A brief background might be a good place to start. My hubby is 29 and I am 26. We've been married for almost 3 years. I've been off BC for almost 2 yrs.
On June 8, I went in for a normal routine doctor's visit. I expressed my concern about my period to my doctor and she ordered blood work. My blood was tested for sugar, thyroid, and prolactin levels. I found out quickly after that that I had a high level of prolactin. This has a lovely name; hyperprolactinemia. Because of this, I had a MRI of my brain to see if there was any tumor/growth on my pituitary gland. That was June 18th. In between things, my hubby had to his own preliminary testing.
Sure enough, I found out later that I did have a 2mm microadenoma in my brain. Great. The word "tumor" was being used more than the fancy microadenoma and terrified me. This little tiny cluster of hyperactive cells (which my RE says are actually normal)...are causing my hormone levels to be out of whack. Well no wonder I wasn't getting pregnant!
My regular Dr. said that my husband's sample came out a little under the norm so she was referring us to a fertility clinic.
FERTILITY CLINIC?! WHAT?!
Two words people who want to have a baby do NOT want to hear.
However uncomfortable it may seem or be at times, it's actually not as scary as I thought.
Our first appointment was on July 6th and I was told we were only supposed to be talking to the RE for about 20 minutes. Well.....that was only partially true. Upon meeting the RE, we immediately found out that hubby was "not bad" and that I needed to do an ultrasound.
This was not like the movies.
I went to the bathroom to "prepare" for this surprise and realized I hadn't shaved my legs. We were only supposed to have a consultation with the RE. But then I remembered that most movie ultrasounds are on the belly/pelvic area. So okay...I can do that.
Well then I got out of the bathroom.
"Have you ever had a vaginal ultrasound before?" asks the nurse. I am pretty sure my face was white or red...or both...because NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I have not! And now I'm REALLY freaking out about not having smooth legs.
Darn it.
A few minutes later, I find myself half naked with a paper drape (it's so thin, I don't know why they bother) and with my legs in stirrup things. Then I get to watch a small black and white monitor while the doctor does his thing. Usually a nurse does it, but NO, today...it has to be the actual doctor. Great.
Fast forward, now we're in the office. The RE tells us hubby is good but needs to take antibiotics for 10 days to clear up some white blood cells or something. OK...doable. Then he tells me I need to work on losing some weight, which was no surprise to me. I have to carry a baby after all. Then he mentioned what I would do next and then go from there. He even threw in some words like "Clomid" and "IVF" in there for good measure.
Needless to say...I was writing as fast as I could and I doubt I got it all. Plus I think my eyes probably looked like I was about to be run over by a truck and my baby Bambi would be left all alone. It was intense.
The nurse then talks to you about the laundry list of things the WOMAN has to do and the ONE thing the man has to do. So fair, really.
After you've been warned that you will have a vaginal ultrasound pretty much EVERY TIME you come and that this is just the beginning....you leave with both joy and fear in your heart.
The baby pictures on the bulletin board are the only saving grace...and the ability to find humor in the situation.
Soon after the "first encounter" I found myself giving vials of blood for testing and yet another ultrasound. Now I am choosing to find the educational value of knowing my insides and "the black hole" ...as I refer to it.
Then I had to get a HSG. I won't bother putting the actual name for it because it's long...and doesn't really matter. What matters is that it HURT a LOT! The RE injected me with dye and took X-Ray pics of my uterus and flallopian tubes. They were NOT blocked, so he said I got an A+! Again I took the very uncomfortable situation and horrific pain as a learning experience and got to see my insides again.
Kinda cool actually.
During this visit I also found out that my prolactin levels were normal (thank you Bromocriptine!) and so were my other results. Score one for us!
In the meantime, Hubby scheduled to bring in sample #2 for the next week. And we're still waiting on that.
If all goes well, we should have our second consultation in a few days and see what our game plan will be.
I'm sure it will consist of much more poking and prodding. Mostly of me. But those 10 fingers and 10 toes, smiles, giggles, and dirty diapers will have made it worth every painful moment.
Ready or not...the road to baby has officially begun!
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