Infertility Sucks!

Since this is the start of my blog, I thought that I would update you on our TTC (Trying to concieve) journey thus far. I have had one child naturally in 2003. When our son was almost 2 years old, we decided to try for child #2. Since we have had two suprise pregnancies, we thought that getting pregnant again would be a piece of cake. This is a breakdown of the last two years:

March 2005-May 2005: Just have fun relax and it will happen! Had IUD removed.

May 2005: Purchased our home and BFP 2 days after closing! Perfect timing, huh? Tested again, 2 days later, BFN. Not to upset...we will get pregnant again soon enough.

June 2005: Discovered Baby Center & Fertility Friend boards and become an addict. Learn about charting. I ovulate on day 12 and have a 26 day cycle like clockwork. I should be pregnant in no time.

October 2005: Start trying lubricant to promote fertility and take prenatals and extra folic acid. Got a BFP just in time for Holloween. This time the trick was on us and not the treat. :-( BFN after two weeks.

November 2005: The pain, the pain! So, much pain it is hard to concentrate. Went in for a consult with my PCP. PCP not much help. Had an U/S. All clear. Decided that I would wait and see if pain went away on it's own.

January 2006: Can't take it anymore! Scheduled a consult with the OB/GYN that delivered my son. She felt that I may have Endometriosis. The only way to know for sure would be to do a Laparoscopy. Gave me stronger pain meds while I made my decision. I did lots of research online about treatment options for Endo and hubby and I decided that a Lap was needed.

March 2006: Laparoscopy scheduled for the 29th. During surgery, doctor discovered Stage 2 Endometriosis, Adhesions, and PCOS. She removed what she saw and said to start TTC right way. We should be really fertile for at least 3 months!

April 2006-May 2006: Pain free! The surgery must have worked. Still no BFP. Dr. M wanted to take a wait and see approach. Time is my fertility, so C and I decided that it was time to go to a specialist. We checked around for the best RE under our insurance coverage and scheduled a consult.

June 2006: Finally into the RE (fertility specialist). Dr. S. told us the testing that would be required. If everything looked good, we would start doing IUI w/Clomid when the testing was completed. When C & I were leaving, a nurse looked at us and said "Aren't you too young to be here?" I wanted to slap her. She's lucky I'm a Christian.

July 2006-August 2006: Lots of testing. Among the tests done: Endometrial Biopsy, Hysterosonogram, Pelvic Exam, Blood tests, Screening, etc. Please Lord, let a baby be at the end of this journey! Testing took two months. C's sperm analysis came back perfect. Super Spermies! Glad it's only one of us with an issue.

September 2006: Started Metformin 2000mg. (1000mg morning, 1000mg night/daily) Gastrointestinal issues for 500?

October 2006: Finally treatment can begin. On day 13 we had an U/S that showed 3 mature follicles on the right ovary & 1 on the left. I then got the HCG trigger and was sent home to await my 1st IUI. (We did B2B IUIs) I just knew that C & I would get pregnant on the first shot. Whatever issues I had, would magically disppear with just a little assistance. WRONG! BFN all the way. Dr. S. said that it was a picture perfect cycle, but for whatever reason it didnt' work.

(Protocol: Clomid 100mg CD5-9, Estrace CD 10-14, HCG trigger, Prometrium 200mg 2X a day during luteal phase)

November 2006: Cycle #2 canceled to to multiple cysts on my right ovary.

End of Dec 06-January 2007: Did IUI cycle #2. Same protocol as IUI cycle #1. This cycle I didn't feel confident. I was starting to feel the Endometriosis come back and knew in my gut that because of the Endo it would not work. Suprise, suprise, BFN.

January 2007-March 2007: C & I needed a break. Financially and emotionally TTC was taking it out of us. At the end of March, we set up a consult with Dr. S to discuss our next steps. Since I expressed to Dr. S. that I thought the Endo was back, he suggested that we do another Laparoscopy to make sure things were OK before proceeding to another IUI cycle.

April 19 2007: Had my 2nd Laparoscopy. This time Dr. S also did a Hysteroscopy to check out the inside of my uterus. After surgery, he informed us that I had Stage 3 Endo (after 1 yr!), adhesions blocking my tubes, and multiple polyps in my uterus. It took about two weeks, this time, to recover 100%.

May 1st 2007: First day of cycle since Lap! Felt renewed hope that this can happen for us. Dr. S. said that we would follow the same protocol again. C & I didn't want to get too excited, so we didn't test when AF was due, but when on our camping vacation and thought nothing of it. Two days after we got to the cabins, I started to feel very nasuas and tired. I had a EPT Pregnant/NPregnant test (that I had been saving for a least six months) in my travel bag and decided that it was time to take the plunge. In the cricket infested bathroom, I got up the courage (6am) and peed on the stick. The hour glass flashed for at least two minutes before the lovliest word of all appeared. PREGNANT! I ran and started to jump on the bed where C was sleeping. He had the biggest grin. We were both so happy. I was sent to do blood work at the local LapCorp on two seperate days and levels of HCG were rising appropriatley. All of the TTC that we had done vanished and we began to hope for the future that we would have with new little one(s). Our EDD was February 5, 2008. Life is great! C says that I am glowing.

June 2007: I start to have a pain on my side. I called Dr. S's office and they tell me that because of the Clomid and HCG trigger my ovaries could have some Hyperstimulation and that it was normal. A few days later, I can hardly walk and I am spotting red blood off and on. C & I went to HCHC and get checked in. They ran a bunch of tests and gave me an U/S. At six weeks, the U/S tech was unable to find a fetal pole or sak in my uterus. Being that I was complaining of pain on my right side they started to assume Ectopic. My HCG blood results came back at 2660. It was 2064 5 days earlier, so they didn't double. Our miracles fate looked pretty much sealed up. On Monday, June 11th, Dr. S did another U/S in the office and still saw nothing in the uterus. He told C & I that there was no chance that this was a viable pregnancy. We were told that we needed to drive 45 minutes to a pharmacy that had a drug called Methotrexate. They had to administer it in the office, so we picked it up and drove back. Nurse J. instructed me to lower my pants and bend over. (All of the things I had to do and this is the one that was the hardest for me) She said that I needed two injections in each cheek. In my mind I was very angry. This just seemed like a cruel joke. That we had done something in a formal life to piss off the powers that be. It seemed that I would never have the family that I dreamed about since I was a child. Maybe, Maybe not. For the time being, the greaving process is where I will be.