Answers.

So I went and saw my new OBGYN today. I'd heard great things about him, and that he also has a special interest in fertility. I've wanted to see him for a while, but we just got insurance that he accepts, so I made an appointment as soon as I could! Today was my appointment and I went over my medical history with him, and we lingered on the topic of pregnancy and my 4 miscarriages and he was very surprised that I still had not had any tests done to see what is going on. I told him that my doctor basically would tell me to try to get pregnant and then they would see how my body handled it and he was not thrilled about that.

So he explained to me that new findings show that a 20% of repeat miscarriages are caused by clotting disorders like thrombophilia. Basically a clot forms in the placenta and eventually destroys the pregnancy. He said that since I had a 2nd trimester miscarriage it made it even more likely that this could be a problem for me. So they drew 8 vials of blood today and sent them off to the lab to be tested. If it does happen that I do have a blood clotting disorder, when I do get pregnant I get to take 2 shots a day of a medicine called heparin throughout the entire pregnancy and through postpartum recovery. Not looking forward to that, but if it gets me a baby I'm all for it. And this made me wonder, since I had my son and the only "complication" was mild preeclampsia onset at the end of my pregnancy, why wasn't this possible disorder a problem? He told me that it can not only be genetic, but acquired at later points in life, so I could have acquired it after my son was born, but that gives no explanation to my 2 miscarriages before him. Anyways, we'll know in about 3-5 days the results.

He also told me if I am not pregnant now, than once I start my cycle again to call and schedule an HSG test (Hysterosalpingogram) which is where they inject dye into my uterus and it flows up the fallopian tubes and then they take an x-ray of it. They look for misshapen uterus, blocked tubes, or anything in the uterus like a fibroid, polyp, or scarring that prevents the embryo from properly implanting. He said sometimes the dye that is injected can clear out any blockages in the tubes, remove scar tissue, and basically aid in the process of getting pregnant. I heard it is a little painful and uncomfortable, but the results are usually pretty good- conception wise.

If all those come back normal we'll do a semen analysis, and then he suggests genetic testing to make sure neither of us have any genetic defects that are causing repeat miscarraiges.

Well, HOPEFULLY I am pregnant now, and these things will not be necessary. Well, except for the blood clotting thing, because if they came back positive I'd get on those shots right away.

I am very relieved, even excited at the chance to get some answers. Who knows, they all might come back normal and there's nothing wrong with me, but atleast this will remove any doubt! I am due to test a week from tomorrow and I am going to try with all my might to resist the urge to pee on a stick until then. We shall see! Wish me luck folks!

6 DPO

Hey guys. I went through some issues with my chart, it says I ovulated on day 17, when I'm pretty sure it was on CD16...so I found out how to adjust my chart and things should be correct now. That means I'm 6 DPO today. I've read everywhere that the egg will usually implant around day 6-10...and I've been having some cramping today, so maybe that's a good sign? Temps are still up, and I spent some time today dry-heaving over the toilet because my lunch did not sit well with me almost as soon as I ate it. Probably too early for any real symptoms, but I'm crossing my fingers! Not obsessing about it all yet, and that's good. I am trying to keep my mind off it all so the TWW goes by faster. Anyways, that's about it for today... I think I'm gonna go! TTYL!

A little bummed

Well, I am now on CD 47. That is crazy long and I am going crazy just waiting. I'm a little bummed at a few recent events, this being one of them. I have yet to have a normal cycle since the miscarriages, so Spencer and I have decided it is not a good idea to try until I have atleast 2 normal ones out of the way. Another turn of events is we lost our health insurance due to a stupid office error and we have to reapply of sorts for it. That could be a few weeks anyways, not to mention if they have me wait for the waiting period again. So, needless to say we are out of the TTC game for a couple months... I would say till atleast the end of March. Looks like there will be no Morris baby born in 2010. Oh well, there's a time and a place for everything.

