Tests, Tests, and More Tests

After we had been trying for about nine months, I mentioned this to my doctor at my annual exam, and he decided it was time to start testing. We tested hubby and his swimmers, and they tested normal. I figured all along it was probably me, since my periods have always been a bit sporadic. At that point my doctor prescribed Clomid. We tested my hormone levels each month, and it showed that I was indeed ovulating. After five or six months of that I took a break, thinking that it couldn't be good to have that much Clomid in my system for that long. After six months off, I went back on, but at a double dose. Still nothing (although hubby was worried during this time that we'd end up with triplets!). My regular doctor is great, but he is so busy delivering babies that he really doesn't have time to invest in poor infertiles like myself. At that point we started looking elsewhere. Throughout all of this we occasionally took a few months off of the frustrating infertility game just so it wouldn't take over our lives.

Christmas 2010 we went to hubby's family, and stopped by his uncle's office, who happens to be a chiropractor. We were up front with him concerning our challenges, and he mentioned that for some women, regular chiropractic care can help with infertility. Since I already have a curve in my spine, we figured it couldn't hurt. When we got back from Christmas break I started seeing a local chiropractor. He told me all sorts of success stories, and guaranteed that I would be pregnant in three months. After a few more visits, he told me that my back was messed up, and there wasn't really much he could do. Note to everyone: do NOT make promises like this unless you can deliver! That was extremely frustrating.

April or May of this year we decided to do some more testing to try and get some answers. My doctor recommended a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). I could barely pronounce the word when he told me about it, but now I don't think I'll ever forget it. My doctor said there might be some "mild cramping" with it, but it shouldn't be a big deal. HA! What a liar. Luckily I made hubby come with me, or I would have never made it home! The procedure was done at the hospital in radiology. When I checked in, the technician asked if my doctor had prescribed anything to take before. Uh, no. Why, do I need something? She looked a bit worried and told me I shoud probably take some Advil as soon as I got home. Anyway, I changed into a gown, and the two techs prepped me. The HSG is basically a radiology test to see if your fallopian tubes are open. This test can see if there is scarring that is blocking them, or if there are cysts. The techs inserted a catheter "you know where", which was NOT AT ALL COMFORTABLE! At this point I started to cry, but assured the techs that I cry about everything, and it was nothing personal. When the catheter was in, they brought hubby into the room and the radiologist came in. He inserted some liquid contrast into the catheter, and proceeded to push the liquid into my womanly parts. Let me tell you, the human body DOES NOT like foreign objects being forced in, especially down there! It was SO painful. It was the worst cramping I've ever experienced, and I've had some pretty bad cramping in my life. I've heard some people compare this procedure to childbirth, saying that this is worse. I survived the procedure, though, and hubby and I both got to see on the monitor that everything was clear! We were relieved (although frustrated at still not having answers). I thought the worst part was over, but when the catheter was out and I was in the bathroom changing, my body decided to punish me for putting that stuff inside. I got very nauseous and dizzy, and I couldn't even stand up. I barely got changed, and went back into the radiology room only lay down on the floor and refuse to get up. I was sweating, and I felt like throwing up. The techs looked worried, and when I asked them if that reaction was normal, they didn't really have an answer. Nice. Anyway, hubby got me into the car and back home, and after 30 minutes of soaking in the tub I felt like I would survive.

Nobody can say that I won't do anything for my baby.

After that, we decided to try another chiropractor. We really like this one, and he is helping me with my back issues, but sadly I haven't been one of those lucky women to get pregnant after chiropractic care. At least it's getting me healthy again.

After talking to a few people, we decided to start seeing a fertility specialist. We've only met with him once, and he retested hubby's swimmers and did more blood work on me. My bloodwork came back normal, but we haven't heard about the swimmers yet. We're assuming they are normal as well, but it's been quite a while. I think they forgot about us.

So that is where we are now. We appear to be normal, which is good, but it is also the most frustrating thing EVER because nobody can tell us why we're not pregnant yet. I think I'm going to call the doctor's office tomorrow and check on hubby's test results. Then they can tell us what the next step is.