#egg freezing procedure

[kicdelfinium]

Your Comprehensive Guide to Finding the Best IVF and ICSI Hospitals in Delhi

In recent years, advancements in fertility treatments have given hope to many couples and individuals looking to start or expand their families. Delhi, being a major medical hub in India, boasts several state-of-the-art fertility centers that provide world-class treatments like IVF, IUI, ICSI, and egg freezing. Whether you’re just starting your fertility journey or exploring advanced options, understanding what each treatment offers is essential.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the top IVF centers, the best IUI and ICSI hospitals in Delhi, and discuss the revolutionary egg freezing treatment for preserving fertility.

1. Finding the Top IVF Centre in Delhi

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) has emerged as a leading treatment for couples facing fertility issues. The process involves fertilizing an egg with sperm outside the body in a controlled laboratory setting, followed by transferring the embryo to the uterus. IVF is a beacon of hope for those dealing with blocked fallopian tubes, unexplained infertility, or other reproductive challenges.

Delhi has several premier fertility clinics known for their high success rates, experienced specialists, and cutting-edge technology. A top IVF centre in Delhi will offer comprehensive services such as advanced fertility diagnostics, personalized treatment plans, and expert counseling throughout the IVF journey.

Many centers also have robust support for individuals needing additional assistance, like donor eggs or sperm, ensuring that each patient receives the care tailored to their unique needs.

2. The Best IUI Centre in Delhi: A Less Invasive Option

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is often the first fertility treatment recommended for couples experiencing mild fertility issues. It’s a relatively simple, non-invasive procedure that involves placing sperm directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation. This increases the chances of the sperm reaching the egg and fertilizing it.

Choosing the best IUI centre in Delhi is crucial for a successful outcome. The top centers have experienced reproductive endocrinologists, precise ovulation tracking systems, and high-quality sperm preparation techniques. With affordable costs and minimal intervention, IUI can be an excellent choice for many couples looking for a less invasive approach to conception.

3. The Best ICSI Hospital in Delhi: Advanced Fertility Support

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is an advanced fertility treatment recommended for couples dealing with severe male infertility, such as low sperm count or poor sperm mobility. In this procedure, a single sperm is injected directly into the egg to facilitate fertilization.

The best ICSI hospital in Delhi will have a highly skilled embryology team that ensures successful egg fertilization using the latest techniques and equipment. State-of-the-art labs, experienced fertility specialists, and a focus on precision are key factors that set top ICSI hospitals apart from others.

ICSI, often combined with IVF, offers hope to couples who may have previously thought conception was impossible.

4. Freezing Eggs for Pregnancy: Preserving Fertility for the Future

In an era where women are choosing to pursue higher education, build careers, or wait for the right time to start a family, freezing eggs for pregnancy has become a popular option. Egg freezing is an innovative procedure that allows women to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs at a younger age, ensuring better chances of conception in the future.

The egg freezing treatment involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving them, and then freezing them using advanced cryopreservation techniques. Once a woman is ready to conceive, the eggs can be thawed, fertilized with sperm, and transferred to the uterus through IVF.

Several fertility centers in Delhi offer egg freezing services with the latest cryopreservation technologies, ensuring that the eggs remain viable for years to come. Whether due to medical reasons, personal choice, or career goals, egg freezing offers women the freedom to decide when to start their families on their terms.

Choosing the Right Fertility Treatment in Delhi

Delhi is home to some of the best fertility centers in India, offering comprehensive treatments ranging from IVF and IUI to ICSI and egg freezing. When choosing a fertility clinic, consider the following:

Success rates and patient reviews

The experience and expertise of fertility specialists

Availability of advanced fertility treatments and technology

Personalized care and counseling services

A supportive environment that prioritizes emotional well-being

The fertility journey can be complex, but with the right support and the best medical care, many hopeful parents achieve their dreams of parenthood. Whether you’re considering starting treatment at a top IVF centre in Delhi, exploring IUI or ICSI options, or planning for the future with egg freezing treatment, Delhi offers world-class facilities to guide you every step of the way.

[ivflondon]

Egg Freezing Guide | Delay Fertility | IVF London Expertise

Explore egg freezing, its process, and how IVF London supports you in making the right choice for your future family planning.

[answersfromzestual]

Egg Retrieval- Basic Facts.

If you are considering "freezing your eggs (Oocyte cryopreservation) " here is an article for you.

So the process of "harvesting" your eggs prior to either IVF or Freezing, is called: Oocyte Retrieval.

The process of Oocyte Retrieval is rather simple and does not take much time. It requires four months off of testosterone and the time until your procedure (aprox another 14-15 days). Meaning you would be off testosterone for four and a half months total approx (everyone is different, ovulation schedules are different).

They start with timing your ovulation cycle and using that to determine a time that would be best to perform the procedure.

The average time range where you would have a stimulation cycle where you would be taking a "stimulating" medicine of some sort, takes 10-14 days total. This depends on your ovulation cycle, reproductive health, and other bodily factors can vary the days slightly more.

After that 10-14 days (on average) the procedure itself would be performed. The procedure takes approximately half an hour, I've read some doctors using general anesthesia without intubation (you're not 100% out, they may tell you it's like a "twilight state"), or with a strong oral seditative. This varies clinc to clinic.

The procedure itself should not be painful.

Post procedure you may feel abdominal cramping and general discomfort for up to a day or two.

prior to any of these procedures you will need to make an appointment with a gynecologist where they would have to do some minor testing that may take some time. This may include ultrasounds (inside and out), a general care appointment if you are a new client, blood testing, and sometimes they may want other forms of testing done as well depending on you and your reproduction cycle and health.

Any of these following symptoms see a physician right away!

If you have any sign of fever

If you have any signs of infection (such as foul smelling discharge)

Extreme discomfort

Not being able to eat and drink.

I also included a link specifically on the complications of this procedure. Find it here or in the source section.

Also you can re-start your hormone therapy after your procedure is done.

The quality and quantity of the eggs is very similar to a cis female.

Sources:

https://www.pfcla.com/blog/ivf-timeline-how-long-is-the-ivf-process-from-start-to-finish#:~:text=The%20average%20time%20for%20the,for%20the%20egg%20retrieval%20procedure.

https://www.pfcla.com/blog/what-to-expect-for-an-egg-retrieval-cycle

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/in-vitro-fertilization/multimedia/egg-retrieval-technique/img-20008644

https://www.cofertility.com/freeze-learn/egg-freezing-for-transgender-men#:~:text=More%20than%20half%20of%20the,before%20starting%20their%20treatment%20cycle.

[110695]

Leading IVF Center for IVF, Surrogacy, ICSI and More Fertility Services

Leading center in Gurgaon for IVF, ICSI, surrogacy, IUI, and advanced fertility services. Explore e

gg freezing, genetic testing, and more.

[drforambhuta]

The following are the primary techniques in assisted reproductive procedures:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): IUI is a minimally invasive method placing sperm directly into the uterus, useful for male factor infertility, unexplained infertility, or cervical mucus issues, with a 10-20% pregnancy chance per cycle.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): IVF procedure involves egg retrieval, fertilization in a lab dish, and embryo transfer into the uterus. It's recommended for various infertility issues, with a 40% average success rate.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): ICSI enhances fertilization in severe male factor infertility cases, resembling IVF success rates.

Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT): GIFT combines IVF and IUI elements, suitable for couples with religious objections to embryo culture, with success rates similar to IVF.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT): PGT screens embryos for genetic abnormalities during IVF, reducing genetic disorder risks but with ethical considerations.

Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation): Egg freezing preserves eggs for future use, influenced by the woman's age, career, health, or personal reasons.

Sperm Retrieval Techniques: TESE and PESA retrieve sperm for men with male factor infertility issues, depending on the type of azoospermia.

Donor Gametes and Embryos: Donor gametes are options for individuals unable to use their own due to genetic disorders or other factors, with ethical considerations.

Surrogacy: Gestational surrogacy is common, involving contracts and counseling. Traditional surrogacy is less frequent due to legal and emotional complexities.

Emerging Technologies: ART advances with technologies like mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) and artificial gametes, offering new possibilities for infertility treatment and personalized medicine.

You can contact the best fertility specialist in Mumbai, Dr. Firuza Parikh, who is currently working at H N Reliance Hospital, for a thorough evaluation and fertility treatment plan based on your health condition.

