It was tough picking a theme for this year. I usually stream the prelims at 3AM (when it airs in Germany) with an oversized glass of red wine to aid in the creative process. But this year, I’m pregnant which meant no drinking for me.

But worry not, I prevailed over my writers block. I can’t tell you where the idea came from (maybe it’s the hormones)… but I present to you: The Moms of the Miss USA 2020 Contestants!

Now let me start this off by saying that moms are the best. I think they should be a protected class and only fellow moms who have walked in their shoes should be able to critique them. Well, as I’m 20.5 weeks pregnant, I consider myself more than halfway towards becoming a mom. So I’m going to take the liberty of including myself in the mom group and therefore give myself the freedom to make mom jokes. Now that that’s out of the way, here we go. 

Have you ever met someone and known instantly who raised them? Based off of these contestant’s introductions, swimsuit and gown presentations, here are my best guesses at the Moms behind them:

The Moms of the Miss USA 2020 Contestants

1. Wyoming:

Wyoming’s Mom: 

Wyoming’s mom is a freelance artist who specializes in reclaimed wood and marine debris. She probably makes her own candles, believes in the healing powers of essential oils and thinks pageants exploit women. But she supports her daughter so she drove to Graceland in a hatchback powered by waste cooking oil.

Her response if her daughter doesn’t make the finals:

2. California:

California’s Mom:

Given the current political climate, I was not at all surprised to learn that California decided not the play her “Trump card” and let us know that she is, in fact, the President’s daughter. She doesn’t need preferential treatment because she had a really, really great performance in prelims, the best, really terrific – the other performances… real losers, the worst ever in history. Ask anyone. They all know and everyone agrees. She’s in. 

California and her mom walking out of Graceland if she doesn’t win:

Louisiana

Louisiana’s Mom:

Louisiana is perfect, just like her Real Housewives of Baton Rouge mom. Louisiana’s Mom was the Prom Queen and now works as a medical doctor (with a backup law degree), who volunteers on the side to save puppies from local shelters and has a 3 course dinner on the table by 6PM for the whole family. Her new cosmetics line: “GWTW Fabulous” (coming to Sephora in 2021) is waterproof just in case you can’t twirl away from a renegade cocktail toss. 

Miss USA is just a stepping stone for her daughter, so if she doesn’t make the finals, it just means she has more time for her Fulbright Scholar application. 

Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Mom:

Oklahoma’s mom was on Homecoming Court in 1985. Now that her daughter is Queen B at school, she’s wants her daughter’s friends to know that she’ll still got it. She chaperones coed parties and might even make an appearance for beer pong. She’s not a regular mom, she’s Miss Oklahoma USA’s mom. 

If her daughter doesn’t bring it back to the Sooner State, she’s more than willing to console her daughter’s boyfriend. 

Virginia

Virginia’s Mom:

Virginia’s mom is an Elite Team Leader for a pyramid sch… multi level marketing company. As a #GirlBoss, she’s taught her daughter the power of networking. Armed with 50 “sisterhood sample bags” (complete with her business card – they’re pink and scented!), Virginia is excited about the prospect of gaining several new victi… Boss Babes for Team Sparkle. “She’s on track – to earn her free Cadillac – it’s Virginia!”

The pressure is on for her daughter to win – her Executive Senior Director status depends on it. 

Arizona

Arizona’s Mom:

Arizona’s mom has a body sculpted by the hand of God. And has no idea how unbelievably hot she is. She’s passed on this oblivious gene to her daughter. They turn heads wherever they go and always wonder why people are staring at them. Do they have spinach in their teeth? 

She’s a little worried about an all-female judging panel at Miss USA, because oddly enough, they never seem to connect with women even though men are SO NICE to them!

Ohio

Ohio’s Mom:

Ohio’s mom is rich… like really rich. Between the empire she built on her own and her strategic marriages over the years, she’s loaded. And she doesn’t believe in being discreet with her wealth. Her motto: “More is more, baby.” She even shelled out to get this model to pose with her daughter’s send off luggage to make sure they got the right shot. 

She’s convinced her daughter is the next Miss USA because her Sherri Hill gown was customized with fringe strands of real diamonds. What’s a sponsorship package? 

Alaska:

Alaska’s Mom:

Alaska’s mom is from California and used to compete in pageants herself but never made it to Miss USA before aging out. After a series of failed Mrs. pageants attempts (and now determined that her daughter would make it to the big show), she moved their family to the remote Alaskan fisherman’s town of Ketchikan. Armed her new title: Mrs. Deer Mountain American Princess and her daughter as Miss Alaska USA, she is currently planning a Mommy and me Fadil shoot. 

If Alaska doesn’t come home with the crown, it’s okay, because there’s only really room for one queen in the house anyway. 

I hope you enjoyed this year’s All-in with Allyn review of the Miss USA 2020 Preliminary Competition. I wish all of the contestants (and their moms) luck!

XOXO, Allyn

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There was something really disconcerting about having to simply trust my doctors and my body when it came to my reproductive future (But I was definitely in the best hands at Shady Grove Fertility! So, in order to maintain a modicum of sanity during this process, I dug deep into the things you might be able to do to help your body along the way! I have compiled them here for you, along with links on how to find some of the crazy things that have shown to improve your chance of IVF egg retrieval and transfer. Here are 10 crazy IVF superstitions that have actually proven to work:

1. Eating Pineapple Core

Pineapple core contains Bromelain which has numerous therapeutic effects. 1. It’s an anti-inflammatory agent which can help women who have issues with implantation caused by inflammation. It can also act as an anti-coagulant/blood thinner. Blood thinners can help women trying to conceive by supporting blood flow to the uterus (the better the blood flow to the uterus, the better chances of conception). Did I eat you? You bet I did… and it tasted like cardboard… sorry.

If you’re wondering HOW THE HELL DO YOU CORE A PINEAPPLE? You’re not alone… But I found this handy dandy tool that makes it a breeze! 

