1. From The Start- PCOS and Fertility Treatments
Let's start from the beginning.
I found out I had PCOS (poly cystic ovary syndrome) shortly after I married my husband. I had gone off birth control (I was on Loloestrin) about 2 months before our wedding. We both knew we wanted kids sooner rather than later so I decided to just get off of it and "cleanse" my body of the birth control hormones. I figured I would get my period and be able to track when it came and went in preparation for trying to conceive. Yet, I just never got my period. I would it get randomly for 1-2 days every 3-4 months. I thought my body was just irregular from the birth control. To be safe, I want to my OBGYN and told her what was happening. She did bloodwork and found that my thyroid levels were irregular which prompted her to check my ovaries.
I got a call on my lunch break at work saying, "Hi Lauren, we wanted to let you know that after reviewing everything we feel you have PCOS. Please call us back with any questions you might have. Have a good day."
To say I was in shock would be an understatement. I am not an emotional person in the least bit, but boy did that hit me hard. I started to quickly google PCOS and the main word that came up on my search was "infertility". I was heartbroken and cried for most of my way home. I felt guilt because I would have to tell my new husband that we would not be able to have biological kids. I had shame because I didn't know that I even had anything wrong with me. I was devastated because my dream of being a mom was gone.
LESSON LEARNED PEOPLE- DO NOT GOOGLE MEDICAL THINGS- EVER!!!!
I told my husband and he was as sweet as ever. He said that we would find a way. If not, we would adopt and still have the family we wanted.
I was put on thyroid medication. I was told to wait 6 months to see if my period came. Six months came and went and still nothing. I was getting impatient and frustrated with the process so I called my OBGYN and asked them to write me a referral to a fertility specialist. They reluctantly did and not even a week later I was with my husband in the lobby of RMA (reproductive medicine association).
Our first meeting with our fertility doctor was amazing. I left with hope and excitement but also fear of the unknown. She said we had to do a few tests before starting any fertility treatments. We both had bloodwork taken, I had an ultrasound, my husband had to have his sperm analyzed and I had to have dye injected into my fallopian tubes to make sure I didn't have blockage. We also had to have genetic counseling done for both of us or RMA would not help with fertility treatments. (All of these tests were done over a span of 2 months).
Throughout this process I was waking up at 4:30 am and driving 45 min to get bloodwork before going to work. Some weeks I was getting blood drawn 3-4 times a week. It was tiring and draining to say the least.
Once we got the all clear I was able to take medication to help me ovulate. I would have to go into RMA every morning for a few days to see when the best day would be to take the trigger shot. Once they saw I had a good amount of eggs and that they were a good size I went home and had someone give me a needle in my stomach. This was the trigger shot. It forced my body to release all my eggs at a certain time.
That next morning we drove into RMA. My husband had to do his part first and then an hour later I was called in and I was injected with his sperm. It was a little uncomfortable and I had minor pain after but nothing too crazy. After the procedure we went to a diner and had pancakes! We toasted with orange juice and dreamed of what the next 9 months would bring.
The longest two week wait of our lives started. We hadn't told anyone what was going on, we just wanted to keep it quiet and to ourselves until we could announce our pregnancy. I went against all the rules and took a pregnancy test and my heart just burst into excitement as I saw that second line come into focus. WE DID IT! I was pregnant and we only had to do one round of fertility treatment.
Once the two week wait was done, I excitedly walked into get my blood drawn. I knew it was positive. I went to work and anticipated that phone call all day. Of course my phone rang while I was teaching so I couldn't pick it up. Once my students were in specials I anxiously listened to my voicemail. It said, "Hi Lauren, your bloodwork results came back and you are pregnant but the numbers are lower than what we would want to see at the point. Please come back in two days to make sure the numbers have increased."
Wait, what?
What does that mean? Do I still give my husband the cute little onesie as a gift? Do I lie to him a say they never called- he will be worried with that information. No, I tell him the truth and we figure it out together. Right?
I got home and told him. He was so excited. We went out to dinner to celebrate but deep in my heart I knew this journey wasn't over.
