My boyfriend called...

Better late then never and he was indeed a boy. Jeff and I were about to go grocery shopping for our dinner when the phone rang and that beautiful "restricted" phone number came up. I answered it and was given the run down on our eggs. They had actually retrieved 21 eggs from our donor and 20 were mature. Of those 20, 16 fertilized and of those 15 had divided and were looking good. I don't remember the odds I've read about from here...maybe 1/2 of those on average make it to day 5 (I think). I'm hoping for around 8 on Wednesday with a couple that look extra good. They do still plan on a day 5 transfer though so that is good. We should hear again on Tuesday and from there we'll set up an appointment for transfer. Two days left. Jeff and I are both excited and ready to go. I had no idea I could hope for something so badly.

On the only downside...I seem to breaking out a little from the progesterone in oil (PIO) shots. I've got 4 or 5 new pimples this week. Yeah! But the shots are still going well and haven't been an issue for me at all...no lumps, bruises or inability to move...only minor tenderness.

Success rates and dogs

I have been keeping tabs on the SART website for recent success rates of ART. They usually post the previous recordable year around this time of year (2008; due to awaiting "results" of pregnancies from treatment). So I was hoping to see a steady number and pattern develop with UCRM. Instead the rate of success dropped. They went from 76% in 2007 to 56% in 2008 (for donor egg IVF). So on one hand it is a 20% drop and on the other it is still 10% higher chance than regular IVF. But it kind of spooked me on the idea for a few days. I felt like we had an almost equal chance of bringing home a dog then we did a baby. In honor of that here are the top 3 dogs we consider getting if it doesn't work (keeping myself balanced here):

1. Doberman Pincer (dominant but loyal dog...but usually better to train from a puppy age to be a family dog)

2. Weimaraner (loyal, affectionate, eager to please and beautiful eyes...Jeff thinks they look too human)

3. Beagle (medium size, cute, even tempered...Jeff says they are on the bottom of the list for smart dogs and I say at least that way Thor can outsmart it)

**although on a positive note I did some narrowing down based on diagnosis. POI/Diminished Ovarian Reserve seems to have a slightly higher success rate (64% for 2008) and overall highs of 87% in 2007 and averaging around 66% when you take out the really high in 2007 and really low in 2004 (2nd year recorded...none the 1st year). So we're still hoping with Jeff's stellar sperm and my "perfect" parts sans my ovaries that we might get lucky very soon. Two months and counting...Eeegads that is soon! Please God let it be.

I am a statistical anomaly...

I went to a baby shower this past weekend. I haven't really been baby hungry so it is still fairly easy to go to baby showers and pretend that I'm normal (as long as no one asks questions hehe). But out of the 10 or 11 women that came to the shower the odds were...1 single, 4 with kids, 3 pregnant, 2 married without kids and me. Granted I don't know the outcome for 3 of these women but I'm pretty sure the 2 newly married friends don't have kids at this point by choice.

Anyway I found myself driving home from this shower thinking about the odds and asking myself if 1 in 10 couples have infertility problems then why wasn't there another woman in the room with my situation. Then it hit me...I am that woman...I am the 1 in 10. I would have to be in a room of 20 women (statistically speaking) to meet another woman with infertility problems. And that's just a woman who has been "trying" for a year and not fallen pregnant...they could still go on to get pregnant on their own.

For me to meet another woman with POF in my age range I would need a room full of 2,000 women younger than 30 (the odds are 1 in 1,000 before age 30). And then since I'm talking odds...10% will have fertility problems but only 5% of that 10% will ever need or decide to pursue IVF procedures (accounting for effective fertility treatment that is less invasive, those who can't afford IVF and those that pursue adoption instead). And of that remaining 5% of the initial 10% I can only imagine the small percentage that will need to pursue IVF using an egg donor. Wow! I am statistically an anomaly in society. I don't know if that makes me feel unique or just plain lonely.