one big, fat follicle! :)

I had an ultrasound this morning, and Dr. Schmidt said that my follicle is ready! He is very pleased with the size of the follicle, and my estradiol levels have been increasing appropriately with each blood draw, too. Oh, how I hope this will be the month! I will be giving myself the Novarel injection (to induce ovulation 36 hours later) tonight around 9:00 PM, and Brian and I have to be at the office at 7:30 on Saturday morning for insemination. Yes, they are open on New Year's Day! When the nurse called me this afternoon with the instructions for Saturday, I told her that I can't believe they are open on New Year's Day. She said that they are open every day of the year except Christmas morning. I couldn't believe it! I am hoping that January 1st is a lucky day for insemination. It's the very first day of a brand new year. So, it looks like I will be taking a pregnancy test on January 18th or 19th. Fingers and toes crossed that this is our month!!!

new cycle and trying to stay hopeful

I saw Dr. Schmidt on Thursday (12/16) for my baseline ultrasound. He could see the old ovulation sites on my ovaries, so I did ovulate last month. He decided to try something a little different this month. Instead of starting the Follistim injections that day, he had me take an oral medication from Thursday through yesterday. The medication is called Femara (http://www.femara.com), and it is in a category of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. The drug is indicated for breast cancer patients, because it reduces the amount of estrogen produced by the body (estrogen actually fuels certain types of breast cancer cells to grow). This drug is also used for infertility because decreased estrogen production causes increased follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) production. So, I took 3 Femara pills each day from Thursday through yesterday, and I started the Follistim injections today. I will go in for an ultrasound and bloodwork (estradiol level) on Thursday, and my Follistim dose will be adjusted based on the bloodwork results. Dr. Schmidt is trying this because he said my cycle was way too long last time (over 3 weeks between my period and ovulation), and he is hoping that the combination of Femara and Follistim will help me produce some big fat follicles by next week. He is aiming to do insemination by the end of next week, and I am hoping that is what will happen.

I know so many people who are pregnant right now (6 people come to mind immediately, and I believe there are a few more, too). I am so happy for them, but also so envious. I desperately want to be pregnant. My life has become completely consumed with getting pregnant. I wish I wasn't like this, but I don't know how not to be. I keep wondering how many more months I can go through this. I can't believe I am going to be 35 in two months. I have never felt as old as I do right now. I really stop and wonder sometimes if my time to get pregnant has come and gone. People keep telling me that we can always adopt. Well, yes, that's true, but adoption is a very complicated process. I have a few friends who adopted, and they had to go through so much to get their babies. Plus, it may sound selfish or unreasonable, but I just want to feel a baby growing inside me. More than anything, I want to feel everything that goes along with a pregnancy ... morning sickness, growing belly, feeling a baby moving around inside me, giving birth, and breastfeeding. I have been dreaming about being pregnant a lot lately. Maybe in 2011, that dream will become a reality.

not pregnant ... AGAIN.

Well, my period started today. I guess I don't have much to say except that I am feeling very sad tonight. I was so hoping this would be the month. I will go in for my baseline ultrasound on Thursday, and I will start the daily Follistim injections that evening. Here's hoping that 2011 will be a better year ...

oh, what a month!

I just realized it has been over a month since I last posted. What a month it has been. Brian and I went on our trip to NYC from 11/5-11/8. It was a very bittersweet trip because I saw my most beloved Aunt for the last time that weekend. Aunt Connie (my Dad's only sibling) and Uncle Ted have lived in New York City forever, and they are the reason that New York City is one of my most favorite places in the world. Aunt Connie battled fallopian tube cancer (pretty much the same as ovarian cancer) for the last two years, and declined pretty rapidly over the last month. I went to see her on the Saturday we were in NYC, and she didn't even know who I was. That shattered my heart in a million pieces. I gave her a bath and a foot massage, and said goodbye to her. It was incredibly painful, but I will always be glad that I had a chance to say goodbye. She passed away the following Wednesday (11/10). Brian and I flew back to NYC the following weekend for the funeral. Twelve days after Aunt Connie passed, Uncle Ted joined her. He had been battling some health problems, but I also believe that he died of a broken heart. They were each other's whole world, and they had spent over half their lives together. I am terribly sad for my cousin, Lauren, who is an only child and had to bury both of her parents within two weeks. My family spent every Thanksgiving (in Ohio) and Christmas (in NYC) for my entire childhood with Aunt Connie, Uncle Ted, and Lauren. Needless to say, this holiday season is very sad for my family and me.

