Infertility Sucks

I remembered a day many years ago that Edwin Wells and I were riding the bus home and talking. He asked me what was wrong and I told him that I had found out that I might not be able to have children. At this point, I don't think he was considering going to medical school and I probably told him something that he was uncomfortable hearing.
I always have had irregular periods. Without taking artificial hormones, I might only have a period 3 times a year. Which is great until trying to conceive, that is.

I also was diagnosed as having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. It means I am insulin resistant, have a tendency to gain weight (don't I know it!) and have increased difficulty losing weight. You could take me and another woman and put us on the same diet and the other woman will lose weight much faster than me. Bummer, huh.

So about a year ago my Gyn. and I started all the preliminary testing to refer me to the Kaiser Infertility clinic. This involved blood draws to test my hormones. I have a vasovagal response during blood draws which means I usually start to black out and/or pass out so they always have to lay me down. (I know, I'm a mess!)

Once I filled out packets of genetic and health histories for myself and James, the Infertility clinic had us both attend a meeting where they explained all the options to us. This began our journey for operation Baby Vahanian.

I have to go have an HSG, which is an x ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes. I was really nervous for this procedure because they told me it would hurt, but it really wasn't bad at all. It was done by the Chief of Radiology and he was really nice and once he found out that I teach anatomy and massage therapy, he started explaining things to me and showed me on the screen my pubic bones and uterus and my tubes. The procedure involved injecting dye inside the uterus to test for scar tissue and blockages. Thankfully, there are none and so I should be able to carry a baby to full term.

The other tests involved more lab tests to rule out STD's, like HIV and chlamydia. I'm negative but I knew that. And then James had to give his own sample to the lab. And the lab lost it! He had to do it again. He wasn't happy about that, but after all the testing I've gone through, I told him his part was pain free.

After doing all those tests, I was able to make an appointment for the infertility counseling and consultation. James came with me and then we found out the dr. was out sick and I had driven all the way over to the Arden Mall Kaiser which is about 30 minutes from our house! Talk about frustrating. Oh the joys of Kaiser. But at least they're paying for half of all the fertility which is a lot better than other insurances.

I finally got in to see a nurse practitioner, Lyn. We both really like her. She is an older lady and just very competent. She did a pelvic ultrasound to check the ovaries. Ok, no one told me this would hurt and it was about 5 minutes of torture!. Apparently my ovaries are hard to see and so she kept applying serious pressure to my abdomen while shoving the ultrasound wand further around my uterus. I started getting queasy and dizzy and about vomited.

So our baby making plan is going to be a process of fertility drugs and inseminations. Currently I'm taking Provera for the next 10 days to get my body to have a period. I'm also taking Metformin which is actually a diabetic drug (I'm not diabetic) but has shown to regulate ovulation in women. PCSO women have a higher risk of miscarriage in the first trimester, so some women continue taking Metformin during the first part of pregnancy. I will probably do that if I'm able to tolerate the icky side effects. So far, they are starting me on a small dose and working up to two full pills a day. They make me feel queasy all day and have given me diarrhea. Oh joy of joys, but my dr. said it might help me lose some weight. I hope so! My goal is trying to lose 40 lbs before conceiving and I'm half way there.

Are you bored yet with my fertility regime? But we might have twins out of the deal. James is a fraternal twin and has a sister. And twins are also on my mom's side of the family, too. At my age, I'd be totally ok with having twins and get two for the price of one! Eventally, though, whether or not we are able to conceive, we plan to adopt. I've always wanted to adopt a 3-5 yr. old. I've looked into using LDS Social Services, but they won't let me because James isn't a member. Bummer, huh.

Well I think I gotta run to the bathroom...again! I better be losing weight if I'm feeling this icky!