Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Let me start from the beginning....

In the fall of 2005, I had just started a new teaching job, when a teacher told me about the problems her and her husband were having conceiving a baby. She mentioned she was seeing a fertility specialist to help them get pregnant. I was very interested in hearing all about the doctor and what he was doing to help them achieve their goal. I asked lots of questions and decided that my husband and I needed to contact this doctor as well. We had been trying for about a year to get pregnant with no luck. So I called the doctor to schedule an appointment for a consultation. I saw the doctor in December of 2005 and he performed a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and discovered that the tube on the right side had a right-side filling defect. He said that he couldn't see why I wasn't pregnant. He told me to go home and try for another six months, then if my husband and I weren't successful to come back and we would discuss in vitro fertilization (IVF). I was pissed. I thought that it seemed kind of random to try for six months then do something extreme like IVF.

I decided to contact another fertility specialist. This doctor was much better than the previous doctor. He seemed more thorough. He took a semen analysis from my husband and performed laparoscopy/hysteroscopy on me, in which he treated mild endometriosis. In July of 2006, I started my first of four ovulation induction cycles which consisted of injecting myself in the stomach with Follistim for anywhere between 7 to 9 days in conjunction with intrauterine insemination (IUI). Sadly, none of them resulted in a pregnancy.

Not one to give up easily, in April of 2007, I decided to schedule an appointment with Duke University Health Systems: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility. By this time my husband and I were ready and willing to do IVF. At our first appointment, we spoke with the doctor about our family histories, surgical history, social history, medical history, gynecological history, and she performed a physical exam on me. We discussed when I preferred to get pregnant... I wanted to get pregant over summer break, so I could almost be through my first trimester by the time school started back up again. She discussed what type of medication I would need to take, reviewed the IVF process including pituitary down-regulation, explained the frequency of ultrasound and estrogen monitoring, the risks of ovary hyperstimulation, and the retrieval of the eggs. The doctor told me "at my age, we hope to anticipate a good embryo yeild." After an hour visit, my husband and I left with a bunch of prescriptions and a renew sense of hope and excitement for the future. We were officially on the road to becoming proud parents..... That excitement was short lived. Contacting Duke Fertility Center turned out the be THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE!!! I will forever regret calling Duke to schedule an IVF.

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