Some people find comfort in knowing how others handled a similar trial. To be honest, I never thought I would go through something this difficult but now that I have it has made me a stronger person. It definitely wasn't fun and I don't wish it on anyone. This is our fertility journey the PG version. It has most of the details with a few left out.
As some of you may know Ty and I had a very difficult time getting pregnant. We had been trying for over 2 years. We tried for 6 months and when that wasn't working we met with an OBGYN. She prescribed me a drug called Femara that would help me ovulate and she told me if this doesn't work next month that she would up my dose and for sure the second or third month I would get pregnant. After 3 months of nothing I decided to take a break from the drugs and blood tests. I then decided to meet with my family doctor who also delivered babies. He put me on Clomid to change things up. I did that for 3 months of different dosages and ovulation predictor kits and never got a positive. He then told me that was as far as he could take me and I would need to meet with a fertility specialist.
He referred me to Dr. Stolk in Portland. We met with Dr. Stolk in September 2014. We had Ty tested and there was no problem with him. He knew with my irregular periods that basically I was a "bad ovulator". We got started with Clomid again but we did ultrasounds to monitor and also an HCG trigger shot on top of the OPK's and blood tests. Every month was the same thing. Except in December we went on Femara. He told me in the ultrasound that everything looked really good and was hopeful that it would work this month. When it didn't I felt at a loss and was starting to wonder if it would ever happen for me. It was hard to see people who were younger than me having babies and people who got married AFTER me and Ty getting pregnant. I couldn't stand to see another "We're pregnant post" on Facebook. Dr. Stolk then took the time to discuss other options. One of which was a surgery to see if I had endometriosis. In January 2015, I was debating whether or not to do it and I didn't have a lot of time to decide. We had a 3-way call with him and my mom to get her opinion but ultimately it was in my hands. The day I needed to let them know I didn't feel good about it. I felt like I was rushing into something so I didn't do it and immediately after, I knew I had made the right decision. Not only was it going to cost a lot of money, but it was risky especially if they get in there and didn't find anything. I decided to take another break and focus on myself. I had a fungus on my toenail (from my half marathon over a year ago) that I wanted to be healed and I couldn't take the antibiotic if I was pregnant so I took time to heal that up. I also started seeing a chiropractor who specialized in the nervous system and told me to start taking my waking body temperature and to track that for a few months regularly. I did that for a few months, but with my random cycles felt like it was a waste of time. Come June, I was done trying naturally. It was clearly not happening for us.
My mom and dad lived next door to a fertility specialist in Utah and my dad had offered to wash their windows in return for a phone consult with me. I had heard that Dr. Foulk was a very successful fertility doctor. He had offices in St. George, Reno, Murray and Pleasant Grove. The call was to talk to him about what I had been through and get his advice and see what he would recommend. I had a great talk with him. He was very kind and genuine and answered any and every question I had. Afterwards I received that hope that I had lost over the months of trying and no success. He recommended two other fertility specialists in Oregon that I could meet with. My mom had mentioned that he had worked with people all over the country. I hadn't even thought about that possibility but I wanted Ty to talk with him and get his opinion about traveling to Utah to get the treatments. We set up a call and Ty felt very happy about the decision to work with him on this journey. We were going down to Utah for the Fourth of July, so while we were down there we did the dye test to see if my tubes were open and started on the Provera so I could get my period. Ty had to go and donate sperm so he wouldn't have to travel down every month with me. I then was instructed to have a day 3 ultrasound, take the Femara for 5 days, and then follow up with another ultrasound on around day 12. When they got the ultrasound report back they suggested to come to Utah and get another ultrasound before we did the IUI. In the ultrasound there were two decent size follicles one on each side so I was very hopeful. I got the trigger HCG shot and then I was going to do the IUI the next day. I was instructed to follow up with intercourse that night and the following night, as well as take the progesterone suppositories for 14 days until the blood test to see if I was pregnant. We had family praying and fasting for us that it would work. I got the call and it was negative. They said that it would need to be 5 or higher to indicate I was pregnant but since I was so close as I was a 4, they wanted me to test in a few days. Again it was negative.