Back to fertility stuff ... my period started on 11/8, and I started my daily Follistim injections on 11/10. Since 11/10, I have gone to Dr. Schmidt's office for 5 ultrasounds (the internal, not-very-fun kind) and blood draws. Each ultrasound showed the progression of my follicles maturing, and the blood work showed my estrogen level. My Follistim dose had to be increased after each ultrasound and blood draw, because my estrogen wasn't high enough and my follicles weren't big enough. The injections weren't too bad ... I have bruises all over my belly and general abdominal soreness, but that's about it. I went in for my last ultrasound this past Friday (11/26). That was also the day of my last Follistim injection. The ultrasound showed one large follicle and a few other smaller ones. Dr. Schmidt told me to take my HCG injection on Saturday night at 9PM, which would have me ovulate this morning at 9AM. I had to work last night, so I met Brian at Dr. Schmidt's office at 7:45 this morning. He went to the lab and provided a sample :), and we were told to be back at the office at 9AM for insemination. When we got back to the office at 9AM, there were about 8 other couples there. Surprisingly, we were still on our way home by 10AM. The insemination was pretty harmless. Dr. Schmidt came into the exam room with a very small vial of "baby making gold". Haha. He said that the lab took Brian's sample and washed away everything but 36 million of the fastest, strongest sperm. It's amazing that they are able to do that. I got on the exam table (yep, stirrups and all!), and he inserted a speculum (just like in an annual GYN exam). Then, he inserted a thin catheter into my cervix, all the way to the top of my uterus, and injected the sperm into my uterus. I had to lay there for 10 minutes, and then we were on our way!

I have to have my progesterone blood draw next Monday (12/6), to confirm that I ovulated. After the blood draw, I will give myself an HCG booster shot (half the dose that I used to induce ovulation). This will help prolong the luteal phase (period of time between ovulation and menstruation), which in turn supports the pregnancy (if it has occurred). Then, I will take a pregnancy test on 12/16. Gosh, that seems like a LONG time away!!! I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up, but I desperately hope that this will work. What a beautiful Christmas present that would be ...

no period, but not pregnant :(

Well, my period never started. Silly me got all excited that I might actually be pregnant, despite knowing deep down that I really didn't ovulate this month. I realize this seems pretty irrational, but I was so hopeful.

I spoke with one of the nurses yesterday, and she wanted to start me on Provera, which is a medicine that induces a period. I asked if I could have a beta hCG (the pregnancy hormone) blood level drawn, just to make sure I'm not pregnant. She agreed this was a good idea. So, I had the blood draw yesterday and got the phone call this morning. The test was negative. As much as I think I knew that was coming, I was still crushed.

So, I started my 10-day course of Provera today, and my period will begin when that is finished (usually a few days later). That means two weeks delay until my next cycle begins. I try to be a patient person in life, but when it comes to this infertility stuff, I am far from patient. Needless to say, I will be anxious for the next two weeks to come and go. Fortunately, Brian and I are going on a trip to New York City at the end of next week, to celebrate our 9-year anniversary (earlier this month) and Brian's 40th birthday (next week). It will be nice to get away and get this infertility nightmare out of my mind for a few days ... who am I kidding ... it will never leave my mind, but at least I will be having fun and distracting myself with other things.

I also confirmed the mail order for the Follistim and Novarel (HCG) today. They will be shipped on ice overnight tomorrow (delivery is free!), and they will be waiting patiently in my refrigerator until I am ready for them in a couple weeks.

