As a member of the women who struggle to get pregnant club, you know, the fellow women in the waiting room, I have to admit I am still surprised how common infertility is. Last weekend I spent the afternoon in my neighbors backyard while our boys ran through the sprinkler and ran up and down a waterslide bouncy castle. Our kids have played together riding bikes in our cul-de-sac but the moms haven’t ever sat and chatted before this day. We were both so delighted to have a neighbor with kids and love seeing how much they enjoy playing together. She explained to me that they had tried for years to get pregnant, and we got to chatting about what tests, procedures and medications we had each been on. That may sound strange, but to someone who has been through it, its like finding a friend who understands your hardest battles. Comparing which tests surprised us, hurt more or less than expected, etc we found a whole new common experience, making us instant friends.
When I wrote about how much it costs for IVF in Alberta, I mentioned that we opted for ICSI, a procedure that allows the doctors to select the best sperm and inject it directly into the egg. This procedure was the reason why we decided to go ahead with IVF rather than IUI. Fortunatley, there is a new technology available to help the embryologist determine the strongest embryo to transfer. Using a time lapse imaging called EEVA (it stands for early embryonic viability assessment) the doctors are able to see the development potential of an embryo. Eeva will increase the chances for a successful pregnancy, which is the end goal everyone is looking for.
There are seven clinics in Canada that are using the EEVA test with IVF, including Calgary’s Regional Fertility Program.
I know that IVF can be a huge financial decision, as well as a difficult process on your body physically. If you could avoid having to repeat the process, I would gladly do a test to increase the chances of success. I personally believe that ICSI (as recomended by our specialist) is what helped us to have our twins, and would ask my doctor if they felt EEVA would help had it been available at the time.
I love this graphic explaining how the EEVA test works:
Disclosure: I am a member of the #EEVACan blog team working with Thrifty Mom Media to share this important information and as such I am compensated. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I think anyone going through IVF should ask their clinic about this test and find out how they can access it. The results are clear and they seem very promising.
We are heading to regional fertility clinic in Calgary next cycle. We are also doing icsi. Fingers crossed! Thanks for sharing your story
Thanks for your comment! Good luck on your next treatment!