that she was a proven donor and had a clean family health history.  She didn't need to look like me since DH and I are pretty much opposites everywhere (height, eye color, etc)

Update:  DH and I are doing the panel for NIAW, we just sent in our blurb that will be posted on Re.S.olve's website and I lined my mom up to babysit!  I think DH is getting really excited about it.  We will speak for 3-5 minutes and then will take questions from the audience.  I plan on hitting the emotional aspects of DE and how finding support (like this board) was key.  I think DH will speak about the process of finding a donor. 

Anything specific you would want to hear us talk about if you were in the audience???

jcath

Hugs to those who need them and good luck to those who are cycling.

BRS - I think people are interested (I know I was) in how you finally decided DE was right for you, what you went through to find a donor and maybe a little about what it's like now.

QOTD:  I was pretty open minded.  I wanted a clean medical history but the RE's office screens out most people with document genetic issues. I wanted someone who had roughly the same "look" as me.  I'm fair and blond (ish) and so that's what we picked.  Mainly I just felt connected to the donor's profile and we only got to see baby pictures but our donors baby picture just looked like my families babies.

mtlaurel

Good luck to those in the 2ww and hugs to those who need them

Update: Nothing new this week

QOTW: I think we're pretty open-minded (me even more so as we wait and wait). I think physical similarities to me are more important to DH than me. My biggest concern is family health history. We're also doing a shared cycle, so we are pretty much guaranteed to get a proven donor, which wasn't as big a motivating factor as $, but something that we considered.

I'm sort of glad to be in a program where the donor coordinator selects potential matches for us to accept or decline. I think I'd heap way more guilt on myself if I had combed through databases to find our donor and then had a poor cycle result.

 

lhcooper

Hugs to McIrish and others who need them.

Update: not much except I think I'm just starting to feel her move! That, and still baby-gear obsessed. I do detailed research for a living so I suppose it's only to be expected.

QOTW: someone who looked a little like me, good health and clean family health history, and also, I realized, someone whom I felt I might actually like/identify with in real life. We totally lucked out -- we found her, AND it worked. I feel very fortunate.

lynn0926

Hugs to McIrish

Update: I had my SHG last week and they have chosen to leave the fibroid alone. No surgery for me, yeah! So, I will take my last BCP on Thurs and will start my mock cycle on Monday!

QOTW: I chose my donor based upon her looks being somewhat close to mine, being a proven donor, and she happened to have similiar interests as me. I feel that we would be friends IRL if I knew her like that.  

reb259

Hugs McIrish...I hate money has to play a factor in IF...just adds more salt to the wound.

I had my consult with Dr. S.hapiro @ RBA last Friday.  Call went well and he seemed very nice.  He aslo seems very confident in their program.   I am still waiting for H to decide how he wants to move forward...I have a feeling he wants to cycle again.

As everyone know an Asian egg was number 1 priority...I feel like I have been like a broken record.

Good luck to those cycling and in the 2 ww!!

sekura

<<Hugs>> to McIrish; hope you find a new job that works for you!  (If you're at all in finance or business fields, take a look at Citigroup; they cover some of DE costs.)

Lynn, glad you are able to go ahead with the mock cycle soon!

Update--not much to report.  We finalized all our forms and paid our initial deposit to RBA; just waiting for them to process it all so we can get access to the donor database.

 

Bubs711

{{HUGS}} to all those who need them, especially McIrish.  I'm so frustrated on your behalf!

Best wishes to anyone cycling or in the early stages of this process!

Status Update: Where are you currently with the DE/DEmbryo/

GC process?  Just had our 5 day ET yesterday.  I guess I am PUPO, but it's so surreal, I'm having a difficult time wrapping my mind around that.  I was on bedrest yesterday, but today I went back to work.  By the end of the day I started feeling a little crampy, but I felt better after I came home and put my feet up.  I went out to dinner with a friend, and now I feel a bit crampy again.  Embarrassingly, I wonder if it's just gas!

 

QOTW: What has the donor selection process been like for you? What are/were your top priorities in selecting a donor? Have your priorities changed over time?

My clinic does things pretty simply.  There is no database - just file folders to look through.  The down side is you have to go to the clinic to do this.  The up side is that I got to look at the profiles of all 11 donors they had on file at the time.  If I hadn't found one I liked, I could have waited, looked at their VA site's profiles, or gone to an outside agency.  I ended up doing an initial screening without DH.  He said he was leaving the donor choice primarily up to me since he still got to be a biological contributor.  He did go back with me, but he didn't even want to look at other profiles even for back up.  He was happy with my choice.  (Well, he would have preferred a blue-eyed blonde, but there wasn't a one in the bunch, believe it or not!)

 

I was primarily looking for the strongest health history possible.  I was really hoping for somebody at least partially Middle Eastern since I'm 100%, which I NEVER thought I'd find in Pittsburgh, but I lucked out!  (Our donor is 1/4 Syrian.)  I was hoping to find someone who I just felt a connection with, and our donor seemed like she'd be somewhat similar to me based on the comments in her profile.  I only saw a baby picture, but I liked that she had dark hair like me.  A proven donor wasn't a huge priority at first, but the fact that she was proven was kind of helpful in the end since they had an idea of how she would respond.

