Flying across the Pacific, just for that heartbeat: My 30 days in an IVF hospital in the United States

catalogue

• 1. Decision to depart: When time becomes the most luxurious cost
• 48 hours before departure: A luggage list and a psychological counseling session
• 3. Landing in Los Angeles: Time difference, sea breeze, and first tube of blood
• 4. First consultation day: 270 minutes at INCINTA
• 5. First week of promotion: 24-hour cycle from the harbor to the medicine box
• 6. Tides in the ultrasound room: follicle numbers and emotion curves
• 7. Night Needle: A game that only allows victory
• On the day of egg retrieval: anesthesia, bell ringing, and transparent laboratory doors
• 9. 48 hours outside the embryo room: waiting granularity
• 10. Transplant Day: The Softest Tunnel
• 11. Luteal support: Three daily questions about the distance between the corpus luteum and two bars
• Day 10 Health: The Gravity Behind Numbers
• 13. Return flight: First pregnancy reversal at an altitude of 10000 meters
• 14. 30 day billing: Costs, benefits, and intangible value
• 15. 8 practical checklists for newcomers
• 16. Overview of mainstream reproductive institutions on the West Coast of the United States

1. Decision to depart: When time becomes the most luxurious cost

After three failed attempts at artificial insemination in China, my partner and I put our annual leave, savings, and courage for 2023 on the other side of the Pacific Ocean at once. The reason is simple: time windows are more irreversible than money. The ovarian reserve number given by the doctor is like an hourglass, and every month, the number drops by one square. We decided to upgrade 'try again' to 'get it done all at once', so we set our sights on the West Coast of the United States - where the highest density of reproductive centers is concentrated and there is a relatively complete Chinese community.

When healthcare becomes a race against time, geographical distance is no longer a barrier, but an investment. "- I wrote this sentence on the first page of my diary, and it accompanied me throughout the entire cycle.

48 hours before departure: A luggage list and a psychological counseling session

The key step in psychological development is to temporarily remove the word 'failure' from the dictionary. We agree that the entire journey will only be described as' stage goals': egg retrieval is considered as stage one, obtaining a transplantable embryo is considered as stage two, and successful pregnancy testing is considered as stage three. A small change in language has made the emotional curve much smoother.

3. Landing in Los Angeles: Time difference, sea breeze, and first tube of blood

The entry queue at LAX airport is shorter than expected, and customs officials only asked "Which clinic?" when they saw the reason for entry with "Medical Treatment", and then stamped and released it. I picked up the rental car and headed straight to Torrance. The sea breeze, wrapped in the smell of diesel, poured into the car window, but I was so excited that I rolled down all the windows - it was a mixture of freedom and the unknown.

The next morning at 7:30,IFC IVF Center in the United StatesThe entrance of INCINTA is full of vehicles. The front desk nurse handed me a sticker with "Day 1" written on it, like a marathon runner's number plate. Blood draw, ultrasound, urine test, completed in 45 minutes. Dr. James P. Lin retrieved the AMH values I had done in China from the system, compared them with the real-time ultrasound sinus follicle count, and whispered, "We can aim for 12." At that moment, I felt for the first time that the numbers could also be gentle.

4. First consultation day: 270 minutes at INCINTA

After finishing, the nurse stuffed a light blue card into my palm - with a 24-hour emergency phone number printed on it, but a handwritten line on the back saying "You've got this." I was in the parking lot for a long time that day, and the sunlight was scorching the car window. I stuck the card to my chest, like carrying a talisman.

5. First week of promotion: 24-hour cycle from the harbor to the medicine box

It takes 8 minutes by car from Torrance Apartment to INCINTA, and I feel like clocking in to work every day. Blood will be drawn at 8am in the morning, and medication adjustments will be notified by phone at 3pm in the afternoon. I made the medication dosage table into a windmill shape with colored stickers, tearing off one grid every time I adjusted it. The windmill spun fast on the wall, and the days flipped by quickly.

In the evening, I will go for a walk at Redondo Beach and watch fishermen pour whole buckets of sea urchins into the pool, with a clattering sound of follicles quietly growing in their ovaries. I recorded the sound on my phone and played it back to my apartment at night - it was evidence that my body was working hard to grow.

6. Tides in the ultrasound room: follicle numbers and emotion curves

On the 6th day of promotion, B-ultrasound showed 7 on the right side and 5 on the left side, with evenly distributed sizes. Dr. Lin turned the screen to me and traced the edge of the follicle with the mouse, "Like a bunch of grapes, right?" I stared at the black and white screen, but remembered the grape trellis in my grandmother's yard when I was a child, and my emotions surged to the tip of my nose.

The nurse handed over a 'Follicle Mood Chart', with the vertical axis representing follicle diameter and the horizontal axis representing emotional rating. I drew the curve in the shape of waves, with peaks corresponding to "expectation" and valleys corresponding to "anxiety". After drawing, I realized that emotions, like follicles, require time to ferment and space to breathe.

7. Night Needle: A game that only allows victory

The night shot (trigger shot) is scheduled for 21:00, and the nurse repeatedly emphasizes that "it cannot be done early or late". I set my alarm at 20:55 and took out the medicine from the fridge half an hour in advance, like holding a fragile smoothie. At the moment of injection, the needle pierced through the skin and made a very light "pu" sound, but I heard the starting gun in my heart -36 hours later, the eggs would sprint together.

To distract my attention, I compiled a to-do list for the next 48 hours: wear loose clothing, wear thick socks, and prepare postoperative electrolyte drinks on the day of egg retrieval. The list grew longer and longer, but the heartbeat became more and more steady, as if drawing an unknown item into the known.

