“I don’t think I could ever do that.”

It’s what I said one day at work, several years ago, to my boss at the time as she described what her friend was going through in regards to in vitro fertilization. Having babies was still a close but far enough away plan, and so I had no idea at the time that I was indeed infertile and would definitely be doing that. 

It’s not that I thought IVF was a bad thing, it just sounded cumbersome. You give yourself how many injections?  I didn’t even know about HSG tests, egg retrievals, transfers and monitoring appointments. I had a very rudimentary understanding of what IVF was.

Here we are, at least 4 years later, and we are very much in the process of doing IVF.

My name is Katlyn, and I’m a 28 year old hopeful mom to be. I’m married to my wonderful husband Adam, and we have been together for 7 years next month. We were married in 2013, and in very late July of 2014 we decided, on a vacation in Canada, that we would try to start having a baby.

We very lazily (or, I guess what “normal” people do) stopped using protection and started waiting for pregnancy to strike. Needless to say, it didn’t.

I had been diagnosed with PCOS- poly cystic ovarian syndrome- two years prior, and while my doctor said it might be difficult for me to conceive, I didn’t take too much stock in it. How wrong I was.

Over the course of trying to have a baby naturally, and it just not happening, I started to attack the problem with more vigor than I had at first. I downloaded this application on my iPhone called Ovia, I started tracking my very rare periods and cycles, and I started temping- taking my temperature every morning before I got out of bed. We started having “baby making sex” which sounds fun, but trust me, can be a chore. Tired? Too bad, I might be ovulating.. let’s get it on!

Still, nothing. I started to mention this to my OBGYN and schedule more frequent appointments with her. She suggested I lose weight. That might kick start my period to become regular. I lost ten to fifteen pounds, nothing. She suggested a healthier diet. Still, nothing. I was taking supplements. I was peeing on sticks with a lot of frequency. The first time I got a little smiley face for ovulation I jumped up and down in my bathroom.

Finally, after a year of trying naturally, my doctor said to me, “Well, we can put you on Clomid, or you can go see an infertility specialist.” The words I had been waiting to hear. Infertility specialist. I knew it wasn’t going to happen on our own. I knew enough about Clomid that I told her I’d like to see a specialist. Not that there is anything wrong with Clomid, but it might not be for me, you know?

This summary makes thing sound very quick, but, this was a long process. I looked up IVF centers local to me and after canceling the first appointment I made- the reviews of the doctor scared me off- I found someone who I thought would suit my husband and I’s personalities. After going back and forth with insurance companies, my primary care doctor, my OBGYN, and the fertility center- many many phone calls made during snippets of my work day- I was finally approved for a consultation with my fertility specialist. Things were about to get going and I was nervous and excited. Finally some movement!

I decided to start this blog last night at 1:45 in the morning. I was googling symptoms of PIO (progesterone in oil) injections and I got caught up in another woman’s blog. There was an epilogue at the end that was very uplifting and unexpected, given this woman’s history of posts. (Spoiler- she ended up having a baby naturally after many attempts at IVF!)

I know that during this process, you’re going to turn to your Facebook support groups, other IVF forums, blogs, and of course Dr. Google. I figured if I could share my own journey it might not only be therapeutic for me, but maybe help someone else googling PIO injection reactions at 1:45 in the morning. (Ouch! Itchy!)

I think that’s a good place to stop for my intro. I’ll dive into my consultation and cycle 1 in my next post. Spoiler alert- I’m about to start cycle 3, sooooo I’ll get you caught up. Whoever “you” are.