A Second Opinion

I went to see the other doctor today for a second opinion. I really liked him. It was such a different experience. Flat screens everywhere and loads of nurses who were very friendly and kind. I felt relaxed there. 

I was given a gown, luxury! The nurses helped me on to the chair and I even had a flat-screen next to me so I could see everything going on. The doctor measured my uterus with the ultrasound wand and measured the follicles on my ovaries. Apparently it's gonna be a lefty this month. 

The wand was a much better experience than with the uterus-ruler thing! No cramping, no pain, over in 3 minutes. This doctor IS the one. He shall now be known as Dr. B.

He kinda looks like this too.

So I now have my ovarian scan with him on Friday. Oh, and he's going to trigger me with an HCG injection and not a suppository which I feel more comfortable about. And I'm sure my downstairs bits will be much happier about that too. Hmm I'm getting excited about this! Well 

maybe a bit apprehensive too. But it's a much bigger chance of actually getting PG than before. 

He also suggested that Mr. T go to see a urologist. Finally. I wanted him to do this for a while but no one recommended it. He's going there to have a scan to check for any blockages or damage to the dangly collection of objects he keeps in his trousers. Time for him to get a taste of what we ladies go through, with all the poking, prodding and general loss of dignity! Well, I hope it's not too bad. No. Really I do. Hee, hee. The appointment is tomorrow. That's another great thing about doing it here. You can get an appointment at the click of your fingers. 

So I have a couple of questions for you ladies out there that have done IUI before: Have you done more than one insemination over your fertile period? If so does that mean hubbie's sperm has to be frozen? Also, is it safe to go swimming after IUI? If so how long after the IUI? Are chlorine pools a BIG no-no if you are TTC? I'm running a Summer camp for kids and we swim everyday so I just need to know when it's safe to go back into the water...

Eeek, at least whatever happens with me, it can never be THIS bad.

AWOL

I'm back. I had planned to post. I had planned to be organized and get my thoughts out into the blogosphere. But a couple of things put a stop to my well-intentioned plan. First my parents came out for a visit and we were busy from sun-up to sun-down. I didn't even open my mac for two whole days. *Blinking eyes, mouth gaping* Unbelievable. Especially since my mac and I seem to be attached at the hip.

But there was something else too. After the whole not being pregnant, going to the doctor and going ahead with IUI... AND a whole load of pregnancy announcements last week, I got down. I mean real low down. I was frustrated. Hurt. Tired of it all. Part of me still is. So going on a short blogging break and thinking everything over was good. 

I'm also a little apprehensive about the IUI. First because this is Morocco and I don't know the doctor that well. He came recommended by friends but others have said he is a little old-fashioned and I'm starting to think measuring my uterus with a stick he inserted rather than by ultrasound-wand is a little too olden days for me. I mean doesn't inserting something through my cervix and into my uterus put me at more risk of infection (not to mention making me a lot more uncomfortable)? Should I be doing IUI with this guy? Or is that just the way they do things here? And if so, do I like this, or should I go back to the UK instead for this procedure? And why trigger me with a suppository, why not with an injection? I heard yesterday that Morocco no longer allows pregnil to be imported into the country and so the only option is the suppository.. but why? So do I go back to the UK? I feel like I have a million questions.

I am going to see another GYOBN this week just to make sure. I'll see what his approach is exactly and then make the decision. As with everything TTC, time is of the essence. I'm scheduled for my ovarian scan on Friday and then triggering could be any time after that. So I guess I better get my skates on.

Or... wait until next month? Except next month is off because we're traveling, so it's now or August. Forgive me for saying this, as I do think mother nature is pretty damn amazing, but sometimes, just sometimes, she can be a bitch.

So IUI...

My unwelcome visitor certainly has a knack for timing. Shortly after I posted this morning, it arrived. Of course I was disappointed but I hadn't expected any differently, it was just weird that AF took longer to arrive than usual. But now here she is. In all her unwanted glory.

So we went to the doctor. And then we waited. And waited.  I guess waiting comes with the territory in a GYOBN office since they're always rushing off to deliver babies. And then you get to sit in the waiting room surrounded by pregnant women. Great, just what my empty-infertile-bleeding self needed today.

An hour and a half later we were in the doctor's office. My French was really put to the test as I explained our infertility history. Thank goodness most fertility-related words are pretty much the same as they are in English - insemination/insémination, sperm/spermes, uterus/utérus. Just say those words in a Frenchy-type accent and you're good to go. So he agreed that we should go ahead for IUI and he walked us through the process. I would come in on day 10 of my cycle for a scan of my lovely ovaries and then as soon as one of my follicles got to 20mm I would need to take a 'pillule' - this is 'pill' in French but he did this little hand motion with his finger going up that made me suspect that it is actually a suppository. I sincerely hope it's not. But let's face it, this is IF, so it probably is.

This 'pillule' is in order to trigger ovulation. I asked him if it was possible to do the cycle au naturelle, with no drugs. He told me that it was better with the drug so they wouldn't miss my ovulation. This is the only part I don't like. I've since read on the web that a completely natural IUI is possible if they do a blood test for your LH surge. I'm thinking about asking him about this. I am soooo nervous about taking drugs since I've been trying to clean out all my lead and I know my liver has been under strain because of this and I don't want to bombard it with more chemicals. But then is one 'pillule' going to be that much of a bother?

The best thing about the IUI here in Marrakech is the price. Yes baby. It is so much cheaper than in Europe. First of all to do a sperm analysis in the UK costs 100 pounds (1200 MAD or US$163) but here in Morocco it's only 300 MAD (25 pounds or US$37) woo hoo! The total cost of the IUI will be 1000 MAD (83 pounds or US$125). My hubbie looked over at me, sh*t I'm willing to do at least ten of these if we have to. He was not joking.

Anyway then the Doc said he needed to do an internal exam. But I have my...? You want to do it now? Yes, it's no problem. Okay. I've never had any kind of activity going on down there when AF was in town and I felt super self-conscious. Plus, my legs really need de-furring and I always make sure I'm waxed before I go to one of those appointments. I'm a bit of a freak about it. I won't even go to my acupuncturist until my legs look like they belong to me and not to a gorilla just escaped from the zoo. (When you have thick dark hair on your head, it grows prolifically everywhere else too.)

 

So he did the cervical exam. Parfait. I felt smug. My cervix is "parfait" apparently. The he inserted the Spanish Inquisition instruments of torture - is he going to give me a smear? But I have my period, so what's the point? No, he replied, I'm going to measure your uterus. That was a bit painful. He inserted this thin ruler type device he said was for measuring my uterus and checking the angle for the insemination. After it was all done we made the date for our next rendezvous. Ovary scan - 19th June.

Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. T has to play his part too. He needs to do another semen analysis before the IUI so I guess he's got some work on his hands too (forgive the totally intended double entendre). IUI here we go.