Originally we had plans to get work ups done to go to Seattle, Washington to do IVF. We started the workups and even got the results; I have plenty of eggs left in my lifetime and all levels are normal. We started contemplating on what we should do or if we should wait a while before actually doing the IVF procedure.
We had many real discussions about the different options we had to include using donor sperm in an IUI procedure. Since C's last seaman analysis that was done when we were in Missouri (4 months ago), the reversal vasectomy didn't seem to have worked. Now, that's not an easy topic to talk about, but it is real nonetheless. We were looking for options. Less expensive options. You see, we are in the middle of purchasing a home. A home for a child to grow up in, but we have to make a list of priorities and build a bit of a foundation first. $10k-$12k is a lot of money to give for a procedure right now that isn't guaranteed. That kind of money on a chance. I am not a gambler by any means, and the chances I've taken over the past 8 years to have a child isn't really in my favor...
We expressed our situation and our thoughts to my doctor and she asked C to do another seaman analysis just for the heck of it. She wanted to see where his counts were before we made any rash decisions to put this off or go in a direction that maybe we didn't want to go.
He did the test and after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, the doctor called me. She went over his counts line by line. She told me what he had then she told me what the minimum was. He was winning in all categories. When she got to the mobility (the one category we were afraid of) my heart skipped a beat. She said he was above the minimum by 17%. They want 40% mobility and he is at 57%! I immediately stopped her and asked her if it was possible and she said yes!! The next number she got to was some fancy terminology for the sperm fighting off each other...she said he had some of that going on, but not much. She thought it was a possibility that he had an infection that never healed from his reversal causing that and prescribed him some antibiotics.
We went over all of the numbers on his SA and then began speaking next step! She said that we could do IUI instead of IVF! How amazing! This was music to my ears. I had told her that I had only had three rounds of clomid and follistim in the past, so I was in the clear to do more (they only want you to do up to 12 maximum rounds in your lifetime). She first proposed the idea of doing 3 rounds of timed intercourse while I used ovulation drugs (remember, I ovulate on my own, so these drugs make me psych-o!). I told her I needed to speak with C and that I really didn't think he had the patients to mess around with "timed intercourse". She then proposed the idea of just one round of timed intercourse and then we would do IUI. I agreed. She prescribed me letrozole (alternate to Clomid for growing up follicles for eggs) and Ovidrel (trigger/HCG for releasing eggs/ovulating).
I am to start my letrozole the third day of my cycle (today!) and make an appointment for an intra-uterine ultrasound on day 11/12 so they can check to see how many follicles my body is growing. If there are too many, they will cancel timed intercourse for my safety (don't think my body can take more than 3 babies inside). We will perform timed intercourse this cycle, but next cycle we will do IUI! We are both very excited to begin this process (and to save money!).
Please send all of the baby dust our way! <3
~Jess
