A few weeks ago I shared part of our story about some of the challenges along my journey to motherhood. If you are in a battle with infertility, you are not alone! Making that first step to begin fertility treatments takes a tremendous amount of courage. If you’re ready to begin, here are some tips about what to expect during tests or treatments you might experience. These are some things I wish I’d known before we started.
First and foremost, find a fertility clinic you are comfortable with. Many clinics offer a free seminar or consultation where you can ask questions and get information without committing to anything. You will be spending a lot of time with these people and will get to know them intimately, so be sure you feel at ease with them. I highly recommend RMA of Texas, located both at Stone Oak and the Medical Center. The nurses and doctors there truly became part of our journey and were so compassionate and supportive every step of the way. I always felt like I was walking into Cheers when I was there because everyone knew my name and many knew where we were in our treatments. I was very sad to leave them after we got pregnant and “graduated” to my regular OB. I can’t wait to take our baby girl back to RMA to meet everyone and add her footprint to the wall!
The first time you visit the clinic, be prepared for a lengthy discussion about your history as well as an exam similar to your yearly gyno visits. We were very fortunate to pinpoint a problem on our first visit, but that doesn’t always happen. Your first diagnostic tests will probably include blood work and ultrasounds as well as scheduling an HSG, or dye test, for you and a semen analysis for your partner. From there you will work with your doctor and fertility coach to develop a plan of action with one goal in mind: get pregnant as soon as possible!
Although the dye test (HSG) is awkward, it’s not painful, is relatively fast, and should be covered by insurance. The purpose of this test is to check that your tubes are open and for any abnormalities in your uterus, and thankfully you get the results immediately. Because that was my first fertility test I was incredibly anxious about it. As I was laying there uncomfortably on the cold x-ray table with a complete stranger trying to get things going down there, I was in tears praying “God just get me through this” over and over again. My very next thought: What if I sneezed right now? Proof that God has a sense of humor, and it worked! I was trying so hard not to laugh that I couldn’t worry about the rest of the test.
Hormone therapy for you and your partner will likely be part of your plan at some point. Something that surprised me was how often I had to take birth control pills before starting a procedure. Although they seem counterproductive, they establish a known baseline to begin each treatment. A word of warning: synthetic hormones may temporarily alter your personality. I’m generally a calm, rational person but some of these hormones unleashed a previously unknown Mr. Hyde in me. Jason got really good at gently delivering reality checks and knowing when to just leave me alone to cry it out. So warn hubby now and don’t feel guilty about it: it’s not you, it’s the drugs!
You may be encouraged to try an IUI along with hormone therapy. Be prepared to go in frequently, possibly daily, for a while so they can monitor how your ovaries are responding to the treatments. Although the actual procedure the day of is very fast and easy, I suggest taking the day off if possible. You’ll constantly be paranoid that things are sliding out (even though that’s not possible!) so just stay home, put your feet up, and relax. You deserve it after all you’ve been through.
If you choose to do IVF be aware of the physical, emotional, and financial commitments it takes. These hormones are delivered by injections instead of pills; if you’re squeamish about needles you’ll get over it fast. The huge box of medications delivered to your door is intimidating at first, so ask questions even if you think you know the answer. You’ll have multiple injections each day leading up to the procedure, plus progesterone shots a few days before until about 10 weeks into your pregnancy. Yep, 10 weeks. When the nurse says that icing the area for a few minutes before the injection helps, she really means stick an ice pack in the waistband of your PJs while you do your hair and makeup for at least 20 minutes so all the muscles are totally numb before the needle goes in. Just remember that it’s to support a tiny growing embryo and it really is worth it!
Regardless of your treatment plan, consider adding acupuncture to the mix. It helps regulate all your systems and, for me, relieved problems associated with endometriosis. I know getting lots of needles stuck all over your body sounds scary, but I promise it doesn’t hurt at all! It’s actually more like a massage than a treatment and is the number one most relaxing thing I’ve done in the past few years. Find someone who specializes in reproductive acupuncture; I recommend seeing the wonderful acupuncturists at TCRA (located in the same building as RMA). They will make a plan to target your specific needs, and research shows that acupuncture significantly increases fertility rates.
Fertility treatment can be a scary process. You will learn more about your body and how reproduction happens than you ever wanted to. There are so many major decisions to make that deserve physical, emotional, and financial consideration. During this time, the most important thing to remember is to do what’s right for you. Of course consider the advice of your doctors but ultimately if what they are suggesting doesn’t feel right, then it’s not. You can’t rush this, physically or emotionally. If a treatment doesn’t work or you just feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to take a step back from it for a while. Make the time to take care of yourself and your relationships, and you’ll be in a much better place when your dreams of becoming a mom finally do come true.
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Congrats on your little ones, Alisa! Yes, Jason is from Eldridge and also went to North Scott….for such a small town I sure do seem to run into a lot of people from there all over the place! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story, Katie! My husband and I also battled infertility but have been blessed with a sweet little girl (who is now 1) and twins on the way! I co-founded the Madison Moms Blog and while reading your bio am wondering if your husband went to North Scott?? I’m originally from Eldridge… small world! Best of lucky to you and your hubby with your sweet little girl on the way!