I've moved!! Follow me to my new WordPress home!

I've been using Blogger for a couple of years, and after connecting with so many amazing IF bloggers who use WordPress, I have decided to follow suit and head over to WordPress.

I hope you will follow me!

www.babyareyoucoming.wordpress.com

Today is the perfect day to start living your dreams...or not.

Source

I saw this image on my Instagram feed yesterday just after DH and I had a chat about how he was feeling. If I had saw this image before our conversation, I would be all for it. But alas, I saw it after, and I just felt defeated. At the end of our conversation, well, I ended the conversation, DH said "well, we're not having kids any time soon anyway". To which I said, "we could be trying to have kids, and could have a child by next year if you wanted to". The only response I got was a shrug.

How did you know your clinic was "the one"?

We have only been to one fertility clinic for a consult. The experience was fine, the clinic was really nice, and our patient coordinator has been so helpful. However, DH found that they were really pushy in getting us to start IVF right away. The urologist he met with also practiced out of the same clinic, and he was also very pushy towards IVF.

I've read that for IUI to be one of the potential methods, DH needs at least 5 million sperms so there will still be a substantial number after the wash. DH's sperm counts are LOW, at 1 million, so I wasn't as surprised that they were pushing for IVF.

I've put in a request to go to another fertility clinic. So here we are waiting again. How many clinics did you consult with before find the one? How did you know it was the one?

Chromosomal Defect...Say WHAT?

In the midst of dealing with DH's depression diagnosis, he also got a call from our fertility doctor about a cytogenetics test he took when he met with the urologist. The test showed that DH has a paracentric inversion of chromosome 1.

I had, still have, no idea what this means. DH has been referred to a geneticist, but it will probably be weeks, if not months, before we get an appointment.

Of course, I had to turn to Google.

Wham Bam! Your World is Crumbling Ma'am!

The only thing I can do is think of a funny title. It's been a little over a week since my world has come crashing down. As you know, DH has an extremely low sperm count. I was beginning to be comfortable with that. He still has sperm, so IVF is an option. It will be a very trying, and expensive process, but it is still an option.

Then, last Monday happened...

Source

DH has been really stressed, and exhausted the last few months. He started a new job at the beginning of the year, and it's been hard for him to not be the big fish in a small pond anymore. He was so excited to start this new job, he had nothing but positive, and grand things to say about his new employer...before he even started to work.

Running cost of TTC

I figured it might be worthwhile to keep track of how much we spend on TTC. I will probably be depressed knowing how much I spent, but I think it's good to keep track.

Source

How much have you spent on TTC? Let me know in the comments below!

First appointment with the urologist

DH met with the urologist one day after our meeting with the fertility doctor. The urologist he met with was also part of the Olive Fertility. DH was not very happy with his experience. The doctor was late, which is fine, but he only spent 10 minutes with him. After meeting with Dr. Nakhuda, our fertility doctor, we were under the impression that the urologist will ask for another semen analysis. Dr. Nakhuda said that because the first two semen analysis were done pretty close together, it was worth doing another one to see if anything has changed. Also, all of his blood test results were normal, so that was a relief. But nope, the urologist was not interested in doing another test. DH explained that he had a hydrocele when he was younger, and the surgery to drain it had some complications. Further, he is pre-diabetic, and his father had varicoceles.

HSG - Hysterosalpinogram

When we set up our appointment at the fertility clinic, we were given a big list of tests to do before our appointment. One of the tests I had to get done was a hysterosalpinogram, or HSG. It is essentially an X-ray to see if your tubes are clear. It needs to be done after your period, but before CD 12.

I did some research on the test, and a lot of women said it as one of the most painful things they had ever gone through. I was quiet nervous going to the test, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to go back to work that day.

Fertility Doctor Consultation

DH and I went for our first appointment with the fertility doctor today. We were referred to Olive Fertility by my OB/GYN. Our doctor is Dr. Gary Nakhuda.

