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MaggieLoo · June 2016

Hello everyone!

My name is Maggie (33) and my husband is Chris (33). We were married in July 2008. We were NTNP since 2009 and TTC (off and on for probably a total of 18-20 months altogether) since 2012. I was using OPKs for about 6 of those months and ovulation was detected.

We were TTC for the latter part of 2012 and for all of 2013, when we found out we would be relocating to Dublin, Ireland for my husband's job. About 2 weeks before we found out about the move, my doctor at the time had advised us to give things another 5 months before we start testing (which looking back seems like a long time!), but instead we took a break, not realizing we wouldn't actually make it to Ireland until summer 2015. But here we are and now that we've settled in we've decided to give things another go for real, but we both knew something was off. We hadn't been actively trying all of this time, but we certainly weren't taking any steps to prevent.

Long story made short, about two weeks ago we went for our first consultation. My ultrasound showed a lower than average number of follicles, but nothing that would explain not having conceived yet. I also had blood work done and am still waiting on the results. My husband's count however is very low (3 million). The doctor advised we do IVF with ICSI because the chances of fertilization using just IVF are small due to my husband's count. I'm still learning all the terms and acronyms, so thank you for your patience with that! In my heart, I knew a natural conception wasn't going to happen for us, but hearing our chances out loud (1-3% chance according to the doctor) was tough. I was relieved to know that there is hope for us to have a baby together at all though. I'm just overwhelmed and my head is spinning....I don't really even know what to do next. Right now we're just waiting to see if my blood work will indicate any other potential issues and my husband is waiting on a consultation with a urologist. So, I just feel like I'm back in the usual standstill we've been in for almost 3 years now.

The support system here seems amazing, and while I'm sorry any of us have to be here in the first place, I'm glad that this kind of community exists. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading

and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. Thanks!

AandDM2014 · June 2016

Welcome, and sorry you are here. It does seem a bit strange that your first doctor had you try so long before intervention. Hopefully your new doc will help you be successful in your journey!

Kp214 · June 2016

Welcome! I hope things are successful for you. I think Ireland would a fun place!

wifeinraleigh28 · June 2016

Welcome! We are also doing IVF + ICSI due to low sperm count. Please let me know if you have any questions!! Ireland sounds nice

lady_grey · June 2016

Welcome to this nice community and sorry you're here!!

AugustAng · June 2016

Welcome @MaggieLoo! It is all very overwhelming! I try to tell myself to take one step at a time, one day at a time. We are all here to help and support each other!

MaggieLoo · June 2016

Thank you all for the warm welcome! Ireland is a lovely place to live

@wifeinraleigh28 thank you, I am sure I will have lots of questions for you!!

adunkin · June 2016

Welcome to the board! My DH and I were living as expats in Belgium when we first struggled to conceive. Getting help and fertility treatments were sooooo much more common and ridiculously affordable in mainland Europe. I hope you find the same as you begin this process! (Though I did find their standards different from the US so The Bump and all the other message boards only half applied to our specific situation with regards to next steps, testing, protocols, etc.) I hope you get your results soon (they always took so much longer in Belgium) and formulate a great plan.

MaggieLoo · June 2016

@adunkin thank you for the welcome!

Fertility treatment does seem much more accessible, common, and affordable here. The clinic we are currently working with has an assessment program for patients to come in to be tested just to see where they stand so that they can make more informed decisions about family planning. Back in the States I felt like doctors were so hesitant to do any kind of assessment unless you had been trying for a significant amount of time. My doctor was especially, and maybe even alarmingly, lax about doing any type of assessment. If I had access to testing earlier and had known what we'd be up against, we probably would've started the process much, much sooner! But, that's life and I can't get caught up in the what if's, etc...

I actually just got a call this morning with my blood results (about a week and a half wait)...my AMH is low (5.7) for my age group. So it looks like that's another curve ball. The nurse said my level was lower than she expected based on my scan, and that basically all it means right now is it will direct their treatment- and they will adjust meds accordingly when we start the process.

Thank you again everyone for the warm welcome!

adunkin · June 2016

@MaggieLoo just know your AMH isn't the be all end all. Just a part of the puzzle. Mine is 1.1 (and I always ovulate a single egg naturally) and I just used the same IVF protocol as a friend with 0.047 and she got 3 eggs (plus a healthy baby out of it) and I'm looking like I'll get 4 eggs (hopefully). I never had an HSG/SHG in Europe because we were considered low risk. When we finally did it here, it was perfectly clear/normal and cost me $500. Good time, good times.

MaggieLoo · June 2016

@adunkin thank you! Of course, I start googling about AMH levels and what it means for IVF/ICSI and start freaking out...but then I speak (and type lol) to real people with real experiences to share and I feel more hopeful again. The costs associated with all of this is mind blowing!!

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