But I will continue to blog and help all you TTCers out. I feel like even though I can't be actively doing these things, I can use my powers for good ;)
I'll start the blogging up again tomorrow, for now its out to dinner with the hubby!!

Home Fertility Tests

This post is merely for my own curiosity, as I was in the pharmacy aisle today I saw a over the counter at-home fertility test. Basically, you pee on the stick like a pregnancy or ovulation kit and it tells you if you can get pregnant or not. I was instantly curious. Now, I don't consider myself to be infertile by any means, I mean I dont seem to have the issue of GETTING pregnant, my issue lies in STAYING pregnant, but for all those women out there who are TTC for a year or more might worry if they are or not. If you are under 35, and healthy, and same with your spouse, you would want to see a fertility specialist after atleast a year of not conceiveing. If you are over 35, they say after 6 months of TTC you should see one. But in the meantime, if you are on like your 8th month TTC, and you wanna take matters into your own hands, you may wanna take one of these: How does it work?
According to the FirstResponse Website, this fertility test measures the amount of Follicle Stimulating Hormone, (FSH), in your urine. FSH is a hormone that is directly connected to your ovaries and egg production. It tells your body to produce an egg. If your levels are normal, you have enough eggs to consider yourself fertile. If your FSH is elevated, that means your body is producing more of the hormone to convince your body to prepare and release an egg, meaning you don't have very many or have a limited supply. Wow, betcha never realized your urine could tell you so many things!

How and when do you take it?
On day 3 of your cycle. So, you should take this while on your period. This is the prime time to take this test. Hold it in your urine stream for 5 seconds, replace cap, and wait 30 minutes. Yes, it's longer than a pregnancy test, but I think this process is a little more in-depth. After the 30 minutes have passed you will see either one line or two. This is one test where you want to see only ONE line! That means your FSH levels are normal and you have enough eggs to be considered fertile. If you see two lines, it means there is an elevated amount of FSH and so you may have a low supply of eggs and you might consider seeing a fertility specialist.

Does it Work?
Now that's the million dollar question. I think it accurately detects the FSH hormone. I don't it lies about that in it's claim to 95% accuracy. I think that's true. However, not all fertility issues lie in egg production. There several things that contribute to infertility such as PCOS, Endometriosis, even being over/underweight, low progesterone levels, and so much more. And according to www. MedicineNet.com only 1/3 of infertility cases are because of female issues.

Would I Recommend?
If you are healthy, have no signs or history of PCOS, Endometriosis, or other things that can interfere with fertility, then I say go for it. If anything it is a way to rule out one possible cause and give you a sense of relief in that department. But I could caution that you take your result with a grain of salt, because just like in a pregnancy test, there could be false positives, or false negatives. If you have $25-40 to spare it couldn't hurt. But if you are doing it to avoid seeing a fertility specialist, it won't save you money in the long run, because you should see one anyways regardless of your result.

I don't think I will buy one though. If you have tried one, please let me know your experience.

Pregnancy Test with Conception Indicator

This is something that I, as a TTCer, think is VERY cool. When I saw it, I don't know why, but I was excited. It just shows how much science is progressing and before we know it, we'll know as soon as we get pregnant, that we are!

This is the NEW Clearblue DIGITAL Pregnancy Test with Conception Indicator. Not only does it tell you if you are pregnant or not without having to worry about faint lines or evaporation lines, but it also will tell you roughly how pregnant you are!! Like a normal pregnancy test, it detects the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine. This baby also calculates the concentration of it (hCG should double every 48 hours in a healthy pregnancy) to determine roughly how far along you are. I can see it being a little off for some women because some don't produce high amounts of hCG during pregnancy, and if you are pregnant with multiple babies it might tell you you are further along than you are. But still, it's very cool. Just another thing from my friends at Clearblue! I don't use any other test but their digitals!!

I've heard some women say they are found at their Walmarts, but others say it's only available in the UK. I have found them on ebay, but have yet to check Walmart. If any of you readers have found them somewhere let me know!!