IVF

I've been debating whether I should write about the topic of IVF. I didn't really know if I wanted to get that personal on my blog. After all...what I write is out there for the world to see. Do I really want everyone knowing that much about my personal life?  And then I thought...If I write about my experiences with IVF and in the end don't end up with a bouncing bundle of joy...will I really want people knowing I failed? I've come realize that maybe I'm being just a little selfish. What if my experiences help someone going through the same thing? I guess I feel like if I could help just one person know what to expect or to know they aren't alone then sharing my story will be worth it.

I've always thought getting pregnant probably wouldn't be easy for me. I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at the age of 14....so for more than half of my life I've been on some pretty hard core medications. I always just assumed that these medications would make me infertile or that I wouldn't be able to come off of them for the 9+ months I would need too while pregnant. It came as complete surprise to me when I was told by my Rheumatologist that I could in fact come off my meds and carry a baby successfully. He even said that most of his patients go into remission during pregnancy! So...In January, Eric and I decided to start trying. After trying for 6 months with no success and the fact that I was no longer ovulating, my primary care Dr. advised us to see a fertility specialist.

I never knew walking through the doors of a fertility clinic would be so nerve wracking! Eric and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It probably would have helped us out a little if we would have done our research, but....we didn't. At our first appointment we met with one of the nurses who performed an ultrasound, went over our medical history, and provided us with a background of the clinic. From there we met with the Dr. who advised that once all of our test results were back he would be able to let us know what route of treatment would be best for us.

Our 2nd appointment was scheduled for 2 weeks later...at that time we were told that IVF would be the best route for our situation. We were provided a calendar of "events" and an overview of what to expect. Talk about Overwhelming!! Eric and I left there with our heads spinning....we knew there would be a lot of things to do and drugs to take but we definitely weren't prepared for just how intense this journey would be.