Round 2 here we go! Except this month Dr. Foulk wanted me to do a shot of Bravelle on day 8 after the Femara. The Bravelle would stimulate the follicle to grow even more. After the same routine and the last ultrasound we did the HCG trigger shot and I was Utah bound again. Again family and friends were fasting and praying. This time the pregnancy result was a 1. So it didn't work again, even lower than the first time. I was starting to get frustrated and lose hope again. They gave me another change to the plan which was 3 days of Bravelle shots after the Femara and Ty would need to come with me this time. As I was starting to lose hope, I asked if I could talk with Dr. Foulk before we started this new plan. He called me and reassured me that he had to get me pregnant because he promised my mom and dad he would. I asked him if he had any idea what was wrong with me and he said that I could have endometriosis but he didn't do that surgery on anyone because it was expensive and outdated and if 3 rounds of the IUI don't work he doesn't waste time and immediately jumps into IVF because in the long run IVF has an 80% chance of working.
This was now September, and our last try before IVF. They did tell me that the chances of IUI working are 20% but that every month you do it the higher the possibility. Not that it goes up, since you always have that 20% chance but the more you do it the more likely of it working. The nurse told me that we had a couple of different options on when we could do the IUI. We could do it Wednesday or Thursday. That was a first. I had no idea what to do. It turned into a matter of how much time we wanted to take off for work since we were driving. We decided to do it on Thursday so Tuesday night I did the HCG trigger shot and we left Wednesday. Ty went in Thursday morning and we went back in at 11am to do the IUI. I felt different this time. I had this pain on my right side (which was where the follicle was) and I was hoping that meant I was ovulating. We met with Dr. Foulk a few hours later to discuss IVF as well as do a blood test to see how many eggs I had left. I left feeling very uneasy about IVF. Not only was it so expensive but it was a lot more hormones into my body and very extensive. I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to go that route, but if I needed to I would because all I wanted was a little baby. Oct. 8 was the big day to see if it worked. I wasn't hopeful because I had been let down time after time. However I was still very anxious. I kept calling the doctor's office to see if they received my results as well as the lab to make sure they sent my results in. Then finally at 1:00pm I got the call. Unfortunately my phone was cutting in and out and I didn't hear her. She then said, "Did you hear what I said? And I said, "No", and she told me. The best news I would ever hear. "You're pregnant!" I always dreamed of this moment and what I would say and how I would react and every time I knew I would cry. Sure enough I did. We talked for a little longer. She said that my levels were 100 something (so high) and that I was about 4 weeks along. She said just to confirm to go in next week and get another blood test. I was so happy. I immediately got off the phone with her and knelt on my knees and prayed. I thanked my Heavenly Father for finally sending me this miracle and blessing that I had been wanting and waiting for, for what seemed like an eternity. Ty had a class that night and I didn't want to wait until 9:00pm to tell him so I drove to his work. I had him meet me outside and played it off like I wasn't pregnant. I got out of the car with my head down looking sad. He embraced me and said, "Oh sweetheart I am so sorry. " I went with it for a few seconds and finally looked up at him and said, "You're going to be a dad." He smiled and started to cry and it was a memory I will never forget.
We both wanted kids so bad and had prayed night after night, fasted fast Sunday after fast Sunday hoping this opportunity would come. It was so hard when everyone would ask if I had kids or when I was going to have kids because it wasn't up to me. We FaceTimed our parents and I FaceTimed my brother and sister to share the good news. Ty wanted to wait on his siblings. I went in a week later and it was confirmed. The results were even higher the second time so I was definitely pregnant. With all the money spent, shots, hormones, tears cried, prayers said, it was definitely worth it. I would never wish this on anyone, as it was the hardest trail I had been faced with. But I know Heavenly Father put me through it so I could learn to be more patient with the Lord's timing and to be reminded that he knows what's best for me. We cannot wait for June 15th to come and for us to finally meet our answer to our prayer.
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| Week 7 Ultrasound |
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| Week 9 Ultrasound |
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| Week 9 Ultrasound |
