Moving on...

Hi,

I wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know that I am doing well. I feel confident that God has a plan for me and I am just waiting on His timing. In the meantime, I am just going to focus on other things like getting back on track with Weight Watchers since I have about 15-20 more pounds to lose. ;-) Also, I am going to get certified for scuba diving since we are going to Aruba in January. So, I have some goals to accomplish and will focus my energy on that right now.
Thanks for your continued prayers...

In Him,
Lisa

Not Pregnant

I wanted to let you know that I received my results today and I am not pregnant. I am sad of course, but I know I will get through it. I was praying about the outcome Monday and asked God to prepare my heart if it was negative....which He did. I actually got the feeling that He brought me through this experience so that I would know that I tried everything I could before moving on to adoption...which is what I really felt led to do a couple of years ago. I feel that this confirms that the feeling I had was from God and I feel good about that. I know we can't begin that process yet (for financial reasons), but at least I still have hope that someday I WILL be a mommy. Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

Love you,
Lisa

Waiting

Well, today has been the longest wait for my blood test results. I thought this last week was difficult....today has been 100 times worse! You would think that they would know that women want to find out as soon as possible what the results are and that they would expedite the lab work. Nope....I'm still waiting. And I bet they will make me wait up until the deadline of 4pm when they have to call me. It gets pretty frustrating.

Anyways....just wanted to let you know that I am still waiting for the results....

Love
Lisa

Tomorrow is the big day

Hi,

Tomorrow morning I go in for my first beta (pregnancy test using bloodwork). I will find out in the afternoon sometime what the results are. Either I'll be pregnant or not...I'm ready for either outcome I think.

I have done a lot of praying this past week. I've had days that I felt like "This is it...it's going to work". I've also had days of doubt where I don't think it will work. Yesterday was one of those days. A friend of mine could feel that in her spirit and came over to talk to me and encourage me. During that time, God revealed something to me. I still don't know what the outcome will be, but I do know that whatever it is, I will know where He is leading me. I don't want to tell you what was revealed just yet because I haven't talked to my husband about it...and that wouldn't be fair to him. But, I will let you know tomorrow what the result is. Thanks again for all your prayers. This journey couldn't have been done so smoothly without them.

Love
Lisa

4 Days Past Transfer....

Hi,

Well, it is the 4th day past my transfer. I've had mixed feelings all these days and when I start thinking negative (like this isn't going to work), that is when I take time to pray again and ask God to handle this for me. This is the hardest part...the waiting game. During this wait, I have also been "researching" what happens while the embryo is floating around inside my uterus. This is something I found ("dpt" stands for days past transfer):

1dpt....Blastocyst hatches out of shell on this day
2dpt.. Blastocyst attaches to a site on the uterine lining
3dpt.. Implantation begins,as the blastocyst begins to bury in the lining
4dpt.. Implantation process continues and morula buries deeper in the lining
5dpt.. Morula is completely inmplanted in the lining and has placenta cells & fetal cells
6dpt...Placenta cells begin to secret HCG in the blood
7dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops
8dpt...More HCG is produced as fetus develops
9dpt...HCG levels are now high enough to be immediately detected on home pregnancy test

So according to this, at least one of the embryos should be burying itself into my uterine lining today. I think I can "give or take" one day. I say this because Tuesday I could feel little twinges in my uterus and then yesterday I was feeling it all day long (off and on)! Now...see, this is the problem....is my mind playing tricks on me? Or am I really feeling this? The waiting is so hard...

I've been taking things easy, like the doctor said. I haven't lifted anything heavy (like laundry, darn!) or exercised like I normally do. Walking is ok, so I took a nice walk today at lunch with a couple friends. So, basically, I am just trying to stay busy at work so I can keep my mind off of this wait.

Thanks again for all your prayers.

