I have decided that I am determined to learn as much as I can about my diagnosis. I am going to do everything I can to ensure that we are getting the best possible protocols. During some of my research I found two books which I really wanted to read. I went to Border's on my lunch hour and picked up Inconceivable and The Infertility Cure.
Inconceivable is the story of a woman who at 42 decides with her husband to try for baby #2. After months of struggling, she sees a Reproductive Endocrinologist only to discover her FSH level is also 42. Instead of going the route of fertility treatments, she decides to pursue Chinese Medicine, organic foods, yoga, and she actually conceives!
The Infertility Cure is a book about using Chinese Medicine to treat infertility. It discusses accupuncture and Chinese Herbs.
During our journey to conceive, I have also discovered the online community BabyCenter. I have become addicted to this site. It has been a wonderful source of support for me, and I usually have my laptop opened each night and I am logged on to my little community. After the first of the year, I declared to my husband that I was taking a break from what he so lovingly refers to "Am I Pregnant Yet dot com". I think it's cute, the little names he used for my obsession. But I realized it had become a bit of an obsession and thought that maybe I needed a little break.
I couldn't totally remove myself from researching and learning more about my condition and treatment plans, so I dove into my new books. I had the books for about two or three days when Scott made a comment. He said "I thought you were going to take a break from that stuff."
I didn't see the books as being in the same category as BabyCenter. Think of BabyCenter as the FaceBook for those trying to conceive. I thought I would expand my mind and horizons to something more intelligent. With tears welling in my eyes, I explained this to Scott. I told him that with my diagnosis of Diminished Ovarian Reserve, I wanted to learn as much as I could. That one of the books was an amazing and miraculous success story of a woman with severe DOR who conceived without fertility medications, and the other book would help me to learn some of the things I could do to improve our chances.
After I explained this to my husband, he understood completely. He said that if it was him with the infertility diagnosis, he would most likely be doing the same thing.
Lilypie Maternity tickers
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wheat Grass
Apparently, if you take some wheat grass and juice it, it's the new cure-all for anything that ails you! Including shitty eggs. So, I am giving it a try. I won't actually be juicing my own grass (um, does that sound dirty to anyone else?!) I've found a great and delicious way to get my daily wheatgrass treatment. It is in the form of a delicious green juice found at Trader Joe's. The only problem is that it's not enough, and the nearest juice bar that has freshly-juiced wheatgrass is in Royal Oak. I can't be driving there every day. So I found some wheatgrass powder which claims you can mix it with your favorite juice, or even mix it in a smoothie. Okay. Not so much, unless you like mixing fresh cut and pulverized grass clippings with your yogurt and berries.
I have found that if I mix it with some orange juice, shake it really well, hold my nose and chug, it's not really all that bad.
Here is some more information on the benefits of wheatgrass.
AMH
I called the RE to ask about my elevated FSH levels and to see if we should proceed with additional testing. Once I realized that my FHS was elevated, I started to do some research. It seems that the elevated FSH indicates that my body has to work a little harder each cycle to produce and mature my eggs. To summarize how FSH works, it is created in the pituitary gland and signals the ovaries to mature an egg. When the ovaries aren't maturing the egg well enough, the brain realizes this and tells the pituitary gland to produce more FSH. So, the higher your FSH level, the harder your body is working for your egg. More information
After talking with the nurse, she called me back to schedule the test. It is a simple blood draw and was done at the beginning of my cycle. I arrived at the office, and the nurse started with her first attempt to draw my blood. During college I always donated blood for the Red Cross. When a nurse first preps me to draw my blood, she usually comments on my small veins. I've never had a problem before. When my nurse, Chris, prepped me she made the comment like many others before her have made, "My, what small veins you have." I shrugged it off and said, "that's what everyone says, but once they get in there, it's fine." Well, she stuck me twice, shifted the needle trying to find my vein, and nothing came. The office has a two-poke rule. The nurse can poke you twice, and if she can't find your vein, she has to get another nurse. So, in comes another nurse who also pokes me twice and wiggles and moves the needle around and still can't find a vein. I now have two pokes in each arm, and no blood. Finally she says she is going to try my hand. She pokes my hand and thank God!, she hits the vein.
