Adventures in Babymaking

Mike and I are about to travel down a new path in our journey to have a baby. This month we are planning to start fertility treatments!

But before I tell you about where we are heading, let me start with where we have been the past 23 months.

After losing our twin daughters 2 years ago May 9th, my doctor advised us to wait 3 months before trying for another baby. Even though I was terrified, I was ready to get back on the horse (no pun intended) and try again. 1 year, 12 cycles and countless tears later, we still were not pregnant.

In October I scheduled an appointment with Dr. B, my OB/GYN, convinced that there had to be something wrong with either Mike or me. Why else would we not have been able to conceive? Dr. B was very encouraging, as always, and promised that she would do everything she could to help us have a baby. And so the testing began....
Blood Work and Hormone Levels: Good
Fallopian Tubes: No Blockages
Uterus and Ovaries: Look Great
Sperm: Excellent!!!
Diagnosis: Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained Infertility. Unexplained Infertility? I was pregnant naturally with twins, remember? How is it that I went from being extra fertile to infertile? And for no known reason?

While Dr. B assured me that this was the best possible news, it was not what I wanted to hear. Of course I was thankful that nothing was wrong with either one of us, but what I really wanted was answers. I wanted something to fix. I wanted something to blame.

As in the case of many couples diagnosed with unexplained infertility, our options became 1) try medication that enhances ovulation 2) see an infertility specialist 3) keep trying to conceive on our own.

After almost 18 months of trying to conceive on our own I needed to feel like we were doing something to move forward in our attempts to get pregnant. So in January of this year we had our first appointment with Dr. K. Still not convinced that there was not something wrong with one of us, I was very hopeful he would be able to give me the answers I so desperately wanted. He was a specialist after all. He reviewed all our previous test results and even did some tests of his own, but our diagnosis was still the same. Unexplained Infertility. While Dr. K was very optimistic that we would get pregnant again, I left his office feeling defeated. After months of testing and waiting, I was no closer to having a baby then when we began. His recommendation for treatment was to try up to three cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI), and if that procedure was not successful we would move on to in vitro fertilization (IVF).

So here we are, after much thought and prayer, about to begin our first (and hopefully only) IUI cycle. Through many doctor visits the past two weeks, it has been determined that the procedure will take place on Monday morning, April 27th, at 10:30. We are definitely excited and hopeful, but we are also very anxious about the outcome. As I write this, I am reminded of one of my favorite verses that God has given to His children for times just like this. "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

I cannot tell you how much it would mean to Mike and me if you would remember us in your prayers. Please pray that the Lord would fill us with His hope, joy and peace. That God would be in all the details of the procedure and that it will go smoothly. That the outcome this month will be the blessing of a baby (or babies). That no matter what God has planned for our future, we will trust in Him. That He will be glorified through our journey.