Stats

Invasive fertility tests: 6 (HSG, SHG, hysteroscopy, endometrial biopsy, mock embryo transfer, pituitary MRI)

New things we've found wrong with me from said tests: 5 (high prolactin, high TSH, blocked fallopian tube, endometritis, PCOS)

Blood draws done in the past 2 weeks: 6

Blood draws where they had to stick me more than once: 3 (on one occasion it took 4 pokes. Nice going, LabCorp.)

Medications I'm taking daily: 7 (surely this is excessive, especially since I haven't even started cycling yet.)

Voicemails left for my coordinating nurse: haven't even tried to count.

My ability to focus on anything other than this FET cycle: negligible.

One Down

HSG=DONE.

Thank goodness. I was so nervous going into it because last time I had one (almost 7 years ago) it was very painful. Hollering obscenities painful. The main purpose of an HSG is to find out if the fallopian tubes are open and basically in working condition. They inject dye into the uterus and through the tubes while they watch on an x-ray machine. If a tube is not open it can be pretty painful as the dye tries to get through, and that's what happened to me last time. I ended up having a diagnostic laparoscopy to investigate the non-cooperating tube and they found that the tube was fine, but I had stage 1 endometriosis.

I was sweating the whole drive to the clinic yesterday. I decided not to have Eric come with me because I realized he wouldn't even be allowed in the room during the procedure anyway (since they use x-rays they limit who can be in there), and it was getting complicated figuring out how to get Sawyer off the bus and not interrupt his schedule too much. So E stayed home to get Sawyer, which simplified things and turned out to be just fine. I told Dr. A how nervous I was and he promised me he would go very slowly to minimize the cramping. I also took 800 mg of Advil an hour before the best and popped 1/2 a hydrocodone tablet, which really helped with the anxiety and probably the pain too.

The test went great. It did hurt, but it was totally manageable and I didn't swear at the nurse. The results were the same as before, one tube didn't open, but Dr. A feels that we're OK to proceed with the FET since there doesn't seem to be any swelling or fluid buildup. (If you're like me and you wonder why the tubes matter for IVF/FET - which bypasses the egg traveling from the ovaries - here's a good explanation.)

I also had a brief consult with Dr. A to talk about my recent bloodwork. My TSH (thyroid) levels are higher than they like to see - below 2.7, and mine is at a 3.02. Not a level where most doctors will treat you, but too high for fertility cycling. My prolactin levels have also been consistently high, which is concerning, so I have to schedule an MRI to make sure I don't have a tumor on my pituitary gland. From what I've been reading online, hypothyroid and elevated prolactin can sometimes be related, so that would make sense. It also explains why my periods have been completely wacky the past few months. I've been on levothyroxine for the thyroid for about a week and I'll probably start on meds for the prolactin soon once we rule out a tumor.

All of this is throwing me for a loop since last time we did IVF my tests were all completely normal (aside from the mild endo.) Now it seems like we keep finding things. I'm trying to take it all one step at a time. On to the next test.