[sk270114]

If a patient has endometriosis and are trying to conceive, there are several steps she can take to increase the chances of getting pregnant. Keep in mind that every individual's situation is unique, so it's essential to consult with a healthcare provider, preferably a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist, for personalized advice and guidance. Here are some general steps you can consider:

Get a proper diagnosis and evaluation: If you suspect you have endometriosis or have been diagnosed with the condition, consult with a healthcare professional to confirm the diagnosis and assess the severity of your endometriosis. Your doctor may recommend imaging tests, such as ultrasound or MRI, to visualize the extent of endometrial growths.

Address lifestyle factors: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can positively impact fertility. Ensure you have a balanced diet, engage in regular physical activity, manage stress, and avoid smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and illicit drugs.

Track ovulation: Understanding your menstrual cycle and identifying your fertile window can be beneficial when trying to conceive. You can use ovulation predictor kits or track basal body temperature and cervical mucus changes to predict ovulation.

Consider fertility treatments: Depending on the severity of endometriosis and other factors, your doctor may recommend fertility treatments. These may include ovulation induction with medication, intrauterine insemination (IUI), or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Laparoscopic surgery: In some cases, surgical removal of endometrial growths (laparoscopic excision) can improve fertility. The procedure aims to eliminate adhesions, restore normal pelvic anatomy, and potentially enhance natural conception.

Hormonal therapy: Hormonal treatments such as oral contraceptives, progestins, or GnRH agonists may be prescribed to manage endometriosis symptoms. These medications can help control the growth of endometrial tissue and may improve fertility in some cases.

Explore assisted reproductive technologies (ART): If natural conception is challenging, ART procedures like IVF can significantly increase the chances of pregnancy. During IVF, eggs are retrieved from the ovaries, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, and the resulting embryos are transferred to the uterus.

Seek emotional support: Coping with the challenges of endometriosis and infertility can be emotionally taxing. Consider seeking support from a therapist, counselor, or support group to help you navigate this journey.

Fertility treatment success rates can vary based on individual circumstances, including age, severity of endometriosis, and overall health. It's crucial to work closely with a qualified healthcare provider who specializes in fertility and endometriosis to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. There are best ivf specialists like Dr Firuza Parekh who can guide you with information on endometriosis treatment, assisted reproduction, ivf, ivf treatment, ivf procedure, cost of IVF in Mumbai.

[drpriya]

Egg freezing itself does not cause early menopause. Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a medical procedure in which a woman's eggs are harvested, frozen, and stored for future use. The process involves controlled ovarian stimulation to produce multiple eggs, followed by their extraction and freezing.

Early menopause, on the other hand, refers to the onset of menopause before the age of 40. It can occur due to various factors such as genetics, autoimmune disorders, certain medical treatments (like chemotherapy or radiation therapy), or surgery that removes both ovaries.

While the process of egg freezing involves manipulating a woman's menstrual cycle and using hormonal medications to stimulate egg production, it does not cause or accelerate the natural progression of menopause. The purpose of egg freezing is to preserve a woman's fertility by freezing her eggs at a younger age when they are typically healthier and more viable, allowing her to potentially use them in the future to achieve pregnancy.

It's important to consult with a reproductive specialist or fertility doctor for personalized information and guidance regarding egg freezing and its potential effects on individual circumstances. There are best ivf specialists like Dr Firuza Parekh who can provide you with the best advice on egg freezing and ivf.

[deathworlders-of-e24]

Liz, Biotechnician

Part 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I still can’t get this stupid arm to work right,” Liz groaned. She’d managed to get to the lab on time today, and she’d been able to get dressed herself, but only barely. Her lab coat and uniform were both disheveled, the new bionic hand unable to get every button resulting in half of them being left undone. She’d ended up having to tie her shoe laces in knots to keep them on her feet because her fingers couldn’t bend the way she wanted or grip the thin laces. The only reason Liz was wearing the lab coat these days was to hide the cross section where her arm ended and the cybernetics began. Looking at it was… upsetting, to say the least.

“It’s only been a few cycles, Human Liz,” Coco said. “It’s my understanding that losing limbs is fatal to most other species of non-botanicals. Having the ability to complain right now is a gift.”

“It’s been over a week,” Liz said. “And I know, everyone keeps reminding me I’m lucky to be alive, you, the captain, Jane, I know how lucky I am, but this,” she waved the hunk of metal she called a hand, “is starting to piss me off.”

“You are upset,” Coco said. They were standing beside the center lab table. Liz couldn’t even see the claw marks the predator creature had left on their trunk anymore. “This is to be expected.”

Coco walked over to their wall computer, avoiding the small automated cleaner Liz had made to tidy up the dirt they tracked everywhere.

“Remind me again, this device you have made to remove the dirt, why have you attached a weapon to it?” Coco asked.

“Thought it’d be funny,” Liz said, “which it was.”

“And you have designated it…?”

“Stabby, ‘cause of the steak knife.”

“Why?”

“Old Earth legend. Makes us humans laugh,” Liz said, smiling as she leaned her chin on her good arm.

“You will have to explain that story to me again some time.” Coco clicked a button on their screen and a wall panel slid up between them, revealing the clutch of 5 eggs they’d taken from MX13 sitting in their tank. They were about the size of baseballs, or stone fruits. Liz had stuck a strip of electrical tape on the front and written ‘arm eating bastard eggs’.

“You know I’m half tempted to eat them,” Liz said.

“Please do not engage in predator behavior around me,” Coco asked. “It still makes me nervous sometimes watching you try to swat at insects.”

“Really? Why?” Liz chuckled.

“I know you are more evolved than a simple animal, but when I observe you stalk and hunt down the… mosquitoes? It reminds me of the predators we have on Spryga. It is unsettling.”

Liz stopped and thought for a moment. She hadn’t considered that before. It was probably a normal complaint among former prey species working alongside humans. Whoops.

“Well, sorry. Humans are weird like that, but I’ll try to be more conscious about it,” Liz said.

“Thank you. I do not mean to… step on your hands, but I appreciate it.”

“Step on your toes, hon.”

“Right.”

Liz pulled the tank out of the wall while Coco set the lab up, turning on heat lamps and setting the environmental controls in the room to MX13 standard, except for the air. Upon further analysis of the predator creature from the moon, it didn’t need the methane in the air to breathe. From what was left of its ‘lungs’, they breathed more like frogs, through their skin, stripping oxygen from out of the water they swam in. Apparently they were more reptilian than Liz had expected. There were underground rivers and lakes all across the subsurface of the moon, hunting grounds for the creatures. Liz guessed they came above ground to lay their eggs, away from the competition.

Furry reptiles, Liz thought. Why the hair though? It doesn’t make sense. Maybe to keep warm? The underground water has to be freezing.

“What do you think the GAIL will want to do with them after… if they hatch?” Liz asked.

“Standard procedure would be to return them to their natural habitat after a nano scrub to remove any and all unnatural scent from their bodies, so they can be reaccepted back into their species later,” Coco explained. “But hatchlings would be another question entirely. Perhaps they would be sent to an outpost for further study, or released into a controlled habitat somewhere.”

“What, like a zoo?” Liz asked. “You have zoos in the GAIL?”

“Possibly, I’m not sure what this zoo is.”

“We had them on Earth a long ways back. It was pitched as a way to study animals up close, but it was really just cheap entertainment for the masses. Eventually it kinda grew into a way to help endangered species, but it was still pretty on the line.”

“Then no, we don’t have zoos. What I’m speaking of are rehabilitated planets or moons with an ecosystem created to cater to the needs of the species we simply can’t put back where they are from.”

“That still kinda sounds like a zoo, but I guess if nobody is throwing peanuts at the elephants it’s still an improvement.”

The lab was set up for observation, the eggs were supposedly viable, so while they waited to see what would happen, the two got back to their other work. Reasonably they could’ve just left the eggs in the temperature controlled wall slot, but Liz had said that’d be boring, considering it was ‘the most she’d ever paid for less than a full carton of eggs.’

Coco stepped into their pot and watched the eggs, Liz in her desk chair tinkering with her new arm. She was sure if she could just get the pathways right, she’d be able to get the thing working properly. The cable running from her arm to her computer was annoyingly equated to a leash in her mind.

If I could just open a can of soda by myself, that’d be a huge win.

As they sat there doing important scientific work, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Coco said, unmoving in their corner. The door opened and, oddly enough, another human walked in. He stood just inside the doorway looking around sheepishly. Liz glanced at him and was surprised to see a maintenance droid sitting on his shoulder.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you guys, uhh, I’m Thomas, from engineering,” said the man.

“Well, hi, I guess,” Liz said, a little confused. “What are you doing all the way up here Thomas? We didn’t make any maintenance requests.”

