Egg Retrieval

The egg retrieval was nothing like what I expected it to be. I really did not know what to expect. But the retrieval was Wednesday, it is now Saturday that I am typing this, and I still hurt. It fells like I have done a trillion sit ups. No joke. It hurts to walk, or sit. Most of the time the only comfortable position is lounging. Don't even get me started on trying to fall asleep at night.

But anyways. 8:45 Wednesday was our appointment. I had to take a shot at precisely 9:15 the night before so that it was in my system for 36 hours before the retrieval. I had to take the shot at Justin's Grandmothers house that night. I told her I was sorry, but I had to go shoot up in her bathroom real fast. We smiled, and she said, no problem, I don't mind as long as its you. I just love her. (She also told me that night she would find me another husband).
We got to the office, we went to the room, I got my vitals checks (my blood pressure was the highest I had ever seen it, normally its really good) and got in my gown. One of the doctors came in and told me all the wonderful things that could go wrong during the procedure and made me sign a consent form (also not good for my blood pressure) and then I got my IV.

The sad part was Justin was not able to be with me during the procedure. They told me most people just sleep through it. They give drugs to help with the pain, and they said it really only hurts with the initial poke through the ovaries. They were wrong FYI.

So they put you in a chair, in the normal position for a visit to your OB. But then they move the chair so your legs are above your head. Its cold and uncomfortable, but luckily they do give you drugs quickly. They also told me I would not remember the procedure, another lie. I remember, and I remember that I was in a lot of pain. I remember the nurse stroking my arm trying to calm me down. I did eventually fall asleep because I don't remember going back into the room. But I did wake up in my room, and Justin and the nurse was there.

It then was the normal waking up from lots of drugs in your system. They gave me crackers and juice, and when I was ready we went home.
Justin was really disappointed because the doctor said I would be really loopy and fun.Wrong, I was just really tired, and I remember having a hard time trying to talk.

In the end they retrieved 14 egg, 13 of which were mature.

Starting IVF

We had a really good consultation with Dr. Peterson about IFV and what to expect, and the drug to take. We were a little unprepared for how much those medication were going to cost us. It turned out to be about $2000.
The first step is I have to take birth control pills for a few weeks to calm everything down. After that you start lupron. Lupron causes my natural production of hormones to shut down temporarily. Then we can recreate the hormones in my system with lots of injections. Lupron is just a little injection (compared to the others). I did that for 14 days before I started the others. I used Gonal F again, and Repronex. Repronex is for stimulating follicle development and egg maturation, it also has something to do with pituitary suppression.
The normal procedure is to do these 3 three injection (stimulants) for 11 days. You go in for daily ultrasounds on day 8 of stimulants.
Our appointments are usually bright and early, around 6 or 7 in the morning. So on a Monday morning, day 8, we went in and were pleasantly surprised that we were ready to go. No more injections, and egg retrieval would be the coming Wednesday. The doctor took a blood sample to make sure my eggs were mature, and sent me on my way.

The only thing I like and dislike at the same time is that at the U you deal with more than just your own doctor. I have seen 3 other doctors through out the years at the U and Dr. Peterson is by far my favorite. But he has actually never done any of my insemination's. And he would not be doing the egg retrieval or the implant. Don't get me wrong, all the other doctors are really nice. But Dr. Peterson I just prefer over all the others.

So time to get ready for the extraction...

One Last Insemination

Before we went to IVF we wanted to try one more insemination. I went back on all the drugs that I had previously been taking, plus one more. The doctor wanted to know if we were interested in trying something a little more aggressive. We agreed because even if it was a little more expensive, and if it worked, we then didn't have to do IVF which was 10X more expensive.
Dr. Peterson had me do a few injections of Gonal F. Gonal F is the hormone FSH  that helps stimulate healthy ovaries to produce eggs.
We were really hopeful for this round. One Sunday I was curious to know if I was ovulating. With all these months of failure something had to be wrong. So I just took a test for the heck of it. It ended up being positive! I pretty much freaked out, called the nurse on call, and they had me rush in to get an ultrasound.
I drove over to the church and picked Justin up so we could ride up to the clinic.
During ultrasounds what they do is measure the size of the follicles, and record how many are growing. I had a ton! and they were big! But unfortunately that is not a good thing in this case. The University won't do an insemination if there is a chance of a crazy amount of multiple births. So they shut me down. They gave me a form of progesterone and said sorry. That was a really awful day. I don't think Justin knew how to calm me down. I just cried and cried. I cried in the doctors office, in the car, at the pharmacy, on the car ride home, and more at home. And a few days later I still was a little teary.
So with this fun day we knew there was no other option but IFV.