We are chatting as the vial slowly fills, she tells me that she will be sending my blood to California to be tested. Apparently there aren't many labs that perform this test. And, I have to wait THREE WEEKS for the results. Three weeks means that I won't get my result until after Christmas. So, I have to wait through the holidays to find out what is going on. I was a little miffed, but there really wasn't much I could do about it.
Scott and I were pretty nervous over Christmas. But we did our best to try to enjoy ourselves during our trip. When we got back, I called the office on Tuesday, January 6th to see if my results were in. They were in and my AMH is 0.8. This is not good. Normal results should be between 1-3, but close to 2.0. A low AMH level seems to confirm my fears which is that I may have diminished ovarian reserve.
After talking with the nurse, she called me back to schedule the test. It is a simple blood draw and was done at the beginning of my cycle. I arrived at the office, and the nurse started with her first attempt to draw my blood. During college I always donated blood for the Red Cross. When a nurse first preps me to draw my blood, she usually comments on my small veins. I've never had a problem before. When my nurse, Chris, prepped me she made the comment like many others before her have made, "My, what small veins you have." I shrugged it off and said, "that's what everyone says, but once they get in there, it's fine." Well, she stuck me twice, shifted the needle trying to find my vein, and nothing came. The office has a two-poke rule. The nurse can poke you twice, and if she can't find your vein, she has to get another nurse. So, in comes another nurse who also pokes me twice and wiggles and moves the needle around and still can't find a vein. I now have two pokes in each arm, and no blood. Finally she says she is going to try my hand. She pokes my hand and thank God!, she hits the vein.
We are chatting as the vial slowly fills, she tells me that she will be sending my blood to California to be tested. Apparently there aren't many labs that perform this test. And, I have to wait THREE WEEKS for the results. Three weeks means that I won't get my result until after Christmas. So, I have to wait through the holidays to find out what is going on. I was a little miffed, but there really wasn't much I could do about it.
Scott and I were pretty nervous over Christmas. But we did our best to try to enjoy ourselves during our trip. When we got back, I called the office on Tuesday, January 6th to see if my results were in. They were in and my AMH is 0.8. This is not good. Normal results should be between 1-3, but close to 2.0. A low AMH level seems to confirm my fears which is that I may have diminished ovarian reserve.
Aunt Flow Comes Again
About two weeks after the HSG test, and just on schedule, I started my period. I thought, "What the Hell?" Okay, so that is the censored version. It was a little more like "$*%^#&%@&!!!!!" I called the RE and said, "What's next?"
She said we could start clomid. I was so excited. Until I got hot flashes, night sweats, extreme irritibility, cramping, bloating, and oh, did I mention extreme irratibility?! I could have comitted murder while on this drug. I took it for two cycles.
Somewhere in there, I received my actual test results in the mail. I was reading them and everything looked good. Then I got to my FSH level. It said 11.o Normal range <10. Wait, that's not normal. Oh well, the RE would have said something, right? She or the nurse would have called to tell me that one of my hormone levels was a little high, calm my fears, and tell me not to worry. But the doctor never called. So I wondered about it and decided that at my next appointment I would ask about it.
My next appointment was just around the corner, about three weeks away. After I started the clomid, the RE likes you to come in for what they so calmly call a clomid check. It's a quick little exam to make sure that the clomid isn't overstimulating your ovaries. The exam went well, but the nurse practitioner the said "Oh, I see your FSH is slightly elevated." I was so glad she said something because I thought I was crazy thinking that it was off. But at that point I didn't do anything about it. Yeah, it is a little elevated but I just kept thinking that if the RE thought it indicated some type of an issue or problem, she would contact me.
She said we could start clomid. I was so excited. Until I got hot flashes, night sweats, extreme irritibility, cramping, bloating, and oh, did I mention extreme irratibility?! I could have comitted murder while on this drug. I took it for two cycles.
Somewhere in there, I received my actual test results in the mail. I was reading them and everything looked good. Then I got to my FSH level. It said 11.o Normal range <10. Wait, that's not normal. Oh well, the RE would have said something, right? She or the nurse would have called to tell me that one of my hormone levels was a little high, calm my fears, and tell me not to worry. But the doctor never called. So I wondered about it and decided that at my next appointment I would ask about it.
