Diagnosis and High Hopes

It has been a while since my post on secondary infertility, and I want to share some hopeful updates!

Between September 11th and now, I have had a lot of labs, appointments, and procedures with my doctor at OBGYN & Infertility (OGI) here in Minneapolis. We started with diagnostic testing which included: bloodwork, an ultrasound with saline injection, and an HSG (Hysterosalpingogram).

First of all, I have been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) because I meet most of the criteria: (1) Hormone imbalance, which manifests for me with acne and an LH/FSH issue found in the blood tests (2) irregular periods and (3) the beginning of cysts found on my ovaries.

My doctor also found polyps in my endometrium. In order for me to have a chance at a healthy pregnancy, the polyps had to be removed and the uterus cleaned out. Otherwise, implantation isn't likely to be successful. On October 17th I had a hysteroscopy, a procedure where they insert a 5 mm camera into the uterus to accurately find and remove the polyps. My doctor also did a D&C. I was put under anesthesia. The recovery wasn't bad at all, I mostly just had grogginess and headaches from the anesthesia. I am so thankful to the women in my ward who took care of me during this time, from rides to visits to dinners. You are angels!

Sometime soon, I will be able to start Femara, a drug similar to Clomid, but found to have less side affects. There are some studies that suggest it helps women with PCOS more. It induces ovulation, which will help me in my situation since I have had irregular ovulation in the past.

Because of where I was in my cycle when I had my first appointment, we were able to do all of these tests and the procedure quickly. It is a blessing to have made so much progress in such a short amount of time! I feel so grateful for that. I feel grateful for my doctor. She seems to really know what she's doing and is confident that I will be able to have a successful pregnancy in the future. I am also so grateful for insurance!

Since being diagnosed, I have been trying to learn more about PCOS. It seems to be complex, and manifests differently in every woman. It's more about hormone issues than it is about cysts on the ovaries (healthy ovaries can have cysts). One big resource I've learned a lot from is PCOS Diva. It was started by Amy Medling, a certified health coach who has spent over a decade helping women with PCOS thrive. Her podcasts are great–she interviews doctors and specialists (both MDs and naturopaths). Both this resource and my medical doctor have confirmed that the best way to manage PCOS long-term is through diet. Unfortunately the big offenders are gluten and dairy 😢 two things that I love! Anything that is inflammatory increases symptoms of PCOS (for me they are: acne, mood issues, painful menstruation, fatigue, brain fog, and irregular ovulation).

For now, I am not completely eliminating dairy and gluten (that's way too overwhelming!). I'm just taking baby steps to reduce them, and to increase more nutrient rich foods into my diet that can help. So far as I've made better choices, I feel a lot better! Since Lucy was born, I've struggled a lot with fatigue. I've always felt that my fellow mom friends had more energy than me, and wondered if something was wrong. I had my thyroid tested and the results were normal. I thought things would improve when Lucy slept through the night but that was not the case. Some days it is a real struggle and then I get depressed because I feel so unproductive. I am so grateful to have found ways to decrease my hormonal imbalance and fatigue at the same time. Who knows what this journey will bring, but I am grateful for all the resources out there that can help!

One thing our family has struggled with in the midst of all of this is all the medical bills! Holy moly. Because I did so many things close together, our bills came all at once and it is a lot! We are still getting on our feet financially since Craig started this job after graduate school. Thankfully, I have learned that most billing offices allow you to create a payment plan so that you don't have to pay them all at once. 😌 Also, our car's transmission is dying and we don't feel safe trying to make it last through a Minnesota winter. The car isn't worth the cost of replacing the transmission. So, we were able to buy a car, despite all our worries about the expense, because of many blessed circumstances.

Right now, I'm excited about the prospect of having another baby, but I'm also content. I'm very aware of how tiring it will be, but I hope I can be patient with the process. I don't have the same craving for a baby that I had last time I wrote, but I still want more children...and sooner is better than later 😊

We feel that our prayers in so many areas of worry and stress lately have been answered and we are full of gratitude. I know that God lives and is aware of us. One thing the Spirit taught me recently is that God doesn't just care about our needs, he cares about our wants too. I think I've always known that intellectually, but I haven't always believed it for myself. That doesn't mean He always gives us what we want–He wants us to grow. But I've seen firsthand how He wants to work with us to create something good and meaningful out of our lives. I say with Nephi, "Oh how great the goodness of our God!"