Monday 30 August 2010

You do the math

I think there must be some sort of mathematical equation for trying to get pregnant. I was never very good at maths but I’d say it goes something like this:

The longer you try to conceive + the more you try to find out about why you’re not conceiving = the less you know + the more confused you are X the number of people around you getting pregnant and having babies at the drop of a hat = the less confident you feel about everything in the entire world.

Or is that just me?

Last week I went to have my first scan of a monitored cycle (Day 7, Cycle 14). The last time I was scanned was at Month 7 when they checked to see if my tubes are open (they are + ovulating naturally = v positive). At that point they sent me away with a recommendation to carry on trying naturally using Cyclogest for a few months (thin lining + short luteal phase = bit of a problem) and to have a hysteroscopy to check an irregularity they thought they saw in my uterus during the scan.

Four months of Cyclogest and a hysteroscopy later (progesterone + no pregnancy + clear uterus = sad but hopeful), I had no idea what do next. I took my friend’s good advice to go back for another monitored cycle to double check what’s going on down there (phone call + appointment made = feel much better for having done something).

Everything looked fine at the first scan (old lining gone + good number of follicles visible = ovulation expected) and even better at the second scan today (lining thickening up + ovary showing strong signs of action = ovulating now).

So I took the opportunity to ask some questions about what my next step might be. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to in a professional capacity about this, right from Month 6, has been very quick to mention IVF (I thought there were other things I could try + seems drastic = v confused).

I was told by the Scan Man (with funny speech impediment): “Errum, the reason the specialists would have, errum, suggested IVF to you so quickly was, errum, out of kindness, not for, errum, business reasons.”

Errum, right. I smell shit of the bull variety.

Anyway, apparently there are some steps between Cyclogest and IVF after all (duh) and once this cycle is well and truly monitored and I have all the facts I can get my hands on, I’ll go back to the fertility specialist and talk through what that next step will be.

That is, assuming I don’t get pregnant in the meantime (ovulating now + sex = baby making).

Right?

Errum....

Until next time.

Juno

2 comments:

  1. We've had similar histories with the short luteal phase thing etc. On my first RE visit (at age 38), when I was automatically assuming to hear that I needed to go straight to IVF, my doctor said, "If you had come in here with that request, I would have talked you out of it. You are ovulating consistently which is good, and depending on your hormone levels and tubes, there are definitely things we can try first."

    Don't know if that helps. And I'm hoping you just get knocked up in the meantime!

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  2. Just got your comment. Not sure if you get notified when I reply to a comment, so thought I'd just comment back on yours. You can definitely email me directly.

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