13 on the 13th!

Hey everyone, it's just MFM,

Teenie Weenie Beanie is back in the lab watching the (hopeful) fertilization and development of the 13 eggs "harvested" today. We will find out tomorrow how many embryos we have.

We were at Dr. Manara's around 0720, and I was gowned by 0800, met my new best friend- Bob the anesthetist (CRNA- go nurses!), who did a quick intake history, threw in an IV, and gave me fentanyl.
Fentanyl, for me, was like the feeling after you've finished a full glass of wine- warm and a little tipsy/happy. I fell asleep within a couple minutes, and woke up after the procedure (1 hour). Apparently the anesthesia I got was propofol (which I give to my patients) and ketamine, with a little morphine to diminish cramping.
I tell you what... I was a happy girl! Pretty much in control, but definitely a little buzzed after the procedure. Surprisingly, there was no bleeding and very minimal cramping after the procedure.

On the way home, I really wanted a snack, so J took me to CVS where I proceeded to buy $25 worth of worthless junk food- I mean... everything looked sooooo good. I came home had some chicken noodle soup and cheesy popcorn, then went right to bed. I got up 2 hours ago-- and I feel great! (Better than I have in a few weeks)

Enough about me..here's what's going on at the lab right now:

Once the eggs were retrieved, they were separated and placed in nutrient media to further develop for 3-4 hours. (about 1:00 pm)

Then the microbiologist introduced the sperm.

By this point, some have made it through the egg's shell, and fertilized the eggs, and some are still working on it. By 1:00 am, Tuesday, the eggs that can be "naturally" fertilized, will have (personally, I'm hoping for 6 strong/good quality embryos).

Picture of IVF fertilized egg at high magnification
Male and female genetic material (DNA) is in the 2
pronuclei (circular structures) in the center
Polar body is seen at one o'clock - just under the shell