The Journey Begins

I've spent over half my life trying not to get pregnant. Now that I've been married for 10 years and am staring 40 in the face, I've finally gotten that "ache" to have a baby. Sadly, nature has not be kind so my husband and I found ourselves meeting with a reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. EDL on February 13.

I knew my age would be a factor.  And I've read that Hashimoto's, which I've had for over a decade, would probably contribute to pregnancy difficulties.  But after I got the call with my CD3 (the first set of diagnostic tests you have on the third day of your period) results, I didn't realize how dire my situation was. There were four measurements taken that day - antral follicle count (AFC) and levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2).  My fantastic nurse, MH, went through the numbers with me and my mood sank lower and lower as she moved through the four data points.  Of course I was panicking since I had previously researched what are the "good" numbers.  

AFC: 6 total b/t both ovaries

FSH: 3.79

AMH: 0.618
E2: 191

My AMH was abysmal (1.0 is what doctors consider low-normal).  My FSH, while a very good test number, is probably artificially low.  Dr. EDL said the low FSH level is likely the result of an ovarian cyst, which is also why my E2 number is high (normal is <50).  And to complete the superfecta (hey, I'm from a horse racing family so betting terms are part of my vernacular) of fertility bad news was the AFC of only six (10 is what doctors like to see).

About a week after these tests, I had the pleasant truly agonizing experience of an HSG on February 28.  The procedure wasn't bad but about four hours later I had a terrible stomach ache.  Not cramping pains, like I had been punched in the lower abdomen about a thousand times. It wasn't any better the next day (Sunday) so I ended going back to SGF for blood work and an ultrasound to see what was going on.  And for the trifecta of transvaginal ultrasounds, Dr. EDL had me come back the day after that, Monday, March 2, for one that he could personally see.  It ended up that I had an allergic reaction to the dye which caused severe inflammation and an infection.  

With that out of the way, it was time for our own version of the two week wait before our follow up with Dr. EDL...