The overall experience was interesting. The first time I visited the clinic was about two months ago, when my OB brought me down to the office to schedule a consult. When I was there the first time, it was a ghost town. But today, I saw 4 - 5 couples coming to and from their appointments. It made me feel good to see that we're not alone in our struggle, but at the same time, I also felt bad that these couples were going through a similar thing.

Review: AIM Pregnancy Strips

When you're TTC, you want to know ASAP if you're pregnant. There are so many kinds of pregnancy tests, ranging from a few cents each, to upwards of $30! They are either dip tests, where you pee in a cup and dip the strip, dripping the pee into a cassette, or pee on the stick tests. I personally prefer peeing on a stick because I don't need to find a cup, and wash it out afterwards.

I got 5 AIM Pregnancy Strips when I ordered Pre-Seed from Amazon. These are dip strips, and they cost $13.99 for a 5-pack on Amazon. While these are not the cheapest tests on the market, they are pretty inexpensive.

Getting the news...

We had already gotten bad news when we received C's semen results. It was very upsetting. I completely broke down when we got home from the doctor.  All I have ever wanted was to have children and be a mother, and now that has been taken away from me. It was now a waiting game. There's nothing I can do until we see the specialists.

I had my OB/GYN appointment a few weeks ago. When C did his semen analysis, a copy of the results was also sent to my OB. My first appointment with Dr. Rosengarten was quick, there were some good things, and some not so good things.

Semen Analysis and Results

When I went to our family doctor for a referral to an OB/GYN, I figured I might as well get a lab requisition for C. There are only two labs in the Vancouver area that will take semen samples. We had to wait about 3 weeks to get our appointment.

We first had to pick up the approved cup from the lab before our test date. We also got a list of instructions to follow.

Review: Pre-seed

One of the problems I believe is making it more difficult for us to conceive is my lack of EWCM. After doing some research, I came across Pre-seed.

Pre-seed is a lubricant. But unlike most lubes, it is sperm friendly. It also claims to simulate your vagina's PH, and also fertile cervical mucus' consistency.

We typically don't use any lubricants, but since I was missing EWCM, I decided to give it a try. I bought my first tube from a fertility clinic in Vancouver. It was around $38. Once we finished the first tube, I searched online for a better deal, and was able to find it on Amazon for $48 for 2 boxes, plus some AIM pregnancy strips.

Supplements I have tried so far - For shortening my cycle

Estrosmart Plus

This was the first product I tried. At this point, I hadn't really done much research, I had just gotten off the pill. I was out shopping and walked into a health food store just for the hell of it. I told the sales associate that I had just gotten off the pill, and we are currently trying to conceive. She recommended Estrosmart Plus. I took the pills every day for a month. The cycle after I completed the pills was actually "normal" at 28 days.

Supplements I have tried so far - For improving EWCM

Being an impatient person, I was eager to research and try supplements that may help my cycle regulate itself. In addition to having irregular cycles, I also don't have any egg white cervical mucus, so I added that symptom to my list to research.

Evening Primrose Oil

I was researching supplements that can help increase fertile cervical mucus, and EPO was something that came up again and again. EPO is derived from the seeds of the plant, and is high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E. In addition to being used for fertile cervical mucus, women also use it to ease PMS/menopausal symptoms.

A little bit about me...

DH and I have known each other since we were 16. While it took us seven years before we started dating, it was another 7 years until we were married. I always believed in waiting until marriage before having children, as such, I started taking birth control pills at 18, and didn't stop until a few months before we were married. I was on birth control pills for a total of 12 years.

Why am I here?

I've created this blog as a way to write about our journey in trying to conceive our first baby. We started trying to conceive in July 2013, and it has been about nine months as of this writing. While I know this is by no means a long time compared to other couples, I just have a gut feeling this may be a long journey.

I have done a lot of reading since we began our journey. I hope I can share some of the knowledge I've acquired.

~m