My next appointment was just around the corner, about three weeks away. After I started the clomid, the RE likes you to come in for what they so calmly call a clomid check. It's a quick little exam to make sure that the clomid isn't overstimulating your ovaries. The exam went well, but the nurse practitioner the said "Oh, I see your FSH is slightly elevated." I was so glad she said something because I thought I was crazy thinking that it was off. But at that point I didn't do anything about it. Yeah, it is a little elevated but I just kept thinking that if the RE thought it indicated some type of an issue or problem, she would contact me.
HSG
The morning of my HSG test I was a little nervous. I heard that some women experienced some mild discomfort while others felt quite a lot of pain. It hurt more than I thought it would, and I was so relieved when it was over. I got to watch the entire procedure on a screen. I could see the shape of my uterus and my fallopian tubes. It was pretty cool. The nurse practitioner told me everything was clear.
I was also excited because there is supporting evidence that there is an increased pregnancy rate in the three months following the HSG test.
I was also excited because there is supporting evidence that there is an increased pregnancy rate in the three months following the HSG test.
Taking the Leap
Okay, so now it has been over a year that we've been trying to start our family. After months or praying and waiting, and waiting some more, we decided to call for reinforcements. Scott and I decided to see a Reproductive Endocrinologist, or in layman's terms, a fertility specialist. I did some research and we decided on to go to HFCRH. I called and made an appointment. We were scheduled four our fist consultation on October 23, 2009. We would be meeting with Dr. X. The clinic told us that we should schedule a semen analysis prior to the visit. Since we had the prescription in hand, I was hoping that this would be the kick Scott needed to go and get it done! Well, he decided to wait and finally scheduled it for the morning of our first appointment.
We met with the doctor and cried tears of joy when she told us that Scott has super swimmers! Male factor infertility issues can be very difficult to treat, so we were so happy that this was not an issue for us. Our RE reviewed my charts, thank goodness for fertilitfriend.com. I had an entire year's worth of charts to proudly show our doctor! Beautiful charts, with clear thermal shifts showing I ovulate like a champ every cycle!
The RE reviewed my charts and confirmed that they looked good. She scheduled some baseline blood work tests to measure my hormone levels. Just a formality, right. I mean, now that we know we don't have any male factor issues, and everyone in my family gets pregnant just thinking about it, this good news could be the stress reliever we needed to kick things into gear.
I had blood drawn, and they tested my Estradoil, Thyroid, FSH and a few others I can't remember. The next day the nurse called me to tell me that my results were good and my hormone levels were within the normal range. We then scheduled and HSG for October 30th.
We met with the doctor and cried tears of joy when she told us that Scott has super swimmers! Male factor infertility issues can be very difficult to treat, so we were so happy that this was not an issue for us. Our RE reviewed my charts, thank goodness for fertilitfriend.com. I had an entire year's worth of charts to proudly show our doctor! Beautiful charts, with clear thermal shifts showing I ovulate like a champ every cycle!
The RE reviewed my charts and confirmed that they looked good. She scheduled some baseline blood work tests to measure my hormone levels. Just a formality, right. I mean, now that we know we don't have any male factor issues, and everyone in my family gets pregnant just thinking about it, this good news could be the stress reliever we needed to kick things into gear.
I had blood drawn, and they tested my Estradoil, Thyroid, FSH and a few others I can't remember. The next day the nurse called me to tell me that my results were good and my hormone levels were within the normal range. We then scheduled and HSG for October 30th.
"The orders will be at the desk when you check out"
I called my OBGYN and scheduled an appointment to discuss the fact that after nine months of trying to get pregnant, Scott and I were still waiting on our little miracle.
The general rule in my family has always been that if you just look at your hubby, you might wind up pregnant. So what is going on with us? I met with my doctor to see what our next step should be. I brought in my charts and reviewed them again. He said that everything looked good on my end. My cycles were regular, I seemed to be ovulating regularly, and there was nothing to indicate any issues. He suggested that Scott has a semen analysis. I was expecting this suggestion, and had even warned Scott that this test would be prescribed. I asked only a few more questions of my doctor. The last one was "how does this work?"