“No, you didn’t, but I think you need one anyway,” Thomas said. “See, I was just in the med bay for the last couple cycles, and I overheard the nurses talking about the human who needed a cybernetic arm. I’m assuming that was you and not one of the other two, right?”

“What gave it away?” Liz said dryly, waving her metal hand. “And what are you doing, asking about me anyway? You want to see the robot arm or something, get an upgrade for your little buddy there?”

“Oh, no no no, I’m sorry, I just figured you’d need the fix for it,” Thomas said. He walked further into the room, albeit cautiously. “I asked about the model arm they gave you, the MK6, and there’s a small chance the one you have has a problem.”

“… huh?” Liz said, actually confused now.

“Yeah, the MK6 is a great design, but the company putting out the arms had a faulty inspection system, a couple hundred came off the line with a bug in the wiring.”

“I’ve ran a dozen tests on this thing, I would’ve found any code defect.”

“No, I mean, an actual insect, little crawly thing, in the arm. The factory where they were made had a pest problem so they were fumigating for a while. The whole plant is totally automated, so they didn’t stop production while they did it. Bugs went everywhere trying to escape, and some went into the product to avoid the pesticides. Prosthetics got sealed up, and so did the bugs. It’s probably gunked up the wiring in your arm, that’s why you can’t… you know,” Thomas explained, gesturing to her uniform.

“There… there’s a bug in my fucking arm?” Liz said, disgusted.

“I’m just saying there might be,” Thomas said, hands up like he was going to defend himself.

“Beep.”

“Yeah, I know buddy, but we gotta get permission first.”

“Did the small drone speak?” Coco asked.

“Oh my god you’re a Sprygan!” Thomas said, surprised. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were just a houseplant.”

“It’s no problem, I am not offended,” Coco said.

“Uhh, yeah, his name is Roomba, he asked why we don’t just fix the arm and go. We’re still learning patience and manners, apparently.”

“Beep.”

“Apology accepted. Thank you Roomba.”

“Can somebody just check my arm for bugs now please, before I throw up?” Liz half squealed, panicking. She could charge a hostile alien creature no problem, but the thought of insects touching her was enough to make her stomach churn.

“Yup, right, okay, gimme a sec,” Thomas said, coming into the room fully now. “Roll your sleeve up, I gotta remove the casing for this.”

Liz rolled the sleeve of her lab coat up past her elbow, grimacing as she caught sight of the connection plate set into the bone. The skin around it was still red and scarring.

Thomas pulled a small set of tools out of his back pocket and got to work. With a thin pick, he popped the forearm plate up, exposing the circuits running the length of the device, what Liz had in place of muscle tissue now. He took a small pair of needle nose pliers and started poking around, gently moving aside some wires here, around a bolt there. Liz turned her head away. As fascinating as the mechanism was, the idea of seeing an insect inside her body was going to make her sick.

“Okay, talk, bot boy, how come you knew about the defects?” Liz demanded. “I need stimuli to keep from thinking about this revolting situation, so talk.”

“I, uhh, wrote a paper at the academy, about how designers only see solutions to what they think could be the problem,” Thomas said, moving up her forearm. “A lot of people don’t realize they’re smarter than they give themselves credit for, especially actually smart people. Knowing what could go wrong, they start to doubt themselves, and when things do break, they wrack their brains over all the little things they think they did wrong. So I wrote a paper about all the other things that could go bad… like this little guy right here.”

Thomas clamped onto something and slowly fished it out of the device. Liz turned her head even further away, but it didn’t matter. Coco, ever present, and blunt as always, described it to her.

“It appears quite dead. Human Liz, you seem to have had a beetle of some kind in your prosthetic limb,” they said.

“Hon, I love you, but please don’t tell me the details,” Liz said, covering her mouth with her good hand.

“The lady who designed the MK6 is a certified genius, so I used her factory in my thesis paper. After they started getting complaints about some of their prosthetics, they ran every test they could think of, even rewrote the software a few times. It wasn’t until a no name engineer opened one up that they found the problem. Wasn’t anyone’s fault, it’s just a difference between working software and working hardware.”

“And you wrote an engineering thesis paper on that?” Liz asked, dry heaving ever so slightly.

“No, I wrote my psychology paper on that. I wrote my engineering paper on a new WARP drive design I made up.” Thomas threw the dead insect in the trash. “Bigger brains just see bigger problems. Takes a… well, not dumber person, just maybe a different kind of person to see the small problems.”

“Clearly. Anyone with two degrees isn’t what I’d call dumb either,” Liz said, turning her head back.

Thomas used a little brush to clean up the arm a little, squeezing a small tube of sanitizing gel into the empty space between wires.

“Roomba, sterilize this for me, would you?”

The little drone carefully climbed down from his shoulder and dropped onto the table. It held its little hand up as one of its finger tips ignited, making a small controlled torch. Liz held her arm out, looking concerned. The little droid ran its finger over the affected area and after a moment, the little flame went out.

“Beep.”

“Good job buddy. He said it’s totally clean now, 100% sterilized,” Thomas said.

“Oh thank god,” Liz breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks little guy, I owe you one.”

“Beep.”

“He said you’re welcome,” Thomas translated, handing the small droid a data pad. The pad wirred and trilled, and Liz realized the droid was playing a video game.

Odd little fella, huh, she thought.

“You should be able to get the arm working by the end of the day now. It’s had plenty of time to adjust to your neural pathways, it just couldn’t execute any functions till the block was removed. It’ll work just like your old one now,” Thomas said, putting the little tool kit back in his pocket.

“Guess I should say thanks for that,” Liz said, rolling her sleeve back down. “So… thanks. I owe you one too. Any of you guys down in maintenance need a hand, I’ve got a shiny new one to offer.”

“Human Thomas,” Coco chimed in, “thank you for fixing my friend. Your service has been greatly appreciated.”

“You’re very welcome,” Thomas smiled at them, “both of you. I better get back down to the maintenance deck though, we’re still repairing the core room from that flare the other cycle.” Thomas turned to leave, and was almost at the door when Liz called after him.

“Hey, hardware!”

He stopped in the doorway.

“Weird thing to call me, but I can dig it. Yeah?”

“How many degrees do you have?” Liz asked.

“Four, why?” He said.

“Know anything about eggs?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas left after a while, saying he’d be back to help build a better inclosure for the hatchlings. Apparently he’d kept bearded dragons as pets when he was a kid, so he knew at least a little about ‘lizards’.

Liz opened a desk drawer and dug out a stress ball, something Doctor Shaw had given her for rehab, and tried to squeeze it. Amazingly, her metal fingers actually curled and the ball morphed out of shape.

“Finally!” She said. “Coco, look! I can squeeze the ball!”

“That is wonderful, Human Liz,” Coco said, the lit photo bar in their branches feeding them synthetic star light. “The human capacity to overcome body altering trauma is fascinating. In my research of non-botanical life, this is very clearly an exception. Other lifeforms would simply perish from such catastrophic damage.”

“Wait until you hear our bones grow back stronger after they break,” Liz said, laughing.

“They do what?” Coco asked, a note of alarm making its way into their voice synthesizer. Liz cackled, throwing her head back and everything. She felt better than she’d had in days, like whatever funk she’d been in was starting to disappear. She suggested they discuss human bone structure while they go get something to eat, saying Coco could gorge themselves on chocolate while she got a sandwich or something.

The mess hall was lively, and various species meant various different cultures and cuisine, so it always smelt different every few minutes or so. They sat and discussed cellular structures, bone density, and the like, how calcium deposits support bone regeneration for a while, making the broken area stronger than ever, for a time at least. Coco was simultaneously fascinated and terrified. They had no idea non-botanical lifeforms were so resilient in the Terran System.

After some time, and a second sandwich, they made their way back to the lab. They’d just stepped off the lift and were a few feet from the door when Liz heard it.

…scchhtt scchtt sschht…

Something was scratching at the door, low to the floor. Something small.

“Coco wait a minute,” Liz said softly, holding out her good arm in front of the Sprygan.

The door opened… and there was a baby arm eating bastard sitting there, looking up at her. The thing looked almost like a big kitten, except for the gator snout and reptilian limbs. Its body was covered in patchy fur, almost like a baby seal. It looked up at the two of them and chirped like a cat before waddling over, sat on Liz’s foot, and began gnawing on her laces.

“Holy shit,” Liz said. “It’s so ugly I love it.”

