Starting my Infertility journey, and I'm scared. (a tad TMI)

[Mrs. Charming]

In passing, I've noticed some of you have gone on the Infertility journey. DH and I have been TTC for about 2 years now, since we've had DD2, and we've been unsuccessful. I've started visits with a Reproductive Endocrinologist, and I've done the bloodwork, ultrasounds, HSG, Sono, and DH has has a semen analysis. My next step consultation with the Dr. is not until next week, and I'm starting to panic. I've spoken with the one Dr. at the practice, and so far, I don't think anything has been abnormal, except my cholesterol which is my own darn fault- too much fast food.

I'm just scared at this point, to the point where I'm stressing myself so badly that I'm on CD19 and my monitor isn't showing any LH surge. I'm stressing so badly that I'm not ovulating!

So far I've used clomid prescribed by my OB-GYN, but no success. I thought I ovulated regularly because I have semi-regular periods, but (TMI) the flow lasts for a day or so with a day or two of spotting. They've suggested I have "weak ovulation." The Dr. I spoke to, who did my Sono, said that since I had a c-section (not voluntary) with DD, that they may not have put me back together properly, and that c-sections often cause infertility. I then asked if I had any chance at all of getting pregnant again, and she did say I had a good chance of getting pregnant again. She then said that the next step will be either ovulation induction or surgery to correct my uterus. But-- nothing was ever said about anything being in the wrong place. And ovulation induction, that could mean anything between taking a pill a day for 5 days, and series upon series of shots, and thats scary in itself.

I have a few questions for those of you that have been through this.
For the women that ovulate somewhat regularly, what treatments did they start you out with? Did they try something simple like clomid and/or progesterone, or did they jump right to IUI and/or shots? I'm a little afraid of the shots, but will do what I need to do.

I was told by the initial consultation that 60% of their patients get pregnant on their own with drugs and IUI or the natural way. I didn't think to ask about their success rate with IVF or even worse, their failure rate. I'm really afraid of needing IVF. It scares me. It seems drastic. And DH and I did discuss it, and if we do eventually need it, we'll go stay with BIL and SIL in the Czech Republic where they live, and also had IVF that resulted in our niece. It's exponentially less per cycle there, and I trust BIL/SIL and know they wouldn't go anywhere that wasn't up to par. That, and we'd get to see Europe even though DH has been there quite a few times. Ok, I'm getting off track.

And the emotions that go along with infertility-- I won't even go there. Probably one of the hardest things I've dealt with in a LONG time.

Ugh. I hope someone can help me figure this out, I have until the 6th of October to wait. The Dr. said I can call her anytime, but apparently that anytime isn't just yet.

Thank you,
Mrs. Charming

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

AHHH the wonderful world of ttc. Takes the joy out of "dancing" sometimes. Key is to keep it fun still. Also just because you are menstruating does not mean you are ovulating. My dd (8) is a clomid baby. We took it for 6 cycles. I have a friend who was on clomid for 2 yrs. I do believe most REs will start you out on Clomid to try to get you to ovulate. But I can't say for sure. Good luck in your journey, may it be a short one.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I wonder if it's something in the PA water, lol. I noticed you're from the Poconos! We're from the Philly 'Burbs. They must put something in the water.

I'm about to cry, I didn't know if anyone would respond, I know it's a touchy subject for many women. I'm really hoping and wishing that my journey with the R.E. is a short one, hopefully a larger dose of Clomid will work. I'm just not optimistic, it's been what feels like forever already, I wish I had known about a R.E. a long time ago.

Thank you for your well wishes.

 

[MKB419]

Hi,
I hope all goes well. I have been there done that. So do you mind a few questions? What dose of clomid are you on, are you getting blood draws and u/s with this cycle and are you doing iui with his round. Sometimes the clomid is not for everyone and based on blood levels they may start you on injectables and they are easier to monitor where you are at in your cycle with lab work and ultrasounds. Clomid is easier on the body but if you have to move to next level you can do it.
Mary Kay

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Hi Mary Kay. Ask all the questions you want! Right now, I'm not on clomid at all, I'm not doing anything but my CBE monitor. I had 4 cycles of 50mg for 5 days. I'm hoping to get some answers on the 6th, and hopefully get started on some path. I'm also a little afraid that my WDW vacation (although short) will hold up the course of action... but at this point, what's another month of BFNs, right?