On the day of egg retrieval: anesthesia, bell ringing, and transparent laboratory doors

The egg retrieval chamber is like a spacecraft, with a circular overhead light emitting a soft white light. The anesthesiologist asked me to count down, but I lost consciousness between "7" and "6". When she opened her eyes again, the ticking clock came from her ear, and the nurse made a gesture of "12" -12, which was exactly the same as the initial diagnosis target. I grinned and realized that my throat was sore from the tube being inserted.

Through the glass door of the laboratory, the embryologist raised a small petri dish and gave me a thumbs up. At that moment, I understood that science is not cold and indifferent. It has the warmth of a palm and the most primitive blessing of humanity.

9. 48 hours outside the embryo room: waiting granularity

INCINTA updates the embryo development report at 10am every day. In order to get through those 30 minutes, I cut 48 hours into 6 "time capsules": making avocado toast, reading the chapter "A Brief History of Humankind", sending a Los Angeles sunset to a distant mother, mopping the apartment floor twice, writing a letter to future children, and doing mindfulness breathing again. The more fragmented time is, the more nowhere anxiety can go.

Day 3 report: 8 embryos have entered the blastocyst stage; Day 5 report: 6 have reached the freezing standard. I copied the numbers onto a sticky note and covered the entire refrigerator door like a silent fireworks display.

10. Transplant Day: The Softest Tunnel

Transplantation does not require anesthesia, but it makes me more nervous than egg retrieval. The bladder is filled to the point of 'wanting to explode', which is a hard indicator. The nurse asked me to hold a B-ultrasound water cup, as if holding a mirror. Dr. Lin gently pushed the catheter in, and the white dots flashing on the screen were all hope. The surgery only takes 5 minutes, but I feel like I'm passing through a soft and long tunnel with light at the end.

After the surgery, I lay flat in the lounge for 30 minutes while the palm tree shadows outside the window swayed, like a cradle for my uterus. I whispered to the "little one" who had not yet implanted, "The sunshine outside is very good, you can stay in peace

11. Luteal support: Three daily questions about the distance between the corpus luteum and two bars

The luteal support after transplantation adopts a triple scheme of "Xuenuolon+oral administration+patch". Every morning, afternoon, and before going to bed, I ask myself three questions: Have I taken the medicine on time? Have you drunk enough 2000 ml of water? Do you experience sudden abdominal pain? Between the questions and answers, days are pulled into a thin line, hanging a heart.

On the early morning of the 7th day, I dreamed that there was a faint pink mark on the pregnancy test strip. When I woke up, I immediately unpacked it, only to find one bar. I stuck the test paper in my diary and wrote 'Today is not the day.' My emotions were like a balloon pierced by a needle, collapsing silently.

Day 10 Health: The Gravity Behind Numbers

The official blood draw is scheduled for the 10th day after transplantation. At 8 o'clock in the morning, I arrived 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, but the front desk had already prepared the blood collection tube. At 11:15, the phone rang and the nurse spelled out three letters: "HCG 268." At that moment, I heard the sound of blood rushing through my eardrums, like tides breaking rocks.

I write the numbers in my palm and take a photo to send to my partner. He replied with a "exploding fireworks" expression, but I stared blankly at the ceiling - it turns out that happiness can really be quantified, and the unit is mIU/mL.

13. Return flight: First pregnancy reversal at an altitude of 10000 meters

Before the flight back to my home country took off, I bought a can of local ginger candy from Los Angeles. When the flight attendant sent me the meal, I had just taken the second slice. The plane crossed the International Date Line, and my stomach churned. I rushed to the restroom, spitting out tears. At that moment, there was no panic, but inexplicably a sense of reassurance - my body was telling me in its language that change was happening.

I leaned against the mirror of the washbasin and whispered to my pale face inside, "Welcome home, and welcome new life

14. 30 day billing: Costs, benefits, and intangible value

If we consider "successful pregnancy" as a profit, the ROI (return on investment) of this investment cannot be calculated at present, but it will continue to distribute dividends in another currency in the future - heartbeat, fetal movement, first cry.

15. 8 practical checklists for newcomers

1. Complete the English translation of medical records 3 months in advanceThe more detailed the notarization, the more it can reduce duplicate inspections in the United States.
2. Recommendation for local administration of antidiarrheal drugs in the United StatesAlthough the price is high, it avoids the risk of cold chain shipping.
3. Accommodation locked within a 3-mile radius of the hospitalTraffic congestion for 5 minutes on the morning of a blood draw day may affect the results.
4. Comes with a foldable hot water kettleDuring the luteal phase, a large amount of warm water is needed, and hotel coffee makers may not be clean.
5. Download the hospital app， INCINTA and RFC both support result push, which reduces anxiety compared to waiting for phone calls.
6. After transplantation, there is no need to stay in bed throughout the entire processWalking 2000 steps a day can promote pelvic blood flow.
7. Pregnancy test strips can be taken up to once a dayOvertesting can amplify emotional fluctuations.
8. Remember to assign tasks to your partnerInjecting, cooking, and keeping accounts make him a visible pivot.

16. Overview of mainstream reproductive institutions on the West Coast of the United States

Flying across the Pacific is not to escape, but to get closer to oneself. "- When I turned to the last page of my 30 day diary, I realized that the loudest thing was not the plane engine, but the powerful heartbeat.

May all of you who are reading this text also hear your own echo on the other side.

This article link:https://bken.loadskill.com/usivf/611.html