Embryo Transfer and the Emotional Rollercoaster

Our two perfect embryos

Our embryo transfer was on Wednesday, November 14. The procedure itself was very quick. We were told to arrive at 10am for a 10:30 procedure. They took us into the procedure room around 10:15, and Tom and I were on our way a little after 10:30. The nurses gave us a picture of the two embryos we had transferred. They are absolutely perfect. Our doctor told us we have the best case scenario for a successful IVF cycle. To further increase our chances, I had acupuncture therapy before and after the procedure.

Physical recovery following the embryo transfer was minor, at best. I was a little crampy. I was told to go home and relax. Emotionally, that is an entirely different story. Going into the embryo transfer, I expected to be really giddy and excited. In reality, the complete opposite is what happened. I have been dealing with infertility for several years at this point, and I felt exactly the same before the embryo transfer as I did after. There was no magic moment where I suddenly felt pregnant. I am trying to be optimistic, but at the same time, the concept of being pregnant is very surreal to me, and I do not want to get too excited just in case this cycle is not successful.

I started experiencing nausea and cramping Thursday night. In my head, I am interpreting this as morning sickness and using as an excuse to feel a little more optimistic. The reality is that morning sickness does not start for most women until the sixth week of pregnancy. I will be hitting week four on Friday, so I am more than a little early. The symptoms might be in my head, or, more likely, a side effect of the progesterone that I am on. I spoke to a nurse this morning, and she agreed with me that it is a little early to be experiencing morning sickness and my symptoms are likely a side effect of the progesterone. She also noted although it is not common, some women start experiencing morning sickness earlier than others. There is no way to be sure until my blood pregnancy test.