Monday, April 20, 2009

Getting Started

We had known since we were in college that having children of our own would likely be a challenge. I was diagnosed at that time with a mullerian anomaly. This means that there is a birth defect that makes my uterus abnormal. There are different variations of mullerian anomalies but mine is such that my uterus is basically divided into two small uteri. I was diagnosed during one of my annual pelvic examinations. My doctor discovered that I had an extra cervix and an ultrasound confirmed that my uterus was also abnormal. The pregnancy complications that generally result from this type of abnormality include miscarriage, preterm labor, and growth restriction.

We had decided that since we might have problems, we would not use birth control after we were married and would see what happens. We didn't want to eliminate the possibility of having children if "our time" happened to be right after we were married. At the same time, we were hoping that time would not come too soon because we wanted to enjoy a year or so of newlywed bliss. ;)

After about ten months of "seeing what happens" nothing had happened. We still didn't know if we were quite ready to have a baby but I wanted to see a doctor just to make sure that there was nothing I could do to help prevent a miscarriage in the event that I did get pregnant. After doing some research, I found that I needed to see a reproductive endocrinologist. So I called an infertility doctor in our area and set up an appointment. Generally, you would have to wait until you had tried to conceive for 12 months without success to be considered "infertile." But since I knew that I had problems they let me go ahead and schedule an appointment.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Welcome

We went to Vegas and lost all the money we put on the table (and in the slot machines), but it turns out we had some luck in the end. After months and months of trying, doctor visits, a self-administered shot, pills, and a procedure that felt much less than natural, it finally happened. So what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas. Here's the story of our "Vegas Baby."