Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Doctors, Tests and Drugs

The think about infertility is that it's painful, very painful. The result is that I don't update this blog very often.

We spent the last part of the summer recovering from the miscarriage and busy with activities surrounding friends and family. Oddly enough once we found out the pregnancy was over we both made peace with it very quickly but for me there was getting to be a lot of frustration at the general difficulty of conceiving.

In the fall I got a referral to a fertility clinic. Much testing was done but very little was uncovered. We appear to be fairly healthy. As a first step I was offered medication as it is the most affordable and least invasive. A choice was offered between Clomid (the classic drug known for producing multiples) and Femara (the newer option). What I appreciated very much about the doctor was that he presented me with a bunch of information, backed it up with numbers from studies and then left the decision entirely in my hands. I'd heard horror stories about other people getting fertility treatment and being treated with a totally lack of respect so the attitude that I was a thinking adult who could make decisions about my body when given the proper information was a welcome reassurance.

I went with the Femara because seemed to have less side effects and a low risk of multiples. It was a good choice in that I tolerated it very well, and my progesterone test show that I'm ovulating like a champ, but it hasn't really worked. No baby. Now it's been a few months so soon I'll be going back for more testing.