Going to the Doctor

When I get frustrated throughout this process, I look at the photo above. It reminds me how much I want to be a mom, and that Nick deserves to be a dad. It was taken shortly after our miscarriage when we went to Oregon to meet baby Duncan for the first time.

It reminds me that we’re on this journey together. And speaking of that journey, let’s get back to it…

Let’s face it, no one’s idea of getting pregnant involves a doctor’s office but, sometimes, that is a couple’s reality. And it just so happened to be our reality.

I asked my regular OBGYN for a referral to a fertility clinic, and then we booked our first appointment

That first appointment with the doctor, Dr. G., went well. She said there were options we could try prior to IVF which is what we were hoping for.

We both had some tests and procedures to do before we got started.

Nick had to have a semen analysis, and I had to have some blood tests, an ultrasound, and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG).

I was able to take care of the blood tests and ultrasounds pretty quickly, but the HSG had to wait. I was supposed to have the procedure in March 2020. And then the world (and non-emergency health procedures) shut down.

So, at least for a while, our journey with the fertility clinic was on hold.

When Nick’s analysis results came back, we learned we were dealing with male-factor infertility. His numbers were lower than they should be but not drastically so.

We also found out my Vitamin D levels were low. Though they were within the normal range for most women, for fertility, it’s important to have a higher Vitamin D level.

I started taking Vitamin D every day, and we decided to keep trying while I waited to have my procedure and continue working with the clinic. However, we weren’t too serious about trying.

We really weren’t sure if getting pregnant in the middle of a pandemic was the best option.

At that point, we knew COVID outcomes for pregnant women were not great, and a vaccine was still a ways off. It was a tough decision to make. Is this really the right time?

On the other hand, I was 32, almost 33, at this point, and, though it’s incredibly cliche to say this, my biological clock was ticking…

Looking back now, I think that’s why we spread out our treatment plan as much as we did (more details on this later). A lot of couples like to get through the process quickly, but doing this all through COVID was weird and scary.

(Quick side note: There was also quite a bit going on in our lives separate from our infertility journey that prolonged this process. Though they’re not directly related to this journey, I do plan to blog about a couple of them. To say the least, we’ve had a lot happen in the last few years.)

In June, I was able to have the HSG, and my results came back normal. Everything looked good; there were no blockages in my fallopian tubes.

I was relieved to have the normal results and also hopeful–women often get pregnant after this procedure. Sometimes, if there is a minor blockage, it actually clears it out.

After that, we decided to give it a couple more months of trying on our own after the HSG. When our results were still the same, we knew it was time to try our first procedure with the clinic.