Fertilization

It's funny how when you are in the midst of your 5th fresh IVF cycle, nothing really phases you in the process. I have grown so close to my doctor, Angie Beltsos, and she always makes the process so comfortable and positive. She has such confidence that it is hard to lose hope when working with her. The night before my retrieval I had watched the latest episode of Private Practice. It hit home because one of the doctors on the show was going through IVF on this episode. In one part of the show, they showed her watching the fertilization of the eggs through a microscope. How neat would it be to see what goes on in the embryology lab. My most recent IVF cycles have been done at the Highland Park Lab within FCI. The medical team there really goes above and beyond for their patients. After our last transfer with our GS, they made the morning extra special by showing us the lab afterwards. This time I asked Dr. Beltsos if there was any way to actually see the fertilization of the eggs. I knew it was a long shot considering they don't actually fertilize the eggs until a few hours after the retrieval, but I figured it can't hurt to ask. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Dr. B. moves mountains for her patients. She asked her med student to try to tape the fertilization using her phone if she was able.

This morning I had an email with a link to a site where I could see some videos and pictures of the fertilization that takes place in the lab. I couldn't believe it! How neat to show this to our children someday when they are old enough to understand. Below is one of the videos of the fertilization.