Here is a little timeline of events, with a few links, on our journey to our wonderfully beautiful, miracle daughter, Blakely Ann, and our hopes of a baby #2.
May 2008-decide to get off the pill...It's baby time!! Or so we thought....
June 2008 to March 2009-trying to make a baby naturally. We did use ovulation tests every month that did show I ovulated.
March 25, 2009-semen analysis #1 shows ZERO sperm and our only option is testicular biopsy with IVF/ICSI. Referred to a urologist and must do a 2nd semen analysis before going to see him. This was a huge blow and to say we were devastated is an understatement.
March 30, 2009-call urologist to make appointment and the nurse says for Lonnie to stop taking testosterone injections immediately. This could be causing the ZERO sperm. We had no idea!
April 3, 2009-semen analysis #2 shows 1 million/cc. WE HAVE SPERM!! Not very many but at least we have some. He had only been off the testosterone injections for three weeks (he took one every other week). Now we move on to fertility doctor.
May 2009-appt with fertility doctor. He says only option IVF because count still too low for IUI. 3rd semen analysis that day shows count to be 4.5 million/cc. Now doctor thinks we can try HCG injections to increase sperm since the count has gone up quite a bit on its own.
June 2009 to August 2009-HCG injections 3 times a week for Lonnie for three months and then recheck sperm count.
August 2009-4th semen analysis show 90 million/cc. Doctor thinks we will get pregnant on our own now!! He wants us to try for six months.
August 2009 to January 2010-try to make a baby naturally.
***sidenote*** I had my yearly pap smear with my OB/GYN in October 2009 and we decided to do an HSG on me just to be sure. It was normal. There are studies that show the rate of pregnancy increases if you take Clomid after an HSG. So in November, December, and January I take 50 mg of Clomid...still no luck
February 2010-back to fertility doctor. He says we have unexplained infertility...on to IUI's.
February 2010-IUI #1 with Clomid 50 mg-negative
March 2010-IUI #2 with Clomid 50 mg and Estradiol-negative
April 2010-IUI #3 with Femara and Follistim-negative
May 2010-IUI #4 with double the Femara, same Follistim and Ovidrel trigger-negative...ready for IVF
July/August-IVF #1
Lupron 10 units
Follistim 300 units increased to 375 due to low estrogen
Retrieve 14 eggs (8 mature, 4 premature, 2 post-mature)
None of the eggs fertilize. We find out that the covering (zona pellucida) around my eggs is very thick and the sperm can't penetrate. This has been our problem all long and must do ICSI. This was devastating news as well. I had never even thought that we wouldn't get embryos. I knew that there was a possibility that I wouldn't get pregnant but to not have any embryos made was heart breaking.
September/October 2010-IVF #2 with ICSI.
Lupron 10 units
Follistim 375 units
Retrieve 14 eggs (7 mature, 4 premature, 3 post-mature)
3 embryos
Transfer 2 excellent embryos on Oct. 1, 2010
One other embryo doesn't make it to freeze
November and December 2010-taking a much needed break!
January 2011-IVF #3 with ICSI.
Lupron 10 units
Follistim 375 units
Luveris 75 IU
January 26, 2011-out of the 19, 10 were able to be ICSI'd and 6 fertilized normally. We have embryos!!
January 27, 2011-We have two 2-cell good, one 3-cell good, one 4-cell good, one 4-cell excellent, and one that has not divided. Plan is to transfer the best three tomorrow.
January 28, 2011-Change of plans. We now have four 8-cell embryos, two good and two excellent. We transfer the two excellent ones and hope the other two make it to freeze!
January 31, 2011-Our two other embryos made it to freeze!!
February 8, 2011-Beta #1 is 91.2!! BFP post
February 11, 2011-Beta #2 is 311! This is really happening!
February 17, 2011-first unofficial ultrasound shows one gestational sac with a yolk sac
February 23, 2011-second unofficial ultrasound shows a heartbeat!
February 25, 2011-official ultrasound at 6w3d...graduated to OB.
March 16, 2011-first OB appointment
It was a long and hard road. We went from severe male factor infertility to normal then to female infertility. The emotions that go with the ups and downs of trying to have a baby (and failing multiple times) are unbelievable. I am so lucky that I have such a supportive family and husband. He was my rock on this journey. I know I drove him absolutely crazy sometimes but he loved me through it and I am thankful for that every single day. As hard as it was, I would not change a thing about our journey. It brought my husband and I closer together in the long run and it brought us our daughter. My husband always told me that when we finally did get pregnant it would be the perfect baby for us and the perfect time. He was so right...
Journey to Baby #2
December 2012- frozen embryo transfer. One did not make it through the thawing process so we transferred one embryo. Negative.
February/March 2013- IVF #4 was negative
A few post I wrote during this cycle...
I forgot how hard this was
quick update
Lucky 13 (retrieval)
I can't even think of a title (fertilization report)
2 embryos transferred!
Reflecting and moving forward
June/July 2013- IVF #5. I can't write in one sentence how this cycle went. I wrote 5 posts after this 5th IVF after we went through it.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
We are currently trying to decided whether or not to do a 6th IVF with our previous clinic or a new clinic. And also if another IVF is a good option for us.
A few post I wrote during this cycle...
I forgot how hard this was
quick update
Lucky 13 (retrieval)
I can't even think of a title (fertilization report)
2 embryos transferred!
Reflecting and moving forward
June/July 2013- IVF #5. I can't write in one sentence how this cycle went. I wrote 5 posts after this 5th IVF after we went through it.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
We are currently trying to decided whether or not to do a 6th IVF with our previous clinic or a new clinic. And also if another IVF is a good option for us.
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