So, that's the story. I am feeling sad tonight. I was so hoping this would be the month I got pregnant, but it wasn't meant to be. I continue to be amazed at how consumed I am with trying to get pregnant. It's all I have focused on for several months, and I feel like it's all I think about. I wish there was a way to not be like this, but I don't know how. I would imagine that others who are struggling with infertility go through the same thing. I have thought about joining an online support group, but I am not sure if I want to. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, I joined every online support group I could find. I ended up leaving all of them after a few months because they just left me feeling depressed. I am afraid this would be the same way. We'll see. Time to move on to the next cycle ...

new chapter

Before I give today's update, I want to share a quote that I discovered today. Those of you who know me know that I am a quote junkie, and I am always on the lookout for great quotes. This one might be one of my new favorites:

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me ... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be." ~Shel Silverstein

So, anyway ... as I said in my last update, today was the official "take a pregnancy test" day. Of course, I couldn't wait until today and actually took one each day for the last two days. All three were negative. :( I have been having cramps all week, so I am guessing that my period will start anytime now. So, I called the nurse today to talk about the next steps. My doctor has three nurses (who are all so wonderful) who work with his patients. I spoke with a different nurse today than I spoke with on Monday about my progesterone results. The nurse today said that she thinks I most likely didn't ovulate this month, based on my ultrasound a couple weeks ago (if you recall, my follicles were very small and I was a week overdue on ovulating) and based on my progesterone level. She thinks that the 0.7 progesterone level was real. I think I believe her. She said that this means the clomid really isn't working for me anymore, and she thinks it would be a waste of time, money, and risk factors to try the triple dose of clomid this next cycle. I agree. It appears that clomid failure has occured. :(

So, we discussed the injectible medication that I will start on day 3 of my cycle. It is called Follistim (here's the website, if you're interested: Follistim). It is an injectible human recombinant FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) that is used to stimulate maturity of multiple follicles and subsequent ovulation. I don't know all the specifics, but I believe I will start injecting myself (in my abdomen or thigh) on day 3 of my cycle and then give myself an injection every day until about day 10. After that, I will still give myself the HCG injection (Novarel) when my follicles are ready, and 36 hours later I should ovulate. This time things will be a bit more involved and complicated. I have to get a baseline ultrasound on Day 3 of my cycle, another one around day 7, and then the normal one around day 14. I will also have to have several blood draws during those first two weeks of my cycle.

I will also take progesterone supplements closer to ovulation, just to help things along. We are also probably going to do IUI (intrauterine insemination) this cycle. Essentially, on the day I am due to ovulate (based on the day 14 ultrasound and HCG injection timing), Brian and I will go into the office. We will bring a semen specimen with us. The semen will be "washed" and the millions of sperm will be isolated. The doctor will insert a catheter through my cervix and into my uterus, and he will place the "washed" sperm into my uterus. This means that my cervix (and any "hostile" cervical mucus, which can be a cause of infertility alone) will be bypassed in the whole process, and the sperm will be waiting eagerly in my uterus for the follicle(s) to come through the fallopian tube. This creates a significantly higher chance of conception occuring.

Sounds complicated, doesn't it?! I'm a bit freaked out by the potential side effects of the Follistim (specifically, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, fluid buildup in the abdomen and lungs, and blood clots in the lungs), and I am trying not to focus on them. The nurse reassured me that while these side effects are possible, they are not common, and they will keep very close track of me during the Follistim injections.

So, now I just have to wait for my period to start, and this new chapter of more advanced fertility treatment will begin ...

oh, the ups and downs (mostly downs) ...

Well, I was supposed to ovulate last Sunday (10/10), after giving myself the HCG injection late on Friday. I had my progesterone blood draw this past Friday, and Dr. Schmidt's nurse called me on Monday morning with the results. She said that my progesterone was 0.7, which means that ovulation did not occur. She is pretty certain it's a lab error, because she said it is pretty unlikely that ovulation did not occur, especially with the HCG shot. Progesterone level needs to be above 2 to indicate ovulation. So, while I can only hope that there was a lab error, I am still sad and worried that maybe that number is real. In any event, I have had cramps since about Saturday, and I just feel like my period is going to start anytime now. If I am not pregnant now, I guess I have 4 options for next cycle:

1. Take a triple dose of clomid (highest dose possible)
2. Take a triple dose of clomid and add progesterone supplements (vaginal suppositories, I assume) at the time of ovulation
3. Be done with clomid and move on to stage 2 of fertility treatment: injectable gonadotropins
4. Take a break from fertility treatments and try to put it out of my mind (yeah right, like that's going to happen), and hope that maybe it will happen when we are least expecting it.

