u/mb612

My journey has been years in the making, and while I’ll keep it as brief as I can, it’s been anything but simple.

In 2018, I had a natural pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage at my 6‑week ultrasound. A 2.5 cm fibroid was found, but my OB chose to “watch it,” and despite years of trying afterward, I never became pregnant again. Even with yearly visits, I was always told to just keep trying.

By 2022, at 35, I switched OBs and tried to begin fertility testing — but the office repeatedly failed to schedule things within the right cycle window. After months of delays, I finally saw a reproductive endocrinologist in 2023. At that baseline appointment, they found an 11×7 cm fibroid. I needed an emergent open myomectomy via C‑section incision, and it took a full year to heal.

In 2024, at 37, I began IVF. My BMI was over 40 and the clinic required it to be lower, so I started Zepbound and lost over 60 pounds in a year.

In 2025, at 38, we began egg retrievals. After attrition and genetic testing, our first retrieval gave us 2 embryos; the second gave us 6.

In July 2025, at 39, our first transfer failed. I also had a reaction to progesterone in oil. In September, our second transfer initially looked promising, We switched to progesterone in ethyl oleate and estrogen patches — 10DP5DT beta was 83, then rose into the 300s — but I miscarried a week later. At this point I decided to change providers. I found a large medication error that could've cancelled my transfer (i'm a nurse), and I was yearning for a more thorough approach and not feeling like a number. We consulted with my new Reproductive Endocrinologist, and she decided to start from square one and go from there. We started with another Saline Sonogram, and then a hysteroscopy. The hysteroscopy showed endometritis, so I completed 14 days of doxycycline before trying again. We transferred for the 3rd time, and our December transfer failed.

In January 2026, my doctor ordered the full “kitchen sink”: EMMA/ALICE and Receptiva. EMMA/ALICE were negative, but Receptiva was inconclusive because the biopsy sample was insufficient — something that has only happened to one other patient in the U.S. A repeat Receptiva in February was negative. My doctor doesn’t typically believe in ERA testing, but I advocated for it, and it was also negative.

In March, another hysteroscopy found a small polyp, which was removed and tested (negative). In April, we prepped again: estrogen patches, progesterone in ethyl oleate, and 4 mg daily Solumedrol.

In May 2026, we transferred a beautiful 5‑day AA embryo — our fourth FET.

My beta on May 18 (11 days post‑transfer) was 92. Today, May 20 (13 days post‑transfer), it’s 166.5 — an 81% increase. My doctor wants another draw again Friday to make sure things are trending well. If my HCG is trending in the right direction on Friday, we'll schedule my US.

And here’s where I am emotionally: anxious, scared, grateful, hopeful, and exhausted all at once. IVF takes so much joy from the process, even while offering the possibility of the greatest gift. I’m thankful to be here, but I’m also terrified because I’ve been here before. I’m trying to hold space for both hope and fear, but it’s hard. I just needed to say that out loud.

I just wanted to say, wherever you're in your journey...I see you, I hear you, and I'm here for you!