“I will go call Human Thomas,” Coco said, “we will need the new enclosure now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Thomas arrived, the scientists had found two more Armeaters. “Yeah, one word, that’s what I’m calling them,” Liz had said when asked. One had been crawling around in Coco’s plant pot, and the other was sniffling around under the desks. As for the other two eggs, it seemed the three had…

“You mean they ate the other eggs?” Thomas asked, mildly horrified.

“Yeah, we checked the recordings. They sat looking at the eggs for a bit before they, uhh, kinda just crushed the eggs and ate them scrambled,” Liz explained. She was sitting in her desk chair, covered in Armeaters. Coco didn’t put out any body heat, so the little buggers had decided Liz’s lab coat and uniform were the optimal place to get warmth. It was actually pretty cute, in a weird sort of way, as they were all three purring in a guttural manner.

Thomas rigged the big tank the eggs had been in with a little 3D printed ‘rock’ cave, with some spare dirt the Sprygans had on board. The engineer worked hard to make the enclosure as close to the environment on MX13 as possible. By the time he was finished, they even had a little ‘pool’ made out of a file tub they weren’t using.

The problems started when the humans tried to put the creatures in the tank. They didn’t go for it. The moment Liz tried to set them down, they started whining, making this pew sound, much like baby alligators.

“I do not understand,” Coco said. “Why are they doing this? There is food and water in the enclosure, as well as a heating rock to keep them at the optimal temperature.”

“They probably imprinted on Liz when you walked in,” Thomas said. “Lots of creatures think the first thing they see after they’re born is their parent.”

“That sounds… confusing,” Coco said. “On Spryga, we either sprout from the ground near our progenitor, or we are sometimes an offshoot of them when branches or limbs break off and take root on their own.”

“This is just great,” Liz said sarcastically. “Gonna have to get a blow up bed or something, sleep in the lab now. We’re having a slumber party Coco, sorry, but apparently the kids need me.”

“Beep.”

“Because they’re newborns Roomba, they don’t know any better- OW SHIT!”

Thomas looked around, then started laughing uncontrollably. The auto-cleaning device had started its rounds, cleaning up eggshell and dirt. It had nicked his ankle with its knife.

“THERES A ROOMBA WITH A KNIFE!” He howled. “This is amazing! Why didn’t I think of that?”

He looked directly at Liz, more serious than either of the two scientists had seen so far.

“Do you think Roomba can ride the roomba? Can one of the little guys ride with them too?” He asked, so seriously.

“You humans are starting to concern me,” Coco said. “I’m getting more chocolate.”

“Can you grab me a drink too hon? These little guys are sleeping and I don’t want to wake them.” Liz was petting the little creatures when she noticed she was using her prosthetic arm. She hadn’t even noticed, it felt so seamless. She curled the fingers and scratched gently behind one of their ears.

About time, she thought. The funk was over. The new normal wouldn’t be that bad it seemed. She looked at the engineer.

“Thomas, if it’s the last thing I do on this ship, they’re riding the roomba.”

[mariacallous]

Earlier this month, the Alabama Supreme Court issued an opinion, complete with a wildly theocratic concurrence from Chief Justice Thomas Parker, that functionally outlawed in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state.

In the wake of the ruling, Republicans have tried to unwind this mess, with the Alabama legislature considering passing a law to ensure IVF access and Donald Trump coming out to say he strongly supports access to IVF. 

All of this is a bit of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, as the damage is done. The entire spectacle was inevitable once the GOP gave the party over to anti-choice zealots decades ago.

In brief, the reason the Alabama Supreme Court’s opinion implicates and outlaws IVF is that the state has a Wrongful Death of a Minor statute, and the court decided this applies to “all unborn children, without limitation.” But there’s no language in the statute that says this. Rather, it’s just that over the last 15 years, the Alabama Supreme Court has issued a series of rulings saying that the undefined term “minor child” in the statute can be stretched to “unborn children” regardless of what state of development the embryo is at. Once the court created such an expansive definition, the decision that frozen embryos are people was inescapable. 

To be fair, though, the Alabama Supreme Court is entirely made up of conservative Republicans, they were a bit hamstrung in their decision. Alabama’s state constitution states that “it is the public policy of this state to ensure the protection of the rights of the unborn child in all manners and measures lawful and appropriate." But that doesn’t necessarily mean the court was required to, as it did here, extend that “unborn child” definition to what it calls “extrauterine children” — embryos frozen by people pursuing IVF. 

That IVF is even controversial is an indictment of the GOP

An IVF cycle is designed to produce multiple eggs that can be retrieved in one procedure. The more eggs produced, the greater the likelihood of a viable embryo that can be implanted, hopefully resulting in a pregnancy. Because of this, multiple embryos often remain, and people freeze those for several reasons. People may use them if the first attempt at implantation doesn’t work, thus avoiding multiple egg retrieval cycles. They may save them for later if they decide to have more children. They may donate them to other people struggling with fertility issues. 

For people not saddled with the misguided anti-choice belief that a tiny clump of cells is the same as a person, this is a non-controversial process. It enhances the chance of pregnancy and allows people to plan for future children without undergoing multiple invasive egg retrieval cycles. But if one subscribes to the notion of fetal personhood — that a fetus is quite literally a person, with all the attendant privileges that confers — then those frozen embryos are the same as babies. 

This is, of course, a religious, not scientific belief. Chief Justice Parker, in his concurring opinion, made clear that his vote, at least, stems directly from his religious beliefs rather than being grounded in the law. Citing Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, the Ten Commandments, and the King James Bible, Parker concludes that “even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory.”

Notably, none of those things are legal precedent. Indeed, in a country founded on the separation of church and state, they shouldn’t inform a court holding. However, since religious conservatives dominate the US Supreme Court, that separation has largely collapsed. This has emboldened conservative litigants and conservative state and federal judges to take ever more anti-choice stances. 

Reproductive health activists have been sounding the alarm about the anti-choice attacks on IVF for years, particularly in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. At least two prominent anti-choice groups, Americans United for Life and Students for Life, have railed against IVF. The chief legal officer for Americans United for Life, Steve Aden, called IVF “eugenics” and said that IVF created “embryonic human beings” that were destroyed in the process. Students for Life called IVF “damaging and destructive.”

These same anti-choice groups also hate birth control, and the Dobbs decision paved the way for them to mount a theocratic attack on it too. Christopher Rufo, who ginned up a panic over benign diversity initiatives and helped force out the first Black president of Harvard, Claudine Gay, has already telegraphed that this is his next attack.

Over on Elon Musk’s increasingly Nazi-fied social media site, X, Rufo is spewing rhetoric about how “the family structure disintegrated precisely as access to birth control proliferated” and that recreational sex is bad and leads to single-mother households. 

Rufo isn’t alone. The Heritage Foundation, which is also busy with a blueprint for a second Trump presidency that would destroy the administrative state and whose leader is still pushing the big lie that Trump won the 2020 election, has also called for the end of birth control. Also over on X, Heritage’s official account posted last year that “a good place to start would be a feminist movement against the pill and … returning the consequentiality to sex.”

And there you have it. Religious conservatives are calling for a return to a world where sex isn’t recreational or for pleasure but is instead fraught with consequences — namely, pregnancies that can’t be terminated even when the pregnant person’s life is in danger. To do this, however, they would need to succeed in getting the Supreme Court to overturn Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 case that invalidated restrictions on birth control. 

More importantly, Griswold affirmed the constitutional right to privacy. It’s that right that not only underpinned the right to an abortion in Roe but also underpins other cases related to the rights of Americans to pursue sexual and marital relationships without government interference. In Lawrence v. Texas, decided in 2003, the Supreme Court relied upon Griswold to throw out laws that criminalized sexual contact between members of the same sex. Twelve years later, that same reasoning was used in Obergefell v. Hodges to affirm a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. 

Justice Clarence Thomas hates the right to privacy and has made no secret he wants it gone. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, he called on the Court to “reconsider” all these cases and overrule them as “demonstrably erroneous.” Justice Samuel Alito has been a bit more evasive about this, writing in Dobbs that “nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.” However, Alito’s Dobbs opinion is littered with references to “fetal life” and how abortion destroys an “unborn human being.” As recently as last week, Alito wrote a statement decrying Obergefell because he doesn’t think it’s fair that people who are bigots about same-sex marriage ever get called bigots. 

It isn’t just Thomas and Alito. During her confirmation hearing, Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused to say whether she thought Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell were rightly decided. In 2012, she signed an open letter stating that the Affordable Care Act’s required coverage for birth control was an assault on religious liberty. Similarly, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in his confirmation hearing, also wouldn’t say whether Griswold was correctly decided. Justice Neil Gorsuch did the same. 

