Fertility Story

As I think about documenting our fertility story, I’m struck by the fact that we’ve been on this journey for nearly six years (and counting!). While the totality of time feels like a blur, the reality is that certain days or events are so poignant they feel like time stood still for a bit and seared every detail into our memories. Future posts will have more detail about the different aspects of our journey (including the procedures that I just briefly mention below), but for now I want to share an overview of our experience to provide some context.

In the fall of 2013, Josh and I decided to try to expand our family. After stopping birth control, I had inconsistent cycle lengths and began tracking my cycle for signs of ovulation. Several months passed without success before we wound up at the OB-GYN for an exam and evaluation. During the appointment, the doctor determined I was likely not ovulating (a condition known as anovulation). In my case, the doctor thought an oral medication called Clomid would be a quick, easy fix. That same week, Josh had his own exam in the form of a semen analysis, which showed slightly abnormal morphology (sperm shape). Over the next few weeks (and years) subsequent semen analyses would show that the first test result for Josh was a fluke. We are forever grateful for that abnormal result though as it set the course of our initial treatments and accelerated our process by months!

Because of that first abnormal result for Josh, our OB-GYN advised that we should consider a procedure called an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) to be performed in her office. I took a shot 24 hours before the procedure to induce ovulation, and we had our first IUI in the summer of 2014.  In the coming months, we had six more IUIs and still no pregnancy.

In November 2014, we had our first consult with our reproductive endocrinologist (RE). He ordered a fertility workup which (including blood work, an HSG, and another semen analysis for Josh) to try to find the cause of our infertility. This time, all of our tests came back normal, and my body was even ovulating on its own without medication. We were officially diagnosed as having “unexplained infertility,” a diagnosis that continues to this day. After two more IUIs using different medications, we decided in vitro fertilization (IVF) was our next step.

We had our first egg retrieval in March 2015, and our first transfer in May 2015. In what remains one of the most miraculous moments of our journey, I became pregnant after that first transfer, carried our son to term, and delivered him in January 2016.

The first egg retrieval was a success, and we had 6 embryos remaining for a later transfer to continue building our family. In August 2017, we decided it was time to transfer another embryo in the hopes of expanding our family. The transfer was uneventful and the protocol was the same as the first transfer that resulted in our son, but we ultimately got the call that I was not pregnant. In the coming months, we transferred the five remaining embryos and had no pregnancies.

We took a break from treatments to re-group and determine our next steps (and threw in one more IUI for good measure). After exploring our options and some counseling sessions, we decided to try for one more round of IVF with some additional testing of any embryos that were formed. The egg retrieval was a success, and we wound up with seven embryos for testing. Three of those embryos came back from testing as “normal,” (more on that later), and we prepared for our first transfer from this batch. We transferred one embryo in August 2018 with no resulting pregnancy.

At this point we stopped and spent the next two to three months consulting with our RE. I underwent additional testing, including more blood work, an ERA, and a hysteroscopy. All of our results came back as normal, and we continued to be classified as having “unexplained infertility.” At this point I did qualify as having “recurrent implantation failure,” which meant that I had more than three high quality, genetically tested embryos transferred to me without a resulting pregnancy.

We met with our RE to review all of our results and options, and the result was a decision to pursue a future pregnancy (fingers crossed!) with a gestational carrier. We began researching options for carriers and after lots of research, interviewing several agencies, and talking to some incredible friends who considered carrying for us, we signed with our agency to help match us with a gestational carrier in late December 2018. We were “matched” with our surrogate February 1, 2019.

February, March, and April 2019 have been full of appointments for our surrogate and her husband, insurance research, legal details, and scheduling. They have also been full of incredible relationship building moments with our surrogate and her family, and we are so thankful to be preparing for our first transfer with her early this summer.

Hope, excitement, and uncertainty are the major emotions as we consider the next few months.  We are hopeful for a pregnancy, but we may face another egg retrieval for me and more tests for everyone. Though we don’t know what’s next, we are committed to sharing this process with you – the good, the bad, and the uncertain – while remaining ever hopeful and beyond grateful for your love and support.