Today I had my mid-cycle ultrasound and I responded beautifully to the 100mg of Clomid! I had two follies on my left side measuring at 17 and 17 and I had three follies on my right side measuring 20, 20 and 18!
The RE had me trigger this morning and told us to HIO tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. We decided to go TI for a few cycles to see how things went, however, tonight I am deeply regretting that decision!
My right ovary is totally killing me... when we had sex tonight, I thought I was going to cry. I don't know if I can handle two more days of this. I'm going to call the RE's office first thing tomorrow to see if we can switch to IUI this cycle. Fingers crossed that we can!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Starting a family
Brian and I have always dreamt of the day we would start our family. At first we thought we wanted to wait a few years after we got married before we started to actively try to conceive. Then after a few months of marriage, we decided we didn't want to wait anymore.
So, in March of this year, I went off birth control so we could get to business ;)
Fast forward to July - No temp increases, no positive ovulation tests, no periods. I knew something wasn't quite right, so I called my OB. Long story short, he prescribed Provera, to just start my period and Clomid to help stimulate ovulation.
Anyone who knows anything about Clomid knows you DO NOT take it without proper testing being completed first or without monitoring. Taking Clomid unmonitored can lead to cysts and it can also seriously increase your chances of having high order multiples (Think Octo-mom and Jon & Kate). Well, my OB didn't feel it necessary to do any of that. After reading the risks of unmonitored Clomid, I decided my OB was cray-cray and called a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) to schedule an appointment.
At the end of August we met with our RE for an initial consultation. She went over my history and my husbands history in detail and then ordered some tests. I had an ultrasound and loads of blood work (which included some genetic testing) before I even walked out of the office. At the time of the ultrasound, she also informed me I had 3 marvelous cysts taking residency on my ovaries. She also ordered a sperm analysis for hubs, and then a glucose/insulin fasting test, an HSG and a sonohysterogram for me.
Through September, we went through all of the testing the RE ordered and today we went back to the office to sit down and discuss all of the results and put a plan into place. Here's a breakdown of all of our testing results:
HSG - showed no blockages & clear tubes! Side note: this test was INCREDIBLY painful. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this was crazy intense. Thankfully it only lasts a few minutes!
SHG - showed no polyps, fibroids, etc, however it did show I have a "dipped" uterus. The RE isn't concerned with this at the moment. If I have multiple miscarriages, then it's something we'll have to look into further.
Genetic Testing - I am a carrier of cystic fibrosis. We received these results a few weeks ago, so Brian could go in and get tested as well and the results would be in by today. Thankfully, we found out today that Brian is not a CF carrier!
Sperm Analysis - The RE didn't give us exact numbers, but she raved at how good Brian's numbers were.
Fasting Glucose/Insulin Testing & Blood work - Official diagnosis after looking at all of the blood work - Annovulatory, insulin resistant (IR) PCOS. Which basically boils down to I don't ovulate on my own.
Treatment Plan - Because my insulin levels were borderline, the RE is allowing me to work on some dietary changes and is going to hold off on putting me on any type of medication for that. Transitioning to a low carb, low sugar diet is going to be rough for me. I *LOVE* sugar.
When it comes to baby making, the RE suggested, because of Brian's great numbers, a few cycles of medicated timed intercourse prior to going to more advanced treatment (IUI, IVF, etc). So we are starting this month, with Clomid + HCG + TI. I'm thankful we're able to go the timed intercourse route for a few cycles because my current insurance covers absolutely nothing...not even our testing.
Hopefully we'll get pregnant before we have to step up to IUI/IVF, but if not, my insurance will be changing after the new year, with the hopes of better infertility coverage. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there though :)
So, in March of this year, I went off birth control so we could get to business ;)
Fast forward to July - No temp increases, no positive ovulation tests, no periods. I knew something wasn't quite right, so I called my OB. Long story short, he prescribed Provera, to just start my period and Clomid to help stimulate ovulation.
Anyone who knows anything about Clomid knows you DO NOT take it without proper testing being completed first or without monitoring. Taking Clomid unmonitored can lead to cysts and it can also seriously increase your chances of having high order multiples (Think Octo-mom and Jon & Kate). Well, my OB didn't feel it necessary to do any of that. After reading the risks of unmonitored Clomid, I decided my OB was cray-cray and called a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) to schedule an appointment.
At the end of August we met with our RE for an initial consultation. She went over my history and my husbands history in detail and then ordered some tests. I had an ultrasound and loads of blood work (which included some genetic testing) before I even walked out of the office. At the time of the ultrasound, she also informed me I had 3 marvelous cysts taking residency on my ovaries. She also ordered a sperm analysis for hubs, and then a glucose/insulin fasting test, an HSG and a sonohysterogram for me.
Through September, we went through all of the testing the RE ordered and today we went back to the office to sit down and discuss all of the results and put a plan into place. Here's a breakdown of all of our testing results:
HSG - showed no blockages & clear tubes! Side note: this test was INCREDIBLY painful. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this was crazy intense. Thankfully it only lasts a few minutes!
SHG - showed no polyps, fibroids, etc, however it did show I have a "dipped" uterus. The RE isn't concerned with this at the moment. If I have multiple miscarriages, then it's something we'll have to look into further.
Genetic Testing - I am a carrier of cystic fibrosis. We received these results a few weeks ago, so Brian could go in and get tested as well and the results would be in by today. Thankfully, we found out today that Brian is not a CF carrier!
Sperm Analysis - The RE didn't give us exact numbers, but she raved at how good Brian's numbers were.
Fasting Glucose/Insulin Testing & Blood work - Official diagnosis after looking at all of the blood work - Annovulatory, insulin resistant (IR) PCOS. Which basically boils down to I don't ovulate on my own.
Treatment Plan - Because my insulin levels were borderline, the RE is allowing me to work on some dietary changes and is going to hold off on putting me on any type of medication for that. Transitioning to a low carb, low sugar diet is going to be rough for me. I *LOVE* sugar.
When it comes to baby making, the RE suggested, because of Brian's great numbers, a few cycles of medicated timed intercourse prior to going to more advanced treatment (IUI, IVF, etc). So we are starting this month, with Clomid + HCG + TI. I'm thankful we're able to go the timed intercourse route for a few cycles because my current insurance covers absolutely nothing...not even our testing.
Hopefully we'll get pregnant before we have to step up to IUI/IVF, but if not, my insurance will be changing after the new year, with the hopes of better infertility coverage. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there though :)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
"Friends"
This weekend was so incredibly tough. I don't really want to divulge in the details, but I will say that it was non-infertility related and I was facing some pretty serious life changing events.
My anger, however, stems from a "friend" who knew I was going through a very serious situation and hardly reached out to see how I was.
Our relationship has become more one sided as every day passes. I'm always there to listen to her when she's having problems, but when I need a shoulder or even just a small "hey thinking of you" text, she's nowhere to be found.
I was talking to my husband this weekend and I decided that I don't need people like that in my life. So I'm done being a good friend. Sure, maybe that sounds shitty, but there are people in my life who do give me the love and support that I need and I much rather give them more attention because I know they'll appreciate it.
Life is too short to waste time and effort on relationships that aren't appreciated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)