Any Infertility Sucess Stories?

[Disneynut11676]

DH(27) and I(26) have been trying for our own little miracle for almost 2 years now. We've just recently begun seeing a specialist & me starting on clomid. This has been a really frustrating time for us & none of our family or friends seem to understand what we are going through or why I am so upset. I was just wondering if there are others out there on the DIS that are like us. Could use any prayers or Pixie Dust that you could send our way. If there are others going through the same thing that would like to talk, that would be great. I have been on some of the Infertility Boards, but they are not really what I'm looking for. Thanks for listening.

Michelle

 

[monalsw]

in a nutshell; 6 pregnancies, 2 kids and clomid along the way! an early pregnancy ended in miscarriage, then i was diagnosed with pcos (15 yrs ago) and prescribed clomid-got pregnant and miscarried in one month. had to wait 3 months to try clomid again and when i went into doc for rx, i was pregnant (3rd time)! dd is 14yo.

10 yrs later, with dh #2, tried for 8 months and took clomid for last 2 months. ds is 4yo. 2 miscarriages since, one while on clomid and one after. combination of pcos and old age, lol, made me fearful to try again, miscarriages are emotionally wrenching for me. just counting my blessings that i have the 2 kids i do.

keep your chin up, clomid was successful for me, with a good dose of progesterone to sustain the early weeks of pregnancy (although i might have heard that they're not using progesterone anymore?). so much more is known about infertility, i'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers!

 

[luvdzny]

Our "little miracle" just graduated from 8th grade! We had our first child, then numerous miscarriages, then could not get pregnant. I was on Clomid for quite awhile. Eventually I had to have surgery and was told it was almost impossible to get pregnant. We were in the process of adopting when I found out I was pregnant - with twins!!! We did lose 1 of the babies, but DD was worth the wait! Hang in there - miracles really do happen.

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi Michelle:

I went through infertility treatment, too. I was your age when I went through the Clomid, the hystersalpinogram, the endometrial biopsy, etc etc. Not to mention all that temperature taking every morning. lol No one really understood what I was going through. I hated Mother's Day. I hated seeing anyone else with a baby, I hated hearing about other people having babies, and most of all, I hated feeling all that hatred.
At one point I had a miscarriage and all I heard was "Well at least now you know you can get pregnant!" NO! All I KNEW was that I could have a miscarriage. The whole point of getting pregnant is to have a baby, not just be pregnant. Anyway.... I'm now 42 years old and I have 2 wonderful, healthy sons, ages 15 and 12. I got pregnant without pills or thermometers or charts, after I totally gave up trying. The stress of infertility had ruined my marriage. I know it brings some couples closer together, but it didn't, in our case. I know all cases turn out differently, and back then I really thought I'd never have a child of my own. I want you to know that I understand how you feel, and my heart still breaks for all of the couples out there trying to conceive and not able to. Try and stay hopeful. Almost every couple I knew did go on to have children

 

[minnieandmickey]

My cousin just found out she is pregnant. I don't know what fertility drug it was that she used but it worked, and it may be twins!!! I am sooooo happy for her she is going to be a great mom.

 

[motherhen17404]

I understand what you are going through, because I have been there, done that. And I was about your age when I went through it.

First off, I want to tell you that I have a son (11 yrs old) and he was due to the fact that I was taking Clomid. So Clomid does work, but it is a very long and hard road to travel. The Dr's that I went to called anyone on Clomid a rollercoaster rider. You will have your highs and lows and some very scary times. I did 5 rounds of Clomid and I got pregnant on the last try. But, in between rounds I had 6 miscarriages and 1 tubal, but none of them were due to Clomid. And with all that, it was worth it once I had my son.

I also had to deal with the family and friends. Every month they would ask if I was pregnant, and every month I had to tell them no and no one understood what I was going through. Finally I just told everyone to leave me alone, that it was my business and that I would let them know if there was any news.

The one thing I will warn you about- don't take out your feelings on your DH. Sometimes I forgot he was going through the same feelings that I was. And don't beat your self up either. I went through a time when I thought I could not do anything right. I mean, teenagers can get pregnant, why not me?

I hope I have not scared you. It really is worth all the testing, and the mood swings. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Good luck!

 

[mtemm]

I was just talking to my nieghbor today. She told me how she and her husband spent years trying to conceive, spent a lot of money trying everything. Finally the dr.s told her it just wasn't going to happen for them. She and her husband sat down and talked and cried, and decided that fine, they would spend their time and their money travelling and doing things they really loved.

Well, not sure how much longer later, she missed a couple of cycles. Figured it was age (late 30s) but by the second one decided to go to her dr. They did a pregnancy test, even though she told them it wasn't possible. Well, it was! Her now 3 year old daughter decided the dr.s were wrong. After her birth they went on birth control for the first time, it happened once, could happen again, right? They decided eventually to just throw caution to the wind and see what happened. Their now 16 month old daughter came along.

