What I didn't talk about in my last post was my husband's fertility issues.
My doctor suggested that he get checked first since it was easier and less expensive. He gave his sample and we found that he had a high number of abnormal sperm (circle swimmers as my doctor would say).
Everything else was normal and actually looked really good. He went to a urologist for a further physical exam and a blood test, and that's when we discovered he has low testosterone. Like really low, which is dangerous because it can cause osteoporosis and heart issues (I don't remember exactly what kind of issues).
Typically the "cure" is testosterone, but you can't take it around pregnant women or if your wife/partner is trying to get pregnant. As an alternative the doctor prescribed him Clomid, and after taking it for two months, his testosterone level was normal. He had to have a normal testosterone level for a few months until he could do another semen analysis, which he did a few weeks ago.
He meets with the doctor July 31 to get the results. There is no guarantee that the low testosterone caused high number of abnormal sperm, but the doctor felt there could definitely be a correlation.
I went to my doctor Monday and she didn't even do my PAP, we just talked about the next steps and my blood tests. She agreed that I probably have "a little PCOS" but that there was no need to test me for it because the cure is Clomid (perhaps we can get a family discount?). She never talks about my weight, but when I brought it up she agreed that losing weight would probably help.
You can only take Clomid for a max of six cycles (and only three that you ovulate - so if it takes you two months on Clomid before you start ovulating, you'll be on it for five months). That being said, she won't start me on it until we get Steve's results. I only have a finite number of months with Clomid, so his sperm needs to be good. If it's not good then we'll have to go to a fertility specialist and we'll probably have to do IUI (inter-uterine insemination - basically they take Steve's sample and wash it so there are only good sperm left and inject it in my uterus right before I ovulate).
So basically Clomid is definitely in my future - just depends on whether it's my next cycle or if we have to wait to see the fertility doctor (he's so popular, I bet it will take months to get in, which is heartbreaking). Of course Clomid is a risk since I do ovulate sometimes (seriously, I just was pregnant 5 months ago) and my gyno can't monitor the number of eggs released. If we are not successful on Clomid, we can do injectables with the fertility doctor. She said it was between $2k - $3k each. I'm hoping there is just one per month!!!
She said we "would have no problems getting pregnant on injectables", but we're going to start with Clomid. I heard that IUI's are about $600, which isn't that bad. So...more waiting for now. I'm not supposed to start my next period until August 3, so if Steve gets the all clear, I could be on Clomid soon.
I was also worried about staying pregnant and she told me that when I start taking Clomid, I will come in every month on day 21 for a blood test to confirm ovulation (if I don't ovulate then they'll up my dosage). As soon as I get a positive result, then I'll come in for more blood work and they'll supplement me with progesterone if needed (and I'll probably be tested weekly).
That made me feel better, so we decided to try naturally one last time since I'm ovualting (supposedly) this week anyway, but I'm not expecting to get pregnant. I feel better after talking to my doctor. I'm a little more positive now. The doctor said we both have minor problems. Seems like a miracle that we were able to get pregnant in the first place (Steve wasn't on Clomid then either). Although not really sure I'd call that experience a miracle. July 31st will determine our next step. It's going to be a long week and a half!!
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