God bless,
Lisa

Update

Hi,

I had my embryo transfer on Sunday morning and then was on bed rest until today. I am back to work and trying to keep my mind busy. They transferred 2 embryos back to me and now I am just praying that at least one attaches and I'll be pregnant. I have to wait until July 30th, then I will go in for a blood test to see if I'm pregnant. It's only a week's wait...but this will probably be the longest week of my life. The doctor called me on Monday and told me that the rest of the embryo's were not good enough to freeze, so I wasn't able to freeze any. I have faith that God is handling all of this and that this happened because He is going to make this work. However, if that is not the case, then I will just need to have peace that He knows best and it just isn't my time yet. Giving up control...actually, not having any control to begin with, has been very tough for me. But, I have learned to deal with it day by day...hour by hour...minute by minute :-) Please continue to pray for me and that God's will be done.

God bless,
Lisa

Egg transfer scheduled for Sunday!!

Hi,

Tomorrow they will be transferring the embryo's back to me. I don't know how many they will be doing, but they did say it will be 1-2. Since I had enough fertilized eggs, they decided to do a 5 day transfer; as opposed to a 3 day. Everything I have read has said that a 5 day is usually more successful because it is more natural of an occurrence. For example, in a "normal" cycle the woman's egg would still be in the fallopian tube on day 3 (after fertilization). On day 5-6 it turns into a blastocyst embryo and moves into the uterus. That is when it finds the uterine wall and "snuggles" in. :-) So, since they are putting the blastocyst back in me on the 5th day, there is more of a chance that it knows what to do. Ha! Sorry for all the scientific stuff...it just fascinates me. (also, that was for you Kristen!!)

So, anyway, tomorrow at 7am they will be transferring back to me. They did say that Jesús could be in the room while they do it...so that is nice. After that, I have to be on complete bed rest tomorrow and Monday. Then Tuesday I can return to work. What I gather is that gives the embryo time to attach on Sunday or Monday and if it doesn't, then it wasn't meant to be.

Well, that is all for now. I'm not sure if I will be able to post tomorrow or not, so if anything, I will post again on Tuesday.

God bless,
Lisa

Results from egg transfer

Hi,

I found out today that out of the 17 eggs that they collected from me, 11 were mature, and 6 ended up being fertilized. So, I have 6 embryos! They will be returning 1 or 2 embryos back to me on Sunday and I will be freezing the rest. I am very excited that I have so many to work with. :-)

I am feeling pretty well. I am still a little sore and bloated, but it is getting better. Sorry this is kind of a short update...but that is all that has happened so far. :-)

Take care,
Lisa

Egg Retrieval was today

Hi,

I had my egg retrieval today. They were able to get 17 eggs! I will find out tomorrow how many were fertilized and what day they will be transferring them (only 1-2) back. They are thinking that it will be a 5 day transfer, which means it will happen on Sunday. I am on bed rest today and am feeling pretty good. Just a little sore, but that is normal. I will let you know what I find out tomorrow.

Love
Lisa

Egg retrieval scheduled for Tuesday!

Hi! The nurse called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that I was scheduled for egg retrieval on Tuesday at 7am. Last night I had to take the HCG trigger shot (which is a huge needle) and it had to be in my "gluteus maximus" so Jesús had to give it to me. He was a little nervous, but he's a trooper and was able to do it. I was very proud of him. :-) The shot didn't hurt last night, but today my muscle is hurting...but that is normal.

My mom is driving in today with my nieces (Brooke-Lynn, Summer, and Sierra) so that she can help me this week since I'll have to be on bed rest. I am so thankful for that....it will be a huge load off of me.

Well, I think that is it. As always, I'll keep you posted...probably not until Wednesday. I'll be finding out how many eggs were fertilized and what day they will be transferring them back to me. Again, thanks for all your prayers...

Love
Lisa

More updates from appointments

Hi,

Sorry it's been awhile...there's been alot happening the past few days. My E2 levels were sky-rocketing so they decided to take me off the stimulation medication. So Friday and Saturday I didn't take anything. Also, I've had to go in everyday for an ultrasound and bloodwork to check my E2 levels. Yesterday I finally received some good news...my E2 level only went up by 500. The previous 2 days it went up at least 775 per day. So, that was good news. I am still waiting on the results from today's appointment. They said I might have to take the HCG trigger shot today...which means that egg retrieval will be on Tuesday! Just so you know, that shot makes the eggs know that it is time to ovulate...and they retrieve the eggs right before they break free from the follicles...which is always 36-38 hours after the shot. :-) Pretty amazing, right?