I fully understand the test, but I wasn't sure where it was done or how we scheduled it. My OB smiled at me and said "The orders will be at the desk when you check out."
Famous last words.
I went to the desk and the nurse handed me one little white slip of paper. It was a prescription order. Written out to me, for a semen analysls. Um, okay. Now what? I asked the nurse what to do. She told me "just call the hospital to schedule it". She seriously said "the hospital". Luckily I knew which hospital to call, since there are about six in a 10 mile radius from my OB's office!
The next day, I called the main number to "the hospital", and asked for the lab. Once connected to the lab, I explained that we needed to schedule a semen analysis for my husband. I was told I needed to be connected to a different lab, which they did for me. Finally, I had the right lab! I explained that I needed to schedule a semen analysis and was told that we could just bring the sample in any time. I replied "Okay, but aren't there guidelines about how the sample should be collected? "
Lab: "Well, didn't your doctor give you an information sheet with the orders?"
Me: "No, I only received a prescription with the order"
Lab: "Oh. Okay. Please hold on and I can get the instruction sheet and read it to you."
I hold.
She comes back a few moments later to say "Okay. The sample should be collected after abstaining...collect it in a sterile sample collection cup...it must arrive at the lab within 45 minutes to one hour....keep it warm by placing it next to your body....some people carry it next to their chest or stomach...you can park in ..." I believe she said the word ejaculation at least ten times within two minutes. But, all I am thinking is: "where do I get a sterile collection cup?" So I ask. She tells me that I can come to the lab and they can give me one, or I can just boil a container to sterilize it. Her exact words were "A baby food jar works really well."
I wanted to scream at her "now if I had a baby food jar just sitting around my house then I most likely wouldn't need a semen analysis for my husband, lady!"
The general rule in my family has always been that if you just look at your hubby, you might wind up pregnant. So what is going on with us? I met with my doctor to see what our next step should be. I brought in my charts and reviewed them again. He said that everything looked good on my end. My cycles were regular, I seemed to be ovulating regularly, and there was nothing to indicate any issues. He suggested that Scott has a semen analysis. I was expecting this suggestion, and had even warned Scott that this test would be prescribed. I asked only a few more questions of my doctor. The last one was "how does this work?"
I fully understand the test, but I wasn't sure where it was done or how we scheduled it. My OB smiled at me and said "The orders will be at the desk when you check out."
Famous last words.
I went to the desk and the nurse handed me one little white slip of paper. It was a prescription order. Written out to me, for a semen analysls. Um, okay. Now what? I asked the nurse what to do. She told me "just call the hospital to schedule it". She seriously said "the hospital". Luckily I knew which hospital to call, since there are about six in a 10 mile radius from my OB's office!
The next day, I called the main number to "the hospital", and asked for the lab. Once connected to the lab, I explained that we needed to schedule a semen analysis for my husband. I was told I needed to be connected to a different lab, which they did for me. Finally, I had the right lab! I explained that I needed to schedule a semen analysis and was told that we could just bring the sample in any time. I replied "Okay, but aren't there guidelines about how the sample should be collected? "
Lab: "Well, didn't your doctor give you an information sheet with the orders?"
Me: "No, I only received a prescription with the order"
Lab: "Oh. Okay. Please hold on and I can get the instruction sheet and read it to you."
I hold.
She comes back a few moments later to say "Okay. The sample should be collected after abstaining...collect it in a sterile sample collection cup...it must arrive at the lab within 45 minutes to one hour....keep it warm by placing it next to your body....some people carry it next to their chest or stomach...you can park in ..." I believe she said the word ejaculation at least ten times within two minutes. But, all I am thinking is: "where do I get a sterile collection cup?" So I ask. She tells me that I can come to the lab and they can give me one, or I can just boil a container to sterilize it. Her exact words were "A baby food jar works really well."
I wanted to scream at her "now if I had a baby food jar just sitting around my house then I most likely wouldn't need a semen analysis for my husband, lady!"
Let the fun begin!
