{The best things in life usually take the most work}
“…let them from that time forth labor diligently until it shall be finished…(D&C 115:12).”
I would love to say that after receiving our amazing medical benefits we immediately went to an infertility clinic and got checked out but we didn’t. We put it off or were busy with things or just didn’t do it. As much as we wanted a baby, the fertility treatment process loomed in front of us as a big “unknown.” We knew what it was like to be unable to get pregnant on our own. Getting medical help was unfamiliar and we didn’t know exactly what to expect. Additionally, going to the doctor made our situation a reality. We would be admitting we had failed and couldn’t do it on our own. Finally, my biggest fear was that the doctor wouldn’t find anything wrong. If there wasn’t anything wrong, could they still fix us?
It wasn’t until February of 2011 that we finally began taking the necessary steps towards starting our infertility treatments. David got checked first since male testing is a one-and-done type of thing. When nothing in his tests provided a reason as to why we couldn’t conceive, we called to set up an infertility consult with fertility specialist Dr. Howard Mezer at Physicians for Women of Greensboro. Just getting an appointment set up was an ordeal due to the amount of time and monetary costs expected of David and I from the outset. Because the initial infertility consult is two hours, we had to make a deposit of $50 just to schedule the appointment. Additionally, the clinic checked into our insurance benefits beforehand to make sure we could even afford to begin the treatments that might be prescribed by the doctor.
Our first consult was in March of 2011. We met with Dr. Mezer and his PA, Christie Gibson. They started the meeting by simply getting to know us and our particular experience with infertility. It was difficult to open up about such a sensitive subject with someone you’ve just met but I felt such a spirit of peace that we had made the right choice when Dr. Mezer stopped us for a moment and solemnly stated, “I work with couples like you every day. This is my job. It would be very easy for me to lose sight of the fact that this is your life.” I remember he stared at us sadly before continuing, “This must be very hard for you, isn’t it?” How grateful I was and still am to have had a doctor who recognized that his “job” was our hope of having a family.
As we finished our discussion, I was surprised to learn from Dr. Mezer that, because a woman’s body is inherently made to create children (another testimony to me of our Heavenly Father’s plan), if a woman is unable to conceive after a year of trying they are technically considered infertile. After hearing this, I thought of how we had tried for two years on our own. Now was the time to move past that and to move forward with fertility testing.
It was overwhelming to say the least. Multiple blood tests to screen for various diseases and gene traits, physical exams to check my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, and numerous internal ultrasounds, all with specific timeframes, became a constant part of our life. Within the first month of our fertility treatments we had met with our doctor six times.
The most intrusive test was the hysterosalpingogram, also called a HSG or dye study. For this test, a dye is shot into your cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. An x-ray follows the dye as it travels through your system to insure you don’t have a blockage in any of these areas. While it wasn’t painful at all, this was definitely the most uncomfortable test I took during my fertility treatments, especially since David was not allowed to be in the room with me while it was being done.
As more and more tests came back normal with no immediate indication as to why we weren’t able to get pregnant, I began to lose hope. Again, if nothing was wrong, could they still fix us? However, when a call finally did come in and I learned that my body does not ovulate very well, I was scared. As much as I had wanted the doctors to find something wrong, when I actually learned there was a problem it was disheartening. Thankfully my issue was small and would not keep me from getting pregnant. It was simply an indication that I may have a harder time conceiving than most women.
*For purely informational purposes for those who may be involved in fertility treatments or considering them, I’ve included below the dates of our first appointments as well as a copy of the initial instructions we received at our first consult. Looking at these it’s easy to see how quickly infertility treatments can consume your life.
Dates of original appointments: 3/14, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/18
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