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This post is coming nine days after the doctor's appointment for a few reasons. First, I was a bit discouraged and not wanting to be very open in the days following. Second, I got a new job! It has been an awesome adventure so far but has definitely been keeping me busy (and tired). So bear with me a bit because it might be a little long, but worth it.
December 18th we had an appointment with the specialist (we will call her V). Originally, when we met with my GYNO he said we would do Clomid for 3-4 months and then start talking about IVF. That is the plan Chuck and I had in our minds when our appointment started. However, as anything in life, it did not go quite as planned. V explained to us that Clomid is usually the first step in oral infertility treatments and if it fails they will go to another one, Femara. Instead of putting me through months of something that could potentially not work, V decided to skip the first step and dive straight in the Femara. In essence, it is supposed to do the same thing, induce an egg to develop and release. Of course, there was a catch. V wanted us to go ten months for this particular treatment. It is always possible to end up pregnant in three months, or five, but most women have taken ten months to conceive. This is where we take a moment to realize why I went internal for a day or two following that stab to the heart.
I am a planner, everyone who knows me can vouch for that. If it were up to me we would skip all of this "what if" and go straight to IVF. However, my amazing new job and Chucks dedication to his country make it a bit difficult to put out $17,000 at the time. So, I must learn to go with the flow.
In order to be able to start the Femara, I have to first take another medication called Provera, which will help me to get my period. The Provera is a five-day pill and my period is expected to show up to two weeks after the last pill. I started it December 18th and woke up this morning blessed by Mother Nature. A year without a period and Lord Jesus I did not miss this! Nick and I were both extremely excited this morning (ever think your husband would be smiling at you starting shark week?) and cannot believe that this means we have a chance. The Femara comes into play in three days. It too is a five-day pill that I will take. On the 11th day of my cycle, I go for another ultrasound to see if any of these cysts that have made my uterus their home, would like to drop and make a baby! Basically, V will be letting us know when to have sex (also not something I coped with very well at first). In an ideal, amazing, wonderful situation, we end up pregnant this month. But in the likelihood that we do not, I repeat the same process next month with the Provera and the Femara.
We were given another option to piggyback the Femara with called an IUI (Intrauterine insemination). The American Pregnancy Association defines an IUI as "a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.
IUI provides the sperm an advantage by giving it a head start but still requires a sperm to reach and fertilize the egg on its own. It is a less invasive and less expensive option compared to in vitro fertilization." Like I said, this is something that was put on the table for us to consider months down the road. It is, of course, cheaper than IVF and raises chances of pregnancy 20% a cycle. For now, I am taking prenatal vitamins, eating clean, and trying to stay as stress-free as possible.
If you lasted this long I hope you will keep Chuck and me in your prayers. This is something we know we will overcome and having everyone rooting for us makes it that much more special.
xoxo, ALD