I have all my Organs!

I went in for an ultrasound to make sure that (a) I had all the organs I should have and (b) that my uterus was the correct size and shape. I was particularly nervous for this exam because of my sister's history of unicornuate uterus (in addition to missing a fallopian tube and a kidney). I had to have a full bladder for the exam and they said drink 24 ounces one hour before the exam. Not having been through this before, I followed their instructions and downed 24 ounces of water 1 hour before the exam was scheduled (which actually made me slightly nauseous). My husband drove me to the appointment and in about 45 minutes, I was DYING. I had to go to the bathroom really really really badly! Luckily, the sonographer took me 5 minutes early and I found out that I had both kidneys (yeah!) and that I had all of my organs.

I was then allowed to go empty my bladder, which was a very pleasurable experience and more relieving than finding out that I had all my organs. After that, they used a vaginal probe to examine my ovaries and uterus. It turns out I had a very slight heart-shaped uterus and my ovaries had a TON of small follicles. The term PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) came up and I started freaking out a bit because I know that women with PCOS have a very difficult time getting pregnant. I was also confused because I didn't have any other symptoms of PCOS. I was ovulating and getting my period on a somewhat regular basis (30-34 day cycles), I wasn't overweight and my hormone levels were where they should be.

The next step was meeting with the fertility doctor. Fun fun.

Trying to Get Pregnant

My husband and I tried to get pregnant for 3 months naturally (December 2007, January and February 2008) and it wasn't working. The ovulation indicators that I was using showed that I was ovulating and we were timing our "fun" appropriately, so I went to the OB/GYN. Luckily, after informing my doctor about my sister's history of infertility (and unicornuate uterus), she didn't tell me to relax or try harder or poke fun of the fact that we had only tried for 3 months. She took me seriously and began doing blood tests.

On March 8, 2008, I took my day 3 blood panel, which revealed that my FSH level was 6.4 and my LH level was 6.0. This was very good news indeed, as a fertile woman should have an FSH level below 10 and the ratio of FSH to LH should be as close to 1:1 as possible (to rule out hormone disorders like PCOS).

On March 19, 2008, I had a Hysterosalpingogram or HSG to determine if my fallopian tubes were clear or blocked. This is where they shoot dye into your uterus and see if it can make its way up the fallopian tubes and pour into the ovaries. My OB/GYN did the procedure and said it would hurt, but it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I found out that my right fallopian tube had a blockage and that explained why the pain I felt was worse than expected. My doctor was quite surprised to see that her 34 year old patient with no history of infections had a blocked fallopian tube. I would have been shocked if not for the severe pain and blood that was pouring out of me. Apparently, they had to clamp open my cervix to do the procedure and that was what caused all the bleeding. I had originally thought that I would go back to work after the procedure, but all I did was crawl back to work to get my belongings and head home. They gave me extra strength motrin which made me feel better in about 30 minutes, but the cramps were still pretty bad.

While we were adjusting to the news that I had a blocked right side (and thus, we could never get pregnant when I ovulated on the right side), my OB/GYN had me make an appointment with a fertility doctor and I asked my dear husband (more than once) to go get his sperm analyzed.