So I have a treat for you....I asked the nurse today if I could have a picture of my ovaries with all the follicles. She said yes, so here it is..the top picture is my left ovary and the bottom is my right:Basically, all the circles are the follicles and inside the follicles are the eggs (which we can't see). For a normal cycle (no meds), there would only be 1-2 follicles that would get big and then when the brain triggers that it's time to ovulate, the biggest one will release the egg. But since I am on stimulation medication, that is why there are so many follicles developing. Well, I will try to update this again tonight after I find out the results of my appointment today. Have a great Sunday!

God bless,
Lisa

Yet another appointment today :-)

Wow...I've had a lot of appointments this last week. But, that is what it takes when you are on these medications. They called me last night and told me not to take any medications yesterday evening as well as this morning. They said that they didn't want to over-stimulate me and needed me to come in the next day (which is today). So, I didn't have to do any shots :-) Yay! My stomach gets a break...ha!!

So anyway, I went in today for an ultrasound and bloodwork. The ultrasound went really well. The follicles on my left ovary are developing a little bit faster than my right side. But the nurse said this is normal. On my left side I had 4 follicles that she measured. They were all between 11-12 millimeters in size. On my right side I had 3-4 that were between 10-11mm in size. She said this was very good that they are all so close to the same size. That means that they will be more healthy and better quality and have a better chance of surviving the retrieval and transfer :-) Also, she said my uterine lining looks perfect. It is 11mm thick which means it will be ready to receive the embryo when they transfer it back to me. I know these details may be confusing...so the bottom line is that I am responding good to the meds and everything is looking great! ;-)

Thanks for all your prayers...I feel them working :-)

Love
Lisa

IVF Update

Hi,

Well, the nurse called me back from my appointment today. She said that the ultrasound showed over 38 follicles!!! They were all still small (less than 10 millimeters), but my E2 (Estradiol) level is kind of high. It went from 322 on Monday to 1106 today. So...tonight I didn't have to take my shot and also tomorrow morning I am not going to take the shot either. In the morning I have to go back in for another ultrasound and they will check my E2 level again. Then from there they will determine what they want me to do. So, if you are praying for me, please pray that I don't over-stimulate...meaning that I don't have too many follicles where they have to cancel the whole cycle. I will update you tomorrow evening on what I find out from my appointment tomorrow.

Love
Lisa

Update on IVF Cycle

Hi!! I started the stimulation drugs on the 4th of July. So now I am giving myself two shots in the morning and one shot at night. The nurse said the most common spot to take the shot is in the stomach so I've been doing it there...alternating sides everyday. My stomach is starting to get a little sore and tender, but it will all be worth it in the end when I (God willing) get pregnant and have a baby.

I had an appointment on Monday. They did an ultrasound to see if the follicles (eggs) were growing and they are. They told me I was responding well to the medications so the lowered my dosage on the evening medication. I had another ultrasound today and some of the follicles were large enough for them to measure. There were about 4 of them on my left side that were large enough, and then I noticed there were about 3 on my right side that were still small. I will find out this evening what the next step is, but so far, it is looking like I will be doing the egg retrieval on the 15th of July! It's coming so fast!

Just so you know, emotionally I am doing very well. I was worried that I might get snappy and mean from the meds because that is what happened when I took the low-grade fertility med (clomid) last year. But, my mood really hasn't changed and I haven't had hardly any hot flashes like I did with clomid. The only thing I notice is that I am more quiet, but I think that is because I am thinking about all that is happening and am trying not to get too excited because I don't want to be too let down if it doesn't work. I know this is all God's doing and He knows if it will work...so I am at the point where I just want Him to handle it all. So I think that is why I've been more reserved about it...because I just want to leave it up to Him since I know I don't have any control. So anyway...that is where I am emotionally. I just want it to be the end of July so that I can know if it was successful or not :-)

I'll try to post again when I get the results from my appointment today.

