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The right stuff in the right place at the right time

The realization of infertility approaches slowly.  First, your mind begins to wonder why things are taking a bit longer than you expected... but you quickly dismiss your fears in light of the fact that 8, 9, 10 months is still within the range of "normal," right?  Soon, 12 months hits and you're suddenly faced with the prospect that you may in fact qualify for the official diagnosis.

Maybe we just haven't been timing things right.  Maybe I should stop drinking coffee.  Maybe I should try standing on my head (kidding).

It was at this point that I finally sucked it up and bought a pack of magical ovulation-detecting pee sticks at Target.  Which, by the way, are NOT cheap!  $40 for a 1-month supply?  Excuse me, ClearBlue, but are you really that intent on adding insult to injury?  Just watch me stretch your "1-month supply" into 4 months.  Start testing on day 6?  Psh.  Try day 10.  I live on the edge.

Anyway, another year of impeccably-timed personal business trickled agonizingly by and we decided to seek some medical help.  This past year has been interrupted by visits to the OB-GYN, visits to the creepy basement radiology department at Kaiser Zion, referrals to specialists, referrals to expensive private clinics, more visits to the creepy radiology department, needles, blood, and a lot of money.  But now, we have arrived.  This month we begin our official "treatment" with our first (and hopefully only) Intra-Uterine Insemination cycle (IUI).

What is IUI, you ask?  Basically, doctors take a super-concentrated sample of your husband's... stuff... and they inject it right up into your baby tubes while your egg-o-the-month is making its glorious debut.  And just for a little extra fun, they throw some Clomid into the mix in hopes that your eager ovaries will get excited enough to squeeze out a few little egg friends.  You know, to increase the odds that one of them will answer when Mr. Stuff knocks on the door.  And also to introduce the possibility that more than one of them will let him in.

Side note: it's kind of funny how 36 failed pregnancy attempts can change your whole perspective on the prospect of multiple births.  God's ultimately in control, right?  Still, I shudder (just a little).

If you'd prefer a more scientific (read: boring) explanation of IUI, you can go here.

So, I go in for my baseline ultrasound tomorrow afternoon so they can make sure nothing scary has cropped up in my uterus in the last few weeks.  (I really dislike that word, uterus.  Who was in charge of naming female anatomy, anyway?  Ew.)  I'll post some updates when I have them.  In the meantime, we'd appreciate your prayers!
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