How I “graduated” from a PCOS diagnosis, to an Unexplained Infertility Diagnosis.
This will be one of my longer blog posts, but I promise it’s worth a read!
After a year of trying to get pregnant, I figured a visit to my gynecologist’s office would be a great place to visit. I had so many questions. I was so confused, and I needed answers. I spent the weeks leading up to my appointment on google, and on instagram, following basically every reproductive doctor I could find. After all of my research, I “diagnosed” myself with PCOS. I went into my appointment and told my dr all of my symptoms.
unable to conceive in less than one year.
extremely irregular cycles
facial acne
irregular hair growth all over my body and face
sluggish and tired every single day
Once I explained to him all of my symptoms, and told him I thought I had pcos the first thing out of his mouth was, “well you don’t look like the typical pcos patient. Most people with pcos are overweight” My jaw dropped, and I told him I would like to be taken seriously and I wanted my labs drawn. He said it wouldn’t be necessary, but we could check them just in case. I asked for my progesterone levels to be checked to see if I was ovulating, and I wanted a hormone panel done, and everything else!
Two weeks later when I went back in to my appointment I sat down in the room and waited. He came in and I kid you not, told me “as you suspected, your blood work indicates you have PCOS” He then told me I’m not ovulating on my own, and that my testosterone was elevated which was the reason for my acne, and extreme irregular hair growth.
He put me on a Medication called Clomid to make to make me ovulate, and sent me on my way. I tried that for a month, and nothing. Didn’t conceive. That only thing that pill gave me, was extreme hot flashes, and the worst mood swings!! I could be so happy one second, and absolutely bawling the next. I had never felt so unlike myself in my life.
I tried it again another month, and had the same exact symptoms. And I didn’t get pregnant yet again.
So I took matters into my own hands and went to see a reproductive endocrinologist at UCSF.
We did so many tests before we were able to begin any type of treatment!
Saline Ultrasound
HSG Test
Semen Analysis
Genetic testing for Ross, and myself
tons of blood work for the both of us too.
Everything came back clear! Not a single concerning find! I thought thank God!! Some good news.
So then my dr wanted to move forward with “timed intercourse cycles”
Basically I would take an ovulation induction medication, this time it was Letrozole. (An ovulation med that is more effective for PCOS)
I was instructed to make it on cycle days 2-7 and come back on day 10 for an ultrasound to peak on my ovaries and follicles. Once I got the clear that my follicle was big enough, I had to inject one shot of ovidrel in to my abdomen, and “do our homework” 😂
I did that for about 6 cycles, with no results. One of the times I even ovulated 4 follicles so for that month we were instructed to NOT do our homework as I could conceive quadruplets.
There were so many hurdles to overcome, and so much disappointment each and every single month when I get my period. I couldn’t handle the pain anymore.
I remember thinking, “gosh my poor husband doesn’t deserve this. He deserves a family and I can’t give him that. He would be better off without me” and if I even began to speak those words to him, he would always tell me how “he could never imagine a life without me, and that he doesn’t want a life with me in it. God brought us together and it’s his path we are on together”
Throughout this whole thing my Husband never once made me feel like I was the “problem” it was always a “we” thing. His support, love, and encouragement is what kept me going. He’s never once made me feel like anything is my fault, and I truly believe God gave him to me because he knew Ross would be the one who would nurture me, our relationship, and keep us strong. His love for me is so pure, and wholehearted. And I love him just the same!
Anyways, Fast forward 6 months, once I completed all the cycle treatments, we had an appointment with my dr to discuss next steps.
I remember asking, “what’s next for us? I thought my problem was not ovulating and once I ovulated I would get pregnant?” and her response was, “well at this point, you’ve had 6 ovulatory cycles, so we know you can ovulate. And all of your other testing has come back clear. So you have now (insert finger bunny quotation here) “graduated” to unexplained infertility. I’m recommending we either do IUI treatments, or move straight to IVF.”
Ross and I first asked what the success rates of each were and with IUI being so low, only 33% across the board with all 3 treatments, we decided to do IVF. Where our chances of conception was 60% with one embryo transfer.
We had to take into account that the success rates were so vastly different, and regardless we would be paying out of pocket for all of the expenses. So if our 3 IUI treatments didn’t work (which in total 3 treatments is about the same as one round IVF) we would be stuck paying for IUI as well as IVF.
So for the sake of time, money, and success, we jumped right into an IVF cycle!
And boy was I nervous.