So what science couldn't do for them, nature finally did.

 

[jamsmom]

My best friend and her husband have had a tubal pregnacy and one side of the fallopian tubes is practially closed. I can tell you that since I am not the A+ parent (my son lives with my parents by my choice), I often feel guilty around her and others when I have a child and they don't.

Some of us who ask, truly care and do not mean to make things more hurtful for you

 

[Nutsy]

I am another success story. I now have two boys aged 15 & 14 (almost) & I can remember the days very well when I thought I was never going to have a child of my own.

We went through all kinds of tests & treatments, including IVF, I was on Clomid too for a while.

We had applied to adopt an overseas child as they were readily available whereas Australian babies were not & plus due to my DH's age it was not possible to adopt a baby here, it would have to be a 5yr old child or older. We even thought of fostering.

But..........after lots of heartache & tears. I finally gave up hope of ever conceiving a child of my own, even tho we had booked in for second chance of IVF, I was far from convinced that IVF was the answer for me.

Then next thing I knew I was pregnant & it all happened naturally, with no drugs or medical intervention of any sort, no temperature taking, nothing.

After 3 yrs of heartache I was finally going to have a baby. Then once he was born, naturally we wanted a second child & the doctors told us that we should be able to fall pregant within 6 months of trying. Well, what happens next threw us for a 6 well & truly..........when DS was 5 months old, I fell pregnant again & it was the first time we had tried.

So, don't give up totally. It may well just happen when you least expect it & for me I am convinced it was when God wanted it to happen & when he knew we were truly ready.

Hang in there & I hope things work out for you soon

 

[4greatboys]

I had my first 2 boys pretty early at 22 and 25. No problems--I was even on the pill when I got pg with my 1st ds. So I was quite suprised when it took me 4 years to get pg the next time I tried. That pg ended in a miscarriage (I had to have a d&c the day before my wedding). We ended up getting pg again 6 weeks later, had ds #3. Since we had such a hard time with that one we never used bc after he was born. We figured we better get started early on the next (ds #3 #4) are dh only children, though he is a great step dad to my 2 oldest. I couldnt get pg so I had a HSG (hysterosalpingogram) and both my tubes we blocked. Had laproscopic surgery--Dr removed my blocked right tube and opened the left as much as he could. When I did get pg my Dr told me he could not belive it. I did have an upcoming appt with an RE as we were either going to try Invitro or we were going to adopt. I dont think we are going to have any more as we are getting elderly now, lol.

 

[cgcw]

We went through alot to have both of our DS's. All the testing proved no explanation why I couldn't get pregnant. We started with clomid and gradually moved up to injections. It was a terrible process. There are the highs that come with each positive piece of news the doctor/nurse/anyone gives you. There are the lows each time the outlook is not good. I know that roller-coaster well.

Finally, I went through IVF. Did really well producing, retrieving and fertilizing the eggs. There were 8 out of 12 which took. We have 4 transferred back and put 4 "on hold" to use at a later date. One of the embryos took and is now my DS8.

With DS3, it wasn't as easy. We tried to use the 4 embryos from when DS8 was conceived but they didn't survive. Then I went through an IVF cycle. Got pregnant and miscarried almost right away. Went through a couple more attempts with the shots only to have the doctors cancel because they "didn't like" the results. Yet another month gone after all the work we put into it at that point.

The trick which worked for me was to go on the birth control pill for a month. I kept saying to them -- are you sure, I'm trying to get pregnant here not prevent a pregnancy. They doctor kept assuring that they knew what they were doing. Low and behold it worked.

I know I've written a book here but one more thing I want to share. When I went through the process with DS3, there were only 2 eggs retrieved. Both fertilized right away yet when I went back a couple of days later, I sat in the waiting room way past my appointment time. Finally, a nurse came out and said the embryologist didn't like the "quality" of the remaining embryo and didn't want to go ahead with the procedure. They were waiting for the doctor to call back to make that determination. What seemed like a eternity later, they finally said the doctor decided to go ahead and use the embryo. That embryo is now my DS3 -- healthy, happy, rambuncious and proof that miracles do exist!!

I wish you the best!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Success, in our own way..........

Vince, adopted at age 1 week, now 25, Natalie, adopted at age 1 month, now 22.

My very best to you, Michelle, and all who are having a tough time.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I also have a Clomid success story. My DD is almost 14. It really does work but I know the heartache you are feeling and I know exactly what you mean when you say no one really understands.