Does it really work? I don’t know! But the science is there and most patients swear by it.

2. Eating McDonald’s French Fries After Transfer

This might have been my favorite superstition and one that I definitely partook in myself! And I’m happy to report that my embryo’s first meal after leaving Shady Grove Fertility was french fries! This superstition comes from doctors wanting patients to stay as hydrated as possible and to absorb fluid. What helps you retain water – salt of course! So get yourself some guilt-free super-sized fries!

3. Drinking Gatorade After Egg Retrievals

This superstition was shared by a girlfriend of mine and a few friends on Instagram. Many women experience what’s called OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome) after egg retrieval. Essentially, the body is over stimulated from the medicine needed to grow excess follicles. Side effects can range from mild bloating to more serious issues that require immediate medical care. Gatorade is said to restore your electrolytes and prevent the nasty side effects of OHSS. 

I didn’t drink massive amounts of Gatorade during my first retrieval and ended up with OHSS… coincidence? Be safe and get yourself a pack of Gatorade!

4. Eating Brazil Nuts After Ovulation

Did you just ovulate? Better run out for some Brazil Nuts! Brazil nuts contain selenium, a mineral that helps to thicken the uterine wall. And a healthy uterine lining can encourage implantation. Selenium is also a mild anticoagulant, which can increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. Who knew?!

5. Drinking Pomegranate Juice Before Ovulation

Hold off on those Brazil Nuts! First you should drink Pomegranate Juice before you ovulate! Pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants and is “rumored” to increase fertility. How? It increases blood flow to the uterus which can promote a healthy uterine lining. Be sure to let the men in your life in on this one too! For men, drinking pomegranate juice is said to improve sperm concentration and motility!

We’re halfway there!

6. Surround Yourself With Turtles

This one may sound a little bit crazy (but just wait until you get to #10!). It’s rumored that keeping turtles around you during an IVF surrogacy can promote womb receptiveness! These peaceful creatures create calm and are known around the world as a symbol of fertility. Not ready to get a pet turtle? Try this plush Pokemon Squirtle instead! 

7. Wear “Lucky Transfer Socks”

This is my favorite superstitions and I really went to the extreme with this one… I may have worn 4 pairs of lucky socks. The superstition is: “warm feet = warm uterus.” By wearing socks during your transfer, and keeping your body temperature high, your uterus is rumored to be nice and cozy – perfect to receive your little embryo friend during transfer!

Here’s a peek at a few of my socks:

8. Getting Acupuncture Before/After IVF Transfer

I wasn’t fancy enough to get acupuncture before OR after IVF transfer, but many patients SWEAR by it. What IS scientifically proven is that acupuncture does increase blood flow and reduce stress. And those are two things that we definitely need to be able to improve overall wellness during IVF.

9. Sending “Sticky Thoughts”

The IVF community is filled with incredible people on their journey to a little miracle! You will hear from time to time: “Sending you sticky thoughts!” And you heard that right. So what the heck is a sticky thought? Well, the goal after an IVF transfer for your embryo to “stick” in the uterus, so it’s thought that by thinking of sticky things, eating honey, chewing bubble gum or leaving post-its around your house can improve your chances. No science here… but it is REALLY CUTE. 

And for our final (and definitely most BIZARRE) superstition…

10. Expose Yourself To Clowns…

No, you didn’t get redirected to a spam page… there is actual SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE that exposure to clowning after an IVF transfer increases your chance of success by…wait for it… FIFTY PERCENT! No, I’m not kidding. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I didn’t hear about this superstition until AFTER my IVF transfer, but those numbers don’t lie! So maybe it’s time to invest in a clown visit after your next transfer? Don’t worry, you don’t need to invite me…

I hope you enjoyed this fun little blog on all of the crazy IVF superstitions! Thank you to all of my friends and incredible women in the IVF community who shared their favorites!

XOXO, Allyn

The post 10 Crazy IVF Superstitions That Actually Work! appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

PGT (preimplantation genetic testing) is an IVF “add on” that is used to identify potential issues with embryos prior to implantation. This comes in two forms: PGT-M and PGT-A. PGT-M is used to help reduce the risk of having a child with a known inherited disorder (like BRCA 1/2 or cystic fibrosis) caused by mutations in a single gene (Monogenic). PGT-A screens embryos for sporadic chromosome abnormalities by counting the 46 chromosomes to look for extra or missing chromosomes (Aneuploidy). Still with me? Good!

Essentially, PGT is “leveling up” your chances of a pregnancy by ensuring that the embryo you transfer has the best chance for success. It’s also a huge relief for people like me who carry a single gene mutation because it means that you have the opportunity to eliminate a dangerous genetic disease from your family tree! After losing three of my uncles to my rare genetic disease, I knew that I wanted to do everything that I could to ensure that my children were gene and carrier free. That meant undergoing IVF with PGT. Even though it seemed a little intimidating to tack on an extra step in the IVF process (and to manage the TWO WEEK WAIT for the results), I knew that it was the right choice for me and my family. After consulting with my doctor, Dr. Devine, at Shady Grove Fertility, I felt even more confident that it was the right decision.

SGF recommended that we use the genetics lab Igenomix for our PGT testing. After seeing that they had over 15 years of experience and were an industry leader, I felt comfortable sending off my “embryo friends” for testing. Christopher and I opted for PGT-A as well as PGT-M. This meant that we were able to not only screen for the genetic disease that I carry, but also able to identify any chromosomal abnormalities in my embryos. That way I knew that I was “covering all my bases.” 

Even thought PGT is probably the most elaborate and detailed part of the IVF process, it was a piece of cake for me! All I had to do was sit back  and let the experts do the work! After my egg retrieval, the embryologist determined which of my eggs were mature enough to be fertilized. Those remaining mature eggs were fertilized, creating embryos. Those embryos grew undisturbed for 5 days. At Day 5, the embryologist “peeked” to see which of those embryos had made it to the blastocyst stage of cell division. Those lucky 9 embryos were then biopsied (a small piece of genetic material was removed from the outer shell) and sent off to Igenomix for PGT. 

