Buns in the oven

(OK...I know it is a picture of a freshly baked loaf of bread, but I didn't have the energy to make buns!)

The transfer went smoothly, but the doctor had to talk to us before we started about the quality of the embryos. It isn't bad news necessarily, I'm just not sure that it can be qualified as jump-up-and-down good news either.

She reported that we had 2 that had made it to early blastocyst stage: one was graded 2AA the other 2BB. My understanding of 5-day transfers is that because of my age (34) and being that this is our first attempt at IVF, normally they would only transfer one blastocyst. However, because neither of them was stellar looking, we had to make the decision right there about transferring one or both.

Naturally, we'd had the discussion before and my husband was quite disappointed to learn originally that if we went to 5 days, they would likely only transfer one. He had gotten used to the idea that we might get the two-for-one deal! So when the doctor asked us, I replied, "Yes, no question, we understand the risks and will transfer both", to which my husband replies, "Are you sure you want to transfer two?" I just stared at him. We aren't supposed to be split on decisions like this, especially when he was so adamant just days before about how they should transfer two. "Yes, WE are sure." Why the last minute change of heart? Perhaps just nerves. I thought that it was women who were supposed to be indecisive.

Anyways, the doctor, looking a bit nervous asked, "Are you sure? Because once we start, we can't stop." Yes, we are sure. So in they went, a small flash of light as the embryos shot through the catheter hopefully crash landing on that cushy lining that is all ready for them. And that was that.

So now all there is to do is hope. I have tried to find more information about the grading system that they use, but have come up empty handed. Does anyone know where there might be a chart or something to decode what the 2AA and 2BB mean? I need to start obsessing about something soon and I figure research is as good as anything.

I am still off next week, although technically it is vacation. As a result I should have lots of time to start analyzing every twitch down there.

**UPDATE**
Blastocyst Grading Standards

GOOD	1.	Fully expanded or hatching day-five
ADEQUATE	2.	Fully expanded or hatching day-six Moderate expansion day-five
MEDIOCRE	3.	Moderate expansion day-six Early cavitation day-five
POOR	4.	Early cavitation day-six Morula day-five (?six)

• Add to this two alphabetic scores to grade i.e.,
  1st). Inner Cell Mass
  2nd). Trophectoderm

GOOD	A.	high cell number with good cell/cell adhesion
MEDIOCRE	B.	lower cell number with poorer cell/cell attachment
POOR	C.	no cells apparent (ICM) sparse granular (degenerate?) cells (trophectoderm)