Genetic test results

Got the genetic testing results done at the D&C back this morning: Edwards Syndrome - Trisomy 18, a female fetus (which wikipedia says prevalence of Trisomy 18 is higher in female fetuses). How do I feel about this? I don't know: not much, right now really. A girl would have been nice (we have 4 nephews and I'm dying to buy girly clothes) but that might have been her doom (with the prevalence for Trisomy 18). Actually, I'm trying pretty much not to think about it, but to only think forward. Nothing we can do about that aborted fetus now and it wouldn't have lived anyhow.

In terms of moving forward......

Had a very long discussion with Dr.Dry yesterday afternoon which I'll do a long post about later. We're still trying to absorb new information (can you believe it?!? we actually learned one or two new things after all this time) and process. But basically, I have to revise a bunch of testing: a new HSG, a new mock embryo transfer and we're going to go ahead and finally do karyotyping on each of us so soonest stimulation will start is *next cycle* (not the one that will probably start in a week or so) which will probably be mid to end of September. Bummer. But, we can try on our own this next cycle (we prevented this past couple of weeks following the D&C.) Fat lot of good that's probably going to do us though.

We'll probably go for IVF with genetic testing. Of course, we're likely to only get a few embryos to even test, but I think we'll do it. Or, we'll just do IUI for a few rounds until we feel up to the genetic testing.

If the karyotyping comes back that I have a translocation then probably straight to donor eggs.

[Ok, I guess I'm writing that more detailed post right now :-) ]

We did talk about my sister's eggs. Dr.Dry told us that medically they'd have a 50-60% chance - same as her age group. Of course, that's if she responds to stimulation and retrieval goes smoothly and everything. The new information/recommendation he gave us was in response to an idea we had about having her do a retrieval as soon as she's medically ready (i.e., after she's done breastfeeding at the end of October-ish) but not doing a fresh transfer right then while we're still trying with my eggs. But having her 36+4 or 5 month old eggs for when (maybe 12 months down the road) we're ready to resort to donor eggs. We thought we'd be freezing embryos (her eggs fertilized with Mr.Right's sperm) but Dr.Dry actually recommended freezing her eggs. He said it was less legally fraught and the success rate of frozen eggs versus frozen embryos was only slightly lower. I had been under the impression that the fertility industry wasn't quite there yet in terms of success in freezing eggs. Anybody else have any info/data on this?

Anyhow, caveat karyotyping results that lead us directly to donor eggs (either my sister's or anonymous), I think we're going to try with my eggs again - and even though I hate, hate, hate that it's going to cost us a freaking fortune to do IVF (with genetic testing costing an extra $3500) and we may not end up with any normal chromosome embryos to even transfer (since I get so few to begin with) at the end of paying all that....we'll probably do it - at least once.

But, where do you stop, really? I don't know. And I want to have enough money left to do the shared donor program at $30k. Because, really, I think that's where we're going to end up. There's a part of me that says: ok, let's just go straight there then. Let's not put ourselves through trying to find a good egg of mine. Let's not put my sister through a stimulated cycle/retrieval. Let's just go to anonymous donor eggs, get on the schedule, get our 6 tries (you can probably tell we're at Shady Grove) and be done with it. But, there's that part of me that just can't let go yet of my own genetic material. Why? Certainly any second child we try to have won't be my genetic material (cuz I'll be way old by that time.) So, why try for even one of my own? Too many questions.........and the same damn questions over and over (as I reread my own posts....sigh.)