You never really know just how much you want something until you’re told you can’t have it. At the age of 18, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and was told that the chances of conceiving were slim to none. At that point in my life, having children wasn’t something that interested me – but I swear, almost as soon as they told me that, I got baby fever.
Let’s fast forward eleven years – I’d undergone many treatments for the endometriosis, graduated college, met a boy, fell in love, and got married in my dream Disney wedding. Both my husband and I loved children and knew the obstacles that we would be faced with, but we felt the time was right. We were going to beat this thing called infertility.
I went off birth control pills, and we gave it the good old college try…but nothing happened. My OB ordered a hysterosalpingogram {HSG} to make sure my tubes were open, which they were. Unfortunately, we didn’t expect to find out through lab work that I had what was called a luteal phase defect, where my body doesn’t produce enough progesterone the second half of my cycle to sustain a pregnancy. We started on progesterone therapy and hoped for the best. In the meantime, my husband had a sperm analysis that showed he had a high sperm count but abnormal morphology. {Morphology is essentially shape.} When that didn’t work, my OB had me start taking Clomid – we followed that protocol for six months before abandoning ship completely.
It wasn’t working like we had hoped, so we took a month off to gather our thoughts and meet with our Reproductive Endocrinologist. Originally, the doctor said he would recommend going directly to IVF, but he was willing to try IUI once. We thought about this for a month or two before deciding to try IUI first.
There were many bumps on that road – I had ovarian cysts that showed no signs of disappearing and my estrogen level was increasing daily. We were becoming impatient and decided to have the cysts aspirated so that we could get the show on the road. The aspiration worked, and we were able to move forward with IUI. We had high hopes that first cycle, and we were heartbroken when we found out that it didn’t work.
We took the next month off and treated ourselves to a vacation in our happy place – Walt Disney World, with hopes of trying again once we returned. Since we had different health insurance, we found that our insurance now covered IUI – so we decided to try a few more IUI cycles. Unfortunately, those cycles also failed.
We decided that it was finally time to try IVF. This required suppression of my cycle with Lupron, which causes horrendous hot flashes. {This was NOT fun in July!} A month later, everything was a go, and we started injections to stimulate my ovaries. After twenty-one LONG days, it was time for retrieval.
On retrieval day, they got ten mature eggs. I was somewhat disappointed with that number, as I had hoped for many more. The next day they called with the fertilization report – of the ten eggs, nine had fertilized. Since I had a good number, they scheduled me for a five day transfer. Transfer day arrived before I knew it, and I was anxious going in. We were planning on transferring two, but what if only one remained? Imagine my surprise when my RE walked into the room and told me that ALL nine of them survived and were now blastocysts! Oh, glorious day! We transferred two embryos, and I was sent home for that dreaded two week wait.
My body was my very own science experiment, and although it is frowned upon, I started testing immediately. Five days after my transfer {also known as 5dp5dt}, I got a faint positive. My HCG Beta two weeks later showed that I was, indeed, pregnant. The “Little Embryo that Could” is now my beautiful ten-month old Charleigh June.
Fast Forward a few months after Charleigh’s birth…
Baby fever hit again. I wanted my children close in age, unlike my brother and myself, who are almost seven years apart. We spoke with my RE about doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer {FET}, and we decided to wait until 2015 after we had taken Charleigh to our happy place for the first time. Immediately after we returned from that magical vacation, I called to set up another consultation to get the ball rolling. I had a baseline ultrasound and labs that day, and I was scheduled for a minor surgery two weeks later to ensure that my uterus could provide a good home for the embryos. Everything went beautifully, and I started taking estrogen to plump up my lining for said embryos.
Generally speaking, the protocol for a FET is very anticlimactic and simple. The most exciting thing about this protocol was seeing what my lining measured in at on any given day. Once everything measured in perfectly, I was scheduled for my embryo transfer on April 9th. Both embryos looked great at the transfer, and we were told that they had already started hatching. I’ve been laying low since then and trying to be the best incubator I can for those sweet embryos.
Much like last time, I’ve been peeing on a stick every opportunity I have and analyzing every twitch. Four days after my transfer {4dp5dt}, I got a faint positive. Every test I take is getting darker, and I’m hoping and praying that we are going to be getting an AMAZING Christmas gift this year. {Based on transfer date, my estimated due date is 12/25/15.} I am remaining cautiously optimistic at this time, but after my appointment yesterday — it is looking like I might have some VERY exciting news to share soon! I’ll be updating the post next week, so stay tuned…
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, we are dedicated to raising awareness and educating our community about the varying types of infertility and the many options available. Our hope is that this series will open your eyes and inspire you in a really dynamic way, so please join us as real local moms open up and share their stories all throughout the week. Read more about infertility awareness.
We are also incredibly grateful to have The Axelrad Clinic title sponsoring this entire Infertility Awareness series. If you’re interested in finding out more about their natural approach to infertility, start now or contact them at one of their Houston area locations below…
The Axelrad Clinic
713.527.9555
Houston Office ::
19 Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 240, Houston, TX 77027
Woodlands Office ::
4840 W. Panther Creek, Suite 208, The Woodlands, TX 77381
Katy Office ::
Coming soon!
About Diana C.
Diana and her husband relocated from Springfield, Illinois to Sugar Land shortly after getting married. With a degree in Business Administration from University of Illinois, she is currently the administrator of their household – managing 10-month old Charleigh June, three cats {One-Eyed Willie, James Bond, and Penelope}, and dog {Cappy}. Diana loves shopping, reading, Disney World, animals, and a nice glass of wine. She is passionate about sharing her infertility journey and encouraging others. You can learn more about her and follow her blog at Constructing the Coffman’s.
Is there anyway you can share which fertility clinic you used? My husband and I are just beginning this journey and overwhemed with choices. Thank you!
Hi there! Could you share what clinic you used for this?