perspective

  My newest success story hails to us this week from Aracely who blogs at Here’s to Unwavering Hope and Answered Prayers. She just had her son about a month ago on October 8th and says that motherhood is everything and more than she dreamed. Read on for her inspiring story!

1. How long did you struggle through infertility?

My husband and I faced infertility for 2 years.  We started trying when I was only 26.  I thought it would just happen for us but life had other plans. I have always been a planner so when we were ready to start trying I wanted to be carefree about it. This only lasted about a couple of months. We began using ovulation kits.  When those didn’t pan out, I decided to bite the bullet and buy the $200, Clear*Blue Fert*ility Monitor. After 6 months on the monitor and another 3-4 months trying with the ovulation kits nothing was happening. Something told us that we may have a deeper issue at hand.

2. What did you go through (as far as treatments, different doctors, adoptions agencies, etc.)?

Once we had the suspicion that there might be a deeper issue, I made an appointment with my obgyn and told her that we had been trying for about 10 months and nothing was happening. I was glad that she did not tell us to wait it out. I was scheduled for an HSG (hystosalpingogram) which was so painful but I was hopeful that my tubes would be flushed out and then we could conceive. In the meantime my husband was scheduled for a semen analysis.

So began our diagnoses. My results came back inconclusive with one tube clearing and the other one leaking only a little. I felt so upset but was reassured by my obgyn that my tubes were clear. This was not the cause of our difficulty. My husband’s SA came back abnormal.  His dx was abnormal sperm morphology—3% (WHO method).  His counts and motility were borderline.

We were devastated but determined to do whatever it took. My obgyn’s exact words were, “I’m sorry but this road might be longer than we thought.” We felt so hopeless and my husband felt responsible.

We were referred to a fertility specialist in a fertility clinic.  We began blood work and started our 1^stIUI (unmedicated)-2 scheduled inseminations for the first month. We were hopeful but were unsuccessful. I was given news that I had tested positive as a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis.  My husband tested negative. We were given 25% of our child having this disease. This was a shock and it made me scared. We were reassured that the chances were low. This just seemed like another bump in the road.

We tried IUI again but this time I requested that I be put on clo*mid so that we may increase our chances. That month I produced 3-4 eggs. We had 3 scheduled inseminations. BFN again. We decided to try once more the next month. Once again I produced 4 eggs. We had 2 scheduled IUI’s. We were determined to do whatever it took but were really hoping this would be it. Once more we were heartbroken. We met with our doctor and were informed that my hormone levels came back higher than someone should have at my age.  I had no idea what FSH levels were but was informed that my levels were 11.5.  I was only 27.  My doctor wanted to test my levels again in case it was a glitch because in his words “he couldn’t believe it.”  The second test came back better but still pretty high at 7.8. I would later hear exactly how this would affect the rest of our journey.  We also found out that I had developed cysts on my ovaries due to the clo*mid, which once again my doctor found surprising since he only sees this in about 5% of patients.  At this point, I was beginning to believe Murphy’s Law as it related to our fertility.

Every time we tried something new, we were sure this would make the difference.

We began to discuss IVF and scheduled an appointment to begin treatment. I started on a regular dosage of drugs but was not responding so they placed me on the highest dosage. My FSH levels pointed to the fact that I have DOR (diminished ovarian reserve). With all of the drugs I still only produced 3 eggs.  One was an empty follicle (that was strange), the other 2 went on to become 2 beautiful A and AB embryos. We were told that we could be “more than hopeful.” So we were. When we received our negative beta, we both cried and held each other. We felt confusion and heartbreak.  We were determined to do whatever it took.

We decided to try again.  This time I was not put on bcps. We used the highest dosages once more and I produced several follicles but when they went to retrieve them, all but 2 were empty. We were so confused. My doctors weren’t sure why this had happened. In any case, only one egg was mature. It fertilized and became a beautiful grade AB embryo. Two weeks later we received our negative beta. We were devastated once again.

Nevertheless, we felt more determined than ever to try again. Somehow, at sometime, in some way we would be parents. I felt such peace and for the first time, I surrendered.  I surrendered to God’s will and what I believed to be his promises for my life. We tried IVF for a third time and were so elated to find that this time it had worked! The amazing aspect is that we only had one mature egg, one embryo. It only took one!

3. How did you handle disappointments through your cycles (natural and otherwise) or months of waiting?

My faith in God gave me hope, strength, and perseverance. I knew that God had called me to be a mother. He had placed that desire in my heart.  I believed that one day it would happen. I surrendered to His will and it finally happened. My husband and I also communicated our feelings. We talked a lot throughout this journey. We grew stronger as a couple because of this hardship.

4. What were the ‘stress-free’ techniques that you tried that helped you get through the cycle or time (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, support through family, friends & on-line, etc.)?

I began my blog as a way to express all my feelings, thoughts, questions, and doubts.  I also read everything I could get my hands on to learn about infertility.  Following other people’s success stories gave me so much hope. I discovered yoga and absolutely loved it, if for no other reason but that it gave me a sense of peace. I also listened to meditation CD’s during our IVF cycles. On our last cycle, I gave acupuncture a try. I had heard of all the benefits and decided I had nothing to lose. It was very relaxing. I enjoyed it. Whether or not it helped contribute to our success I’m not sure but I would recommend it as a relaxation technique. I also drank Chinese herbs prescribed by my acupuncturist.

5. If you could give advice for couples going through infertility now, what would it be?

Never give up hope!  Love each other through the pain. Adopt a “whatever it takes” mentality. That level of surrender was what made all the difference. In the end, no matter how you become a parent, it will all be worth it.

Our miracle baby boy, Elliot is here!  The whole pregnancy was a series of miracles. I’ve not taken a single moment of my pregnancy for granted. At the end of this road, I am stronger and wiser.  God is good. He is faithful and close to the brokenhearted. He heard my prayers and has answered them.

Thank you so much Aracely! And congratulations on your son! Go to her blog to read more about her journey!