That makes five likely votes — with Chief Justice John Roberts a possible sixth — for a rollback of privacy rights in America. With that pillar of law gone, states would be free to outlaw same-sex marriage, get rid of birth control, and impose any other theocratic conditions they’d like. 

The dog that caught the car

Right now, Republicans are scrambling to undo the damage they’ve wrought, realizing that an anti-IVF stance is alienating to most. Last year, the Pew Research Center found that 42 percent of adults had used fertility treatments or knew someone who had. From 1996 to 2018, over 1 million babies were born as a result of fertility treatments. Mike Pence has spoken publicly about how he and his wife used IVF and that the procedure should be protected. 

In Alabama, Republican legislators are planning to introduce a law that would say the embryo isn’t a person until implanted in a uterus. But legislation doesn’t trump the state constitution, which means the Alabama courts could throw out any law they deem contrary to their fetal personhood interpretation of the constitution. Several Alabama fertility clinics have stopped IVF services, citing the legal risk. The state’s GOP attorney general, Steve Marshall, said he wouldn’t use the decision to prosecute IVF providers or people seeking IVF treatment, but that’s a slender reed to rely upon. What provider or patient wants to rely upon the vague assurances of the attorney general rather than a law that protects access?

And it isn’t just IVF. Elected officials in states that have banned abortion have openly mocked those people who have come forward with horror stories of being refused abortions even as they developed sepsis or faced the possibility of permanent future infertility. Doctors have no clear guidance on when they can terminate a pregnancy to save the life of the pregnant person, leaving them vulnerable to prosecution. People who currently have frozen embryos have no idea what to do with them, and nor do clinics. If the hardest-line anti-choice people get their way, access to birth control will become as spotty and politicized as access to abortion is now. 

This type of amorphous fear is a feature, not a bug, of the post-Dobbs landscape. When the entire spectrum of reproductive health is murky, and the threat of prosecution looms large, doctors won’t perform abortions or IVF treatments. Patients won’t seek abortions even as their health deteriorates to a level that could result in death. People who can get pregnant will have their lives narrowed to nearly nothing as they try to sidestep the landmines of an ever-shifting jurisprudence over their bodies. 

And that’s exactly the way conservatives want it, no matter their current feeble attempts to get out from under an IVF disaster of their own making. The GOP made common cause with the worst people in the country on this issue, and now we’re all stuck with the consequences. 

[chrisgotitall]

Heyyy can you do one where mike and the reader are trying to have a baby but are struggling. Like they might have to do IVF and the reader is frustrated but mike is rlly supportive and then it does work

You and Mike were trying to have a baby.

You were finally ready to be parents and you couldn't wait to raise a baby with the love of your life. 

It was fun, for the most part. Mike would get back home from work and he would smother you with kisses and then you would fool around.

You were just two little lovebirds. But the part that wasn’t fun was taking the pregnancy test, at least lately. The first times you were excited, cause you were hoping for it to come out positive, but it never did. 

You’d been trying for 2 months now. You were losing hope and there wasn’t so much excitement anymore.

One morning, after the test came out negative yet again, you went downstairs where Mike was making you breakfast. You hug his waist and put your head on his shoulder.

“Nothing?” he asks.

You hum a “No”. 

“There is definitely something wrong with me…” you say detaching from him. 

“Ehi… for all that we know, I could be the problem” he says trying to cheer you up and approaching you to kiss your head. 

“Maybe it’s just the universe telling me I wouldn’t be a good mom” you add.

“You’ll make a great mom… now, eat your french toast” he says, putting a plate of steaming french toasts in front of you.

You start eating your breakfast.

“I want to go to a doctor, tho, I need to know what’s wrong” you tell him.

“Okay, we’ll go to the doctor”

So you go to the doctor and unfortunately she tells you it won’t be easy for you to get pregnant. At least in the traditional way. 

“Have you thought about adoption, maybe?” she asks.

You look at Mike, “Yes, but-” you start.

“But you’d obviously rather try to have a child of your own” she says understanding, “It’s okay, it’s not a bad thing to say…”

You nod at her thankfully and grip on Mike’s hand tighter.

“There’s a procedure we can try… it’s called IVF, in vitro fertilization, are you familiar with that?”

So you start your journey trying to get pregnant through IVF. The doctor gave you a medicine to suppress your menstrual cycle so that treatment medicines can work better. Then you take a fertility hormone. You get checked really often. Then your eggs get collected. They get fertilized. Finally the embryos get transferred into your womb.

After 2 weeks you got asked to finally do a pregnancy test. Out of all the things this procedure asked you to do, this is the hardest part of it all because even if you did everything right, it doesn’t mean the procedure has worked.

You get back home after a couple of hours, Mike is already home. You didn’t tell him that you had your test today. 

“Hi” you greet him approaching him on the couch.

“Hi baby” he gives you a peck on the lips. 

You fix yourself a carton of ice cream and sit next to him. When you sit down he looks at you but doesn’t say anything.

“Don’t look at me like that, I have to eat for two” you say nonchalantly.

He freezes in his seat, “What?”

You smile.

“What?” he repeats, “Oh my god!” 

He kisses you passionately. 

[elenaxthompson]

closed to everyone (capped at 4/4) location: mercy hospital

Elena's life had changed drastically in the last month and plans she'd made for the future had all erupted in front of her in a disaster. She'd thought he'd been the man she was going to marry and have kids with but that had failed miserably but one thing had stuck with her even on the way back to Wilmington from New York City. She wanted to have kids. She wasn't getting any younger of course and so her options were growing more limited which was why she'd made the appointment with the fertility specialist who had gone through the whole procedure of how to freeze eggs and what it would demand from her mentally and physically.

She'd just left their office and was tucking the brochures and all in her bag when she collided with someone, the papers falling to the ground as she tried to gather them up. "I'm sorry...I should've been more careful."

[lightlycareless]

Do you think when Naoya and Y/N decide they’re done having kids, Naoya would get a vasectomy or Y/N would go back on some sort of birth control or would they just settle for condoms until menopause lol

Hello!!

I was actually thinking that for this ask over here! I wanted it to be a "Naoya had a vasectomy done, but things still happen and there you have it, Naohime was born!" but since the possibilities are so low... I decided against it.

Anyways...

Let's be real. There's no way any of you would settle for using condoms. Nope, that ain't happening. Instead, the two would sit down and talk about what to do to prevent another pregnancy since neither want any more kids—the risks of doing certain procedures and such.

Naoya immediately thinks of a vasectomy. He doesn't care if his family is going to bitch about it, say it's "unmanly" and whatnot; he's done his due, gave the Zen'in a bunch of heirs to choose from, so he can finally do what he wants.

Also, because he knows the side effects birth control pills can have on a body and he doesn't want to put you through more risks after giving him a wonderful family + still having to undergo menopause.

However, I still feel like the two would want to be... safe; do something else just in case. In other words, freeze his sperm/your eggs if anyone changes their mind down the road. I truly feel they'd keep on having kids if it weren't so exhausting/demanding and bad to the other children on the long term; they just want one big happy family to love and cherish forever 😭

So there you have it, Naoya would get a vasectomy because it's safe, the best way to avoid compromising your health, and because he really, really doesn't want another child after the 5 little gremlins he's got back home (lol) + he can continue rawdogging you to his hearts desire :)

Thank you for sending in this ask!! ngl I was a bit startled to receive this because I was like "no way... I was thinking that too!!" lol but I still had fun answering it :>

Take care, and hope to see you soon!

[swissboyhisch]

I'd Marry You Tomorrow

Pairing: Luke Hughes x Reader

Summary: As a precautionary measure, you follow through with the doctor suggestion to collect eggs. It wasn't as an easy process as you thought.

Word Count: 2115

Warnings: Ultrasounds, surgery, hospitals, doctors, fertility.

A/N: This is Part 3 of my mini series. Part 1: Don't Want To Lose You + Part 2: Will You Be There When I Wake Up?

THE MASTERLIST JOIN THE TAGLIST HOCKEY DISCORD

Fertility. Something you hadn’t thought about much up until this whole situation came up. Or discussed kids with Luke. You’re only 19. But with the likelihood of the tumour coming back, doctors referred you to a fertility specialist. Now you have to go through the process of collecting eggs. And freezing them. For if or when you have to have your other ovary removed in the future. As a backup plan.

