Getting Ready...

Last week I went into the Regional Fertility Clinic to have a follow up

appointment after my surgery and to plan our next steps.

I was happy to find out that my uterus is 'normal'. I do have some uterine fibroids, but they are embedded in my uterine wall which I guess is normal. She did say that I had some scar tissue, but she was able to successfully remove it.

She was unsure how I would have gotten it, but it may have been left over from my miscarriage.

So next month we will begin our third and final round of IUI/IVF. We will start with a medicated IUI with the hopes that I will get enough eggs to be able to switch to IVF. (The reason for doing it this way is so that we don't have to put down as much money up front as we would have to if we started with IVF.)

Our doctor also wrote in our file that we would be interested in adopting an embryo if this round doesn't work out for us. Hopefully we won't have to do this, however, if we do it may help to cut down our wait time.

A few of my friends have been confused by this process so I will try and explain it the best I can.

If Chris and I are unable to conceive on our own we have the option of adopting an embryo from another couple who have successfully had their children through IVF. Often couples will get several embryos when trying IVF. Once they have finished having their children couples can decide what they would like to do with their remaining embryos. Some couples offer to donate them to other couples trying to conceive.

There is no charge for the embryos, however, there are legal fees for the adoption process. It can range from $2000- $5000 plus there is also the cost of having the embryos emplanted.

We would be given three chances to conceive and if we are successful we are only given this opportunity once. We wouldn't be able to try again later to have a second child.

As always I am hoping that we will be able to conceive our own child, however, I do feel good that we have this as a possibility if it doesn't work out for us.

I was in Chapters last week and I saw the cutest onesie. It had a simple picture of a turtle and the caption below read 'Worth the Wait'.

As soon as I saw it I lost my breath and my eyes filled up. It is quite literally the perfect onesie.

So now I am getting ready for our next round... dreaming of being able to one day put that perfect onesie on our perfect little baby.

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!

Laminaria Tent?!

Tuesday afternoon I went into the Calgary Regional Fertility Clinic to have a Laminaria Tent put into my uterus.

I am so grateful that I didn't look it up on the internet first. (There are some horror stories on there!)

I was told that it was a type of seaweed that they would be using to open my uterus before my surgery on Wednesday. Turns out I mustn't have been listening carefully enough... the Laminaria Tent isn't used to open a woman's uterus it is to open a woman's cervix.

Now that might not seem like a big difference, however, it was not at all what I was expecting.

Because I thought it was to help open my uterus I was picturing the laminaria tent to look something like an open tampon. Boy was I wrong, instead it looks like a stick. Online they say that they place the laminaria tent into your uterus- place- ha!

They STUCK it into my cervix!

When I cried out from pain I apologized to the doctor who responded with (not kidding): "Don't apologize I know I'm torturing you!` You know when a doctor says that you`re in trouble!

Thankfully it was over quickly.

When I got home I looked it up and read that some women only experience some mild cramping whereas other women talked about excruciating pain. One woman had experienced such awful pain that she had to hospitalized and put on morphine... thankfully I didn`t experience anything quite so dramatic! But lets just say I hope I don`t have to ever have another!

Here is some more information about laminaria tents that I found online:

Laminaria Tent - Laminaria tent is about 2 inches, rigid, fibre-like stick made out of the seaweed (Laminaria stenophylla). It is used for two and three day procedures when cervix needs to be dilated more. The seaweed property is that it absorbs the moisture when in contact with the secretions of the body, while softening and swelling to several times its diameter. The result is the gradual dilation of the cervix which in turn decreases the chance of cervical laceration and perforation. This is the safest and the least painful way of cervix dilatation as it takes usually 24 hours for it to fully expand. Women might get cramps within those 24 hours so adequate pain killers are prescribed to lessen the discomfort. - Women`s Care Clinic

No Surprise... Surprise

This morning I received a phone call from the Calgary Regional Fertility Centre confirming that my blood work came out negative and I am not pregnant.

That wasn't a surprise, however, I was surprised when she went on to tell me that my progesterone levels showed that I had just ovulated or was just about to ovulate.

So the good news is that my surgery will go on Wednesday.

However, I'm not sure why my body chose to ovulate so late this month... I know they mentioned that stress can cause a women to have a delayed period, but can it also cause you to ovulate late???

I've been taking DHEA and CoQ10 on the advice of my fertility doctor and I'm not sure if they may have caused my late ovulation.

DHEA- is a hormone that is thought to be essential for women to produce and develop healthy eggs. There is some evidence to show that taking DHEA (if a woman`s levels are low) can improve egg quality which will improve chances of implantation and lower the chances of miscarriage.

CoQ10- is an antioxidant that our bodies naturally make. Like DHEA, CoQ10 levels tend to decrease as we age. Taking CoQ10 supplements is thought to help with egg quality.

There has been some evidence that taking these two supplements can help older women increase their egg quality, their chances of spontaneous pregnancies, increase IVF pregnancy rates, and decrease chances of miscarriage.

Slap in the Face

Sometimes I just don't understand.

Just when I'm building myself up to have my surgery on Wednesday I get what feels like yet another slap in the face...

I have to go in for bloodwork tomorrow morning because I am currently on cycle day 34 and still haven't gotten my period. Now before anyone gets excited, I already took a pregnancy test on Tuesday (cycle day 31) and it was negative.

In fact, the only reason I called the clinic was because I was concerned that not having my period could cause an issue with the surgery.

Of course as soon as she said that they wanted to send me for bloodwork to make sure I wasn't pregnant I immediately teared up. I know that there is about a 0.23% chance of me being pregnant right now, but there is still that little part of me that keeps hoping for a miracle.

The funny (?) thing is when my period didn't come around Day 25 (which it typically does) I was excited because I thought my cycle was going to be an average 28 day cycle. I thought perhaps the DHEA that my doctor prescribed was working.

One of the concerns I had when my period didn't come and I got the negative pregnancy test was that I was going into menopause. Thankfully when I voiced my concern with the lady from the Regional Fertitlity Clinic she reassured me that it was very unlikely and probably due to stress over my operation on Wednesday.

So I'll get up tomorrow and get the blood work done... even though I already know what the result will be.

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!