Sounds like a lot, right? Well, it is pretty complicated stuff, but I knew that I was in great hands and that the experts were doing their best to ensure that Christopher and I will have a healthy baby. 

After the biopsied material was sent to Igenomix, we just had to get through the dreaded “Two Week Wait.” It takes, on average, two weeks to receive your PGT test results. That might not sound like a lot, but when you’re waiting to hear about the genetic health of your precious embryos, it can feel like a lifetime. My impatience escalated quickly…

To make matters worse, my two week wait turned into a THREE WEEK WAIT. Sometimes you just get unlucky and it takes a little longer than two weeks. Unfortunately that was me… 

I finally got a call from Dr. Devine – the results were in! Out of our 9 embryos, 3 were PGT-A and PGT-M clear! Christopher and I were thrilled. This meant that coupled with our first round of IVF with PGT, we were able to bank 4 healthy embryos to start our family. Christopher and I want 2-3 children so 4 is a great number heading into our first transfer. This wasn’t an easy process, but knowing that we have done everything that we can to protect our future children from my genetic disease has given me an incredible peace of mind. 

Next up is our transfer! Stay tuned for more!

The post The PGT Experience: Leveling Up My Embryos appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

The day of my Egg Retrieval felt like a relief. I was DONE! My hard work was over… I had grown the follicle friends and now it was up to the doctor to do his/her part. 

I was scheduled for surgery at 12 noon which meant that the toughest part of my morning was not eating breakfast and picking out what pajamas I wanted to wear to the surgery center. 

Because Christopher wasn’t in town, I asked my best friend Caitlin’s mom (who I affectionately call Tish) to be my driver and emotional support bestie for the day. Tish picked me up from my brother’s house and drove me to the Shady Grove Fertility Rockville location for my procedure. The surgery center there is BEAUTIFUL and I instantly felt at ease when I was greeted by the warm reception staff. 

The thing I love about SGF, and what I think makes them stand out, is that a large number of their staff have undergone fertility treatments themselves. I really appreciated that because I felt like they ACTUALLY understood what I was going through and when they told me that I would be okay – they meant it. It was also an extra boost of confidence to be surrounded by women who are SGF success stories!

After I finished my initial paperwork I was led back to my recovery room where I was suited up in everyone’s favorite open-in-the-back surgical gown. Yay.

One by one various doctors and nurses came by to check on me and to prep me for surgery. First I met with a wonderful nurse who catered to my every need – including giving me THREE heated blankets because I’m always freezing. No really, they came out of a special blanket heater… I was in heaven. The doctor performing the actual egg retrieval explained each step of the process and let me know that the procedure would only last about 20 minutes and when I woke up I would already know how many eggs they had retrieved. How’s that for efficient! 

Then came my favorite kind of doctor – the anesthesiologist. I imagine there is a lot of job satisfaction being the one that gives people “happy juice” before surgery. He prepped my IV, explained the types of medicine that he would use and told me that he would be back later with the good stuff. 

I called Christopher who was in Germany at the time for one last “I love you” before we got this show on the road. He wished me luck and as we wrapped up the call, the anesthesiologist came back as promised to wheel me into the surgical room. 

I felt pretty calm because I knew it was a fairly straightforward procedure and I trusted the team I had. The room looked a little like a more pimped out gynecologist’s office with one of those stirrup style chairs in the center. And to be honest that’s all I remember about it. I sat in the chair, cracked a joke about my French Bulldog socks and I was out! 

I woke up back in the recovery room feeling a little groggy. But they quickly brought Tish in and the doctor joined to tell me that I had THIRTY FOUR eggs retrieved! No wonder I had felt bloated and uncomfortable – my ovaries were probably the size of grapefruits! I spent about 15-20 minutes waking up from the anesthesia before I felt comfortable enough to walk to the car and head home. 

The nurse warned me that I shouldn’t eat heavy or greasy foods after this procedure so of course I made Tish drive straight to the nearest pizza restaurant because that’s my post-anesthesia ritual. 

Thankfully my stomach survived and we made it home without any complications. 

The next few days were a bit of a roller coaster. I began to experience what my doctor presumed to be Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). This can happen during IVF cycles, particularly ones like mine which result in a very large number of follicles. Essentially the body is “over stimulated” and you experience things like fluid build up in the uterine cavity, as well as bloating, constipation, headaches and over all yuckiness. OHSS symptoms shouldn’t be ignored, so Dr. Devine had me change my flight back to Germany for a week later and had me come in to monitor each day to ensure that the fluid was decreasing. 

Lucky for me it was a very mild case and after a few days of monitoring I was back to normal and ready to ship back off to see Christopher in Germany. Now came the hard part – THE WAITING.

After your egg retrieval, the eggs are checked for their size (to see if they are mature enough) and then fertilized – often through a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection or “ICSI.” Some of the eggs are stubborn and won’t fertilize even if they are mature enough, that’s why sometimes you see numbers like 34 retrieved, 25 mature, 15 fertilized. Unfortunately, not every egg will go on to become an embryo.

After the eggs are fertilized, they are placed in containers and undisturbed for 5 days to allow them to “grow.” The embryologist then checks on Day 5 to see if they have reached Blastocyst (a stage of cell division). If they have reached that stage, they are ready to be sent for genetic testing! Sometimes the embryologist sees that the embryos are ALMOST there and allows them an extra day or two to see if they will reach Blastocyst. If they do, they are also sent for genetic testing. 

Let me tell you – IVF stimulation was hard but WAITING FIVE DAYS to see how many embryos you have felt like a life time!

To add insult to injury, AFTER you wait 5-7 days to see how many embryos you have, you have to wait another TWO WHOLE WEEKS to get your genetic test results back. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment. My only advice is to pick up a new hobby, find a long Netflix series or do something like learn how to knit because otherwise you’ll drive yourself insane. 

