Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Unexplained Infertility

We finally have a diagnosis for our fertility problems...well, not really! We have unexplained infertility. Which essentially means that they don't know why we aren't getting pregnant. We are essentially right where we started. This was my biggest fear before we started testing...that we would go through it all and come out on the other end with no answers. Again, I am happy that nothing is wrong, but frustrated that we have no answers. My obgyn said that our next step is to go to an infertility specialist (RE) and do a few cycles of Clomid with IUI (interuterine insemination). But since none of that would be covered by our insurance, we are waiting. The initial consulation alone will be $250, and that's just to talk to the doctor! So, we wait on the Lord! It's definitely a hard road, but the Lord has given me so much peace! I'm so thankful for that!! I did start taking some vitamins this cycle (B6 and a B complex) as I have read that those can help improve your fertility...so, we'll see. I figure that they might not do anything, but at least they won't harm anything either.

So the journey continues. It is completely in the Lord's hands...just where it needs to be!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Spring! :)

Spring is here!! :) I LOVE this time of year! Everything is blooming...it's like a brand new start. The air is cool and crisp with the smell of blooming flowers! LOVE IT! I have been spending a lot of time outside lately...running/walking & reading on the back porch. I can't wait for it warm up a bit, so I can lay out and get some sun!

Well, we have finished the preliminary round of infertility testing. I went yesterday morning for the final blood draw. This one tested my progesterone level. I should find out the results tomorrow. The HSG x-ray went well...not nearly as painful as I expected. The doctor immediately told me that everything looked good (no blockage), so that was comforting. Then my doctor followed up with a more thorough look at the pictures he took and said everything was normal...so good news. Unlike the first blood test, when I was disappointed that they found nothing wrong, I was thrilled that this test was normal. To have blocked tubes would not have been good. Now I am hoping that this progesterone test will reveal something abnormal, therefore explaining our problems conceiving. But, who knows?! From what I've heard, the next step will be to start Clomid for 4-5 cycles (maximum). I have high hopes that Clomid will do the trick. Although, I am still waiting for my cycle to start for this month...so maybe this will be the month?! I have learned over the last 19 months to not get my hopes up too much, however, the Lord has really given me a peace as of late about that. I truly believe that he is going to bless us with a pregnancy and healthy baby SOON! :)

In other news...I am going today to meet a lady that works with the youth at Perimeter. I am hoping to become a mentor to one of the Senior High Girls. I have had a desire to work with High Schoolers for a while now, but the opportunity had not presented itself until now. So I am excited to see how the Lord is going to use me in this area. :)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Update

Yesterday I got the results from my blood tests that I had run last week. Everything came back normal. These results brought me mixed emotions...Of course I am happy that nothing is wrong with my hormone levels, however I am also a bit disappointed. I was sort of hoping that they would find something a little off with my hormones and then be able to work it out with some meds. That seemed like the easiest "solution". But, that's not how the Lord has this planned. So, now the next step is to do the HSG x-ray of my fallopian tubes. This is where they will shoot some dye into my fallopian tubes and check for blockage. I know that this procedure itself isn't a huge deal (although it is possibly going to be pretty painful), however it's what they could find that scares me a bit. I was hoping for an "easy fix" and now it looks like it might be something more "major" that might involve surgery of some sort. The x-ray has been scheduled for Thursday morning. My parents will be in town that day, so I will have my mom here to take care of me, which is definitely nice! Brian is going to go with me to the appointment (and my mom too!) so that I won't be all alone. I've heard that the actual test only takes about 10 minutes and is more painful if you do have some sort of blockage. After the test I expect to have some cramping for the remainder of the day. I am also hoping that they will be able to give me some preliminary results on the day of the test.

Once this test is over (and if it comes back normal), I'm not sure what the next step is. It is possible that the doctor would put me on Clomid for a few cycles to see if that helps, but I'm not sure. I'm sure there are other tests they can run also...who knows. I guess eventually this could all lead to IUI or IVF....we'll see. For now we are just trusting that the Lord will lead us through this. Something I have wrestled with in the past (and continue to) is trying to figure out the balance between relying on the Lord and the actions we should take. My latest thoughts on that are that no matter what we do (sit around and do nothing or go through every possible test) the outcome will be the same. I know that the Lord will open my womb in His timing, no matter what I do. So, we are left with the choice of action (do these tests) or idle waiting (not doing all these tests). We have chosen, for now, to take action. We don't know what means the Lord has planned out for us, but this testing may be the way He has planned for us to become parents. So, we act...we completely trust the Lord and understand that He is in complete control. We know that there is nothing we can or can't do to change His plan and we are thankful for that! I know that one day we will look back on this time and see the Lord's hand in all of this. We will understand more clearly all of our "why" questions. Until then, we walk in faith, relying on the Lord for all our needs!