A blastocyst is a baby in the making, but in a super early stage. So when a sperm and an egg make a 'boom' and come together, they first become a zygote. Then that zygote divides, divides, divides... and around day five it becomes a blastocyst. This is the moment when it is ready to be implanted in the uterus - or, if we are doing IVF, to be frozen and stored until the transfer. So, if the doctor tells you that he will do a blastocyst transfer, it means that he will insert an embryo that has already grown nicely and has a better chance of success! Well, now you know what a blastocyst is - a small hope in a big process.
A hysteroscopy is a small surgical procedure that helps doctors look inside your uterus to see if everything is okay. It is used to detect and resolve things like polyps, adhesions, or septums that may interfere with implantation. Good news? It is done quickly and you recover quickly - and it can help a lot on the way to the baby.
Think of the follicle as a small bubble in the ovary that hides the egg.
When we do in vitro fertilization, doctors monitor how the follicles grow, because the bigger and healthier they are, the greater the chance that we have a mature egg inside, ready for fertilization.
At the ultrasound, they tell you: 'You have, say, 10 follicles', but that does not mean that you will also have 10 eggs - some follicles are empty.
Basically, follicles are like Kinder Surprise - you never know what's inside until they're cracked open.
In a natural cycle, the body usually produces one egg, but for IVF we need more. That's where stimulation comes in!
The doctor gives you hormones that 'wake up' the ovaries to produce as many follicles as possible. More follicles = more eggs = better chance of success.
But there are side effects - bloating, hormonal roller coaster and feeling like you're carrying a chicken coop in your stomach. But we endure it all for the cause, right?
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