God bless,
Lisa

Amazed

I just got back from having dinner with a couple that have become very dear friends to us. At the end of dinner we started talking about my IVF stuff and then they told us that they were expecting. I have to say, I am genuinely happy and feel so much joy for them. This is the first time I've felt this way since beginning my whole journey of infertility. I literally got goose bumps when they told me. I am so happy for them and they are going to make great parents! God has definitely worked on my heart and has transformed me. I have grown so much through all of this and I am amazed at what He has done in me. He is an awesome God and I know He will be blessing me with a child someday. I thank Him for all the support He has provided to me from my family and friends. Our God is an Awesome GOD!!!

Meds...

Ok...well, I start my meds on Friday the 4th. On the 7th I go in for another ultrasound. I am assuming that they will look at my follicles and see if they are developing on target. Then, after that appointment, they will tell me if I need to increase/decrease my dosage. Hopefully all will be going as planned and I will just stay at the same dosage. :-) The nurse told me that my estimated date of egg retrieval will be on the 15th! That is a lot sooner than I thought. Which is fine with me. If that is the case, then they will return the embryos either on the 17th or the 19th...depending how healthy they are. My mom is coming out those days to be with me since I have to be on bed rest the day of the procedure and the day after. So that will be a big help. I am excited for Monday to see what they say...I will keep you posted.

God bless,
Lisa

My Appointment

Well, I had my appointment this morning. I am a little bummed out because the nurse said that I might not get to start my fertility meds until July 4th. But, then again, I have waited this long, what is a few more days? They did an ultrasound and looked at my ovaries and uterus...they said all looks good and now we are waiting on my blood work results. I will find out tonight when I start my fertility medication...but usually the nurse is pretty accurate with what she says. So, that is what I am expecting. Other than that...it was a pretty painless and uneventful appointment! I'll keep you updated on when I start my meds :-)

Have a blessed day,
Lisa

Appointment Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow I am going to the doctor's office. They will be doing bloodwork to check my hormone levels and also they will be doing an ultrasound. They will be looking to see how many follicles (they are in the ovaries and hold the eggs while they grow) I have and most likely will tell me to begin the fertility meds tomorrow. Things are moving forward and I am getting very excited because I know these next couple of weeks will go by very fast. Right now, the approximate date for egg retrieval will probably be July 11th. That's right around the corner!

I found a forum/message board that is about the study I am on. A couple of the women on the board said that their doctor told them that so far the success rate has been 70% for the study! Wow...that is very high considering that the national average is 40%. So, things are looking up and I have faith that God will bless me. However, I am still thinking realistic and I know that if it isn't His will, then it won't happen...but I really have a great feeling about all this.

Well, that is my update. I will post again tomorrow and let you know how my appointment went.

God bless,
Lisa

Starting my meds...

Hi...sorry it's been so long since I last posted. To catch up a little bit, my grandfather died on Saturday the 14th. We know he is in a much better place so instead of the funeral being sad, it was a reflection and celebration of his life and what he meant to us. He was a wonderful man and I know I will see him again when I go to heaven.

Last Wednesday I had an appointment at my fertility clinic. They showed me how to perform the shots for the medications. I have started the Lupron shot (my first one was at the doctors office) and have been doing that every morning for a week now. I have noticed many side effects yet...I just feel a little bloated. So, now I am waiting to start my period so that I can begin the stimulation drugs (repronex and Gonal-f). Oh yeah...and while I was at the doctors office they went through the procedure and gave us some more information. When the transfer the embryo's back to me, they will be doing 1-2 embryos depending on the quality. So, if it is a good quality embryo, then they will only do 1...so that makes me feel a little better knowing that the worst case scenerio is twins if it is two embryos (I know it is possible for the eggs to split...but I'm not going to think that way! ha!). Anyway...that my quick update. If there are any questions, feel free to comment and I will try to answer them. :-) Have a blessed rest of the week.

