Late intro

curve31 · August 2014

I've been posting a little here but mostly lurking. I looked back at my posts and I never introduced myself here, but at Third Party and Infertility. I've noticed I relate to this board the best so here I am. I worked on my signature so that should give ya a summary of me.

Here's a C/P of my first blog post. I'd share a link but its mostly for (clueless) family, friends and myself. But it gives a background on journey. Read if you're really bored!

I've decided to start this blog for a couple of reasons. I wanted to share what's going on with a few certain folks. I also thought it would be good to write things out to help get them out of my head. But mostly I just wanted to chronicle the journey for memories. This may be long drawn out process. It may be short and easy if we're lucky. But let's back up and start from the beginning.

My husband, William, and I got married in July of 2012. We met online. He said it was love at first sight. I wasn't so sure. It took me a week or so to realize I couldn't live without him. I love him more everyday. Mush mush.

He works at a coal mine. It's a great job and I'm so thankful he provides for us. It's a somewhat dangerous job but he has a position where he's safer than some others. He grew up in a big happy family, 4 brothers and a sister. William is an army war veteran. He spent a year in Iraq. Before that he spent a year in Korea. He could tell you lots more about all that. I'm just proud of him for it all.

I'm a housewife. I'd like to say I'm a stay at home mom. Hopefully I will soon. Now I just enjoy taking care of my man, our doggies and our home. Oh yeah, there's a cat running around too. I grew up in a small happy family. We didn't have a picture perfect one but I wouldn't trade them (well maybe a few I would).

William and I have been trying to conceive since we got married. After about a year, in June of 2013, my lady doctor (Dr.

tested me. A whole panel of hormonal type stuff. Then a glucose tolerance test and an ultrasound to look at my ovaries. Dr. B said I had a some glucose intolerance and a little PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). He likes to use those adjectives as to not freak you out I think. But he said it wasn't anything we couldn't deal with. There wouldn't be any problems getting pregnant. We just had to get a semen analysis from William first.

His first test came back and he had zero sperm. No idea why. He was referred to a urologist, Dr. K. He ran some blood tests and found Williams prolactin was high and his testosterone was low. He was given meds and retested a month or so later. Not much improvement. More meds. Another semen analysis. Still zero. Time for a biopsy to see if he was making sperm at all. He wasn't. Dr. K said he had sertoli cell-only. Which means he lacks the cells that make sperm and there was nothing that could be done to change that. It took a while to accept that but we have now and its ok.

March 2014 we met an infertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. G. Dr. B said he was good and we would love him. We do.

Our first decision was to use a donated embryo. Another couple's IVF (in vitro fertilization/test tube baby) leftovers. There's a waiting list for those. Up to 10 months they said. It didn't take long for William and I to change our minds. A sperm donor would be fine.

You don't flip though a binder of donors anymore. Its all online. A lot like online dating. We paid for a subscription so we could see pictures of these dudes. There are baby to adult photos. I'm much more interested in the adult ones. You spend a lot more of your life as an adult, ya know. You can also listen to audio interviews if the donor gave one. With all that you get a pretty good handle on what kind of guy they are. There's some pretty good looking fellas to pick from. Most of them, unfortunately, seem as dumb as rocks. Statistically, sperm donors are college age men looking for some extra cash for...whatever college kids buy. I'm sure they grow up but its hard to get past. Anyways, we've made a list in order of preference. You are told to do that because inventory changes frequently. #1 and #2 look a lot like Willy but number we picked because he had a profile that we would be proud to show our child when the time comes. We picked a man who loves you even though he doesn't know you.

The first step of using a sperm donor isn't picking the donor. Its giving 8 vials of blood for STD (yall know what that means) testing. And some urine. Good news, that sketchy ex of mine didn't give me AIDS...or anything else.

I'm not sure what the next step is besides waiting (waiting will be the next step most of the time). Waiting for my period. Waiting for Dr. G's office to call on Monday. But probably Tuesday. I have a nice long list of questions for when they do call. I hope I catch them in a good mood! Mostly questions so I can plan how much money we're gonna have to save. Our insurance pays for medical expenses (thankfully) but doesn't pay for the vials of sperm. Or the shipping and storage of them. You would think that stuff would come pretty cheap, but it doesn't.

Dr. G is going to look at my file and decide a protocol for me. That's why they are calling. I assume we will do IUI (intrauterine insemination) which is where they use a catheter to deposit the sperm directly in my uterus. But first I will need to report my period followed by tests and meds and more test and meds. And if all goes well, William and I drive to Dr.G's for the procedure and I get pregnant!