So in order to prepare you for your next IVF cycle, I’m going to make you wait until my next blog to tell you how many embryos we sent off to testing Stay tuned! 

The post My Egg Retrieval Experience appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

Today, I saw a lot of posts from friends celebrating their wonderful mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers and memoriam posts about those we have lost. As I inch closer to motherhood myself, there is something beautiful about the anticipation that one day I might be the recipient of one of those glowing posts. I might have a child bring me a flower, breakfast in bed, or a piece of macaroni noodle art. I might have a child that thinks as lovingly about me as I think of my mother, even 16 years after her passing. I suppose because of my IVF journey and becoming more aware of mothering around me, this Mother’s Day feels a little different than the rest. I started thinking about motherhood and what the word means. It seems pretty black and white – women who have children are mothers. But it’s not that simple, is it?

What about the women whose opportunity to become a mother is now gone because chemotherapy treatments, genetics, accidents or illnesses? What about my dear friend undergoing a complete hysterectomy at 31 due to rapidly spreading cancerous cells in her cervix – eliminating her ability to have children? What about my sister-in-law who bravely went against the norm and decided not to have children because she knew that it was not the right choice for her and my brother. What about my friends who have suffered miscarriages, those who, for whatever reason, could never get pregnant, those whose marital situation didn’t allow for it or those who never found the right partner or spouse? There are a million and one reasons why women can’t or chose not to have children, but I don’t think that that precludes them from being mothers. Let me tell you why:

I’ve been mothered by a lot of them. When you lose your mom at a young age (and if you’re lucky like me) your life fills over the years with surrogate moms. Those who step in when you need someone to help you get ready for prom, to send care packages to your college dorm, to nurse you through your first big heartbreak, to surprise you with that killer pair of (way too expensive) shoes to wear to your first big job interview, to check in on you “just because,” to provide a safe space to go to anytime you need it, to tell you that you’re beautiful when you’re feeling your worst, to provide tough love when you need it and afterwards giving you the type of hug that lets you know everything IS going to be okay. Many of my “bonus moms” were mothers themselves, but an equal amount, while never having children themselves, spent their lives mothering whoever might need it. I needed it. And I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without them. 

So this blog is dedicated to anyone who has been a mom, to your own children, or to someone else’s. Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for everything that you’ve done to bring happiness, care and contentment to others. You are loved.

XO, Allyn

The post An Open Letter To Anyone Who Mothers appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

I’m a pretty positive person. So when approaching something like IVF, I usually just put on my bravest face, put one foot in front of the other and just do it. But there are not many things in life less natural than having to stab yourself in the stomach with a needle…

It’s particularly challenging when all of your friends check in with a level of concern that makes you start to think that maybe you’re not quite worried enough…

Luckily for me, Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) plans ahead for my (and I’m presuming most patient’s) paranoia and mandates that you take an injection class prior to the start of your cycle. After handing in my Masters Thesis two years ago, I swore that the word “class” would be struck from the depths of my brain and that I’d never willingly sign up for continuing education ever again.

But man was I relieved to know that someone would be “hand holding” me through this step of the process. I visited the SGF office on K Street in Washington, D.C. and was led to a bright “classroom” with a non-threatening (whew!) injection set up at my desk. A wonderful nurse walked us through every step of the injection process – from prepping the skin, how to pinch your skin to eliminate pain, filling of the syringes, using the various cartridge brands and replacing needles. We also prepared for the all-important intramuscular “trigger shot” which I learned had to go in… wait for it… MY BUTT! 

Wait… what?!

I had just mentally prepared myself for sticking the tiny needles into my tummy and now I have to stick this GIANT NEEDLE IN MY BUTT?! I think the nurse could see the instant panic on all of our faces and quickly let us know that the enormous looking needle that came with the trigger shot kit was NOT in fact the needle that we would be using but was only for “mixing” the medication. In unison, we all let out a sigh of relief.

We wrapped up class and I felt much more prepared heading into the start of my cycle. Here is a glimpse of what my actual class set up looked like:

(If you look close enough, you can see the butt diagram poking out on the white paper)

Now it was time to get this show on the road… literally. Remember when I told you that I had to start my IVF cycle right after I appeared on Good Morning America? I wasn’t kidding. I finished up my segment, had lunch and headed to my tiny New York City hotel room (4,000 miles from home) to administer my first injections. Suddenly my mind went blank… everything that I learned in injection class went out the window and I started to panic. I frantically looked through the packet and paperwork that they gave me… I studied the butt diagram… I read the medicine manual… I did everything to avoid just getting started. Luckily, my calm, reliable German husband said in a serious Dad voice “Stop stalling… just do it.” I’m fairly certain I looked at Christopher and our dog Eisenhower like:

I took a deep breath, I remembered my nice nurse’s voice telling me that everything was going to be okay, I took the syringe of Menopur, pinched my tummy, closed my eyes and did what felt like one of the bravest things I’ve ever done – I STABBED MYSELF IN THE STOMACH!
(You can watch for yourself on my YouTube channel)

As I opened my eyes, I saw Christopher smiling as he said “Great job, baby, you did it!” Trying to play it cool, I contained my excitement…

I let out a huge sigh of relief. That wasn’t bad AT ALL. I barely even felt it.

I prepped my second injection (Gonal-F), took a deep breath and bam… it was done! I WAS DONE! What felt like an hour was actually about 3 minutes and I was really proud of myself for not only starting this process, but doing it on the road and in the midst of my busiest time of the year. 

Over the next two weeks, I gave myself injections in 5 different states, countless hotel rooms and had monitoring appointments at 3 separate SGF offices. I was SO GRATEFUL that I was working with a center like SGF because I wouldn’t have been able to complete my cycle without the flexibility of my clinical team and the ability to be seen at multiple locations. I made it through – but it wasn’t always easy… and because I was new to this, I had a lot of panic moments.