Do you think they'll try clomid, or jump to a little more drastic action since the clomid didn't work?

 

[dumbo_buddy]

oh sweetie there are so many people who are struggling right along with you! it is so hard and i'm sorry you're going thru this. i probably am not a good help since i don't ovulate on my own but i felt i needed to post b/c i struggled with infertility for a long time. my son is a clomid baby. i did clomid for three cycles, became pregnant but miscarried. devastating. i did it three more times and my son was born on 6/20. the cycle that worked i had upped the dosage (started at 50mg and ended up ay 150mg). also we did iui (easy peasy) and progesterone supps (thru the end of first tri). also added to the cocktail the last cycle that worked was dexamethasone taken on the same days as the clomid. the doc explained how it would help but i don't recall exactly what it did. oh AND i had a hcg shot around ovulation.

anyway i'm sure that doesn't help. but you're not alone and i'm rooting for you. www.pregnancy.org has a great online community that has a whole area for women who are TTC. it kept me sane and i got a ton of support during our long struggle.

 

[bratmomma]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I also had "subsequent struggles", I got pregnant the first time with barely a thought but 2 yrs later when we decided to try again.. NOTHING. I did three cycles of 50 MG Clomid (which we decided was our limit, a personal choice, everyone has to decide for themselves) and had the LAP, HSG, etc. I did have some adhesions that they think contributed to my infertility, but even after they were cleared it took 8 cycles for me to get PG.

Because DH and I had decided the three rounds of clomid was as far as we were willing to go as far as drug intervention, I had all but given up. I had finally accepted that my DS would be an only child. I was okay with that (after much self doubt, torture, etc), finally at peace with it and WHAM... totally unexpectedly a BFP!! We also struggled a little bit but after 9 months of TTC#3, she came along without intervention as well.

I'm sorry that I don't have any real advice or help for you, but I wanted you to know that you are not alone.

 

[crisi]

We spent about a year on the fertility roller coaster, got off and adopted. It was a long time ago (my son is eleven) and I'm sure things have changed. But good luck. Shots weren't bad - but they made me crazy.

 

[spare+a_pair]

I have Poly cystic ovarian syndrome so we are all too familiar with fertility problems. I went to specialist for 4 years, and couldn't get pregnant. The emotions and feelings were devestating. I know how hard it is to want something so badly that seems "easy" for many to get.

After serveral years of doctors, I knew we just needed another child - someone was missing and I had WAY too much love to give! We began investigating adoption. In the meantime, I went in to see my regular OB/GYN. He suggested trying Clomid once more. I knew it wouldn't work, but I figured I would appease him. Three months later, I conceived our twins - 38 weeks after that I brought home two precious boys.

I think what helped this last time is that I wasn't stressed. We had another option. My OB/GYN also gave me prevnar (I believe). It got my cycles back on track, forced me to have a period, then followed with the Clomid it finally worked.

Hang in there and try to remember that you are not alone. Many of us know the feelings and emotions associated with infertility.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I'm so sorry you are going through this - you are so NOT alone. We tried over a year to get pregnant and finally did get pregnant our first cycle of clomid in 2003. We started trying again this past September and got pregnant in February only to have a missed miscarriage and D&C in April. We are now past the one year mark again and no pregnancy. We are currently taking a 2 to 3 month break while I get myself straightened out emotionally and then we'll be doing clomid most likely in December. We had initially decided that if we weren't pregnant by the end of this year we were done....but I'm not quite ready to go there just yet. So we'll see what happens. Good luck in your journey and hopefully it will be a short one going forward now.

 

[jlstwinmommy]

I, too, have been down the not so fun infertility road. My DS(11) was a clomid baby. I was blessed with him as it only took 3 cycles of clomid. I then got pregnant on my own, but miscarried at 11 weeks. We went back to clomid and took that for about a year with no luck. We then moved on to IUI with injectables (and I HATE needles - I never thought I'd be able to give myself a shot, amazing what a person will do to fufill the dream of motherhood). We did 4 unsuccessful IUI cycles. The 5th cycles resulted in too many eggs, so rather than cancel the cycle, my dr was able to convert it to an IVF cycle. I was nervous beyond reason, but the end result was my precious b/g twins who are now almost 6.

