On to the fertility updates.

Well, round 2 of Clomid did not do the trick. My progesterone level was the same as it was before taking Clomid, and that was even with taking progesterone supplements. The progesterone test is to see if I actually ovulated or not. It's a little tricky, because you are supposed to take the test 7 days after you've ovulated. But the test is to tell you if you've ovulated. So, it's all a guessing game, because if I knew I was ovulating I wouldn't need to take the test.

Before my doctor prescribed Clomid I had my progesterone bloodwork done, and as I mentioned, it was the same as when I had taken two months of Clomid. Before Clomid, my doctor said it looked like I wasn't ovulating, so here's the drug. Last month when I got the same result back, he said it was on the low side of normal!!! So, I'm still at a loss. It looks like I am ovulating, maybe just not very strongly. I don't have my exact #s in front of me, but I believe my pre-Clomid and 2nd round of Clomid levels were about 5.5. Round one Clomid was higher, 6. something. A medicated cycle should measure at least 15, I believe, so it was well-below what I would consider normal.

Anyway, end result - BFN.

I have taken my 3rd round of Clomid this month & we'll have to see what happens. But I do have a bad confession to make - I haven't been taking any of my other medications this whole month. Not the herbs my acupuncturist prescribed (or the smoothie), not my thyroid pills, not my metformin (a drug usually for diabetics, but also helps ovulation in PCOS patients), not prenatal vitamins - nothing. I've just been very depressed by the whole thing & my response has been inaction - as usual.

So, after I finish blogging tonight I will start my medicines up again, ok? I promise!

Since this month is my last on Clomid, I'm really feeling panicked. I don't know what I'm going to do next. I don't have infertility insurance, and so I've only been seeing my ob/gyn for my issues, & I think I've finally reached the point that he can not help me any longer.

I've been looking into two possible options, both are fairly appealing to me, but scary. The first one is an IUI, which some of my friends have had success with. However, I'm not my friends, & reading a little about it makes me think that I may not be a great candidate. The expense is hefty, but do-able, but it's only worth it if I actually could benefit from it. I'd have to see an RE to get some opinions on that one. I know that IVF is also an option, and may be more viable for us, but the expense is really prohibitive (or so I've gathered. I haven't done too much research because I'm more excited about our next option...)

The second option that we're considering is adoption. This one warms my heart, and I love the concept, but the process is scary & expensive. The process is long, and my husband doesn't want to talk about the details until we're ready to jump in. It's sort of revisits conversations we had about wedding planning. I knew how much lead time we needed on everything, & he didn't believe me... until we started finding vendors totally booked more than a year in advance... So, I'm trying to educate him about home-studies, and profiles, etc, etc, & he just wants to wait until that is our definite next step. Luckily we're on the same page about loving a child no matter how they come into our lives... just not on the same page about the timeline...

So there you, go, that's my fertility update... more to come...