First off, I had to travel with my meds, some of which needed to be refrigerated. I brought some of them from home, which meant traveling on a 9 hour flight and keeping medication cold. After copious amounts of research, I bought a small diabetic cool pack and I used that during the flight. It did the trick, but it definitely wasn’t as cold as I would have liked it to be upon arrival (but after a frantic call to my nurse I knew that it was still okay). Now that I know better, I would have asked the flight attendant for some ice mid flight and added that to the kit.

Travel Tip #1: Add More Ice

When I arrived in New York, the hotel I was staying at didn’t provide mini-fridges in the room. After about 17 calls to reception, they agreed to pull the ONE mini fridge in the hotel out of another room and give it to me. Upon arrival, I realized that this thing was about 20 years old and I was terrified that it wasn’t going to be cold enough to store my medication correctly. So what did I do? I decided to BUY A FRIDGE and made my poor husband carry it across Manhattan for me. 

Travel Tip #2: Don’t Panic And Buy A Fridge

(I married Prince Charming… I know)

To be honest, the stress relief that it brought me was probably worth the $86, but it was a little overboard. But alas, my very expensive IVF medication was now protected! I was in NYC for a week and then realized… duh… I couldn’t bring my fridge as “checked baggage.” I called around to numerous Women’s Shelters and Animal Rescues in the city but sadly no one was interested in my mini fridge. So, I donated it to the hotel instead. They were very excited to have a working fridge. You’re welcome, Cassa Hotel. 

Travel Tip #3: Actually, It’s Okay To Do Crazy Things If It Eases Your Stress

If there’s one thing I learned during this process it’s that you can’t prepare for everything. So naturally, there were a few things that threw me for a loop.

The next hiccup in the process was my physical reaction to the injections. I don’t know if I zoned out during injection class or if side effects aren’t very common, but I’ll share my experiences in case you experience something similar: 

INJECTION REACTIONS

The first few injections were a breeze. I started to get a little smug thinking “is this what people complain so much about?” Pfft. Well, reality came to bite me in the… stomach. 

1. Bruising
   A side effect of my genetic disease Wiskott Aldrich is having low platelets which causes me to bruise like a peach. Spend too much time leaning on something? Bruise. Sit on a chair the wrong way? Bruise. My husband hugs me too hard? Bruise. I run into the door frame trying to find the bathroom in the middle of the night? It looks like I was in a bar fight. 

Well, this time was no different. Around Day 4 my stomach started to look like I was slowly turning into a Dalmatian. 

2. Injection Site Reactions
Midway through my cycle I began taking a drug called Cetrotide. I figured that it would be just like the Gonal-F or Menopur so I took the first shot like a champ. Driving home from my monitoring appointment, I started to notice that my stomach was getting itchy. I pulled over, lifted up my shirt and realized that I had a large red splotch appearing around the injection site. I was also getting a little mentally fuzzy. Like any millennial, I knew that it was time to consult a doctor – Dr. Google.

As I frantically typed in “reaction to Cetrotide,” several articles popped up warning me of severe allergic reactions to Cetrotide. I immediately dialed the after hours weekend nurse line. When I reached the recorded “triage line,” I started to get nervous. WHAT IF I DIED BEFORE THE NURSE CALLED ME BACK?! So I called the front desk at SGF Rockville which I knew was still open. I explained that I was very likely dying and asked to be immediately connected to a nurse. The receptionist connected me with a nurse who reassured me that I was going to be fine and said that she would review my medications and call me right back. 

As my hypochondria went into full effect, I got a call from the nurse telling me to get home, take it easy and call if things started to get worse. Of course the reaction went away after 30 minutes and I went on to live another day. 

Live shot of me vlogging the experience at home:

Travel Tip #4: Don’t Panic… You’re Not Dying.

3. Bloating and Constipation

The bloating is real my friends. Ever wanted to know what it’s like to look 4 months pregnant without actually being pregnant? Go through an IVF stimulation cycle. As your follicles start to grow, your ovaries expand causing you to feel pretty icky. It was particularly bad in my case because I was walking around with THIRTY FOUR follicles.

Live shot of me journaling:

If the injections, anxiety and travel wasn’t enough, I now couldn’t fit into the only pants I had brought with me this trip and I had to walk around for a week and a half with my jeans unzipped and unbuttoned. 

I pouted about it a lot, but I survived.

Tip #5: You’re Not Fat, Your Ovaries Are Just The Size Of Grapefruits

To add insult to injury, just when you start to not fit into your pants, the constipation kicks in. Gross, I know. But don’t worry, this too shall pass… literally. Just eat food filled with fiber and chug water – you’re almost to the finish line, girlfriend!

Tip #6: An Apple A Day… 

THE TRIGGER

Remember that scary trigger shot we talked about in the beginning? Welp, it was time.

My doctor called with instructions to “trigger” on Halloween night. It seemed like a cruel joke, so I stress ate a lot of chocolate and mentally prepared myself for an injection into my butt muscle. To make it worse, my husband wasn’t there to help. But I remembered that my injection class nurse told me I could stop by the office the day of the injection and she would draw a big black Sharpie circle exactly where I needed to inject. Fool proof! So to the office I went.

Tip #7: Want To Overcome Your Crippling Shyness? Go Through An IVF Stimulation Cycle. 

As I pulled my pants down in the nurse’s office and she drew a circle on my butt, I realized that I was at the finish line! One more shot before the egg retrieval. Somehow this awkward situation felt like a wonderful right of passage. 

I thanked her for her “service” and headed home to get ready for my 1AM “call time.” Your trigger shot is carefully timed to be EXACTLY 36 hours before your scheduled egg retrieval. Often you have to take your trigger at odd times of night. As it got later, I started to realize that I didn’t know if I would be able to do this shot myself. Not only was it nerve wracking, but I am notoriously inflexible and wasn’t sure I’d even be able to twist far enough to see the injection site… and I’d be stabbing a muscle this time – what if I twitched? What if I messed it up? What if…

I had one option left. Ask the person whose house I was staying at. But that person… was my little brother. Yep… I had to ask my little brother to give me an injection in my butt. 

