Hormones/Drugs

I remember all to well the time when I excitedly, and with much anxiety and trepidation, began clomid treatment. I soon learned that I had very little to get excited about though, because as mentioned in another posting, clomid ended up being the worst medication for me in terms of side effects and that it never resulted in a viable pregnancy. At the time, however, I was naive about just how difficult it actually can be to conceive and thought that it was sure to work. When it was finally prescribed I had already spent many, many months searching out stories of its success or failure and was wondering why in the world my doctor had not yet… [more]

I was very reluctant to stop taking my Progesterone In Oil (or PIO) shots and move on to the Crinone 8% vaginal progesterone gel. When I begged my doctor to let me stay on the shots (crazy I know) he told me that I would love the gel - that it would be so much easier, a lot less painful, and would work just the same. Crinone 8% is most commonly used by women undergoing fertility treatments to provide progesterone to change the lining of the uterus to aid in implantation and then to sustain a pregnancy. I did not begin to take Crinone until after I was done with the PIO shots and continued to take it through 12… [more]

It's easy to concentrate on the negatives of infertility, but when I talk to friends who have "surprise" pregnancies or to those who are indifferent about having a child I realize that there is one "positive." We go through so much to start our families that there is no doubt that if and when we do conceive we know that the child is wanted and will be loved. Every moment of the pregnancy is precious and I honestly believe that infertile people sometimes have more patience with their children as new parents because they truly realize that they are miracles and appreciate finally having the opportunity to deal with a crying (or preferably happy) baby. Couples who are infertile… [more]

Throughout the course of my infertility struggles I felt as though I was constantly peeing on sticks! Whether a test for ovulation or a home pregnancy test, it seems that at every time of the month there was some reason that I would need to hold a little plastic stick in my urine stream and wait for results. The ovulation testing in particular, posed a number of problems. The recommended testing time is in the afternoon, right about the time I am at work with people all around and no real private bathroom time. I work in a unique environment with all employees in one room and a shared bathroom that everyone can see you going in and… [more]

I have mentioned in previous posts that the very first fertility treatment I tried was clomiphine citrate, more commonly called Clomid or Serophene. I was initially prescribed Clomid after my diagnosis of PCOS. Prior to starting the Clomid medication I had tracked my cycles and realized that I do not reliably ovulate each month - it was definitely hit or miss. The goal of Clomid is to induce ovulation and when I told my ob/gyn that I was not ovulating every month he assured me that Clomid had an excellent success rate and that he was confident that it would do the trick. He remarked that I would only be allowed to take the Clomid for six cycles, but told… [more]

If I hadn't been having trouble conceiving I probably would have never been diagnosed with PCOS. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is just one of the litany of problems that I bring to the table in efforts to conceive and one that long-term will probably have the most substantial impact on my health and well-being. Nevertheless, when I am visiting doctors other than the ob/gyn or fertility specialist I often forget to mention (on forms or in person) that I even have PCOS. PCOS is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately one in ten women that is typically characterized by cysts on the ovaries, irregular periods, and high levels of male hormones or androgens. It is the most… [more]

It seems to me that a certain phenomena exists among those struggling with fertility that involves a "competition" of sorts among those having trouble conceiving. Those who are "just" trying clomid or similar medications to induce ovulation don't know true suffering. If you are successful with IUI or injectibles you haven't really had to endure the hard stuff. If one IVF cycle works you can't imagine the pain of multiple failed cycles. If you use donor eggs or donor sperm you are in a club of your own and so on. Same thing goes for age - if you are 24 and proclaim that you have been trying for sooo long, it is really hard for someone… [more]

If I had to name one thing about the whole IVF process that I was most nervous about, most fearful of, and most reluctant to do it would hands down be the shots, specifically the Progesterone in Oil shots. I have never been a shot person. I am ashamed to admit that I never used to give blood because of my fear of needles and avoided the flu shot and any other needles at all costs. So, in preparation for taking the evil shots I tried to find every tip or hint I could to help make it bearable. You can find a lot of strange and odd things that people tell you will help make taking the shots less painful… [more]

Let's talk about S-E-X. When my husband and I first started trying to conceive we didn't give too much thought to timing and planning and the intricacies of human reproduction. When our "efforts" were not successful I began to really study my cycle and learn about peak days of fertility. At this point my husband was still excited about our venture, still thinking that this babymaking business worked out really well for him! Eventually, though, like a lot of couples, on-demand sex became very tiresome and our efforts dwindled to pretty much only when it was conceivable that a baby could result. Everyone I knew who was struggling with infertility were doing the same thing - tracking… [more]

When people found out that we were about to try IVF we were asked many times if we were going to have multiple children, with more than one reference to us as Larry and Sheila plus 8. After my twins were born and a friend asked how we were doing, we honestly said that although we were loving every minute of it, two newborns were hard. She said, "well you did IVF, you knew you were going to have twins or more." In response to both of these statements I tried to really explain the IVF procedure and the chances of multiple births. Granted, my explanation was more plausible before IVF rather than after, when I knew that I had… [more]