*Pull up a chair-this is the long version If you are looking for the down and dirty-just read the highlighted text :)
My beloved and I met in 1997 when we were
For the Hubster it was love at first sight I needed a little more convincing, but came to believe he was my soul mate soon after getting to know him. He epitomizes loyalty, balance, ingenuity, and kindness. He is my rock (which makes me scissors or paper?).
We dated forever, he popped the question and then we were engaged forever, and finally married in 2008. My wedding day was one of the best days of my life; I have never felt or looked more beautiful.
We were both established in our careers. I had a teaching career and he had been(still is) with the same company for many years and had taken a management position. In the Summer of 2010 we sat down for what would be one of our last conversations about "when do you want to have children?" I was beyond ready and had been for some time, we were also in the process of building a brand new house in an area optimal for raising children. Prior to this point we had been trying (not charting) since we were married. Keep in mind, we were together for fourteen years without so much as an oops! By this point we had an inkling that we would need some kind of medical intervention to conceive. Thankfully, my husband has superb insurance coverage which provides a lifetime maximum dollar amount for A.R.T. Thank you, Jesus!
So, we found an RE within plan and scheduled our consultation. We both went through a battery of tests semen analysis for him and vials upon vials of blood were drawn for my testing. We waited a few days and then were called in for our results with the good doctor and were delivered an incredible blow.
My husband has severe MFI (male factor infertility), he does produce sperm, but it is a very small fraction of poorly moving (low motility), and misshapen (poor morphology) sperm. I was found to be even worse off. I was diagnosed with Premature ovarian failure and diminished ovarian reserve. Basically, this means my eggs are few and expiring by the minute. My FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) was 16 (anything above 9 is considered increased and at 16 many clinics will not even work with you) and my AMH .50 was found to be low also, as well as my estrogen level. Basically, I am very close to menopausal. This information came as quite a shock to me because I cycle like clockwork each month.
At any rate, the good doctor decided that he would give us a shot instead of referring us immediately to donor eggs, for which I was very thankful. However, he knew it would be incredibly hard to stimulate my ovaries because they simply do not want to give up their eggs.
Due to our male factor issues we were an immediate IVF +ICSI prescription. I did a lot of reading and was shown how to administer the shots as was my husband. I was on a microdose lupron flare protocol and in order to get my ovaries to kick out eggs I stimulated for 13 or 14 days.
By the end of my IVF cycle I had injected hormones into my body 80+times (including the progesterone shots in the ass- a personal favorite: NOT!). I had been viewed by the vag-cam over 30 times, and was on the verge of a cancel five separate times. But it was more than worth it, because in the end it resulted in a positive beta and a beautiful baby boy who arrived in late July of 2011.
It resulted in this angelic face.
I am writing this portion of my blog to inspire others to never quit and to show others that miracles do exist. I am also writing it for me, so that I have a place to vent as I embark on yet another cycle in order to build the family I have always wanted with the love of my life and my new favorite human being. I am cycling again in Jan/Feb 2012 in order to try and shock Science again and prove that the impossible is in fact possible if you just ......
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