The IVF Open Evening

As you know, we attended an open evening this week at the Oxford Fertility Unit to start the process of IVF.

It was an overwhelming experience, but a positive one.

I had already done my research on what to expect so the process wasn't a surprise, but the speed at which things will now move forward definitely was!

During the presentation we heard from an IVF nurse and embryologist, which "humanised" the whole process. Up to now I had mainly found info on various forums, so to hear it from the people that may give us our miracle was humbling.

They showed us lots of clips of the eggs and process, which was amazing. It is so clever how they can do this!

We have to go back to the OFU on Tuesday for a test on Rick, this will help them decide whether they will perform IVF or ICSI. ICSI is just a more technical version of IVF, so all my treatment would be the same, but they would inject the sperm into the egg (instead of just putting them both together in a Petri dish).

After this it is simply a waiting game for my next cycle to start. Once it has, I have to contact the fertility unit here in Swindon to make an appointment to "book" in my treatment and get the drugs etc. So very fast indeed!

I am very, very lucky that I am able to do so much of my treatment from here and only have to go to Oxford for the egg collection and transfer.

I am also very blessed that I live in an area that will fund three cycles for me. Some people at the open evening have no funding at all. It's really sad that they will have the added financial pressure to an already daunting situation.

I am hoping my cycle will start in the next couple of weeks, so I will update you more once I go to my planning consultation. (That is a novelty, actually wanting AF to arrive for once!)

In the meantime I have a billion consent forms we need to read through.

I really hope this works xxx