Seven

Yesterday as I was thinking about my birthday and reflecting over the plans I had for my life and how I haven't completed everything that I wanted to have completed by now, God spoke to me. Every since I was a teenager, my plan had been this: get married by 20, have kids by 24, be a business owner by 30. Needless to say...I did get married before I was 20, but that failed (however, thankfully I have a wonderful husband now that I wouldn't trade for anything), I haven't had any kids of my own, and I don't own my own business. So back to the kids part. My dream was to have kids at age 24. As I was thinking about this, God revealed to me that I am 31 years old now...I have waited for this to happen for 7 years. Biblically, this is very significant because the number seven is a symbol of completion. As I received that knowledge, it gave me so much hope and reconfirmed the positive feeling I have about this IVF study and the process I am going through. I am proclaiming it now that God is going to bless me this year with a child. And I am thanking Him in advance for the promise He has given me. I know He has plans for my life and it is all in His perfect timing. I thought this was an awesome thing that He revealed and I hope you will continue to keep me and Jesús in your prayers.

Next week we have an appointment and they are going to teach us how to administer the infertility medications (via injections). I start lupron next week and am a little bit nervous (this is the medication that suppresses ovulation so that I will have more eggs to retrieve next month). Enjoy the weekend and hopefully I will be able to post again soon.

31st Birthday

This year I was able to start my birthday celebration the Sunday before my birthday. Mom and I met halfway in Merrillville, IN and treated ourselves to a Hot Stone Massage. After that, we checked into our hotel and then decided to go eat. We ended up eating at the Olive Garden since both of our husbands aren't big fans of the place and we rarely get to eat there. Needless to say, we enjoyed it very much :-) After that, we ended up going shopping...which is always a fun time! We went to our favorite store...TJ Maxx. Both of us hit the jackpot! ha! When we were all shopped out, we went back to the hotel and relaxed in the hot tub. It was a very nice visit and we will hopefully be doing it again soon. I have to make sure and thank my brother for volunteering to watch my grandpa so mom could take the time away from home. He was a trooper and did a great job taking care of him. Thanks Scotty!!

Then Monday night Jesús took me shopping for my birthday. He bought me a new Coach purse. Funny thing about that is that he had picked out the one he wanted to get me, but wanted to take me just in case I didn't like it. After looking at all the choices, I ended up liking the original purse that he picked out so got that one.

Today, on my birthday we went out to eat at my favorite restaurant...JuRin. It a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you. The food there is the best and we love it! I have to say....this years birthday was one of my best so far. Thanks to everyone who made it so enjoyable!

Glimpse of Heaven

I don't know how many of you know that my mom is caring for my grandpa during his last days here on earth. He was in a nursing home, but now he's living with my mom and is also receiving care from Hospice. He is to the point where he is barely eating and he can't sit up by himself, just lay down in bed. He has no strength. Today mom called me and told me that he is lifting his hands to the sky and his eyes are wide open. Mom asked him what he was seeing and he responded with "all the people...so many people". I really believe that God has given grandpa a gift to see a glimpse of heaven so that he can let go and return home. I know before he was kind of scared about what happens when he dies...even though he is a believer in Jesus. So, I really have a feeling that he hasn't let go because of that. What an awesome gift God has given him to see just a glimpse before he passes away. Just knowing that gives me more faith and hope that I will see all my loved ones when my time on earth is done. God is an awesome God and loves us so much. :-)

IVF Study - Update

Hi,

Here is an update on my IVF cycle. For this cycle, the dates are pretty solid. However next cycle may be off 1-2 days…give or take. It amazes me how fast things start happening now that I know that I am part of the study and am finally beginning the process.

This Cycle:
5/28: Period
5/30: Blood test and ultrasound
6/2: Start birth control pills
6/18: Start lupron injection (this will suppress ovulation)
6/22: Last birth control pill

Next Cycle:
6/25: Expect period
6/29: Start fertility meds (injections)
7/10: Egg retrieval
7/13: Transfer embryo(s) back to me
7/25: Pregnancy test

Also, on May 30th I had an ultrasound. The nurse told me that on my right ovary I had 8 antral follicles and on my left ovary I had 10 antral follicles. That means that if this was the cycle that they retrieved the eggs then there would be approx. 18 eggs that they would extract! WOW!! I did some research and the normal range is between 15-30 antral follicles, so I am in the normal range. Don’t worry; they don’t put all 18 back inside me!! Could you imagine? Not me!!! That is scary! I’m not sure how many they put back…most likely 2-3 though. Then, we have decided that we will freeze the rest of them in case we want another child at a later time and need to use IVF again. So…that is the latest and greatest. I am excited that everything is falling into place…but I’m not surprised. God works in amazing ways! Have a blessed week!