To be continued...
I found out I had PCOS (poly cystic ovary syndrome) shortly after I married my husband. I had gone off birth control (I was on Loloestrin) about 2 months before our wedding. We both knew we wanted kids sooner rather than later so I decided to just get off of it and "cleanse" my body of the birth control hormones. I figured I would get my period and be able to track when it came and went in preparation for trying to conceive. Yet, I just never got my period. I would it get randomly for 1-2 days every 3-4 months. I thought my body was just irregular from the birth control. To be safe, I want to my OBGYN and told her what was happening. She did bloodwork and found that my thyroid levels were irregular which prompted her to check my ovaries.
I got a call on my lunch break at work saying, "Hi Lauren, we wanted to let you know that after reviewing everything we feel you have PCOS. Please call us back with any questions you might have. Have a good day."
To say I was in shock would be an understatement. I am not an emotional person in the least bit, but boy did that hit me hard. I started to quickly google PCOS and the main word that came up on my search was "infertility". I was heartbroken and cried for most of my way home. I felt guilt because I would have to tell my new husband that we would not be able to have biological kids. I had shame because I didn't know that I even had anything wrong with me. I was devastated because my dream of being a mom was gone.
LESSON LEARNED PEOPLE- DO NOT GOOGLE MEDICAL THINGS- EVER!!!!
I told my husband and he was as sweet as ever. He said that we would find a way. If not, we would adopt and still have the family we wanted.
I was put on thyroid medication. I was told to wait 6 months to see if my period came. Six months came and went and still nothing. I was getting impatient and frustrated with the process so I called my OBGYN and asked them to write me a referral to a fertility specialist. They reluctantly did and not even a week later I was with my husband in the lobby of RMA (reproductive medicine association).
Our first meeting with our fertility doctor was amazing. I left with hope and excitement but also fear of the unknown. She said we had to do a few tests before starting any fertility treatments. We both had bloodwork taken, I had an ultrasound, my husband had to have his sperm analyzed and I had to have dye injected into my fallopian tubes to make sure I didn't have blockage. We also had to have genetic counseling done for both of us or RMA would not help with fertility treatments. (All of these tests were done over a span of 2 months).
Throughout this process I was waking up at 4:30 am and driving 45 min to get bloodwork before going to work. Some weeks I was getting blood drawn 3-4 times a week. It was tiring and draining to say the least.
Once we got the all clear I was able to take medication to help me ovulate. I would have to go into RMA every morning for a few days to see when the best day would be to take the trigger shot. Once they saw I had a good amount of eggs and that they were a good size I went home and had someone give me a needle in my stomach. This was the trigger shot. It forced my body to release all my eggs at a certain time.
That next morning we drove into RMA. My husband had to do his part first and then an hour later I was called in and I was injected with his sperm. It was a little uncomfortable and I had minor pain after but nothing too crazy. After the procedure we went to a diner and had pancakes! We toasted with orange juice and dreamed of what the next 9 months would bring.
The longest two week wait of our lives started. We hadn't told anyone what was going on, we just wanted to keep it quiet and to ourselves until we could announce our pregnancy. I went against all the rules and took a pregnancy test and my heart just burst into excitement as I saw that second line come into focus. WE DID IT! I was pregnant and we only had to do one round of fertility treatment.
Once the two week wait was done, I excitedly walked into get my blood drawn. I knew it was positive. I went to work and anticipated that phone call all day. Of course my phone rang while I was teaching so I couldn't pick it up. Once my students were in specials I anxiously listened to my voicemail. It said, "Hi Lauren, your bloodwork results came back and you are pregnant but the numbers are lower than what we would want to see at the point. Please come back in two days to make sure the numbers have increased."
Wait, what?
What does that mean? Do I still give my husband the cute little onesie as a gift? Do I lie to him a say they never called- he will be worried with that information. No, I tell him the truth and we figure it out together. Right?
I got home and told him. He was so excited. We went out to dinner to celebrate but deep in my heart I knew this journey wasn't over.
To be continued...
Comments
Post a Comment