The clinic she works at is called Northwest Women's Health Care, and is two floors up from Pacific Northwest Fertility Center. The OB's office has partnered with PNW Fertility to be able to give patients low tech, less invasive tests and fertility treatments before sending them to the Fertility center, if it's needed. They actually do many procedures and tests right in their office and are very good about getting women in during specific dates of their cycle for certain blood tests. Dr. Meghan Callahan, my new OB, sat down and mapped out my care for the next month, telling me in detail what diagnostic tests she was going to run and what the game plan was after that: to construct, based on my test results, a personal plan for fertility testing and treatment for the next year!
For those of you who don't know, my ultrasound (a less than comfortable experience though not that bad) came back normal.
Now, on the day I start my period; which is considered the first day of a new cycle, I am to call the office and schedule a blood draw for day 3, 4, or 5 in my cycle (whichever day the office is open to do the blood test). Also on that day, I am to talk to my Dr's nurse about scheduling what is called an HSG. This test is where they inject an opaque dye through my cervix and into my uterus and fallopian tubes to look around. The ultrasound was good to see the outside of my uterus, but not the inside. This test will allow my Dr to look at the lining of my uterus to determine the health of the endometrium (the lining), if there are any polyps on the uterine wall, and if my fallopian tubes are blocked or if any part in there has old menstrual blood accumulated or other obstructions the test itself will oftentimes clear the obstruction or blocked tube allowing pregnancy to occur. This happens so often that my Dr. literally said that fertility rates rise in many cases and pregnancy occurs within a month or so of having the test done. That is sooooooo exciting for me!!!
I was thrilled to have her suggest this as one of my first tests, as I have read many women say that this test "got them pregnant". The other good point is that my Dr. said that many insurance companies who do not cover fertility treatments (like mine) generally cover most if not all of this particular test. Yeah!!!
Two weeks after this test I am to have another appointment with her and that is when we look at the results and we map out the year long treatment and testing.
She mentioned Intra-Uterine-Insemination as an option in the near future, which surprised me. For those of you who don't know what this is, let me explain: the sperm is taken and "cleaned" so that all the most healthy sperm are the only ones present and the seminal fluid is (if I remember correctly) thinned to provide ease of movement of the sperm. It is then injected into my uterus and fallopian tubes in a concentrated manner just after what is called my LH surge (this is a hormone that precedes ovulation by a day or two). Though this is considered low tech, less invasive and less expensive than other insemination or IVF options, Dan and I are unsure about it right now. Besides, before these two tests are done the Dr. doesn't want to do any of the fertility treatments, which makes sense.
So, there you have it, the first update of this different tact we're taking. I'm feeling really good about all this, and even feeling like we won't need anything but a little push; maybe just the HSG!!!!! OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE!!!
What's funny is for the first time in a while, I won't mind getting my period this month because it means a new step toward having our baby.
I cherish each of your prayers, and good thoughts and well wishes, and will let you all know the results of my tests as soon as I know them.
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