Breakin' Out the Swiffers

Wow... it's looking a little dusty around here.  I could practically hear the scamper of tiny mouse feet fleeing in response to me typing the blogger URL.  Well, I hope you'll just ignore the cloud of particles glistening in that sliver of sunlight, and pull up a chair so we can chat awhile.  Don't worry, you can wipe it down.

So what's prompted my un-hasty return?  Secondary infertility, that's what.  Actually, I'm not sure if it's technically secondary infertility, or just an unwelcome extension of our former primary infertility.  Either way... the point is, this oven ain't bakin' another bun on it's own.  It's time to call in the professionals.

Today we had our initial consultation at a new-to-us fertility clinic, because we no longer have Kaiser fertility coverage (that is to say, NO fertility coverage whatsoever.  Hooray.).  I was slightly apprehensive about the unknown, but from the moment our doctor greeted us, I felt confident that we were in good hands.  He has a kind, goofy sense of humor; and, most importantly, made a point to delve deeper into our medical records and test results than our former doctor did.  He is also a great listener, which means I am confident that we'll get the best care for our wants and needs.

To give a little history, our former doctor looked at one test result in particular and used that as a basis to recommend IVF with ICSI, which is basically the most invasive form of fertility treatment currently available.  When we told her we weren't comfortable going that route and asked about trying IUI, she readily agreed to it, but told us it would only increase our chances by 5-10%.  Well... obviously we are either very lucky, or her interpretation of the test results was not entirely correct.

Fast forward to our consultation today, and our new doctor voluntarily explained that one test result in further detail.  Basically, it's not as devastating as we were made to believe, and a lot of doctors will inappropriately use our type of result as a reason to jump straight to IVF with ICSI (which smells a little fishy when you consider the financial motivation).  I'd like to add that he explained all of this without knowing anything about our prior experience.  He feels it is preferable to begin with a more conservative approach, such as IUI.  This is, of course, the direction we want to go since it worked for us last time.

After learning about the experiences of some friends of mine who have also sought fertility treatment, I am actually a bit shocked that it is not uncommon for couples to feel somewhat pressured into starting with IVF rather than IUI.  I suppose when you consider that fertility clinics may be highly motivated by profit and quick success, this might not seem so far-fetched.  If you are seeking any fertility treatment of your own, beware.  I'm not saying that every couple should start with IUI instead of IVF; I'm just saying that you should seek a second opinion if you're at all uncomfortable with your doctor's recommendations.  Another $275 consultation appointment fee is a lot easier to stomach than a $25,000 IVF cycle.

Anyway, that's where we're at.  We do need to have a few labs/tests run again since our previous ones are expired, but provided all goes well with that, we should be able to do our first Clomid IUI cycle in April.  Some tidbits of additional good news:

• We don't need to dink around with the dosage of Clomid since that was already done the last time around.  We can start out with the dose that proved effective then.
• Our costs this time around will be significantly lower than they were with Kaiser.  This is an extremely pleasant surprise given that we actually had 50% fertility coverage last time!  After considering the full cost through Kaiser (higher monthly premiums plus the 50%), the same treatment with no coverage through our new clinic would be about half(!) of what we paid.  Ridiculous.
• On a superficial note, it was nice to be able to sit across the table from our doctor in cushy chairs, in an actual office with freshly-painted walls, carpet, medical books, and crown moulding.  I've grown rather accustomed to sitting on a sheet of waxy paper in a shabby, sterile exam room with busted window blinds and faded PSA health posters from the 90s.  I suppose the crown moulding lends a bit of dignity to the whole thing. :)

I plan to gather my thoughts and try to write later about how it feels to enter Round 2.  It's definitely different, but I can't really put it into words quite yet.  Possibly because I've got too much else cluttering up my mind to really think about it.  For now, we are excited.  And hopeful.  And I'm just a little bit nervous, but that's good.  God's gotta keep me in check somehow.