 

I was lucky that I pretty much feel like I was guided to my donor.  Is she 100%, exactly what I would pick?  No.  I originally was set on someone with very curly hair like me, but she has straight hair.  I just decided that other factors were more important.

happywifemomofone

(((hugs))) to those who need them, GL to those that are currently cycling or in 2ww.

update-nothing new.  Have a donor first choice and a backup.  Have decided to wait until May to put down our deposit.....as we are planning a cycle for June/July.  Deposit is nonrefundable and we don't want to commit our $$ until ready to cycle.  No mock cycle at our clinic unless you purchase guarantee-so we should be able to cycle fairly quickly.  We think that with all the cycles with my OE, that a mock cycle would just be a waste of $.

QOTW- We put heavy weight on clean health history and similar physical characteristics to me.  We are avoiding green eyes, because no one in our families has green eyes.  We didn't put too much weight on being a proven donor.....but put a decent amt of weight on donor being < 25 yo.  Our clinic has donor come in every single day while cycling and administers all meds in office daily.  This was a huge selling feature for our clinic. 

ceemonkey

Status Update: Where are you currently with the DE/DEmbryo/

GC process?

 

We have our paperwork for the donor embryos, just need to fill it out and send it in. There's a couple forms that need to be notorized and it's freaking me out. I don't know where to go where we can have that done and be comfortable with it. 

 

QOTW: What has the donor selection process been like for you? What are/were your top priorities in selecting a donor? Have your priorities changed over time?

 

We're using donated embryos and you don't get a whole lot of information there, because it's anonymous. We're looking for similar characteristics like hair, skin, & eye color, and then a semi-healthy background. The first time we were selecting embryos we were really kind of picky. This last time, we just decided we wanted a baby and everything else is secondary.

ljhgrey

Hi all... Excited for those of you moving forward in the journey and wishing lots of hugs and hope to those in need. 

Update: Last week betas 1 and 2 were 114 and 301! I'm pregnant! Our first ultrasound is Friday. So crazy. I'm so nervous and excited!

QOTD: We were not permitted to look through a database for donors, we worked with a consultant who took our input and then matched us with a donor. We had three days to accept the choice and if we didn't want to choose that one, she'd search for another for us. Our clinic prides themselves on the matches, and while initially skeptical, I have to say we were really pleased.  I cried when I read the profile. She had our mix of heritages, was a proven donor, and had many of my similar interests and hobbies. DH saw a photo of her (I didn't want to see one) and said she resembled my coloring. The consultant told us she was one of their favorite donors and will never forget the day she came in to visit one day with her son. She said the love between them was evident. We consider ourselves very lucky that this woman unselfishly gave a piece of herself to us.  

amethystgrrl

Status Update: Where are you currently with the DE/DEmbryo/

GC process? DH and I have had a change of plans, and have decided to use DE as opposed to DEmbryo. We have selected a clinic and donor, and are tentatively scheduled for a June cycle!

 

QOTW: What has the donor selection process been like for you? What are/were your top priorities in selecting a donor? Have your priorities changed over time? As we decided to go with DE, it brought many more possibilities and choices for us. Our priorities were someone with a similar ethnic background to myself, good health for herself and family, relatively similar looks, and educated. Besides that, the donor we selected just 'spoke' to me.

 

GL to all!

amethystgrrl

Mrs.McIrish:

Hi ladies,

I guess I should be removed from this check-in for the time being. I found out 3 weeks ago that I am getting laid off at the end of the year so we cannot take on the expense of DE this year. I am the primary "breadwinner" of the family and will likely take a pay cut to find something new so we are in savings mode now. I think we are going to do IVF#4 with my OE as it is mostly covered for insurance. I have no illusions of it working but it seems better than just sitting here.  I'll come back next year if anything changes financially for us.

GL to all and thanks for sharing your stories with me.

I'm so sorry.... and wish you luck.

gemini667

Status Update: Where are you currently with the DE/DEmbryo/

GC process?  

We had out transfer on 3/17.  RE agreed to 2 embies, both graded 1AB.  There were only 3 and the last one did not make it to freeze.  I cave to poas on 3/27 and got a BFP!!!  1st beta yesterday (3/28) came back at 625!!!  2nd beta tomorrow (3/30) maybe a 3rd on Monday.  HOLY COW!!!!! QOTW: What has the donor selection process been like for you? What are/were your top priorities in selecting a donor? Have your priorities changed over time?

 

The selection process for us wasn't too bad.  We didn't have a very large pool and missed out on a couple we liked, due to our apprehension. Our top priorities were health and physical traits. Their responses to the personal essay questions was important to us too.

I'm not sure where this journey will take us next, maybe I'll start lurking on the PAIF board. It is all very surreal!  Many good wishes and hopeful thoughts to all of you....reading all of your stories has helped me immensely and I thank you all.  

 Ok.....now its Friday(3/30) just got the call....beta #2 1527!  Beta #3 on Monday then hopefully schedule first ultrasound the week of 4/9!!!

 UPDATE: 4/2 beta #3 3697, ultrasound 4/3!!