A very special day!

Today was our 3rd wedding anniversary and our niece was born at 11:58pm!

Andy's brother Tim and his wife Megan welcomed...

Hannah Lynne
7lbs 14 oz
21 inches

Meet the Fertility Specialist

This afternoon Andy and I went to see Dr. H, a fertility specialist. I was very nervous before going...not knowing what to expect. But it was nothing to be nervous about. We met with Dr. H. She asked us a lot of background questions and then mapped out our "Plan". Since I took the 50mg of Clomid and haven't ovulated yet, she did an internal ultrasound (u/s). She looked at my ovaries to see if there were any folicles, but there weren't, which means this dose of Clomid didn't work. She doubled the dose and I start taking it immediately. Thank GOD! Then in a week I go back again to have another u/s to see if this dose worked.

Once it works, then she'll give me hCg hormone to make the eggs drop and two days later they'll wash Andy's sperm to isolate only the strong ones and do an IUI. EEK! Unless of course we conceive on our own. After the IUI I'll take a pregnancy test and hopefully it works. I read that they will do this 3-6 times so if it's not successful right away, there's still hope.

Things are getting more explained and looking more possible every week!

Hope...

Today Dr. P called me. She said that my 2nd round of blood work was very good and that my HSG went very well and that things look beautiful! That just makes me feel so much better. She said that the Clomid should make me ovulate around day 15 or 16, so that's Friday/Saturday. I hope that taking my temperature every morning will show that I'm ovulating. She was quite optimistic and that just makes me feel more hopeful!

On the 28th we go to see the specialist. Dr. P said that they'll be able to use ultrasound to monitor my ovulation more closely and if need be, increase my Clomid or do intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI is where they inject the sperm (Andy's in our case) right into my uterus...through a catheter-like the HSG. YIKES! I am very hopeful that we won't have to go that far, but it's there if we need it!

Hysterosalpingogram

So I went and had my Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) done today. I was freaking out and rightfully so, it was quite painful. But good news, IT WAS CLEAR! Yay! One less obstacle to worry about. If anything, the Dr who performed the HSG procedure said it increases the pregnancy rates in most women! So having this HSG may help the egg and sperm meet up easier, and also with the Clomid in assistance too! I hope things go well!!

Some good news finally...but it's just a Wait and See game,...which is hard to get used to...

Clomid 50mg

So today Dr. P called. She said my Progesterone was a little bit lower than she was hoping to see. It's probably why my cycles are so irregular. So basically who knows when I'm ovulating.

Andy's semen analysis went good. His results showed he has plenty of sperm, some are slow, some are abnormal, but she said that's pretty normal. She's sending us to a Fertility Specialist at Parkridge. We are going to see her at 1pm on Monday the 28th!

Dr. P also called in a prescription for Clomid. I picked up and she had me start it today! I take 1 50mg pill a day for 5 days and it's supposed to increase my LH and FSH levels which in turn will make me ovulate. They hope it will work within the first 3 cycles of trying. Also the Histogram may help clear any minute blockage that may have been there, and that could increase my chances of conceiving. I sure hope this works!

Bittersweet

I got my period today.

I am sad because that means there is definately something not working right. But I'm also glad because now we can figure out what it is!

I called today to schedule my Histogram. I'm going next Friday, the 18th. I have to go to the Brighton office first and take a pregnancy test, then head over to the Radiology Bldg. across the street. There a Dr. from my office will inject an invisible dye through a catheter in cervix into my uterus. They watch on a monitor and hopefully see the dye go through. This will let them know if there are any blockages in my fallopian tubes. They say there is only some discomfort but offer Valium for relaxation. I declined the Valium because I generally have a high pain tollerance. I'm very nervous about it, but also anxious. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight!

Ahoy!

Andy made his semen analysis appointment today! It is next Tuesday, July 15th at 7am. We have to abstain from sex for 3 days before that so that they get an accurate analysis. He actually seems to be okay about this. It's hard for guys to go through this, more psychological than anything, but I completely understand. Him being okay with it and not complaining makes me so happy.

One more thing in the works! Very exciting!

Never got a phone call about my blood work for my Progesterone. No news is good news???!!!

Bloodwork #1

Today I went for some blood work. This round is to test my Progesterone level. At the end of your cycle Progesterone is supposed to be high-if you are ovulating. For some reason I have a bad feeling that I'm not. I know that I'm supposed to think on a more positive note and be more optimistic, but it's getting harder and harder to do that. It would be quite a miracle if there was nothing wrong with my ovulation, my cycle is so random-who knows?!! Very soon I will!