I'm leaning towards 2 and 3 at the moment. To be honest, I don't think 4 is an option I can live with right now. If I was 28 or even 30, I might consider it. But, I am almost 35, and I may not have very many years of potential fertility left (if I even have any potential fertility right now). So, I feel like time is fleeting and I need to do anything I can to get pregnant sooner rather than later.

We'll see if (when) my period starts, and then I will talk with my doctor and get a better feel from him about which option(s) he recommends.

Infertility sucks.

feeling sad

Well, I had my ultrasound today. I only have 2 follicles, and they are very small. :( I'm not supposed to take my HCG injection until sometime on Friday, which will have me ovulate on Saturday night or Sunday morning. Unfortunately, Brian is supposed to go out of town this weekend, so I'm pretty stressed out about how we are going to make this work.

I asked the nurse (who talked to me after the ultrasound) some questions about where we go from here. She was pretty candid with me and said that they usually only have people take clomid for 3-4 months before clomid failure is declared. This is my 3rd month. :( She said that if my post-ovulation progesterone is as low as (or lower than) it was last month, they probably won't even have me take clomid next month. She explained the next step ... injectable gonadotropins which mimic the hormones that my body is supposed to be making. The whole process is pretty complicated, but it sounds like I would be giving myself subcutaneous and intramuscular (ouch) injections several times a day starting on cycle day 3 and going until at least cycle day 8-9. I would also have to get blood draws and several ultrasounds during that time. If you think this sounds expensive, you are correct. She told me that this whole process costs close to $1,000 a month. Yep, that's like a second mortgage payment. My heart sank when she said that. Of course, we will figure out a way to do that, but it's going to be hard with nursing school loans coming due.

I realize that I am getting ahead of myself by worrying about all of this. But, I am a worrier by nature, and I haven't yet figured out how not to be. I guess I just think that I can see the writing on the wall, and I don't feel like the clomid is really working for me anymore.

So, first I have to figure out how this weekend is going to work. Then, I have to hope that my follicles will continue to grow over the next few days and actually be viable. Then, I have to hope that I will actually ovulate. And finally, most of all, I have to hope that I will get pregnant this time.

And that's all I have for now. Please send good thoughts my way. I need them.

time in slow motion

I've never been one to wish away the passage of time. That being said, it's amazing how slowly time seems to pass since we've been trying to get pregnant.

I finished the five days of clomid (double dose) on Saturday. The hot flashes were much more frequent and intense this time. I'm still having them now, three days after I stopped taking the medicine. I always get hot at work normally, just from running around so much. But, the last few days that I worked, I had moments where I was sweating profusely. I was making an effort to spend time in front of the fans in my patients' rooms as often as possible! ;) I am also much more moody this time ... poor Brian. :( I have to put on a happy face at work, so I feel like I really let my moodiness shine through when I'm at home. :(

So, I'm anxiously awaiting next Monday, which is the ultrasound to see how many follicles I have. I will also most likely give myself the HCG injection that day, too. Then, the long two-week wait until taking a pregnancy test (or starting my period) begins.

moving forward

Well, it's time for a new cycle, and I am staying positive!!

Dr. Schmidt's nurse called me today and told me to start the clomid tomorrow (since they want day 3, aka clomid start date, to be 3 full days into the cycle, and I only spotted most of the day on Saturday ... sorry for the TMI!).

My ultrasound is scheduled for October 4, and I will most likely ovulate on October 6th. Interestingly enough, October 6 is our 9-year wedding anniversary, and I am a big believer in "3rd time is a charm" in life, so I am choosing to believe that all of this is meant to be. :)

roller coaster

I got so excited yesterday when my period didn't start (that was the day I started last month), and started to get a glimmer of hope that I might actually be pregnant. Those hopes were dashed when I got home from work this morning and started my period. I wish one of these months I could actually make it to the day I'm supposed to take a pregnancy test before my period starts. I'm feeling very sad right now and sometimes wonder how many more months I can do this.

