What's Up, Doc? (The Plan)

Today we met with our fertility specialist, Dr. Fogle. She’s great! She explained to us the significance of AMH levels and their role in making a baby. She then charted out different plans of action. For a few reasons, we’ve decided to proceed with a few rounds of IUI beginning with my next cycle. more

For reference, here are the AMH level interpretations for women under 35:

Over 4.0 ng/ml = High (often PCOS) 1.5-4.0 ng/ml = Normal 1.0-1.5 ng/ml = Low Normal Range 0.5-1.0 ng/ml = Low (this is me... 0.52) Less than 0.5 ng/m = Very Low

IUI (intrauterine insemination) = Mike’s strongest swimmers are separated from the weak ones. Then, the strongest ones are injected (via catheter) into my uterus. By injecting Mike’s boys directly into my uterus, we increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.

Before the injection happens though, we have to rev up my ovaries. I do this by taking DHEA supplements 3 times a day and Clomid on certain days of my cycle.

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) improves the chances of pregnancy, increases the quality and quantity of eggs, and decreases the risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormalities. Great! But there are some pretty lame side effects like acne, hair loss, upset stomach, high blood pressure and weight loss. Hooray...

Clomid (clomiphene citrate) is an oral medication used to enhance ovulation and ensure proper timing of insemination. It acts as an anti-estrogen and tricks the body into producing hormones that stimulate the ovaries. Clomid has some pretty sweet side effects too! It can cause hot flashes, headaches, breast tenderness, nausea, nervousness, visual disturbances, vaginal dryness, ovarian cysts and moodiness. Double hooray…

Our insurance will cover up to 6 cycles of IUI (awesome!). Insurance will not cover IVF UNTIL we’ve done at least 6 cycles of IUI…(hence why we opted to do IUI first). This is tricky because statistically, your odds of success with IUI actually decrease with the more cycles you do. Dr. Fogle is only recommending we do 2-3 rounds of IUI; if that’s not successful, she’s suggesting we move on to IVF (because my AMH levels are so low, we don’t want to waste time). BUT insurance won’t cover IVF unless we’ve done 6 rounds of IUI… see the problem? For someone like me who doesn’t have any cycles to waste, this is really tricky. Financially, we can’t afford to pay out of pocket for IVF, but physically, we can’t afford to waste cycles on more rounds of IUI when the likelihood of success is slim. It’s a tricky world we live in… Fingers crossed that IUI works!

On a good note, a colleague of mine did 3 rounds of IUI with Dr. Fogle and has a beautiful baby boy!! It’s really nice knowing someone who has gone through this process AND with the SAME doctor. I felt so reassured about our decision after talking to her about her experience. She did however warn me about the effects of Clomid. She said she was SUPER moody and suggested that I warn my husband to be ready.

Despite all of the crap I’m about to put my body through, my biggest concern is for my relationship with my husband. Mike and I have been through a lot in the past year, and I KNOW we can get through this too. I’ve never been on hormones and I’m not sure how it’s going to affect my personality. My colleague suggested being very open with Mike about my emotions and warned me not to keep things bottled in… and same goes for Mike. I’m going to try my best to take that advice and keep things in perspective.

During our consultation with Dr. Fogle, she highly recommended that I begin doing yoga to help with my stress and anxiety; Mike LOVED this because he’s been telling me to go to yoga for years! So I’m gonna give it a shot. Everyone I talk to says I’ll love it. I’m willing to try if it’s going to help.

If all goes as planned, IUI Cycle #1 will begin February 22. Let’s do this!! #babyorbust

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Quoted: "Even miracles take a little time." - Fairy Godmother

Listen In: "Reasons Why" by Nickel Creek