Infertility is not new for us. We struggled to conceive our daughter Rosie as well. It was a really difficult journey and some of the darkest days I can remember. The second time around was easier in a lot of ways. With Rosie, we wanted to be parents SO BADLY and we were so scared that it wasn’t going to happen for us. So when we were trying for baby #2, the hurdle of becoming a parent was over. We had been given the gift of being parents, and that (in a lot of ways) was blessing enough. But on the other hand, we really wanted Rosie to have a sibling, and we wanted to be able to give that gift to her. Knowing that we might not be able to bless her with that built-in best friend, was difficult to come to terms with. Plus, Tony and I both felt that our family was not quite complete!
The Beginning
We started trying to get pregnant in May of 2020, when Rosie was about 9 months old. In hindsight, we of course wish that we would have started trying earlier. I think everyone has that thought when going through infertility. That being said, we had gone on vacation to countries that put us at risk for Zika, so we waited the appropriate amount of time before trying to conceive.
From May 2020 to February 2021, we tried (on our own) to get pregnant. We were doing all of the recommended things including ovulation kits, acupuncture, etc. By February 2021 (about 9 months into trying) we went to see my OB to put a plan together. Because we had gone through infertility once already, she was okay with beginning fertility treatments ahead of the 1 year mark of trying. Typically, doctors like to see you try on our own for a year before going forward with treatments.
Infertility Testing (Round 2)
My OB suggested we re-perform the HSG test that I had done in 2018. This test shows whether one or both fallopian tubes are either partially or fully blocked. My previous test showed that my right fallopian tube was fully blocked. She said that the results of this test can change over time (tubes becoming unblocked or both tubes showing blocked). We did the test again in February of 2021 and the result was the same, my right tube was fully blocked. This was important to see because if both tubes had been blocked this time, we would have gone straight to IVF, but because one tube was still working, we agreed we would do IUI (Inter-Uterine Insemination) . Tony also did some testing again in March. This is important because again, if there would have been a different result, we would have done IVF right away.
Infertility Treatment Decisions
My OB recommended that we begin doing IUIs right away. They did not recommend medication alone (without IUI) because IUI increases the chances of pregnancy so much compared to just doing medication. When we were trying to get pregnant with Rosie, our OB at the time had us doing medicated cycle after medicated cycle without doing an IUI with it. This was one of my biggest frustrations with our first infertility experience, because I felt like we wasted SO MUCH time doing medicated cycles when we should have been doing IUIs from the beginning. In hindsight, I think that this was because my previous OB did not do IUIs at their office and had to refer those out. So in my opinion, they were just trying to keep us at their office longer! Note: we switched OBs after that horrible experience!
Failed IUIs
We spent about three weeks in Florida in April and decided to wait until we got back to start fertility treatments. We did our first IUI in May of 2021 and it was not successful. Then we did our second IUI in June of 2021 and it was also not successful. Our OB recommended we do three IUIs before doing IVF with an infertility specialist, so there was a lot of pressure on this next one. The following cycle, we did the medication (per normal) and my only ovary got overstimulated and we had to take a month off from treatments. We were super disappointed, but committed to relaxing, enjoying the Summer, and resuming treatment the next cycle.
Successful IUI!
On July 28, 2021 we did our third (and final!) IUI and it was successful! The photo I included in this post is actually right after the procedure! Rosie’s birthday is July 27th, so it felt kismet that we got pregnant the day after her second birthday because we got exactly two years with JUST her. Of course we had wanted to be pregnant much sooner, but once it happened, it felt very meant to be. We got a positive pregnancy test at just 11 days after ovulation (super early!) In hindsight that was 100% an early indicator that we were having TWINS! I still can’t get over that this is our story! More on our surprise twins here!
My Inbox is Always Open
Infertility is not talked about often and it’s something that impacts so many families. It’s also really hard to find detailed accounts of other people’s stories. I hope that our stories help at least one person in the process of becoming parents. To those struggling with infertility and trying to grow their family, I know what that feels like. I know how hard it is to see others get pregnant and wonder when its going to be your turn. I see you and my inbox is always open.