LBR_NJ: TTC Story
Posted
Friday, October 15, 2010 4:18 PM
"I cried that night and, the next day, with the weight of the world finally lifted off my shoulders...
Starting the long journey
We got married at 36 and started TTC immediately. 6 months later met with my gynecologist who wanted us to keep trying, but, I wanted to move on. My husband went through some testing and then we saw the Reproductive Endocronologist on my 37th birthday. Initially diagnosed with male factor issues and had every reason to believe IVF would work.
IVF #1 - BFP, but ectopic
IVF #2 / IUI #1 - downgraded to IUI, BFN
IVF #3 - cancelled after a week and a half of stimming
At this point we were counseled that I had low ovarian reserve and to consider using donor eggs, which we decided to do. The watilist for donors at our clinic was running 6-8 months, so we, with our RE, decided to continue cyling while on the waitlist. We all said we would consider these cycles as IUI's, unless I produced enough follicles to upgrade to IVF. Went through testing, paid the money, and went on the waitlist.
IUI #2 - BFN
IVF #4 - BFP, m/c and D&C at 8 weeks
Interestingly, we were matched with a donor during the 8 weeks I was pregnant, but, this pregnancy gave us such hope that I could get pregnant with my eggs, so, we decided to put DE on hold.
IVF #5 - BFN (side note - while we were in the two week wait on this IVF, my husband had a heart attack. I got the call that the cycle didn't work and I wasn't pregnant while in the ICU waiting room)
At this point, we decided to change clinics and went to a very well known clinic in NYC, the one that pioneered the estrogen priming protocol, a very successful protocol for women with low ovarian reserve. I had a hysteroscopy where they discovered a mass of something that was removed via a D&C and, thankully, tested and cleared for cancer.
IVF #6 / IUI #3 - downgraded to IUI after a week and a half of stimming - BFN
IVF #7 - BFN
Then, I scheduled a phone consultation with the RE from Colorado who is widely regarded as the best in the US. It was supposed to be a 2 hour consultation, but, lasted only 10 minutes. He said that we had done everything we could possibly have done, every protocol that was out there, and there was nothing left for us to do and that it was likely an egg quality issue, in addition to low reserve.
Weight of the world
I cried that night and, the next day, with the weight of the world finally lifted off my shoulders, I called and reinstated us to the DE waitlist at our first clinic. Hearing that we had done everything was what I needed to know to be ready to move on. DE was a very hard decision for me (there's a lot in my blog on this), but, finally, I was ready!!!
IVF #8 - DE. 23 eggs retrieved, 19 fertilized, 3 transferred - BFP
I had my daughter in December 2009, after a 4 year journey/struggle. Now that I'm on the other side, I can tell you that I am so very grateful for every step of our journey because each brought me closer to my daughter. Had we been successful in an earlier cycle, I wouldn't have HER. Had we done DE earlier, I wouldn't have HER. And I can't imagine my life without her!!!
Want to share your TTC story with The Bump? Email it to community@thebump.com