I figured that I had let a near stranger see my butt today, why not my little brother too? The nice guy agreed and stayed up with me eating candy until the time came. 

1 AM rolled around and I made my way to the spare bedroom. I laid on the bed and my brother gave me a countdown… 3…2…1… go! 

Piece of cake. Just like everything else in this cycle, I had worked myself up for nothing. I gave my brother a hug and promised him that if he ever needed a shot in the butt, I owed him one. I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. Today was the big day… Egg Retrieval! 

For the next chapter, tune back in to All-in with Allyn!

Watch my first injection experience here:

https://youtu.be/POk-i-xv9a0

The post What It’s Like Giving Yourself IVF Injections appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

TIP 1: Prepare FOR ANYTHING.

As a young-ish woman (31 in IVF terms is still a spring chicken) who didn’t have any known fertility problems, I went into the process exceedingly optimistic, and admittedly a little naive…

I felt confident. In my mind, I’d breeze through all of the initial screenings and tests, I’d only need one egg retrieval cycle resulting in more embryos than I could have ever used (unless I went the Octomom route) and who knows maybe I’d even be able to donate my remaining embryos to a family in need! 

Enter Stage Left: Reality

The Firsts: Pre-IVF Examinations 

When starting the IVF process, you’ll undergo a few initial screening tests. The first batch of tests only require simple blood work: infectious disease screening, testing of hormone levels and your ovarian reserve. (Fun Fact: women are born with all of the eggs that they will ever have! This test is an indicator of how many you have left.). Simple enough. But be prepared to learn several acronyms for your hormones which are thrown at you in succession! FSH, AMH, LH…

Just when you start to get the hang of things, they bring in the big guns: the intrauterine ultrasound and the dreaded… Hysterosalpingogram (HSG). Oh great, another acronym.

An ultrasound seemed easy enough – I have them at the gynocologists office from time to time, but I really had no idea what the heck an HSG or “tubal patency” test was. To keep it simple, many IVF facilities require an HSG to see if there are any issues with your Fallopian tubes. You may be asking: “Why do they care about my Fallopian tubes if I’m doing IVF (which doesn’t require the use of the tubes). The HSG outlines the internal shape of the uterus and shows whether the Fallopian tubes are blocked. If they are blocked, it’s likely a result of another issue that may cause problems during the IVF process. Feeling extra confident about the shape of my Fallopian tubes, I practically skipped into my German doctor’s office. 

If the German medical system wasn’t uncomfortable enough…I was placed into a large room with a single exam chair, asked to undress from the bottom down and told to sit in the exam chair (read: the gyno stirrup chair). I looked around… there was no paper covering. So there I am, exposed for the entire world with no privacy screen. That’s when I see a swarm of students come into the room. I remember… oh that’s right… this is a teaching hospital…

I shook off my initial insecurity and remembered that I likely had the Vitruvian Man of Fallopian tubes and thought to myself – this is a teachable moment. 

I was warned prior to the exam that I may experience some “slight discomfort.” Even though I pride myself on my high pain tolerance, wanting to be extra prepared, I took two ibuprofen prior to the exam… just in case. Spoiler alert: the HSG was about as gentle as a kick in the head. As the dye was injected into my Fallopian tubes, I felt a pressure that kept increasing. “Oh that hurts… wait… no… that really…. dear God when will this be over?!” What felt like an hour was probably only 1 minute. Nevertheless, it was… unpleasant. After the test was over, the doctor stoically looked at me and said, “Both of your Fallopian tubes are completely blocked. You won’t be able to conceive naturally… good thing you’re doing IVF. Have a nice day, goodbye.” 

The Firsts: The Emotions

How could this be?! I was the spring chicken, remember?! I was the “prime candidate!” I took my checkout sheet and made what felt like the walk of shame back to my car. I’m not an overtly emotional person but I broke into tears. As silly as it is, I felt like a “failed woman.” I wasn’t able to do THE ONE THING that my body was biologically primed to do. I was young. I was healthy. I flossed and took a multivitamin. What more was I supposed to do? I summoned the courage to call my husband to tell him the news – his wife had inferior Fallopian tubes. It felt like my world was over. 

I thank God every day for my calm, cool, collected German husband because he simply replied: “Calm down. Everything is fine. No matter what, we will figure it out.” And then finished the call by saying “See you at home… my Fallopian beauty.” 

I decided to get a second opinion and this time I went to the pros at Shady Grove Fertility. I called Dr. Devine and asked if it would make sense to be tested again. Because I was at a very low risk of having tube issues, she recommended that I try again at their Rockville facility. I walked into the appointment and it was like a spa treatment compared to the animal at a zoo situation at the university hospital in Germany. The nurses and doctors were warm and friendly and I experienced significantly less pain this time around. I’ll be honest, it’s still pretty uncomfortable, but it was a hell of a lot better than the previous torture chamber. The result: one completely clear tube and one that appeared to be “blocked.” But it turns out the “blockage” wasn’t actually a blockage, it was a spasm of the tube and I was perfectly fine! Whew! I was so happy that I got a second opinion. I was back to feeling confident! Bloodwork was clear, ultrasound was tip top, tubes were A-okay!

Want to see more behind the scenes of my HSG experience?

The Firsts: The Injections

Now all that was left were the first injections. I totally wasn’t scared…

Okay, I was scared. There’s nothing less natural than stabbing yourself with a needle in the stomach. What made it even more difficult was that I would be “on the road” for work and not in the comfort of my own home. And this wasn’t a normal work day… I was scheduled to appear on Good Morning America. 

No pressure right… I just took a deep breath and said to myself that I was incredibly fortunate to undergo a procedure like IVF with PGS and even if I had to start in an “unconventional way” I would still be okay. So I took a seat in my hotel room, set my shots up next to the Keurig and got started.

