A bit about me and my journey so far... (LONG- I am sorry)

OK... So this is my first post and I am not really sure what to write! I guess I will tell you a bit about myself and why I decided to start a blog!

My name is Stef, I am 26, I work in Human Resources and I love to bake!! In May 2006 I married Nelson, the most wonderful and supportive man I have met (although I am sure I will post complaints about him from time to time). We live in a small town in Southern Ontario in the house we had built a few years ago. Last October we adopted our Shih-Poo Mylo, he is adorable and he is our little baby!

Now, why I decided to start a blog... We are trying to have a baby. When we got married we decided that I would go off the pill and we would just see what happened. I got my period regularly for 4 months, and then from August to February I only got it twice! I went through many Home Pregnancy Tests (HPT's) and Blood tests!

January 2007 came and we were not pregnant so we decided we would actively start trying! I went to the doctors for a physical and told him about my irregular cycles and that we were trying to have a baby... he just said that my irregular cycles were from the pill and to come back in a year if I wasn't pregnant! When I went home I thought more about it... and I knew that it wasn't from the pill, it had to be something else. I called the doctors office and asked for a referral to an gynecologist, a specific one (who is an OBGYN). Luckily they said yes, and I was fortunate enough that my aunt and mother knew this OBGYN and I had an appointment for April.

When I went for my initial appointment I was both scared and nervous... I didn't know what to expect! I met with the nurse clinitican first and she took my full medical and family history and looked through all the files, records, notes, etc from my family doctor! She said her guess was Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), but the doctor would talk to me more and they would order some tests. When the doctor came in she was very nice and explained everything very well... she also thought it was PCOS and she ordered a series of blood tests and ultrasounds, as well as a Sperm Analysis(SA). As I was leaving she said to me that lots of people have PCOS and that Infertility is overcome by many couples. This was the first time it hit me... I was considered infertile, this wasn't going to happen easy for us, this was a real problem. I left with a handful of notes, prescriptions, and test orders- I also left feeling very overwhelmed, upset, and scared!

I cried all the way home feeling defeated and scared... I was considered infertile. I went home and looked it up on the Internet, Infertility:The diminished ability or the inability to conceive and have offspring. When my husband came home from work I explained everything to him and I cried some more! I did a lot of thinking that night and over the next few days! If I did in fact have PCOS I was going to learn everything I could about it, and do everything I could to get pregnant and stay positive through this!

Over the next month I had many ultrasounds, blood tests, and a Sonohysterogram (SHG), many of them hurt and were very unpleasant... during my SHG the doctor performing the test said it did look like PCOS! My husband also had to do 2 SA's... which he found very uncomfortable! When I went back to the doctors she confirmed that I did have PCOS and that we had to come up with a plan to get pregnant! She gave me a prescription for Clomid and said she would monitor by blood tests and would adjust the dosage as need be... she would see me in the fall, or before if I was pregnant!

After my first appointment I started charting my temps and learning more about my body. I also read all I could about PCOS... I started following a Glycemic Impact diet and working out... I got my period and saw a visible shift in temps indicating that I ovulated... this happened 2 months in a row... I also started getting acupuncture. I did acupuncture for 2 months and pushed off taking the clomid while I was ovulating on my own! Through this time I experienced a few 2 week waits (2ww- the time between ovulation and the end of my cycle). I started to feel uncomfortable with my acupuncturist, and it was getting expensive- so I stopped!

This August my DH and I went to Cuba with another couple, we had a great time, and we are now back feeling rejuvenated, excited, and ready to start the clomid and hopefully get pregnant! This brings us to now... I waited to get my period after Cuba, it never came, I thought we had gotten pregnant in Cuba... I went for a beta 2 weeks ago and it was a BFN!! My doctor prescribe me Prometrium to bring on my period. I took my last pill last Wednesday, so I am currently waiting... I am ready to start Clomid!!

I am looking forward to capturing my journey in this blog, I hope my journey through infertility isn't long, but what I have experienced so far has made me realize what a miracle life really is! It has also made me more emotional than I was, it has taught me who my true friends are, and I have met many new friends on TTTC board!!

If anyone is still reading- Thank you! and I promise none of my posts will be this long in the future... it is much easier than I thought to put everything into words!!

Talk to you soon!!