This morning Mike and I had our first Zoom Consult with our new fertility doctor, Dr. Hobeika. And, wow, do I feel like we're in such great hands!
Dr. Hobeika first spent a lot of time with us going over all the answers and information we gave in the pre-visit patient questionnaires. He was very thorough and did not miss a single section. I can't really explain it, but as we began to speak with him I just got this really good feeling in my gut that he is going to be the one who can help us figure everything out. It was really great to feel so heard and cared about in the thirty minute (or so) meeting we had. Dr. Hobeika explained in great detail all about himself, the facility, and his team/staff. He has an incredible amount of experience (as I've previously mentioned), which is just so reassuring.
The thing I loved most about talking to him was how normal he made everything seem. And rightfully so, because it is 100% normal! It is super common for couples to have some difficulty getting pregnant to some degree. Sometimes it's as simple as it just taking a little bit longer, or needing to be put on a medication to help. And other times you have to take the IVF route or get a surrogate. Everyone's journey is different, but many people experience it to some degree. I feel like there is a huge stigma against fertility issues that cause people to feel ashamed and want to hide it. When in reality, so many of us deal with it to some degree and it's totally normal! Hiding things actually makes it harder and immediately creates a bit of negatively around it all (because it's a "secret" and something that "needs to be hidden"). But by being open and sharing your journey with others, you have a whole other support system there to spread the positivity or lean on throughout it all. And that's exactly what I want for us, so I was so glad to hear him echoing the same things. :)
One thing that Mike told me stood out to him most from the meeting was that Dr. Hobeika continually said "when you get pregnant". There is nothing currently that would indicate we should have a fear of finding out that one of us is infertile/can't have kids whatsoever. The testing we will be doing in the next few weeks will confirm this, but even as of right now our doctor is very sure. I guess I hadn't realized I was thinking it, but somewhere in the back of my mind I must have been fearful that it was a possibly, because I agreed with Mike that it really was so conforming to hear. It's not a matter of if we can get pregnant, it's a matter of when.
During the final part of our consult he explained what the next steps for us were. There are various labs and ultrasounds that need to be done, so they can rule out what's causing my irregular cycles and get me set up with the right medication or hormone to get things going again like normal.
The testing I need to have done includes:
Once my insurance clears coverage (which should take about a week), Dr. Hobeika's medical assistant Nicole will call me back to schedule my first set of tests. I'll get the baseline labs drawn, as well as give some extra blood for the genetic testing. And I'll do the "random" ultrasound. From there, we'll see if I get my period naturally (which is doubtful at this point, seeing as its been about four months of not having it now...) to schedule the cycle-specific bloodwork, ultrasound, and saline sonogram. If I don't, they can basically induce a period by putting me on a hormone so we can then take care of those tests. Mike can do the semen analysis and labs at any time.
Once all of those tests are completed and the results come in, Dr. Hobeika will review everything and then meet with us again to start up our plan of action! I'm really excited to get a gameplan started, and I'm eager to find out what we need to do to fix my cycles and get us on track. Overall I'm feeling super optimistic and excited! I feel so blessed to have found such a great doctor! :)
So I went to give bloodwork this past Saturday, and then this morning I finally got the results from my labs. Unfortunately the findings were... not super helpful.
Dr. Martin checked four hormones: Prolactin, TSH, FSH, & LH. I'll explain a bit what they each are/do so it makes more sense:
Prolactin: This hormone causes breasts to grow and milk to be produced after a baby is born. Normally, women have only small amounts in their blood (unless pregnant or having newly given birth). Mine came back within the normal range, but right on the high edge of normal. This can affect ovulation if it's too high but, again, while higher mine is technically still in the "normal" range.
TSH: This is your thyroid-stimulating hormone. Some of you might recognize this hormone if you've been reading my posts, because I mentioned it a few times last summer when I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. It was very reassuring to see that my TSH level looked amazing! I'm sitting directly in the middle of the "normal" range, so it's safe to say my medicine is still working great. :)
FSH: This is the follicle-stimulating hormone. In women, FSH helps control the menstrual cycle and stimulates the growth of eggs. Your FSH levels change throughout your cycle, being highest just before ovulation. Mine came in right in the middle of the "normal" range.
LH: This is your luteinizing hormone. In women, this hormone helps control the menstrual cycle and an acute rise of it can trigger ovulation. Mine came in within normal margins, but it was significantly higher than my FSH level. My doctor said this ratio is often seen in people who are not ovulating...which isn't too surprising since I'm obviously not ovulating seeing as I'm not getting my period.
So, overall, my results did not indicate much of anything aside from the fact that I'm not ovulating, which we already knew. But there was no real explanation as to why. So it's safe to say I was extremely discouraged by this and immediately started to get emotional. However, as I've already mentioned, Dr. Martin is so great; he suggested right away that I go see a fertility specialist. He gave me a few recommendations and told me he would send my lab results over to whomever I picked.
I ended up scheduling an appointment with Dr. Elie Hobeika (who's with Fertility Centers of Illinois), and I'm really looking forward to our first appointment (which is this Friday via Zoom). I did a lot of research before selecting a doctor (this center alone has about ten doctors to choose from!) and I think he's exactly who would be the most perfect person for my care. Dr. Hobeika is extremely individualized with his care, meaning he works with each patient case-by-case to diagnosis each patient's individual issues. Some doctors who don't work in this way can be too generalized with their treatment, and so things not initially noticed / within the range of "normal" can go undiagnosed. He also has studied with world leaders in PCOS and recurrent pregnancy loss, which means he's also best equipped to help if my fertility problems are more complicated. He's been practicing for years and he's gone to the very best universities—his research has even been extensively published and presented in national meetings! So I definitely feel very good knowing that the doctor who will be handling my care is award-winning in his field.
After Friday I'm sure we will have a new plan of attack to start on. Unlike previously, I'm working hard to focus on the good things and to stay positive throughout everything. Obviously, I never wanted (or even imagined) my journey to conception to be like this. I thought I'd be one of the lucky women who could just get pregnant mere months after deciding to try. However, I know everything happens in God's timing and everything is as it should be. I know that I will grow, learn from, and maybe even come to appreciate my fertility journey.
I will continue to keep updates here on my blog in detail—both for anyone who actually cares to read them and for myself to look back upon. Because, when I am pregnant and when I do have my very own baby in my arms, I know it will be so very moving to see how far I came and how things have changed.
