Our Infertility Issues8444115

Story of infertility

When we first married in 1985, he was 32 and I was almost 30. Having had one child from a previous marriage and also dealing with his ex-wife having a tubal pregnancy, previously he had undergone a vasectomy. We decided that we both wanted children.

The first thing would be a vasectomy reversal. That procedure was successful, but we were not successful in conceiving after that on our own.

We really had not choice but to see a fertility specialist. The first thing the doctor wanted to do was an exploratory surgery to see if my tubes were open. After that, all that he could conclude was he thought one tube "might" be blocked. He wasn't sure if it was just a muscle spasm thing or if it was actually blocked. I tried the fertility drug, Clomid. I was on that for what seemed forever with no results. He also did a couple of Sperm Washes, which just means that I would be injected with Pergonal to create more eggs, and then about the time I would be ovulating the doctor would inseminate the sperm into me. This didn't work.

Finally, after about 2 years with this particular fertility specialist, we decided to switch to another. I had to do was a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) test. A hysterosalpingogram (HSG) is an X-ray test that looks at the inside of the uterus and fallopian tubes and the area around them. This is done for women who are having a hard time becoming pregnant (infertile).During a hysterosalpingogram, a dye (contrast material) is put through a thin tube that is put through the vagina and into the uterus. This was a very painful experience for me. They suggested that I take some Advil or something similar beforehand so I did. This did NOTHING for the pain. I cannot believe that they didn't suggest something much stronger. Apparently not everyone feels that same pain.

The Doctor decided I should undergo G.I.F.T. which stands for: Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer. Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) is a tool of assisted reproductive technology against infertility. Eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries, and placed in one of the fallopian tubes, along with the man's sperm. This procedure was pioneered byendocrinologist Ricardo Asch, allows fertilization to take place inside the woman's body. I had to use the contriversial Lupron, which I injected myself, and Pergonal, which my husband reluctantly had to administer. When the treatment was over, sure enough, I became pregnant. I went in for an ultrasound and the doctor saw two embryos, one with a heartbeat and one without. He just figured that the one hadn't "started" beating yet. So when I went back at about 11-12 weeks and had another ultrasound, I was horrified to learn that there were "no heartbeats".

We continued to go back for at least one attempt at In Vitro Fertilization with G.I.F.T. frozen leftovers. Unsuccessful.

One year and 3 months after the first G.I.F.T., I wanted to try it one last time. (especially since it did create a pregnancy).

We decided to go through all of it again, same shots, anesthesia, etc. Once again, it worked. I became pregnant. I did not want to share the news after the last experience, though, so we didn't tell many.

At about 3-4 months along, I started cramping and bleeding so I thought I had possibly miscarried.I saw the doctor the following morning to have an ultrasound, and to my surprise, there was a heartbeat!

When I was about 5 months along I started experiencing pre-term labor and had to be monitored at home twice a day for contractions. Talk about difficult because I had a dog at the time and if I walked with her for 15 minutes it would cause contractions. Then they would tell me to stop doing that. (I didn't)

In the end, I was late by a week "overdue" and had to be induced. My baby, Kayla was born Feb. 9, 1993 when I was 37 years old.

Having her was the most wonderful thing that I had ever experienced up until that point. I would have liked to have another child, but knew it would probably be too hard to go through all that again (and with no guarantees) The Ovulation kits were just coming out at this time and I would buy one now and then to try out. However, since Greg was gone on business every week from Mon. to Fri. timing things right was near to impossible.

When Kayla was 1-1/2 years old,on my own I got pregnant. My periods were very irregular due to nursing so I didn't really think I could even get pregnant. The odds seemed so stacked against us also. We were so happy to be able to have another child. Gina was born May 25, 1995 when I was 39 years old.

I guess when it comes to trying to become pregnant everyone has their limit. How do you decidehow long should you keep trying? Can you even afford the cost? I am not sure how anyone can afford it anymore. For us, at the time, we had good insurance that covered the G.I.F.T. procedures and most of the rest.

Infertility and nutrition

I discussed adopting at some point during our procedures, but my heart just wasn't into it. We were thankful to have our two beautiful girls the way we did. So glad we did not give up and I am thankful that I didn't.

There is probably a lot more medical technology available to help women become pregnant in this day and age. So if you are one of those women (like me) who really wants a baby, believe it can happen, and it probably will. It is important to see what options are available and find a good doctor. Good luck! Nutrition is important when trying to conceive.