I had Day 3 blood work last week and on Friday my doctor's office called to say what I knew they would: Everything looked normal.
Then my husband submitted his own "sample," amid much angst about his manliness, and the doctor's office called Tuesday to tell me what I knew they would: His sperm is normal.
Now they want to schedule the next round of testing on me, which I imagine will include more blood work and an ultrasound or something of the sort. I haven't scheduled it yet. I'm waiting ...
I know Day 3 blood work means next to nothing. It means I haven't entered into early menopause, which is fabulous news. But it doesn't tell me anything else, at all. I hope Christina will not mind when I tell you that she has had Day 3 blood work done more than once, and all times it returned normal. This in a woman who has PCOS and endometriosis.
It occurs to me that I should send my doctor information about basal body temperatures I've tracked over the last six months or so, and clue her in on my own suspicions about progesterone deficiency. I will. I'm waiting ...
I guess I feel like I'm at a fork in the road. The road I most certainly will go down involves lots of poking and prodding. The road I want to go down involves naturally and happily conceiving a child without thinking too hard about it. These early tests are a bit deceiving, I think, in offering hope that everything could be normal, and it simply hasn't happened yet. A few more months might be all it will take.
Making Babies says that in any given cycle, a normally healthy couple has a 20 to 25 percent chance of conceiving if they're having sex two to three times a week. Chances do not go up just because you try over and over, month after month. I've never been known to be extremely lucky. Perhaps the coin is just landing wrong every month.
If I have to continue down this the path of medical testing, I'd like to be in optimal health. Is it wrong for me to wait a couple months until I feel optimally healthy? Is it realistic for me to believe I will ever be healthier than I am right now?
I hope it is.
So that's that. Round 1 is done. Round 2 is imminent. My brain is tired and needs to figure out what it's willing to do, and when.
It's me again, the nosy infertile. :O)
ReplyDeleteI don't know your age, but I was in the same boat. They couldn't find anything wrong with me, they told me my husband had perfect sperm. I did NOT share that information with him. Or, at least, not that adjective. Ha.
I went the simple route, tried 3 rounds of ultrasounds, clomid, and trigger shots. Didn't work. Then I had the HSG, which showed blocked tubes.
Do you have financial reasons to wait? We did.
My only regret? That I opted to wait to do the HSG. I wasted three months of out of pocket expenses for the clomid tries. Wish I had gone straight to HSG to know that my tubes are blocked and there was no way on this earth that I would conceive naturally.
So... from my perspective... get the HSG. It's not a great test, but most people tolerate it well. Find out that your tubes are functioning. Then go have some sex.
As an aside, there is a greater chance of conception after an HSG, as it sort of flushes out the system.
i hate when everything keeps coming back normal. i hate it so much that i'm joyous and relieved when they say "sorry you've had such a hard time. it's because you have endometriosis."
ReplyDeletegoing for an ultrasound today. but not the good kind. -the "endometriosis" kind. ugh.
Lisa - really good advice. I have an inherent distrust of all doctors and would definitely want to get to the root cause of my infertility before taking any drugs just because the doctor thinks it *might* help.
ReplyDeleteTILTE - best wishes for your appt today, I hope they give you good news.
I think you just need some time to digest things. You sound overwhelmed and stressed out. (Which is totally understandable.)
ReplyDeleteGive it some time to sink in, talk to B, and then make your decision.
Go get the second round of tests. the not knowing is worse than the knowing. And tell your doctor about the progesterone.
ReplyDeleteAnd keep your head up!