Oh well ... need to move on and start the double dose of clomid on Monday. And another month begins ...

I really wish I could feel more optimistic right now ...

I had my 7 days post-ovulation progesterone blood draw on Monday. My doctor's office tells everyone that no news is good news regarding these blood level results, so my heart sank when my doctor's phone number showed up on caller ID on Tuesday morning. Sure enough, my progesterone this time was only 5.2. Last month it was 17. Technically, anything over 5 means that ovulation occurred, but I just don't understand why mine was so much lower this time. The nurse on the phone tried to reassure me that this doesn't mean I'm not pregnant ... it just means that if I'm not pregnant, I will have to take double the dose of clomid next time. That means double the cost, double the side effects, and most importantly, I am heading farther down the road to clomid failure. Because of the potential long-term effects of clomid (ovarian and endometrial cancers are the ones that stand out in my mind), I won't be taking it for more than 6 months. This means that I am 1/3 of the way to clomid no longer being an option for me.

I made the mistake of taking a pregnancy test last Friday (only 4 days post-ovulation). I was over the moon giddy when I saw that faint pink "pregnant" line. Of course, I didn't realize until a few hours later that of course it was pink ... I gave myself an HCG injection 6 days earlier. Pregnancy tests detect HCG, so obviously it picked up the HCG that was still in my system from the injection. Needless to say, I came crashing down from cloud nine pretty quickly after I had that realization. I promised myself I wouldn't take anymore pregnancy tests until at least the middle of this week. I held off until this morning, and of course it was negative. Technically, I am not supposed to take a test until Monday (5 days from now). I have had cramps for the last couple days. I have a nagging feeling they are menstrual cramps, not pregnancy cramps. If this month goes like last month, I will start my period on Friday, just as I start my 3 days in a row at work. I am just feeling so pessimistic right now. I am starting to wonder if I am ever going to be able to conceive a child. I don't know how people go through this for months and years. It is so heartbreaking going through this every month. I know we've only been doing clomid and timing everything for 2 months, but we tried to get pregnant for several months before that, too. I am normally such a "glass half full" kind of girl, but my glass is definitely looking half empty to me right now.

ovulation complete :)

I am pretty sure I felt myself ovulate this morning. I am aware that this is way too much information for some of you, but I just had to share. ;)

I was driving home (from my 3rd 12.5+ hour night of work in a row) at around 8:15 AM, which was the ETO (estimated time of ovulation ... haha), and I was just picturing that big fat follicle rolling down my fallopian tube and bouncing around in my uterus. I am laughing as I type this. :)

Who actually thinks about these things!? I do!!!

So now, the agonizing 14 day wait begins until September 20th, when I take the official home pregnancy test. I am really going to try to force myself not to test earlier than the 20th, because the disappointment is hard. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I do the early tests knowing they will absolutely be negative (even though I have a glimmer of hope for a positive!). Oh well.

I am heading off now to enjoy a couple days away from work! :)

follicle is ready!

I had my mid-cycle ultrasound today. Fortunately, I have managed to avoid the Clomid side effect of thinned uterine lining, as Dr. Schmidt confirmed during the ultrasound today. He was only able to see one large follicle in my right ovary, which concerned me a bit (since I had 5+ follicles last month). He alleviated my concerns by saying that it is perfectly normal to only have one mature follicle, even on Clomid. After all, women who ovulate naturally usually only produce one mature follicle per cycle. He said that the follicle is nice and big, so he was pleased. I will give myself the HCG injection on Saturday night (again, at work!), so I will ovulate Monday morning. I am being cautiously hopeful, although it is harder to be hopeful this time, for some reason. I will have my blood drawn on 9/13 to check my 7dpo (days past ovulation) progesterone level, and I will take a home pregnancy test on 9/20. The long two week wait begins again! Fingers and toes crossed for a BFP (big fat positive!!) this month! :)

finished 2nd round of Clomid

Today was my last day of my second round of Clomid. I had a lot more hot flashes this time ... they are truly surreal! For about 5-10 minutes, I feel like I am melting from the inside out! I sweat profusely and my face gets very flushed. I can finally relate to what my Mom went through when she would roll down the car windows in the middle of January! ;)

