The embryologist explained that at this stage in the game, they just want to see that the embryos have started to divide. They don't really care if they've divided into "two cell" embryos or "four cell" embryos - as long as they have divided. The photo to the left is a picture of a "four cell" embryo. The good news is that all 12 of our embryos have divided to some extent - which is fantastic news!! He told us that 11 of our embryos are "four cell" embryos and 1 is a "two cell." So far, so good! :)
He also explained that even though it is quite subjective, they also grade each embryo based on what they see today. The grade ranges from 1 to 5 with 1 being the best. They typically look to implant grade 1's and 2's. He did remind us that anything can happen, but that so far things are still looking great for our embryos. Here's the breakdown of our 12 embryos as of this morning:
- 9 are "four cell" embryos with Grade 1 ratings (the cream of the crop, if you will)
- 1 is a "four cell" embryo with a Grade 2 rating
- 1 is a "four cell" embryo with a Grade 3 rating
- 1 is a "two cell" embryo with a Grade 2 rating
We also asked him about whether or not we would get photos of the embryos at some point during this process. (In some of the books I've read, they talk about getting photos of your embryos before the transplant.) He said they get a lot of people that ask that question, but they do not provide photos of our embryos. I was a little bummed to hear that until he explained why they don't take photos. In order to take photos of the embryos, they would have to take them out of the incubator and let them sit out for awhile beforehand in order to get a good photo. Since they want to keep the embryos in the incubators as much as possible and the photo taking doesn't really benefit the embryos - they don't do them at our lab. I told him that we understood and that we'd rather have a picture of a baby than a picture of an embryo, anyway. He said he may steal that line to use on people in the future. ;)
My weight hasn't jumped at all and I've been doing the nightly whey protein drinks, so hopefully OHSS won't come into play. In addition to my prenatal vitamins, I'm still taking the steroid pills they prescribed on Egg Retrieval Day (due to the ICSI) and also getting the nightly Progesterone in Oil shot.
So it really sounds too good to be true, but so far - our little embryos are doing what they're supposed to do! Hopefully the good news will continue tomorrow. Good night!!