May 2013 to December 2013

This was probably one of the hardest times for me in last few years. I felt like my world had shattered!! The day Justin lost his job I broke down and cried and cried and cried. I went to work and cried some more. Luckily I had a great friend (and family member) at work that was compassionate and he told me everything was going to be OK.

It felt like everything we had worked for the last year had been lost. We had to stop, we could not afford to do anymore. 

Justin worked really hard to find a new job, and I worked extra hours at my job to try and make up a little of the difference. But, we still could not afford the medical bills that were coming in.

Side note: the U has a great billing program! Just had to throw that out there. 

We also felt very strongly that an IVF loan was not the way to go. We had already piled on the credit card debt for the insemination's, and we didn't want to add another $10,000 in debt.

It's funny how a life shattering event (at the time) can turn into one of your greatest blessings. Justin was able to find an even better job with a great company and great co workers.

Then in October we decided that I should try and get a job there too. 

The best part was insurance premiums were paid for my the company. So starting in January we were both covered, with zero premiums, and we elected for $2500 each in flex money. So starting February 1st we were already half way to having the money we needed for IVF. 

Acupuncture

Before Justin lost his job I was able to do a few sessions of acupuncture during one of my cycles. If I had the money I would be an acupuncture junkie. It is the best! I did a little research and found you have to make sure you see a acupuncturist that is familiar with infertility treatments. I found a great lady out in a Salt Lake that I highly recommend, Lisa Andrade, at the Center for Reproductive Wellness.

Acupuncture was a whole new experience. You get to lay on the table and she pokes little needles in you. I usually had needles in my forehead, ears, stomach, hands (wrists), legs, and feet. They changed each session, but generally that's where they were. You then get to close your eyes and take a nap. Some would say its a glorified $100 nap, and I would of agreed if I had never tried it. But I am a firm believer now. It is the best I had felt in the last few years. And if I had the money I would be there every week. 

January 2013 - May 2013 Artificial Inseminations

Out first step was to start letrozole again. But along with it I took dexamethasone. This medication is a corticosteroid hormone (glucocorticoid). It decreases your body's natural defensive response and reduces symptoms such as swelling and allergic-type reactions. Dr. Peterson said it was for the purpose of swelling. Combined with letrozole it's known to help with infertility. 

It did help, but not enough. We then added metformin. This drug is for diabetics. Since my body does not know when to stop producing insulin, metformin shuts down that piece of my brain that says I need more insulin.  

This by far is the worst drug I have taken. 

Side effects up to this point had been relatively minor. Mood swings, hot flashes, irritability, it's like having PMS the majority of the time. The problem with metformin was it makes me sick to my stomach 24/7. I can live with mood swings (and Justin has been really awesome dealing with my mood swings) but being constantly sick to my stomach, not being able to eat, and keeping me up at night, that has been the worst. 

But it's working! I respond really well with all three drugs. I was able to have lots of ultrasounds and see the follicles in my ovaries, and how they are responding to medications. It's really fascinating. 

Between January and May of 2013 we did 4 artificial insemination's. 

You are in the office about an hour for an insemination. Justin gives a sample and then it's washed. 40 to 45 minutes later it's injected into me through a catheter, and then I have to stay laying down for about 15 minutes.  They cost about 350$ each. Medication is about $50 a cycle, and ultrasounds are about $200 to $300 apiece (1 to 3 per cycle) so each cycle was about $800 to $1000. And don't forget Justin's tests before all this. The hamster penetration test was about $400.  And I think we had other analysis done. 
Side note: we used to joke that Justin had a baby hamster for a child somewhere out there. The test is they see how well Justin's swimmers can penetrate a hamster egg. Its suppose to show that it should then work with my eggs, and eliminate that as a problem. 

We were of course hopeful after each test, but it's difficult getting negative pregnancy tests after another. When I got a negative test I tried to stay positive saying it could be wrong, but then my period would start, and it always felt like the end of the world. Luckily I had a great husband who gave  encouraging   words and let me cry on his shoulder. 

In May were were starting to think we needed to do IVF. It was the next step. But then life happened, and Justin lost his job along with our cushy insurance. 

PCOS

The consultation with Dr. Peterson was great. Justin and I both really liked him. In the end he was able to tell me my health issues without me saying anything. Hard to loose wait, irregular periods, ect ect. He diagnosed me with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

I had actually suspected this, but no doctor had ever mentioned it. So it was something always in the back of my mind. 

