IVF - Genetic Testing for Embryos
Donation protected
My husband, Nik, and I have been on an IVF journey for about 2 years now. As a trans man, he never thought it would be possible for him to have a child, much less a *biological* one. We decided to do everything in our power to give this the best shot we could. We would use his eggs, a sperm donor, and I would complete the transfer/carry our baby.
Nik went through the egg retrieval portion of IVF, which meant foregoing his hormone replacement therapy and subjecting his body to hormones and processes it hadn't seen in 10+ years. We ended up with a total of 11 embryos to work with when all was said and done.
We thought we were in the clear, and ready to finish my leg of the journey, but have been hitting some snags. I have had 2 positive pregnancies... and 2 losses in a row -both around the 5 week mark. All of my testing has come back normal, so our doctor is coming to the conclusion that there could be problem with the genetic makeup of the embryos. There is a pre-implantation genetic screening that could be done to determine the viability of the remaining embryos before we go through with another transfer.
The screening will take approximately 10 - 15 cells from each of the remaining 8 embryos to biopsy. We could be left with no embryos that are genetically sound to transfer - but at least we would know before dumping more time, money, and heartbreak into transferring embryos that aren't viable. We will not be able to make another attempt to retrieve more eggs, but this would help us course correct and attempt our next family plan.
IVF is difficult enough to navigate - but data is lacking regarding the effects of hormone replacement therapy on eggs/embryos. We would just like to improve our odds of having a baby like we've been dreaming of. From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate any support that is given!
*** We are very open about Nik being trans and using his eggs so nobody feels like they were lied to/ donates to a cause they don't support.***
Nik went through the egg retrieval portion of IVF, which meant foregoing his hormone replacement therapy and subjecting his body to hormones and processes it hadn't seen in 10+ years. We ended up with a total of 11 embryos to work with when all was said and done.
We thought we were in the clear, and ready to finish my leg of the journey, but have been hitting some snags. I have had 2 positive pregnancies... and 2 losses in a row -both around the 5 week mark. All of my testing has come back normal, so our doctor is coming to the conclusion that there could be problem with the genetic makeup of the embryos. There is a pre-implantation genetic screening that could be done to determine the viability of the remaining embryos before we go through with another transfer.
The screening will take approximately 10 - 15 cells from each of the remaining 8 embryos to biopsy. We could be left with no embryos that are genetically sound to transfer - but at least we would know before dumping more time, money, and heartbreak into transferring embryos that aren't viable. We will not be able to make another attempt to retrieve more eggs, but this would help us course correct and attempt our next family plan.
IVF is difficult enough to navigate - but data is lacking regarding the effects of hormone replacement therapy on eggs/embryos. We would just like to improve our odds of having a baby like we've been dreaming of. From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate any support that is given!
*** We are very open about Nik being trans and using his eggs so nobody feels like they were lied to/ donates to a cause they don't support.***
Organizer
Whitney Hrnciar
Organizer
Salem Lakes, WI
