Part II

After much deliberation, prayer, and research, we moved on to Dr. Ahlering in St. Louis in March of 2010.  We made the trip up there for an initial visit and really liked him. He was everything previous patients said- warm, caring, and positive yet realistic. He answered my emails personally within hours.  I was normal and not the exception to the rule.  He advised us to begin IVF as soon as possible.  

I think even at this point Nate and I could not grasp that we needed IVF.  Up until then, just the mention of IVF would send me into a panic attack lasting several hours. It could work, but did not for several women I know personally. The cost is insane.  The procedure ranges from $8,000.00 - $20,000.00 depending where you are in the country. The injectable medications run anywhere from $2,000.00 - $10,000.00 depending on the protocol. It's enough to make anyone have a heart attack. 

We geared up for the May 2010 cycle. We went on a fabulous trip to Germany and had a great time (despite almost dying while skiing on an Alpine trail).  I began the intense medication schedule when we got back. However, while preparing for the cycle, the unthinkable happened. Nashville experienced a 1,000 year flood and several of our friends lost everything they had. It was an intense time and even though we were spared everything beyond 2 days of a power outage, it was a very traumatic week. Seeing army Humvees on an empty interstate and people stranded on the roofs of their homes is a bit unsettling. We took our friends' pain very personally and I know it weighed on both of us intensely.

Unfortunately, my May cycle was a total bust. I only made one measly egg. One egg!! I could do that on my own without the help of thousands of dollars of shots. We weren't ready to gamble the cost of a used Camry on one egg so we canceled and decided to regroup.  Never mind the 100 shots or the round trip to St. Louis in one day. It was not the right time. It was one of the worst days of my life and the worst 5 hour drives in the rain. I think we both continued to be in denial and we had to face some hard truths. One egg equaled dismal pregnancy stats. I was an official "failure" when it came to IVF.

However, we agreed to try one more time and to go for it even with one follicle. You dont have a chance of conceiving without making it through the embryo transfer.  On to the July cycle. My doctor and I tried out a new protocol. One with super meds that would drive 45 year old ovaries crazy. 750 IU of gonal f a/k/a "liquid gold" a day, human growth hormone, estrogen priming, you name it.  A huge blessing in the interim was that we found out our insurance covered the injectable medicines.  With my kitchen sink protocol, we're talking the cost of another used Camry so God was definitely answering our prayers. My doctor prepared us for 2-3 eggs. He had seen this before but was willing to work with us.

Long story short, 2 follicles before the egg retrieval, 3 eggs found, all fertilized, transferred 2 beautiful 8 cell and 1 6 cell embryos (see them on my title block!!), and 3 babies. I knew I was pregnant before the blood test results but refused to take a home test. I had nausea from 3 weeks on. Nate knew it but I couldn't handle the 35th cycle of "NOT PREGNANT" on the digital test. The nurse called me on August 13th with the good news. I'm sure there are still people wondering why that girl was hysterically crying for 10 minutes behind the capitol building!! The nurse felt it was twins because of the high levels of HCG. Nate just knew it was triplets.

For most everyone not familiar with the science, it is hard to understand what a miracle this is.  Take a look at this chart:

The relation between eggs retrieved and babies born is the most telling. Most women have 10 eggs with 2 transferred and 1 baby born per 10 eggs. 3 for 3 isnt too shabby.  God answered our prayers.