Seeing a Fertility Specialist

much less scary than previously aniticipated

After my OBGYN recommended us to the fertility specialist, we still deliberated. For a few months, I was hopeful that we still could conceive naturally.

But on Feb 20, 2018 we made our way to UNC Fertility and our doctor.

He was very knowledgeable, open, and helpful. He spoke to us about hope and medicine. Let us know that there were options for us still! Did some more tests, and we finally had an updated diagnosis.

Male-Pattern Infertility

What?? Guys can be infertile too? His sperm levels were so low, under 3mil. consistently. This made me EVEN MORE angry at that urologist who told Myke that his levels were okay. I stewed a long time over this, if only he had taken more time to look at his levels, if only we had gone to a second doctor, if only, if only, the woodpecker sighs.

The diagnosis absolutely devastated Mykel. I'll write more about male infertility in another post.

But now we KNEW! Now we had a DIAGNOSIS! Now we had ANSWERS!

Next step was IUI- intra-uterine insemination. There's a lot of good information on the internet about IUI, so I'll just explain briefly. In IUI, the output is given from the man, washed and spun so the semen and sperm separate, and then the majority of the good sperm are put into a catheter. The catheter is put into the vagina, and the sperm injected into the uterus.

It's only slightly invasive. It really wasn't too bad. My journal entry on June 13th reads, "Today was a DAY. IUI done. Wow. Lots of emotions and feels. So thankful for my husband." I remember after the procedure was done, they asked me to stay lying down for about fifteen minutes, and I cried through all of it. All the emotions led up to this day, and it seemed almost anti-climactic?

We went home excited and hopeful. My MIL had a prayer and fasting chain for us, and I could DEFINITELY feel it.

But, later that month. Right on time. Auntie Flo came for her visit. Myke was so tender during this time. We were traveling overseas, and he made sure to show me a great time!

We scheduled another IUI for the next month. The clinic we went to won't do an infinite number, and we knew this. Myke went in the morning to give his sample, and when we went for insemination, the doc called us into his office. Hubs' levels were too low to really consider insem, the doc said. We could still do it, but the chances of implantation were no different from regular sex. They advised against it, and we took that option.

This happened twice. We had one failed IUI, and two unsuccessful attempts. We were not even able to do them. The far-away option suddenly seemed very prominent, hulking behind us, dark and scary and expensive.

In. Vitro. Fertilization.