Hellobee

After selecting our clinic, filling out our application, and completing the home study, it was time for Mr. P and I to go to our first appointment! We took some time off work in mid November and made the long drive east.

The night before the consultation I was nervous! I had to pass a medical exam in order to be cleared for transfer. I was hoping we would get to transfer as soon as possible and didn’t want anything to stand in the way of that. I needed to have a full bladder for the appointment, so when I woke up the next morning I started drinking water. I was warned that I would be catheterized if I did not have enough fluid in my bladder, so I went overboard. After breakfast it was time to head to the clinic.

When we arrived the first person we met was the IVF nurse. She took us back into a room and took my blood pressure and weight, then she explained to us the order of events for the day. First we would meet with the doctor and then with the adoption coordinator. She also told me that she was new to the infertility world and had been an oncology nurse for many years. That really did not make me feel very comfortable.

A few minutes later the doctor came in and introduced himself and his resident. Then we followed him to his office. At this point my bladder was uncomfortably full. It was difficult for me to walk. I had assumed that they would get the medical clearing process first, but instead Dr. K started by talking to us about our infertility medical history. He flipped through our medical records and asked us questions about our previous treatment cycles, my miscarriage, our STD lab test results, and why we thought embryo adoption would be a good fit for us. At this point I was literally bouncing in my seat and had to ask to be excused to go to the restroom. I could not concentrate on answering the questions because all of my energy was going to holding in my pee! He allowed me to go for a 10 count. Once I came back I was able to focus on the discussion even though my bladder was still pretty full.

We were then led to an examination room for the rest of the medical portion of the day. It included a pelvic exam, a saline sonogram to check my uterus for polyps or imperfections, and a mock transfer to measure my uterus and for Dr. K to get a feel for the shape and positioning of my cervix. I was told to undress from the waist down and climb onto the examination table. I took one look at the height of the table and knew I couldn’t make it up there without having an accident. I really needed to go to the restroom again, but I was conflicted. I didn’t want to empty too much. Tearfully I asked Mr. P what he thought I should do and he told me to go. I snuck out of the room and into the restroom and went for another 10 count. Dr. K caught me coming out of the restroom and asked if I had emptied my bladder. The look on his face was pretty stern so I lied and said no. I returned to the exam room and was able to comfortably get on the exam table.

Dr. K, the nurse, and the resident came in the room and started the procedures. The first thing Dr. K did was a quick pelvic exam. Then they grabbed the ultrasound machine and checked to be sure my bladder was full enough. It looked like a huge black lake on the screen, so no catheter was required. Next it was time for the saline sonogram. A saline sonogram is a test where a small amount of saline is inserted into the uterus to allow the uterine lining to be shown clearly on an ultrasound. It will show any abnormalities in the uterus. It is a pretty quick and painless procedure, but I did have some spotting and mild cramping later in the day. Dr. K told me my uterus looked great and even remarked that my lining was pretty thick to be so early in my cycle.

Finally it was time for the mock transfer. The mock transfer is when the doctor performs the same procedure he would for an embryo transfer without the embryos. It helps the doctors measure how much of the catheter will be needed and to feel the shape of the cervix. It prevents any surprises on transfer day when the fragile embryos are in the catheter. It is also a super quick procedure. Before long everything was complete and I was medically cleared for transfer! I got dressed again and Mr. P and I went to meet with the adoption coordinator.