IVF Consultation!

Today was our IVF consultation with Dr. Hershlag - Here, he told us what our IVF cycle would be like and what we should expect. He also told us the results of our blood work. Apparently, all of my hormone levels were ok, except for my FSH Levels (follicle stimulating hormone). People who are 30 years old should have an FSH of approximately 5 - mine was 10. This is sometimes an indicator of poor egg quality or decreased ovarian reserve. This definitely makes me nervous.

Dr. Hershlag told me not to worry about the FSH levels because i am young, my other levels were ok, and FSH of 10 is borderline, and not terrible. Still, i am nervous because this might make it harder for us to get pregnant, even though we are doing IVF. Dr. also told us that he would tailor make a drug regime for my IVF cycle that would correspond to my age, hormone levels, etc. He is so confident that he can make this work for us - it is really nice to hear.

He also gave us a bunch of numbers so we can make appointments with geneticists and the lab so we can get the ball rolling. We have a lot to get done in a short amount of time.

Before we can even start our IVF cycle, we have to:

1) Get my DNA tested for the exact location of my HPP gene

2) Send that paperwork to Genesis Lab in Detroit (where they will be doing my PGD)

3) Have a phone consultation with Genesis as to what PGD is and what we can expect. We also have to send them some Buccal swabs so they can have our DNA to work with.

4) After Genesis receives our Buccal swabs, they will make a "probe" that is specific to our disease. This "probe" is what they will use to find our disease when they test our cells for HPP. The probe takes 4-10 weeks to make.

5) Only AFTER the probe is completed, can we start our IVF cycle, which takes approximately 7 weeks.

So, we have a lot to do!!!!