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3.09.2011

at least we have a plan...

so i went to my ob/gyn this am with my husband to discuss our fertility issues. overall it went fine. i knew exactly what she was going to say we needed to do. it was just a little frustrating that we are actually to the point where we need testing. so here's a run down of what we've got planned this month written out by my doctor. btw, today is cd 1 for me. freakin' awesome.



  1. semen analysis - my husband will do this some time next week
  2. CD3 (scheduled for fri 3/11) blood work - FSH, prolactin, TSH
  3. CD 22 or greater (scheduled for fri 4/1)- progesterone 
  4. HSG some time during CD7-10 (scheduled for 3/16)


she coded my visit as "irregular periods" so we could bill the insurance for the lab work but the HSG and semen analysis will be out of pocket expenses for us.  i think the semen analysis is around $120 and the HSG is a steal at $200 or so.  Most places I think charge several hundred up to $1,000 for it so I guess that's a good thing.

i like my ob/gyn. she knows i'm a doctor so she doesn't sugar coat things which i like. she's very matter-of-fact with me but at the same time, she took the time to explain to my husband in layman's terms what she was looking for in his semen analysis. so overall it went well i guess. at least we have a plan for now.

oh, i also asked her about getting a digital fertility monitor & she didn't think it was necessary for me. we are both pretty sure i'm ovulating and my lab work this month will provide more information than it would. so for now, i'm holding off on that.

so after that appointment, i had to go back to work. right now is a research month for me, meaning i spend most of my time in the lab unless its the weekend or i'm on call. i decided to spruce my little corner of the lab up a little bit. i LOVE office supplies! so here's my little office supply corner. i haven't filled out my "this week" pad yet but will start using it next week.



and because i'm feeling pretty infertile, i brought some plants to bring some life into this place.


i picked a cactus and a succulent because they're pretty hard to kill. i won't always be here in the lab when i'm on service so hopefully they'll hold up!

here's the view from my "office" in the lab. :) its a cloudy day today but at least the sun is trying to make its way out.


so that's the update from me! hope your wednesday is going well!

6 comments:

  1. Glad you have a plan! It does suck that you now have to resort to testing, but at least you will hopefully find an answer as to was may be going on inside. Working in the medical field myself, I'm glad none of my docs sugar coated anything. I like them to be direct, to the point with explanation, and so on. Did your OB/GYN advise you to fast for your labs? Since you are getting Prolactin checked it is advisable to do so (any type of stimulation, stress, and food can elevate this level). Also make sure you take ibuprofen 1 hour prior to your HSG. Sorry to rant....Good luck with everything!

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  2. That's awesome that you went to the doc and have a plan! It probably took a lot of strength and courage and pushing to get to this point, but it's for the better. It's better to have answers than to keep guessing. Good luck with all the tests!

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  3. aime - thanks for your input! i definitely plan on taking some prophylactic ibuprofen for my hsg. i heard its pretty painful. i will be fasting for my lab work since its super early in the am so i can fit it in before work.

    av - thanks again for your support! it makes me smile. :)

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  4. a plan always helps!! my HSG and labs and everything were actually all covered -- i was impressed (yay Graduate Med Ed insurance!). the HSG for me was PAIIIIINFUL but i have heard it can come with a slight fertility benefit for the next cycle so maybe . . . worth it!?

    on another note, i love your weekly plan pad in lab :) i need to do that when i am back on the research side!

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  5. sarah - i had a feeling that my insurance may cover it & was planning on calling to check on it. your comment helped to solidify my suspicions so i called this am & it is covered. it will either be a $35 copay or 80/20 depending on how they bill it. it'd definitely be worth it if we ended up getting pregnant afterward. :)

    btw - i got the weekly plan pad from the $1 bin at target - my fav store! it has 80 sheets so enough for a year & a half!

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  6. So glad your appointment went well. Good luck with all your testing!

    PS - love, love, love target! :)

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