Infertility Support Group
In vitro fertilization is one of the most common and utilized ways of treating conception problems. This support group is dedicated to those beginning their journey with IVF and needing support. Join the community and share your experiences, advice, and story with people going through similar challenges starting a family.
My husband & I have been referred to a Reproductive Endocrinologist by our Fertility Doctor. My husband has been tested & turns out completely healthy & normal. I have gone through 6 rounds of Clomid varying from doses of 50mg all the way up to 250mg. I did ovulate but was still unable to conceive. I had an HSG that came back normal...the only thing they noticed was that at 1st the Dr. just could not find my cervix & once they did they couldn't find my os (the opening to the cervix)...it took FOUR Dr's at the hospital to find it after NINETY MINUTES! It was severely painful...the worst thing I've ever gone through. But every single Dr. assured me that while the position of my cervix & os were unusual that it would NOT & should NOT prohibit conception or have anything to do with my infertility whatsoever. They said every woman's anatomy is slightly different & all I would need to do (I am sorry if this is too much information or if it's too graphic but it's what they said) is be sure to always have sex in the "doggy style" position & then lie on my stomach with my hips elevated after intercourse rather than on my back with my hips elevated. Other than that no Doctor has been able to find a reason as to why I am not conceiving. We have been trying for 27 months & my diagnosis is "Unexplained Infertility". (My diagnosis was infertility due to PCOS however after being on Clomid my system seemed to "reset" itself [in my Dr's words] & my cycle is now normal & regular. I'm also not experiencing as many cysts. So my Dr., before referring me to the RE, said that there is no reason she can see at this point why I am not conceiving, she told me she was changing my diagnosis in my chart & referring me elsewhere.)
ANYWAY what do I expect with a Reproductive Endocrinologist? What will he do that my other Dr. didn't already do? Why should I have more luck with him? What questions should I have for him, if any?
My last Fertility Dr. literally said AND I QUOTE "24 year olds & Clomid mix really well, I GUARANTEE you that you will be pregnant within the next 6 months!" My 1st appt with her was back at the beginning of April putting that 6 month mark back in September/October. I just feel at this point if she couldn't help when she was SO sure she could & she gave up on it saying she now sees absolutely no reason as to why I wouldn't be conceiving then when I should I still have hope? It's getting hard not to feel like I shouldn't give up. I've been growing increasingly depressed...I just feel devastated by the entire situation. I hate not knowing whether or not I will EVER conceive my own child.
ANYWAY what do I expect with a Reproductive Endocrinologist? What will he do that my other Dr. didn't already do? Why should I have more luck with him? What questions should I have for him, if any?
My last Fertility Dr. literally said AND I QUOTE "24 year olds & Clomid mix really well, I GUARANTEE you that you will be pregnant within the next 6 months!" My 1st appt with her was back at the beginning of April putting that 6 month mark back in September/October. I just feel at this point if she couldn't help when she was SO sure she could & she gave up on it saying she now sees absolutely no reason as to why I wouldn't be conceiving then when I should I still have hope? It's getting hard not to feel like I shouldn't give up. I've been growing increasingly depressed...I just feel devastated by the entire situation. I hate not knowing whether or not I will EVER conceive my own child.
Anyway, thank you all for all the feedback. Dee it's nice to be reminded that THIS IS WHAT THEY DO! They get women pregnant! lol I keep helping others remember that to help them keep hope but I always forget it so easily myself. I'm really feeling more excited & nervous now than anything...I'll let you all know what happens of course!
Then he started to get me worked up...not HIM but some things he was telling me. He told me that my last fertility Dr. did everything EXACTLY WRONG. She started me out on the lowest dose of Clomid & when I had blood taken after the 1st round it showed that I did ovulate & everything was healthy. Then she doubled my dose of Clomid. The RE said once you find the dose that works for you, you absolutely NEVER go up to a higher dose...you can't make it work MORE. He said that doses higher than necessary actually cause your cervical mucus to thicken & you will not be able to conceive. He said no wonder I hadn't conceived yet. He also told me that usually Dr.'s do HSG's BEFORE starting Clomid because you can ovulate with drugs all you want but if your tubes are blocked it won't do any good! THEN he told me the 4 "dr's" at the hospital who did my HSG & couldn't find my cervix were radiologists & he said that's extremely common, he hears about radiologists being idiots & not being able to find simple things like that allll the time. This all really upset me...I just wanted to go back & slap my last Dr.
Then we moved onto an exam room & he did an intro-vaginal sonogram...guess what! HE FOUND MY CERVIX! LOL Stupid HSG radiologists. He said my cervix & my uterus are positioned properly. He said everything was actually the look of perfection. So he's starting us on the lowest dose of Femara now on cycle days 4-8 then on cycle day 11 or 12 he's having me come in for a shot of something called Ovidrel. He said that my problem is simply that I do not ovulate on my own & he literally said "I do not like to give guarantees...I don't enjoy getting people's hopes up without being certain but I have to tell you I'm willing to bet everything I have that you WILL conceive within the 1st or 2nd month of this method & if you don't conceive within the 1st or 2nd month then we'll continue doing the same thing but we will also do an IUI & you absolutely will conceive with that. However, I'll be shocked out of my mind if we get that far."
So anyway...I started the Femara last month but I couldn't get the shot of Ovidrel because I would have needed to get it on December 23rd & their offices would have already been closed for the holiday. So I did just the pills & I am now on cycle day 31, still have no AF, BUT have taken 2 HPT's & both were negative. I never have a regular cycle though so I think it's simply another late AF. BUT I'm still hopeful since this round we'll also be getting the shot which may make all the difference. I don't know.
One last thing before I end this NOVEL! (So sorry!!!!) None of the medicines or shots are covered by our insurance. The Femara is supposed to be $65 a month & the Ovidrel is $90 a month. Well I have an Android phone & while messing around on the Droid Market I found a free app called "B&T Rx Discount Card"...I downloaded it but kind of thought it wasn't going to be good for anything...I seriously doubted it would give me a discount. But it was worth a try right? Well I went to the pharmacy to pick up my Femara & sure enough it rang up $65 so I asked if she'd accept the B&T discount card...she said she'd never heard of or seen it but that she would input the numbers off the card in her system & see what happens...BOOM it dropped it down to $12! TWEEEELVE DOLLARS! I almost cried I was so happy! I never DREAMED it would work! I just pulled up the little card on my phone & hello savings! Anyway, I shared this story on facebook & one of my friends said they also have that card for iPhones...I had a friend use it & my aunt use & they both got big discounts too! I'm not trying to come across as gimicky or anything but I wanted to pass that along JUST IN CASE any of you are interested in trying it on your RX's. =) Good luck!!