The first appointment after your post-op check-up was a consultation with the fertility specialist, Dr. Hartman. The best fertility specialist in New Jersey. He explained the situation in more detail and discussed the whole process, what medications you’d be taking and the retrieval procedure. 

Before the next appointment with your specialist, you had to get a few blood tests and some ultrasounds done. Including internal ultrasounds. Just some tests to make sure you were all healthy and had no undiagnosed STDs. When the results came back, your specialist went over them with you. Once it was declared you were healthy enough to go through with the procedure the date was booked. Well rough date since it depended on your period. 

You woke up one morning to Luke gently shaking you. “Bub, you got your period.”

“Nooo,” You groan. Sure it wasn’t the first time you’ve woken up to having your period, but it was still embarrassing when Luke would be home for this exact scenario. You got up from bed carefully and glanced back to the bed with another groan. It looked like a murder scene. “I’ll clean that up after my shower.”

“Don’t worry bub, I’ll clean it up,” Luke mutters. 

He pressed a kiss to your temple and gently pushed you in the direction of the bathroom. You stripped your clothes and dumped them in the washing basket. Why couldn’t you have gotten it during the day? The shower was warm as you climbed under the stream of water. Hot water soothes your body, waking you up from your morning sleep daze. You go through your morning shower routine. 

Luke peeks into the bathroom, watching you as you dry yourself. “Do you need to call the clinic?” 

“Yeah, I do.”

Once you had finished getting dressed, you grabbed your phone and called the clinic. You informed them you had started your period. They made sure to remind you about the blood test you had to take before going to buy all your hormone injections and medications. Luke had changed the sheets like the angel he is. He had a morning skate though. Luckily the arena was right by a clinic so you tagged along. 

While Luke was training, you got the blood test done and brought the 5 different drugs you needed for the process. Of course that didn’t take that long so you put the medications in a fridge at the arena before finding a seat to watch the boys. Luke spotted you reasonably quick, winking at you as he skated by. After that some of the other players waved hi. Jack got excited and started teasing Luke like the big brother he was.

Later that day while you and Luke were getting ready for the game that night, your phone rang. It was the clinic telling you the amount of hormones to inject daily. 112.5. 

“I start the injections tomorrow,” You tell Luke as you hold out his beanie. You often helped Luke with his suits. “I have to choose a time and do it at the same time every day.”

Luke frowned, grabbing your face and pulling you in for a kiss. “We’ll get through this.”

“I want it over and done with. I’m sick of medical appointments.”

“Last one,” Luke assures. 

You shrug, “We don’t know that. My ovary is a ticking time bomb basically.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’d marry you tomorrow.”

That last sentence had become a regular thing said recently between you and Luke. Something he’d say to reassure you through this whole crazy journey. No matter how many times he had said it, you still get the warm fuzzies when you hear those words. And you weren’t alone, when you replied, copying his words, Luke would grin and blush. 

The next day was the first day of your injections. You had chosen a time that wouldn’t interfere with your schedule and the majority of Lukes. Sure it didn’t matter but Luke wanted to be home when you took your medication. It was a little peace of mind. Your alarm went off and you went to grab the box from the fridge. You set your amount on the roller and cap it with one of the needles. Luke stood beside you watching what you do carefully. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, eyeing the needle.

You took a moment to try to build up the courage. “I think so.”

“Do you want me to do it?” Luke asks.

“No, it’s okay. I can do it.”

You disinfect the sight on your stomach before grabbing at it. After taking a moment to calm yourself, you push the needle into the flesh. You push down the button and hold it there for 3 seconds before pulling it out. It didn’t hurt as much as you assumed it would. 

Luke pressed a kiss to your cheek as he held out your needle container, “So brave.”

The same thing repeated day in and day out. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday you went to get blood tests first thing in the morning. In the middle of your second week into treatment you had to start getting an internal ultrasound to check the size of the follicles. 

You came home from one of your ultrasounds to the lounge room set up for a movie date. Snacks covering the coffee table, the couch drowned in your favourite blankets and pillows and your favourite movie pulled up on the TV. In a vase on the coffee table too was a bouquet of your favourite flowers. 

“Lu?”

He came out from the kitchen in a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. In his arms though was a homemade pizza. Just like when you and the family would have pizza nights during the off season. It seemed to be your favourite too, pepperoni.

“Welcome home bub,” Luke grins. 

You blush, walking into his arms after he put down the pizza. “Thank you for this.”

“You’ve had a rough week. I think you deserve a relaxing day.”

After you change from your outfit into some comfy clothes, including one of Luke’s UMich hoodies, you both set yourself up on the couch. The movie played while the pair of you gorged on food and snacks. The horror Luke’s dietitian would have if he saw the scene right now. Cuddling really was the best medicine. 

You hadn’t realised your mental health had gone down hill over the last week. But Luke could see how withdrawn you had gotten. He knew that it could be one of the side effects of all the hormones being pumped into your body. He was there at all your appointments, he had listened intently.

“I love you Lu,” You mumble as you snuggle into Luke’s side. 

Luke wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into your side. “I love you more.”

Later that week, after one of your internal ultrasounds, you got the call to take the trigger injection. One last needle. It was a relief taking that last injection knowing you wouldn’t have to deal with any needles yourself for a good while.

The day finally came in which you would be having your surgery to collect your eggs. Luke was away on a road trip, having left the day before. You two had argued about him missing the road trip. He wanted to stay. To be by your side as you went into surgery and to be there when you wake up.  You said that you’d be okay, it wasn’t your first surgery. Luke relented. Agreeing to go but only if Ellen could make it to be with you.

Ellen arrived the night before and was going to take you to the hospital in which you’d be having the surgery at. You had a small back packed with a pair of clothes and a charger, just in case you went in later than was said. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait here?” Ellen asked as you filled out the 10 pages of paperwork.

“It’s fine Ellen. I’ll call you when I’m ready to be released.”

After a little back and forth, Ellen relented and pressed a kiss to the top of your head before watching you head back to your room. You placed all your things in the lockable cupboard and changed into the hospital gown. As you waited for your time slot, you just read a book. The sound of your ringtone interrupted you.

“Hey,” You greet as you answer Luke’s facetime.

Luke smiled, “Hey bub, how are you feeling?”

“I’m good. Tired but ready to get this over with.”

“I’ll be back later tonight,” Luke sighed. 

“Okay Lu.”

After getting to talk for a bit, and Jack popping in to say hi, you promised each other you’d speak after surgery once you're home. You had roughly an hour until your estimated surgery time. At least your book was interesting. You read until a nurse knocked at your door.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” you answer, putting all your belongings into the cupboard. 

You were wheeled into pre-surgery soon after. It was weird, most of the women you saw around getting the same procedure done were older than you. Isolating. That's how it felt. As you laid waiting to go in, you thought of Luke. He hadn’t left. You weren’t actually alone.

When you woke up after surgery, you were greeted by a nurse standing in the room taking your vitals.

“Hi,” you mumble as you shuffle around in the bed.

The woman smiled, “How do you feel?”

“Fine, I don’t feel any cramping.”

“You’ve still got the drugs in your system. But make sure to get the painkillers on your way home.”

Ellen was called and you were discharged from the hospital by lunch time. On the way home you stopped by the pharmacy to pick up the meds and then brought some lunch. You got back to your apartment where Ellen set you up on the couch with your food and a huge bottle of water. You got a reply from Luke before a Facetime call popped up.

“Heya Lu.”

“Hey bub, how you feel?”

You hum, “I’ve got strong drugs so not the worst.”

“And the surgery?”

“Went smoothly,” You answered. “Looking forward to the game?” 

Luke nodded, “Yeah, got a good feeling about tonight.”

“You’ll win Lu,” You reassure. 

“And when you wake up tomorrow, I’ll be right there beside you.”

“I love you Luke.”

Luke blushed, “I love you too. I’d marry you tomorrow.”

With that you both ended the call knowing Luke would have to get ready for the game. Ellen had overheard your conversation. She was glad you and Luke had such a strong relationship. Everyone knew you both would date, it was only a matter of time. Despite you two not being married, yet, you were the daughter she never got. 

The pair of you talked about anything and everything over the course of the afternoon and evening. Discussing the off season was the biggest conversation, talking about heading to the lake house. You had a nap in the afternoon before the Devils game. You and Ellen perched yourself on the couch, cheering on the youngest Hughes brothers. The Devils had won, signalling bed time for you. After all the meds, you were surprised you were still awake by the time the three stars were announced.