Free Will

Wow...sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. Our family has been through a lot recently. I don't want to get into the details, but I have learned a very important lesson about free will. God gave our family an opportunity to reconcile some broken relationships. I was quick to praise Him and thank Him for answering my prayers because I knew He was providing a way for us to communicate again. However, my praise and happiness was quickly squashed. The other family member made a choice (the free will that God gives us) that may have forever severed our relationship with them. It amazes me that God can make the path so clear for some people, but the other person involved just doesn't get it. Then, I read my devotional today and it was totally about all of this. How God turns bad things into good, but if someone isn't living in the way of the Lord or doesn't have a relationship with Him, then of course they aren't going to see the opportunities of good that God has planned. I don't know if that all makes sense because I'm not the best with words...but it totally put the puzzle pieces together for me today. We serve an amazing God and I will continue to trust in Him. He will get us through this storm and we will be stronger for it.

I found this devotional when I was searching for daily devotionals for married couples. It's funny because it isn't supposed to be read until June 2nd...but I still found it. After reading it, I feel very blessed that I am in a marriage that possesses all four qualities. My husband is my best friend and always will be. I truly believe this since God is in the center of our marriage. I am a very blessed woman. :-)

1 Minute Daily Devotions

June 2, 2008

Best Friends In Marriage

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you..." - Philippians 1:3

The Bible repeatedly says of marriage that "a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife." The message is clear; our spouse should be our best friend. If they are not, we need to get this right.

What are some qualities of a best friend?

* A desire to be together. This is why I believe a weekly date is so key to staying in love with your mate.

* Great communication. Best friends can talk about anything.

* Loyalty. Best friends are loyal. They keep confidences.

* Willingness to forgive. They accept one another and are so committed to the friendship, that they choose to forgive and work through it even when the other friend lets them down.

Is your spouse your best friend? If so, thank God for a marriage like He has in mind. If not, ask God to forgive you and to help you forgive your spouse, and make a commitment with your spouse to become best friends.

© 2008 Right From The Heart Ministries. All rights reserved.

Visit www.rightfromtheheart.org to subscribe to our 1-Minute Daily Devotions.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there. :-) Today I wasn't able to spend time with my mom since she's in Indiana and I am here, but we are planning to meet in the next couple of weeks and spend a day together.

So, today we spent the day with Jesús' mom and her fiancé. We at lunch at Red Lobster and then went bowling. When we got home, we ended up renting a "girly" movie...27 Dresses. We watched that and now we are just relaxing and watching the Survivor finale. All in all, it has been a great day and we had a lot of fun.

Jesús bought me a new digital camera for mother's day which was very thoughtful. It is so great to know that he appreciates me as the step-mom of his boys and to know that he realizes the sacrifices I make for them and of course how much I love them.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day and enjoyed it as much as we did. Have a great week!

Westridge Church Softball Team

Well, we had another double header today. Jesús and I started out by stretching out really good. We have finally realized that we are no longer in our teens/early 20's and can't just get out and play. If we don't stretch first, we'll be "stretched out" on the couch the next day since we'll be too sore!

Damen slid into base again and re-opened his sore from last weeks game so Kristin took out the first aid kit and put on the bandages.

I thought since last week we played better than the week before, that this week we would do even better. That wasn't the case. I think all of us had sore legs from last weeks game so we were all pretty much hobbling along! At least we are on the "fun" team.

We lost both games due to the slaughter rule today...but, at least we all had fun. Sorry there aren't any pictures of me...but I was the one taking the pictures. :-)

IVF Study

Well, it looks like so far I am in the IVF study. Everything got pushed back about 30 days because all my bloodwork didn't come back in time. Also, I had to get a Rubella shot since the test came back and said that I was not immune. So, that means I can not get pregnant for the next 30 days because I could pass it on to the baby if I did get pregnant. So, we have to wait. I am ok with this because I have waited so long that I figure "what's another 30 days?". Right? Plus, this is all in God's plan....and I have totally given this to Him and I know that He is in charge. So I have nothing to worry about. :-) Plus, on the selfish side...we already bought our plane tickets to go to Aruba in Jan '09 so this will be better timing for me! Because if I do get pregnant, then I will only be about 6 months pregnant instead of 7! I know...it's selfish...but this might be my last vacation where it is just Jesús and I. :-)

