The Follow-Up Fertility Appointment

Thursday afternoon, we had our first real meeting with a fertility doctor. Technically, it was our “second consultation,” but this time it felt like an actual appointment (see The One with the Fertility Doctor). The morning passed by slowly as I unsuccessfully tried to distract myself at work (just ask my Snapchat friends). Finally, my cute husband surprised me and showed up earlier than expected. I think we were both antsy with anticipation!

As we drove across town to the clinic, Jk turned up the radio so that we could dance like dummies and release some nervous energy. We rolled the windows down and enjoyed the hint-of-spring weather. I could not have asked for a more perfect day. Despite shivering with anxiety, I felt so good. All of the encouragement and prayers from friends and family filled me up.

I am relieved to report that the appointment was everything we could have hoped for! Right away, we met with our new doctor, who was personable and sympathetic. He was a somewhat-younger man who had transferred from another hospital in the area. Initially, he went over notes from the previous doctor, but eventually I told him how I felt about our first visit. He responded with, “Well we are going to make a plan for you today!” All at once, he became our doctor and this became our clinic and we were finally on the road to finding answers.

With Jk sitting in a rocking chair next to me (lol), we held hands and had an amazing whirlwind of a consultation. We were given a list of medical tests we would need to take in order to gather information (i.e. Pelvic Ultrasound, HSG, Ovarian Reserve testing, Prenatal labs, Semen Analysis). We were told how we would move forward with the results. We discussed my possibility of having endometriosis, which is essentially a disorder where the tissue around your pelvic organs is all out-of-whack. It can cause awful pain, especially during periods, and is often the devil’s advocate for infertility. The doctor talked about the pros and cons of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) versus surgery to remove the endometriosis. He suggested that we start a Mediterranean diet, cutting out sugar and refined grains. Whew! It was good information, but a LOT of intimidating concepts and unknown terms to go home and Google!

As we prepared to leave, our doctor handed us a business card, saying he was giving us his “bat phone,” to contact him any time. He assured us that he will work with us to make sure that we are comfortable on our road to success. Honestly, this appointment was like night and day from the last! And now... I can’t even believe it... If all goes according to plan, testing will start on Monday. 14 months of waiting and we’re finally here!