"All I Need to Know"

We met Dr. Vasquez with the Center for Reproductive Health early March. We honestly believed the process would go like this. Make appointment. Meet with doctor. Discuss the cost of the reversal. Schedule surgery. Have babies. WRONG!!!! We made the appointment and met with the doctor. Through our initial consultation we learned several things. One, it will cost close to $7000 for the reversal (still less than IVF) and two, I had to undergo testing before anything could get scheduled. I will admit, I was a little put off. Afterall, this was all about Chase, not me! The Dr. explained that he wanted to just be sure that I was "working" properly before we go through the costly procedure with Chase. I was actually pretty grateful for this - it made it evident that this was an ethical doctor and not just in it for a quick buck!

I went in for blood work and an ultrasound. The nurse turned the monitor toward me and pointed out a black outline. "There is your ovary," she said. "The black lining are little follicles evident of poly cystic ovaries." Well...what the heck does that mean!?!?! I had worked with some clients at my previous job who had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, but I never thought it was something I would hear about me...and my overall knowledge of it was very weak. The nurse reassured me that it was very minor and nothing that couldn't be treated. I had always been very irregular so it wasn't surprising when she said that my uterine wall was very thick as well. It was all starting to make sense. Obviously, if I'm not having a period, I'm not ovulating, which means my ovaries are not creating a mature egg, which means I can't get pregnant. It was after this initial visit that I began to feel a little worried. What if it's me? What if I'm the reason we won't be able to have children. Even now, thinking about it, makes me upset.



The Dr. then set up a Lupron Challenge test as well as a biopsy, HSG (hysterosalpingogram) and a Sonohystogram. This all occurred on April 2nd so I'm still on antibiotics, but other than that, there was no pain or discomfort after the procedure. The HSG is basically an xray of the uterus and the fallopian tubes which shows the inside of the uterus and tubes. The picture will usually reveal any abnormalities of the uterus as well as tubal problems such as blockage. The Sonohystogram is used to look for any fibroids and polyps, or any other abnormalities of the uterine cavity that could interfere with pregnancy. I'm still not 100% sure what the Lupron Challenge is, but from what I remember, it is the process of using a dye to view the number of eggs available. The Dr. gave me a picture of...well...my insides! LOL! He explained to Chase several things regarding what they found, but I'm still not quite sure what anything means. We have a follow up appointment on the 15th to sit and talk about all of the results and figure out where to go from there! I'm so nervous!!!