I didn’t die. It didn’t hurt. It was really a lot easier than I expected. I kind of felt silly for being so anxious about the whole process because it was over in less than a minute. I kept waiting to feel more pain or to have a crazy side effect. But that was it! Really as simple as two little pin pricks! For more behind the scenes:

https://youtu.be/POk-i-xv9a0

I was off to a good start and couldn’t wait to see those little follicle friends grow! Check back for more from my IVF journey soon! 

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IVF IS SCARY. 

Okay, it’s actually not that scary, but the initial thoughts, research and anxiety going into a procedure like this can be a little daunting. Unlike the traditional IVF patient, my husband and I were not utilizing IVF due to fertility problems, but instead because I carry a rare recessive genetic disease called Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS). If you’re wondering what the heck is that? You’re not alone. It’s a randomly occurring mutation that presents in 1 in every 250,000 male births! So you likely have never heard of it.

Unfortunately for my family, WAS has been a sad legacy. I lost 3 of my uncles (all before they turned 18) to WAS related diseases. WAS is carried on the X-chromosome and if you remember high school biology, that means that 50% of males (XY) will be affected and 50% of females (XX) will be “carriers” (i.e. we can pass the disease on to our children but we are not affected). I’m one of those unlucky carriers. That means that I have a 50/50 chance of passing this disease/carrier status on to my male children and my female children. That’s some pretty heavy stuff.

It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders when I learned that through IVF with Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT), you can test and identify the unaffected embryos before you transfer them! You heard that right – you can ensure that you are only transferring the healthy 50% and wait for it… you can completely eliminate the disease from your family tree!

Meaning this mutation ENDS WITH ME. I would be giving my future sons the gift of being WAS free and my daughters the gift of not worrying if they might pass it on to their children. I was sold. The next step – finding an IVF clinic that specializes in this miracle work! Enter Stage Left: Shady Grove Fertility (SGF).

This was really a no brainer for me. I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and had heard commercials for SGF for years. I knew that they were the leading fertility clinic in the country, I heard their growing statistics of couples bringing home their miracle babies and the soothing, calm voice-actor had me sold from day one. But what I didn’t know was that Shady Grove Fertility was the real deal. They are the world leaders in IVF and more importantly – they specialize in PGT which was the most important thing in trying to have a healthy baby.

As I did my research I learned that PGT is able to help eliminate several potential risk factors like chromosomal abnormalities and works for numerous other genetic conditions like BRCA 1 and 2 (the breast cancer gene mutations). So not only was I excited that this would be something that could help Christopher and I on our way to having a baby, I couldn’t wait to share with the breast cancer community that this was a way to eliminate what feels like a life sentence for so many women like me with a family history of breast cancer.

But what really sealed the deal for me with SGF was the flexibility. The biggest hurdle for me in picking a clinic was the fact that my job takes me all over the country. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to “stay in one place” (quite literally) for the length of my cycle. Shady Grove Fertility came to the rescue again – they have 38 office locations over the U.S. so I had the flexibility of being seen at another office and I ended up having to! (More on that later). The next question was – how do I choose the right doctor?

Well, this one kind of fell in my lap. I found out that one of my oldest childhood friends, Amanda, was working at SGF! I reached out to her (promising that I wasn’t messaging her on Facebook to sign her up for an MLM) and asked for her recommendation on her favorite doctor at Shady Grove Fertility. She was adamant that I needed to work with Dr. Kate Devine. If she was as good as her name sounded, we were set. Well, there’s no other way to say it, but she blew my mind. I felt unbelievably at ease and confident going in to the initial procedure and I owe that in large part to knowing that I was in Dr. Devine’s… divine hands (had to use that at least once).

Me and Dr. Kate Devine!

I was lucky to catch this video of Dr. Devine at work:

The only thing left was to get started. It was a bumpy ride at first… but we made it through! Want to know the whole story? Read about my journey here.

The post Why I Am Undergoing IVF Treatment appeared first on All-in with Allyn.

And after encountering a wealth of misinformation on social media about what impeachment ACTUALLY means, and wondering if was time to mandate adult civics classes, I thought I’d quit shaking my head, put my Government and Politics degree to good use, and share a quick and easy primer on what the hell an impeachment is and how it REALLY works.

But before we get into the nitty gritty…

Let’s do a quick recap on the definition of impeachment…

Before you start stress eating, don’t worry, it’s pretty painless.

What is an impeachment?

Simply put, impeachment is Congress’s power to “fire” the president. And while we commonly hear it used to mean removing someone from office, it actually only refers to the filing of formal charges or “articles of impeachment.” Still with me? Good!

So how does one go about being impeached?

The grounds of impeachment in the Constitution are limited to: “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” But, unfortunately, the precise meaning of “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” isn’t defined in the Constitution.

And you guessed it…

The Founders described impeachable offenses as those arising from “the misconduct of public men.” Impeachable offenses were deemed “political” as they resulted in injury to society itself.

This is where it gets tricky… because that means that a president’s behavior doesn’t necessarily have to be a “prosecutable offense” (i.e. criminal conduct), but simply an action that violates an official’s “duty to country” or undermines the “public’s trust.”

In short… things that make American’s want to:

This has led to a broad interpretation, and impeachment in America has been inspired by some pretty varying circumstances.

So what have previous presidents done to warrant impeachment? 

Who has been impeached?

Only 3 presidents in the history of the United States have been impeached (if you exclude Richard Nixon who resigned from office before an all but certain impeachment following the Watergate scandal). The list includes: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and finally Donald Trump in 2019.

But why though?

ANDREW JOHNSON (1868)

To keep it simple – Andrew Johnson didn’t like his co-worker – Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton because he was a pain in the ass. And at the time, there was a federal law called the “Tenure of Office Act,” which restricted the power of the President to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate. President Johnson said “screw it” and fired him anyway.

