Doctor Visit - VERY TMI

Well, I went to the doctor on Thursday. First and foremost, I have to say, Dr. Jones is AMAZING. No one that I know around here goes to the gyno so I literally had to visit practice web pages and choose off of that information and "a feeling". I picked really well and I'm very happy that Dr. Jones is my doctor.

I had several reasons for going to see someone. I've been experiencing bleeding (not spotting, bleeding) after sex and my periods have gone from a five day average to a 1.5 day average. Knowing my body, these things are NOT normal. Especially since they've really only been happening for the past 6 months or so. On top of that, I've been concerned about my weight gain/inablility to lose weight. (And y'know, the TTC for 7 months isn't ideal either. But, I was okay with waiting until the year mark, as long as these other things weren't causing the trouble trying to conceive.) I hemmed and hawed about what to do and my friends convinced me it was time to get some help.

So, I explained my problems to Dr. Jones. She asked me a TON of questions and then she did a pelvic exam. During the exam, she asked if she had my permission to do a biopsy of my cervix. I gave her my permission and she said she sees two spots on my cervix that (to quote her) "Don't look normal but don't look abnormal either". Um, okay. She says these spots can be why I bleed after sex. She asked if I'd ever had an abnormal pap smear before, I told her no and she seemed a bit surprised. I should get those results late next week.

After the internal exam, we talked some more. She asked if I've been doing ovulation prediction tests and if I'd been receiving positives. I told her I have and that I'm getting a definite thermal shift after what should be ovulation time. She seemed shocked, she thinks I might not actually be RELEASING eggs. In essence, my body is triggering that I'm ovulating, but no eggs are actually being released.

So, what does this all mean?

Well, first and foremost, we're waiting on results of the cervical biopsy. I'm still not entirely sure what the expected results will be. And then, as far as pregnancy goes...we're going to wait until this cycle is over, just to make sure I'm not pregnant. If I'm not, Brett will go in for a semen analysis. I will go in on March 10th for a thyroid test (the doctor thinks a thyroid problem is very likely given several symptoms and a strong family history of thyroid problems) as well as a test for Diabetes. My hormone levels will be checked and I will have a test to see if my fallopian tubes are clear. After those results come back, I will likely start taking the drug Clomid, which helps to stimulate ovulation/egg production. If that doesn't work in a few months, we'll move on to discussing things like IUI and IVF.

Dr. Jones was sure to explain the risks of Clomid...since it is a "tricky drug". It can cause a lot of hormonal changes. (Mood swings, sweats, etc...) It also increases the chances for multiples. Dr. Jones says as far as multiples go: "Twins are a double blessing, triplets are a little bit worrisome, quadruplets are scary and anything beyond is plain irresponsible". We discussed families like the Gosselins and The Octomom, she says Kate Gosselin used Clomid to overstimlate and that's how she wound up with the sextuplets. In other words, she will be monitoring us very well during this process to make sure we get pregnant and get pregnant in a healthy manner.

It's been over 48 hours and my head is still spinning. Had I known, I'd at least have brought a notepad with me so I could take notes. I've already called back once to say, "Wait, now WHAT are we doing WHEN?" I had NO idea that this visit would be so productive. I really thought she'd do some small things to help with the bleeding and short periods and then tell me to come back after we've been TTC for a year. But, with all of the issues I'm having, she sees good reason to start fertility testing ASAP. I specifically asked why we were starting now and she said, "Well, first, plain and simple, you want to get pregnant, I want to help you get there. Secondly, you're having some problems. I think these problems are substaintial enough to not wait for the magical one year mark. With what I'm thinking, 5 months may not put you in any different situation that you are now. It might, but, it might not." Wow.

I'm really happy that we're getting the ball rolling on having a baby. Brett's not all that excited about doing a semen analysis, but, he's okay with it. He's just as shocked as I am that this all happened so fast. It's a lot to take in, but we're slowly processing it. I have a very positive outlook on this TTC front. As far as the biopsy, I refuse to think anything bad until I'm told I have to. That results will be here soon and we'll go from there.

Again I say, WOW.