First off, all of this has been made possible by God, who has been faithful and answered my prayers. We have been trying to conceive for nearly 1 year. I am 37 and hubby is 38. I had an HSG done and bloodwork and found out everything was ok on my end. I spent nearly 7 months freaking out, thinking the problem still rested with me somehow, until finally hubby decided he should get an SA in January. It revealed that his motility, morphology and count were a bit below normal. He immediately cut out alcohol (he was having one glass a night of wine), became more active, and started taking Fertilaid. We had our first IUI in April, which was unsuccessful. I was on 50 mg of Clomid, and after enduring many mood swings and horrendous hot flashes due to this drug, I only ended up with one undersized follicle that had already ruptured by the time we had the IUI. The second IUI was last month (May), and after upping my dose of clomid to 100 mg, I produced 3 eggs. Hubby's SA was normal (count 21 million, motility and morphology good as well), and the doctor said we had a VERY good shot of getting preggers this time around. I didn't put any stock into what she said, but what do you know, she was right! I ended up getting a positive. Here's the scoop on my symptoms:
May 18, 2013 - Had IUI today. Major pain in my ovaries, which I have now learned was due to ovulation. Never experienced that before.
1-4 DPO - Nothing noteworthy.
5 DPO - Boobs slightly sore, nips burning. I attribute this to Clomid.
6 DPO - Twinges in my lower right abdomen, which last for about 5 hours. Implantation perhaps?
7-12 DPO - Absolutely nothing! I am thinking I'm out for this month. Boobs deflated and not even sensitive.
13 DPO - The big, big shocker, and major sign that something is up occurs today. Pinkish red blood on tissue after wiping. Large clump of brownish/black blood near my cervix discovered later that day, the size of a quarter. I never ever spot, and period is not due for another 4 days, so I am concerned. Was this the ever elusive "implantation bleeding" people speak of, or is AF just arriving way too early?
14 DPO - Hints of brown mucus on tampon, one speck of bright red blood. Now I'm thinking the red blood is a sign of AF coming soon.
15-16 DPO - Nothing on tampon/pad at all. Period due 16 DPO, but don't have the nerve to test.
17 DPO - One day late. No spotting, and the night before, could swear AF was coming due to AF like cramps. My stomach felt heavy.
18 DPO - Got the nerve to test today. I am now about 3 days late. Blazing BFP! Thank you God!
What I did differently this month? I prayed to God to grant me the desire of my heart, but if it isn't his Will for me to have a baby, I will accept His decision with love, and asked him to grant me the courage, patience, and strength to deal with his decision were he not to allow me to become pregnant. Prior to this, I just asked to get pregnant, without being concerned with his will for me whatsoever. This time around, I completely succumb to him, and said I am leaving this to you God. And ultimately, it is His call whether or not we get preggers. It really is out of our hands.
I also stopped Googling every single thing that happened to me. Seriously ladies, there is a discussion for literally every symptom out there (my toes are itching - am I pregnant?), so you can't invest much in what these crazies out there are saying. There's just too much misinformation out there. For instance, they say implantation bleeding roughly occurs between 6-10 days DPO. I had mine on 13 DPO! Also, the common knowledge on the net is that washed sperm for IUI's only live up to 24 hours, at best. I asked my doctor if this was true, and she said no! They can live up to 72 hours. My doc is one of the best in CT - she works at U Conn and among the brightest.
Don't assume you are the problem. Studies indicate that there is an overwhelming decline in male fertility. Could be due to environment, lifestyle, etc. I beat myself up silly thinking I was the problem, unnecessarily.
I'm not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt. Give FertilAid for Men a shot if your man has SA issues. Once I got hubby started on it, his number improved substantially each time he had an SA.
Ladies, keep the faith, and know it will happen when the time is right! And once it does, all of the heartache and disappointment will disappear. I truly believe positive attitude is key. Just keep believing and fill your head with positive thoughts, and not speculative nonsense that you may come across on the Internet. Best wishes and love to all of you!!!!! :)
