So a lot has happened in the last few months fertility wise and I’ve just been letting it all sink in and have been waiting, trying to figure out what to share and when.
My surgeries went well. The cyst I had was not cancerous (yay!). The doc was pretty sure it was caused from blood getting into the opening where the egg was released. I had some endometriosis. That’s all been cleaned up and removed (again). My septum left no scaring, so awesome work by my Scott AFB doctor, Dr. Carter.
I got to do an IUI in June. When doing routine bloodwork, my doctor found out my thyroid level was elevated. Apparently they have just changed what is “normal”. “Normal” is now under 4.0. I was at 4.5. (The “normal” range used to extend to 5.0, but it has been lowered in the last few years.) I am relieved that the doctors finally found this. I have suspected it since my mid-20s ever since I read that high thyroid levels can cause irregular periods. It can also affect fertility and a low metabolism, both of which I have. I’m on medication now for it, but it takes at least six weeks for the medication to start working. This could explain why I’ve had so many miscarriages and fertility issues. The nurses have told them that they are directly linked. I’m just really annoyed that every time I have asked about the thyroid levels before (in Washmo, with the doctors at Andrews and Walter Reed) I’ve been told I was “normal”. Apparently not. It’s frustrating, and I have just realized I can’t wonder “what-if”. Lesson learned: you know your body better than anyone else and advocate for it even when doctors don’t agree with you.
The IUI didn’t take. I thought we had timed everything right. I even got acupuncture in on the day before the IUI, but no luck. I’m betting the thyroid is partially to blame. All of this just makes me think that Emma is even more of a miracle than I ever thought.
So, we are preparing for IVF this fall. I’m in the fifth week of the August cycle at SAMMC, which means I’m actually starting meds and everything mid-September. Hopefully, we have a baby (or babies) in June of next year. (This will make moving really fun since everywhere we could move to is at least a two-day drive—if not more. I’m hoping for an early PCS if we are expecting in June. I’d rather move early than with a newborn…and I have no desire to extend here. I’m so ready to be out of Texas!)
Mark and I have done a lot of thinking about IVF and how to be responsible with the life that is being created. We have decided that we will freeze any unused embryos and they will get a chance at life in future years. None are going to be “disposed of”. We’ll pay for storage, and we’ll do embryo transfers in the future. If they survive and take, then great. If not, we have given them all a chance at life. If I have learned anything about fertility, it really is about survival of the fittest.
So, now we wait. I’m on birth control pills to let my body “rest” before the docs start stimulating it in September. We are going to Colorado, and I’m going to enjoy a much-needed little family vacation next week. Mark’s parents are looking at trying to come up when the eggs are retrieved and when the embryos are transferred so that someone is here to give Emma the attention she needs during all of this. I’m doing a lot of reading, have talked to a friend down here who has been through IVF twice at SAMMC, have read a lot of blogs and threads on chat boards, and hope to talk to a few more people who have been through this in the upcoming weeks. I feel like my chances are good at getting pregnant, since I don’t have many of the complications that someone who opts for IVF usually has. Plus, I have Emma, and we didn’t use IVF with her…I just know this is going to be successful, whether it’s this time or in a future try.
I’m nervous about the monetary investment since I’m not working, so we won’t be traveling to St. Louis or anywhere else after our Colorado trip. With that said, I truly feel like this is why God put us in San Antonio. We never dreamed we would be here; we didn’t even know it was an option. We didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be in Albuquerque getting my Ph.d in education, Mark wanted to be flying, but here were are…and now I know why we are here.
