I'm not pregnant. At the end of September, after what looked like a promising cycle that resulted in a period, I decided to at least call and make an appointment with a doctor. The earliest they could see me was mid-November, so I took the appointment and we kept trying on our own. Unsuccessfully, obvs.
We went to a new doctor. It's closer to where we live now and they have better statistics for IVF than our old clinic, should it come to that. We went to meet the new doc a couple of weeks ago and we really liked her and were very impressed.
And also a little shocked. Based on how well we responded to IUI last time, the new doc (Dr. P) thought we should do IUI again and she didn't see any reason to wait. She went through the tests she'd want to run (AMH, thyroid, the usual FSH/estradiol combo, and a saline sonogram) but said all of them could be run while we were doing an IUI cycle. So, a few days later when my period started, I went in for morning monitoring and we got started. I'm taking Clomid again, but this time it was for days 4-8 instead of 2-6.
So far my test results look pretty good. My antral follicle count was nothing exciting, but it was pretty standard for someone my age. My AMH is at 1.89. That's certainly down from the 2.77 it was 3 years ago, but that's not surprising given my age and it does put me above the 50th percentile for my age group. My other blood results have been normal. Today was the saline sonogram. I was apprehensive. The doctor wanted to make sure I didn't have scar tissue from the c-section, which I wasn't super worried about. But after the HSG, I had pretty bad cramps for a solid 18 hours. Thankfully, the saline sonogram was a lot easier than the HSG and it was over very quickly. And I didn't have any cramps. Woohoo! The results - I have a very, very small polyp in my uterine wall, but Dr. P doesn't think it will prevent me from getting pregnant. She recommended leaving it for now, unless we wind up doing IVF in which case it would have to be removed. No scarring from the c-section.
Then she checked out my ovaries. Aside from the usual hot flashes, I didn't have any symptoms until yesterday when my right side started to really bother me. Sure enough, I have two follicles on my right ovary, one of which is already 23mm(!) and the other is 18mm. On the left I have one 18mm follicle. My lining, though, is still pretty thin. I go back tomorrow morning for a check and I suspect that Thursday or Friday we'll wind up having an IUI.
I was feeling pretty negative about the cycle until today. I was worried that nothing would develop or that I had somehow already ovulated (I just had a cycle where I ovulated very early). But I'm feeling more optimistic today. And it helps that I really like the new RE, a lot more than my old RE. Her bedside manner is light years better.
Anyway, on to my son! Max is 17 months! He walks and runs. It changes things. Activities outside the apartment are more complicated. He just cut his bottom molars, which was super fun. He's a terrible napper, great nighttime sleeper. He loves to be read to. Current favorite books are Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, Dragons Love Tacos, On the Night You Were Born, A Pocket for Corduroy, Chu's Day, and the usual rotation of Sandra Boynton books. He's a sweet, happy boy and he really makes every day better.
Food - he eats pretty well, but he definitely has strong preferences. I try my best to get veggies into him, and to introduce new flavors. It's definitely a lot of work. He loves being chased up and down the hall of our apartment building. And even though the idea of taking care of two year old Max and a newborn sounds about as possible to me as climbing Mt. Everest, I know we'll make it work. And if we don't have another and it's just the three of us, that will be okay too. Here's my happy guy:
