new protocol and once again feeling hopeful ...

I had my baseline ultrasound today. I am always touched by how genuinely sad Dr. Schmidt is when he sees me at this time every month. He also thought that last month was really going to be the month. He told me today (as he does at this baseline ultrasound every month) that he wouldn't be putting me through all of this if he didn't truly believe he can get me pregnant. That is always so reassuring to hear from him.

Dr. Schmidt decided today that he is going to try some different meds on me this month. I am going to take the Femara pills (like last month) today through Thursday, and then I will start the new meds on Friday. I will be taking 1 vial of Menopur and 2 vials of Bravelle (subcutaneous injections in my belly) each day until it's time to ovulate. The dose may be increased if my follicles aren't responding appropriately. These meds contain FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone), while Follistim only contained FSH. Dr. Schmidt is hopeful that these new meds will make me produce more and bigger follicles. He also thinks my estradiol levels (this is what is checked each time I get bloodwork during the next couple weeks) will be higher than they have been all the other cycles, and this is also a very good thing. Both of these meds are made from the purified urine of postmenopausal women (and one of the books I read said that these postmenopausal women are actually nuns somewhere in Europe!!). Craziness!!

So, once again, I am feeling optimistic. I love that Dr. Schmidt likes to change up my protocol when the last one didn't seem to do the job. These new meds sound more promising than any of the ones I have taken before. I am SO hoping that this will be the month. After my period started on Saturday, I calculated what my due date will be if I get pregnant this cycle (I do this every month). If I get pregnant this time, my due date will be my sister's birthday ... October 29th! I think that is good luck. :)

So, my next ultrasound and first blood draw of this cycle will be next Tuesday, 2/1. February is my birthday month, so I hope this will be my best birthday yet! :)

ramblings

I got my first period when I was 10 years old. Ever since then, I have had very irregular periods accompanied by bad cramps. I spent the majority of my teenage years and a good part of my 20's taking birth control pills to regulate my periods. I always dreaded that time of the month.

Since I started going to Dr. Schmidt, I have developed a love/hate relationship with my period. For the most part, I still hate my period ... now more than ever, since it means another failed cycle. But there have been a few times during this process when I have anxiously awaited my period. This week was one of those times. After my blood test on Tuesday confirmed that I wasn't pregnant, I wanted my period to start right away. I waited and waited, and it finally started a couple hours ago. This is the beginning of a new cycle, and I am happy to have a fresh start. Of course, I am going into this new cycle hoping that this will be "the one". With each progressive cycle, I feel a little less optimistic. I guess you could call it self preservation. When I don't get my hopes up as high, they can't come crashing down as much when I don't get pregnant. Of course, no matter how hard I try to not get my hopes up, they go way up anyway. I guess that's human nature. In any event, I will see Dr. Schmidt on Monday morning for my baseline ultrasound. I will also start either the Follistim injections or the Femara pills that day. I'm guessing he will have me start with the Femara pills again, since I seemed to respond well to those last month. 

Here's to a new cycle ...

confirmed: not pregnant :(

I got a call from one of Dr. Schmidt's nurses this morning ... the blood test confirmed that I am not pregnant. Very sad. :( Now, I just have to wait for my period to start, and then we will start over again. We are going to do one more cycle of IUI. If that doesn't work, we will meet with Dr. Schmidt to discuss our options. I'm guessing we will be looking at IVF (in vitro fertilization) if this next cycle of IUI doesn't work. Now, I am going to hurry up and wait ...

big fat negative :(

Today was the big pregnancy test day. I was beyond excited that I made it to the test day without my period starting. My cramps from Friday seemed to subside over the weekend, and I began to think they were pregnancy cramps instead. I got more and more excited as the weekend went on. I even bought the extra expensive pregnancy tests this time ... the ones that actually say "pregnant" or "not pregnant" instead of just the one or two lines. I was so sure this was the month that I would see "pregnant". It wasn't meant to be. The test was negative. When "not pregnant" showed up on the little screen, my heart sank. As always, my hopes and excitement were crushed very quickly. I called my doctor to report the negative test. My voice shook as I told the nurse my sad news. She was sad for me and said "it gets harder every month, doesn't it?". She couldn't have said it more perfectly. It truly does get harder and I feel sadder every month. The nurse told me to go get a blood draw today just to confirm. I did that this afternoon. So, tomorrow I will know for sure. I am very sad today.

I hate cramps

Well, it's about that time when I stop feeling so optimistic and can no longer ignore those dull, all-too-familiar cramps. I started to feel them yesterday and kind of denied that they were there. Today, they are hard to deny. I have a feeling 1/1/11 may not have been such a lucky day after all ... :(

good books about infertility

I forgot to add in my last post that I have been reading some really good books that deal with infertility. I have read one in its entirety, and skimmed the other two (with the intention of reading them soon), and I have been very happy with all three. It is very comforting to read that others have been in my shoes and ended up getting pregnant. I also learned some new things (this was a pleasant surprise, because I have researched infertility ad nauseum on the internet). In case anyone reading this is struggling with infertility or knows someone who is, here are the titles (and links to the books at Amazon):

Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother

Navigating the Land of If: Understanding Infertility and Exploring Your Options

So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope

Happy New Year!

Insemination went well this morning. We arrived at the lab at 7:30, and Brian went in to do his thing. :) I waited in the car. It's fun to people watch during this time. We were one of the first cars to arrive, so I watched several others pull into the parking lot after Brian went in. With each car that arrived, I watched a guy get out and head inside while his partner stayed in the car.

*Going off on a tangent for a minute or two ... this whole process is so surreal to me. Guys really have it easy (relatively speaking, since I know for certain that no part of dealing with infertility is easy) in this whole infertility journey. They get to do something that is enjoyable, while we girls have to endure quite a bit. Each cycle, there are at least 5 internal ultrasounds (each of which is very unpleasant, and no matter how many I've been through, I always dread them), and each ultrasound is preceded by a walk to the lab next door to have blood drawn. Then, there's the actual insemination process. While I wouldn't call it painful, it's certainly not very comfortable to have a catheter inserted through the cervix and up to the top of the uterus. Oh, and don't forget all of the side effects from the numerous medications ... severe moodiness (poor Brian is so patient with me), bloating, cramps, hot flashes so bad that I want to jump out of my skin, emotional swings, etc, not to mention daily injections in the belly. Don't get me wrong ... every minute of this will be worth its weight in gold if I get pregnant. And then there's the month-to-month emotional roller coaster ... each cycle starts out with so much hope and optimism, which ebbs and flows until insemination. Leaving the office after insemination, I feel so incredibly optimistic, and while I'm telling myself over and over not to get my hopes up, of course my hopes are up in the clouds. Then, the agonizing 2+ week wait begins. Those days drag like you wouldn't believe. Then comes the devastation of seeing that dreaded red spot on the toilet paper or in my underwear, even before the big pregnancy test day arrives. The crushing realization that another cycle has resulted in complete failure is such a sad and lonely place to be. Oh, how I long for the month when I actually reach the pregnancy test day without bleeding, and oh.my.gosh, see a BIG FAT POSITIVE!!!! Oh, the tears of joy will flow. I am getting teary just thinking about that day. Even in my darkest moments of this journey, I DO believe that day will come for me. I have to keep believing. Once I stop hoping and believing, this journey becomes futile. *End of tangent (even though I could go on and on ...)


So anyway, about 20 minutes later, Brian came out and got in the car. I never quite know what to ask him about his experience in the lab. He answers my questions, though some answers come more reluctantly than others. :) In any event, that part is done, and it's time to go have some breakfast and hang out until we have to be back to the office at 9:00. We went to a nearby Bob Evans and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. We headed back to the office at about 8:45, and sat in the waiting room with about 8 other couples. I have to say that this whole experience has brought Brian and me so much closer. Our relationship has reached a new level since we started this journey. Dealing with infertility has certainly brought us sadness and stress, but I feel like we have bonded so much, too.

After about a half hour, the nurse called us back, we went to a room, and I did the usual "strip from the waist down and sit on the exam table with the paper sheet over my legs". Dr. Schmidt came in a few minutes later with the vial of liquid gold. :) He is such an amazing doctor. He has such a calm, comforting nature, along with a great sense of humor. He is terrific, and I am so thankful that he is leading us through this journey. So, it was time for me to assume the position ... one foot in each stirrup and all my girl parts exposed. ;) He inserted the speculum (he warms it up first, which is really such a nice little touch) and then inserted the catheter and slowly injected Brian's super sperm (as Dr. Schmidt calls it!) into my uterus. Then, he gave me some parting instructions ... "Lay here for 10 minutes, and the next time I see you, I want to be doing an ultrasound to look at your placenta and growing embryo". :) That sounds like a good plan to me!

So, I will have my blood drawn next Saturday (1/8) to check my progesterone level. I just remembered that I meant to ask Dr. Schmidt about taking progesterone supplements, since my progesterone has been low the last few cycles. I completely forgot to ask him today. :( So, I will call on Monday. Hopefully it won't be too late to start taking them at that point. The big pregnancy test date is January 18th. :)

Brian said to me when we got home today, "Wouldn't it be cool if we conceived our baby on 1/1/11?". Yes, it would be very cool indeed. The only thing left to do is lots of hoping and believing for the next 17 days ...