I've been getting a lot of questions (which I do not mind at all!) and lately the most common one is, since I was able to conceive naturally, why do I need to take all the hormones? It's a great question that I thought myself when first researching surrogacy. In order to answer it, let's take a trip back to our middle school sex ed class. So tune out now if "menstrual" talk makes you uneasy.
A menstrual cycle is a series of natural processes that a women body goes through to prepare for pregnancy each month. The cycle is controlled by hormones which naturally rise and fall at different stages and is around 28 days per cycle. The beginning of the cycle is day 1 of a women's period, which is when then uterus lining breaks down. Also, at the beginning of the cycle follicle-stimulating hormone FHS is produced. The FSH stimulates a number of follicles (cavities holding undeveloped eggs) to develop and start to produce the hormone estrogen. The level of estrogen is at its lowest on the first day of the cycle. From then on it starts to increase as the follicles grow. The increasing amount of estrogen in the body makes sure that the lining of the womb is thickening with nutrients and blood. This is so that a fertilized egg will have all the nutrients and support it needs to grow.
About two weeks into the cycle the level of estrogen in the body is still increasing and it eventually causes a rapid rise in luteinising hormone which causes the dominant follicle to rupture and release the mature egg from the ovary, aka ovulation. As soon as a women has ovulated, the follicle starts producing another hormone: progesterone. Progesterone causes further build up to the lining of the womb in preparation for a fertilized egg. If the egg has been fertilized, it may successfully implant itself into the womb lining. This usually takes place about a week after fertilization. As soon as the fertilized egg has implanted, the body starts producing the pregnancy hormone, hCG, which will keep the empty follicle active. It continues to produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent the lining of the womb from being shed, until the placenta (which contains all the nutrients the embryo needs) is mature enough to maintain the pregnancy. OR if the egg is not fertilized, levels of estrogen and progesterone decrease. Without the high levels of hormones to help maintain it, the thick womb lining that has been built up starts to break down, and the body sheds the lining.
Ok now that you are all caught up and I can explain why I led you down that path. As you read, a women naturally produces hormones to tell her body what to do to receive a fertilized egg (embryo) in stages. And if there is no naturally produced follicle/egg/embryo, the body clears everything out to try again the next month. What the IVF doctors do through hormones taken by pills, patches, injections, etc. is create a "natural" cycle in a women's body to create a thick uterine lining that is nice and sticky for an embryo to cling onto once implanted. Usually an embryo being transferred for IVF is already about 5 days along in the fertilization process. The continued use of added hormones helps the body maintain all the correct levels to hold on tight to the embryo until it eventually catches up, which depending on clinic is somewhere between 8-12 weeks.
I hope that helps! More soon :)
A menstrual cycle is a series of natural processes that a women body goes through to prepare for pregnancy each month. The cycle is controlled by hormones which naturally rise and fall at different stages and is around 28 days per cycle. The beginning of the cycle is day 1 of a women's period, which is when then uterus lining breaks down. Also, at the beginning of the cycle follicle-stimulating hormone FHS is produced. The FSH stimulates a number of follicles (cavities holding undeveloped eggs) to develop and start to produce the hormone estrogen. The level of estrogen is at its lowest on the first day of the cycle. From then on it starts to increase as the follicles grow. The increasing amount of estrogen in the body makes sure that the lining of the womb is thickening with nutrients and blood. This is so that a fertilized egg will have all the nutrients and support it needs to grow.
About two weeks into the cycle the level of estrogen in the body is still increasing and it eventually causes a rapid rise in luteinising hormone which causes the dominant follicle to rupture and release the mature egg from the ovary, aka ovulation. As soon as a women has ovulated, the follicle starts producing another hormone: progesterone. Progesterone causes further build up to the lining of the womb in preparation for a fertilized egg. If the egg has been fertilized, it may successfully implant itself into the womb lining. This usually takes place about a week after fertilization. As soon as the fertilized egg has implanted, the body starts producing the pregnancy hormone, hCG, which will keep the empty follicle active. It continues to produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent the lining of the womb from being shed, until the placenta (which contains all the nutrients the embryo needs) is mature enough to maintain the pregnancy. OR if the egg is not fertilized, levels of estrogen and progesterone decrease. Without the high levels of hormones to help maintain it, the thick womb lining that has been built up starts to break down, and the body sheds the lining.
Ok now that you are all caught up and I can explain why I led you down that path. As you read, a women naturally produces hormones to tell her body what to do to receive a fertilized egg (embryo) in stages. And if there is no naturally produced follicle/egg/embryo, the body clears everything out to try again the next month. What the IVF doctors do through hormones taken by pills, patches, injections, etc. is create a "natural" cycle in a women's body to create a thick uterine lining that is nice and sticky for an embryo to cling onto once implanted. Usually an embryo being transferred for IVF is already about 5 days along in the fertilization process. The continued use of added hormones helps the body maintain all the correct levels to hold on tight to the embryo until it eventually catches up, which depending on clinic is somewhere between 8-12 weeks.
I hope that helps! More soon :)
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