Full steam ahead!

Yesterday we had our first IVF consult meeting. I was so anxious a few hours beforehand that my hands were shaking and my heart was racing. I didn't think it was appropriate to have a glass of wine to calm my nerves, but I found some SleepyTime tea in the cupboard, watched a mindless talk show, and managed to take the edge off enough to not be a complete basket case.

Our doctor was great. She explained everything really well, including what we need to do because of our "special situation" and had everything ready for us to begin the pre-tests (my OB had sent everything, but there were a few special tests the clinic needs). They require basic infection screens, and we did it right away. I need a sonohysterogram (where saline is injected into the uterus to inflate it and then ultrasound is used to look around) to make sure there aren't any polyps that could cause a miscarriage. I need to repeat my cd3 bloodwork because even though my FSH was low, estrogen wasn't measured and abnormally high estrogen can also suppress FSH making it misleading. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels begin to rise late in the luteal phase as progesterone and estrogen drop, causing FSH to peak around 3 days after the first day of menstrual bleeding. When ovarian reserve gets low, FSH levels tend to rise overall making the peak even higher, but it's just a symptom, you won't improve your ovarian reserve by trying to lower FSH and occasionally it can be misleading. So both of those tests can be done for me in my next cycle and fingers crossed I could have my first IVF in November. We also have a mandatory 3 hour information session with a nurse and social worker. We are waiting for that to be set up too.

The big deal is the recommendation that we freeze semen samples and soon. This is critical. The surgery will have a direct effect on his endocrine system, and the long-term consequences are uncertain, from a fertility point of view. He could get a hormone replacement regime that only results in a brief period of poor sperm quality, an indeterminate period of poor sperm quality, or permanent sterility. So this is a one-shot deal. Pun intended. But we are going full steam ahead!

We left the clinic but hadn't really discussed anything together, privately. After we had our private discussion, and had decided that yes, we're doing this, we were excited. We wanted to celebrate. We didn't celebrate when we first decided, yes let's try and make a baby (although I know some do) so it was strange that we were feeling this way. So now the surgery preparations are in full swing, and the IVF preparations are in full swing. It's a crazy but exciting time.