Our doctor called yesterday. With the coronavirus spreading more and more throughout the US, she wanted to let us know that we have an option to skip this cycle and see if a month or so can bring a more optimal time for us to go through with the implantation. We have about four weeks before the transfer, and at this point, there is a real chance that some time between now and then, Cedars-Sinai may decide to halt all non-essential procedures until the virus is contained.
And IVF is a non-essential procedure.
Our embryos will not be thawed until the morning of the transfer, so there’s no need to worry about their wellbeing. It’s just a matter of when we’ll be able to go through the actual procedure.
According to my schedule, I was supposed to start daily injections of Leuprolide Acetate (“Lupron”) tonight, then add estrogen pills to the daily mix about a week in. The injections aren’t so worrying, but estrogen pills are supposed to help thicken the lining of my uterus so that the embryos can attach. So if we were going to stop at any point, it would be optimal for us to do so before I start the estrogen pills.
Our doctor also did say that she’s not TOO worried about the virus as of yet, and that she’s comfortable with us going on with the process so long as we are. If we’re stopped mid-cycle, we’ll have to wait for the green light then replenish whatever meds we used out of our own pockets, but a quick conversation with Jin confirmed it:
We will go ahead with our original schedule.
This morning was the first ultrasound and blood draw. In addition, I had a “dry run” of the implantation procedure, where the doctor performed the transfer with all the tests, tools, and gadgets that will be used on the actual day. The only thing that was missing was the embryo, and tonight, we start the Lupron injections.
And as schools, sporting events, and even Disneyland shuts down for sake of containment, Jin and I are praying that we will be able to keep our April 9th transfer date.