My friends and family meant well but they didn't understand the disappointment and feelings of failure I had every month. I didn't want to go to malls, I didn't want to go to family outings, I didn't want to watch TV. It just seemed everyone had a baby but me and summer was the worst time since it just seemed everyone was pregnant. Maybe it is that folks wear less clothes in the summer so being pregnant it more visible.

I got tired of taking my temperature every morning. I got tired of counting days. I got tired of well meaning people telling me to "just relax." It just all seemed so unfair.

All that you are feeling is natural but when you're going thru it, that is not what you want to hear.

After 3 years of trying, my doctor gave me clomid and I got pregnant but miscarried. 3 months later he gave me clomid again and she will be 14 in September. I know so many people have gone thru so much more than me so I am so grateful that all it took was clomid for me to have my wonderful daughter.

9 months later I was pregnant again-this time without any drugs or anything. I teasingly tell folks it really can only take one time. My wonderful son is now 12.

I know I am very blessed and lucky. Please know that there are many of us out here sending PD your way. You truly are not alone!

Elise

 

[bsnyder]

Hi Michelle,

I wanted to lend my support, as well!

My story is a little bit different. I do have experience with infertility but I never had to go through the heartbreak of trying for months and years to conceive.

My first two children were 14 months apart, with the second one being totally unplanned. I had my tubes tied shortly after he was born, thinking I was done, and not trusting birth control any more. The marriage didn't survive, unfortunately.

I remarried a wonderful guy who had never been married before, and didn't have any children of his own. While he dearly loves my two boys, and they dearly love him, I knew he really wanted a child of his own. We had to do a lot of soul searching, before we got married, about what impact this would have on our relationship.

We started seeing a fertility specialist almost immediately after the wedding. Had to go through the entire battery of testing, even though I kept protesting and saying "We already know what the problem is, my tubes are tied!" But, they had to rule out any additional problems, with either me or him, before they'd allow us to do IVF.

We were successful on our very first IVF cycle, and have a beautiful 9 year old DD!

I also want to add, that as far as infertility goes, you are young and the odds are in your favor! So please don't give up hope! I'll be praying for you! And if you are ever down, the DIS is a great place to find support!

 

[CamColt]

Well, my story pales in comparison to what some have to go through, but it has a happy ending so, Ill share.

We conceived our first DS with no problem, after only 3 months of trying. Then we waited a couple years to try for our second(I was then 26). Thats when the problems started. We tried for about a year with no success. I mentioned it to my regular ob/gyn and he figured out I wasnt ovulating every month. So, he put me on chlomid. The first 2 months I was on the lowest dosage and still not ovulating. The 3rd month I went to a higher dosage and finally got a positive ovulation test. That was mothers day 1999. A week and a half later I got a positive pregnancy test and Colton was born Jan 23, 2000.

Best of luck to you!!! I know how frustrating it can be.

 

[jel0511]

Yes, I'm a success story here. I was diagosed with PCO at 18. My periods NEVER became regular, and at that time, my current GYN told me that I probably wouldn't EVER be able to have kids. What a thing to tell at 18 year old!!! Anyway, I even lost a boyfriend in college due to my infertility problems. He told me that he didn't want to "fall in love" with someone who couldn't have kids!! Well, I was devestated. When I met DH, after we had dated for a while, I told him what I was told, and he said he didn't care and if we had to we'd adopt. Well, when we finally decided it was time for us to start a family we went straight to a Reproductative Endocrinologist. After numerous tests, and I was feeling like a pin cushion, I was again diagnosed with PCO (a VERY agravated case) and a hormone deficiency. I then started taking 100mgs of clomid along with a steriod dexamethasone to combat my hormone deficiency. I got pregnant the first month on this conccotion, but it ended in a miscarriage. I was depressed, and the only other person who knew we were going through this was my mom, since I didn't want the world to know about what I felt was a "disease". I had a D&C and then had to go through MORE tests before I was able to try again. Well 3 months later I got the go ahead, and 2 months later I became pregnant with my DD who now is 5. I have to tell you that it really was GREAT to be pregnant and prove my original OB wrong. Well, when DH and I wanted to have another one, my NEW OB just wrote the perscriptions for me since we already had determined what worked. It took another 2 months, and then DS 2 was concieved. My PCO is still acting up, I actually now have other problems because of it and has to have surgery to have polyps removed from my uterus and my lining is also having problems. If I wanted to have any more kids, I'd have a LONG uphill battle now so we're pretty much stopping at 2, which is enough!! I'm only 33 and to realize that I can't have anymore kids is tough, but I only really wanted 2, so I'm pretty o.k. So, I'm taking pills to try to keep my hormones in check so the polyps don't recur and to try to "homogonize" my lining. It's been a never ending battle, but I have my two little miracles and I'm thankful for that everyday!!! I wish you the best of luck, and hope your story turns out like mine!!!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Please don't give up hope. With my 1st, I got pregnant right away(the 2nd month). We waited 2 1/2 years and started to try for another. I couldn't get pregnant. It took several months then only to miscarry, then again. Three years and 2 miscarriages later I'm now due in Oct. Another story, my neighbor has only 1 working Fallopian tube. Her and her DH tried for 10 years tried everything minus IVF. Finally AFTER trying, she got pregnant. Then again then again. She got her tube tied. Then she got pregnant again after her only good tube was tied. She now has 4 healthy children 14, 10, 8, and 7. Good Luck to you!