I certainly don't wish this road on anyone as it is an emotional rollercoaster. I wish you success and that it won't take too long (I know the waiting is the worst). Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

DD is now 19 and DS (my "bonus child") is 17. She is the result of 2 years of infertility treatment. He was a pleasant surprise.

I was always regular and had normal cycles. Ovulation tests never showed a surge for me. The problem was that those little ova never escaped the ovaries; they would ripen and then be absorbed. We did 3 consecutive cycles of Clomid followed by 2 months off. When we returned, I had one round of Perganol and conceived DD. My doctor also did IUI with each Clomid cycle and the Perganol round.

The shots were scary. DH had to give me the Perganol. The doctor gave me the hCG shot after determining that I hadn't hyperovulated.

It was rough. Very emotional. And the Perganol cycle was painful, not only because of the daily shots but also because my ovaries went from the size of a walnut to the size of an orange! Not something that I would wish on my worst enemy. In the end, we've been blessed.

Best of luck, OP. It helps to keep your eye on the end result when things get really hard to handle.

 

[Karenj2]

I've BTDT!! For 11 years, off and on... I'm finally PG! I have PCOS, so my cycle was very irregular. We also had male infertility issues which just compounded the problem. I've done IUI, AI, and IVF (3-4x). The shots were scary at first, but they've gotten MUCH better over the years. I don't remember starting with Clomid pills or anything.

As for IVF in the Czech - you would have to be there for at least a month, if not longer... (To account for the shots/monitoring, then the egg retrieval & transfer, the TWW to see if it took, and a few weeks beyond to make sure it stays stuck.) During this last try, I actually got hyperstimulated (too many follicles matured) due to my PCOS, and they had to "coast" me (stop giving me stimulation meds and let my hormone levels drop a bit). Although my LMP was mid May, my retrieval was at the end of June, and overall I was in the fertility clinic's system for ~13 weeks before they released me to a regular OBGYN.

The worst part was the emotional roller coaster - that's part of why we were off and on in our TTC journey. Just know that there are lots of folks that have gone through the same journey and we're all rooting for you!!

 

[Stitchnut]

Hey there. I know what you are going through. We tried for six years to get pregnant. Our story meshes with so many others who have posted. We started out with many of the same less invasion procedures then on to shots. The shots didn't hurt, at least not too bad. I tried telling myself that it was worth it if it worked. I can't remember how many rounds of shots we did, but we were getting very close to IVF. My ovaries were hyperextended from all the meds so I had to take the cycle off. The specialist said no treatment that month. Believe it or not that's when I got pregnant. Hope is a powerful tool to combate fear and anxiety. Get behind your faith. Stress can cause negative things to happen to your body and mind. The thing that I have come to understand is that what we want and dream about is rarely in our time. I don't know if you are a believer, but God does care for you and it is in His timing that we need to trust in. I wish you the absolute best of luck and that things work out quickly for you.

 

[Colinsmom]

We have a 7yo, a 3.5yo and twin infants, all the result of infertility treatment. DS7 is a Clomid/IUI baby. The rest are IVF babies. I hated needles but the shots ended up being no big deal - for 2 injectible IUI cycles and the two IVF cycles, I gave myself every single shot. FYI, the injectible meds are VERY expensive, even for an IUI cycle.

Clomid made me crazy - big emotional swings on it. I actually felt more "even" on the injectible meds.

Our diagnosis is severe male factor, though there is an unknown female component too. My monthly cycle has always been pretty regular, though.

See if you have a Resolve group locally. They usually have small, local support groups. It can really help to have IRL people who are going through the same thing.

Good luck!

 

[sweetmonkey]

I don't have much to offer except our story. . .

