We started trying to conquer infertility in 2008. I tried three months of Clomid at the end of 2008 and then moved on to a specialist. I had my first IUI (insemination) attempt in December of 2008 and then continued trying IUIs until March of 2009. At that point we decided to take a break from the medical interventions and focus on getting healthy.
We then went to a more holistic doctor who put us on a very strict diet and supplement program. The good news...we lost a ton of weight and felt amazing...the bad news - still no pregnancy. We were on this healthy diet for over a year and then made the decision to try adoption.
We had two failed adoptions in one year. The first one was during the summer of 2010. The second one was really devastating! Without rehashing the entire situation/story, the adoption fell through just days before the baby was born. We had attended every single doctors appointment, were ready and prepared for this baby, and were excitedly awaiting his arrival. When we got the news that the adoption was falling through, my entire world came crashing down. I was hurt, angry, confused, and then numb. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find that my husband was not in bed. I would find him sitting on the couch, in the dark, sobbing. He would say that he tried to hide how hard it was on him from me so that I didn't have to add that stress to how I was already feeling. It was honestly the hardest thing I have ever been through.
We decided then to try IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). IVF is extremely invasive and is the highest technology available for infertile couples. They actually stimulate the ovaries (using a series of injections that you have to give to yourself or someone has to give to you - thank you Aunt Kim:) to produce a lot of eggs. Once the eggs are ready, you have to go into surgery to have them removed. Once they are removed they choose a sperm to actually inject into the egg using a very tiny needle. Once this happens, they wait to see if the egg fertilizes. If it does, they can transfer it a few days later back into me where it will hopefully make itself comfortable and implant where it will stay and grow for 9 months! We had our first IVF attempt in June of 2011. We were very nervous about the process and I was very scared! They were able to retrieve 9 eggs, 6 of them were mature, and only 3 fertilized.
They transferred 2 embryos and neither of them took - so we were back at square one again.
We were later informed that our final frozen embryo was not good enough to transfer and at that point, I remember feeling utterly defeated! We had tried EVERYTHING and nothing had worked. We were drained financially and emotionally. We were exhausted. And then a small miracle happened.....we were chosen for a free round of IVF through a grant program at our hospital!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to try IVF again! We are currently in the process of trying IVF for the second time right now. I am currently on the stimulation drugs and am waiting for the retrieval. I'm hoping and praying that this will be it!
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