We’re Back: A Recap of Our First IVF Cycle

Hey friends,
I’m sorry we dropped off during our last cycle — if you were following along, I know it probably seemed like we went quiet all of a sudden. The truth is, this was our first IVF cycle, and I didn’t quite know what to expect. Things got intense, fast. I was exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed, and honestly — I needed space to process.

But now that we’ve had a little time and clarity, I wanted to share what happened during the rest of the cycle — the outcomes, the setbacks, and what’s next for us.

💉 Egg Retrieval + Embryo Development

After weeks of stimulation meds and near-daily appointments, we finally made it to egg retrieval. During the procedure, the doctors retrieved 12 eggs in total.

Here’s how things unfolded from there:

Of the 12 eggs, only 6 were mature (meaning they were viable for fertilization).
Of those 6, 4 showed signs of fertilizing after insemination.
And after a few nerve-wracking days, we got the call: just 1 embryo made it to the blastocyst stage.

In case you’re new to IVF:
A blastocyst is a 5–6 day old embryo that has developed into a hollow ball of cells with an inner cell mass — the part that eventually forms the baby. It’s also the stage when the embryo is either transferred into the uterus or frozen for future use. It’s a big milestone.

🧬 PGTA Testing — What It Is + Why We Chose It

Before freezing our embryo, we made the decision to do PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidies). This test involves taking a small sample of cells from the embryo and analyzing its chromosomes.

Why we did it:

PGT-A helps identify embryos with the normal number of chromosomes (46).
Embryos with too many or too few chromosomes (known as aneuploidy) are less likely to result in a healthy pregnancy.
Given my age, this was recommended to us — and we agreed it was the right call to give us the best chance possible.

After the biopsy, the embryo was frozen and the cell sample was sent off for testing.

💔 When Things Don’t Go As Planned

Unfortunately, this part of our story didn’t go how we hoped.

We received a call that the genetic testing lab made an error during the PGT-A process. The results were inconclusive — which meant we wouldn’t know whether the embryo was genetically normal or not.

It was crushing.
We had one embryo. One.
And now, we were left with uncertainty about its potential.

The lab did provide a small amount of compensation for the error, but honestly, it didn’t come close to covering the emotional or financial impact.

💭 Processing the Loss — and the Decision to Try Again

It took us some time to come to terms with it all.

We had made it through our first cycle. We had endured the injections, the appointments, the surgery, the emotional toll — and in the end, we had one embryo and no clarity on whether it was viable.

After lots of conversations and quiet reflection, my husband and I decided:
We’re going to do another cycle.

Our hope is to retrieve more embryos, have more chances, and increase the odds of having something we can feel confident transferring.

💛 A Note to Anyone Reading This

If you’re going through IVF or fertility treatments of any kind — I you.
I know how heavy it can get. I know what it’s like to carry hope in one hand and heartbreak in the other.

Sharing this journey hasn’t been easy, but we’re committed to showing up with honesty — not just for you, but for us too.

We’re heading into our next cycle soon, and this time I’ll be doing my best to document more — but if I ever go quiet again, please know it’s just me taking care of my heart.

Thanks for being here. Your support and kindness truly mean the world to us.

With love,
Danielle

Below is a very embarrassing photo after egg retrieval (IVF round 1) that my husband took. I thought since we are all about transparency the good and bad, that I would include it in the post.