Rustles of a bag and clothes pulled you from your sleep. You rolled over and peeked your eyes open to see Luke creeping around your room. Trying to keep quiet. Not wanting to wake you. Before changing, he walked over to the bed. You snapped your eyes shut. Pretending to be asleep. Luke pressed a kiss to your forehead, lightly pushing back your hair. He went to change into his pyjamas. You rolled over as he got into bed. 

“Good game,” You mumble tiredly as you snuggle against Luke’s body.

His arms wrapped around you. Both of you are getting comfortable. “Thanks. How do you feel?”

“Tired,” You chuckle.

“Go back to sleep.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Luke pulled you closer. It was like he wanted you to merge into one person. “I’m so proud of you. I’d marry you tomorrow.”

TAG LIST

@findapenny @mp0625 @hischierhaze @11zegras @lvrzegras @francesfarhadi @cixrosie @daisysthings

[theflyindutchwoman]

You're a good influence. You're gonna make a really great dad one of these days. I'm gonna have to if you keep losing our kids everywhere you go.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.17 - The Enemy Within

The fact that Lucy couldn't wait to tell Tim how much she appreciated what he did for Jordy and his dad while, in the meantime, he was reflecting on how much she brought out the best in him is just so endearing. These two and their unwavering support for each other...

Tim acknowledging Lucy's role in his growth - and telling her this - is really important too. She is such a kind-hearted person and unfortunately, that quality is sometimes used as a weapon against her, when truthfully, it is a testament to her strength that she remains this empathetic after everything she went through. Something that Tim recognises. Hence him calling it her 'superpower'. And he's right : she has been an incredible influence. She has challenged him from the start, helped him grow and see things from a different perspective. But the thing is, Tim isn't the only person she has tried to influence. That's what makes this moment even more crucial : his gratitude is in complete contrast to Chris's reaction when Lucy was dating him. She was trying to inspire him to be more understanding. She knew that as an ADA, he had the power to make a real change and wanted to show him how by giving him 'homework' as he called it. Only, her efforts were met with a certain dose of condescension, as his choice of word illustrates, to the point where she basically gave up because it wasn't worth the effort. Even Tim has been guilty of dismissing or scoffing at her compassionate disposition at times. In his case though, it was mostly due to the nature of their job, where he needed her to be more suspicious, and in the end, he still paid attention to what she was saying. That's why she never stopped challenging him. Even so, it is touching to have Tim verbally acknowledge this to Lucy, especially now that they're in a relationship… and the look in her eyes just conveys how much this means to her.

Lucy immediately returns his compliment with one of her own… She goes straight to the heart, by telling Tim that he would make a great father. One of these days. As in the near future. This is such a sweet sentiment, in light of his past. Their following banter is so irreverent… and yet, you can feel that they're completely serious. The casual way these two keep mentioning their kids, as if it is an inevitability, is mind blowing. There's a certain irony that so far, they're the only couple who have actually mentioned kids before being pregnant. Or even before they started dating for that matter. It's a conversation they've been having for a while and it progressed along their relationship. It was at first a mere curiosity, with Lucy venting to Tim about the appointment her mother made for her at the fertility clinic and asking him if he ever thought about having kids himself. Also, let that sink in : she was talking about the possibility of freezing her eggs to her superior officer… While Tim's dreams of ever becoming a father were growing more and more distant, Lucy, on the other hand, was taking steps in ensuring her future by going forward with the procedure. And since their second date, they've joked about grandchildren, coached together Tyler's Little League team… Even Tamara has chimed in on the topic. So here they are now. Joking again about their future kids. Plural. Several times. It's how they simply consider this a fact and none of them is batting an eye over it. That's how strongly they have faith and are secure in their relationship that they can envision themselves as parents and talk about it so freely. It's not even that they're actively planning on getting pregnant. It's about both being all-in and reveling in that knowledge. His grin after teasing her is perfect. He still loves riling her up - just like she does. And you know she wanted to affectionately push him. They're flirting in the bullpen, in front of everyone (including Grey), glowing and basking in each other's presence… This scene truly brings home how these two have managed to shift their relationship without losing their dynamic. That's what makes them perfect for each other.

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I’m in a very medical kink mood so I reread your post about Steve medical kink (blow me over with a feather 🥵) and now I’m very curious how you would see post-TWS Bucky engaging with medical kink. He has a lot of trauma around medical procedures, obviously, and maybe he wouldn’t like being strapped down, but maybe…

One day Bucky makes his own eggs instead of waiting for Steve to get back from his run and do it, and Steve throws out a line like, “Wow, you’re growing into a real big boy, Buck,” and Bucky just… freezes. A memory comes back of little, late blooming Steve being jealous and fascinated when Bucky went through puberty before him, and how they’d stay up late at night with Steve asking Bucky about his check-ups. Why’d he feel your chest, did he really touch your private parts, did he say when you’re gonna get all hairy? Bucky didn’t understand the shivers that went through him then at 12, but now -

He pictures Steve asking similar things, but as his doctor. Have you been getting erections at night? Yes, Bucky, an erection IS when your penis gets bigger, you’re so smart… Oh, not just at night? When your teacher leans over your desk you become aroused? I see. That’s perfectly normal for a growing boy, and I see you growing so well. Must be eating your vegetables to get such thick hair under your arms and around your genitals. Lie back for me, please, Bucky, I need to make sure you’re developing properly. You’ve been such a good little boy but it will be time to be a big boy soon…

……….. So. If you want to expand on that.

this medical kink drabble

Mmm. I like the way you think.

I would definitely, definitely see Bucky having problems with anything involving doctors and people he doesn't know touching him post-HYDRA, like, even barber shops and hair salons are out of the picture because of the chair you have to sit in, the sharp objects, the sudden movements, the sudden movements behind you, and... yeah. I can understand why it would be triggering for Bucky for the rest of his life. No matter how many times he tries it. It might be easier, but it'll probably never be the way it was before.

However--

If there's anything to override those triggers (as is canon), it's Steve.

Steve stirs up old memories all the time, but since Bucky feels those shivers, as they shoot up his spine and spread over his arms and neck, he just can't stop thinking about it. What was that? Why? What about it?

And I know that you mentioned puberty check-ups, which I fucking love that, the new, exciting changes, the uncertainty, the on-edge of flaring hormones, the awkwardness and humiliation that can be confused with the heat of arousal... that all makes for a delicious mess.

But you know what I can't stop thinking about since you sent this in?

Follow me for a minute--

With all of Steve's ailments pre-serum, it's semi-common in the fandom to have pre-serum Steve, especially when he's in an alternative, modern univere, need glasses. And if Steve has glasses...

Can you imagine Bucky's curiosity about what happens when Steve goes to the optometrist?

Bucky's never had problems with his eyes. In fact, whenever they check his vision in school, they always tell him his eyes are better than average. So, he's got no fucking clue what it's like to go to a doctor that specializes in eyes. He has no idea what they do to Steve to send him home with pupils so wide that they swallow all of his blue irises. He feels...

He feels kind of jealous, if he's dead honest.

According to Steve, the nurses that see him before the eye doctor always coo at him and call him "darling" or "precious" and spend more time than necessary staring into his eyes. Steve grumbles about it. It feels like pity to him. Like they're making fun of him. Treating him like a child.

Meanwhile, at the description, Bucky's teeth sink into his lower lip. First, he's thinking of is the attention and the way it would make the hairs on his arms stand on edge. Then, as he continues to get lost in his head, he thinks about looking directly into Steve's eyes. The hypnotic blue color of them. He thinks about cupping Steve's chin and caressing his cheekbones and eyebrows and that handsome bump on his nose. He thinks about how hot and shivery he feels when Steve has him sit still and pose for a drawing, all of Steve's attention on him... would it be like that? If he were in Steve's shoes. All of their attention on him, face-to-face, telling him his chin is sweet, his jaw is handsome, and--

There's something so alluring about this place Steve goes that Bucky doesn't. It's a different world.

He's so curious about it.

The optometrist remains alluring and mysterious all the way until Bucky's early adulthood when suddenly, after a concussion from boxing, he goes to the eye doctor because he can't focus his eyes so well. It's what his general doctor recommends.

Eventually, the problem with his eyes turns out to be nothing--resolving itself--but... the day it happens, he's seeing double. The nurse that sees him before the doctor is his age and she's got blonde hair, it's pinned back, making it look short, she also has blue eyes with hints of green, pink, full lips, and she, just, looks like Steve. That nurse kisses him in the exam room when they're alone after quiet, intense, face-to-face compliments. Just like Steve described.