The excitement Scott and I felt for our a marriage and starting a family was amazing. We couldn't wait to have a baby. We tried to take a somewhat laid back approach, and didn't want this "tying" to take over our daily lives.
So we tried and waited. For three months, then six months. At nine months I started to get a little nervous. During my yearly check-up I talked to my OBGYN. We reviewed my charts and discussed my cycles. Everything looked great. He said to "keep trying", but if we wanted to start testing for any fertility issues, just call, and he would see us. I was so pleased because many doctors what you to "try" for a whole year before you start testing.
We gave it another month or two and then I called for reinforcements. The first thing my OBGYN ordered was a semen analysis for my husband.
So we tried and waited. For three months, then six months. At nine months I started to get a little nervous. During my yearly check-up I talked to my OBGYN. We reviewed my charts and discussed my cycles. Everything looked great. He said to "keep trying", but if we wanted to start testing for any fertility issues, just call, and he would see us. I was so pleased because many doctors what you to "try" for a whole year before you start testing.
We gave it another month or two and then I called for reinforcements. The first thing my OBGYN ordered was a semen analysis for my husband.
Honeymoon Baby
Scott and I decided we wanted to start a family right away. We may have even told friends and family that we were going to have a honeymoon baby. I thought it was cute. Everything else had been so easy, so we figured this would be easy too.
Our Wedding
Scott and I were married on June 14, 2008. I love everything about our wedding. We were married at the church where Scott grew up, St. Anastasia. Our wedding reception was at Indianwood Golf and Country Club. We planned for over a year, and it was exciting, stressful and the beginning of our life together and our journey toward parenthood.
In the Beginning
I met Scott in 2005 and we fell in love almost immediately. Our fist two years together were amazing, and Scott proposed to me on April 2, 2007 while we were visiting his brother in London, England. It was the most romantic proposal, fit for a movie!
Scott and I were in London visiting his brother, Mark. We went with his mom and sister. It was my first trip to Europe and I was so excited. On our third day there Mark planned for this amazing sight seeing tour. We started by taking the tube to Big Ben, and the getting on a riverboat for a cruise through the Thames.
We saw so many amazing things, and ended up in Greenwich for a lunch of fish and chips. Then we went to the park at the Royal Observatory. Scott and I decided to walk up the hill to the observatory. When we got to the top, the view was breathtaking! We could see the whole city. Scott was standing behind me and tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around to see him kneeling on one knee! I can't remember exactly what he said, but I do recall him starting with by saying my entire name, and I said "YES"! I literally cut him off and said yes before he could even ask me to marry him!
I was so happy. We walked down to the hill to be greeted by his family with a bottle of champagne. They were all in on it! I was on cloud nine the rest of the trip. That was April 2, 2007.
Now, I am sitting and reflecting on our past almost two years of trying for a baby. My first "batch" of posts will all be posted on the same day, and I am recalling some of the major events since Scott and I decided to try to get pregnant. Then, beginning at the end of January, the posts will be in "real time". In the beginning, I never thought to start a blog because I never thought it would take so long.
Scott and I were in London visiting his brother, Mark. We went with his mom and sister. It was my first trip to Europe and I was so excited. On our third day there Mark planned for this amazing sight seeing tour. We started by taking the tube to Big Ben, and the getting on a riverboat for a cruise through the Thames.
We saw so many amazing things, and ended up in Greenwich for a lunch of fish and chips. Then we went to the park at the Royal Observatory. Scott and I decided to walk up the hill to the observatory. When we got to the top, the view was breathtaking! We could see the whole city. Scott was standing behind me and tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around to see him kneeling on one knee! I can't remember exactly what he said, but I do recall him starting with by saying my entire name, and I said "YES"! I literally cut him off and said yes before he could even ask me to marry him!
I was so happy. We walked down to the hill to be greeted by his family with a bottle of champagne. They were all in on it! I was on cloud nine the rest of the trip. That was April 2, 2007.
Now, I am sitting and reflecting on our past almost two years of trying for a baby. My first "batch" of posts will all be posted on the same day, and I am recalling some of the major events since Scott and I decided to try to get pregnant. Then, beginning at the end of January, the posts will be in "real time". In the beginning, I never thought to start a blog because I never thought it would take so long.
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