Infertility Tips that worked for me

It took Mr. Plain and me almost 5 years to get pregnant with our first biological child. In that time we did it all — medically speaking, you have such dirty minds! — and here are some notes I made that I’ve been keeping in a file called ‘whatIknow’. Yes, highly creative name. If you’re having trouble getting and/or staying knocked up, here’s “what I know.”

  1. First off, there are some tests that are simple to perform that amazingly some people never get. I’ve heard of people who get all the way to IVF without having done a simple semen analysis — yikes!

    images.jpgTests for the woman: prolactin, FSH, thyroid, estradiol, & progesterone. Some of these are done on certain days of your cycle, so the scheduling can be kind of a pain.

    Test for the supplier of swimmers: semen analysis. If it looks questionable, then go for a ‘strict’ analysis to get more details.

  2. I don’t recommend sticking with a regular OB for very long. It was hard to think of myself as someone who needed help with fertility, but it was much more efficient to go right to the specialists. Going to a Reproductive Endocrinologist meant that I was getting someone who had been extensively trained in what we needed.

  3. My final assvice to you is to advocate for yourself. What finally ended up working for us was MY idea to try. No doctor had ever suggested it, yet I got pregnant and stayed pregnant the first time. That’s Robbie. We did it again, same result, and that’s Chip. If I had never spoken up, we wouldn’t have these great knuckleheads today.

images-1.jpgSo speak up for yourself. Make yourself a total nuisance if you have to. Change doctors if you have to. My RE was pretty good, but I’d have left his office in a heartbeat if I found someone better. For me it just couldn’t be a personal thing. It was too important to worry about hurting the doctor’s feelings!

And then there are the folks who say “why don’t you just adopt?” Maybe they’re well-meaning, but I still say you should be able to kick them in the shins. (Note that we adopted our first, Mike, and maybe that will be another post. Although frankly, I don’t know as much about adoption as I do about infertility. By the time we got to adoption I was all researched-out!)

So that’s what I know. These tips are obviously nothing earth-shattering, but there are still people out there who don’t touch all these bases. Have better infertility tips than mine? Stick ’em in the comments.


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10 responses to “Infertility Tips that worked for me”

  1. Becky Avatar

    I wonder if anyone else is wondering what it is that you suggested that worked?

    Congratulations on all your bundles of joy!! My hubby and I were 38 and 27 when we got married adn decided we would have kids right away since we were older – but it didn’t happen that way, we tried for 7 years before our first little boy came along – and 21 months later, our second little boy! :) (http://www.beckyperry.com/children)

  2. Rebecca Avatar

    Hey, not waiting to get help with fertility issues is a GREAT suggestion! I had always been told that I had fertility issues and that I would have trouble conceiving – so, being \”older\” (all of 26) when I got married, we thought that we would try for a year and then, when that didn\’t work, go for fertility help. I CONCEIVED ON OUR HONEYMOON. Whoops!

  3. Plain Jane Mom Avatar

    Becky: I thought about including that much detail, but really what works for one person isn’t going to work for everyone. I WISH it were as easy as following a recipe, but unfortunately it isn’t :( I’m glad it worked out for you in the end! An amazing story!

    Rebecca: Congratulations to you too! The way things work out is so often not the way we thought they would!

  4. Clemntine Avatar

    We had fertility issues, and two of our four children (I said *HAD* issues ) are medically fragile. Advocating for ourselves is always in our best interest. Thank you for getting the word out.

    Medical professionals are OUR EMPLOYEES. Just like our mechanics and our hairdressers. I don’t cut (or color…shhh, our secret) my own hair. I don’t replace flibbityjibbits on my van. The people who do are employed by me at my pleasure. When they fail to meet my needs, they are replaced. Same thing goes for doctors.

    Congratulations on finding what worked for you and on your beloved children.

  5. Plain Jane Mom Avatar

    Clemntine: I am on the same page about doctors working for YOU and not the other way around. Too many times people fail to make professionals do what they need because they feel intimidated.

    Just because someone went to school for a long time doesn’t make them a better person than you are.

  6. Susie Avatar

    You have no idea how much this rocks. My husband and I are thinking about trying again after being unsuccessful a couple of years ago. Thank you for this info! :) :) :)

  7. Plain Jane Mom Avatar

    Susie: Excellent! So glad to hear it! And good luck to you!

  8. Joanne Viskup Avatar

    Thanks for sharing this with us. I’m a big believer in being an advocate for yourself and a researcher and sharing with others. God put people in my path who helped me through my ordeals and so I just try to pass on the love too. If I save someone a step and a little heartach along the way, well, yay! My journey gave me two children, 9 and 5 and 5 little ones in heaven who never make it past 5 weeks in my womb. If you’d like to read my story, just go to my site and find “Nature’s Way I” and follow the series. Sounds like shamless self promotion, but it’s really all about connecting and giving hope.

  9. Plain Jane Mom Avatar

    Joanne: I had several miscarriages too, and they are truly awful. Thank you for sharing your story!

  10. Chamaine Junio Avatar
    Chamaine Junio

    HI!

    Congrates to all!

    I have not been so lucky, seems like I am always finding my self at comment pages like trying to find advice. I have been trying for 3 years now to get pregnant and so signs of luck in the future. Yet I have not seen a infertility DR yet, soon I hope. Anything suggestions before I spend bookoo bucks to see one.???!!?!?

    Thanks!

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