E = MC²

For all of you physics junkies out there...the picture posted above is not a road map to create a nuclear bomb. But rather a road map to conception...apparently this illustrates how you make a baby in 2009. I'll give you a moment to recover....

Seriously...? What happened to the good ole days where all you needed was a slow gin fizz and a backseat on prom night to get knocked up? This chart is a constant reminder to me of all the money I wasted on birth control pills.

Ok...so on to the point of this post. Channing and I met with the reproductive endocrinologist last Thursday ( RE for those of us in the infertility biz). His name is Dr. Le and he is an awesome guy. We met with him for about 30 minutes and came out of his office with a plan and a blue print for baby makin'. I told Dr. Le that I am a very decisive individual, and that I didn't want to be lollygaggin' around for 6 months with a little something here, and a little something there. I am ready for battle Dr. Le!!! Dr. Le looked at both of us and shook his head no, he then said, "Oh no...I am veddy, veddy agglessive Mrs. Doss....vedddddy agglessive when it comes to having baby." I loved to hear this as a dose of "veddy agglessive" is exactly what I was hoping to receive!!! So here is our plan for our next cycle trying to conceive (TTC in the biz).

Cycle day 3 - Go in for blood work to check my FSH levels and get an ultrasound to check my ovarian follicles. (FSH to your ovaries is like gas to a car's engine...the more FSH you produce to ovulate means that you have to really rev those ovaries up just to get an egg. This is not a good sign, and means that your ovarian reserve is low). So we are hoping for another low number. My FSH from a few weeks back was 6.2 which is great...but the numbers can change quickly.

Cycle day 5-9 - Take 100mg Clomid. Clomid is a fertility drug that puts your ovaries into overdrive and is supposed to cause a very strong and healthy ovulation. Kind of like steroids for eggs.

Cycle Day 8 - HSG (even I don't know what this stands for and I'm in the biz). This is a test to make sure that your uterus and fallopian tubes are not blocked and that the egg is getting where it needs to be to meet her 90 million suitors :) Think of a dye test for the heart when they are checking for blockages...just a little lower!!!

Cycle day 10 or 11 - Check FSH again. Dr. Le explained it like this. When someone wants to check out the health of their heart...the Dr. doesn't give them a diagnosis when they are sitting reading the newspaper. Rather the patient endures a stress test...where the heart is pushed to the limit, and if things look good after that, then your heart can be considered healthy. Same thing with the ovaries. The 5 days of Clomid would be considered the stress test here, and if my FSH levels are still low...we know then that I have a good reserve of eggs left.

Cycle Day 13 - Another ultrasound to make sure I am getting ready to ovulate, and then a trigger shot of HcG (the pregnancy hormone) to make the egg "pop" (I'm not a fan of that term...makes me think of my reproductive organs like Rice Krispies...snap, crackle...POP!!!).

Cycle Day 14 - IUI. This is the day Channing finally gets called into battle. IUI is the new term used for artificial insemination. Basically the shot of HcG I recieve on day 13 will casue me to ovulate within 36-48 hours. Then Channing recruits his boys and takes them to the clinic in this:

I like to call this...the "Lil' Bag-O-Sperm"...Channing however does not like me to call it that, or call it anything. In fact I am pretty sure he is not thrilled I have posted this "sperm suitcase" at all...where I then throw in my 1st amendment right, and he tunes me out and plays his fantasy basketball.

So...Channing takes his "sperm suitcase" to the clinic in the morning, they do a sperm wash (which eliminates all of the dead or unhealthy sperm) and then I go in later that afternoon to have it inseminated. It really isn't a big deal they just use a catheter and put the sperm where they need to be to meet that egg...and then we cross our fingers that God takes over from there!!!

More than you ever wanted to know about me isn't it? I know...me too. But this is the season of my life right now and I am taking the bull by the horns. "Watch out bull...I am veddy, veddy aglessive!!!"

We are excited but nervous. We agreed to do 3 IUI's and may then consider 1 IVF (In Vitro fertilization) and if we don't get preggo after those 3 or 4 attempts we are off to adopt.

Pray for us...and Dr. Le.

Love ya,
Steph