MY IVF Breast Cancer Diary

My second egg retrieval fails to yield eggs good enough to create embryos.

I simply can not believe that I am failing to do something I want and when the 2^nd IVF cycle fails I return back to my original doctor.

The doctor suggests that we begin searching for an egg donor in the event that my next egg retrieval is a failure. I try to look at the pictures in the database but everytime I do I become nauseaus and can’t believe I am picking out a women for my husband to have a baby with.

I decide that I want the doctor to pick out the egg donor but my husband wants to see the pictures.

We discuss asking my sister to provide eggs but he explains how that is a bad idea in his experience.

After December trying to recover from my failed November attempt to create embryos, I went to see a doctor in Chicago who was famous for being one of the early pioneers of fertility treatments. He also had one of the largest egg donor databanks outside of a university.

In order to discuss egg donors, you must meet the doctor. After hearing my story, he told me that all hope was not entirely lost although the chances of success were miniscule. He recommended I enter his DHEA study for several weeks before trying again.

That meant I would almost be 41 before trying the 2^nd time. I clung to the hope that the DHEA would work and agreed to try before the next retrieval.

The DHEA at such high levels was like the fountain of youth. My hair and skin became excessively oily again and my sex drive was astonishing.

OCTOBER 2004: MY 1^ST FERTILITY TREATMENT