Inconceivable: IVF 101

While I had often heard about people opting for in-vitro fertilization, I never really understood exactly what it entailed. I figured lots of shots, plenty of science and a giant medical bill. I wasn't too far off!

We recently decided to start our journey into IVF - specifically Invocell IVF, which is a little different from traditional IVF. I'll get into the differences a little later, but the basic concept is the same.

More than just the shots

To prepare for IVF, our doctor set up a meeting for us with the nurse coordinator to go over our schedule. I just thought we were going to learn how to do the shots since some required mixing and large needles. Instead, this turned out to be a 90-minute info session that involved everything from shots to deciding what to do with our frozen embryos if we die. Heavy stuff.

First up, we were given a three-page sheet outlining our cycle plans (including the amount we owe and when we need to pay it) and appointment dates. The sheet contained info on the medications we were going to be taking and when to start them.

The oddest thing about this whole thing is that you are put on birth control for a bit. My doctor said it is to get your follicles all organized and lined up similar to when the horses get into the stalls before the Kentucky Derby.

Then the nurse showing us how to inject the medications - Menopur, Centrotide and Progesterone oil. The Menopur required mixing four vials of powder with a Q-Cap. The person that invented the Q-Cap is a genius, and I'd like to buy them a beer. This device made it very easy for me to mix meds!

The Progesterone oil shots scared me and my husband because the needle was giant and since it has to be done in my booty, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do them myself. Since those don't start until after egg retrieval we figured we had some time before we freaked out. ​

The IVF schedule

Then, we went over the schedule:

• Dates to take and stop birth control
• Dates for Menopur injections (which help make those follicles mature) - do those for five days then go back to clinic for ultrasound and blood work 
• Start taking Centrotide injections (which stop you from ovulating too early) - do those for so many days and then come back in for more ultrasounds and blood work
• Take trigger shot when they tell you to
• 36 hours later they will knock you out and use a needle to take each egg from your mature follicles 
• Mature eggs and sperm are combined together in dish or fertilized using a process call ICSI (all it means is that they inject sperm into each egg) - ICSI is optional and not every clinic offers it with Invocell ​
• Eggs are incubated and hopefully good blastocysts form and progress over a three to five-day period

With traditional IVF, the eggs are incubated and monitored in the lab. They can also be genetically tested to determine any chromosomal abnormalities and even the sex.

With Invocell, the eggs are placed in a little plastic device and then reinserted into your uterus. You get to incubate the eggs with your body's core temperature. You can't monitor them so you don't get updates until five days later when they take it out and determine the number of blastocysts formed.

After egg incubation you either have a fresh transfer of the embryos or they freeze your eggs for a later date.

Ready to go

That's a lot of science to drop on someone but it was just so amazing to hear that this technology exists. I just wish it was cheaper. For us, Invocell was about $2,000 less than traditional IVF but it still isn't cheap.

By the time we got to the end of our nurse consultation, I felt like my brain was going to explode. My husband and I just looked at each other. We were both spent. But we still had to get through the lengthy list of forms deciding what to do with the embryos in various situations - if the embryos aren't viable do we donate to the lab to use for training? Who will get custody of the frozen eggs if one of us dies?

We paid our balance and took our mountain of paperwork home. We were ready to start the journey and see where it takes us.

Kathy is a mom of one and Out & About editor for WRAL.com. She writes for Go Ask Mom about her experience with secondary infertility.