Infertility specialist

Two weeks ago, I met with the infertility specialist that came highly recommended by my neighbor and wonderful friend Shei'la. I just LOVE this man! He came and fetched me from the waiting room himself and spent 2 hours talking to and examining me. Because of my age, he's not going to fool around here. Next cycle I'll be on Clomid to help me ovulate. And since Clomid can thicken everything up, he will do intrauterine insemination to make sure only the strongest swimmers are in the pool. He will try that for 4 cycles, then move on to the next strongest fertility drug if I'm not pregnant by then. He claims a 25% success rate per month and is optimistic that I'll be pregnant by the 4th cycle (which would be January).

Steve was none too happy about the IUI but is willing to do whatever it takes. At the consult appt, Doc wanted to do another semenanalysis since it'd been 2 yrs since the last one. He also wanted to freeze some of the sample so as to take some of the pressure off Steve having to produce a sample on demand whenever I happen to ovulate. And there begins the small fiasco...

Doc had said we could drop off the sample in the Lancaster office (which is right on our way to work), just to make an appointment and make sure to mention that some is to be frozen. After Doc was finished with me, I went to the nurse for a blood test and some pamphlets, etc. Nothing else was ever said about the sample appointment.

When I called to make the appointment, I was informed that freezing is only done in the York office (which is about 35-45 minutes in the opposite direction from home). Well, beings that we're willing to do just about anything it takes to get pregnant again, I took the York appointment and figured we'd just have to figure a way to get the sample there. When I dropped off the sample this morning (making myself 15 minutes for work), I mentioned that Doc wanted some of it to be frozen. They got the lab manager to talk to me. She said "Oh. Freezing requires bloodwork to be done beforehand, an 8 page consent form to be filled out (in case something happened to Steve while they were still in possession of his sample), and a $175 (or whatever number she said) fee that insurance doesn't cover." I told her that there'd been some serious miscommunication on this issue; first about the location, now the fee, paperwork, and bloodwork. So, I made an executive decision and told them not to freeze any, to just do the analysis. AGH! If I'd known all that, we could've just dropped the sample in the Lancaster office in the first place!!!!!!! I guess I still love them even now that I know what I know. I will just have to ask more questions in the future. I just hate when somebody has me by the short and curlies.

So far, today is day 26 of this cycle. Soon I should be ready to start the next cycle.

Another one bites the dust

We've been trying to get pregnant again for 8, make that 9, months now. I was actually hopeful that this might be the month; the 2 yr anniversary of getting pregnant with Stefanie. I was 8 days late (on a 28 day cycle, which my body never follows). I took a home pregnancy test on Tuesday (negative) and again Thursday (another negative). I felt a wave of nausea on Wednesday evening, the kind that only comes from progesterone poisoning. I suppose it was just wishful nausea though. I had an emotional meltdown last night as I was putting Stefanie to bed. I suppose I knew in my heart that this was not the month. I had also been thinking about the saying that God does not give us more than we can handle. So maybe it's God's plan not to give us a second blessing because he knows I can't handle it? I hope it's just that now is not the time He has planned for us. I felt so ready to give up on this dream of having a second child.

We have the infertility doctor appointment set for Sept 13. I guess we can decide what we want to pursue after we see what Dr Filer has to say. We'd discussed adoption when we were having trouble conceiving before Stefanie. My dear friend next door has been on the adoption waiting list for 6 months now and told me they were to expect a 9month to 1year wait for an infant. I'm just not sure how I feel at this point, except incredibly sad and disappointed.

There is no need for further home pregnancy tests this month...good old Aunt Flo showed up this morning. At least I know now. That means I can go do the bloodwork tomorrow for the FSH and TSH.

How much crap can one person cram into one day? Ah, that's a whole Blog unto itself.