Starting at the beginning

For those that are reading this blog there has been a lot of talk about IUI and IVF procedures. I want to take a minute to give you some info if you are just starting out on this road of infertility, and I do hope it is a short one for you.

Most people do not jump right into IUI or IVF, the first step (depending on your diagnosis) is usually a drug called Clomid. Clomid is an orally administered drug that stimulates the ovaries. Clomid can be used alone or in conjunction with timed intercourse or with IUI. It's best to monitored by a OBGYN or an fertility specialist when taking Clomid, because there is an increased risk of multiples and you also want to make sure that it's working and that you are timing your intercourse at the right time. That would suck to have a bunch of eggs and miss the time that they are released.

Clomid can be very helpful for women who have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) because their ovaries sometimes do not function properly. Clomid will help a lot of those women ovulate, therefore giving them the opportunity to become pregnant.

Clomid is fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to other fertility drugs. Clomid is usually covered under an insurance drug plan (I think mine was $8.00 with my insurance) So its a great first step in your journey to parenthood.

I tried Clomid for 2 cycles, they say its best to give it 3 times before moving onto more aggressive treatment. We did Clomid with timed intercourse, but because of our diagnosis at the time we were instructed to stop after the second failure and move onto something that was better suited for our situation. So talk to your doctor and see if Clomid would be a suitable treatment for you, its a great first step and hopefully your only step.
Best of luck, lots of baby dust!

Our road to parenthood

I thought I should give a little insight to how I got to where I am in my fertility journey. So here is our journey:

August 2006- Married, decided to wait a few months to have kids
December 2006- Threw away the Birth Control pills
January 2007- Surprise BFP (big fat positive)
February 2007- Miscarriage
April 2007- Started trying naturally again
September 2007- Saw my OBGYN, expressed my disappointment that we were not pregnant- HSG ordered for me and Seman Analysis ordered for my husband.
After seman analysis came back questionable referred to a urologist and a fertility specialist
Met with urologist- he told my husband that nothing was wrong, told him to order special vitamins to help with sperm health, and said come back if you aren't pregnant in a year.
I met with fertility specialist (RE) and was told that IVF was our best option, because of our sperm issues. Doctor said lets retest sperm in 3 months
January 2008- Sperm Analysis repeated- it showed some improvement- told IVF was still our best option. Doctor moving into a new office, we are on hold until spring. Decide to take Clomid and try some timed intercourse.
March 2008- 2 rounds of Clomid and Timed Intercourse failed- still waiting until doctor is in her new office
April 2008- Doctor moved into new office, repeat seman analysis- told IVF is best option- we decide to go ahead with IVF in the Fall- due to us moving in the summer.
June 2008- Get moved into new house, find out my new insurance covers 6 IUI's at 100%- starting September 1st.
Decide to try a few IUI's because we have nothing to loose with our insurance paying for them.
September 2008- IUI #1 postponed due to ovarian cyst
October 2008- waiting to start IUI #1- found out that April 2009 we have IVF coverage, YEAH!! Will still move forward with the IUI's in the meantime, hopefully we won't need IVF.

So that's our journey, its been a lot of waiting! I am so sick and tired of waiting!