Infertility History

I figured that I should start journaling my experience going through infertility. I will start first with a little history and factual items. In November of 2005 I started tracking my monthly cycle. It was then that I realized that I had a problem because my cycle (time between periods) would last anywhere from 35-50 days which isn't normal for me. I was referred to a gynecologist who "specialized" in fertility problems. He did several blood tests and determined that everything was normal, but I wasn't ovulating on a regular basis. So, he recommended that I take Clomid (a low grade infertility drug) for 6-8 months to see if that would help me to ovulate and get pregnant. So, I started taking Clomid in June of 2006. Needless to say, I didn't get pregnant...however I did ovulate every cycle. My last month of taking clomid was in March of 2007. After that, Jesús and I decided to take the summer off because by then we were both pretty stressed out. During this time, we started attending a new church. I joined a women's small group and shared with them that I was struggling with infertility. That is when one of the women told me about Dr. Charles Miller. She said that there were a few ladies a church who went to him and he was able to get them pregnant using advanced treatment. As the saying goes "If Dr. Miller can't get you pregnant, no one will". So, I schedule an appointment to see him in October of 2007. Everything went well so Jesús and I decided to give it another try. They told me to give them a call the next time I started my period. Of course, this cycle I never started my period. So, we ended up going in again and Dr. Miller gave us our plan. He said that there was an IVF study that was starting in 2008 that he would like us to try to be in. We were excited about that because we knew we would save money. However, he said if we couldn't get in the study then he wanted me to go through 2 cycles of IUI (inter-uterine insemination) and if that didn't work, then go to IVF. He also wanted to do surgery on me to make sure everything was normal inside. So, I had the surgery on Feb. 11th, 2008. On my follow-up appointment Dr. Miller told me that he was able to clean out some build-up I had in my uterus. He also determined that I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). He confirmed that the study was still going on and wanted to get us to enrolled in the study because he said we were perfect candidates for it. So...that brings us up to date. I will write more in my next journal entry.

Infertility Update

I wanted to give you an update on my infertility journey. :-) Last night, we went to see our specialist and talked to a nurse that is in charge of a new IVF study (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00615251?term=ivf+and+progesterone&rank=2&show_locs=Y) that my doctor wants me to be a part of. After reading and signing the consent form (22 pages long) she was able to start all the diagnostic testing on us (blood tests, physical, vitals, etc.). She said that if we don't hear anything from her then that means that I have not been excluded from the study, which most likely will be the case. I am to contact her when I start my next cycle (period) so that we can begin the process!

The best thing about the study is that the whole IVF procedure will be free of cost. The only thing that is our responsibility to pay is for the fertility drugs and anesthesia that will be used during the egg retrieval. So the worst case scenerio is that we will be paying about $5000. Which is a huge cost savings when the procedure usually costs around $18,000. So...we are so blessed and excited to be a part of the study. Just so you know, the progesterone drug that I may taking is still experimental, but it is in phase 3 of the testing, so it is pretty safe. Also, the nurse was able to give me some approx. dates of when things will be happening since I was able to give her an estimation of when my next cycle will start. Here's the time line (of course, this could always change by a week or so):

4/26: Expect period
4/28: Blood test and ultrasound
5/1: Start birth control pills
5/17: Start lupron injection (this will suppress ovulation)
5/21: Last birth control pill
5/25: Expect period
5/28: Start fertility meds (injections)
6/8: Egg retrieval
6/11: Transfer embryo(s) back to me
6/23: Pregnancy test

Wow....amazing huh? I know this might be a lot of TMI (to much information) for some of you so I apologize...but going through this whole process has really taken away any privacy of what my cycle is and stuff like that. So, of course, I will keep you updated on my progress...but if you could keep me in your prayers I would surely appreciate it :-) I know God has led me to this point and am hoping that He will bless me with a pregnancy on the first try. :-)