Essentially, I had no idea when I started this page that there would be more than fifty posts here one day. I've included all of the posts pertaining to our endeavors with trying to conceive (and ultimately with infertility) from oldest to newest. The story is a little lengthy and not for the faint of heart… if you're looking for more of an abridged edition, I can sum up our story fairly quickly. We tried to conceive for over three years. Early on, we had one miracle BFP, that unfortunately, resulted in an early miscarriage. Since then: nothing. We've done four medicated IUI's with everything from Clomid to Femara to Folistim, but nothing has worked. We have gone through a slew of tests and even an exploratory surgery but it has all essentially yielded nothing. We have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility.
After months of saving, we finally went all in on IVF. Unfortunately, the results were less than stellar. We believe my egg quality is the main culprit here. Out of 18 follicles, we retrieved 13 eggs, 8 of which were mature. We transferred two day-3 embryos both grade-2 and held our breath. For one brief moment we were pregnant, but ever so quickly it was over. We returned two months later for a frozen embryo transfer of two more day-3 grade-2 embryos, but that cycle failed as well. We now have four day-3 grade-3 embryos frozen that we will return for in the coming months. For now, our infertility journey is on hold while we pursue domestic infant adoption. We're in that lovely "not trying but not preventing" space in the meantime.
So that's the short version, but if you're really, really dedicated (or bored) you can catch up on the full story, all the tears, the drama, and the ups and downs here. I recommend a cup of coffee (decaf of course) and a nice blanket to curl up with.
Tears and Torn Hearts
All Alone
Patience is a Virtue
Weary of Worry
Stressin'
Fertility Drugs?!?
Infertility = Marital Strain
Clomid Update
Blessings
2WW
Clomid-Round 2
Another One Bites the Dust
Bad News
Trials and Tribulations for the TTC
Twisted Comfort
Cyst Shrinker
Wishing
Helpless vs. Hopeless
Starting Over
Some Days Are Better Than Others
Book 2, Chapter 1
Out of Words
How Did We Get Here?
It's Not Always About Me
Block of Ice
Into the Great Unknown
Drink of Death?
Expectations
Expect the Unexpected
Second Verse, Same as the First
Rule of Thirds
Broken
My Heart: the Colander
Birthdays- and that Darn Biological Clock
Did I Imagine It?
Nerves of Tin Foil
Rat Race
Three Strikes and You're Out
Consolation Prizes
I May Never be a Mother
The "A" Word
Flustered, Frustrated, Furious
An Apple a Day…
Second, Second Opinions
Man Stuff… Land of the Unknown
Daunting Tasks
The Results are In
Stuck in the Mud
It's a Gray-View
Throwing in the Towel
Anomaly XB-6783746
Baby Mania
More Infertile
A Little Sad
Doctors are Confusing
Join the Movement
An Anniversary of a Different Sort
Laparoscopy: Impending Doom
I'm a Survivor
Reflections
Not in the Club
Go Big, or Go Home
Loss of Hope
Start Your Engines
A Brave New World
The Ledge
When it Rains it Pours
Roller Coaster
One Last Shot
The Other Half of this Equation
Spotting Symptoms
Emotionally Invested
Wishing Away the Days
Quit Playing Games with My Heart
Not This Time
Moving On
Genetic Dead End
The Options
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
Petri Picking
The Truth About IVF
Is It Worth It?
Can I Get a Little Service?
Patiently Waiting
So Many Questions
He Gives and Takes Away
The Promise
The Reason
When Infertility Sneaks Up on You
To Try, or Not to Try
Almost There
Ruffled Feathers
Overwhelmed
Bittersweet
Two Words
Sunshine State
Commitment-Phobe
Decision Made
Faith and Fertility Treatments (part 1)
Faith and Fertility Treatments (part 2)
Inching Closer
Fearful Heart
My Anchor Holds
Courageous
More Waiting
My Last Supper
Survivor's Guilt
A Few Step's Closer
Going Dark
Prayers for the Days Ahead
Single Digits
A Little Reality Check
Chuggin' Along
Slow and Steady
Risking Hyperstimulation
It's Go Time
Blessed Beyond Measure
The Retrieval
Not the News We Wanted to Hear
Transferring Life
Thoughts of Being PUPO
Some Answers
"It's positive, but..."
It's Over
Green with Envy
Moving On
Plan G-K
IVF: A Recap
Thinking Thoughts
The October Baby
On the Calendar
Frozen Dreams
What Will Be
Stuck on Repeat
Hard Choices
Where We Sit