 

[FOJMO]

...our "success" story was through adoption. We adopted our DD, Carly, at 4 months from South Korea and she's now 17!

We went through 3 years of infertility testing and then waited 2 years after applying for adoption before Carly arrived.

It's a very tough time and I know that many people, including co-workers, family, friends, do NOT understand unless they have gone through it!

There IS a light at the end of the tunnel -- whether you are successful in getting pregnant or choose to adopt. Pray for patience -- your reward will come! Good luck! VAL

 

[tkyes]

Just wanted to wish you all the best. I'll be thinking of you.



tamie

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Michelle,

Boy, have I got a story for you...I'll give the Reader's Digest version, I've been dominating enough space lately.

DW and I decided five years ago, when I was 35 and she was 33, that it was "time." We'd always wanted kids. But we were both "professional professionals," meaning we'd taking our careers more seriously than our lives for a long time. I was 28 when I met Amy, 30 when we got married. We waited until we were seriously ready. We had emotional and financial stability, we had want and love for a child, we had stable employment and good equity in our house, plus low debt-load. It was time.

After a year and a half of nothing, we went to Amy's OB. I won't go into the personal, gruesome details of what we went through. But in short, we've both had corrective surgeries; we've both had stretches of hormone treatment (mine included three shots in the butt at 6 AM each week for two months); I've personally had four "specialists" for going on four years now; Amy has more doctors than hairs on her head (and now she has more doctors than I have hairs on my head); we've missed more work, killed more savings dollars, and been handed more dixie cups than we'd like to remember.

This all culminated in three rounds of chlomid and IUI from September through November last year. OF course, when you're doing IUI, nature dictates where you go and when. After everything we'd been through and three degrading months of personal invasion, we discovered that the "right time" for December was going to be the 25th to 26th. Amy finally came to me in tears and said "I don't want to do this anymore." So we called the doctors.

On the drive to upstate NY for Xmas (which we always spend on Amy's parent's dairy farm, a great holiday!), we discussed our "final options." We decided we'd wait until February, go two more rounds of IUI (after which insurance dollars were going to dry up) and then consider adoption. We had a long talk with Amy's folks at Christmas about adoption and got their support, along with my parents.

Amy called me to a grocery store parking lot at lunch in late January, after I bugged her for a week to call the fertility specialist and get the info I needed for insurance (for two more "rounds."). She had a positive EPT to give me for lunch (not to worry, I didn't eat it). Although we have an inkling the chlomid had to still be somewhat in her system, this was "natural" conception. Go figure.

As I've chronicled on these boards liberally (and thanks for listening!), we've had more problems since then. At age 38+, Amy's chances for miscarriage (we'd already had one in the past) were close to fifty percent (due to age, presence of fertility drugs, acknowledged fibroids and history of miscarriage). We made it through. We had to live through an amnio knowing we were in virtually every high risk group there was. We made it through. Now we find the fibroids are enormous and are probably half the cause (on top of the other pile of garbage) for past conception failure and probably the miscarriage. They say now it's a miracle we got pregnant in the first place. But we made it through.

Now, we had the episode of two weeks ago today, when Amy was rushed to the hospital, life-flighted to a hospital with a neonatal care unit, plugged into machines like a Christmas tree, and doctor after doctor came strolling by to "prepare" us for what they thought could be physical problems too numerous to overcome. And today, my wife is sitting placidly (I hope) at her desk at work (because it's two miles from the hospital). Our little baby Kimberly is running a fetal heart rate of 160, Amy's running a BP of 110/58, and her doctor on Monday said "all's quiet on the Western Front" and feels at the moment if we obey Dr.'s orders, we can nurse her through to week 33 and beyond. Of course, the father's heart rate is also 160, and his blood pressure occasionally hits about 600/500. But I'm just a high-strung guy!


Having been all through this, it's tough to not say try to get yourself prepared for anything, then tell you it's easy. It's not. But if you ask can miracles occur? Bet my unborn daughter they happen every day! Keep trying, keep the faith. I asked God every day to help me with this. I figured I'd accept whatever he told me. I'll continue to do, and I'll ask him to help you find your way, too! Good luck, and please keep us up-to-date.

All my blessings,

Pat