IVF embryo transfer and the waiting game

By Liz, Womb For Improvement

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The transfer itself was the easiest to date. Partly because I’m so blasé now about having my not-so-privates displayed to a room stuffed with the husband, a doctor, nurse, embryologist, scan-operator and a couple of other people - I'm not entirely sure what they were doing there but I'm pretty convinced I saw them pull out a bag of popcorn at one point.

Using a catheter the two embryos were pushed through my cervix, and pressed into my womb (it has been described as being like pushing grains of rice into butter, they don’t just float around aimlessly). All the while the scanner pressed on my full bladder enabling the doctor to see where the catheter was heading, and ensuring that, regardless of either the pain of the insertion or the emotional impact of the moment, I was welling-up.

Suddenly we saw two bright white sparks amid the grey sludge on screen.

'And there they are...' declared the doctor.

The husband and I gazed lovingly at the bright spots. These could be our babies. We squeezed each other’s hands.

'You see the bright spots?' he continues.

We nodded wordlessly, transfixed.

'They are air bubbles, your embryos are in that black spot between them.'

Oh.

Now I just have to wait 16 days before my clinic will take any notice of any pregnancy test I do. Will I wait that long to test? We’ll see...

Since 2008 Liz has kept an online record of her quest to conceive on her blog Womb For Improvement. Read more from Liz at Womb4improvement.blogspot.com