Baby Journey Part II

Since the miscarriage there have been a lot of ups and downs. My first "normal" cycle after the miscarriage I began taking Clomid 50mg on days 5-9 of my cycle. On the 21st day of this cycle I went into the "old" doctor's office for blood work to check my progesterone level for ovulation. As I previously stated in my last post: the general rule of thumb is that if you ovulated during a cycle your progesterone will be above 10. Now this is where it gets tricky for me. Obviously I still ovulated in January even though my progesterone level was only a 1.8 since I got pregnant. The nurse called with the results a day later. She stated that I was still not ovulating and to wait for my period to begin then start Clomid 75mg on days 5-9. (again she seemed like she was rushing to get me off the phone :() Well, by this time I realized that I wanted to know my actual levels and ask some questions.

I felt like I had ovulated during my cycle. I had lots of cervical mucus and I even had some ovary-type pain. When I asked the nurse what my level was, she stated, "It's still really low, but has went up some to a 6.4." To me that sounded GREAT since previously it had been so low and I still had ovulated! I asked her if it was possible that I was still ovulating even though it was lower than their wanted 10. She stated that there was and I quote, "No way I ovulated!" I told her all about the CM and pain and she told me that unless the CM was streaked then no ovulation. That sent me into a tizzy!!! I told her why then did I get pregnant the month before when the progesterone level was only 1.8? She refused to answer this and simply said take the Clomid and hung up. If this was true, why did every book I read say that honestly no one knows what the actual level of progesterone is after a woman ovulates and why do their example pictures of CM always look either clear or a little cloudy. UGH! I had enough of this doctor's office nonchalance about everything! Again, I am thankful that the doctor automatically checks your progesterone as a pregnant woman because otherwise it may have taken many other tests, etc. to figure out what exactly is wrong with me, but enough is enough. You should not be in this type of profession unless you are ready to answer questions. (okay I'm off my soap box)

I began the search for a new OBGYN; one that was ready to tackle this problem head-on with me and would listen to my concerns and questions. I asked around and found that many people were extremely happy with their doctors at Contemporary Women's Health in Knoxville. I made an appointment to see Dr. Kimberly Roberts as soon as possible. By the time of my appointment I had already begun my next cycle of Clomid and was ready for the "good-ole" monthly blood draining.

Dr. Roberts and her staff were GREAT! She sat down with me and answered every question I had and gave me some really good advice and examples of other women with the same issues as I. She believes that I have a short luteal phase. This means that I do not ovulate until right before I begin my period, which does not give any possible fertilized egg time to properly imbed itself into the uterine wall. This made sense to me since I had never been able to get a positive for ovulation on a predictor kit. She also could not believe that my previous doctor had not placed me on a progesterone supplement since my progesterone was obviously the problem. She said it doesn't hurt anything so why not. All it might do is make my cycle a little slow in showing up. Well...well if this hadn't been what I had been trying to tell my previous doctor's office! I did NOT want to EVER have another miscarriage if I could help it. I wanted to do whatever possible to keep another pregnancy...and if that means taking Prometrium for months on end I will do it!

I began taking Prometrium 200mg twice daily the next day after my appointment. I was instructed to continue taking it and to test for pregnancy the next week and if negative test, again the next week. Unfortunately, my labs came back with the lowest level progesterone ever, a 1.4. We began to think I might even have PCOS. Dr. Roberts wanted to continue the Clomid and Prometrium regime. She truly believes that the mere fact that I had a spontaneous pregnancy shows that we can do it! It is just finding the right combination to help me keep the baby. This is a reassurance every month during the terrible two week wait.

This cycle I have taken Clomid and my body has felt pretty good. No crazy side effects this time. I still have MAJOR, mind-altering hot flashes, but other than that no more crying at commercials...haha...my husband still says that he is going to come home one day and find a big pile of ash sitting on the couch. He's crazy, but he is my rock! Without him during this time I might have went (or be going) absolutely nutty! Now as far as the Prometrium goes I have some "wild" side effects. They make me feel terribly drunk and dizzy!!!

The moral/lesson of this part of my story is: As women we must be more proactive about our health. We need to refuse to just "go with the flow." Just because one doctor refuses to answer questions or listen does not mean that all of them will. I have always been intimated by my physician, but not any longer. (Any time I have a question I call Dr. Robert's office and her nurse ALWAYS gets back with me within the hour. They are positive and upbeat about helping me) Do research about your condition, become educated, and do NOT give up. Find a physician that will be proactive with you!