In October, I was officially deemed "infertile." Colin and I began our infertility work-up around the first of October. After a series of poking and prodding, our doctor (Dr. Travelstead at Baptist Hospital) concluded that I don't ovulate on my own. I was prescribed Clomid to stimulate my ovaries and help induce ovulation each month. I stayed on Clomid for three or four months with no success. During this time, I discovered that Clomid is absolutely evil. It causes awful hot flashes, nausea, night sweats and moodiness. What fun for me and for Colin! I noticed a few adverse side effects during this time and mentioned them to my doctor at our check-up in January. The doctor concluded that Clomid, although good for ovulation, had caused my cervical mucus to thicken, which was hindering fertilization. Apparently, this happens in 25% of women on Clomid. We were then referred to Dr. John Isaacs at the Women's Specialty Center for a consultation. Dr. Isaacs suggested that we begin a series of intrauterine inseminations (IUI) to help us get pregnant. Insemination involves inserting the male's washed sperm sample into the uterus using a flexible catheter. The procedure is generally done six hours before or after ovulation. To learn more about insemination, you can visit http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/iui.html. We agreed that insemination was the best course of action and had our first IUI in March. Two weeks later, we found out that the IUI was a success. However, the morning of our first prenatal appointment, I started bleeding and soon discovered that I was losing the baby at 6 1/2 weeks. I had a natural miscarriage and had to wait almost two months until I could resume treatment. In May, we had another IUI..this time with no success. In June, we had yet another..again with no success. In July, we decided to buy a new house and I skipped my treatment to help reduce stress. In August, we were all set for another IUI, this time with the help of an ultrasound and trigger shot to release my eggs prior to the IUI. However, Hurricane Katrina had other plans and we had to skip the IUI once again.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
The Journey Begins..
In October, I was officially deemed "infertile." Colin and I began our infertility work-up around the first of October. After a series of poking and prodding, our doctor (Dr. Travelstead at Baptist Hospital) concluded that I don't ovulate on my own. I was prescribed Clomid to stimulate my ovaries and help induce ovulation each month. I stayed on Clomid for three or four months with no success. During this time, I discovered that Clomid is absolutely evil. It causes awful hot flashes, nausea, night sweats and moodiness. What fun for me and for Colin! I noticed a few adverse side effects during this time and mentioned them to my doctor at our check-up in January. The doctor concluded that Clomid, although good for ovulation, had caused my cervical mucus to thicken, which was hindering fertilization. Apparently, this happens in 25% of women on Clomid. We were then referred to Dr. John Isaacs at the Women's Specialty Center for a consultation. Dr. Isaacs suggested that we begin a series of intrauterine inseminations (IUI) to help us get pregnant. Insemination involves inserting the male's washed sperm sample into the uterus using a flexible catheter. The procedure is generally done six hours before or after ovulation. To learn more about insemination, you can visit http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/iui.html. We agreed that insemination was the best course of action and had our first IUI in March. Two weeks later, we found out that the IUI was a success. However, the morning of our first prenatal appointment, I started bleeding and soon discovered that I was losing the baby at 6 1/2 weeks. I had a natural miscarriage and had to wait almost two months until I could resume treatment. In May, we had another IUI..this time with no success. In June, we had yet another..again with no success. In July, we decided to buy a new house and I skipped my treatment to help reduce stress. In August, we were all set for another IUI, this time with the help of an ultrasound and trigger shot to release my eggs prior to the IUI. However, Hurricane Katrina had other plans and we had to skip the IUI once again.
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