TTC Timeline

Here is a timeline of our {in}fertility journey so far

Read the blog from the beginning here, but the story of our adventures in trying to get me a baby bump are chronicled below:

July 2007: Get married!

July 2007 - January 2010: We eventually want kids, but not right now so we use the fertility awareness method and contraceptives because you can never be too careful. Ha! Turns out we didn't need to be so careful after all!

January 2010: Off birth control, start charting basal body temperature to track cycles. Read Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

February 2010 - July 2010: Pretty crazy time for us as Andrew gets accepted into UTSA's PhD program and we move to Texas. Not ready for a baby just yet.

August 2010: After celebrating our 3 year anniversary we decide that we're ready to start trying to have a baby. Read: Brenda's bored in Texas and gets baby fever.

September 2010 - March 2011: Pretty diligently trying. Not too upset each cycle by another negative month lost. Thinking this just takes time and that's fine because it gives me time to plan a nursery and figure out the cutest way to announce our pregnancy that I am sure is going to happen any day now.

April 2011 - August 2011: Still trying. Andrew gets a semen analysis which reveals low volume, but normal motility and morphology. So no serious problem on his end. Time to step up our game. Now we are using ovulation predictor kits to perfectly schedule baby making time {which is oh-so-romantic, let me tell ya!} and tracking my temperature to make sure my luteal phase is the right length. I'm not a scienc-y person, but I am convinced that if there was a way to channel all of the crazy methodical energy I put into fertility research I could find a cure for cancer at least male pattern baldness or something. Every month was another negative, but all the while we were remembering that these things take time and bla bla bla. I also read somewhere everywhere that if you have been trying to get pregnant for 1 year and had no success it is time to see a doctor. I don't like to see doctors. I know they're wonderful and there to help, but I justified not seeing a doctor because they're for sick people and I am not sick. I always had normal annual exams and predictable 28 day cycles and the thought of scheduling an appointment with a fertility specialist seemed really super scary, you know, like admitting there was a problem. So we resolved to wait six more months and if nothing had happened by then, we would make an appointment at the fertility center.

September 2011: Irregular bleeding. This was the month that my period came twice, which was alarming,  but unfortunately our insurance through Andrew's graduate program ended in August so I just shrugged it off. Looking back it was probably an indication of fibroids/polyps, but I had no idea about that then and it never happened again.

October 2011 - February 2012: Starting to get impatient. Ovulation predictors and basal body temperature charts all look normal but there is obviously something wrong. We reluctantly make a consultation appointment at the Fertility Center of San Antonio.

March 2012: In an "oh crap, this just got real" moment, I decide to start this blog after our Appointment at FCSA.  Bloodwork and pelvic exam come back normal. Reproductive Endocrinologist schedules HSG {hysterosalpingogram - ultrasound of uterus} to make sure fallopian tubes are open {they are} and examine the shape of my uterus. HSG revealed that I have an arcuate uterus {heart shaped which is not medically significant, but kind of sweet. Don't you think a baby would want to get cozy in a cute little heart?!}

April 2012: Lots more labwork {blood tests} before pursuing any procedures. All bloodwork comes back normal and in the healthy range. RE recommends 3 intrauterine insemination {IUI} cycles before moving onto in vitro fertilization {IVF}.

May 2012:  IUI #1 {failed} with 50 mg of femara for 5 days and an ovidrel shot to bring on ovulation.  The day before the insemination an ultrasound revealed a large uterine polyp that would need to be surgically removed before continuing with further IUI's. This was really disappointing because it came out of nowhere and cost us a lot of time {and money but that goes without saying in infertility}.
 Needless to say, we are coming up on 2 years of TTC and I am starting to get really cranky.

June 2012: Salinogram to locate and determine the size of the polyp.

July 2012: Hysteroscopy to remove polyp.

August 2012 - September 2012: Travel, take a break, and heal. Think about all our options, but decide to continure with IUI's for the time being.

October 2012: IUI #2 {failed} with 100 mg of femara for 5 days and an ovidrel shot to bring on ovulation. This probably failed because there was only one mature follicle and even though one is all you need, it helps to have more.

November 2012: IUI #3 {failed} with 100 mg of clomid for 5 days, 75 pg of follistim and an ovidrel shot. We don't know why this one failed because we had our highest numbers and where IUI #1 was a worst case scenario, this was our best chance of success. We are still recovering from this loss.

December 2012 - February 2014: Took a break from fertility treatments, moved back to San Diego, started full time teaching job.

March 2014: Wonderful consultation at San Diego Fertility Center. They are SUPER helpful and the RE recommends we move forward with IVF. Decide on "Success Guarantee" option that costs more ($25,000... but allows for up to 3 IVF cycles (fresh then frozen) until we get our take home baby.

May - June 2014: Birth control to suppress hormones and prepare for IVF.

July 2014: IVF cycle #1 with Gonal-F, Menopur, Cetrotide, and Ovidrel injections. Transfer 2 embryos, freeze remaining 1.

And finally PREGNANT!!!

September 2014:

We can't wait to welcome Oliver Vance into the world in March 2015!!!