This is PCOS in a nutshell:

• The sex hormones get out of balance. Normally, the ovaries make a tiny amount of male sex hormones (androgens). In PCOS, they start making slightly more androgens. This may cause you to stop ovulating, get acne, and grow extra facial and body hair.
• The body may have a problem using insulin, called insulin resistance. When the body doesn't use insulin well, blood sugar levels go up. Over time, this increases your chance of getting diabetes

Basically living a more healthy and active life can reduce the symptoms of PCOS. But it doesn't ever fully go away. 

But when you are me, and have not been diagnosed with anything, and was always told "you will grow out of it." You can imagine my frustration through the years. I've always had a problem with maintaining a healthy wait. Sometimes it feels impossible to loose wait! You get depressed, which leads to eating which leads to more wait gain. I've had bad acne, excess hair growth, which leads to embarrassment, more eating and more weight gain. It's a vicious cycle which I still struggle with. 

Having Dr. Peterson actually tell me what was wrong, and ways that can help has been encouraging, but I know I still have a long way to go. 

Dr. Peterson - December 2012

We were starting at square one again. I was a little discouraged and frustrated to say the least. And I had no idea who to see next. Luckily I had Google. I think I typed in infertility doctors in Salt Lake City. The first thing on the list was the University of Utah, the Center for Reproductive Medicine. I am an avid University of Utah fan, so why not start there.

I was looking at the list of their specialists, and reading through all the doctors, and the last one on the list was C. Matthew Peterson, MD. I don't know if it was because he had a nice picture, or he was the department chair, or had an office in Centerville (probably all three) but I just felt that this was the right doctor. I called to make an appointment and they were able to get me in for the following week. I thought I was going to wait for months to see him like Dr. Rappleye. I was plesently surprised, and already impressed.

I've never once regretted choosing Dr. Peterson. If you are looking for a reproductive endocrinologist, go to him. He is the best.

Dr. Rappleye - April 2012 to December 2012

I really had no idea where to start. I decided to ask a family member who their OBGYN was. They had some struggles, and success, so why not start there.

We had a consultation with Dr Rappleye in March or April of 2011. He was very nice, and we made a plan to start on clomid, and see if that would help. It works by stimulating an increase in the amount of hormones that support the growth and release of a mature egg. I started out with one tablet a day, on days 3 through 7 of my cycle. He then had me go in and have a blood test on day 21 to test my progesterone levels. The test was to see if I ovulated. 

With this blood test we discovered one of my problems. I produce little to no progesterone. 

Our next step was to double clomid.  No such luck. We then switched to letrozole. This drug is actually made for women that are breast cancer survivors and menopausal. It decreases the amount of estrogen you produce. It's technically not made to treat infertility, and has just been known to help. 

You take it the same as clomid, on days 3 through 7 of your cycle. I started with 1 pill. It actually worked a little better than chlomid. But, I still did not have a normal level of progesterone. We then doubled it. I actually think there were two cycles like this where I produced enough progesterone but it still did not work. They told me they don't triple the dose, so we could either keep trying what we were doing, or I could go see another specialist. We decided to go see a different doctor. 

Overall I really liked Dr Rappleye, but I was not a fan on how his practice was run. I was not to sad to find another doctor, and I probably will not go back if I do get pregnant and need to find an OBGYN.

2011 - Getting Started

When Justin and I got married that little part of me that wanted children instantly became a big part of me.  But we decided, much to my chagrin , that we needed to wait until we were graduated and in a more stable place.

A few months before I graduated (May 2011) we decided to start trying to have a baby. 

I knew it might be a little difficult. I had always had irregular periods. But my doctor said I would grow out of it, and having children should not be a problem...she was wrong. 

I started with trying to use ovulation tests. I found some really inexpensive online and bought a ton of them (I think I still have a few left). It was a little discouraging. With irregular periods my cycles could be  3 to 6 months apart, When do you test? I did a lot of reading online to try and find the signs to look for when your ovulating, but I never once got a positive reading. 

You also hear that it takes an average of a year for a couple to get pregnant. So I tried to stay positive, and read on the internet about other peoples experiences, and after about a year of frustration we decided to see a specialist. 

Hope

I debated a lot on if I should start this blog. But , I guess I finally decided on yes. Mainly because this has been one of the most emotional and trying times, and I felt it important to have some kind of record. Why not just keep a journal? I decided my answer to this question was because there are so many people out there that have gone through and will go through the same thing, that hopefully my experience can be some help to others. I have found that through this experience one of the most important things is to not loose hope.