30 Days of Grateful Blogging - Day 21

Today, after two months of our 'baby hiatus', we finally went back to see our doctor.  After the longest stint between appointments we've ever had, he was surprised to see us.  First thing he asked as we walked in the door was if we'd been away so long because we'd had good news, we both laughed.  Nope, not THAT good news anyway.

So the idea of this appointment was mostly so that Hubby and I could sit down with him together, since it's such a rare occasion that happens, and discuss what comes next for us.  Obviously, despite the fact that we make good eggs (while on meds) and great sperm, we just can't put two and two together.  So IVF is the next option.  The thing I love most about our doc is he never assumes what we want, he always asks first what we've been thinking.  So when we said we were ready for IVF, he simply smiled and nodded.  

We sat in his office for about half an hour, while we calculated when my period was due next, then when I'd start meds, and then scanning and egg pickup.  He explained that he'd make sure we got this all done before he went on his annual leave in July.  Adding that if the cycle did run long, we'd have a joint consult with his colleague who would take us on, so we didn't have to wait til he got back.   He then made us an appointment at the nurses clinic to discuss medication cycles, and to help us with payment options.  

We had a chance to finally air some of our biggest concerns, such as egg collection numbers (how many was too many, or too little), whether we'd do IVF or ICSI (IVF for us), and what he recommended about transfer numbers.  Overall, it was a really great appointment.  I know going into it, we were both uncertain about a lot of things.  I guess in our minds all we could think about was that it was such a big step up from IUI, and how our finances might impede how quickly we could try IVF, and keep trying if we needed to.  But now we feel much more settled.  I think as this last few weeks count down we will become far less uncertain, and far more excited about what a huge step in the right direction this is.  

So today I am grateful for our doctor.  I am grateful for God's direction, because it led us to his office and into his care.  I am grateful that my Husband kept his mind and heart open to accepting what needed to come next.  I am grateful for the time we've had away from this all-consuming part of our lives to just be together.  And I am grateful for HOPE!  Without which, we would not have made it this far.  And now the journey really begins...

 

Why hello there!

Hello from my computer screen to yours! 

I'm a twenty-something woman, working and living in beautiful Brisbane.  I'm married to a gorgeous man and the love of my life 'hubby'.  We've been married for just over 18 months and recently decided that we'd like to start our family.  Little did we know that this would be any more difficult than stopping contraception, taking some prenatal vitamins and start "trying".  But, when trying turned into nothing, and nothing turned into months of nothing, we thought we better go get checked out.

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which basically means my body doesn't release an egg when it's supposed to.  It is one of the easier to treat causes of infertility, but nonetheless we're going to need help to make our babies.

Statistics can be boring, that is until when you become one.  I did a little research and this is what I can tell you about infertility in Australia, and trust me, I was surprised!

• One in six couples is infertile. In 40 per cent of cases the problem rests with the male, in 40 per cent with the female, ten per cent with both partners, and in a further ten per cent of cases, the cause is unknown.
• Fertility problems strike one in three women over 35.
• One in 25 males has a low sperm count and one in 35 is sterile.
• For healthy couples in their twenties having regular unprotected sex, the chance of becoming pregnant each month is 25 per cent.
• The chance of conceiving in an IVF cycle is on average around 20 per cent (but varies due to individual circumstances).
• More than one per cent of births in Australia involve the use of assisted reproductive technologies.

Crazy stuff right?!  Well to put that in a more personal perspective, out of ten of my female friends who have recently had babies, five have required fertility treatments.  It boggles my brain to think of it like that!  

So, I just thought if I can share what I know, and will learn, as we too travel down this road infertility and baby-lust, maybe it'd help remove some of the stigma and surprise about the challenges of baby making.

Here's a few links that I found helpful:

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/

http://www.fertilitysociety.com.au/

http://www.makingbabies.net.au/

http://www.qfg.com.au/