Been Awhile

Yeah I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Sort of unlike me but I've been a little busy the last month or so. The good news is that dh's job finally offered a PPO for employees. Can you believe the only option was an HMO that paid absolutely nothing? Anyway this just happened 2 weeks ago so Yippeee and they pay for infertility treatment - a $10,000 lifetime max. It may help me pay for one cycle of IVF.

I'm trying very hard to avoid having to go that far. I feel it, something will happen soon. :). Not so surprising one of my old coworkers/friends called me up last week. (yeah you know where this is going don't ya?) Well I asked what she was up to and she said "nothing, tired all the time, nauseas and sleeping all the time." As a joke I asked if she was pregnant. Lo and behold she is.

I mean if a 36 year old with one ovary and only bd twice last month gets pregnant, I'm sure something is in store for me this year. I wish her the best--she has two teenagers and thought she was done. Her woes are starting over and my woes are trying to start. Always something huh?

Always the Babysitter, Never the ?

Well you get the picture. All four of my July babies have been born and are healthy. As you can imagine July was a little tough. I would always say that my husband and I will most likely be professional babysitters (with all of the business that we get). Now it seems that I'm really getting there.

My brother in law now owns a professional child care agency and I've been hired. So I've worked a couple of assignments. In a way I think it's good therapy for me so that I don't fall into depression everytime I see baby or kids or not to mention another pregnant woman.

Speaking of that-just found another acquaintance is pregnant the other day. You're probably wondering why I write these things but its only to vent and relieve a little stress. I'm patiently waiting for DH's company to offer a PPO or at least a better insurance option. I just got a $500 bill for nothing it seems. This stinking HMO is costing me more money and frustration. I mean geez, if we had money to spend like that in the first place, we definitely wouldn't purchase HMO coverage.

They said September, hopefully it will cover IVF or some portion of infertility treatment.

Kids Ask the Dardnest Questions

I've been nagging about how many pregnant women I'm fortunate enough to know this year. One of my July babies (there are 2 more to go) was born two week ago (tomorrow). We are taking turns fixing food for her and delivering it and I chose Tuesday. She's such a pro as this is her 5th baby. The oldest is all of 7 and when I went up to deliver the food I drooled over the gorgeous newborn.

Then the questions. The oldest asked "Do you have kids?" Not too bad, he's seven. But then the next question "Why Not?" I thought for awhile about how to answer such a loaded question. I finally decided on "I don't know."

You can't get upset with a seven year old but I thought it was very awkward. It's funny because he had asked me if I had kids when I saw him 4th of July. I'm avoiding the adults who ask and now I have to avoid the kids lol. The mom is always afraid of what he'll ask but at the same time I think they are wondering what the answer to THAT question is?

"I don't know"

September is the month that hubby's crappy insurance at work upgrades to include a PPO plan. Then maybe I can pursue my IVF treatment again.

TESE-ICSI

Male Infertility

Just in case my last post was misunderstood, I'm including this one. My last post was a sort of heads up about overusing or misusing ICSI. However, ICSI has proven to be a very effective treatment option for men who have no sperm cells in his ejaculate. In these cases the men can not impregnate a woman without such a procedure and thus it may be necessary if they expect any chance of fathering a child.

In Testicular Sperm Extraction, the testicular tissues are biopsied to obtain the mature sperm cells that are not present in the ejaculate. Vasecotomies are a common cause of there being no sperm in the ejaculate. A vasectomy is the removal of the tube that transports these mature sperm cells.



The Sun News On-line

Clinics Might Be Overusing Sperm Injection Method in Fertility Treatments

ICSI May Be Overused

And costing you more money than necessary. It's quite interesting that the article states that the percentage of cycles that used ICSI increased from 11% (1995) to 57.5% (2004). What is ironic is that the percentage of male related infertility has remained the same (34%). In addition the results of live births were higher (albeit slightly) than those who did not use the technique. And if that's not enough higher birth defects were reported...

ICSI is most often used for male factor infertility (low sperm counts or poor quality) and costs about an addtional $1500 on top of the regular in vitro fertilization costs.

We have to be so careful to make sure we are as informed as we can be when it comes to trying to conceive. Unfortunately there are those who are out to take advantage of our desperation to be parents.


Reproductive Health Services | Clinics Might Be Overusing Sperm Injection Method in Fertility Treatments, Study Says - Kaisernetwork.org

London Nutritionist Wins TV Baby Fertility Challenge

Improved Diet Wins

Great story here. Everyone knows that I'm a huge fan of improving your overall state of health before being pumped with lots of medication. Of course I'm not totally against medications but with all of the possible side effects, its easier and more beneficial just to correct the irregularities. It's also a lot less expensive than traditional infertility treatment.

Turns out in this challenge the Nutrionist was able to win the challenge by being the first to get an infertile couple pregnant. The competition was againt a couple undergoing IVF and a couple receiving acupuncture therapy.

IVF Experiences

London Nutritionist Wins TV Baby Fertility Challenge

Enough to make you cry

A very touching article on IVF

This article is a must read for anyone who suffers from infertility. It really hits home. Its strange but after going through IVF and becomin pregnant, the excitement is short lived as you begin to worry and obsess over whether or not you will sustain the pregnancy. Infertility is a very lonely ordeal. Why don't we talk about it? I guess one reason is knowing that we will have to deal with the insensitve comments that are sometimes meant to make us feel better but often does the opposite.

Enough to make you cry - Parenting - Life & Style Home - brisbanetimes.com.au