I will go in for an ultrasound next Thursday (9/2), to see how my follicles look. I will update after the ultrasound!

period. :( :( :(

Well, I am sad to report that I started my period today. I am feeling a lot more sad and disappointed than I thought I would. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to start so early, if it was indeed going to start. I called Dr. Schmidt's nurse to let her know that I started, and she asked me if I was sure it was really my period and not just spotting. She said that spotting is somewhat common very early in a pregnancy. I told her I was sure it was my period, and she reassured me that a lot of couples have to do more than one cycle of Clomid before they get pregnant.

I am sad about starting my period and not being pregnant, and now I have to go to work for the next 3 nights. :(

I will be starting the next round of Clomid on Sunday, and the cycle will begin again!

Oh well ... I guess this will make me appreciate it that much more when (if) I do get pregnant ...

post-ovulation progesterone level

Dr. Schmidt's nurse called today with the results of my progesterone bloodwork from Monday. In medically-induced ovulation cycles, progesterone levels on day 7 post-ovulation should be 15 or greater. Mine was 17! This means that I ovulated the way I was supposed to! I've been going crazy wondering if I am pregnant. I have even taken a couple pregnancy tests, knowing full well that they would be negative (they were!). I am going to try not to take another one until Monday (the day I am actually supposed to take it!). We'll see how well that goes! ;)

I will update again on Monday with the results of my pregnancy test! Fingers and toes crossed!!!

lots of good follicles :)

I had my ultrasound today. Dr. Schmit said that my uterus lining had good thickness (Clomid can actually cause thinning of the uterine lining, which is not conducive to embryo implantation), so that is great! He also saw 3 large follicles in my right ovary and 2-3 smaller follicles in my left ovary. This is also great news! I will be giving myself the HCG injection tomorrow night (at work!), so I will ovulate on Monday morning. I am trying not to get my hopes up, but of course I am very hopeful that I will get pregnant this time!

I will have blood drawn next Monday (8/16) to check my mid-luteal progesterone level. This number will confirm that I actually did ovulate. On Monday, 8/23, I will take a home pregnancy test!!! This is going to be a long couple of weeks!!

FSH levels and HSG

Dr. Schmidt's nurse (Patty) called me this afternoon with my FSH results. My FSH is 12.3. Remember that 10 or below is normal or ideal. Patty said that 12.3 is great and completely normal for someone of my *ahem* advancing age (haha), and Dr. Schmidt is pleased with this number. She said that Clomid tends to work very well with this FSH level. I was very happy to hear this. :)

I had my HSG this morning. I was pretty nervous, mainly because of the thought of a catheter being inserted into my cervix! It wasn't bad at all, though. The whole procedure took less than 5 minutes. The catheter insertion was certainly uncomfortable, and I felt some pretty intense cramping when the dye was injected, but the whole thing went very quickly. I also got some great news ... Dr. Schmidt said that my cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes are "beautiful" and "perfect for making and growing a baby"!!! I am so happy about this news. We still don't know if my ovaries are functioning properly (and he is still suspecting that they were somehow damaged by radiation), but I am hoping that the Clomid will jump start my ovaries and help me produce some good mature eggs. I have read several places online that having the HSG can increase the chances of pregnancy because it opens up the fallopian tubes. I'll take all the help I can get! :)

Tomorrow is my last day of Clomid. I have had a few hot flashes (most common side effect), which has been a bit surreal and a not-so-pleasant sign of things to come in about 10-15 years! Other than the hot flashes, I haven't had any issues with the medicine.

