1. Clomid If clomid doesn't work after 3 cycles, it's probably not gonna work so move on to more aggressive treatment. [Warning: Clomid is some EVIL stuff!]
2. Cold Meds If you are injecting your meds and they are refrigerated, take them out of the fridge at least 1/2 an hour before doing so, it stings much less.
3. Online Discount Pharmacies There are mail order infertility med pharmacies that offer great prices on infertility meds. I've used Schrafts (now owned by Walgreens) and Success Meds.
4. Don't go it Alone Find a online support group where you can meet others who can relate and know what it's like to go through this journey.
5. Be Aggressive If your doctor is not treating you the way you want to be treated (ie. not aggressive enough) go to another doctor. You are PAYING this doc to treat you, if you aren't getting the treatment you need, go someplace else.
6. Stats We are all unique, don't pay too much attention to statistics.
7. Good AND Bad You will have good days and bad days, that's just part of infertility.
8. Remember, infertility is a marathon, not a sprint. I remember when we got pregnant for the first time, I thought thank goodness, it's all behind us, only to lose the pregnancy at 8 weeks. I then realized the finish line was gonna be at the birth of our child, not at the beginning of the pregnancy.
9. Do Not Rush Yourself Everyone moves at their own pace. Only you will know in your heart if/when you are ready to move on from IVF to adoption. It's kinda like falling in love, you will know in your heart. There is no time line. It's the same with donor eggs and embryos, you will know in your heart when you are ready to open up to other possibilities. Do not rush yourself.
10. Med Effect Some fertility meds will straighten curly hair. not to worry, the curls will return when the meds are out of your system. (This really freaked me out!)
11. Donate Have embryos you aren't going to use? Consider giving them to someone you you know (online or otherwise) who is having difficulty getting pregnant.
12. Get The to an RE As my OB/GYN said to me, "I am not in the business of helping you get pregnant. I can help you AFTER you get pregnant..." OB/GYNS do not know a lot about treating infertility. So please, I don't care how old you are, if you've been TTC for SIX months and are not pregnant yet, get yourself to a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) ASAP! Where infertility is concerned, there is no time to waste.
13. Take comfort in knowing I am NOT the norm, so your journey will probably not last 11+ years. I know many women who have had their first child within the first 1-3 years, and several have gone onto have 1 or even 2 more within 5 years. Infertility causes seem to be very unique and wide-spread. So here's hoping your journey to baby is a very short one.
14. Unexplained Infertility is a MYTH! If you have been "diagnosed" with unexplained infertility, you need to move on to another doctor who is willing to work with you and support you. I was diagnosed with "unexplained infertility" for the first 5 years, but I did my research and kept asking about PCOS but all the "specialists" said because I don't have male pattern facial hair, I don't have PCOS - NOT TRUE!!! There is someone out there who can give you a proper diagnosis. Would it be acceptable for a doctor to tell a cancer patient that they have "unexplained cancer" ? I think not! Move on, ask around, do your own research, the right doctor for you is out there. It was actually my nurse practioner who discovered I may be on to something with PCOS, she even found an RE who SPECIALIZES in PCOS and made an appointment FOR ME. There is someone out there who can and will help you. The trick is finding them.
15. No Time to Waste I heard Gordon Gecko talking in the trailer for the new Wall Street movie. Gordon says "money is not the greatest commodity, time is," after getting out of prison... Girls, I'm here to tell you it's true for IF treatment too. I recommend not taking a break because time IS a very precious commodity. We cannot buy time, we cannot turn back the clock, it is what it is and that is very precious to us. Also, if your RE is not being aggressive enough, time to move on because again, we don't have time to waste.
16. Keep an open mind and open heart. We started down one path (IUI) then switched to another (adoption) and then another (FET with donor embryos). While pursuing adoption for 2 years, we went from trying to adopt an infant to trying to adopt a sibling group of 2 ages 0-6. Sadly, adoption is not the silver bullet. Not everyone who wants to adopt gets to. This has been very difficult for us to learn. We applied for 100s of children in the foster care system that are available for adoption and were never chosen. At one point we even applied for a sibling group of 3, something we never thought we'd do in a million years.
No comments:
Post a Comment