Getting Ready... Again

In order to prepare for this donor egg round there was several things I needed to do first.

Of course there were the usual blood tests that I needed to have done. Those were to check my hormone levels of which I was told looked 'good'.

I also had to have another sonohysterogram.

To say that I was beyond scared to have this one would be an understatement.

Thankfully this time it was a completely different story. I can't believe that I'm saying this, especially after all the pain I experienced last time, but it really wasn't that bad!

The technician and doctor told me that my uterus looked 'normal' and they would verify with my doctor that I was ok to go ahead with this round.

When I asked about my uterine fibroids they said they didn't see any... they mentioned it looked like I may have adenomyosis, but otherwise my uterus looked good.  I guess fibroids really can disappear?

Once I was given the all clear I had to wait to start my period so they could put me on the pill. Although this seems contradictory they do this to regulate my period and have a clear timeline.

After a month on the pill and another period, I then had to start taking Suprefact nasal spray 5 times a day. The Suprefact stops my body from producing my own hormones. I also started taking one lose dose Aspirin and prenatal vitamin a day.

Then 17 days later I started taking 2 Estrace pills twice a day. The Estrace is a form of estrogen that I need to take to build up my uterus lining.

On the 17th I will go in to have an ultrasound to check my lining. If everything looks good we may be having the transfer on the 24 or 26.

I have some other medications that I will need to take, but I haven't been given the timeline for them.

I'll update again when I have more information.

Wasn`t There

On Wednesday I went into the Foothills hospital to have my Hysteroscopy

 and the removal of my uterine fibroids.

A Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows your doctor to look inside your uterus in order to diagnose and treat causes of abnormal bleeding. Hysteroscopy is done using a hysteroscope, a thin, lighted tube that is inserted into the vagina to examine the cervix and inside of the uterus.

Chris, my husband, brought me in and held my shaking hand as I waited to be taken in. Its weird that I was confident to have the surgery right up until they admitted me and then all of a sudden my nervous showed up in full force.

Let me take a moment to make a shout-out for all the amazing staff at the Foothills hospital. The nurses, anesthesiologist and my doctor were all so kind and reassuring!

When I finally came too the nurse said that the hysteroscopy went well. When I asked about the fibroid removal he said that there wasn`t any.

WASN`T ANY?

Totally confused I thought he must have been mistaken. So the next morning I called my doctor`s office and talked with her receptionist. It turns out he wasn`t mistaken.

Apparently when my doctor went in she found a few abraisons, however, the uterine fibroids were not there.

NOT THERE?!?

Well you can imagine my surprise. I have no idea what happened, but I am grateful.

I can`t imagine that the ultrasound technician and doctor who performed my sonohysterogram were wrong. During it the doctor did try to dislodge or separate it, but she said that she wasn`t able to. I wonder if perhaps she damaged it enough that my body then was able to take care of it on its own.

I do know that I had so many prayers being said for me and I do believe in the power of prayer. So for all of you who thought and prayed for me thank you!

Uterine Fibroids

I had my vaginal ultrasound and sonohysterogram on Tuesday. As I mentioned in my last post the sonohysterogram is a painful procedure, but one that can help doctors to discover why a woman may be experiencing infertility.

Not only did I discover that I have fibroids, but I also received some unexpected news. It turns out that one of them is spanning almost the full way across my uterus. Although the doctor isn't concerned about it for my health; she did say that it could possibly interfer with an embryo implanting.

If like me you don't know what uterine fibroids are I looked them up on trusty old google and here is what I found out:

"Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that develop in or just outside a woman’s uterus (womb). Uterine fibroids develop from normal uterus muscle cells that start growing abnormally. As the cells grow, they form a benign tumor...  Uterine fibroids are extremely common. In fact, many women have uterine fibroids at some point in life. Uterine fibroids in most women are usually too small to cause any problems, or even be noticed." WebMD

She then told me it was up to me whether I wanted to go ahead with our last round or have surgery to have it removed first. In order to have the best possible chance she recommended that I have the surgery.

So that is exactly what I have decided to have done.

I received a phone call from the clinic today to let me know that they have scheduled me in for March 2nd. They are going to send me an information package to let me know more about the procedure and prep.

I know that it is only a day surgery so although I'm a little nervous I feel pretty good about having it done. I will probably only have to miss a couple of days from work and there should be minimal pain and/or cramping.

Part of me wonders how long I've had this particular fibroid and if it is the reason the last two sessions didn't work.

I'll be glad to be going into the last try knowing that I have done everything I possibly can to make this round successful!

Next Steps

I've had quite a few people message me to ask what our next steps are going to be.

Let me start by apologizing for not posting sooner. As I have been using this as a personal journal, I forgot about friends who don't see me every day who have been following my blog to keep informed of our fertility journey.

At my last appointment I told our fertility specialist that Chris and I were going to give IUI/IVF one last try.

Our doctor suggested that before we try another round that I get another ultrasound as well another sonohysterogram. The ultrasound I was not concern about, however, the sonohysterogram is another story. The last time I had it done it was really painful and I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do it again.

If you have never had to experience a sonohysterogram consider yourself lucky! Here is a run down of the procedure: After a vaginal ultrasound my doctor will inject sterile water into my uterus and fallopian tubes via a narrow tube inserted through my cervix. The procedure checks for polyps, fibroids, lesions, masses, defects or scarring which could interfere with fertility.

I read online that most women don't experience very much discomfort with the procedure. I believe the reason I experienced so much pain was because my left fallopian tube seemed to be partially blocked. By having me move around on the table they were able to get the water out of it, but to say it was not fun would be an understatement.

I don't really need to prep for the procedure other than to take an antibiotic twice a day starting the day before the procedure. They also recommend that you take two Aleves an hour before.

I had to call them on the first day of my period to book the appointment. I got the call yesterday that they were able to get me an appointment for next Wednesday. Until then we need to prevent pregnancy (shouldn't be a problem!) and I also need to take a pregnancy test the morning of the procedure just in case.

If everything looks ok after the procdure we will go ahead with another medicated IUI round with the understanding that I would switch to IVF if we got enough egg follicles.

Here's hoping that the third time's the charm!