I’m back from the second insemination. While we are lacking in eggs, we are certainly not lacking in sperm. 45 million sperm survived being thawed so that makes 52.2 million sperm and one Lone Ranger for our fourth IUI cycle.

Isn’t this interesting? (I learned this from reading the IVF book.)

The egg is the largest cell in the human body while the sperm is the smallest cell in the human body. The egg is 550 times as wide as the sperm! (Sher, 2005, page 17-18) So, in other words, The Lone Ranger is a huge “target” for all these 52.2 million motile sperm. You’d think at least one would make it.

In the past, I’ve put the main prayer focus on the day of ovulation/fertilization. This is because once ovulation occurs there are approximately 12 – 24 hours for the sperm to penetrate an egg. After that time frame the unfertilized egg dies.

While this day is extremely important and imperative for a pregnancy to take place, I’ve learned that I need people praying beyond just the day of conception. As I have learned from all my research of the IVF process conception is not an end, it is the very beginning of a very complex process, where many things can and often do go wrong, resulting in a conception but not a viable pregnancy.

Remember, according to the book, only 1 in 3 embryos actually make it to implantation in the uterus.

Who knows … during the previous three IUI cycles conception very well may have taken place. But perhaps something in the exchange of chromosomes went awry and the embryo stopped growing or maybe the toxins from the endometriosis destroyed the egg, sperm or embryo before implantation could take place. Who knows …

My first instinct was to “give up” on this one follicle. However, I’ve come to realize that God has brought me to this place for a reason and I refuse to give up. I refuse to give up hope that I will ever conceive and experience pregnancy. I do realize that one day (soon) God may require me to let it all go, but we are not there, yet.

After all, we do have an egg, lots of sperm AND a God who has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. To give up on The Lone Ranger would be to essentially give up on God. He has brought us this far and He promises to never leave us. He is right here in the middle of all this chaos perfecting His plan even as I type these very words. 

So I am going to ask all of my prayer warriors to, once again, pray for a miracle:

• March 13: Pray God will allow a sperm to penetrate The Lone Ranger and create Baby TODAY!
• March 14 – 17: Then pray God will allow Baby to grow, that the cells would divide appropriately as Baby drifts down the tube towards my uterus.
• March 18: Pray Baby continues to grow to the blastocyst stage in preparation of implanting in my uterus.
• March 19: Pray Baby continues to grow and develop and snuggle in for the long haul.

(These prayer requests will be on the side bar of this blog, as well.)

I may have a really messed up reproductive system (um, let me re-word that) …. I do have a really messed up reproductive system, but God has certainly blessed me every single cycle with a very fluffy endometrium lining for the embryo to implant in. “Adequate” is considered a lining that is 8mm. My lining is typically 12mm! It’s like my uterus cries out with me each month saying, “I’m ready and waiting! Send me an embryo!”

God is good, God is faithful. Please pray earnestly with me.

Pray for The Lone Ranger, Pray for A Miracle

- Elaine