Last fall, we had the pleasure of introducing our community to Mia Carter, a breast cancer previvor, passionate advocate for women’s health, and a former contestant in national beauty pageants.
Guided by Dr. Sarah Thompson, Mia made the decision to embark on IVF treatment along with preimplantation genetic testing to minimize the chances of passing on any inherited conditions to her future child.
Mia is sharing her journey to motherhood through blogs and videos, aiming to demystify the often overwhelming process of infertility treatments and remind women everywhere to advocate for themselves. “I hope my story helps others realize they’re not alone in this,” she expressed.
In her first blog, Mia discusses her motivations for choosing IVF treatment.
In her latest entry, she shares insights on what to expect during the IVF process.
If there’s one key takeaway from my IVF experience, it’s this:
TIP 1: Be Ready for Anything.
As a relatively young woman at 31, I entered this process filled with optimism and a touch of naivety. I thought, “How hard could it be?” I envisioned breezing through the initial screenings, only needing one egg retrieval, and maybe even having enough embryos left over to help another family.
Then Reality Hit.
The Firsts: Pre-IVF Tests
Starting IVF involves a series of preliminary tests. The first round is pretty straightforward—blood work to check for infectious diseases, hormone levels, and your ovarian reserve. (Fun Fact: Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have, and this test gives you a glimpse of how many are left.) Brace yourself, though; you’ll be introduced to a whole new world of acronyms like FSH, AMH, and LH.
Following that, it’s time for a more invasive procedure—the intrauterine ultrasound and the Hysterosalpingogram (HSG). Many IVF clinics require an HSG to evaluate the health of your Fallopian tubes. You might wonder why they care about your tubes if IVF bypasses them. Well, the HSG provides critical information about the shape of your uterus and whether your tubes are blocked.
Feeling confident about my tubes, I casually walked into the doctor’s office, only to realize it was a teaching hospital. Suddenly, I was the center of attention for a group of students. Talk about uncomfortable!
The doctor had warned me about potential “slight discomfort,” so I took two ibuprofen beforehand. Spoiler: the HSG felt like a kick in the gut! As the dye was injected, the pressure intensified. I found myself wishing it would end. Once it was over, the doctor delivered the bombshell: both Fallopian tubes were blocked, and natural conception was off the table. I felt like a failure.
Thankfully, my husband, Mark, remained calm and reassured me that we would figure it out together. I sought a second opinion and visited experienced professionals at another clinic. The atmosphere was much more comforting and less clinical. The results this time? One clear tube and one that was actually fine—just a spasm! I was relieved and back to feeling confident.
The Firsts: The Injections
Next up were the injections. I was definitely nervous. There’s nothing quite as unnatural as stabbing yourself with a needle. To make things more challenging, I was traveling for work and had to do it in a hotel room before appearing on a live show. No pressure, right? But I took a deep breath, reminded myself of how fortunate I was to have this opportunity, and went for it.
To my surprise, it wasn’t painful at all! It was over in less than a minute, and I felt foolish for worrying so much.
I was off to a great start and couldn’t wait to see how my little follicles would grow! Stay tuned for more updates on my IVF journey.
Be sure to check out more of Mia’s experiences on our social media platforms and stay engaged with her journey!
If you’re experiencing nausea after eating, it could be an early sign of pregnancy—read more about it here. For those considering home insemination, you can find helpful kits at Cryobaby. For comprehensive information on treating infertility, refer to this excellent resource from ACOG.
Summary:
Mia Carter shares her IVF journey, highlighting the emotional and physical challenges she faced during the initial stages of treatment. From pre-IVF tests to navigating injections, her experiences serve as both a cautionary tale and a source of encouragement for others on a similar path.