We started IVF in 2011.
My husband and I met in 2011 while working at a retail store. We immediately became best friends, but that only lasted so long when he asked me to be his girlfriend and in 2015 we moved in together. We spent a lot of our time traveling and adopted 2 kitties. In 2019 we made a huge decision and within a month we moved to Florida, the Sunshine State. Who thought this would be the start of our IVF journey.
While living in Connecticut, I visited a local fertility clinic. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn’t thoroughly inform myself or knew anyone who was struggling with infertility at the time. I informed the Physician of my concerns of not getting pregnant after trying for 2 years. She suggested that I receive fertility testing to rule out any concerns. All these tests are completed on different days of your cycle and consisted of:
SHG (Sonohysterogram):
this procedure is a transvaginal ultrasound with the addition of saline that is inserted into the uterus. The SHG is used to evaluate uterine abnormalities and the uterine lining or other disorders, such as Endometriosis.
HSG (Hysterosalpingogram):
this procedure is an X-ray that is used to evaluate the status of a woman’s fallopian tubes by a catheter to see if the uterine cavity has no malformations, adhesions, polyps, or fibroids.
Basal Antral Follicle Count:
A transvaginal ultrasound that is used to measure how many follicles (eggs) are in the ovaries.
After examination I was informed that my test results returned normal, indicating that I had an “undiagnosed infertility” and that our percentage of conceiving after 3 years would rise. We needed to try IVF.
At that point, we said F it, let’s just have some fun, continue to try with hopes that we will get pregnant reasonably soon.
We then moved to Florida and after living here for a year, I decided to get a 2nd opinion. This specific IVF doctor requested that I retrieve copies of the test results from the clinic in Connecticut to analyze, and he reported having no concerns on my behalf. He then asked for my husband to complete a semen analysis which was something the clinic in Connecticut should have requested, but didn’t. The results came back, and my husband was diagnosed with having antibodies in his sperm. Antibodies in the sperm means the immune system fights against a man’s sperm in their semen.
What a relief we thought, to finally find out what has been causing us to be infertile this whole time but then being informed that our only way to conceive would be IVF as our chances of conceiving naturally would be 2%.
Being told that you only have a 2% chance of conceiving naturally, effing sucks ( can I even curse on here??).
My thoughts went back and forth; YAY! we found out what was wrong, but UGH! Our only chance of having a baby is IVF. The cost, dedication, multiple doctors appointments, hormones, injections , consistency, and mental health, etc. were significant factors.
SCREW IT! We’re doing this!