Next Friday (day 13 of my cycle), I will be having an ultrasound to see how many follicles (mature eggs) I have produced, and to figure out when I will ovulate. Dr. Schmidt will tell me that day when I need to give myself an injection of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in my belly. The HCG injection will make me ovulate 36 hours after I take it. It's amazing to me that this can be timed down to the hour!

bloodwork and Clomid

I had blood drawn yesterday (7/27) to check my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone ... this is the main hormone involved in producing mature eggs in the ovaries). In women with fertility issues (we are called "subfertile", as I recently learned), FSH on cycle day 3 (which was 7/27 for me) is an indicator of ovarian reserve ... how well my ovaries are working and how hard they will have to work to produce mature eggs, or follicles. The higher the number, the more infertile a woman is. To put this in perspective, postmenopausal women have the highest FSH levels ... their bodies no longer produce mature eggs so the pituitary gland constantly produces FSH in a futile effort to produce mature eggs. Thus, it makes sense that the older a woman gets (and the closer she gets to reaching menopause), the higher her FSH levels will get. Anyway, each lab varies a bit regarding cutoff values. In general, an FSH of 9 or less is normal or ideal. Over 20 essentially indicates ovarian failure, which means the ovaries are no longer producing good or any mature eggs. I should be getting a phone call from Dr. Schmidt's nurse by the end of the week to let me know my FSH level.

I started my first round of Clomid yesterday. Clomid is in a class of medications called ovulation stimulants, and it is used to induce ovulation in women who do not ovulate on their own. Clomid is the most well-known and commonly used fertility drug. I am taking the lowest dose (50 mg) once a day for 5 days.

On Friday (7/30), I will be having a procedure called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). This procedure involves inserting a catheter into the cervix, injecting dye, and viewing the dye dispersement on an x-ray screen. This will tell my doctor if I have any anatomical issues with my cervix, uterus, or fallopian tubes. I will post on Friday after the HSG.

period.

The estrogen/progesterone cocktail worked! My period has started, which means I officially have a cycle. This is a very good thing! I will have bloodwork drawn on 7/27, and I will also start the first round of Clomid that day. More on this in my next post ...

good swimmers :)

Part of the infertility diagnostic process is making sure there are no male infertility issues. This requires the guy to provide a semen sample for analysis. Brian went to the lab on Friday (7/16) to provide his sample. :) He was nervous about it, but told me that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. :)

Patty (Dr. Schmidt's nurse) called today with the results of his analysis. She said that everything looks great. His count is 59,000,000 (should be greater than 20,000,000), his motility is 70% (should be at least 50%, which means that at least 50% are moving in the right direction), and his activity is 2++, which means they are moving the way they should be. So, Brian has strong, plentiful, good swimmers! :) I am not surprised at all!

I am relieved that everything is working right with him, because Dr. Schmidt said that male fertility issues are more difficult to fix than female fertility issues. So, now we know that I am the one that is broken. :( Hopefully Dr. Schmidt can fix me and we can finally have a baby after all these years. I just want to be pregnant and feel a baby growing and moving inside me. I can only imagine what an amazing experience that must be.

here we go!

Well, Brian and I have been trying to get pregnant since graduation (end of February). I was told by my OB/GYN last summer that I probably wasn't ovulating (most likely due to a hormone imbalance and possible damage to my ovaries from radiation in April 2009), so he put me on Yaz (birth control pill) to try to regulate my cycles. I went off Yaz in December (in preparation for trying to get pregnant a few months later), and didn't have a period at all after that. I decided to go to my OB/GYN on June 30th for a check-up and to discuss my fertility issues. He was certain that I wasn't ovulating, especially since I hadn't had a period in 6 months. He referred me to Dr. Schmidt at Ohio Reproductive Medicine, and said that Dr. Schmidt is the best reproductive endocrinologist (aka fertility specialist) he knows. I called Dr. Schmidt's office that day and made an appointment for today.

The appointment went very well. Dr. Schmidt was wonderful, comforting, funny, and very reassuring. He said that despite my suspected hormone issues and possible ovary damage due to radiation, he was very confident that he would get me pregnant (I laughed when he said that, and he said, "well, not literally me, but you know what I mean!"). He wrote prescriptions for an estrogen and progesterone cocktail to induce a period, since I need to have a cycle established in order to ovulate (and thus hopefully get pregnant). I started the estrogen pills tonight and will take them for 7 days. I will start the progesterone pills on day 5 of the estrogen pills, and will continue to take them for 9 days. Within a week of finishing the progesterone, I should start my period. I have always dreaded my period, but this is one time I will actually look forward to it! :)