The experience leaves an impression on Bucky.

He's still scrambled from his concussion, and he's half-convinced the nurse kissing him is Steve--who he wants the most, who he's wanted since before he knew what wanting was. In the dim, warm exam room, he feels safe. A little dizzy and buzzing with soft heat, his skin prickling pleasantly, Bucky feels good. It feels better than any kiss he had had before.

Now, post mission check-ups and Steve pull that memory out of Bucky and... he yearns. At first, he's sure it was Steve who was in the exam room with him, no matter how little sense it makes. Why would Steve have come to that appointment with him?

Eventually, Bucky sorts it, and he... he manages to pull the words out of himself. Asking Steve if they can try that. Whatever it is.

Roleplay?

Medical kink?

ASMR?

Meditation?

Whatever it is, Steve orders a bunch of props for them to play with. If Bucky wants something, Steve will go through hell and high water to get it for him. He deserves it. They end up with a snellen chart, an ophthalmoscope, a retinoscope, a pin light, a handheld eye occluder, colored pens, and, of course, Steve has his hands to perform other tests that fancy instruments aren't used for. Following his fingers, testing peripheral vision, holding fingers up, wiggling his fingers at the edges of his vision, and other things that Steve may or may not come up with on the fly.

When the whole haul arrives, they can play.

Steve dims the lights, he puts Bucky on their bed, his back against the headboard, arms limp by his sides, and he eases him into it. Starting slow, allowing the atmosphere and tension to build. Steve places his hands on Bucky's face, caressing him gently, like he's made of porcelain. He touches him. His collarbones, his throat, his jaw, his lips, his cheekbones, his nose, his eye sockets, his eyebrows, his scalp, and his ears. Checking him over in an extremely intimate way; they're practically pressed together and there's no distraction of anything needing to happen, this isn't leading anywhere more. Steve's just touching him. Making sure he's okay.

Examining in a loving, affectionate way that's masked by a mock-professional setting.

Bucky feels him heart speed in his chest at the same time that he sinks into relaxation. This is Steve. He can trust Steve. Inherently. He's not even thinking about trusting him. He doesn't feel unsafe, he feels... excited.

The pent-up breath in Bucky's chest leaves in a big rush as he closes his eyes to have Steve sweep his thumbs over the back of his eyelids. It's nothing but good.

It's thrilling and relaxing.

It's making him vibrate in place, but not because he's restless. He doesn't totally know what he is, but somehow, he doesn't mind.

Steve praises him along the way, touching, touching, touching, "good boy," he murmurs, feeling his quickening pulse. Then, "good job, that's it, just like that," when he looks in the directions Steve tells him to, straight up, up to the left, up to the right, straight down, down to the left, down to the right, left side, right side. "Perfect. You're doing so well." He tucks a strand of Bucky's hair behind his ear, drawing his nail gently over his eyebrows, feeling his skill, "mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm, everything looks great. Just like it should." His breath is warm as it brushes across Bucky's face. The reminder that he's so close has Bucky's hands reaching up to grasp his arms. Yet, Bucky only hovers--he drops his hands on second thought. He wants to sink into this.

"Good."

Bucky's eyelids feel heavy, almost having a difficult time opening his eyes when instructed next. Follow the light, back and forth, back and forth. He does it, though. Just managing.

Steve starts to speak but apparently thinks better of it and adjusts his head with two fingers under his chin instead of directing Bucky to do it himself. Tipping his head back and up. Every time Steve touches him, Bucky feels sparks tremble through him. He wants to follow these orders. So badly. He wants to do as he says. He wants to be rewarded with sweet words and more touches.

Steve's thumb strays, pressing into the dimple in his chin. Under his breath, he breaks the scene, swearing, "fuck, you're pretty, baby." Then, as if he can't stop himself, he reaches out and squeezes the back of his neck.

All the weight on Bucky's shoulders disappears. He feels like he must suddenly be sitting up straighter from the relief of mass yet at the same time like he's slouched down even farther down.

When they come to the chart, Steve lays it on even thicker, "that's it, perfect answer again, you're a sharp one, aren't you?"

Bucky lets go of a soft mewl, his tummy all tight and squirmy. The praise is working its way under his skin. Collecting and wrapping tight, wrapping him up in a blanket, leaving him hot. Blushing.

Steve pretends he didn't hear and instead points to the next line. Bucky can still read it. Steve shakes his head in a disbelieving way, "those eyes of yours really aren't just for show, such a pretty color and shape, they're just perfect. Best sight I've tested."

As it continues, dragging out, stretching time like warm taffy between sugary fingertips on a contagious laughter filled summer afternoon, Bucky starts to feel drunk. What he remembers drunk feeling like--slow and lazy and underwater, if water were glittering, bubbly champagne.

It's sweet and easy, the answers to anything Steve asks him just fall out of his lips. Bucky isn't sure he even hears the questions; he isn't sure his words make any sense or if he's slurring, drunk; he doesn't know anything but the moment. He's here. Steve's here. Steve's practically hand-feeding him soft touches and praise and is so close without giving him any of the touch or words he's craving to hear.

It's relaxing and it's maddening.

It's almost like he's been hypnotized.

Guh.

With all those intoxicating feelings inside, Bucky doesn't notice how throbbing hard he is between his legs until Steve pushes their foreheads together. They must be nearing the end, the scene falling apart at the edges. The illusion unraveling.

Bucky gasps. Shocked. Still swimming in thick, warm syrup.

Steve is grabbing his jaw tightly all of a sudden. It's not clinical. It's intimate. Possessive. Like he can no longer resist. Not remaining as far away as he can while still doing a proper examination but fully pressing tight to Bucky now. His chest against Bucky is hard and hot. Overwhelming. The sudden lapful of Steve is perfect.

The erotic, addictive feeling of being desirable and irresistible floods into Bucky. Steve can't keep himself away anymore.

A moan simply escapes him.

Steve rasps, "that's it," he shakes his chin, teasing, "you did so good, baby--"

Bucky whimpers, soft but so needy.

"--You deserve a reward, but I don't want you to look away from me," Steve tells him while keeping one hand on Bucky's face while his other wraps around Bucky's cock. Stroking him dangerously slow. Uuuuuuuuup and dooooooown, uuuuuuuuup and dooooooown, uuuuuuuuup and dooooooown.

Bucky shakes. His eyes slide shut in pleasure. He wants to crawl out of his oversensitive skin, after just strictly "professional" touching, even the slow, frustratingly gentle and slow sexual touch is impossibly good.

"No. Look at me." Steve demands.

Bucky whines and forces his eyes open when Steve's fingers threaten to bite into his chin. His eyelids are so heavy! His vision is so unfocused. Steve's so close to him.

So close.

"Mmm-hmm, yeah, keep looking, and I'll keep going, just like this," he rambles, it washes over Bucky.

They breathe each other in.

Steve is hardly reacting while Bucky's chest is heaving, and with the effort of keeping his eyes open and on Steve, they're tearing. Vision blurring even more. Oh. Oh. It feels good. It feels so good. Steve's hand on him. Stroking him. Steve's eyes on him. Intense and hot. Steve's words caressing him. Sweet, praising words. Pleasure slow but consistent. It's, it's--

It's working so good for Bucky.

Better than it should.

God.

All he's doing is touching him lightly, it shouldn't have Bucky on the edge already!

Fuck.

It does, though. Bucky wants--

He wants--

Fuck.

He wants to cum.

Steve, staring into his eyes, knows. He knows everything. He is staring into Bucky's soul. His flesh and bone, body, mind, and soul. Bucky has never been more naked.

"Now." Steve orders.

Bucky doesn’t even register his obedience. His body has done this too many times for it to need to ask his conscious mind's permission. His body is simple. It does.

Wrecked, Bucky cries out, tears spill over his eyes, rolling down his hot cheeks, and his mouth drops open wide, drooling a little. Also, with the force of the pleasure, Bucky curls forward and drops his forehead into the crook of Steve's neck. Trembling all over, hanging onto Steve for dear life.

Oh. Oh. Oh.

Steve pets his hair, rumbling, "good boy, gooood boy," with the praise, Bucky jolts again and again, cumming again, or maybe more. He doesn't know. It doesn't matter. It just feels so fucking good.

God.

So this is, uh, optometrist hypnosis? 🤷🏻‍♂️ I hope you like it!

Also, I hope you don't mind me taking your prompt and writing something else with it! Because I fucking love, love, LOVE your idea, but I couldn't get this out of my mind, so it had to happen.

[drforambhuta]

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