As a result, the House of Representatives adopted ELEVEN articles of impeachment against Johnson under the broadly defined “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” ground. Number 11 was particularly savage:

“Bringing disgrace and ridicule to the presidency.”

BILL CLINTON (1998):

In perhaps the most publicized political scandal of our time, Bill Clinton was impeached for his handling of extra-marital affair accusations with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.

For those Gen-Zers reading this, here’s a little background:

Married President Bill Clinton, age 49, was accused of having a sexual affair with his 22-year-old intern, Monica Lewinsky… and then lying to the American people (and Congress) about it.

His denial lives in infamy:

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman…”  

The President doubled down:

“I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people.”  *mic drop*

However, it was only a matter of time before the President had to fess up. A sample of semen was taken from Lewinsky’s famous “little blue dress” and tested with a 7.87 trillion-to-1 certainty to match the President.

Whoops.

This left the American people, and undoubtedly his wife (and future presidential candidate), Hillary Clinton, feeling like…

Bill Clinton was subsequently impeached by the House of Representatives on the grounds of perjury (lying) and obstruction of justice. 

Fun Fact: Almost 20 years later, in 2018, Monica Lewinsky finally shared the location in which President Clinton soiled her famous dress (read: Oval Office Bathroom) and why she didn’t originally recognize the stain “I thought it was spinach dip.” 

DONALD TRUMP:

The recent impeachment of Donald Trump was less personally salacious than Bill Clinton’s, but has political commentators bringing stark comparisons regarding the “legitimacy” of the impeachment (more on that later). 

In short:

A White House whistleblower (a secret informant) alleged that Donald Trump withheld military aid as a way of pressuring newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into two political favors. (Read: Quid Pro Quo – Translation: “something for something”):

1. Investigate political rival Joe Biden’s son Hunter

Hunter Biden sat on a consulting board for Burisma, one of Ukraine’s largest gas companies, while his father was serving as Vice President. Trump and his supporters insisted that the Bidens acted corruptly to protect the company from prosecution in Ukraine while Hunter suspiciously received a $50,000 A MONTH salary… despite having no known expertise in the production, transport, or distribution of natural gas and generally spending his working career coasting on his daddy’s famous name. (Read: Another Quid Pro Quo)

Getting bored? Don’t worry – there’s always a sex scandal.

Other accusations against Hunter Biden:

While dating his brother’s widow (weird I know), he fathered a child with a different woman. DNA results (uncomfortably released on his father’s 77th birthday) confirmed it was his child.

It gets better.

We now know where he met his baby mama-to-be… at his favorite D.C. area strip club. Yay, politics. 

On to Trump’s other potentially coerced favor…

2. Investigate a conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine (and not Russia) behind the alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.

It was rumored that Ukranian-linked company Crowdstrike, hired by the Democratic National Committee to help investigate the hacking of their email during the 2016 campaign, played part in the allegation that the election was “hacked by the Russians.” 

Long story short, House Democrats, in a partisan move (without Republican support), voted to impeach Donald Trump using… you guessed it… the high Crimes and Misdemeanors clause, citing an abuse of power and accusing him of obstructing Congress.

Republicans were vehemently opposed to the impeachment, stating that impeachment necessitates bipartisan support and saw it as “political strategy” (solely to damage the reputation of President Trump) with no benefit to the American people.

Why?

Because the subsequent Senate trial would, with near certainty, result in the impeachment being “thrown out.” (Here’s where political historians draw connections to the Clinton impeachment which had partisan support… just that time it was the other way around.)

Recent ammunition for the Republican’s claims stem from the actions of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She has threatened to withhold sending the articles of impeachment over to the Senate (so the trial can start) in order to get the Republicans to give her something she wants (witnesses in the trial that could be damaging to the President). (Read: Another-nother Quid Pro Quo… seems to be a trend here)

Which leads us to our next question… 

What does impeachment ACTUALLY mean for a president and for the American people?

Perhaps the most confusing part of an impeachment is that it does not necessarily mean that a president will be removed from office. In fact, a sitting president has NEVER been removed from office after an impeachment. 

How is that possible, you ask?

Remember when we learned about Separation of Powers in school? No?

A refresher:

The Founders wanted to ensure that where was a balance of power in government so that decisions were made in a fair and equitable way (i.e. we couldn’t make rash decisions based on the views of one branch of government). Power is equally distributed between the Executive Branch (President), the Senate (2 representatives from each state) and the House of Representatives (representatives based on state population). Usually, no single party (Republican or Democrat) controls (has a majority in) ALL branches.

Right now, Republicans “control” the Senate and the Executive branch, while the Democrats hold a majority in the House of Representatives.

This separation of power is how all three of our impeached presidents have avoided being removed from office. 

Still confused? Enter: The Senate Trial

In order to maintain a separation (balance) of power, when the Executive Branch does something stupid, the House steps in to make a judgment and then the Senate makes a judgment on that judgment. Sound inefficient? That’s politics!

But it’s an important part of the American Constitution and guarantees that big decisions (like the ousting of a president) are made with support of both sides of the aisle (a good thing). But this “gridlock” can be frustrating to the average American because it can seem like a big waste of time, effort and tax dollars…

What does this mean for Donald Trump?

Well, he’s very likely to go down as the 3rd president to be impeached and to stay in office as the Senate is controlled by his party – the Republicans. So where do we stand?

The Democrats are angry because they believe that Trump should be removed from office:

The Republicans don’t think his actions warranted impeachment in the first place:

Donald Trump:

Where does that leave the rest of us? 

Well, not quite, but it will be interesting to see how this impeachment plays out in the Senate and if it will have an effect on Election 2020.

Will Donald Trump be the first impeached president to win reelection?

Sound off with your thoughts below and thanks for tuning in to this edition of All-in with Allyn.

And a extra special thank you to Marsai Martin, of one of my all-time favorite shows Black-ish, for always having exactly the right gif reaction for any scenario. 

XOXO, Allyn

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