Right before I got pregnant with DS8months I was having some strange symptoms and I had an internal ultrasound done. The doctor said it showed multiple cysts on my ovaries and I likely wasn't ovulating. He said that I could undergo further tests but I probably had PCOS and that DH and I would need to discuss what we wanted to try when we decided we were serious about having more children.

My doctor also said that the best 'first' method for most infertility patients to induce regular ovulation was to reduce their sugar/processed carbohydrates and begin 15-30 min of cardio exercise every day.

I took him at his word and started exercising daily- just 20-30 min. And I ate more fruit and cut out sweets. I was pregnant in 2 weeks, actually quite by surprise though not unwanted.

I say all that to offer you hope and know that it may happen all at once. Also, I highly recommend charting your cycles and I used fertilityfriend.com It was nice to be able to share my chart with my doctor directly and keep track of everything (free) online. Sending lots of babydust your way.

 

[kimcat1]

I'll jump in and share my story. We tried for several years to have a baby. I could get pregnant but couldn't stay pregnant. After 4 miscarriages, the doctors finally sent me for blood work and I found out I have a chromosomal abnormality that just affects reproduction. So from there we decided to give IVF with PGD a try. I was terrified of the shots but I sucked it up and did one cycle. They harvested 6 eggs and when they did the PGD on the embryos, none were ok to implant. So we decided to buy a DVC timeshare (yeah, I know off topic). We decided to take some time off and just see where things went. My father was very ill and died in July of 2006. In September we went on our first DVC trip and came home with an extra souvenir. I was pregnant and stayed pregnant! My daughter was born June of 2007.

The reason I tell you this is to keep up hope. If you really want a child, all things are possible from giving yourself shots to whatever needs to be done to have a happy healthy baby.

People ask me when we are going to have another. I'm blessed with the one we have now and at this point, another child is not really in the cards. Unless there is another miracle headed my way.

 

[surfergirl602]

Just wanted to offer you my hugs! Been there, doing it now. We tried 5 rounds of clomid last year, and this september first marked 1 year of trying. We took a break from January until now, and I just had my appt this morning. We're starting some more tests etc next week. Oh joy.

 

[PigletsMommy]

Hi... I thought I would share my story. You are definately not alone.

We tried for almost a year before I went to my OB. I went thru all the same tests you listed and they couldnt find anything so He put me on Femara for a few months. It is actually a medications for breast cancer but one of the side effects is increased ovulation. When that didnt work he referred me to an RE. That is when we found out that we have male side of infertility. TMI...His count was great but the motility was super low. They told DH to cut tobaccco out and we found some vitamins that are suppose to help with motility. RE put me on clomid and we tried 3 IUI's with no luck.

DH & I debated on what to do next. I wanted to look at adoption but DH wanted a baby that was "his". I hate to say this but our marriage was really on a rocky road at that point. To me, if we were going to spend that kind of money I wanted to put it in something that was a guarentee and I knew adoption would be, even if it took awhile. DH held his ground tho so we decided to give IVF a shot. In January 08 we started the process but my body was not cooperating so we had to wait another cycle. Finally February was successful in ovulating.

Now I'm sitting her watching my beautiful little girl who will be 11 months tomorrow. Tonight we are taking her to Disney on Ice. She is worth every shot, every hotflash from the meds, every tear in frustration I shed.

We still have 4 embryos frozen in the labs. After our February 2010 trip I am going to start saving for the next round.

 

[pixidustmom]

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. I am a surrogate mother and I have met so many with infertility issues. Discuss all your options with your RE and then you and your DH need to decide which one will give you the best options. As for traveling to another country to try IVF, well yes they can be cheaper but what about the cost for you both to travel, where to stay the cost for living there for at least a few weeks and taking the time off work. Then say it doesn't work the first time you would then have to do all those coast over again. Some Re's offer specials like 3 for the cost of one or half your money back if it doesn't work. The meds are the expensive part, but does your insurance cover any of it? Mine covered some of it like my prog. estrogen, and lupron.
Also do try to not stress too much as that can effect things. You and your DH will have some rough times and it makes it easier to keep things light hearted so not to let it get in the way of your relationship.
I have known quite a few that have gotten pg once they thought they had given up or have used a surro and low and behold they had less stress and got pg. I know easier said than done huh?