Day 3 Embryo Report

Just received an email from Dr. Italian's office entitled "Day 3", so the observations were from yesterday (Saturday), not today:

"Embryos look good. You have 2 – 7 cell, grade 2. Good luck Monday ;)"

I wasn't sure exactly what "grade 2" meant. At first I assume that grading was on a 1 to 3 scale, but I just found an article on www.sharedjourney.com that discusses grading in much greater detail. Apparently the scale is 1 to 4, 1 being best. The doctor in this article said that grade 1 and 2 embryos often grow to the blastocyst stage. Fingers crossed that this is true of mine.

7 or 8 cells on day 3 is right in the ballpark - neither growing too slowly or too fast (both of which indicate problems).

Cell division is regulated from the maternal (ovum) genetic instructions up til day 3, then the genetic instructions of the "embryo" take over on day 3. As such, I still don't quite know if my embryos are in the safe zone because they were likely "viewed" before this transition happened.

So...it's good news, but it's not as "specific" as I would have liked to have had.

I realize that they don't like to look at the embryos often as it can disturb them, so I won't ask them to look a 2nd time for me today but I would love to know if they've made it to day 4. It's another hurdle for my little guys.

Hang in there....oh please, please, please. One more day.

PS.

Tomorrow is transfer. On the bottom of my "day of transfer instructions" is a notation:

"Please remember to have intercourse the night before your transfer".

Fun little twist on the typical IVF cycle. My clinic believes that there are prostaglandins in semen (not sperm itself) which help prepare the uterus for the embryos. Incredibly awkward, talk about a scene for performance anxiety:

"Sweetie, I need you to have sex with me tonight."

Well sex can mean any number of activities to my other half.

I needed to clarify what needed to be done.

In. Very. Precise. Terms.

I hope he recovers from the clinical nature of this request. I hate feeling this awkward.