|
|
Infertility - A painful realityJun 26 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Check your doctor's credentials! Make sure they are following you cycles and not just pumping you full of drugs! Tale control of your infertility. Save yourself heartache in the beginning. When I heard people say that they were going thru infertility treatments, I never knew what to say to them. I never quite understood how hard it could be to get pregnant when you hear of so many people having "accidents" and getting pregnant. So people who actively TRY to have a baby should just be able to get pregnant, right? My travels down the Infertility Road have lasted many years. I, like a lot of newly married teens, got pregnant right away. I miscarried at 8 weeks. The doctor said not to worry about it. I could just get pregnant again. Each month brought heartache. My cycles weren't regular anymore, so each month I thought MAYBE this test will be positive. It never was. My now ex-husband and I went back to the doctor. They blindly put me on Clomid, a drug used in infertility treatments, and sent me home. Take 1 pill on days 5-10 of your cycle, have sex on days 12-15 and take a pregnancy test around day 34 if you haven't started your period. We were so excited! NOW we would have a baby! The days rolled around. Day 34 came and there was only 1 line on my pregnancy test. Negative. I was so upset! I went back to my doctor. And so went the next 5 months, each month increasing the pills that I would take by 1 each month. I never started my monthly cycles on my own, so the months of no period/negative pregnancy tests took it's toll. I was a crying mess most of the time. I avoided anyone who was pregnant or had a baby. It wasn't fair! They could have babies, why couldn't I?? My husband, by this time, had been tested and we knew the problem was mine. We knew I wasn't having regular cycles, we just didn't know why. At the time, my (ex)husband's insurance didn't cover Infertility. They paid for my Clomid, due to some fancy footwork, or paperwork, on my doctor's part, but was also the reason that my doctor wasn't following my cycles with an ultrasound. Insurance wouldn't cover it. At the time I didn't realize that NOT following your cycles, but just pumping me with drugs, I could have had some serious health problems. Not only was a multiple pregnancy a real possibility, you can overwork the ovaries and cause more problems. By this time, my (ex)husband had lost his job. No insurance. He finally got another job that offered insurance, but it took some time to get that all set up and to get assigned a doctor. This was about 1 1/2 years later. We started the Infertility rollercoaster all over again. I didn't get pregnant with Clomid the first six times I tried it, but a lot of time had passed. Maybe it would work this time? This doctor did some blood work on me, but nothing came up wrong. I still wasn't having monthly cycles on my own. They had to be induced with Provera. Not long after we went thru that six rounds of Clomid, which also wasn't covered by insurance so no ultrasounds, our marriage had started to deteriorate. Was the Infertility to blame? Maybe. There were a lot of issues. Then Matt and I got married. New husband, new insurance. When we first got married, because of my history, we went to the doctor right away. They tested Matt first, because it is "easier" and he was fine. My blood work came back fine, too. What tests? Who knows. They never told me. I was no smarter this go-around than I was the first two times. Insurance would cover the Clomid, but no ultrasounds were ever done. We went thru five rounds this time, starting with two pills a day instead of one. Nothing happened. By this time, my husband had had enough of the Navy, so he got out and got a civilian job. That was in December of '97. In February he was laid off and we ended up moving in with my In-Laws. April 15th, 1998, my pregnancy test was positive. No money, no insurance and a miracle had happened. I was pregnant. Zackary was born December of that same year. Matt re-enlisted when Zack was 4 months old. Zacky is now 4 1/2 years old and we have once again started down Infertility Road. Now, however, I have doctors who actually care about more than giving me a prescription and sending me on my way. They did many rounds of blood work. Not only was I diagnosed with Hypothyroid, but also with Diabetes and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Now that my thyroid and diabetes are under control, we have been working on the Infertility again. I am now being followed very closely with ultrasounds and also blood work to chart my cycles. We are hoping that Clomid will work this time. Since we are just getting started, we don't know. Our insurance will now cover our treatment up until IVF, in vitro fertilization. Infertility is something that you don't really understand unless you've been there. Seeing a pregnant woman or a baby can send you crying from the room. Or it can anger you. Why not me? When talking with a person who is having fertility issues, NEVER tell them you understand if you haven't been there yourself because you don't. Listen to them, and let them vent if need be, but don't assure them that they'll get pregnant if they "stop trying so hard". With most infertile couples, it won't "just happen". Your words can offend and hurt without you even knowing it. Chances are that they won't tell you, either. They might just try to avoid you. It is very important to follow your own treatment. Don't allow your doctor to just give you drugs without following up with blood work and ultrasounds. Also, if your doctor is doing blood work, find out what they are looking for! Don't follow them blindly. Research infertility and don't be afraid to ask questions. Doctors aren't Gods. They make mistakes and not every doctor has experience with infertility. Make sure that you find one that does. Save yourself a lot of heartache and save your health! You could also save your pocketbook, by preventing mass multiples!  |
| Read all comments (8)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
